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☆ Judge Rejects Johnson & Johnson’s Effort to Limit Talc-Related Liabilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Nicole Sperling | More About Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For the second time this year, a court has ruled against Johnson & Johnson’s effort to use a bankruptcy case to limit its exposure to tens of thousands of lawsuits that claim its talcum powder products caused cancer. The plaintiffs claim that the company knew for decades about the risks linked to its talc products, including its signature baby powder. The company created a subsidiary, LTL Management, in 2021 as a maneuver to shield itself from the talc litigation. It proposed that the subsidiary, which had filed for bankruptcy, pay $8.9 billion to resolve all the claims against it. But on Friday, Judge Michael Kaplan of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey, said LTL’s bankruptcy case must be dismissed because the lawsuits did not put the company in “imminent or immediate financial distress.” Earlier this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia dismissed the first bankruptcy effort for the same reason.

Persons: Johnson, Michael Kaplan Organizations: LTL Management, U.S, Bankruptcy, District of, U.S ., Appeals, Third Circuit Locations: District of New Jersey, Philadelphia

☆ Scientists say they have induced 'virgin births' in fruit flies for the first time by switching on the right genes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A group of researchers was able to successfully engineer "virgin birth" in fruit flies. "I couldn't believe it," Sperling told the Washington Post. A backup for isolated femalesThe experiment was conducted on fruit flies because they are model organisms, or simple non-human species that are usually studied to better understand biology. "Fruit flies are incredibly special because they are basically the first model organism and have been studied for over 100 years," Sperling told the Post. Virgin births could help certain species and act as a "backup" for isolated females, according to The Guardian.

Persons: Alexis Sperling, Sperling, Hannah Maude, Nature Organizations: Service, Privacy, University of Cambridge, Washington Post, Imperial College London, Times, Guardian Locations: Wall, Silicon, parthenogenesis

☆ Netflix Set to Report Earnings, Against the Backdrop of Two Strikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Nicole Sperling | More About Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Netflix has been on the receiving end of much of the vitriol surrounding the strike, primarily from writers who say the economics of the streaming era have eroded their working conditions and hurt their overall compensation. The company already contended with angry shareholders last month, when they voted to reject lucrative pay packages for the company’s top executives. A rosy earnings report could certainly inflame those on the picket lines. Obviously, I will ask them about the strikes, but they have other things going on, like password sharing, which has nothing to do with the strike. I just don’t know how carefully worded or guarded they will be because of the potential reaction by the guilds.”The company has already seen some benefits from the strike.

Persons: ”, Jessica Reif Ehrlich Organizations: Netflix, Bank of America, HBO, Brothers, ” Netflix, Consumers, “ Locations: WarnerMedia, United States, United Kingdom

☆ In Hollywood’s Labor Tumult, Directors Stand Apart
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Nicole Sperling | More About Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When the Directors Guild of America agreed to a new three-year contract with the major Hollywood studios last month, the union hailed the agreement as “unprecedented” and “historic.”With screenwriters on strike and the actors’ union still in negotiations, the directors saw their deal as a first step on the way to labor peace in the entertainment industry. It included improvements in both wages and the amount of royalties that directors would receive from projects on streaming services, and it placed guardrails around the use of artificial intelligence. “The parameters of the deal are certainly going to help the other guilds in negotiations,” Christopher Nolan, the director of “Oppenheimer,” told The Hollywood Reporter. That did not happen. When the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, went on strike last week, the directors found themselves as outliers in Hollywood.

Persons: ” Christopher Nolan, “ Oppenheimer, ”, ’ Organizations: Guild of America, Hollywood, SAG, Alliance, Television Producers

In May, when 11,500 movie and television writers went on strike, Hollywood companies like Netflix, NBCUniversal and Disney reacted with what amounted to a shrug. The walkout wasn’t great, but executives had expected it for months. The angry response from Hollywood’s corporate ranks when actors went out on Friday was dramatically different. The film and TV scripts that studios had banked in case of a writers’ strike have been suddenly rendered inert, deprived of actors to bring them to life. Numerous big-budget movies that had been shooting had to shut down immediately, including “Twisters,” “Venom 3,” “Deadpool 3” and “Gladiator 2."

Persons: ’, “ Twisters, ” Organizations: Hollywood, Netflix, Disney, Labor

☆ Factbox: List of Wimbledon women's singles champions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

LONDON, July 15 (Reuters) - List of Wimbledon women's singles champions:2023 Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic) beat Ons Jabeur (Tunisia) 6-4 6-42022 Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) beat Jabeur (Tunisia) 3-6 6-2 6-22021 Ash Barty (Australia) beat Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) 6-3 6-7(4) 6-32020 Tournament cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic2019 Simona Halep (Romania) beat Serena Williams (U.S.) 6-2 6-22018 Angelique Kerber (Germany) beat Serena Williams (U.S.) 6-3 6-32017 Garbine Muguruza (Spain) beat Venus Williams (U.S.) 7-5 6-02016 Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Kerber (Germany) 7-5 6-32015 Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Muguruza (Spain) 6-4 6-42014 Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) beat Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) 6-3 6-02013 Marion Bartoli (France) beat Sabine Lisicki (Germany) 6-1 6-42012 Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) 6-1 5-7 6-22011 Kvitova (Czech Republic) beat Maria Sharapova (Russia) 6-3 6-42010 Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Vera Zvonareva (Russia) 6-3 6-22009 Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Venus Williams (U.S.) 7-6(3) 6-22008 Venus Williams (U.S.) beat Serena Williams (U.S.) 7-5 6-42007 Venus Williams (U.S.) beat Bartoli (France) 6-4 6-12006 Amelie Mauresmo (France) beat Justine Henin (Belgium) 2-6 6-3 6-42005 Venus Williams (U.S.) beat Lindsay Davenport (U.S.) 4-6 7-6(4)9-72004 Sharapova (Russia) beat Serena Williams (U.S.) 6-1 6-42003 Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Venus Williams (U.S.) 4-6 6-4 6-22002 Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Venus Williams (U.S.) 7-6(4) 6-32001 Venus Williams (U.S.) beat Henin (Belgium) 6-1 3-6 6-02000 Venus Williams (U.S.) beat Davenport (U.S.) 6-3 7-6(3)1999 Davenport (U.S.) beat Steffi Graf (Germany) 6-4 7-51998 Jana Novotna (Czech Republic) beat Nathalie Tauziat (France) 6-4 7-6(2)1997 Martina Hingis (Switzerland) beat Novotna (Czech Republic) 2-6 6-3 6-31996 Graf (Germany) beat Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Spain) 6-3 7-51995 Graf (Germany) beat Sanchez Vicario (Spain) 4-6 6-1 7-51994 Conchita Martinez (Spain) beat Martina Navratilova (U.S.) 6-4 3-6 6-31993 Graf (Germany) beat Novotna (Czech Republic) 7-6(6) 1-6 6-41992 Graf (Germany) beat Monica Seles (Yugoslavia) 6-2 6-11991 Graf (Germany) beat Gabriela Sabatini (Argentina) 6-4 3-6 8-61990 Navratilova (U.S.) beat Zina Garrison (U.S.) 6-4 6-11989 Graf (Germany) beat Navratilova (U.S.) 6-2 6-7(1) 6-11988 Graf (Germany) beat Navratilova (U.S.) 5-7 6-2 6-11987 Navratilova (U.S.) beat Graf (Germany) 7-5 6-31986 Navratilova (U.S.) beat Hana Mandlikova (Czechoslovakia) 7-6(1) 6-31985 Navratilova (U.S.) beat Chris Evert Lloyd (U.S.) 4-6 6-3 6-21984 Navratilova (U.S.) beat Evert Lloyd (U.S.) 7-6(5) 6-21983 Navratilova (U.S.) beat Andrea Jaeger (U.S.) 6-0 6-31982 Navratilova (U.S.) beat Evert Lloyd (U.S.) 6-1 3-6 6-21981 Evert Lloyd (U.S.) beat Mandlikova (Czechoslovakia) 6-2 6-21980 Evonne Goolagong Cawley (Australia) beat Evert Lloyd (U.S.) 6-1 7-6(4)1979 Navratilova (Czechoslovakia) beat Evert Lloyd (U.S.) 6-4 6-41978 Navratilova (Czechoslovakia) beat Evert Lloyd (U.S.) 2-6 6-4 7-51977 Virginia Wade (Britain) beat Betty Stove (Netherlands) 4-6 6-3 6-11976 Evert Lloyd (U.S.) beat Cawley (Australia) 6-3 4-6 8-61975 Billie Jean King (Moffitt) (U.S.) beat Cawley (Australia) 6-0 6-11974 Evert (U.S.) beat Olga Morozova (Soviet Union) 6-0 6-41973 King (U.S.) beat Evert (U.S.) 6-0 7-51972 King (U.S.) beat Cawley (Australia) 6-3 6-31971 Cawley (Australia) beat Margaret Court (Smith) (Australia) 6-4 6-11970 Court (Australia) beat King (U.S.) 14-12 11-91969 Ann Jones (Britain) beat King (U.S.) 3-6 6-3 6-21968 King (U.S.) beat Judy Tegart (Australia) 9-7 7-5Pre-Open era:1967 King (U.S.) beat Jones (Britain) 6-3 6-41966 King (U.S.) beat Maria Bueno (Brazil) 6-3 3-6 6-11965 Smith (Court) (Australia) beat Bueno (Brazil) 6-4 7-51964 Bueno (Brazil) beat Smith (Australia) 6-4 7-9 6-31963 Smith (Australia) beat Moffitt (King) (U.S.) 6-3 6-41962 Karen Susman (U.S.) beat Vera Sukova (Czechoslovakia)6-4 6-41961 Angela Mortimer (Britain) beat Christine Truman (Britain) 4-6 6-4 7-51960 Bueno (Brazil) beat Sandra Reynolds (South Africa) 8-6 6-01959 Bueno (Brazil) beat Darlene Hard (U.S.) 6-4 6-31958 Althea Gibson (U.S.) beat Mortimer (Britain) 8-6 6-21957 Gibson (U.S.) beat Hard (U.S.) 6-3 6-21956 Shirley Fry (U.S.) beat Angela Buxton (Britain) 6-3 6-11955 Louise Brough (U.S.) beat Beverly Fleitz (U.S.) 7-5 8-61954 Maureen Connolly (U.S.) beat Brough (U.S.) 6-2 7-51953 Connolly (U.S.) beat Doris Hart (U.S.) 8-6 7-51952 Connolly (U.S.) beat Brough (U.S.) 7-5 6-31951 Hart (U.S.) beat Fry (U.S.) 6-1 6-01950 Brough (U.S.) beat Margaret du Pont (Osborne) (U.S.) 6-1 3-6 6-11949 Brough (U.S.) beat Du Pont (U.S.) 10-8 1-6 10-81948 Brough (U.S.) beat Hart (U.S.) 6-3 8-61947 Osborne (U.S.) beat Hart (U.S.) 6-2 6-41946 Pauline Betz (U.S.) beat Brough (U.S.) 6-2 6-41940-45 No competition1939 Alice Marble (U.S.) beat Kay Stammers (Britain) 6-2 6-01938 Helen Moody (Wills) (U.S.) beat Helen Jacobs (U.S.) 6-4 6-01937 Dorothy Round (Britain) beat Jadwiga Jedr

Persons: Vondrousova, Elena Rybakina, Ash Barty, Karolina Pliskova, Simona Halep, Serena Williams, Angelique Kerber, Muguruza, Venus Williams, Petra Kvitova, Eugenie Bouchard, Marion Bartoli, Sabine Lisicki, Agnieszka Radwanska, Kvitova, Maria Sharapova, Vera Zvonareva, Bartoli, Amelie Mauresmo, Justine Henin, Lindsay Davenport, Sharapova, Davenport, Steffi Graf, Jana Novotna, Nathalie Tauziat, Martina Hingis, Novotna, Graf, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Sanchez Vicario, Conchita Martinez, Martina Navratilova, Monica Seles, Gabriela Sabatini, Navratilova, Zina Garrison, Hana Mandlikova, Chris Evert Lloyd, Evert Lloyd, Andrea Jaeger, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Virginia Wade, Betty Stove, Cawley, Billie Jean King, Moffitt, Evert, Olga Morozova, King, Margaret Court, Smith, Ann Jones, Judy Tegart, Jones, Maria Bueno, Bueno, Karen Susman, Vera Sukova, Angela Mortimer, Christine Truman, Sandra Reynolds, Darlene Hard, Althea Gibson, Mortimer, Gibson, Shirley Fry, Angela Buxton, Louise Brough, Beverly Fleitz, Maureen Connolly, Connolly, Doris Hart, Hart, Fry, Brough, Margaret du Pont, Osborne, Du Pont, Pauline Betz, Alice Marble, Kay Stammers, Helen Moody, Wills, Helen Jacobs, Dorothy Round, Jadwiga Jedrzejowska, Jacobs, Hilde Sperling, Moody, Cilly Aussem, Hilde Krahwinkel, Elizabeth Ryan, Lili de Alvarez, De Alvarez, Kathleen Godfree, Suzanne Lenglen, Joan Fry, Kathleen McKane, Molla Mallory, Dorothea Chambers, Chambers, Ethel Larcombe, Winifred McNair, Charlotte Sterry, Dora Boothby, Boothby, Agnes Morton, Morton, Sutton, Dorothea Douglass, Douglass, Sterry, Thomson, Muriel Robb, Blanche Hillyard, Hillyard, Charlotte Cooper, Cooper, Louisa Martin 6, Alice Pickering, Helen Jackson, Edith Austin, Lottie Dod, Dod, Lena Rice, May, Bingley, Maud Watson, Watson, Lillian Watson, Aadi Nair, Ed Osmond Organizations: Wimbledon, Henin, Davenport, Graf, Evert, King, Brough, Wills, Rice, Bingley, Thomson Locations: Czech Republic, Tunisia, Kazakhstan, Jabeur, Australia, Romania, Germany, Spain, Kerber, Muguruza, Canada, France, Poland, Russia, Belgium, U.S, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Mandlikova, Britain, Netherlands, Soviet Union, Brazil, South Africa, McKane, Bingley, Bengaluru

☆ Strike Prevents Actors From Promoting Films at Premieres or Festivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Nicole Sperling | More About Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It has already been a difficult year for movie theaters, with the North American box office down roughly 20 percent from last year. And that was when actors could promote their films. SAG-AFTRA officials convened conference calls with Hollywood’s top agencies and publicists this week to explain the strike rules for both the production and the promotion of coming projects. And on Thursday, after announcing the strike, the union released its rules for its membership. “When you don’t have any form of publicity, which is free to a certain extent, you have to try to make up that noise.

Persons: “ It’s, ” Terry Organizations: American, SAG, Con, ” Terry Press Locations: San Diego, Hollywood

☆ Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling on Barbie and Kenergy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Nicole Sperling | More About Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Greta would say, run toward that, that’s going to be more interesting. Some things are tiny, like her referring to herself as Stereotypical Barbie. The word “stereotypical” has negative connotations attached to it. She needs to start there, referring to herself as Stereotypical Barbie, because she’s already putting herself down without realizing it. RYAN GOSLING Well, the title page said “Barbie and Ken,” and the “and Ken” was scratched out.

Persons: Barbie, Greta, ROBBIE, “, Blond Barbie, she’s, Ryan, RYAN GOSLING, “ Barbie, Ken, ”, Ken ”, Margot, churros, GOSLING, ROBBIE Barbie, I’ve

Members of the Writers Guild of America walk a picket line outside of Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif., in May. Like the striking writers, leaders of SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, have described their labor dispute in stark terms, calling the present moment “existential” for their members. But the core issues have been about compensation, as well as the use of artificial intelligence. The actors also have grave concerns about artificial intelligence, and how the technology could be used to replicate their performances using their previous work without their being compensated or consulted. Tara Kole, a lawyer with the entertainment law firm Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole, which represents actors like Emma Watson and Ashley Judd, said in an interview that the potential use of artificial intelligence was “terrifying” to actors.

Persons: “, ” Duncan Crabtree, —, We’re, Mr, Tara Kole, Johnson Shapiro, Emma Watson, Ashley Judd, that’s, ” Ms, Kole, ” Mr, A.I, we’re, ” “, AFTRA Organizations: Writers Guild of America, Warner Bros ., SAG, Alliance, Television Producers Locations: Burbank , Calif, Ireland, Crabtree

Many of the actors’ demands mirror those of the writers, whose own strike had already brought many productions to a halt. Actors and screenwriters have not been on strike at the same time since 1960, when Marilyn Monroe was still near her peak. The first distress signal for the studios came in early June when roughly 65,000 members of the actors’ union — nearly 98 percent of voters — backed authorizing a strike. The actors’ walkout would provide additional support to the striking writers, who have been walking picket lines for more than 70 days. Read more about the writers’ strike.

Persons: Brooks Barnes, John Koblin, ’, Marilyn Monroe, Meryl Streep, John Leguizamo, Jennifer Lawrence, Constance Wu, Ben Stiller, ”, Fran Drescher, ” Ms, Drescher, “ Organizations: SAG, Disney, Universal, Sony, Paramount, Netflix, Apple, —, Alliance, Television Producers, Writers Guild of America Locations: California

The stage was different, and so was the tone. “The eyes of the world and particularly the eyes of labor are upon us,” Ms. Drescher said. What’s happening to us is happening across all fields of labor.”She shook her fists in indignation. “I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us!” she continued. Shame on them!”Ms. Drescher is the latest in a long line of familiar faces — Ronald Reagan, Patty Duke and Charlton Heston among them — to run SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents tens of thousands of screen actors.

Persons: Fran Drescher, ”, ” Ms, Drescher, “, Ms, — Ronald Reagan, Patty Duke, Charlton Heston Organizations: SAG Locations: Hollywood

“The companies have refused to meaningfully engage on some topics and on others completely stonewalled us,” Ms. Drescher said in a statement. “Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal.”It would be the first time that actors and screenwriters were on strike at the same time since 1960, when Marilyn Monroe was near her peak. “We are deeply disappointed that SAG-AFTRA has decided to walk away from negotiations,” the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which bargains on behalf of Hollywood companies, said in a statement. Many of the actors’ demands mirror those of the writers, including higher wages, increased residual payments (a type of royalty) from streaming services and aggressive guardrails around the use of artificial intelligence to preserve jobs. Guild leadership also wants new regulations regarding self-taped auditions, a pandemic phenomenon that has resulted in significantly fewer live casting sessions.

Persons: ” Ms, Drescher, Marilyn Monroe, AFTRA Organizations: Disney, Universal, Sony, Paramount, Netflix, Apple, SAG, Alliance, Television Producers, Hollywood

☆ Hollywood Is Shutting Down
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The union representing more than 160,000 television and movie actors announced today that its members were going on strike after negotiations with the major Hollywood studios over a new contract collapsed. It is the first time in 63 years that both actors and screenwriters, who went on strike in May, have taken part in a walkout at the same time. “I don’t think Hollywood is ready for this,” my colleague Nicole Sperling, who covers entertainment, told me, noting that studio executives were caught off guard by the resolve of the actors. The actors’ union says it is trying to ensure living wages for its members and to protect them from having their likenesses used in productions they took no part in. The studios argue that this is a difficult time for an industry upended by streaming services.

Persons: Nicole Sperling Organizations: Hollywood

☆ A Second Strike Is Threatening Hollywood
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Nicole Sperling | More About Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Why It Matters: A second strike could shut Hollywood down completely. Hollywood is already 80 percent shut down since the writers went on strike on May 2. While some television shows and movies continued filming, the writers were surprisingly effective in shutting down shows in production. During the last writers’ strike 15 years ago, the Los Angeles economy lost an estimated $2.1 billion. The effects of a dual strike would also soon be coming to your television, with network shows going into reruns and a likely proliferation of reality television.

Persons: ’, Ronald Reagan, Fran Drescher, Duncan Crabtree, Drescher Organizations: Screen, SAG, Alliance, Television Producers Locations: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York City, Ireland

☆ UAW to open contract talks with Detroit Three automakers on Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] UAW President Shawn Fain talks with the media after chairing the 2023 Special Elections Collective Bargaining Convention in Detroit, Michigan U.S. March 27, 2023. REUTERS/Rebecca CookJuly 10 (Reuters) - The United Auto Workers union said on Monday it will open contract talks with Detroit's Big Three automakers starting on Thursday, ahead of the mid-September expiration of the current four-year labor deal. UAW President Shawn Fain has said repeatedly that the UAW wants to eliminate the two-tier wage system under which new hires earn as much as 25% less than veterans. Instead, UAW leaders will meet with auto workers on Wednesday at three Detroit-area plants to mark the beginning of talks. The White House said it has named adviser Gene Sperling as a "point person" on the UAW automaker labor talks.

Persons: Shawn Fain, Rebecca Cook, Detroit's, Fain, Ford, Jim Farley, Chuck Browning, Farley, Joe Biden, Biden, Gene Sperling, David Shepardson, David Gregorio, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Detroit , Michigan U.S, REUTERS, United Auto Workers, Detroit's Big, Chrysler, Ford Motor, General Motors, UAW, GM, Detroit Free Press, U.S, Ford, South Korea's SK, Thomson Locations: Detroit , Michigan, Detroit, Washington

☆ The Contentious U.S.-China Relationship, by the Numbers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Ana Swanson | More About Ana Swanson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

The U.S.-China Business Council estimated that U.S. exports to China supported nearly 1.1 million jobs in the United States in 2021. Also in the survey, 46 percent of American companies thought that U.S.-China relations would deteriorate in 2023, while only 13 percent thought they would improve. Personal and cultural connectionsThe United States is home to nearly 2.4 million Chinese immigrants, making it the top destination for Chinese immigrants worldwide. China had more than 80,000 movie screens by late 2021, compared with roughly 39,000 in the United States. Air carriers are running only 24 flights a week between the United States and China, compared with about 350 before the pandemic.

Persons: Janet L, Yellen, Germany —, China’s, Long, ByteDance, Maheshwari, Nicole Sperling Organizations: Economic, International Monetary Fund, Initiative, China . Trade, China Business Council, United, Commerce Department, Financial, American Chamber of Commerce, Columbia University Locations: China, United States, Beijing, U.S, Canada, Mexico . U.S, The U.S, Japan, Britain, Germany, China’s, American, Comscore

Other executives who will remain on Mr. Cavanagh’s leadership team include Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCUniversal News Group, who will gain oversight of Telemundo and NBC’s local stations, and Mark Woodbury, the company’s parks chief. Mr. Cavanagh is essentially winnowing the number of executives who report directly to him, streamlining the company’s leadership ranks. He will also continue to work directly with Adam Miller, an executive vice president overseeing operations and technology as well as communications, human resources and corporate social responsibility; Kim Harris, the company’s general counsel; Anand Kini, NBCUniversal’s chief financial officer; and Craig Robinson, executive vice president and chief diversity officer. The promotions were the first major step taken by Mr. Cavanagh since he took over leadership of the company. Its previous chief executive, Jeff Shell, stepped down after an investigation into sexual harassment.

Persons: Mike Cavanagh, Cavanagh, Donna Langley, Mark Lazarus, Cavanagh’s, Cesar Conde, Mark Woodbury, Adam Miller, Kim Harris, Anand Kini, Craig Robinson, Jeff Shell Organizations: NBCUniversal News, Telemundo

CNN —The White House is closely monitoring the upcoming labor talks in the US auto industry, negotiations that could put it at odds with the traditional support of a major union. “As a White House point person on key issues related to the UAW and Big Three, Sperling will help ensure Administration-wide coordination across interested parties and among White House policymakers,” a White House official confirmed to CNN. Sperling, the official added, “will work hand-in-glove with Acting [Labor] Secretary Julie Su on all labor-related issues.” He will need to coordinate across multiple White House offices and other stakeholders across government for this new task. So the shift to EVs, supported by the Biden administration, is a major concern of the UAW heading into these talks. The current UPS contract expires July 31, and the union rank and file has already authorized an August 1 strike without a new deal.

Persons: Joe Biden, Gene Sperling, Sperling, Carter, Obama, Biden, ”, “, Julie Su, Liz Shuler, ” Sperling, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama Organizations: CNN, United Auto Workers, UAW, Big, White House, Labor, White, General Motors, Ford, Dodge, Chrysler, GM, Anderson Economic Group, AFL, UPS, Teamsters, Treasury Department, National Economic Locations: Michigan, Detroit

☆ Hollywood Actors Extend Contract Talks at Deadline
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The union representing some 160,000 television and movie actors said on Friday night that it would continue contract negotiations with the major Hollywood studios and streaming services, extending the current deal — which had been set to expire at midnight — through July 12. The decision is a welcome reprieve, at least for the moment, for a beleaguered Hollywood, where a writers’ strike has entered its ninth week with no end in sight. A second strike by the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, the industry’s largest labor organization, would essentially shut Hollywood down. Should the actors go on strike, they and writers would be together on the picket lines for the first time since 1960. The actors last went on strike for a significant period in 1980, when they were out for three months.

Persons: Fran Drescher, ABC’s, ” Organizations: Hollywood, SAG Locations: Hollywood

☆ Oscars’ Best Picture Hopefuls Must Spend More Time in Theaters
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In a move designed to signal Hollywood’s commitment to the moviegoing experience, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said on Wednesday that it would require an expanded theatrical release for films seeking to be eligible for a best picture nomination. The new eligibility rule is sure to affect how Netflix and other streaming services release films they consider to be Oscar worthy. And it could be an impediment to smaller distributors that lack the means to release films in cities across the United States. In 2022, “CODA” from Apple TV+ was the first film from a streaming service to win the best picture Oscar. Two of the 10 markets in the expanded release can be outside the United States if they are among the top 15 international theatrical markets.

Organizations: Academy of Motion Picture Arts, Sciences, Netflix, Apple Locations: United States, U.S, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, Miami

☆ Actors Authorize Potential Strike With Hollywood Writers Still Picketing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

According to the writers, the studios offered little more than “annual meetings to discuss” artificial intelligence, and they refused to bargain over limits on the technology. Background: It has been a long time since the last actors’ strike. The last time the actors went on strike was in 2000, in a dispute over commercial pay. What’s Next: Negotiations begin on Wednesday. With negotiations expected to begin on Wednesday, SAG-AFTRA is bullish about what this strike authorization means.

Persons: ’, We’re, ”, Duncan Crabtree, “, we’re Organizations: Writers Guild of America, Alliance, Television Producers, SAG Locations: Ireland

☆ Netflix Shareholders Vote to Reject Executive Pay Packages
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The NewsNetflix shareholders voted on Thursday to reject the lucrative pay packages of the company’s leaders, including the co-chief executives Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters. The vote is nonbinding and can be overruled by the company’s board of directors the next time it meets. Mr. Sarandos’s proposed pay package for 2023 would be worth up to $40 million through a combination of base salary, a performance bonus and stock options. Mr. Peters, who was named co-chief executive in January after Reed Hastings stepped down from the role, is set to receive up to $34.6 million. And Mr. Hastings, who became executive chairman, is on track to earn $3 million for the year.

Persons: Ted Sarandos, Greg Peters, Sarandos’s, Peters, Reed Hastings, Hastings Organizations: Netflix, Writers Guild of America

☆ Netflix Starts to Crack Down on Password Sharing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The great Netflix password crackdown has begun. For households willing to pay for an additional person to have access to their account, Netflix said it would charge an extra $7.99 per person. (Netflix allows users to transfer their existing profiles to a new account to save their algorithm.) It said at the time that it would look for ways to increase revenue, including adding a cheaper ad tier and cracking down on password sharing among households. Netflix estimated that 100 million people worldwide were accessing their streaming service without paying for it.

☆ ‘Movie Theaters Are the Marketplace of Free Ideas’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It was not a big surprise to us that the “Super Mario Bros. Movie” was going to do an extraordinary amount of business. Is there an awareness that there are issues with going to the movie theater? Now that the business is coming back, the theater owners have already started to continue to innovate and improve the experience so that it’s always better than the home. In both Los Angeles and New York, quite a few prime theaters that catered to independent film have shut down. One company, Pacific Theaters, which ran the ArcLight, is the only company in the country who filed Chapter Seven bankruptcy.

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