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☆ Forget Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny — TikTokers are now dancing to royalty-free music
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

If you open TikTok today, you might well be greeted with creators dancing to royalty-free music instead of your favorite tunes from artists like Taylor Swift or Bad Bunny. The move has resulted in a whole archive of "muted" TikTok videos, and even the UMG artists themselves aren't safe. Some TikTok creators are already responding to UMG's move by filming themselves dancing to songs in the public domain. I'm glad they are far in the past because I look awkward mouthing and dancing to no music," Romano said. "I would say 75% of my videos would contain UMG music," Romano said.

Persons: Taylor Swift, That's, Justin Bieber, Bieber, Kevin MacLeod, Kristen Wiig, Will Ferrell, Sophia Romano, Romano, UMG, Brian Gabriel, Gabriel, Nikalas Anderson, Anderson, Für Elise, Wendy Ly, Swift's Organizations: Universal Music Group, UMG, Globes, BI Locations: NYC, Los Angeles, Japan

☆ What It’s Like to Transition in Your Late 60s
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Dwight Garner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

I HEARD HER CALL MY NAME: A Memoir of Transition, by Lucy Sante“I want to change my sex,” Patricia Highsmith wrote in her diary in 1948. Now comes Lucy Sante with a memoir, “I Heard Her Call My Name,” about transitioning in her late 60s from male to female. Sante worries too about her byline, her newly “dead” one, as if someone had shot it. At one point, she writes, she considered publishing a memoir that began: “This book is by Luc Sante, although it was written by Lucy Sante.” Yet here, happily, is Lucy entire. It is about Ferrell’s cross-country road trip with his best friend of 30 years who is transitioning.

Persons: Lucy Sante “, ” Patricia Highsmith, Lucy Sante, “, Sante, Luc Sante, Lucy entire, Will Ferrell, “ Will, Harper, Jada Yuan Organizations: Sundance Film, Washington Post Locations: New York, Washington

“Porcelain War,” which follows last year’s “20 Days in Mariupol” as a Sundance documentary prize-winner that captures the war in Ukraine, was made by Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev. “A New Kind of Wilderness,” about a Norwegian family living off the grid, won the jury award for world documentary. Sean Wang's “Dìdi,” a coming-of-age film about a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy, took the audience award for U.S. dramatic film. The NEXT audience award winner was the Irish drama “Kneecap,” about a Belfast rap trio, co-starring Michael Fassbender. ___For more coverage of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, visit https://apnews.com/hub/sundance-film-festival

Persons: ”, “, Alessandra Lacorazza, Lacorazza, Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev, ” Natalie Rae, Angela Patton’s, Sean Wang's “, Dìdi ”, “ Ibelin, Benjamin Ree's, Mats Steen, Steen, Darren Aronofsky, David Schwimmer, Michael Fassbender, Jesse Eisenberg's, Kieran Culkin, Will Ferrell, Harper, Christopher Reeve, Eisenberg, Steven Soderbergh's Organizations: Sundance Film, Sundance, U.S, Netflix, NEXT, Searchlight Pictures, sundance Locations: Park City , Utah, Colombian American, Las Cruces , New Mexico, Mariupol, Ukraine, ”, Norwegian, Belfast, Harper Steele

Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck remember the feeling of being the new kids at the Sundance Film Festival. “I remember being like, oh my God, this festival has been around 20 years, it’s such an old festival,” Boden said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. Their new film debuts Thursday, opening night of the 40th edition of the festival, at the storied Eccles Theater. “My favorite films are Sundance films,” Kaphar said. “That is really nourishing in a year when we’re acknowledging and marking this 40th edition of Sundance.”The Sundance Film Festival runs from Jan. 18 through Jan. 28.

Persons: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, they’d, Ryan Gosling, “, ” Boden, Kevin Smith, brough, ”, Steven Soderbergh, — Boden, Fleck, Marvel, dulled, Fleck’s, Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis, Dominique Thorne, Ben Mendelsohn, Jesse Moss, Amanda McBaine’s “, Frida, Carla Gutiérrez, Gutiérrez, Frida Kahlo, ” Gutiérrez, “ Sue Bird, “ DEVO, Christopher Reeve, ” “, Mavis Beacon, Harper, Will Ferrell, Kristen Stewart, Saoirse Ronan, Kieran Culkin, Sebastian Stan, Glen Powell, Woody Harrelson, Steven Yeun, Lucy Liu, Danielle Deadwyler, Aubrey Plaza, Melissa Barrera, Laura Linney, Ejiofor, “ Rob Peace, Jay Will, Mary J, Blige, Camila Cabello, “ I’ve, ” Ejiofor, Debra Granik, Richard Linklater, Titus Kaphar, André Holland, Aunjanue Ellis, Taylor, Kaphar, John Earl Jelks, ” Kaphar, … it’s, Jesse Eisenberg, he’s, Culkin, ” Eisenberg, Eisenberg, David, Nathan Zellner, Riley Keough, Robert Redford, Joel, Ethan Coen’s, Jordan Peele’s “, Damien Chazelle’s, Eugene Hernandez, ” Hernandez Organizations: Sundance Film, Associated Press, Sundance, Eccles Theater, Amanda McBaine’s “ Girls, MacArthur, Sundance ., Eccles Locations: Park City , Utah, Brooklyn, ”, Park City, Eccles, Oakland, U.S, East Orange , New Jersey, American, Poland, Jan

☆ Dan Levy said turning down the opportunity to play one of the Kens in 'Barbie' still haunts him: 'That was a tough day'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Lauren Edmonds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewDan Levy recently dropped a major bombshell after revealing he turned down a role in the blockbuster film "Barbie," which he called "a tough day." "Logistically could not make it work despite desperately trying to," Levy told the outlet. "I think Greta had such a like wonderfully bizarre and and magical aesthetic idea of of what that movie was," Levy told People. Although Robbie played the titular role, Amy Schumer and Anne Hatheway nearly played the beloved doll. Robbie told Vogue in May 2023 that she initially wanted Gal Gadot to play Barbie.

Persons: —, Dan Levy, Levy, People's Jason Sheeler, Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, Eugene Levy, Emma McIntyre, Margot Robbie, Barbie, Jaap Buitendijk, America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Robbie, Greta Gerwig, Greta, Levy's, Amy Schumer, Anne Hatheway, Gal Gadot, Gadot Organizations: Service, Business, Warner Bros, Vogue, Netflix Locations: Levy

☆ The top 10 most popular podcasts of 2023, according to Apple
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Haley Tenore | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Apple has released a list of the 10 most popular podcasts of 2023. Apple shared a roundup on Tuesday of the most popular podcasts of 2023. But today, we will be focusing on the top 10 podcasts overall, according to Apple. Denise Truscello"Stuff You Should Know" will, according to Apple Podcasts, teach you everything you need to know about science, history, religion, crime, and more. It is the top health and fitness-related podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, according to the podcast's website.

Persons: Apple, —, Josh Clark, Chuck Bryant, Denise Truscello, Clark, Byrant, Shankar Vedantam, Chance Yeh, Andrew Huberman, Mark Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan, Drew Angerer, Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley, Urquhart, Kelley, Glass, Astrid Stawiarz, Ira Glass, Chicago that's, Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Sean Hayes, Frazer Harrison, Manny Carabel, Amy Sussman, Getty, Ryan Reynolds, Jennifer Aniston, Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, Gary Hershorn, It's, Michael Barbaro, Sabrina Tavernise, Ashley Flowers, Audiochuck, Brit Prawat Organizations: Apple, Service, SYSK, NPR, The Washington Post, National Public, Public Radio Exchange, Getty, NBC NBC Dateline, NBC, Nielsen Media Research, The New York Times Locations: Stanford, Boston

☆ Wrexham takes resounding 6-0 win against Morecambe, confirming status as a promotion contender
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Life in League Two had initially proved more difficult but, as the holiday season approaches, Wrexham is establishing itself as a promotion contender again in the next flight up, sitting in second place, five points behind Stockport County. The Red Dragons confirmed those credentials on Saturday with a resounding 6-0 win against Morecambe, capped by forward Paul Mullin’s hat trick. Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, owners of Wrexham, celebrate with the National League trophy in April. Jan Kruger/Getty ImagesMullin added another two goals for his first hat trick of the season and James Jones completed the rout in extra time as Wrexham moved up to second place in League Two. “You could sense there was a determination in the group and what a way to respond with an emphatic 6-0 victory.

Persons: Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Paul Mullin’s, Reynolds, McElhenney, ” Joel Senior’s, Mullin, Jacob Mendy’s, Jan Kruger, James Jones, Accrington Stanley, “ We’re, you’ve, Phil Parkinson, “, we’re Organizations: CNN, soccer, Wrexham, Football League, Disney, Stockport, Red Dragons, Morecambe, National League, Getty, League, Accrington, BBC Locations: Welsh, Wrexham, Stockport County

☆ They fell in love and lost each other in South America. Then a note stuck on a door brought them back together
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

When he met Tracy, Tim was enjoying a six month traveling stint, unsure what came next. If you see this, let me know where you are staying!”As she and Monique closed, then locked, the hotel door, Tracy jammed the piece of paper into the door frame. A note on a hotel doorTracy had the idea to write a note and attach it to the hotel door. Tracy FerrellUnbeknown to Tracy, Tim had arrived in Cuenca a few days before her. Leaning against the hotel door, he wrote a reply underneath Tracy’s message, detailing where he was staying.

Persons: CNN — Tracy Ferrell, ”, Tracy, “, we’ve, Monique, let’s, ” Tracy, Tim, “ I’m, Tracy Ferrell, She’d, Cuenca –, German Shepherd, Tim Zych, Zealander who’d, Tim chatted, Tracy’s, Salar de, Tim didn’t, ’, Tracy Ferrell Unbeknown, he’d, Tim couldn’t, he’s, they’d, Keen, ” Tim, They’re, she’d, Tracy wasn’t, Tim Boulder, “ We’ll, ” Here's Tracy, –, ’ ”, they’re, Tracy Ferrell Tracy, Tracy “ Organizations: CNN, America, University of Colorado, South American Explorers ’, –, CNN Travel, Zealander, they’d, Communication, American Express, Denver International Airport, Boulder Locations: Cuenca, Ecuador, Quito, Peruvian, Ollantaytambo, South America, Ecuador –, German, London, New Zealand, Zealand, Salar, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Tim’s, Blanca, Tracy, Costa Rica, San Jose, Boulder , Colorado, Colorado, She’d, Boulder, Boston, Isla Mujeres, Mexico, Boulder county, Quinto

☆ Pelosi accompanying Feinstein’s body to California on plane from president’s military fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Shania Shelton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN —Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is accompanying the body of late Sen. Dianne Feinstein on a plane from president’s military fleet to San Francisco, an aide told CNN. Feinstein, who shared a long friendship with Pelosi, the former House Speaker, died Thursday night following months of declining health. “Personally, it was a great honor to serve alongside Dianne for decades – from the hilly streets of San Francisco to the hallowed halls of Congress,” Pelosi said in a statement following Feinstein’s passing. Feinstein and Pelosi both have history-making legacies. Pelosi made history as the first and so far only woman to be speaker of the US House of Representatives.

Persons: Nancy Pelosi, Sen, Dianne Feinstein, Feinstein, Pelosi, Dianne, ” Pelosi, “, ”, Scott J, Ferrell, Nancy Corinne Prowda, Katherine, Chuck Schumer, California’s Organizations: Washington CNN — Former, CNN, Democratic Party, Capitol, U.S . Capitol, Congressional, Inc Locations: San Francisco, California, WASHINGTON, DC

Underwood Archives/Getty Images Feinstein gets her makeup touched up for a photo shoot in San Francisco in 1955. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Feinstein attends a campaign event for her mayoral run in San Francisco in 1971. Clem Albers/San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images Feinstein attends a memorial service for assassinated Supervisor Harvey Milk in San Francisco in 1978. Roger Ressmeyer/CORBIS/VCG/Getty Images Feinstein speaks at the signing of an anti-gun bill at San Francisco City Hall in 1982. Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images Feinstein greets first lady Hillary Clinton at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.

Persons: Washington CNN — Dianne Feinstein, Feinstein, Gavin Newsom, Newsom, NBC’s “, ”, Feinstein’s, Ramsay Hunt, I’m, “, ” Feinstein, Lindsey Graham, Amy Coney Barrett, Leah Millis, Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Sen, Dick Durbin, Kevin McCarthy, Chuck Schumer, “ Dianne Feinstein, ” Schumer, Sen, Dianne Feinstein, Joe Biden, Celeste Sloman, Dianne Emiel Goldman, George Moscone, Harvey Milk, Duke Downey, Clem Albers, Janet Fries, Quentin Kopp, Sal Veder, Richard Blum, Walter Mondale, Georges, Roger Ressmeyer, Steve Ringman, Tony Bennett, Jeff Reinking, Neal Ulevich, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Eric Risberg, Willie Brown, Cecil Williams, Dr, Martin Luther King Jr, Paul Sakuma, Kim Komenich, Mark Reinstein, Barbara Boxer, Alan Greth, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Carol Moseley, Braun, Doug Mills, Charles Tasnadi, Kathleen Brown, Bill Clinton, Dirck Halstead, Lisa Leslie, Gigi Goshko, Douglas Graham, Hillary Clinton, Clinton, Paul J, Richards, Orrin Hatch, Patrick J, Leahy, William H, Pryor Jr, Scott J, Ferrell, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Schwarzenegger, Tim Sloan, Rick Friedman, Condoleezza Rice, George W, Bush, Colin Powell, Chuck Kennedy, John Roberts, Mark Wilson, Eileen Mariano, Mariano, interning, Tom Williams, Carson, Jay L, Barack Obama, Ralf, Finn Hestoft, Hina Rabbani Khar, Brendan Smialowski, Jacquelyn Martin, AP Sen, Chuck Grassley, Christine Blasey Ford, Brett M, Kavanaugh, Ford, Donald Trump, Chip Somodevilla, Barrett, Bonnie Cash, Graham, Samuel Corum, Jonathan Ernst, Simone Biles, Larry Nassar, Aly Raisman, Maggie Nichols, McKayla Maroney, Bob Dole, Oliver Contreras, Kent Nishimura, Kevin Dietsch, Dianne Feinstein's, Moscone, Milk, CNN’s Dana Bash, Dan White, ‘ Dan, ’, Harvey, California’s, Bash, Richard Blumenthal, Bill Clark, Annette Bening, Donald Trump’s, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham’s Organizations: Washington CNN, Senate, California Democratic, Democratic, Press, Democrats, Democratic Party, Capitol, Senate Intelligence, California Democrat, Capitol Hill, CNN, Golden State ”, Illinois, Republican, New York Times, Underwood Archives, Getty, San Francisco City Hall, San Francisco, of Supervisors, Bettmann, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Ice Company, White, Steiner, Forbidden, Democratic National Convention, United States Senate, United, United States women's, team, Convention, Washington Post, Circuit, Images California, McClatchy, Tribune, Service, Supreme, California, Rancho, Pakistan's, AP, Committee, White House, Los Angeles Times, Stanford University, San, Supervisors, Administration Committee, federal, Inc, South Carolina Republican, Judiciary, Intelligence, Appropriations Locations: Washington, California, San Francisco, America, ” San Francisco, Washington , DC, DC, Forbidden City, Beijing, China, Feinstein , California, Los Angeles, United States, New York, AFP, Boston, Rancho Bernardo, San Diego, San Francisco , California, Maryland, San Francisco County, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut

FRANKFORT, Ind. The Rossville women had driven to NHK Seating of America in Frankfort together and were about to start their shift on Aug. 18, 2021, when Ferrell, a fellow employee, shot them outside the business. The Frankfort man was arrested after crashing his car in a construction zone shortly after the killings. Hunter added that Ferrell “acted out an entitlement to control and possess Promise Mays, whether in life or in death, even though she had demonstrated only kindness for the many people whom she encountered in her short and precious life." Political Cartoons View All 1148 ImagesWorkers at the plant in Frankfort, 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Indianapolis, design and make seating for vehicles.

Persons: ” Gary Ferrell II, Promise Mays, Pamela Sledd, Ferrell, Justin H, Hunter, “, Ferrell “, Mays Organizations: NHK Seating Locations: FRANKFORT, Ind, Indiana, America, Frankfort, Clinton, Indianapolis

☆ A Blockbuster-era video law is being used to ding big-name brands like General Mills, Geico, and Chick-Fil-A with privacy lawsuits
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Ryan Joe | Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Brands like Chick-Fil-A and Geico are being accused of violating 1980s privacy law the VPPA. Broadcasters have long been wary of running afoul of a 1988 privacy law called the Video Privacy Protection Act that went into effect after the video rental history of then-Supreme Court nominee Judge Robert Bork was leaked to a newspaper. Since November last year, brands as diverse as Hallmark, Folgers, Mattel, Chick-Fil-A, General Mills, Mars, La-Z-Boy, Geico, and Fossil have faced lawsuits accusing them of VPPA violations. But these dismissals don't completely neutralize the threat of VPPA lawsuits. At least 70 VPPA class action lawsuits have been filed in the past year, according to Bloomberg Law.

Persons: Chick, Robert Bork, VPPA, Mills, General Mills, Scott Ferrell, FloSports, Smucker, Keith Carroll, Rebeka Rodriguez, Melissa Fox, Eversheds Sutherland, Labaton Sucharow, Corepower, Garthwaite, Fox, Julie Rubash Organizations: ., Broadcasters, Hallmark, Mattel, Pacific, Hulu, Bloomberg Law, Meta, Protection Law, Facebook, AMC, Us, GameStop, Disney, United States, Court, Southern, of Locations: Mars, California, Virginia, of New York

☆ Prince Harry among star-studded crowd watching Lionel Messi and Inter Miami defeat LAFC
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —No athlete attracts an A-list crowd quite like Lionel Messi, as demonstrated by Sunday’s Major League Soccer game between Inter Miami and Los Angeles FC. Ticket demand for Miami games has soared since the Argentinian’s arrival, with the average prices around $690 for Sunday’s match – the most expensive MLS game ever, according to online marketplace TickPick. Since moving from Paris Saint-Germain, Messi is having a huge impact on the pitch, as well as off it. Messi spoke with actor Owen Wilson after the game between LAFC and Inter Miami. It next faces Sporting Kansas City on September 9, while LAFC, currently third in the West Conference standings, plays the Portland Timbers.

Persons: Lionel Messi, Prince Harry, Leonardo DiCaprio, Owen Wilson, Edward Norton, Will Ferrell –, LAFC, Selena Gomez, Tyga, Germain, Messi, Harry, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Facundo Farías, Alba, John McCarthy, Aaron Long, Leonardo Campana, Ryan Hollingshead, Bouanga, Gary A, Vasquez, McCarthy, Gomez, “, ” Messi, “ Zoolander, ” Selena Gomez, Mark J, Terrill, We’ve Organizations: CNN, Sunday’s Major League Soccer, Inter Miami, Los Angeles FC, Miami, MLS, Paris Saint, LAFC, Sunday, Reuters, BMO, ”, Eastern Conference, Sporting Kansas City, West Conference, Portland Timbers Locations: California, Paris, Miami, Barcelona

☆ ‘Strays’ Stumbles at Box Office Without Its Stars’ Promotion
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Nicole Sperling | More About Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When selling a movie about raunchy talking dogs, it helps to have some star power to get moviegoers into seats. And “Strays,” which opened Friday, has it — at least on the screen. “Strays,” which had a budget of $46 million, is one of four movies that opened widely across the country this weekend. (The studio’s previous R-rated comedy that paired raunchy material with family-friendly characters, “Good Boys,” opened in 2019 to $21 million. “Cocaine Bear,” also from Universal, had a far more robust opening, $23 million, back in February.)

Persons: Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Randall Park, Isla Fisher, Dylan Dreyer, Australian Shepherd, “, ” Organizations: Universal Pictures, Universal Locations: Australian

☆ ‘Strays’ Review: Will Ferrell’s Feral Comedy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Kyle Smith | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/film/strays-review-will-ferrell-feral-comedy-jamie-foxx-319a45aa

Persons: Dow Jones, ferrell, jamie, foxx

☆ Who was Henrietta Lacks? The life of the woman whose 'immortal' cells changed modern medicine forever.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Yoonji Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

After her mother died when Lacks was 4 years old, her father sent her and her nine siblings to live with their maternal grandfather in a log cabin in Clover, Virginia. The cabin was once the slave quarters on the plantation that Lacks' white great-grandfather and great-uncle had owned. A tobacco farm in Virginia. Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty ImagesLacks worked as a tobacco farmer starting from an early age, feeding animals, tending the garden, and working in the tobacco fields, according to her family. She attended a designated Black school, but had to drop out to help support the family when she was in the sixth grade.

Persons: Scott J, Ferrell Organizations: Congressional Locations: Clover , Virginia, Virginia

☆ I own a village of tiny homes in the Arizona desert that were built to feel like treehouses — see inside
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Jamie Killin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Urban planner Darin Dinsmore created a camp in Sedona, Arizona, with four tiny homes. My background in urban planning was one of the things that led me to start the TinyCamp project in Sedona and Cottonwood, Arizona. They're all permanent tiny houses with foundations and fire sprinklers, and they each have their own hot tubs and fireplaces. It shocks people, but tiny houses are expensiveA ladder leading up to the loft bed area of the TinyCamp home. The Achilles heel of the tiny house movement is that it's $10,000 for a sewer hookup.

Persons: Darin Dinsmore, I'm, Danielle Holman, We've, we've, It's, Jane Ferrell, Clarkdale Organizations: Service, Sedona, Google, TinyCamp Sedona Locations: Sedona , Arizona, Wall, Silicon, Sedona, Cottonwood , Arizona, California, Coconino County, Cottonwood, Sausalito , California, Sausalito, Arizona, Los Angeles, Northern Arizona, Clarkdale , Arizona

☆ ‘Barbie’ Review: Beyond Her Ken
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Kyle Smith | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Margot Robbie Photo: Warner Bros. PicturesIn “Barbie,” Will Ferrell plays the CEO of Mattel, who muses, “Remember Proust Barbie? That did not sell well.” It’s the film’s second reference to the French modernist novelist, and its makers would have been well advised to heed their own joke and question the wisdom of stuffing this fantasy-comedy with references to the mastectomy and IRS troubles of the doll’s creator, gynecology, the mass devastation of indigenous people by smallpox, and (this comes up many times) “irrepressible thoughts of death.”

Persons: Margot Robbie Photo, “ Barbie, ” Will Ferrell, “, Proust, ” Organizations: Warner Bros, Mattel

☆ 'Barbie' review: Margot Robbie stars in Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —“Barbie” comes roaring out of the gate with an inventiveness and energy the movie perhaps inevitably can’t sustain. Still, the closest kin would probably be “The Lego Movie,” which similarly took a familiar toy and built a kind of existential crisis around it. Simu Liu, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in "Barbie." Courtesy Warner Bros. PicturesThe juxtaposition of those more thoughtful elements with the sheer giddiness elsewhere – alternating between the serious and the silly, between art and commerce – doesn’t always quite mesh or feel as fresh as it might. (The film is being released by Warner Bros., like CNN, a unit of Warner Bros.

Persons: CNN — “ Barbie ”, Greta Gerwig’s, Noah Baumbach, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, “ Barbie ”, Ferrell’s, Helen Mirren, Barbie, Ken, Gosling’s Ken, Ariana Greenblatt, Simu Liu, Bird, Gosling, “ Justice League ”, “ Oppenheimer, “, overdoing, ” Organizations: CNN, Mattel, America, Warner Bros, “ Justice League, Warner Bros .

☆ ‘Mission: Impossible’ for Tom Cruise: Meeting Hollywood Expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Brooks Barnes | More About Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter on box office numbers. “This opening is roughly average for an action thriller at this point in its series,” Mr. Gross said about the ultraexpensive “Dead Reckoning Part One,” which received sensational reviews. Early last week, he made surprise appearances in movie theaters at preview screenings in cities like Toronto, Atlanta and Miami. The blistering promotional campaign for “Dead Reckoning Part One” will be Hollywood’s last until a consortium of studios can come to terms with SAG-AFTRA, as the powerful actors’ union is known.

Persons: ”, David A, Gross, Mr, Cruise, Denzel Washington, Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish, Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx Organizations: SAG, Universal, Sony, Disney Locations: United States, Canada, Rome, London, Abu Dhabi, Seoul, Sydney, New York, Toronto, Atlanta, Miami

☆ 13 Looks That Did the Most at the ‘Barbie’ Premiere
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( The Styles Desk | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If the message of the movie is that all of us are Barbie and Barbie is all of us, the pink carpet did a good job of reinforcing that message (at least that’s what the cryptic trailers imply, but we’re not sure, as no screeners have been made available). Would Ms. Sontag have found the event sufficiently earnest? Many of the attendees paid homage to the plastic icon’s palette and smoothness of skin, but that’s par for the course in Hollywood. Following a cavalcade of YouTube personalities and influencers like David Dobrik, stars like Greta Gerwig and Issa Rae arrived in head to toe pink. Cast members like Helen Mirren and Will Ferrell did not make appearances on the carpet — a shame, as Mr. Ferrell surely would have looked great dressed as Barbie.

Persons: Susan Sontag, ’ ”, Barbie, we’re, Sontag, David Dobrik, Greta Gerwig, Issa Rae, Helen Mirren, Will Ferrell, Ferrell Organizations: Mattel, YouTube Locations: Los Angeles, Hollywood

☆ Meet the Mattel CEO who convinced Margot Robbie to become Barbie – and is being played by Will Ferrell in the movie
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

He earmarked Margot Robbie to play Barbie, and has driven the group's push to exploit its brands. Ryan Gosling as Ken and Margot Robbie as Barbie in "Barbie." Warner Bros.Self-deprecationAccording to Bloomberg, Mattel gave Warner Bros. and Gerwig huge creative license on the movie – including how Mattel and its bigwigs would be portrayed. Kreiz, with his chiseled jaw, pearly white teeth and broader good looks, might look more like Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, than the ghoulish CEO played by funnyman Will Ferrell. Ferrell is listed only as "Mattel CEO" in the film's credits, adding an element of ambiguity.

Persons: Barbie, Margot Robbie, Will Ferrell, Ryan Gosling rollerblading, Ken, Kreiz, Barbie's, He's, Greta Gerwig's, Robbie, Mattel, Greta Gerwig, Ryan Gosling, funnyman Will Ferrell, Ferrell, Oscar, Daniel Kaluuya, Barney, Lena Dunham, helming, Lily Collins, It's, Polly Pocket, David Zalubowski, Kreiz – Organizations: Mattel, Bloomberg, Service, Maker Studios, Disney, Endemol Group, Brother, Fox Kids Europe, London's, Warner Bros, MGM, Arch, Hasbro Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Video has become the hottest topic in podcasting, as some look to it to supercharge growth and others worry about how it will change the industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

And while Schwarzenberger comes from the world of YouTube, it's not just content creators and influencers who have embraced video. "Sometimes they don't differentiate between a podcast on an audio platform, and a podcast on a video platform. Spotify recently started partnering with payment startup Creative Juice to support podcast creators. Hosting company RSS.com launched a tool in June to generate video from audio podcast tracks to repurpose on social media. And several AI tools have launched that automatically chop up long-form video content for short-form social platforms.

Persons: it's, Jordan Schwarzenberger, Schwarzenberger, influencers, Alison Lomax, Louise Kattenhorn, Matt Wells, — chatty, Conal Byrne, Will Ferrell, Nikki Glaser, Ryan Seacrest, Joe Gagliese, Liam Heffernan, RSS.com, Josh Adley, YouTube's, Natalie Amos, Listen's Adley, Keith Jenkins, Jenkins, Kristen Bousquet, Bousquet, Jay Clouse Organizations: YouTube, Ireland, BBC, Cumulus Media, Apple, Spotify, iHeart, Viral, Gleam Locations: London

☆ To video or not to video? Inside the biggest debate in podcasting and how it could shape the industry's future
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

☆ Silicon Valley's Hail Mary moment
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Silicon Valley has entered the Hail Mary phase of its business cycle — a desertic part of a tech-industry downturn where desperation can turn into recklessness. Don't fear the robotsTo understand the Hail Mary moment, it's important to understand the actual capabilities of technology these tech titans are touting. Again, what Musk is describing is AI general intelligence — something much more advanced than the generative AI OpenAI is building on at the moment. During the pandemic when governments were handing out cash and people were stuck at home, the world bought everything Silicon Valley was selling. But those are exactly the types of workers getting laid off in Silicon Valley right now.

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