DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Disney 100: See 543 Disney characters pose for a group photo in 'Once Upon a Studio' short film
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Alli Rosenbloom | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —As Disney celebrates its 100 year anniversary on Monday, the walls of the company’s animation studio come alive in the new short film, “Once Upon a Studio.”In the 12-minute short, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, with the help of Tinker Bell, lead the charge in bringing 543 Disney characters – villains included – together for a group photo to mark the occasion. Burny Mattinson, an animator who worked for the studio for 70 years, locks the doors to Disney’s Burbank animation studio as the characters file out. In a poignant moment, a frantic Mickey Mouse stops in a hallway when he sees a portrait of Walt Disney himself. On with the show.”Outside, Goofy attempts to set up the camera atop a ladder but tumbles to the ground and the camera breaks. “Once Upon a Studio” is streaming now on Disney+.

Persons: Minnie Mouse, Tinker Bell, Burny, Burbank, “ Let’s, Minnie, “ yoo, Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Anna, Elsa, Jeremy Irons, Scar, King, Jodi Benson, Ariel, “, “ Aladdin, ”, Robin Williams, Brad Simonsen, Walt Disney, Mickey, Goofy Organizations: CNN, Disney, ”, Variety

☆ Robin Williams’ daughter Zelda slams AI recreations of her dad
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Marianne Garvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Robin Williams’ daughter Zelda Williams says recreations of her late father made with artificial intelligence are “disturbing.”She took to Instagram on Sunday to explain her thoughts on AI, which is one of the key contract issues in the SAG-AFTRA strike against Hollywood studios. “I am not an impartial voice in SAG’s fight against AI,” Williams wrote. “I’ve witnessed for YEARS how many people want to train these models to create/recreate actors who cannot consent, like Dad. “I’ve already heard AI used to get his ‘voice’ to say whatever people want and while I find it personally disturbing, the ramifications go far beyond my own feelings. SAG-AFTRA resumes talks with the Hollywood studios on Monday.

Persons: Robin Williams ’, Zelda Williams, Instagram, SAG’s, ” Williams, “ I’ve, ’, ”, Tom Hanks, wasn’t Organizations: CNN, SAG, Hollywood

☆ Robin Williams' daughter says she finds AI recreations of her father's voice 'personally disturbing'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Actress and director Zelda Williams said the use of AI recreations of her father's voice was "personally disturbing." These AI recreations are at best "a poor facsimile of greater people," she said. AdvertisementAdvertisementZelda Williams slammed AI recreations of her father's likeness, saying she finds these recreations "personally disturbing." In June, voice actor Brad Ziffer said he was avoiding gigs that would enable companies to create an AI-generated voice clone, for fear that it would threaten his future livelihood. Representatives for Zelda Williams did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider, sent outside regular business hours.

Persons: Zelda Williams, —, Williams, Zelda, Robin Williams, James Dean, Jack, Tom Hanks, Brad Ziffer Organizations: Service, Poets Society, Screen Actors Guild

☆ Wayne Brady says he is pansexual
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Hafsa Khalil | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Wayne Brady, known for hosting the TV show “Let’s Make a Deal,” has announced that he is pansexual. “I advocate mental health for all and a part of that is self transparency. Brady began his self-discovery journey after actor Robin Williams’ death in 2014, when he became vocal about mental health, he told People. On social media, Brady called it “ironic” that he frequently brings joy to others on TV, but doesn’t experience it much himself. “If I’m healthy, then I can go onstage at ‘Let’s Make a Deal’ and be the best Wayne Brady that everybody wants and expects … and one day, the best partner to someone, because I’m doing this for me,” he told People.

Persons: CNN — Wayne Brady, ”, “, I’ve, ” Brady, I’ll, Brady, Maile, Mandie Taketa, Jason Fordham –, Taketa, ” Taketa, Robin Williams, Wayne Brady Organizations: CNN Locations: pansexual

Samantha Joseph’s childhood was scattered with golden trips to California to visit her Aunt Gail. Aunt Gail was the cool aunt. One day, those trips to California stopped: Aunt Gail no longer wanted to see Samantha’s family. Samantha was devastated, and several years later, she was devastated again by the news that Aunt Gail had died by suicide. Today, Samantha shares her search for answers following her aunt’s death and how a conversation with David Schwimmer helped her to heal.

Persons: Samantha Joseph’s, Gail, Aunt Gail, Robin Williams, Mayim Bialik, Samantha, David Schwimmer Organizations: “ Locations: California, Hollywood

☆ A world in three islands on the Mediterranean
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Pavlo Fedykovych | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

CNN —In the middle of the Mediterranean Sea lies a small country made up of three inhabited islands and irresistible allure. Across its three inhabited islands – Malta, Gozo and Comino – you’ll find every sun-soaked aspect of the perfect vacation. The solution: Marsaskala, towards the southeastern tip of Malta island. Mellieħa Bay and St. Paul’s BayBugibba is a classic seaside resort town in St. Paul's Bay. The population is a modest two people, there are no cars, and no signs of globalization – just the untouched Mediterranean.

☆ Opinion | The Dramatic, Comic, Tragic, True-Life Story Behind the Death of DVD.com
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Pamela Paul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Or I can allow for serendipity — movies appear in my mailbox that I barely remember adding in the first place. During the service’s glory days, you could easily sort movies by country of origin and display them in chronological order. This was well before streaming led the company to spin off DVD.com like a discarded training bra, a source of shame to what had become an entertainment behemoth. There is a cost to clinging to products and services as they shuffle off into obsolescence. It mutters out movie dialogue reluctantly, barely exceeding the swooshing sounds of the elliptical treads.

☆ How drag was pushed back into the shadows in Tennessee
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Now, a Tennessee law restricting drag in front of minors is due to come into force on April 1. Several planned drag events were canceled over the winter after protests, and many venues felt forced to make previously family-friendly drag shows into adults-only events. Drag performers and venue owners say they are worried about their livelihoods and their rights of free expression. The Starbucks say there is no such thing as family-friendly drag; drag performers cite Bugs Bunny, Shakespeare's cross-dressing comedies and the Robin Williams film "Mrs. Doubtfire" among counterexamples. Outside of public Pride events, most Tennessee drag performers largely work in clubs and bars that admit only those over 18.

☆ Here's everything you need to know about the history and meaning of drag
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Yelena Dzhanova | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Drag culture has centuries of history behind it, from Ancient Greece to the Harlem Renaissance. Here's a guide to drag culture in the US and how what it means today. But in drag, cis men don't have to present as women, and cis women don't have to present as men. But at the end of the day, Giuliani wasn't actually participating in drag culture, Walsh said. There's been a lot of grassroots-level organization around drag recently, Walsh said, partly in response to the uptick in violence against drag culture.

☆ Pioneering U.S. television journalist Barbara Walters dead at 93
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Bill Trott | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Television personality Barbara Walters arrives for the premiere of the film "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" in New York September 20, 2010. "I asked Yeltsin if he drank too much, and I asked Putin if he killed anybody," Walters told the New York Times in 2013. "These two men were really quite brutal to me and it was not pleasant," Walters told the San Francisco Examiner. The New York Times called her "arguably America's best-known television personality" but also observed that "what we remember most about a Barbara Walters interview is Barbara Walters." Walters' three marriages - to businessman Robert Katz, theatrical producer Lee Guber and television executive Merv Adelson - ended in divorce.

☆ Druski on staying 'that number one go-to guy for comedy,' and business advice from Drake
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( John Lynch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Like I just can't imagine falling off or having a short career, or just not being that number one go-to guy for comedy, you know? And yeah, he's ... bro, that dude has mastered ... [laugh], like, the art of everything, you know? And yeah, he's just such an inspiration, and it's great to have him as a friend. Oh yeah, definitely. So it's like, y'all can't no longer say it don't equivilate to real money, 'cause, hey, look at us know, you know I'm saying?

☆ 'Aladdin' turns 30: Alan Menken on the journey of an animated classic
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

To mark the occasion, eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, who nabbed two statuettes for his work on the movie, spoke with CNN about his memories from the making of the prescient classic. Alan Menken, composer: “Aladdin” was started almost simultaneously with “(The Little) Mermaid.” While we were still working on “Mermaid,” we had started “Aladdin,” had a whole take on it and it was shelved. We’re winking at everything and making fun.” We were making fun of a genre, but making fun of a genre clearly can bleed over to making fun of a people. Alan Menken, seen here this month, spoke to CNN about his memories of working on the animated 'Aladdin.' Alan Menken, lower right, with Ron Clements and John Musker and behind the scenes on 'Aladdin' in 1992.

Kevin Conroy, the iconic voice of Batman, died Thursday shortly after being diagnosed with cancer, according to his representatives. Conroy’s deep and raspy voice shot him to stardom as the title character in "Batman: The Animated Series," which ran from 1992 to 1996, according to a statement provided by his spokesperson. He became the quintessential voice of the superhero in almost 60 different productions and video games, including 15 films, highlighted by "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm." He studied at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City alongside heralded actors like Christopher Reeve and Robin Williams. Conroy also had guest roles on popular TV series such as “Cheers,” “Murphy Brown” and “Matlock.”Conroy is survived by his husband Vaughn C. Williams, sister Trisha Conroy, and brother Tom Conroy.

☆ Elon Musk and Peter Thiel were both Silicon Valley outsiders until they joined forces to form PayPal. A new book reveals details of their tumultuous rise to the top.
▼ + stars: | 2022-02-23 | by ( Jonathan A. Knee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

It is these stark differences in approach to business, management, and culture that make the story so engrossing. Thanks to a 2007 Fortune magazine cover story complete with a Godfather-esque photo, the "PayPal Mafia" have taken on unjustified mythic status in Silicon Valley. The Founders provides the tools needed to develop a more balanced view of Silicon Valley and its larger-than-life personalities. It also suggests which aspects of that era of Silicon Valley culture are worth preserving — or maybe even rediscovering. His most recent book is "The Platform Delusion: Who Wins and Who Loses in the Age of Tech Titans."

Search resuls for: "Robin Williams"

14 mentions found