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NEW YORK (AP) — Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon and “Scream” star Melissa Barrera were each dropped by Hollywood companies after making comments on the Israel-Hamas war that some deemed antisemitic. Jenna Ortega, who played Barrera’s sister in the two previous “Scream” films, is reportedly not returning, Deadline reported Wednesday. A spokesperson for Ortega didn’t immediately respond to queries. Political Cartoons View All 1265 ImagesA spokesman for the United Talent Agency said Sarandon, the five-time Oscar nominee, is no longer represented by the agency. Israel and Hamas on Wednesday agreed to a four-day cease-fire in the war in Gaza.

Persons: — Oscar, Susan Sarandon, Melissa Barrera, ”, “, Spyglass, Barrera didn't, Jenna Ortega, Ortega, Ortega didn’t, Sarandon, Oscar, she's, Maha Dakhil, Israel, Dakhil Organizations: Hollywood, Spyglass Media Group, United Talent Agency, UTA, New York Post, The, Writers Guild of America, Creative Arts Agency, Hamas Locations: Israel, “, Gaza, New York, Palestine

☆ Homebuilder stocks could get another boost from rate hikes ending
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —For over a year, the red-hot housing market has been at the mercy of the Federal Reserve’s rate hikes, which have driven mortgage rates to sky-high levels. Mortgage rates have hovered above 7% since August, according to Freddie Mac data. Both those factors have helped create a scorching-hot housing market and a boom in homebuilder stocks, as Americans turned to building as a buying alternative. Moderating bond yields could change the narrative for the housing market. Tight supply and elevated mortgage rates this year made home purchases the least affordable they’ve been since 1984.

Persons: Bell, Freddie Mac, Toll, DR Horton, Lennar, Price, Steve Sosnick, ”, John Petrofsky, Chris Isidore, Danielle Wiener, Bronner, haven’t, Clare Duffy, Donie, Meta Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New, New York CNN, Homeowners, DR, Federal, Treasury, Interactive, National Association of Home Builders, FBB Capital Partners, Starbucks, United Auto Workers, SAG, Writers Guild of America, Starbucks Workers United, Facebook, Street, Washington Post Locations: New York, Wells Fargo, Buffalo , New York, United States, Brazil, Israel, Italy

☆ Largest Starbucks strike in history is planned for Thursday. It shows US labor unrest isn’t over yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Chris Isidore | Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But the union said the limited duration strike on a key promotion day for Starbucks is important in its efforts to win their first contract at the chain. The union, Starbucks Workers United, won its first representation vote at the company in December 2021, at a store in Buffalo, New York. But many of the stores on strike remained open in past strikes, because management replaced the unionized striking workers with workers from nearby non-union stores and managers. That’s possible because of the close proximity of many Starbucks stores to one another. The union earlier this fall filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB over Starbucks’ refusal to bargain around promotion days.

Persons: haven’t, Moe Mills, Mills, “, ” Mills, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, Starbucks, United Auto Workers, SAG, Writers Guild of America, Starbucks Workers United, CNN, National Labor Relations Board, NLRB, Red, Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles, Teamsters, UPS, Michigan, Boeing Locations: New York, Buffalo , New York, St, Louis , Missouri, Kaiser, Detroit, East Coast

SAG-AFTRA actors and Writers Guild of America (WGA) writers walk the picket line during their ongoing strike outside Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, U.S., August 22, 2023. Striking writers and actors slashed spending, burned through savings and piled up debt to survive. Sets for movies and TV shows are lighting up again as studios rush to resume filming. Still, Hollywood is unlikely to return to the frenzied production pace of the streaming wars, when studios competed for subscribers and cachet. Hollywood actors won similar gains in a tentative agreement reached with the studios on Nov. 8.

Persons: Mario Anzuoni, caterers, Wall, Celia Finkelstein, ” Finkelstein, “, Serena Kashmir, ”, Fran Drescher, Kevin Klowden, ” Klowden, Long, Marc Meyer Jr, I’ve, Meyer, Guy Bisson, Neil Begley, Ampere, Dawn Chmielewski, Danielle Broadway, Lisa Richwine, Mary Milliken, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Writers Guild of America, Walt Disney Studios, REUTERS, Companies Comcast Corp, Fox, Netflix, Hollywood, Reuters, WGA, SAG, Milken Institute, Sony Pictures, Disney, Global, Ampere, Moody’s, Companies, “, Thomson Locations: Burbank , California, U.S, California, Georgia, New Mexico, Hollywood, ” Kashmir, Kashmir, Colorado, North Hollywood, Los Angeles

☆ The Social Gospel movement is changing our politics and reshaping our perspectives
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( John Blake | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Fain’s sermonette underscores a trend that has largely gone unnoticed: The Social Gospel movement is making a comeback. Jemal Countess/Getty ImagesIt might sound like hyperbole to say that this resurgent form of the Social Gospel is changing our politics. He reached deep into the Social Gospel throughout the UAW strike, routinely deploying what one commentator called “strikingly Christian rhetoric.”Christopher H. Evans, author of “The Social Gospel in American Religion: A History,” said he heard the Social Gospel in Fain’s UAW speeches. “It (The Social Gospel) won’t have the institutional muscle it had before, but you could still have these voices and followers.”The climate in contemporary America seems ripe for the Social Gospel message. And the soaring optimism of old Social Gospel reformers may now seem as outdated as wobbly black-and-white silent films.

Persons: CNN —, Shawn Fain, Fain, ” Fain, Matthew, Jesus, ”, Moses, Paul, Stellantis, Fain’s sermonette, don’t, Frederic J . Brown, John D, Rockefeller, “, pulpits, didn’t, Charles Sheldon, Fain’s, that’s, Democratic Sen, Raphael Warnock, Cornel West, William Barber II, Liz Theoharis, Matthew Desmond, Martin Luther King, William Barber, Jemal Countess, ” Christopher H, Evans, Heath W, Carter, Luke, Sen, Warnock, Barber, Desmond, Amir Levy, it’s, ” It’s, you’re, ” Evans, Dom Helder Camara, Rebecca Cook, Reuters “ There’s, won’t, —, John Blake Organizations: CNN, Big Three, United Auto Workers, UAW, General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Chrysler, Writers Guild of America, UPS Teamsters, UPS, Getty, Democratic, US, Big Tech, Boston University, ” Mining, Library, “, Princeton Theological Seminary, Yale Divinity School‘s Center, Public Theology, Ivy League, The New York Times, Social, Reuters, Teamsters, Screen Actors Guild Locations: Jerusalem, America, Los Angeles, AFP, Washington, Kingston , Pennsylvania, Chicago, ”, American City, American, Lower Manhattan, New York City, Brazilian, Detroit

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Daytime Emmys are back on after being postponed by the Hollywood writers' strike. The Daytime Emmys, originally set for June 16, were postponed in May because of the strike by the Writers Guild of America. The actors union joined the writers' strike on July 14 and ended their labor action late Wednesday. Soap actor Susan Lucci will receive her lifetime achievement award at the ceremony at the Westin Bonaventure hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Political Cartoons View All 1240 Images___For more coverage of the actors and writers strike, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/hollywood-strikes/

Persons: Kevin Frazier, Nischelle Turner, Susan Lucci, ”, Adam Sharp Organizations: ANGELES, Hollywood, CBS, Paramount, “ Entertainment, Writers Guild of America, Westin Bonaventure, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Locations: Los Angeles, hollywood

☆ Hollywood actors' strike is set to end Thursday after SAG-AFTRA reached a tentative agreement with major studios
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Alison Brower | Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

SAG-AFTRA has reached a tentative agreement to end its strike against the Hollywood studios. The strike lasted 118 days, and, along with the Hollywood writers' strike, halted most film and TV production. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe actors' union, SAG-AFTRA, announced Wednesday evening that it had secured a tentative deal with Hollywood studios to end a strike of nearly four months, a spokesperson for the guild confirmed to Insider. The guild's national board will review the tentative deal on Friday, November 10, after which the union said "further details" would be released. While 2023 has seen some box office highs, most notably the summer's Barbenheimer phenomenon, movie theaters, and Hollywood studios are still struggling to recover from the pandemic drop in theatergoing.

Persons: AFTRA, —, Netflix —, Bob Iger, Donna Langley, Ted Sarandos, David Zaslav, Debra Messing, Pedro Pascal — Organizations: Hollywood, Service, SAG, Alliance, Television Producers, Writers Guild of America, Warner Bros, Disney, Netflix, Discovery, WGA, Apple, Paramount, Sony, Writers Locations: California, Hollywood, —

Actors secured these new safeguards as part of a deal announced late on Wednesday, according to Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, chief negotiator for the SAG-AFTRA actors union. The proposed agreement sets a minimum compensation level for AI uses, Crabtree-Ireland said. Crabtree-Ireland said the proposed contract also included safeguards around the use of generative AI to create synthetic actors. "They are being ultra cautious," said Scott Mann, co-CEO and founder of Flawless, a company that uses AI for film dubbing and editing. Film and television writers also won protections around AI use after a five-month-long strike by the Writers Guild of America this year.

Persons: Duncan Crabtree, Carlos Osorio, Crabtree, Walt Disney, Scott Mann, Dawn Chmielewski, Lisa Richwine, Mary Milliken, Bill Berkrot Organizations: National, SAG, The, Toronto, Film, REUTERS, Actors, Reuters, Alliance, Television Producers, Walt, Warner Bros Discovery, Netflix, Technology, Writers Guild of America, Thomson Locations: Ireland, Toronto , Ontario, Canada, Crabtree, Hollywood, Los Angeles

The 118-day work stoppage will end officially just after midnight, the SAG-AFTRA union said in a statement after its negotiating committee voted unanimously to support the deal. "We have arrived at a contract that will enable SAG-AFTRA members from every category to build sustainable careers," the union said. George Clooney and other A-list stars voiced solidarity with lower-level actors and had urged union leadership to reach a resolution. While WGA members returned to writing scripts in late September, the ongoing SAG-AFTRA work stoppage left many productions dark. It also led movie studios to delay big releases such as "Dune: Part 2" because striking actors could not promote them.

Persons: Jim Kulick, Mario Anzuoni, Fran Drescher, Walt Disney, I'm, Fanny Grande, It's, Jessica Payne, Rati Gupta, Anu, George Clooney, Lisa Richwine, Stephen Coates Organizations: SAG, Paramount Studios, REUTERS, Alliance, Television Producers, Walt, Netflix, Hollywood, CBS, Writers Guild of America, WGA, Milken, United Auto Workers, Detroit carmakers, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, New York, Los Angeles, Los Angeles and New York, California

Hollywood is poised to get back to workAfter months of strikes that shut down most of Hollywood, the end appears in sight. The SAG-AFTRA union that represents some 160,000 members tentatively agreed to a new contract with media giants that, if approved, will reinvigorate the $134 billion American movie and television business. Union members are hopeful that the deal will bring significant financial concessions that made SAG-AFTRA’s longest-ever strike worth it. But the changing economics of Hollywood may temper some gains, echoing the dilemma facing resurgent unions elsewhere in the country. Led by the actress Fran Drescher, of “The Nanny” fame, SAG-AFTRA took a maximalist negotiating approach that involved accusing studios of plutocracy and belittling their bosses.

Persons: Fran Drescher, ”, AFTRA Organizations: Hollywood, SAG, Writers Guild of America Locations: Hollywood, plutocracy

☆ Trade Desk shares plunge about 30% on weak guidance tied to auto, Hollywood strikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Trade Desk shares plunged about 30% in after-hours trading on Thursday after the ad-tech company issued fourth-quarter revenue guidance that fell well short of analysts' estimates. A Trade Desk spokesperson told CNBC that guidance came "in slightly below consensus, largely because the transitory cautiousness from advertisers in certain verticals, such as U.S. auto and media/entertainment due to the strikes." The United Auto Workers launched targeted strikes at select facilities against the Detroit automakers beginning Sept. 15, and then expanded the stoppages. Trade Desk said third-quarter sales jumped 25% from $493 million a year earlier. Net income increased to $39 million, or 8 cents a share, from $16 million, or 3 cents, a year earlier.

Persons: Jeff Green, Green, Susan Li Organizations: LSEG, CNBC, United Auto Workers, Detroit, UAW, General Motors, Ford Motor, Guild of America, Trade, Meta, Comcast, Cisco Systems Locations: Israel

☆ Sony reports 29% drop in operating profit as weakness in chip business hits home
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sony on Thursday reported a 29% drop in operating profit in the fiscal second quarter as the Japanese electronics giant suffered from weakness in its imaging sensor — or chip — business. Here's how Sony did in the September quarter versus LSEG consensus estimates:Revenue: 2.8 trillion yen ($18.5 billion) versus 2.87 trillion yen expected. Operating profit: 263 billion Japanese yen versus 304.4 billion yen expected. Sony attributed the significant drop in profit to weakness in its imaging sensor business, as well as declines in profit at its financial services and entertainment, technology and services businesses. Despite the slide in profit, the company increased its sales forecast for the full year, saying it now expects total sales of 12.4 trillion yen (up from earlier forecasts of 12.2 trillion yen) as it benefits from positive foreign exchange rates.

Organizations: Sony, Apple, Writers Guild of America

☆ Big media rallies as tentative actors' deal paves way for restarting productions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Samrhitha A | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O) and Paramount Global (PARA.O) gained 3% each, Netflix (NFLX.O) rose marginally, while Walt Disney (DIS.N) jumped 4%, as it also benefited from strong earnings and a plan to cut more costs. The writers, who had gone on strike before the actors in spring, returned to work in late September, but most productions remained halted as the actors were on picket lines. "Its certainly a very encouraging sign the chasm that opened up between actors, writers and studios can finally be closed and work begin in earnest on re-starting productions," said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown. Streeter warned that "it's going to take considerable time before new movies, in particular, will appear on screens given the lengthy post-production process." Reporting by Samrhitha Arunasalam in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alyssa Pointer, Walt Disney, Susannah Streeter, Hargreaves Lansdown, Streeter, Samrhitha, Shinjini Organizations: Warner Bros . Discovery, Writers Guild of America, Alliance of Motion Pictures, Television Producers, REUTERS, Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount Global, Netflix, SAG, Hargreaves, Thomson Locations: Warner Bros . Discovery Atlanta, Atlanta , Georgia, U.S, Hollywood, Bengaluru

To studio executives who negotiated with the SAG-AFTRA president, the former star of "The Nanny" prolonged a strike while she relished her high-profile role. As president of the 160,000-member SAG-AFTRA union, Drescher won widespread praise from performers for her tenacity in fighting for better wages and protections against the rising threat of artificial intelligence technology. Drescher framed her actions as part of a broader labor movement battling Corporate America, where, in her view, executives place Wall Street's approval and their own compensation ahead of the welfare of workers. Studio executives, who declined to criticize Drescher publicly to avoid inflaming labor talks, said the 66-year-old Drescher delivered similar unvarnished critiques to industry leaders during closed-door negotiations. "Her interest as the union president is to see all performers, from background to the top 2%, succeed in a vibrant industry for the next century and beyond."

Persons: Fran Drescher, Duncan Crabtree, Fran Fine, Drescher, Kate Bond, Jill Morgan, AFTRA, Wall, Norma Rae, Ivy Kagan Bierman, Loeb & Loeb, Shari Belafonte, Belafonte, Bob Iger, Ted Sarandos, Kimberly Westbrook, Fran, Westbrook, Justine Bateman, Alex Plank, Bobby Cannavale, Robert De Niro, Ezra, She's, Plank, Dawn Chmielewski, Lisa Richwine, Mary Milliken, Rosalba O'Brien, Gerry Doyle Organizations: SAG, Writers Guild of America, Hollywood, Netflix, Broadway, CBS, Corporate America, Loeb &, NBC, Walt Disney, Amazon Studios, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, ANGELES, Queens, Ireland

☆ Warner Bros Discovery beats quarterly profit estimates amid strike, sluggish ad market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Discovery Atlanta campus is pictured after the Writers Guild of America began their strike against the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. May 2, 2023. The media company forged by the union of WarnerMedia and Discovery posted adjusted core earnings of $2.97 billion, above estimates of $2.92 billion, as per LSEG data. The company had 95.1 million global direct-to-consumer customers at the end of the quarter, down from 95.8 million in the previous quarter. In May, it launched its Max streaming service - combining HBO Max's scripted entertainment with Discovery's reality shows. Reporting by Samrhitha Arunasalam in Bengaluru and Helen Coster in New York; Editing by Saumyadeb ChakrabartyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alyssa Pointer, David Zaslav, Samrhitha, Helen Coster, Saumyadeb Organizations: Warner Bros . Discovery, Writers Guild of America, Alliance of Motion Pictures, Television Producers, REUTERS, Warner Bros Discovery, SAG, HBO, Thomson Locations: Warner Bros . Discovery Atlanta, Atlanta , Georgia, U.S, Bengaluru, New York

☆ ‘Barbie’ brought in $1.5 billion for Warner Bros. Discovery, but the company still lost money last quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Blockbuster hit “Barbie” brought in a record $1.5 billion for Warner Bros. Discovery, but the company still reported a $417 million loss for the quarter that was bigger than Wall Street’s forecasts. The company, however, reported a narrow profit when taking into account adjustments for certain items, including interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Discovery, the parent company of CNN, needed the revenue boost from “Barbie” to achieve a narrow 2% increase in sales. The company reported that adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) increased 22% to just under $3 billion.

Persons: Barbie ”, Gunnar Wiedenfels, David Zaslav, ”, “, “ Barbie, WBD, EBITDA Organizations: New, New York CNN, Blockbuster, Warner Bros, CNN, Writers Guild of America, SAG, Netflix, Apple Locations: New York

New York CNN —Hollywood actors have reached a tentative agreement with the major film and television studios to end their historic strike, the actors union announced Wednesday. While the writers’ strike was resolved in September, production has remained shuttered as the actors continued to strike and negotiate their contract. But the actors’ contract negotiations didn’t last long, breaking down on Oct. 11 before returning later in the month. By the end of October, it appeared the actors’ strike was approaching its final scene. But Hollywood actors have not appeared on their shows to promote their movies during the actors strike.

Persons: Fran Drescher, “, ” Drescher, ’, ”, we’ve, AMPTP, Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, ” Bass, George Clooney, Tyler Perry, AFTRA, “ We’re, WGA’s, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Seth Meyers – Organizations: New, New York CNN, Hollywood, Alliance, Television Producers, SAG, Writers Guild of America, didn’t, CNN, Angeles Mayor, Writers Guild, WGA Locations: New York, Los Angeles, ”

☆ SAG-AFTRA actors' union reaches tentative labor agreement with Hollywood studios
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

SAG-AFTRA members walk the picket line on the 100th day of their ongoing strike outside Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, California, October 20, 2023. Hollywood's actors and studios have a preliminary labor agreement. The tentative deal will go to the union's national board Friday for "review and consideration," the statement said, and added that further details will be released following the meeting. The actors strike, which has lasted 118 days, will end at midnight and the SAG-AFTRA board will convene on Friday to review the final deal. Hollywood actors initiated a work stoppage in mid-July as negotiations broke down with studios including Disney , Paramount , Universal , Netflix and Warner Bros.

Persons: AFTRA Organizations: Paramount Studios, SAG, Screen Actors, American Federation of Television, Radio Artists, Alliance, Television Producers, Hollywood, Disney, Paramount, Universal, Netflix, Warner Bros . Discovery . Studios, Television, Writers Guild of America, Comcast, CNBC Locations: Los Angeles , California, NBCUniversal

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hollywood’s actors union reached a tentative deal with studios Wednesday to end its strike and months of labor strife that ground the film and television industries to a historic halt. “We have arrived at a contract that will enable SAG-AFTRA members from every category to build sustainable careers,” the union said in a statement. “Many thousands of performers now and into the future will benefit from this work.”At nearly four months, it was by far the longest strike ever for film and television actors. More than 60,000 SAG-AFTRA members went on strike July 14, joining screenwriters who had walked off the job more than two months earlier. ___For more coverage of the actors and writers strike, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/hollywood-strikes/

Persons: —, “, Wednesday's, “ We’re, ”, Albert Brooks, Oscar, Fran Drescher, Duncan Crabtree, AFTRA, Krysta Fauria Organizations: ANGELES, Screen, American Federation of Television, Radio Artists, SAG, ”, Alliance, Television Producers, Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros . Discovery, Universal, Guild of America, HBO, Associated Press, Associated Locations: Ireland, hollywood

☆ Bob Iger's return as Disney's CEO once sparked hope inside the company. Now, insiders are anxious and losing faith.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Lucia Moses | Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

"There was a lot of excitement and hope at the return of Bob Iger a year ago," a current Disney staffer told Insider. Uncertainty about the company's future and about who's deciding what on the creative side has left execs in a state of inertia, according to an entertainment lawyer with knowledge of Disney's business. The declining linear TV business culminated in a standoff with Charter Communications over terms for a new contract for carrying Disney's cable channels. And Disney's streaming business, which was supposed to make up for the decline in cable revenues, has lost $11 billion since Disney+ launched in 2019. Churn is a top concern in Disney streaming, some employees said.

Persons: Goofy, what's, Bob Iger, Bob Chapek, He's, confidants, Zenia Mucha, Alan Braverman, Alan Horn, Jayne Parker, Christine McCarthy —, Mickey, Ariel, grumbled, Iger's, It's, he's, Iger, Paul Verna, Chapek, Bob, it's, Ron DeSantis —, Iger —, Nelson Peltz, he'd, hasn't, Verna, Disney, Ike Perlmutter, Peltz, Perlmutter, Ike, Disney's, Paul Singer, Kevin Mayer, Tom Staggs, Puck, Stagg's Blackstone, Intelligence's Verna Organizations: Walt Disney Co, Disney, ABC, Hollywood, CNBC, Writers Guild of America, Wall, Insider Intelligence, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Century Fox, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Communications, Florida Gov, Hulu, ESPN Iger, FX, Geographic, ESPN, Apple, Electronic, Elliott Investment Management, Bloomberg, Mayer Locations: Burbank, Hollywood, Florida's, Iger

☆ The fight over return-to-office is getting dirty
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Ed Zitron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Evidence is as evidence doesAs the return-to-office battle has heated up in the past six months, there has been a marked increase in declarations that remote work is less productive. The researchers determined that remote workers were 18% less productive than their in-person counterparts. Just the vibesDespite the limited evidence against it, corporations are increasingly trying to kill remote work. That's what makes the move to kill off remote work so frustrating. It's not clear that the return-to-office move is about making workers more productive or building a better culture.

Persons: it's, Mike Hopkins, they're, India —, Nicholas Bloom, who's, David Baszucki's, Geico, Amazon's Andy Jassy, Geico's Todd Combs, there's, Safra, Larry Ellison, wrongheaded, galvanizing sycophants, Ed Zitron Organizations: Amazon, Amazon Studios, National Bureau of Economic Research, Journalists, Stanford, Meta, —, Writers Guild of America, SAG, United Auto Workers Locations: India

☆ Striking actors say they have rejected the Hollywood and TV studios’ ‘best and final offer’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —SAG-AFTRA said it has responded to Hollywood studios’ “last, best & final offer” on Monday as pressure ramps up to reach a deal ending the industry-freezing strike. The actors’ union said in a message to its members that there are several “essential items” that the two sides have yet to reach agreement on, such as the use of AI. SAG-AFTRA, which represents about 160,000 actors, announced its members would walk off sets on July 14, joining the striking writers in a historic double walkout against the studios. Both unions have advocated for restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence, a technology that actors and writers alike believe poses an existential threat to their livelihoods. Members of the Writers Guild of America union ratified a new contract with Hollywood and television studios in early October.

Persons: AFTRA, “, ”, It’s, – CNN’s David Goldman Organizations: New, New York CNN, SAG, ’, Alliance, Television Producers, Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros . Discovery, Warner Bros, CNN, Writers Guild of America, Hollywood Locations: New York

For the most part, people in the entertainment world could trust that they were on the same political page. That changed abruptly with the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. There was no flood of support on social media from celebrities. “I’ve always just thought I was in this little bubble and everyone’s supportive and it’s L.A. and no big deal. Jewish writers reacted with horror to the guild’s refusal to condemn the attacks on Israel.

Persons: ”, Barry Schkolnick, —, ” Jonathan Greenblatt, Jeremy Steckler, “ I’ve, It’s, ’, Marc Guggenheim, Sharon Brous Organizations: Hollywood, Democratic, “, Writers Guild of America, Defamation League, Israel, WGA, Peace Locations: Israel, Hollywood, America, United States, Palestine, Ikar, Los Angeles

CNN —In the not-so-distant future, human-like robots will be as ubiquitous as the automobile or smartphone – if Agility Robotics’ vision of the future comes to life. “This is really an inflection point in history,” said Jonathan Hurst, co-founder of Agility Robotics, a Silicon Valley firm that showed off its humanoid, “Digit” to investors and press Tuesday. Agility Robotics' robot Digit showcased its ability to operate autonomously in front of a small audience Tuesday night. Due to safety regulations implemented by Agility Robotics, humans must also stay six feet away from Digit. Less than two weeks ago, Amazon announced it will begin testing Digit in a Seattle warehouse (Amazon is an investor in Digit’s parent company Agility Robotics.)

Persons: ”, Jonathan Hurst, Hurst, “, Veronica Miracle, couldn’t, That’s, ” Hurst, Melonee Wise Organizations: CNN, Agility Robotics, Robotics, Amazon, tote, Hollywood, Writers Guild of America, Technology Locations: Silicon, Seattle, Oregon

☆ John Oliver says the Hollywood writers' strike was no vacation
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Hollywood writers' strike was no vacation for talk show hosts, John Oliver says. Oliver discussed the topic on an appearance on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" on Monday. AdvertisementAdvertisementJohn Oliver, the host of "Last Week Tonight," says the Hollywood writers' strike was no vacation. The writers' strike ended on September 27 when the Writers Guild of America secured a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for stipulations including better pay, AI safeguards, and minimum staffing. The nearly-150-day strike was the second-longest in the guild's history, only surpassed by the writers' strike of 1988.

Persons: John Oliver, Oliver, Seth Meyers, —, Meyers, Todd Holmes, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Organizations: Hollywood, Service, Writers Guild of America, Alliance, Producers, California State University, Northridge, Force

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