Hollywood’s AI proposal likened to ‘Black Mirror’ episode: “Not too far off from reality”

Sarah Silverman isn’t so pissed off any more about the interim agreements that SAG-AFTRA has been handing out, but the comedian is still pretty “cynical” about the whole thing.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Two unions are on strike and there are no plans to restart negotiations with either of them, leaving Hollywood in limbo for the foreseeable future. The Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA have both said they are open to talking, but that the studios refuse to engage on their core issues. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, meanwhile, has said that the unions have been unwilling to drop items that are non-starters, like a demand for a share of streaming revenue and a minimum staffing level for TV writers.

Known for being a cheery judge on MasterChef, viewers were appalled to see beloved cook Gregg Wallace eating ‘human meat’ in The British Miracle Meat documentary on Channel 4. After introducing himself as "the bald bloke off the telly", the documentary saw Gregg, 58, enter a factory where workers produced “engineered human meat” in water tanks. Viewers were dumbfounded as they found out the secret Lincolnshire factory of Good Harvest was encouraging people to become a “meat donor” for cash.

joined the WGA in taking strike action on July 13, after negotiations broke down with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), who represent major studios like Netflix, Disney, Apple, Amazon, Warner Bros. and others.Both unions are seeking better pay, streaming residuals and safeguards against the use of AI technology amid the rise of streaming services.The strikes look set to have a major impact on the release calendar of upcoming TV shows and films, with many shutting down production in solidarity.Screen Actors Guild national executive director, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, recently said the strike could last until the early months of 2024.“I wouldn’t rule out January or February,” Crabtree-Ireland told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“The View” hosts are the latest to speak out about Jason Aldean’s controversial song “Try That in a Small Town”.

The View’s hosts aren’t holding back as they join in on the discourse about Jason Aldean’s new controversial song, “Try That in a Small Town.”

It’s Day 6 of the SAG-AFTRA strike and Day 79 of the WGA strike.

Editor’s note: Almost a week into the first joint strike by the actors union and the writers guild since 1960, there are picket lines all over LA and NYC. Yet there are no new negotiations planned between SAG-AFTRA or the WGA and the studios and streamers. Despite the silence and divisions between the parties, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland insists that a pathway to a new contract and a better future for all is possible.

Jason Aldean denies that his song, "Try That in a Small Town," has racial undertones in the wake of online backlash after his music video was released last week. Aldean, 46, rejected the notion that the tune, which hit airwaves in May and only recently received visuals, referenced "race or points to it." In the music video, Aldean touts how small towns wouldn't put up with the kind of riots and lawlessness many cities across the country faced during the summer of 2020.

CMT pulled the controversial music video for his song “Try That in a Small Town” from its rotation amid accusations it is pro-lynching and racist.“In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests,” Aldean, 46, wrote in a statement posted to his Instagram Story.“These references are not only meritless, but dangerous.”In the first verse, Aldean sings: “Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk / Carjack an old lady at a red light / Pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store / Ya think it’s cool, well, act a fool if ya like.”He continues: “Cuss out a cop, spit in his face / Stomp on the flag and light it up / Yeah, ya think you’re tough.”Then comes the chorus.“Well, try that in a small town / See how far ya make it down the road / Around here, we take care of our own / You cross that line, it won’t take long / For you to find out, I recommend you don’t,” Aldean warns.In the second verse, Aldean claims he’s equipped with a gun from his grandfather. “Got a gun that my grandad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that s–t may fly in the city, good luck,” he advises, though it’s unclear who “they” refers to.

proposed to use artificial intelligence to scan the faces of extras and use their likeness in perpetuity.On Thursday, the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) officially declared its intention to go on strike, with one of the many areas of concern for the union being the use of AI within the industry.During a press conference, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) had made a so-called “groundbreaking” proposal that, with the use of AI, would allow the likenesses of film and television background performers to be used indefinitely.Sharing his anger at the proposal on Twitter, Cusack said: “Studios wanna have extras work one day, scan them — own their likeness forever — and eliminate them from the business.“Do you think they will stop with extras? That’s what AI is — a giant Copywrite identity theft [and] criminal enterprise.”Studios wanna have extras work one day Scan them – own their likeness forever – and eliminate them from the business – & do you think they will stop with extras – ? That’s what AI is – a giant Copywrite identity theft – criminal Enterprise / we had no idea this would…— John Cusack (@johncusack) July 14, 2023“We had no idea this would happen… they will say in 10 years when the scope and scale of the plunder is revealed,” he added.

formally announcing an actors’ strike and officially putting Hollywood at a production standstill, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher gave a rousing opening salvo of a speech that exclaimed that “the jig is up” for Hollywood studios’ continued abuses towards its labor workers. “You people are crazy — why are you doing this?” she said while recounting the weeks of negotiations that have left many in the union feeling “insulted.”“From the time negotiations began on June 7, SAG-AFTRA staff and the members of our negotiating committee have worked overtime devoting their evenings, weekends and holidays to achieving a deal that would ensure a sustainable future for the acting profession,” chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said before handing the mic to Drescher. “But despite our team’s efforts, the AMPTP has remained steadfast in its commitment to devaluing the work of our members.”The strike will begin late Thursday at midnight.Read Drescher’s fiery speech in full below.

Netflix’s mind-bending anthology series Black Mirror has soared to the top of Nielsen’s Streaming Top 10 list for the week of June 12 to June 18, following the Season 6 release.

be joining Hollywood writers on the picket line beginning Friday, July 14.Negotiations between the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), which represent the majority of actors in film and television, and major Hollywood studios, who are being represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), fell through after the Wednesday, July 12 deadline of 11:59 p.m. Pacific time passed without resolution.Actors will join writers on the picket line starting Friday morning. This will mark the first time the actors and writers will be striking at the same time since 1960.Fran Drescher, president of SAG-AFTRA, and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, national executive director/chief negotiator, made the strike announcement at a Thursday press conference following a national board meeting to approve the work stoppage. Crabtree-Ireland said talks with the AMPTP left the union «with no choice» but to move forward with a strike.«It came with great sadness that we came to this crossroads.

BreAnna Bell “Black Mirror” is on top of Nielsen’s Streaming Top 10 chart following its Season 6 debut. After premiering on June 15, the series opened to nearly 1.4 billion viewing minutes during the June 12-18 viewing window. Thus, dethroning previous leader “Avatar: The Way of Water” which fell to third place on the chart following an impressive opening week on streaming. The James Cameron sequel film joined Max and Disney+ on June 7, and was watched for 1.9 billion minutes in its first five days of availability. “S.W.A.T” took second place on the overall list for Hulu, Netflix, and Paramount+ with 1.2 billion viewing minutes — pushing its billion-minute week record to four weeks — and ranked first on the acquired programs list etching ahead of “NCIS” by 500 million viewing minutes. Another program that’s available for streaming on both Netflix and Paramount+, the title landed on the overall streaming programs chart at No. 7.

Leaders of a Hollywood’s actors union voted Thursday to join screenwriters in the first joint strike in more than six decades, shutting down production across the entertainment industry after talks for a new contract with studios and streaming services broke down.Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, executive director of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, said at a news conference that the union leadership voted for the work stoppage hours after their contract expired and talks broke off with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers representing employers including Disney, Netflix, Amazon and others.“A strike is an instrument of last resort,” he said. Union leaders said at a news conference that they voted unanimously for a strike to begin at midnight.

officially on strike.The SAG-AFTRA national board met Thursday to formally approve a strike after negotiations fell apart between the actors' union and major Hollywood studios and streamers, who are represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The deadline to reach a new agreement expired Wednesday, July 12 at 11:59 p.m.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer SAG-AFTRA announced Thursday that it is on strike against the film and TV companies, marking only the second time in Hollywood history that actors have joined writers on the picket lines. The SAG-AFTRA national board held its meeting on Thursday morning and voted unanimously to approve a strike recommendation forwarded by the negotiating committee, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, national executive director and chief negotiator of SAG-AFTRA, said during a press conference. “Union members should withhold their labor until a fair contract can be achieved,” he told the room. “They have left us with no alternative.”

big #Megxit to Montecito, California shortly after, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a slew of projects where they disdainfully discussed their time in “The Firm.”Royal expert Tom Bower now claims the former actress, 38, and the Invictus Games founder, 41, “know they’ve probably gone too far” with combative content after their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Netflix docuseries “Harry & Meghan,” and Harry’s bombshell memoir “Spare.” “All she’s got is the baggage of the Oprah Winfrey interview and her damnation of the royal family in various successive interviews,” Bower told OK about Markle. “That’s why she’s been so quiet the whole year.

Some of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s joint business ventures are “falling apart” and they are facing some of their biggest problems, a royal expert has claimed to OK!. Royal biographer Tom Bower said since Harry and Meghan’s Spotify podcast deal has abruptly come to an end, the pair are going to find it a struggle to keep their brand “reputable”.