SAG-AFTRA Scolds Casting Offices For Charging For Audition Tapes; “It Is An Optical And Ethical Disaster”

Soccer AM has reportedly been cancelled by Sky after almost 30 years on the air.The popular Sunday morning TV show will be removed from Sky’s broadcasting schedule at the end of the current Premier League season, with 10 episodes still remaining.A spokesperson for Sky did not confirm the show’s cancellation, but said consultations were underway as they aim to “adapt to the evolving needs” of viewers.“Soccer AM has played an important role in our coverage of football for the past three decades, and we continually adapt to the evolving needs of our customers,” the spokesperson said (via The Guardian).“We now go into a period of consultation to discuss the proposed changes with our people. We are unable to provide more detail while these consultations are underway.”Soccer AM was launched on Sky Sports in 1995.

Leaders of SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood’s Teamsters Local 399 showed their support for the WGA on Monday, posing with WGA leaders shortly before the 11 a.m. start of the Writers Guild’s contract negotiations with producers at the AMPTP’s headquarters in Sherman Oaks.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Japanese animation “Suzume” retained the top spot at the South Korean box office for a second weekend, far outstripping holdover titles and newcomers including “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” On its second weekend of release, “Suzume” earned $5.65 million, just a small fraction below its opening weekend score of $5.71 million. Underlining its dominance, the film increased its market share from 60% previously to 62%. After 12 days of release, the film has accumulated $15.8 million, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic).

SAG-AFTRA has reached a tentative settlement with the studios regarding unpaid Covid testing stipends. The stipends in question are for Covid testing payments on days when performers also were paid for fittings.

If producers use artificial intelligence to simulate an actor’s performance, they’re going to have to bargain for it, SAG-AFTRA said Friday in a statement on the use of AI and digital doubling.

Armed police swooped on a cul-de-sac after a man was 'hit over the head with a bottle of Grey Goose vodka'. A 48-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of GBH following the incident in Heywood on Saturday morning.

American music star Chris Brown is entertaining thousands of fans in Manchester this week at his three huge AO Arena gigs. And after the opening night show on Thursday, he decided to continue the party at one of the city's swankiest celeb haunts.

Shannen Doherty got the support of many other working actors after she called out the SAG-AFTRA organization and its president Fran Drescher.

Actress Shannen Doherty is in the middle of her cancer treatment, which she claims has been made more difficult without proper health insurance coverage.

Shannen Doherty has questions and she’s hoping one person can answer them – Fran Drescher. TheBeverly Hills, 90210 star took to Instagram on Wednesday to call upon the SAG-AFTRA President to make changes in the organization's “current criteria.”“@officialfrandrescher i'm curious for people like me who have worked since they were 10 and paid dues to @sagaftra how when we aren’t able to work for health reasons why our union abandons us. I think we can do better for all our members and I think you’re person to do it,” she wrote. “Health insurance shouldn’t be based on annual income.

Several actresses like Ever Carradine (The Handmaid’s Tale), Merrin Dungey (Big Little Lies) and Sprague Grayden (Hightown) turned to Twitter this week to express frustration over the pandemic-era trend of (costly) tape auditions and whether in-person tryouts are truly a thing of the past.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Even a return trip to Pandora wasn’t enough to lift quarterly earnings at AMC Theatres. Despite the box office success of “Avatar: The Way of Water,” revenues at the world’s largest cinema chain fell 15% in the fourth quarter, topping out at $990.4 million. That was down from $1.17 billion in the prior-year period. Losses also widened, as AMC posted a net loss of $287.7 million, a steeper shortfall than the $134.4 million in losses it recorded a year ago. AMC lost 26 cents per share, compared to a loss of 13 cents in the same quarter in 2021. That fell short of Wall Street’s projections. Analysts were expecting quarterly revenue of $1.05 billion and earnings loss of 22 cents per share. AMC’s stock was briefly up nearly 4% in after-hours trading before falling back into negative territory.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Katy Perry had an emotional breakdown on “American Idol” after a school shooting survivor auditioned for the most recent season. Trey Louis is a 21-year-old aspiring singer from Texas who auditioned for judges Perry, Lionel Ritchie and Luke Bryan with a rendition of Whiskey Myers’ 2016 song “Stone.” Louis’ performance earned a standing ovation from all three judges, but it was his story about surviving the 2018 Santa Fe school shooting that left the judges in tears. “I’m from Santa Fe, Texas. In May 2018, a gunman walked into my school,” Louis said fighting back tears. “I was in art room one. He shot up art room two before he made his way to art room one. I lost a lot of friends. Eight students were killed. Two teachers were killed. It’s just really been negative. Santa Fe’s had a bad rep since 2018.”

Streaming consumption has edged out broadcast and cable viewing multiple times over the past year in Nielsen’s monthly reports. Yet in the contracts between Hollywood studios and unions, it is still classified as new or emerging media whose residuals pale in comparison to those from the traditional, linear networks.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor The SAG-AFTRA Foundation is set to break ground next month on a 15,000-square-foot facility at the union’s mid-Wilshire headquarters that will be a central hub for the foundation’s educational, career development and event activities in the Los Angeles area. The Meryl Streep Center for Performing Artists will be built on the 10th floor of SAG-AFTRA’s longtime home in the famed Museum Square building. It’s expected to open its doors early next year, thanks to support from its namesake, the three-time Oscar winner who is one of the most renowned actors of all time. The facility will also feature the Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson Screening Room, equipped with high-end technology to host screenings, panels and educational programs.

The mothers of two teenage victims of the Manchester Arena bombing tragedy say they are still unable to grieve due to rules around registering a death if it is subject to an inquest. Lisa Rutherford and Caroline Curry met Home Office officials last week to discuss this issue - which they have been campaigning on for years - but have been left 'upset'.

SAG-AFTRA is expressing its grief over the killing of Orlando TV reporter Dylan Lyons, a member of the guild since 2012. Lyons was shot and killed Wednesday while covering another shooting. Photojournalist Jesse Walden, his colleague at Spectrum News 13, was wounded but is recovering. The man suspected of having killed two others in the shooting rampage, including a 9-year-old girl, is in custody.

While the box office climbed out of its August/September slump during the final quarter of 2022, Cinemark still reported a quarterly loss of $99.3 million, or 82 cents per share, amid a sluggish Thanksgiving holiday and a Christmas hampered by winter storms throughout much of the U.S.Cinemark reported quarterly revenue of $599.7 million, a 10% drop from last year’s $666.7 million, and well below Q3’s $650 million. The results came in ahead of the average Wall Street estimate for $568.5 million in revenue, according to Zack’s Investment Services.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Sometimes it takes more than a pair of global blockbusters to shake off the lingering impact of a devastating public health crisis. Quarterly sales and profits fell at Imax despite the commercial success of “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” The big screen company recorded revenues of $98 million, a 10% drop from the $108.6 million that Imax recorded in the year-ago period. The company also recorded profits of $2.6 million, compared to the $10.1 million that Imax logged in the year-ago period. That came out to earnings of 19 cents a share, which failed to match the profits of the 31 cents that Imax recorded in the same period in 2021.

Leaning on each other! Kylie Jenner revealed she’s been turning to “favorite” sister Kim Kardashian for advice amid their respective breakups.