Blockchain Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Is that photo or article someone posted on the internet claiming it came from Fox News actually from Fox News — or is it bogus? Fox Corp. has created a technical protocol called Verify, designed with two objectives: to let media companies register content and grant usage rights to AI platforms; and to allow consumers to verify the content is authentic. The company is releasing Verify on an open-source basis, in the hopes that others sign on to the blockchain-based content verification system.

EXCLUSIVE: Blockchain animated show Cyko KO is set to launch today.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Modhaus, a K-pop platform embracing blockchain for fan engagement, has successfully raised over $8 million in a Series A funding round. The investment was led by Sfermion, a U.S. venture capital firm with expertise in metaverse and Web3 technologies.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Kylie Jenner got up and worked: The mogul is a guest voice on this year’s “Treehouse of Horror” episode of “The Simpsons,” and Variety has a first look below. In the Season 35 edition, “Treehouse of Horror XXXIV,” Bart is turned into an NFT — and Marge travels through the blockchain to save her son. In the segment, Kylie Jenner is one of a handful of celebrities — also including Jimmy Fallon and Rob Gronskowski — who are the “illuminati of the crypto universe” and help Marge find Bart.

EXCLUSIVE: “The fact that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes continue to rage on unresolved proves that the lack of visibility creators have into their content is untenable.”

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Story Protocol, which is developing what it says is an open system for extending intellectual property through online collaboration and paying any number of contributors, announced that it has raised more than $54 million in funding. The funding was led by a16z crypto, part of venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, along with investors including Endeavor and Samsung Ventures.

Inder Phull When Napster emerged in 1999, the music industry experienced an existential crisis. The advent of peer-to-peer digital file-sharing devalued music and caused an industry-wide downturn, leaving traditional gatekeepers wondering what would come next.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Anjali Sud is taking over as CEO of Tubi, Fox Corp.’s free, ad-supported streaming TV service, after she stepped down as chief exec of video-hosting platform Vimeo. Sud will officially start as Tubi’s CEO on Sept. 1, 2023, succeeding founder Farhad Massoudi. Sud reports to Paul Cheesbrough, CEO of Tubi Media Group, which Fox formed this spring to house its digital businesses including Tubi (acquired in 2020) and Blockchain Creative Labs. Sud spent nine years at New York-based Vimeo, originally serving as VP of global marketing before assuming oversight of the creator business unit and getting promoted to CEO in 2017. Under Sud, Vimeo has undertaken employee layoffs and made other cost-cutting moves to improve its financial profile.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Turkish hit TV series “Magnificent Century,” the Ottoman costume drama that spearheaded the country’s TV boom, has partnered with popular virtual gaming platform The Sandbox, becoming the second global hit series to enter the Sandbox metaverse after “The Walking Dead.”  Produced by TIMS Productions’ founder Timur Savcı, and broadcast in over 140 countries with over 500 million viewers globally, “Magnificent Century” will now be available for game players to create their own experiences using both original and established characters and worlds. Global players will be able to equip their 3D avatars starting from the last quarter of this year.

In a world driven by technology and digital innovation, it’s essential to stay updated on the latest advancements. However, understanding complex concepts like cryptocurrency and blockchain technology can be quite challenging for many. To bridge this gap between knowledge and entertainment, executive producer Hussein Karaki has created a potentially groundbreaking reality show called Crypto Hunters.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Not a bird or a plane — nope, it’s a new limited-time NFT-based movie marketing stunt from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. As physical disc sales have waned, Warner Bros. is trying to establish a new home-entertainment business model based on nonfungible tokens (NFTs), which verify ownership and authenticity of digital content. Customers can buy, sell and trade the NFTs in Warner Bros.’s online marketplace, powered by content blockchain technology provider Eluvio. Its newest NFT-based bundles are built around 1978’s “Superman: The Movie,” starring Christopher Reeve and directed by Richard Donner. The Superman Web3 Movie Experience is a multimedia NFT that includes the film in 4K Ultra HD format, plus extras like image galleries and artist renderings by notable DC artists. The studio is hoping to generate excitement among NFT enthusiasts and DC aficionados, to make money through the initial sales as well as to foster an engaged community of fans with the potential for longer-term upside.

Andrew Wallenstein President and Chief Media Analyst At a time when the creative community is aligned on the picket lines in their disenchantment with the entertainment industry, there’s an innovative new outfit blazing a new path to creating and distributing content. Led by veterans of Disney, Warner Bros. and DreamWorks, Toonstar bills itself as a “Web3 story studio” capable of developing, producing and financing animated projects powered by the blockchain. CEO and co-founder John Attanansio sees an opening for attracting talent looking for new ways to reach an audience. Listen to the podcast here: “There are trends in Hollywood right now that, honestly, I think make it easier,” he said on the latest episode of the Variety podcast “Strictly Business.” “You can see especially what’s happening now: There are a lot of productions that are getting canceled or halted, things will sit in development for extended periods of time. It’s just getting harder and harder to get something made in the traditional system.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Scott Greenberg, the co-founder and CEO of Fox-owned animation studio Bento Box Entertainment, is exiting the company, Variety has confirmed. Greenberg is also the CEO of Fox’s Web3 media and creative technology company Blockchain Creative Labs (BCL). He will officially depart both roles on May 19. “It’s been an incredible honor and privilege to work alongside the many people who have helped build Bento Box and Blockchain Creative Labs into two great companies,” Greenberg said. “The many series and projects we launched together are a great source of lasting pride to me. Deep down, I’m an entrepreneur at heart who enjoys building organizations and nurturing their teams to bring out the best in themselves. With Bento Box and BCL running full steam ahead on the path for continued growth and success, now is the time to explore new opportunities.”

including Tubi, Credible and Blockchain Creative Labs – as well as thedigital platforms and teams that underpin FOX’s wider digital businessin Sports, News and Entertainment. “We have incredible momentum across our digital portfolio at FOX and it’s a privilege to lead and oversee this next stage of growth,” said Cheesbrough. “With a strong foundation to build off, from Tubi’s unrivaled growth in the AVOD space to our record setting 4K streaming operation for Super Bowl LVII, I’m looking forward to working with our talented team to drive this growth for FOX.

Workaholics co-creator Dominic Russo, Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) and Tony Cavalero (School of Rock) have partnered on Space Junk, an adult animated workplace comedy about garbage collectors in space, from Web3 story studio Toonstar. The series, created by written by Russo and starring Heder and Cavalero, Space Junk will world premiere Thursday at Consensus 2023, with episodes available to stream beginning May 19. You can watch the series here.

Naman Ramachandran Crossmint, a start-up that provides infrastructure for building blockchain applications, has partnered with Tintinimaginatio, the company which has been set up to protect and promote the work of Hergé, to release the iconic Tintin comic series’ first NFT collection. In partnership with artèQ, the collection comprises the illustration “The Blue Lotus,” which was created by Hergé in 1936 and auctioned for €2.6 million ($2.8 million) in early 2021. The NFT collection includes two variants of “The Blue Lotus” NFTs, a limited edition print work of which only 777 copies were created and a purely digital NFT that is available in a similarly limited version of 1,777 pieces.

Elon Musk has made a noticeable change on Twitter. On Monday, without an explanation, the social media site debuted a new logo on the web version.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Elon Musk is now using the design of Twitter itself to make hilarious (?) jokes. On Monday, without warning, the iconic Twitter bird logo on the home button of the social network’s web version changed to the “doge” of the Dogecoin cryptocurrency. (Twitter’s mobile apps weren’t changed.) The doge image (of a Shiba Inu) is part of the logo of the Dogecoin blockchain and cryptocurrency, which was created as a joke in 2013 — to mock other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Musk, who bought Twitter last fall in a $44 billion deal, is a well-known superfan of the Doge meme and he has promoted Dogecoin both on Twitter and during his appearance last year hosting “Saturday Night Live.” After the change to Twitter’s web logo Monday, the value of Dogecoin rose more than 20%.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Nick Grudin is leaving his short jaunt into the NFT world to return to Meta, rejoining the social-media giant as head of content partnerships — the same job he left last fall, Variety has confirmed. Grudin had left Meta in September 2022 to join NFT startup Dapper Labs as chief business officer. In coming back to Meta, Grudin is reporting to his former boss, Justin Osofsky, the company’s head of online sales, operations and partnerships. In the role, Grudin will again oversee global partnerships and content across the company’s creator ecosystem, media, entertainment, sports and community initiatives. A Meta representative declined to comment. Dapper Labs didn’t respond to a request for comment. Grudin’s return to Meta was first reported by The Information.

Naman Ramachandran The future is Web3 was the consensus at a high-powered panel discussing the subject at Hong Kong’s FilMart on Wednesday. Weighing in with their knowledge and experience were Evan Auyang, group president, Animoca Brands; Jenefer Brown, executive VP and head of global products and experiences, Lionsgate; Lucas Cheungmanaging partner, Hong Kong, Gusto Collective and Jaeson Ma co-founder, 88rising, OP3N and EST Media. For the benefit of the lay people in the audience, Ma provided a handy definition of what exactly Web3 is. Ma explained that web1 was a phase where people could search for and read content, web2 is where companies were able to publish content and web3 is all about ownership.

DEALSChrysalis Records has signed a new agreement with Secretly Distribution covering all physical and digital distribution for the label. “I have long been an admirer of the Secretly Group of companies and the incredible music that they release on their various labels”, says Chrysalis CEO Jeremy Lascelles. “So, when the moment came to reappraise our global distribution arrangements, it was clear to us that there was no better possible partner”.————————————————–DIGITALBeatport is launching a Web3 digital collectible marketplace.

EXCLUSIVE: Haylie Duff is the latest Napoleon Dynamite alumnus to join the cast of animated blockchain pilot Cyko KO.

EXCLUSIVE: Krapopolis has scored a third season renewal before a frame of the animated series has been seen by the viewing public.

Sara Smith As search engines, social media and data science continue to measure levels of influence online, innovative leaders and entrepreneurs have consistently stood out from millions of other people and companies competing for attention. KOL (Key Opinion Leaders), a platform that uses data science to identify and benchmark the influence of experts within specific fields, has identified 10 individuals across various industries and predicts that each will have a significant impact on online searches in 2023. “Their innovative approaches and forward-thinking perspectives will disrupt the traditional search norms and drive the growth of new technologies. KOL expects that with the trends these people set, their respective industries will follow suit,” says Ana Codallo, the platform’s chief technology officer. “By breaking down traditional barriers and pushing the boundaries of what is possible, these pioneers are poised to make a lasting impact on the online search landscape in 2023 and beyond.”

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Fox and its Web3 media company Blockchain Creative Labs has launched “The Masked Singer Experience,” a new online, interactive community for fans, featuring live show voting polls, exclusive paid-member content, a points leaderboard and an online rewards store. The new experience went live at maskverse.com on Wednesday morning ahead of the “Masked Singer’s” primetime Season 9 premiere on Fox. Per Fox, “During episodes throughout the season, fans will be able to scan on-air QR codes to play along and vote on which character they believe will progress on to the next round.” This fan voting will not affect the series outcome, according to the network.

EXCLUSIVE: Paris Hilton is to play matchmaker in the metaverse.

EXCLUSIVE: Web3 media and entertainment firm Doodles is set to acquire transatlantic animation studio Golden Wolf. 

Us Weekly has affiliate partnerships so we may receive compensation for some links to products and services.

Warner Bros. Discovery has become the first major studio to sell a movie’s NFT bundle,with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring dropping tomorrow.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Fanatical collectors of Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” will get the chance to buy limited-edition multimedia nonfungible token (NFT) versions of the fantasy epic. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is teaming with blockchain company Eluvio to launch “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (Extended Version) Web3 Movie Experience, which will be available in two different editions that drop Friday, Oct. 21 at web3.wb.com. It’s the first time a major studio is releasing a movie as NFTs, which are unique identifiers that verify ownership of digital content. “The Fellowship of the Ring” NFTs are the first ones to be available in the “WB Movieverse,” a new marketplace that will in the future include other titles from the studio. Jessica Schell, GM and EVP, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, said future releases are yet to be determined. On the platform, fans will be able to buy, sell and trade movie NFTs.

A devastating natural disaster hit the USA this week, killing several and doing billions of dollars in damage. So many Floridians lost their homes…

EXCLUSIVE: The main cast of cult classic indie comedy Napoleon Dynamite are reuniting for an animated pilot released through blockchain technology.

Liza Foreman Launched in 2018 as part of a San Sebastián Festival initiative to become a hub for fast-tracking new tech film-TV initiatives, this year’s expanded edition of the Zinemaldia & Technology event, the Zinemaldia Start Up Challenge, awarded three prizes on Thursday for the best Spanish, best entrepreneurial and best European projects after a morning of pitching. Best Spanish project went to the innovative music app Motmo.pro from Bruno de Zabala and Janire Vázquez. Entrepreneurial Project prize was won by Mine S. from Riccardo Belingheri, and Massimiliano Moioli from Italy. Both projects receive $10,000 ($10,000). The Spanish brother and sister team, Teresa Benítez Martínez and Francisco Benítez Martínez, took home €3,000 for best European project for kino_greentoken.

Angus Finney “Computers are useless,” Pablo Picasso exclaimed more than 50 years ago. “They can only give you answers.” No doubt he would be turning in his grave at today’s alliance of computer programs, tech companies and digital artists clustering together to create non-fungible tokens (NFTs). It’s a quickly evolving and potentially very risky world for filmmakers, producers and others looking for new ways to raise funding but should be approached with caution, research and a good look at recent history.  NFTs — in case you need reminding — are digital artworks and images, often carved up into bite-sized tokens, that rely on blockchain technology to prove ownership. The explosion in interest and speculation around NFTs and the wider crypto currency craze that heated up during the previous decade has now spectacularly imploded over the past six months, with more than $2 trillion wiped out. The burst bubble in digital assets and decentralized finance (DeFi) has attracted acute attention, but also pain for millions of investors given that by mid-2021 more than 16% of the American population had bought into the crypto craze.  

Fyre Festival disaster – has opened up about his plans to pay off $26million (£22.7million) in restitution owed to those he defrauded.McFarland was profiled by The New York Times this week, having completed his stint on house arrest earlier this month. It comes after he was moved from prison to a halfway house in March, being released from his six-year federal prison sentence more than two years early (he was formally sentenced in October of 2018).

After a contentious lawsuit erupted between filmmaker Quentin Tarantino and his former studio Miramax over Tarantino’s decision to release a series of “Pulp Fiction” NFTs, with both sides firing off heated arguments in the media, an agreement has been reached.Miramax and Quentin Tarantino have released a joint statement regarding the settlement of the pending NFT lawsuit.“The parties have agreed to put this matter behind them and look forward to collaborating with each other on future projects, including possible NFTs,” the statement said.Late last year, Tarantino and blockchain company Secret Network announced that they’d be selling uncut and unreleased scenes from “Pulp Fiction” as NFTs. Those purchasing the NFTs would also receive exclusive access to extras, including commentary from Tarantino and images of the handwritten first draft of the screenplay.Miramax, who has plans to turn much of its library into NFTs, argued that Tarantino doesn’t have the right to release NFTs of his own screenplay and sent a cease-and-desist to the filmmaker (who, in the years since “Pulp Fiction’s” release, made movies like “Django Unchained,” “Kill Bill” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”).“This group chose to recklessly, greedily, and intentionally disregard the agreement that Quentin signed instead of following the clear legal and ethical approach of simply communicating with Miramax about his proposed ideas,” Miramax’s attorney Bart Williams said in a statement in November.