Software Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Fox News’s $787.5 billion settlement with Dominion Voting Systems does not require that the network do an on-air a retraction or apology, sources confirmed.

A screen displaying travel information for commuters in British Sign Language has gone live at Manchester's Piccadilly railway station.

The public has been warned to be vigilant about scams surrounding the upcoming emergency alert test this week.

transform Twitter into a super-app, Elon Musk now says he’s going to dive into the artificial intelligence chatbot arena to save the world from “political correctness.”Musk told Tucker Carlson on Monday that he plans to create his own chatbot, after taking credit for jumpstarting the development of ChatGPT, the hugely popular chatbot software from OpenAI.“I’m going to start something which I called TruthGPT, or a maximum truth seeking AI that tries to understand the nature of the universe,” Musk told Tucker Carlson on Monday.Elsewhere in his “Tucker Carlson Tonight” interview, the embattled Twitter CEO boasted that he came up with the name “ChatGPT” as well as the concept and “had a number of dinners around the Bay Area with some of the leading figures in AI” through its development.Musk was one of a group of high profile early funders of OpenAI in 2015, and an original co-chair of the company behind ChatGPT that is working with Microsoft. He told Carlson he recruited the initial team, in particular naming Ilya Sutskever, who is considered one of the co-founders of the company and who Musk said “was really quite fundamental to the success of OpenAI.”“I put a tremendous amount of effort into recruiting Ilya and he changed his mind a few times, and ultimately decided to go with OpenAI.

Millions of Android users have been issued a warning as security experts urge people to check their phones immediately.

Add this to the list of terrifying things we now have to worry about as technology continues to progress…

Seth Macfarlane’s production company, Fuzzy Door, has launched a new technology division and hired former Siri CMO, Faith Sedlin, as its president, according to an announcement on Tuesday.In the role, Sedlin will oversee all operations for the new division, including the company’s production tool, ViewScreen. Created on MacFarlane’s request, ViewScreen allows for the visualization of virtual assets in real time and has been used on shooting/editing virtual lead characters on Hulu’s “The Orville: New Horizons” and the upcoming “Ted” TV series for Peacock.

Detour Discotheque (via MixMag) who have previously worked on events at “the edge of the world” in Iceland.Running for two nights from September 22 and 23, music lovers wanting the club can do so by taking the CalMac ferry from Oban.Names alreaady announced to play the venue include Auntie Flo, Free Love and the Cosmic Ceilidh Band, who are made up of musicians from Coll.Organiser Jonny Ensall said in a statement to DJ Mag: “Detour Discotheque is back for another spellbinding weekend.“The event is a wormhole that opens in unexpected places around planet Earth, and this year that cosmic phenomenon is happening on Coll – a tiny Scottish island famous for its star-filled skies.“It’s all about community – bringing disco-lovers and Coll residents together for two nights of unabashed joy, amid plenty of stunning nature and with the Milky Way to admire above us.”You can buy tickets to visit the world’s “most remote” nightclub here.Last year, a study said that the UK could soon be left with just 5,000 nightclubs in operation across the country.The findings were made by two hospitality-focused software companies, Stampede and StoreKit, using data obtained from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).The results showed that, despite an uptick in registered hospitality businesses since 2019, the UK’s nightlife sector is in decline. Between 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, the number of pubs, bars and clubs in the UK dropped, continuing a trend that has seen businesses in the sector shutting in high numbers for a decade.According to the ONS, there were 10,040 registered clubs in the UK in 2010.

The fight to combat students using artificial intelligence (AI) to cheat at Greater Manchester’s universities has become ‘divisive’, as new software is introduced to curb the practice.

Scots who have always dreamed of pop stardom can now record and release their own music with a brand new app.

Ethan Shanfeld As Nintendo takes its shot at the box office with “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” the first animated film featuring the iconic mustachioed plumber, the gaming company has been coy about revealing what’s next for the Super Mario video game franchise. But while Shigeru Miyamoto — the legendary video game designer, Nintendo fellow and self-proclaimed “Mario’s mom” — won’t say where Mario is running next, he is forthright about where he won’t be: your smartphone. Sitting down with Variety for this week’s cover story on the making of the film, Miyamoto said firmly, “Mobile apps will not be the primary path of future Mario games.” After two moderately successful but dwindling iOS games, plus another that shuttered after two years, Nintendo is pulling Mario away from the mobile market. Released in 2016, Super Mario Run grossed $60 million in its first year, while 2019’s Mario Kart Tour has generated $300 million (compared to Mario Kart 8’s $3 billion and counting). Without explanation, Nintendo removed 2019’s Dr. Mario World from app markets two years after its release.

Naman Ramachandran SISTER, the media group co-founded by Elisabeth Murdoch, Jane Featherstone and Stacey Snider, has unveiled a creative partnership with and taken a significant stake in new TV and tech entertainment company Yes Yes Media. Yes Yes, an unscripted entertainment venture, is founded by broadcaster and format developer Richard Bacon, who has presented “The Big Breakfast” and “Top of the Pops” and created formats “The Hustler,” hosted by Craig Ferguson (ABC), “This Is My House” (BBC1) and “I Literally Just Told You,” hosted by Jimmy Carr (Channel 4). The deal allows Yes Yes to leverage access to the SISTER’s global network of creative companies and investments spanning television and film, podcasting, publishing and live events.

Charna Flam Revolution Entertainment Services, a payroll and production services company, appointed industry veteran Josh Anthony as the organization’s new executive vice president of production, development and strategy. Anthony will take over the production service’s business, assisting with streamlining the script-to-screen process and overseeing the scalable software suites, from payroll, to labor relations, crew onboarding and film incentives for the talent and production teams. Anthony has more than 20 years of industry experience, previously serving as a producer, director, writer and executive across development, finance, production, payroll and labor relations. Previously, Anthony served as GreenSlate’s senior vice president of studio sales and business development. During his tenure, he supervised both the live action and animation business for Netflix as well as productions for A24, Amazon, Hulu, Hello Sunshine, Skydance, Fifth Season, Apple and Paramount+.

Ethan Shanfeld The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, has canceled its 2023 event. E3 was previously scheduled to take place June 13-16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, in-person for the first time since 2019. The gaming convention, once considered the most influential showcase in the industry, was canceled in 2020 and 2022 due to COVID-19 concerns. The expo held a virtual edition in 2021. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and show organizer ReedPop announced the cancellation of the physical and digital events with a joint statement. “This was a difficult decision because of all the effort we and our partners put toward making this event happen, but we had to do what’s right for the industry and what’s right for E3,” said Kyle Marsden-Kish, ReedPop’s global VP of gaming. “We appreciate and understand that interested companies wouldn’t have playable demos ready and that resourcing challenges made being at E3 this summer an obstacle they couldn’t overcome. For those who did commit to E3 2023, we’re sorry we can’t put on the showcase you deserve and that you’ve come to expect from ReedPop’s event experiences.”

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Apple announced that this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place June 5-9, 2023 — and it could be the virtual launching pad for the tech giant’s long-awaited mixed-reality headset. WWDC23 will be presented in an “online format,” free to all registered Apple developers, although the company also will stage an in-person “special experience” at Apple Park in Cupertino, Calif., on the opening day of June 5. As in past years, the confab will serve as a venue for news and updates about Apple’s latest hardware and software products, including iOS and tvOS. The highlight of WWDC23 could be a new mixed-reality headset, which has been in development since 2015 and is finally scheduled to be unveiled at the June conference, according to a Bloomberg report last month. The mixed-reality headset will carry a $3,000 price tag and feature a “3D-like view of an iPhone interface” with apps for messaging, mail, web browsing, videoconferencing and “immserive video streaming” as well as “realistic avatars,” according to the report. The tech giant showed off the headset, which could be called “Reality Pro” or “Reality One,” for its 100 highest-ranking execs last week, Bloomberg reported. (Apple has declined to comment on the reports.)

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Chris Martin mentioned his partner Dakota Johnson in a new interview and spoke about how she actually impacted his Coldplay concerts.

Wall Street Journal. Other previous investors in the startup include former chief executive of Microsoft unit GitHub Nat Friedman, and SV Angel, one of Silivon Valley’s most active seed investors.Character.AI does not generate any revenue as stated by a representative for the company.The private company launched an early version of its software, which allows users to create and engage with chatbots that simulate characters or famous people like Vladimir Putin or Elon Musk in September. Former Google Engineers Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas founded the star-up in Nov.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The Writers Guild of America has proposed allowing artificial intelligence to write scripts, as long as it does not affect writers’ credits or residuals. The guild had previously indicated that it would propose regulating the use of AI in the writing process, which has recently surfaced as a concern for writers who fear losing out on jobs. But contrary to some expectations, the guild is not proposing an outright ban on the use of AI technology. Instead, the proposal would allow a writer to use ChatGPT to help write a script without having to share writing credit or divide residuals. Or, a studio executive could hand the writer an AI-generated script to rewrite or polish and the writer would still be considered the first writer on the project.

follows last year’s acquisition of the platform by Epic Games– one of the world’s largest video game and software development companies.Although the partnership was completed in March last year, the decision left some fans nervous that the platform – which has become one of the most artist-friendly alternatives to Apple Music and Spotify – would no longer provide adequate support for independent musicians.A year in, Bandcamp remains relatively untouched following the acquisition – however numerous employees have come forward saying that change is needed, and unionised under the name Bandcamp United.“Many of us work at Bandcamp because we agree with the values the company upholds for artists: fair pay, transparent policies, and using the company’s social power to uplift marginalised communities,” said Bandcamp employee, Cami Ramirez-Arau (via Rolling Stone).

A pervert who watched horrific sexual abuse images of children who 'appeared to be drugged' has avoided jail.

There’s a promising and even semi-adult comedy at the heart of “Tetris,” an otherwise corny action-adventure based on the real-life story of how the iconic 1980s computer and video game was licensed outside of Russia. Most of the plot of “Tetris” concerns the political maneuvering and corporate espionage required to smuggle “Tetris,” the iconic brick-laying puzzle game, out of Moscow and away from greedy businessmen.The lead protagonist of “Tetris” (the movie) also happens to be its main hero, an uncomplicated leading man whose personal motives don’t matter so much as the vague and never credibly represented virtues of “Tetris” (the game).

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic At last, a video game movie that’s more than just a video game movie. In theory, “Tetris” — that primitive and highly addictive block-stacking strategy game — doesn’t lend itself to the big-screen treatment any more than Rubik’s Cube or Tic-Tac-Toe might. But Noah Pink has found an ingenious solution to a classic puzzle. The screenwriter realized that there’s more to Tetris than most people knew. Namely, there’s a terrific backstory about how this Soviet-hatched computer software made its way over the Iron Curtain, and telling it could play like a Cold War thriller as three teams of Western rivals race one another to Russia to secure the rights.

Gary Glitter will now die behind bars after being recalled to prison just weeks after his release, the former head of Scotland Yard's Paedophile Unit has said. Mike Hames predicted the 1970s glam rocker, real name Paul Gadd, would now spend the rest of his life in jail as he will always represent a danger to children. The Probation Service confirmed on Monday that the 78-year-old paedophile was being recalled to prison following a breach of his licence conditions.

Samsung has released a new update that patches a glitch with the Android operating system that puts devices at risk from hackers.

Kaare Eriksen Information Editor Note: This article is based on content from Variety Intelligence Platform’s special report “2023 Media & Tech Trend Tracker,” available exclusively to subscribers. Sony Interactive Entertainment in February announced PlayStation Playmakers, a new initiative to partner with names like LeBron James on promoting the console brand. For anyone else in gaming, this move would come across as a plea for consumers to spend at levels not seen since 2021. But for Sony, it’s capping off a return to form.

Tara Karajica In her debut film, exec produced by Oscar winner Laura Poitras (“Citizenfour”), Syrian activist-journalist Lina chronicles the real-time transition from peaceful revolution, ushered in by the Arab Spring more than a decade ago, to civil war in Syria. The film plays in the Newcomers Competition at the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival. At first, Lina thought she would document the women’s involvement in the Syrian uprising. “I was thinking that despite how much women are involved in every aspect of what is happening, once everything is over, somehow, we’re going to slip through the cracks and disappear from the story. So, I decided it was best to start documenting what we do as we do it, to make sure that memories were not erased. But as things progressed, and took unexpected turns, I had more and more reasons to keep making the film. And, some of the reasons changed because, as I was making it, I felt that documenting the role of women isn’t exactly an objective for the film. It’s just part of the texture of the film. I don’t need to aim for it anymore. It’s there.”

Naman Ramachandran Documentary “The First Code,” which explores how Ukrainian techies are an integral pillar of the global IT industry, will debut in the spring. The film, from EASE (the European Association of Software Engineering), chronicles the birth and formation of Ukrainian IT, from the creation of the first computer by Ukrainian engineers in the 1950s to the present day, where it has become a powerful industry and an important front in the war with Russia. The film was made based on interviews with representatives of leading Ukrainian IT companies, including EPAM Ukraine, 3DLOOK, ELEKS, Looksery, Techiia holding, Sigma Software Group, SoftServe, Uklon, Infopulse Ukraine and Preply. The V. M. Glushkov Institute of Cybernetics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov, have also participated in the film.

Lecturers have warned that ”chatbot” platforms can churn out passable university essays in just two minutes – and the Daily Record’s tested the theory to prove the case.

Pushing themselves too far. Since Survivor premiered in 2000, there have been several players who had to exit the game due to a medical evacuation — and some of them have been downright scary.

Michael P. O’Leary will be appointed the president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners beginning May 1.

The National Association of Theatre Owners has appointed Michael P. O’Leary as President and CEO of the Association beginning May 1, 2023. He takes over for outgoing NATO Boss John Fithian, who announced his retirement back in October after working with the exhibitor trade org for three decades.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Michael P. O’Leary, an executive who has straddled the worlds of government, lobbying and media, has been named as president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners. He will take over from John Fithian, whose retirement after decades at the exhibition industry advocacy group was announced last year. O’Leary will begin the transition into his new role at NATO in April. He officially takes the reins from Fithian in May. NATO said that O’Leary has served in senior positions at The Entertainment Software Association, 21st Century Fox, the Motion Picture Association, on Capitol Hill and at the Department of Justice.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees released a survey Wednesday finding that visual effects workers lack access to portable health insurance and retirement plans. The survey found that among visual effects workers who work on the “client side” of the business, only 12% have a health insurance plan that they can take from job to job. Another 45% get healthcare only for the duration of their project, while 43% do not have health insurance at all. The union released the results as it wages a campaign to organize VFX workers, who have not had labor representation. The survey also highlighted the lack of other benefits that come with union jobs, including employer-sponsored retirement plans, breaks and rest periods, and overtime pay. The survey found that some workers on the lower end of the pay scale barely make minimum wage, when unpaid overtime is factored in.

Jillian Michaels suffered a spinal injury in 2021 that led her to believe her life was over. Michaels, 49, revealed the pain was "so bad," she had to "crawl on the ground" at times. "I wish it was some gangster motorcycle story where I told you I was racing motorcycles or Lindsey Vonn-ing downhill at 60 miles an hour, but it wasn't," Michaels told People magazine.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Most of the nation’s biggest TV companies are planning to gather under one roof next week and discuss something that has little to do with traditional boob-tube economics but is likely to play a critical role in them in weeks to come. When Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount Global, NBCUniversal and Walt Disney speak Tuesday morning at an event convened by The Trade Desk, they will give a tacit nod to the growing importance of so-called “programmatic” advertising to their many TV networks. In the not-too-distant past, programmatic sales were an add-on to mainstay TV commercials — and the networks were wary of ceding control to a technology that gave advertisers the ability to essentially use a software algorithm to insert an ad during a particular household’s streaming session or FAST watch, all according to the type of customer seen as most likely to be interested.