More from Georg Szalai
‘Slave Play’ in London: U.K. Prime Minister Calls Plan for Two Black Audiences-Only Shows “Divisive”
A London production of the U.S. play Slave Play, written by actor and playwright Jeremy O. Harris (Zola, Euphoria, Gossip Girl), is making political waves after the U.K. prime minister criticized plans to offer two performances exclusively for Black audiences as “wrong and divisive.” The controversial play is set on a plantation and explores “race, identity and […]
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Elon Musk Sues OpenAI and Its CEO, Claiming Their Focus Is to “Maximize Profits for Microsoft”
Elon Musk, the owner and executive chairman of social media giant X Corp., has filed a lawsuit against ChatGPT owner OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, alleging the AI company’s alliance with Microsoft has changed its mission from building artificial intelligence systems for the benefit of humanity to corporate profits. “OpenAI, Inc. has been transformed […]
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AMC Theatres Board Adds Former Redbox CFO Sonia Jain
Exhibition giant AMC Theatres is adding more financial expertise to its board as it continues to address debt challenges, saying that it has elected former Redbox CFO Sonia Jain to its board of directors, effective Friday. She will serve as a member of the audit committee of the board. “Jain brings to the board extensive […]
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EchoStar Loses 314,000 Net Pay TV Subscribers in First Earnings Report Post-Merger
Charlie Ergen’s EchoStar lost about 314,000 net pay TV subscribers in the fourth quarter, compared with a loss of 268,000 in the year-ago period and a decline of 64,000 in the third quarter of 2023. The company disclosed late Thursday that it lost around 60,000 Sling TV subscribers in the latest quarter, ending 2023 with 2.06 million […]
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Paramount Focuses on Earnings Growth But Wall Street Lacks Enthusiasm
The stock of Paramount Global, led by CEO Bob Bakish, was in Wall Street analysts’ focus on Thursday as they dissected its fourth-quarter 2023 earnings report from late Wednesday for signs of its outlook and possible deal future. As of Thursday morning, several analysts spoke of a stabilization of sorts in Paramount’s business trends, with […]
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‘Douglas Is Cancelled’ Stars and Its Creator on the Cancel Culture Series: “Pick Your Heroes With Care”
Screenwriter and executive producer Steven Moffat (Doctor Who, Dracula, Sherlock) shared a show idea with Karen Gillan (Doctor Who, Guardians of the Galaxy) a few years ago when the term “cancel culture” wasn’t as widely known as it is now. “When I wrote my very first draft of this story, a different version of it, […]
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Taylor Swift, Rolling Stones Help Drive Universal Music Group Quarterly Results
Universal Music Group, whose artist roster includes the likes of Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo, reported improved fourth-quarter financials. Quarterly revenue rose 9 percent, or 15.6 percent on a constant currency basis, to 3.2 billion euros ($3.5 billion), with UMG touting “strong growth across all segments.” It cited album top sellers from the likes of […]
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Formula 1 Profit Jumps Amid Growth Year for Racing Brand
Liberty Media, the company controlled by billionaire mogul John Malone that owns such assets as audio entertainment giant SiriusXM and the Formula 1 racing circuit, reported fourth-quarter financials on Wednesday, touting growth at Live Nation Entertainment, which recently posted a record 2023 and projected continued momentum in 2024. Live Nation is “capitalizing on the globalization of the […]
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Catherine McCormack Joins Colin Firth in Peacock, Sky Limited Series ‘Lockerbie’
Catherine McCormack (Slow Horses, Temple) has joined Sky and Peacock original limited series Lockerbie to star opposite Colin Firth. McCormack will play the role of Jane Swire, wife of Dr. Jim Swire who will be played by Academy Award- and BAFTA-winning star Firth (The King’s Speech, A Single Man, The Staircase). The couple lost daughter Flora […]
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BBC Unveils “Enhanced” Complaints Process as Review of Huw Edwards Case Finds “Shortcomings”
In July 2023, the BBC commissioned a review of the effectiveness of its non-editorial complaints policies and processes, following a complaint about the alleged behavior of former news anchor Huw Edwards who was later named by his wife as being the one accused of having paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos. On Tuesday, the […]
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Streaming to Overtake Pay TV Subscription Revenue in the U.S. This Year
Streaming revenue will overtake pay TV subscription revenue in the U.S. for the first time later in 2024, helped by the addition of ad tiers by various streamers, according to a new forecast. Total revenues from streaming, including subscription and advertising revenue, will start topping revenue from pay TV subscriptions in the third quarter of […]
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Jenna Coleman, Complex Characters and No Easy Answers: How ‘The Jetty’ Explores “Primal” Issues
Jenna Coleman had “avoided” playing a detective – until she was approached about playing rookie cop Ember Manning in a scenic lake town in Lancashire in North West England in BBC Studios’ The Jetty from creator and writer Cat Jones and Firebird Pictures. “What appealed to me was that the character of Ember was completely […]
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