The BBC says former Google executive Matt Brittin will be the UK broadcaster’s next director-general
The BBC says former Google executive Matt Brittin will be the UK broadcaster’s next director-general.
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Miley Cyrus went back to her “Hannah Montana” blond mane and to her roots as Miley Stewart, the tween with a big secret. The now real-life pop star reunited Monday evening with cast members in Los Angeles to celebrate the “Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special.” The original show was launched in 2006 on the Disney Channel. In it, middle-schooler Miley led a double life as a pop singer. Cyrus is now 33 and reflected to The Associated Press how the milestone has given her a new perspective on the show that launched her stardom. The anniversary special began streaming Tuesday on Disney+ and Hulu.
Fortnite publisher Epic Games said Tuesday it is laying off 1,000 employees to save money as it grapples with industry-wide and company-specific challenges. The North Carolina video game publisher said in a memo to employees that the job cuts are not related to AI. Rather, they stem from industry-wide challenges such as slower growth, weaker spending, and tougher cost economics. Games like Fortnite are also competing for people's attention with social media and other forms of online entertainment.
Studio estimates on Sunday say Amazon MGM's “Project Hail Mary” has topped the North American box office charts with $80.5 million in ticket sales. It's the biggest opening for the studio and the second biggest ever for a non-franchise film, behind only “Oppenheimer.” The film was directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and stars Ryan Gosling. Hollywood’s other big new opener, “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come,” a Searchlight release, has landed in a distant fourth, behind Disney and Pixar’s “Hoppers” and the Bollywood sequel “Dhurandhar: The Revenge.” Universal’s Colleen Hoover adaptation “Reminders of Him” has rounded out the top five.
AP Wire
BTS has returned as a full group with a huge, free concert in Seoul after a four-year break. The K-pop band played new songs and big hits, and fans packed the streets and waved light sticks. On Saturday night, police shut down roads and transit near Gwanghwamun Square, and ran tight security checks. Members have recently finished South Korea’s mandatory military service. The management company said the group released its fifth album, “ARIRANG,” on Friday, and it sold nearly 4 million copies in one day. Netflix streamed the show live, and BTS thanked fans for waiting.
AP Wire
CBS News says it's shutting down its radio news service after nearly a century of operation as part of a round of layoffs at the company. When it began operation in September 1927, the radio service was a precursor to the entire CBS network. It gave young executive William S. Paley his start and was the home of legendary broadcaster Edward Murrow’s reports from London during World War II. Today it is primarily known for its top-of-the-hour news roundups delivered to about 700 stations across the country. CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss said it will stop operating in May.
Longtime New York Mets broadcaster Howie Rose has announced he is planning to retire at the end of the season after spending four decades with the organization. The 72-year-old Rose began his Mets broadcasting career in 1987 and has served as the team’s lead play-by-play radio voice since 2006. Rose says he plans to work all the Mets’ home games as well as their three road matchups with the New York Yankees this year. He will work all home and away games during the postseason.
A year after the actor’s death, a generative AI version of Val Kilmer will co-star in an independent film. It's one of the boldest uses yet of artificial intelligence in moviemaking. First Line Films announced Wednesday that Kilmer has posthumously joined the cast of a film titled “As Deep as the Grave.” The producers said that before his death, Kilmer had signed on to perform in the movie but was unable to do due to his health. Kilmer’s estate gave permission for his digital replication, and is being compensated for it. Kilmer died last April from pneumonia at the age of 65.
AP Wire
Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” has been crowned best picture at the 98th Academy Awards. Jessie Buckley won best actress and Michael B. Jordan won best actor at the 98th Academy Awards. After a lionized career stretching back three decades, Paul Thomas Anderson won his first Oscar for best director, a long-in-coming coronation for the “One Battle After Another” filmmaker. “Sinners” cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw has made Oscar history, becoming the first female director of photography to win the award in the 98 year history of the Academy Awards. Paul Thomas Anderson and Ryan Coogler won their first Oscars and moving tributes were paid to Robert Redford, Diane Keaton and Rob Reiner at the 98th Academy Awards.
Chanel and producer Charles Finch host a star-packed pre-Oscar dinner at the Polo Lounge, mixing Hollywood buzz with a pitch for supporting filmmakers. On Saturday night, guests crowd the patio at the Beverly Hills Hotel and mingle over drinks. Jessie Buckley says the smaller red carpet feels intimate ahead of the Oscars on Sunday. Co-director Maggie Kang hypes the big “Golden” performance tied to “KPop Demon Hunters.” The night also doubles as a reminder of Chanel’s long link to movies. Kristen Stewart points to the brand’s backing of her work and other independent projects.