Month: July 2023

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News Daypop

Actors to strike after SAG-AFTRA negotiations for new contract with studios collapse

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Members of the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union are going on strike, after they were unable to reach a deal with producers and studios. Members of SAG-AFTRA will join up with more than 11,000 already striking Writers Guild of America (WGA), with the strike to start at midnight, July 14.

The failed negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers means film and television productions will immediately come to a halt, essentially shutting down Hollywood; the tandem strike of SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America marks the first of its kind in Hollywood since 1960.

The actors union had already granted one extension to its contract, which was originally set to expire July 1, and said it would not concede another. Hollywood performers were looking to improve wages, working conditions and health and pension benefits, as well as create guardrails for the use of artificial intelligence in future television and film productions. Additionally, the union is seeking more transparency from streaming services about viewership so that residual payments can be made equitable to that seen on linear TV.

Fran Drescher, president of the union, said during a press conference Thursday: “We are the victims here. We are being victimized by a very greedy entity. I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us. It is disgusting. Shame on them … You cannot change the business model as much as it has changed and not expect the contact to change, too.”

The WGA has been on strike since May, and is also seeking higher compensation and residuals, particularly when it comes to streaming shows. The WGA also shares similar concerns over the use of artificial intelligence when it comes to script writing.

SAG-AFTRA Contract Talks Fail To Reach Deal; National Board Meeting Thursday Morning To Launch Strike; Sides Issue Statements

Editorial credit: Elliott Cowand Jr / Shutterstock.com

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Entertainment Daypop

Take a look at the final trailer for ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’

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Paramount Pictures shared the final trailer for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, featuring Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell. The trailer hypes up Cruise’s action scenes, including a high-speed car chase and riding a motorcycle off of a cliff.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is written by Christopher McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen and directed by McQuarrie, and is the seventh film in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise series. The new movie follows Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, an agent for the fictional Impossible Missions Force (IMF), as he and his team take on “their most dangerous mission yet.” Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Mariela Garriga and Henry Czerny also star.

‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ opens in theaters Friday, July 12.  Take a look at the final movie trailer – here.

Editorial credit: Loredana Sangiuliano / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Rock Daypop

Porno For Pyros announce first tour in 25 years to celebrate 30th anniversary

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Porno for Pyros have announced their first tour in 25 years in celebration of the 30th anniversary of their self-titled album.

The ‘Horns, Thorns En Halos’ tour will hit 21 cities across North America, kicking-off on October 8 in Wheatland, California and making stops in Las Vegas, Nevada, Chicago, Illinois, Boston, Massachusetts, Atlanta, Georgia, Nashville, Tennessee and more before wrapping up on November 20 at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin, Texas.

General sale ticketing will take place on Friday, July 14. Head to Ticketmaster for more information.

Editorial credit: Marc D Birnbach / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Rock Daypop

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Megan Thee Stallion and Lauryn Hill among 2023 Global Citizen Festival headliners

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The Global Citizen Festival announced its return to New York City with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Megan Thee Stallion and Lauryn Hill serving as headliners. The free, ticketed event will take place on the Great Lawn of Central Park in New York City on Saturday, Sept. 23. Conan Gray and Stray Kids are also featured performers at the event.

While tickets to the show are free, it requires attendees to fulfill a task as part of the international advocacy organization Global Citizen’s initiative to raise awareness about hunger, poverty, climate change, and inequities facing women around the world, among other related concerns.

A press release reads: “The 2023 Global Citizen Festival campaign takes aim at the major issues perpetuating extreme poverty, including the impacts of climate change on the Global South, the inequities affecting women and girls around the world, and the global hunger crisis, and will call on governments to protect and defend advocates everywhere. The campaign will unite millions of voices, amplified by the world’s biggest artists, to demand urgent action from world leaders gathering in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly in September.”

Hugh Evans, co-founder and CEO of Global Citizen expressed: “COP27, this year’s G7, the World Bank Spring Meetings and the Paris climate finance summit all failed to deliver tangible results, or disruption of the world’s unjust systems. But complacency can’t win. If we want to see breakthroughs on development and climate change, we need the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and all G7 nations to meet the urgency of the hour. Every single citizen has a vital role to play, and together, we must be laser-focused on driving results and impact in September.”

For more information about the 2023 Global Citizen Festival, visit www.globalcitizen.org, and follow @glblctzn on Instagram, Tik Tok, Twitter, and YouTube.

Editorial credit: Sterling Munksgard / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Pop Daypop

Megan Thee Stallion, Lauryn Hill and Red Hot Chili Peppers to headine 2023 Global Citizen Festival

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The Global Citizen Festival announced its return to New York City with Megan Thee Stallion, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Lauryn Hill serving as headliners. The free, ticketed event will take place on the Great Lawn of Central Park in New York City on Saturday, Sept. 23. Conan Gray and Stray Kids are also featured performers at the event.

While tickets to the show are free, it requires attendees to fulfill a task as part of the international advocacy organization Global Citizen’s initiative to raise awareness about hunger, poverty, climate change, and inequities facing women around the world, among other related concerns.

A press release reads: “The 2023 Global Citizen Festival campaign takes aim at the major issues perpetuating extreme poverty, including the impacts of climate change on the Global South, the inequities affecting women and girls around the world, and the global hunger crisis, and will call on governments to protect and defend advocates everywhere. The campaign will unite millions of voices, amplified by the world’s biggest artists, to demand urgent action from world leaders gathering in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly in September.”

Hugh Evans, co-founder and CEO of Global Citizen expressed: “COP27, this year’s G7, the World Bank Spring Meetings and the Paris climate finance summit all failed to deliver tangible results, or disruption of the world’s unjust systems. But complacency can’t win. If we want to see breakthroughs on development and climate change, we need the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and all G7 nations to meet the urgency of the hour. Every single citizen has a vital role to play, and together, we must be laser-focused on driving results and impact in September.”

For more information about the 2023 Global Citizen Festival, visit www.globalcitizen.org, and follow @glblctzn on Instagram, Tik Tok, Twitter, and YouTube.

Editorial credit: Ben Houdijk / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Pop Daypop

Sam Smith announces “Man I Am’ off ‘Barbie’ movie soundtrack

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Sam Smith took to Instagram to share that they will be joining the star-studded Barbie movie soundtrack with their song, “Man I Am,” debuting on Friday, July 21, alongside the film and soundtrack.

Sam wrote, “I cannot begin to express how incredibly excited I am to be a part of the soundtrack to this already iconic film…I was invited by the incredible @iammarkronson and Greta Gerwig to write a song from the perspective of Ken for one of the scenes and we honestly had so much fun with this. I cannot wait for you to hear what we’ve created together. Man I Am is out 21st July Along with @barbiethemovie @barbiethealbum 🌸👛💖 BARBIE LAND HERE WE COME!!!!”

To pre-order/pre-add “Man I Am” from Sam Smith, head here.

Editorial credit: Chris Allan / Shutterstock.com

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News Daypop

President Biden reaffirms U.S. support for Ukraine at NATO summit

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On Wednesday, President Joe Biden said in a speech that the U.S. and NATO allies reaffirm commitment to Ukraine, promising that its Western partners would not back away from its defense as Russia’s war on Ukraine past its 500th day.

Following a two-day high-level meeting with leaders at the NATO summit, Biden described support for Kyiv’s fight for democracy as “the calling of our lifetime.” The U.S. has sent more than $41 billion to bolster Kyiv in the nearly 18 months since Russian troops invaded Ukrainian borders. Biden said in his address from Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius: “We did what we always do. The U.S. stepped up, NATO stepped up and our partners in the Indo-Pacific stepped up. We will not waver … the U.S. will continue to support Ukraine ‘for as long as it takes.’”

The allies welcomed the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who reiterated calls to join NATO and vowed its membership would make the world’s most powerful military alliance stronger. Ukraine has sought NATO membership since 2002. It is bordered by four NATO allies: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.

An announcement on the first day of the summit revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has agreed to support Sweden’s bid to join the NATO alliance. Sweden and Finland began the formal process of applying to NATO last May, which requires approval from all 30 members of the alliance. In April, Finland joined the alliance. Following this summit, Sweden is set to become the group’s 32nd member.

Editorial credit: Gints Ivuskans / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

Elon Musk forms new AI company dubbed ‘xAI’

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After months of teasing plans to build a rival to ChatGPT, Elon Musk announced he is starting a new artificial intelligence company. The billionaire confirmed the formation of a new company, ‘xAI’, in a tweet on Wednesday; without elaborating, the Twitter CEO and Tesla found said his new xAI firm will seek to “understand reality.” According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, the company was incorporated in Nevada in the spring, with sources cited indicating Musk’s desire to compete with Microsoft’s OpenAI.

xAI unveiled a website and a team of a dozen staffers; the new company will be led by Musk, according to the website, and “will work closely with X (Twitter), Tesla, and other companies to make progress towards our mission … ‘The goal of xAI is to understand the true nature of the universe.’”  The xAI Twitter account had just one post as of press time.

Back in March, Musk and other big tech leaders, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and politician Andrew Yang called for a temporary pause on artificial intelligence innovation because of “profound risks to society and humanity.”  They said “Advanced AI could represent a profound change in the history of life on Earth, and should be planned for and managed with commensurate care and resources.”

https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/elon-musk-unveils-new-ai-startup-team-top-101186737

Editorial credit: Adrian Tusar / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Sports Daypop

Ja Morant attorneys say he acted in self-defense in assault case

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On Wednesday, a Memphis judge ruled that Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant and his legal team can proceed with their argument that the two-time All-Star acted in self-defense when he punched a teenager during a pickup basketball game at his home in July 2022. Judge Carol Chumney issued a stay on the case and set a hearing for Oct. 12.

Per the Associated Press, Morant’s lawyers admitted that Morant punched then 17-year-old Joshua Holloway once in the chin after Holloway threw a basketball at Morant, but are arguing that Morant should not be liable under Tennessee’s “stand your ground” law. The law permits people to act with force in situations when they feel threatened at their homes. Holloway’s attorney, Rebecca Adelman, argued in court that the “stand your ground” argument came too late in the process and is not applicable to a civil case, describing the tactic as a “Hail Mary of Hail Marys.” Holloway, who has since turned 18; accused Morant and his friend, Davonte Pack, of assault, reckless endangerment, abuse or neglect, and infliction of emotional distress. Morant filed a countersuit against Holloway in April for damaging the NBA star’s reputation and potentially costing him millions in endorsement deals and his contract.

Editorial credit: Wawx / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Sports Daypop

Boston Celtics and Kristaps Porzingis agree to two-year, $60 million extension

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Kristaps Porzingis and the Boston Celtics have agreed to a two-year, $60 million extensions. Porzingis picked up his $36 million player option earlier this month for next season in order to facilitate his trade to the Celtics; the extension will keep him in Boston until 2026.

Porzingis was traded to the Celtics from the Washington Wizards in a three-team deal, which also sent Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies and Tyus Jones to the Washington Wizards, in addition to a number of draft picks. Porzingis played 65 games and averaged 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, while shooting 38.5% from 3-point land.

Celtics president Brad Stevens said: “I said this at the start of the summer: I thought that we needed to balance our roster and make sure that we looked at the best ways to do that. And that meant that we were going to likely lose a really, really, really good player … From our standpoint, we just looked at it as, What’s our best opportunity to continue to grow and improve as a team? Knowing that sometimes really, really hard decisions have to be made. Like I said, not only adding Kristaps with his skill, his size and the positional versatility, we just had many more numbers and options at the smaller positions than we did at the bigs, especially as we look forward too.”

Porziņgis said: “I don’t know if I’ll be ready. You know? Who knows? But, I’m gonna do everything I can to help this team. I just have a taste of it, right? I have a taste of it and I know what it’s like. And the first playoff series were really good, just didn’t have luck. And the second one was, it was a different style, a different kind. And each series is completely different, so I’m gonna have to be ready for any kind of scenario.”

Editorial credit: Gints Ivuskans / Shutterstock.com