Barry Diller made his name in the film industry as the chairman and CEO of two Hollywood studios, Paramount Pictures and what was then 20th Century Fox. Now, he is declaring the industry dead. “The movie business is over,” Diller said in an exclusive interview with NPR on the sidelines of the Allen & Company…
Cosby release infuriates survivors; lawyers hail win for Constitution
Reaction to Bill Cosby being freed from prison on Wednesday after Pennsylvania’s highest court overturned his sexual assault conviction ranged from outrage to cheers. Here are some of those voices: – “Today’s devastating decision to overturn the conviction of a man who caused so much harm, pain, and emotional trauma to so many women is…
The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax
ProPublica has obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, even nothing. In 2007, Jeff Bezos, then a multibillionaire and now the world’s richest man, did not pay a penny in federal income…
Sophomore Sucks; Eilish tough time on charts…
Billie Eilish’s Latest Single, “Lost Cause,” is an Actual Lost Cause, Image Change from Slacker to Femme Fatale May Be Cause Billie Eilish, the teen phenom with 7 Grammy Awards from 2020, and more still this past year, is having a tough time on the charts right now. On Thursday she dropped her latest single,…
HACKERS GO AFTER MEAT
JBS Moves to Reopen ‘Vast Majority’ of Plants After Cyberattack JBS SA, the largest meat producer globally, has made “significant progress” to resolve the cyberattack that impacted its global operations and will have the “vast majority” of its plants operational on Wednesday. “Our systems are coming back online and we are not sparing any resources…
AP ‘horrified’ by Israeli attack on its office
An Israeli airstrike destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza City that housed offices of The Associated Press and other media outlets on Saturday. All AP employees and freelancers evacuated the building safely. AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt has released the following statement: We are shocked and horrified that the Israeli military would target and destroy the…
Facebook upholds Trump ban but will reassess decision over coming months
KEY POINTS Facebook’s oversight board ruled to uphold the company’s decision to suspend former President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. But, the board said, the indefinite time frame of the suspension “was not appropriate.” The board effectively punted the decision on the length of the suspension back to Facebook, saying the platform “seeks to…
OSCARS FALL BELOW 10 MILLION VIEWERS SHOWBIZ GOES BUST
To the surprise of exactly no one, this year’s Oscars telecast won zero awards for viewership. ABC’s presentation of the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday night averaged 9.9 million total viewers and a 1.9 demo rating (per preliminary Nielsen numbers). That is, quite expectedly, down sharply — 58 and 64 percent — from last year’s numbers (23.6…
Chauvin jurors facing ‘through the roof’ stress as deliberations begin
As the 12 Minneapolis jurors in the Derek Chauvin murder trial prepare to hunker down and begin deliberations, the world awaits what will be a decision with a lasting impact on U.S. race relations, policing – and on the jurors themselves. “Any high-profile case with a lot of media attention is going to be a…
MIAMI BEACH DECLARES EMERGENCY
Pointing to over 1,000 arrests in one of the nation’s top party spots, Miami Beach officials warned Sunday that the unruly spring break crowd gathering by the thousands, fighting in the streets, destroying restaurant property and refusing to wear masks has become a serious threat to public safety. During a last-minute meeting Sunday, city officials…