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Warner Music is using AI to generate an Edith Piaf animated film
The Future. Created with the permission of the Piaf estate, Edith will be an animated film produced with AI. While there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical about this project, its success could create an avalanche of estates commissioning their own projects to keep past talent’s memory fresh for a new generation of potential […]
SAG-AFTRA fights AI monsters
The Future. With its contract negotiations with the AMPTP, SAG-AFTRA was on a mission to hunt synthetic beings that AI could create using a performer’s image and likeness. While the union wasn’t able to slay every AI-generated monster that could be imagined, it may have stopped the possibility of studios letting the assets of human […]
Stand-up comedy preps for packed interest
The Future. Although culture is increasingly fractured, stand-up comedy may be bringing us together… and becoming one of the most popular and mainstream entertainment formats around. With comics now having more ways to boost their profiles and make money, we may be entering a new influencer era when discovering up-and-coming comedic talent reigns supreme. Joke […]
Five Nights at Freddy’s scared away fears of day-and-date releases
The Future. Five Nights at Freddy’s is a major success story at the box office and on streaming, buoyed by the rabid fanbase of the game’s franchise. While the strategy won’t work (and hasn’t worked) for every movie, FNAF may prove to be the blueprint for how to eventize a movie with a simultaneous release… […]
SAG-AFTRA rolls credits on the actors strike
The Future. 118 days later… the actors strike is now officially over. That’s a major sigh of relief for Hollywood and the rest of California, which suffered a $6 billion blow to the economy from this year’s contract disputes. With many analysts already pointing to how the SAG-AFTRA and WGA contracts are two of the […]
Netflix’s own hits are few and far between
The Future. While the WGA fought hard to codify a success-based streaming residual payment, new data shows most Netflix Original titles probably don’t come close to that threshold. In other words, a minority of programs drive the majority of viewership. But it’s possible that could specifically be an Originals phenomenon and licensed titles could drive […]
Bobbi Althoff attracts A-list laughs… but for how long?
The Future. Bobbi Althoff, the deadpan interviewer whose The Really Good Podcast went viral over the summer, has provoked some passionate opinions from entertainment professionals, veteran journalists, and the Black community (most of her interviewers are with Black rappers). But for all the serious takes, Althoff’s comedic routine may be nothing more than that for […]
Taylor Tomlinson takes the After Midnight desk
The Future. Taylor Tomlinson, fresh off two hit Netflix comedy specials and in the midst of a popular tour, is getting a late-night talk show on CBS. Although late-night has been dropping in ratings for years now (losing ground to clip-happy platforms like YouTube and TikTok), Tomlinson’s unique perspective and popular online persona may give […]
Shudder keeps scaring because of bespoke curation
The Future. AMC Networks’ horror-focused streaming service, Shudder, has cracked the code on programming a platform for niche audiences because of how much of a human touch it has in its programming. By focusing on a more “boutique” approach (according to programming VP Sam Zimmerman), Shudder may provide a blueprint for how to craft a […]