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• 40 Years of Munich Filmfest: A Gift to the Audience - TVIMagazine
•It's that time again: this evening, June 23, the 40th edition of FILMFEST MÜNCHEN held its opening gala in Munich. Some 1,500 guests from the arts, the film industry, and local government attended the ceremony at the Gasteig HP8 venue for concerts and cultural events.
•••• More than 20 members of the cast and crew of the opening film "The Persian Version" attended the opening gala at FILMFEST MÜNCHEN. Among them were director Maryam Keshavarz and lead actresses Layla Mohammadi and Niousha Noor.
•••• They presented a culture-clash comedy and cross-generational portrait that uses humor to dissolve boundaries and provide a positive outlook during moments of bitter reality. The film is a story about Leila and her Iranian parents, who immigrated to the United States in the 1960s. As she tries to figure out her identity, Leila is torn not only between her two parents as a child of divorce, but also between two opposing cultures. It is a balancing act that she learns to master. As an added touch, the film team put on its own playlist after the screening, bringing the exuberant mood of the film to Munich.
•••• The approximately 1,500 invited guests who celebrated the opening of the 40th FILMFEST MÜNCHEN together included such prominent figures from the arts scene as Rufus Beck, Veronica Ferres, Iris Berben and Dr. Maria Furtwängler, as well as many other film directors, actors, actresses, and producers from Germany and abroad, along with the distinguished members of the festival juries, including Doris Dörrie, Friedrich Mücke, and Sophie Linnenbaum, and prominent political figures, including Bavaria's minister of digital affairs, Judith Gerlach, and Munich's vice-mayor, Katrin Habenschaden.
•••• Diana Iljine took the opportunity at the opening of the 40th FILMFEST MÜNCHEN to thank her team: "We as a team are here to provide a platform for creative people. And we do that with so much affection and so meticulously. That's magnificent. I wish to thank everyone who has been working tirelessly behind the scenes for months to prepare this festival, this anniversary. Now let's celebrate it together!"
•••• Minister of Digital Affairs Judith Gerlach highlighted the exceptional standing that Munich and Bavaria have in the film industry: "Over the forty years of its existence, FILMFEST MÜNCHEN has developed into Germany's largest summertime movie festival. And that's not by chance. Munich is home to outstanding production companies and studios. Digital film specialists work here on Hollywood blockbusters. Munich is a capital of filmmaking. And FILMFEST MÜNCHEN is the glittering showcase of this marvelous German and Bavarian film industry."
•••• Vice-Mayor Katrin Habenschaden was particularly enthusiastic about the films from the African continent as well as the stimulating program of supporting events: "Despite having turned 40, FILMFEST MÜNCHEN has remained young and audacious. The program reflects this; it is particularly wide-ranging this year and includes a focus on Africa, one of the most fascinating regions for cinema. The associated panel discussions and places for meeting up are valuable assets to the Filmfest. This is where the arts reveal what they can do best, namely bring different people together to create a community. With this anniversary film festival, Diana Iljine is delivering an impressive farewell performance that will hopefully resonate well."
•••• Festival director Diana Iljine also thanked all the partners and award sponsors for their unwavering commitment to FILMFEST MÜNCHEN.
•••• For this year's anniversary edition, the Filmfest has dug into the archives and will be screening, free of charge, some of the highlights from the four decades of its existence, from well-known classics to best-kept secrets. Munich audiences loved the Oscar-nominated film "Beyond Silence" by Caroline Link when it was screened in 1996. The film tells the story of a young woman named Lara, the daughter of deaf parents, who searches for and finds her own way through life. "Born in Flames" by Lizzie Borden, "Beautiful Dead Girls" by Dalibor Matani? and Jakob Lass's "Love Steaks" are also waiting to be discovered. "Young Soul Rebels" by British director and video artist Sir Isaac Julien, who came to Munich in May as part of a collaboration with Museum Brandhorst, will be screened as well.
• Click Direct- Munich Filmfest
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• Time is ticking as the SAG-AFTRA contract is to expire June 30.
SAG-AFTRA leaders describe negotiation talks as productive
•••• Members of the Directors Guild of America voted to ratify their contract, which provides increases in residuals and minimums as well as gains on working hours, family leave and creative rights.
•••• The SAG-AFTRA contract is set to expire next Friday June 30, and there has been some talk that the negotiations might be extended if the sides are unable to reach agreement on all points by then.
•••• Union president Fran Drescher and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland are optimistic saying they hope to be able to achieve a deal with the studios.
••••If they do, that would avert a "double strike," in which performers would join the Writers Guild of America on picket lines outside the major studios.
•••• SAG-AFTRA represents 160,000 performers. The union is seeking robust protections around the use of artificial intelligence (AI), as well as increases in residuals and regulations on self-taped auditions, among other issues.
••••The use of the word "strike" was avoided and made no mention was made of the strike authorization approved by 98% of the membership just before talks began on June 7.
••••The SAG-AFTRA strike authorization gives the leadership the power to call a strike beginning on July 1 if no contract has been reached.
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• 101- SAG-AFTRA And AMPTP Agree to Media Blackout for 2023 Contract Negotiations
LOS ANGELES (June 7, 2023) -- Today, SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP began formal negotiations for a new contract, and with the agreement that neither organization will comment to the media about the negotiations during the process. 
•••• SAG-AFTRA's current contract with the AMPTP expires on June 30, 2023. 

Writers' strike: What's at stake and how it could disrupt Hollywood
LOS ANGELES (June 6, 2023) - Like writers, actors have argued that their compensation has been undercut by inflation and the shift to streaming, which pays less in residuals (fees for re-aired shows) than traditional broadcast models.
•••• Other contentious issues include artificial intelligence and the lack of regulations surrounding how actors' voices and images are used.
•••• Additionally, the union wants to bolster contributions to SAG-AFTRA's health and pension plans and curb the practice of self-taped auditions, a trend that accelerated during the pandemic.
•••• Studios and casting directors increasingly have required actors to submit video of themselves auditioning for roles, forcing them to take on audition costs that have typically been the responsibility of productions, the union has said.
•••• The last time actors went on strike was in 2000 in a dispute over their commercials contract.
•••• A previous actors' strike against the major film and TV studios was in 1980.
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• SAG-AFTRA Members Approve Strike Authorization with 97.91% Yes Vote
Results Set the Stage for TV/Theatrical Contracts Negotiations - TVIMagazine
LOS ANGELES (June 5, 2023) -- In a powerful show of solidarity, SAG-AFTRA members have voted 97.91% in favor of a strike authorization ahead of negotiations of the TV/Theatrical Contracts, with nearly 65,000 members casting ballots for a voting percentage of 47.69% of eligible voters.
•••• The strike authorization does not mean the union is calling a strike. SAG-AFTRA begins negotiations on June 7 with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The affirmative vote on the authorization empowers the union's National Board to initiate a strike if the AMPTP won't reach a fair deal with the union. The current SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Contracts expire at midnight on June 30, 2023.
•••• "The strike authorization votes have been tabulated and the membership joined their elected leadership and negotiating committee in favor of strength and solidarity. I'm proud of all of you who voted as well as those who were vocally supportive, even if unable to vote. Everyone played a part in this achievement," said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. "Together we lock elbows and in unity we build a new contract that honors our contributions in this remarkable industry, reflects the new digital and streaming business model and brings ALL our concerns for protections and benefits into the now! Bravo SAG-AFTRA, we are in it to win it."
•••• "I could not be more pleased with this response from the membership. This overwhelming yes vote is a clear statement that it's time for an evolution in this contract. As we enter what may be one of the most consequential negotiations in the union's history, inflation, dwindling residuals due to streaming, and generative AI all threaten actors' ability to earn a livelihood if our contracts are not adapted to reflect the new realities. This strike authorization means we enter our negotiations from a position of strength, so that we can deliver the deal our members want and deserve," said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.
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• 101-SAG-AFTRA National Board Unanimously Agrees to Send Strike Authorization Vote to Members 
LOS ANGELES (May 17, 2023) -- In anticipation of the union's forthcoming TV/Theatrical Contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which begin June 7, the SAG-AFTRA National Board agreed unanimously to recommend that its members vote to authorize a strike. An affirmative vote does not mean a strike would necessarily happen, but it would allow the National Board to call one if deemed necessary during the negotiations process. The action comes following a unanimous agreement by the TV/Theatrical negotiating committee that the strike authorization would give the union maximum bargaining leverage as it enters this round of negotiations with the AMPTP. SAG-AFTRA represents more than 160,000 entertainment and media professionals.
•••• "For the first time in a very long time, our member leadership stands in solidarity at the negotiating committee and the National Board levels on moving forward with a strike authorization. We must get all our ducks in a row should the need present itself, said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. "The prospect of a strike is not a first option, but a last resort. As my dad always says, 'Better to have and not need than to need and not have!' Therefore, I implore eligible members to follow the leads of both the negotiating committee and the National Board with an unprecedented show of solidarity and make three a charm with an emphatic 'yes' for a strike authorization vote!"
•••• SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland explained, "Strike authorization sends an important message during the negotiations process. A 'yes' vote gives the National Board the power to call a strike if the AMPTP does not negotiate fairly in our upcoming bargaining. This will be a seminal negotiation that will determine the future of what it means to be a working performer. We must be ready to fight to secure a meaningful deal for our members." 
•••• Earning a living as a professional performer has become increasingly difficult, with both inflation and the streaming ecosystem undercutting compensation -- all the while, corporate profits and executive pay at studios continue to rise. Add to this the unregulated use of artificial intelligence and the burdens of the industrywide shift to self-tape, the outlook for working actors becomes unsustainable without transformative change. 
•••• A successful strike authorization vote doesn't initiate a strike. Instead, the strike authorization permits the National Board to declare a strike if the studios and streaming companies fail to negotiate fairly with SAG-AFTRA for the benefit of its members.
•••• Postcards will be sent to eligible members on Thursday, May 18 with instructions on how to vote, and voting will close at 5 p.m. PT on Monday, June 5. 
•••• The current SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Agreement expires at midnight on June 30, 2023.
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WGA Writers Strike
Photo by Gary Sunkin (Television Int'l Magazine)

• 115- Cruise down the Danube river at NATPE Budapest June 10 - 22
•••• Central and Eastern Europe's most established market featuring the US studios.
With nearly 400 regional buyers in attendance, NATPE Budapest is the go-to content marketplace for distributors, streamers and acquisition executives.
•••• TV2 Media Group CEO Pavel Stantchev will take to the main stage at NATPE Budapest in June to give the keynote presentation.
•••• NATPE Budapest will once again feature a nighttime cruise, down the Danube River, reviving a popular tradition that used to be a networking mainstay of the market.
•••• Delegations from the Organization of Ukrainian Producers (OUP), Spain's ICEX and the Independent Film and Television Alliance (IFTA) in the US will be attending this year's most prominent global TV market focused on the CEE and EMEA regions, taking place from June 19 to 22.
•••• Created in March 2022 in response to the Russian army's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, OUP's mission is to create documentary and fiction projects about Russian military aggression in Ukraine, supporting movie professionals in hard times and bringing personal stories of living through this conflict to the world.
•••• The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) supports, protects and advances the global independent film and television industry. Its membership includes more than 140 companies from 23 countries.
•••• The event will continue its longstanding tradition of presenting screenings hosted by some of the global TV industry's biggest players. US studios including A+E Networks International, Paramount Global Distribution and Sony Pictures Television are already on board to showcase their newest programming.
•••• NATPE Budapest will also be home to a growing contingent of exhibitors with content to sell and new projects to finance. More than 60 are already signed up to do business on its market floor and meeting suites, including its newest exhibitors StudioCanal, Warner Bros. International Television Distribution and Warner Bros. International Television Production, joining other industry heavyweights such as Entertainment One, FOX Entertainment, Fremantle, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal Global Distribution, Paramount Global Distribution and Sony Pictures Television. 
• Click Direct to NATPE Budapest, June 10 to 22
• Click for more tviStory-115- The NATPE Budapest market place 2023
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• 106- LA county officials open the regional connector Transit prospect

Gary Sunkin (TVInews) and Stepanie Wiggins (CEO, Metropolitan Transportation Authority)
Ms Wiggins told TVI that she has been waiting for this opening for many years.

LOS ANGELES - June 16, 2023 - When Metro's Rgional Connector opens today it will makes it easier to ride across LA County as passengers will be able to travel from Azusa to Long Beach, East LA to Santa Monica and through downtown LA all on one train. With the opening there will no longer be an L (Gold) Line in the Metro system.
••• Hundreds of commters, office workers and Metro employees gathered at the Little TokyoArts District station for the noon opening.
•••• With the opening of Metro's Regional Connector, The transportation agency is offering free rides all weekend to celebrate. The project, which has taken roughly $1.8 billion and nearly a decade to complete, is expected to shave off a chunk of commuting time for Metro riders and provide them with a seamless one-seat ride.
•••• In 2008, the Metro Board of Directors included initial funding for the Regional Connector in the Measure R sales tax ballot measure, which was approved by L.A. County voters. The project was also funded by approximately $1 billion in federal grants and loans, as well as bonds from the state's high-speed rail project.
•••• The project includes three new underground stations and extends from the L Line (Gold) in Little Tokyo and Arts District communities to the A (Blue) and E (Expo) Lines at 7th Street/Metro Center Station. The project will combine the A, E and L Lines into two rail lines -- the new A and E Lines.
•••• Metro officials, state leaders and others gathered to celebrate the grand opening at a ceremony at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo.
•••• As part of the transit agency's celebration, Metro will offer free rides on all trains, buses, Metro Bike and Metro Micro through the weekend. Commuters will be able to take advantage until 3 a.m. Monday.
• Click direct Metro Project Connector
• Click for For more on rail service changes and opening day events
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• 115-The Palm Springs International Film Festival takes place June 20 - 25
••• The Palm Springs International Film Festival is one of the largest film festivals in North America, welcoming over thousands of attendees each year for its lineup of new and celebrated international features and documentaries.
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The Festival is also known for its annual Film Awards Gala, honoring the best achievements of the filmic year by a celebrated list of talents.
•••• Produced by the Palm Springs International Film Society, the Festival offers events and film screenings featuring films from 60+ countries.

• Click direct to psfilmfestival.org
• Click for more PS Film Festival 2023
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• 115-Tribeca Gala screenings
•••• The festival opened Wednesday evening with the North American premiere of "Kiss the Future," a documentary produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck about how artists and musicians formed an underground community of resistance during the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s, and the 1997 U2 concert celebrating the liberation of the Bosnian capital.
•••• "We are grateful to the people of Sarajevo and to U2 for giving us the opportunity to help tell this special story," Damon said in a statement. "Though this event happened almost 30 years ago, we feel it has strong relevance to today's world, serving as a powerful reminder that human creativity can provide a powerful antidote to even the most horrific of situations."
•••• In a separate statement after the selection was announced, U2's Bono said, "We know U2's marquee is helpful in getting the lives of these local heroes to a wider audience, but even at my most puffed up I couldn't have imagined our tiny role being given so much care, attention and screen time by [director] Nenad Cicin-Sain. If defiance is the essence of romance, then the people of Sarajevo are the most romantic figures. Viva Sarajevo!"
•••• The festival will also feature world premiere gala screenings of documentaries about Carlos Santana (Carlos), Cyndi Lauper (Let the Canary Sing) and French Montana (For Khadija, executive produced by Drake and Diddy), with performances by each artist after the screening of their respective documentary. And Megan Thee Stallion will participate in a live conversation.
•••• The closing night marks the 30th anniversary of Robert De Niro's directorial debut with a screening of a restored version of "A Bronx Tale," starring De Niro and Chazz Palminteri, adapted from Palminteri's one-man play (June 17). The screening is followed by a conversation with De Niro, Palminteri, producer Jane Rosenthal, and The New Yorker's David Remnick.
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• 115- Diane von Furstenberg to keynote Tribeca Film Festival
•••• This year's program, taking place Wed June 7 - Sunday June 18, will include a keynote from Diane von Furstenberg, Founder and Co-Chairwoman of DVF, in conversation with comedian Seth Meyers about the origins of her namesake company, her predictions for the fashion industry, and her advice for a younger generation of women entrepreneurs. In another keynote conversation, leaders at two iconic American companies, General Electric Global Chief Marketing Officer Linda Boff and General Motors Senior Vice President of Strategy and Innovation Alan Wexler will discuss how both experimentation and data-driven insights impact their brand narratives, what role corporate social responsibility plays in business, and how they leverage the power of storytelling to inform consumers during their companies' moments of historic transformation.

During a career of nearly five decades, Diane von Furstenberg has exhibited an expert level of staying power through savviness and adaptation. From building a fashion brand from scratch to pivoting to QVC and relaunching her company to engaging a new generation of women in the digital age, her personal brand and businesses have flourished, achieving global popularity and recognition. Her philanthropic work has empowered women all over the world and her charitable donations have reshaped New York City's landscape for the better.
•••• In a conversation with Seth Meyers, von Furstenberg will speak on the origins of her namesake company, her predictions for the fashion industry, and her advice for a younger generation of women entrepreneurs.
•••• Diane von Furstenberg is a fashion designer, philanthropist, author, and Founder and Co-Chairwoman. In 1974, she created the iconic wrap dress, which became a symbol of power and independence for women and grew into a global brand. Diane has received a vast array of accolades; Lifetime Achievement Away from the CFDA, named one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People, inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, Chevalier de la Légion D'Honneur from France and Commandeur de l'Ordre de la Couronne from her native Belgium. Most recently, she received the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership Award for her remarkable leadership and dedication to women. She currently serves on the boards of Vital Voices, and the CFDA.

Seth Meyers is an Emmy Award-winning writer, New York Times bestselling author and host of NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers." Meyers began his TV career with "Saturday Night Live" in 2001, where he was a cast member for 13 seasons. He served as head writer for nine seasons and "Weekend Update" anchor for eight. In 2019, he released his debut standup special, "Lobby Baby," on Netflix. Meyers executive produces Peacock's "The Amber Ruffin Show," IFC's "Documentary Now!," and in total has garnered 27 Emmy nominations. His children's book, "I'm Not Scared, You're Scared," was released in March 2022.

•••• Tribeca Festival also announced the official selections for the 2023 Tribeca X Award, which celebrates the best-in-class projects of the year in five categories: Feature Film, Short Film, Series, Immersive, and Audio. Brands represented include A&W, Adobe, Amazon, Atlassian, Bulgari, Common Citizen, Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace, Gjenge Makers, Google, Indeed, John Deere, Kawai, MIT Solve, Motown Records UK - Chivas, Panasonic, Room to Read, Sony AI, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Square, Tracksmith and PUMA, U.S. Bank, Novo Nordisk and Verizon. Selected projects will be available to screen on Tribecafilm.com starting June 7.
•••• The Festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center. The annual Tribeca Festival will celebrate its 22nd year from June 7&endash;18, 2023 in New York City.
•••• In 2019, James Murdoch's Lupa Systems bought a majority stake in Tribeca Enterprises, bringing together Rosenthal, De Niro, and Murdoch to grow the enterprise.
•••• The 2023 Tribeca Festival is presented by OKX and with the support of our partners: AT&T, Audible, Black Women on Boards, CHANEL, City National Bank, Diageo, Easterseals Disability Services, Expensify, Indeed, NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, National CineMedia, Novartis, ServiceNow, Spring Studios New York, The Wall Street Journal, Tubi, and Variety.
• Click Direct- to Tribeca Festival
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• 115- Pasadena Playhouse will receive the 2023 Regional Theatre Tony Award

•••• The Pasadena Playhouse, the State Theatre of California, is only the second Los Angeles institution to earn the honor
•••• The prize, which includes a $25,000 grant, will be presented at the 76th Tony Awards on June 11 in New York.
•••• Since the Writers Guild of America agreed to not picket the event, thus allowing the televised broadcast to proceed in a revised form.
•••• The Mark Taper Forum, was the first L.A. theater to receive the Regional Theatre Tony in 1977. Additional Southern California recipients are the Old Globe in 1984, South Coast Repertory in 1988 and La Jolla Playhouse in 1993.
•••• The Pasadena Play House doesn't lack the experiences of various crisis. In 2010 it was close to shutting down when most of the staff was laid off and the rreminder of the season cancelle while filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Rescued by the generous donors, the theater was back when producing artistic director Danny Feldman was appointed to succeed long-term artistic director Sheldon Epps in 2016.
•••• Founded in 1917 by Gilmor Brown, a resourceful theater enthusiast, Pasadena Playhouse began as a community theater. Early success inspired more than a thousand community members to buy the land at 39 S. El Molino Ave., on which a state-of-the-art theater was planned. In 1925, the attractive Spanish Colonial Revival building, now included in the National Register of Historic Places, opened its doors
•••• Under Brown's leadership, the theater drew attention through its programming ambition
•••• In 1928, Brown formally established a school of theater arts, which quickly built a national reputation as young Hollywood hopefuls flocked from across the country to break into the movie industry. Notable alumni from the school's extensive history include Eve Arden, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Sally Struthers, Jo Anne Worley, Robert Preston, Mako, Raymond Burr and Jamie Farr.
•••• After Brown died in 1960, the Playhouse began to stall. The Taper's emergence in 1967 created a new cultural center of gravity and the rise of university drama departments eroded the Playhouse's enrollment. The Pasadena Playhouse finally went dark in 1969. But resurrection would not be denied even if it took almost two decades.
•••• By 1986, the theater, which had been purchased by the city of Pasadena, was back in business. The main stage was humming again.
••••The last few years brought an unexpected challenge with a once-in-a-century pandemic closing the Playhouse for 20 months. The challenges remain formidable, but the theater seems finally on secure footing.
•••• However, this year saw one of the biggest initiatives in its history launched -- the Sondheim Celebration, a six-month-long festival in honor of the Broadway lyricist and composer who died in 2021.
•••• Survival of the Pasadena Play Playhas has been touch-and-go but now brought a welcome prize, The Tony Award.
• Click Direct to Pasadena Playhouse
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• 115-The Cincinnati Music Festival back to the Cincinnati Riverfront
••By Mark Anderson (Television Int'l Magazine)

••• 2023 represents The Festival's 59th year of bringing top R&B talent to Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Music Festival will take place July 20 - 22.
••• Originally called the Ohio Valley Jazz Festival when it was first held in 1962, the Cincinnati Music Festival has grown and evolved into a spectacular three-day event on Cincinnati's riverfront. Starting out as an all-jazz concert, over the years it has grown into a three-day festival featuring great music from the hottest stars in R&B, jazz, soul, and hip-hop, as well as up and coming artists. Past performers include Aretha Franklin, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, Gerald Levert, Patti Labelle, New Edition, Earth Wind and Fire, Lakeside, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Janet Jackson and many others
••• By the year 2000, the festival was the largest of its kind in the United States, drawing more than 50,000 people annually from all across the country. The festival has been held at various sites through its nearly 60 year history, including French Lick Indiana, the Carthage Fairgrounds, and the Hamilton County Fairgrounds before landing at its current home in Paycor Stadium on Cincinnati's river
front.
••• Accompanied by a street festival dubbed Festival 513, the Cincinnati Music Festival has an estimated annual economic output of $107 million, according to the Greater Cincinnati Center for Economic Education at the University of Cincinnati. 2015 marked the first of many years in partnership with Cincinnati based global company P&G.
 •••• The Cincinnati Music Festival Presented by P&G is co-promoted by The Santangelo Group and Ohio Valley Entertainment. 2023 represents The Festival's 59th year of bringing top R&B talent to Cincinnati.  

• About The Santangelo Group:
The Santangelo Group, led by Owner Joe Santangelo, has promoted or co-promoted the Cincinnati Music Festival at Paul Brown Stadium since 2005.  Prior to that, they promoted the Festival as the Coors Light Music Festival, the Kool Jazz Festival and the Ohio Valley Music Festival stretching back to 1962.  In addition to the Cincinnati Festival in Cincinnati, The Santangelo Group promotes the Hampton Jazz Festival in Hampton, VA.

• About Ohio Valley Entertainment (OVE):
OVE is an entertainment company created to co-promote the Macy's Festival in 2006. In addition to its involvement in the Cincinnati Festival, OVE has promoted other events at Paul Brown Stadium including the 2012 Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw "Brothers of the Sun" tour.
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• Upcoming Industry Trade Shows

Neighborhood Activations: May 24-27, 2023
Public Tours & Expo: May 26-29, 2023

• 101- LA Fleet Week at Port of Los Angeles is South California's largest Memorial Day Event - By Gary Sunkin (Television International Magazine)
LA Fleet Week® is an annual, multi-day celebration of our nation's Sea Services held on the LA Waterfront at the Port of Los Angeles over the extended Memorial Day Weekend. Events include:
• Active duty ship tours
• Military displays and equipment demonstrations
Live entertainment
• Neighborhood Activations including San Pedro, Hollywood, Downtown L.A., Venice, Brea,
• and Wilmington
• Downtown San Pedro and Wilmington Welcome Parties
• Aircraft flyovers
• Galley Wars presented by FOX Entertainment  -culinary cook-off competition between Navy,
•Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Army teams
• Competitions including Dodgeball presented by FOX Studios
• Military band performances across L.A.

Lots of fun for the entire family. And best of all, the weekend event is FREE to the general public!

LA Fleet Week is not only a fun public event, but also facilitates numerous symposiums, exercises, and outreaches focused on community resiliency, disaster preparedness, and support for area residents.Learn more by clicking here.

G. Sunkin (TVI ) with LAPD bomb robot

THE SHIPS

USCGC Terrell Horne
•••• Based in San Pedro, California, fast response cutter Terrell Horne is the third of four planned FRCs to be stationed in the Port of Los Angeles.
•••• Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne III, the cutter's namesake, served as executive petty officer of Coast Guard Cutter Halibut. He was mortally injured while conducting maritime law enforcement operations near Santa Cruz Island, California, on Dec. 2, 2012. 
•••• FRCs are replacing the 1980s-era Island-class 110-foot patrol boats and are designed for multiple missions, including drug and migrant interdictions; ports, waterways and coastal security; fishery patrols; search and rescue; and national defense. They can reach a maximum speed of more than 28 knots and have an endurance of at least five days.
NOTE: USCGC Terrell Horne will be located in the Downtown Harbor just south of the main LA Fleet Week EXPO footprint, between the fire station and the LA Maritime Museum.

USS Cincinnati 

The USS Cincinnati (LCS-20)
Class and Type: Independence-class littoral combat ship (LCS)
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•••• It was designed to provide the Navy with modern, sea-based platforms that are networked, survivable, and built to operate with 21st century transformational platforms.
•••• The ship is equipped with Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) protection from air threats, features improved nuclear blast and fragmentation protection and a shock-hardened structure. The fiber-optic shipboard-wide area network (SWAN) allows "plug in and fight" configuration, updating and replacing hardware more easily when newer technology becomes available.

Length: 418 ft
Beam: 104 ft
Draft: 14 ft
Displacement: 2784 tons (full)
Speed: 40+ knots

USS PRINCETON

The USS PRINCETON (CG-59)
Class and Type: Ticonderoga-class cruiser (CG)

USS Princeton (CG 59) is the 13th Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser and the sixth U.S. Navy ship to bear the name of Princeton. The ship has completed three deployments to the Arabian Gulf and won two consecutive Battle Efficiency Awards in 1992-1993. Princeton was the first Ticonderoga-class cruiser to carry the upgraded AN/SPY-1B radar system.
Length: 567 ft. 

Beam: 55 ft.
Draft: 34 ft.
Displacement: 9,800 tons (full load)
Speed: 32.5 kts.
Crew: 24 Officers 340 Enlisted
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Memorial Day

What we now refer to as Memorial Day began as Decoration Day just after the Civil War in 1868. It was established as a day to remember the war dead by decorating their graves with flowers. The North and The South originally observed Decoration Day on different days until the mid-20th century when the last Monday of the month was chosen to honor all Americans who died while serving in the military.

• Fellow Americans, It's Gary Sinise here

You may know me from my roles in movies like Apollo 13 and The Green Mile or the CBS television series CSI NY -- but it was in 1994 and playing the role of Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump, that my life changed and inspired my enduring connection to our defenders, veterans, and first responders.

This year, I'm honored to again serve as an Honorary Grand Marshal for the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C.

The National Memorial Day Parade is an event like no other … and this year, the American Veterans Center is bringing it BACK in full force, with 5,000+ participants marching down Constitution Avenue before a crowd of 250,000+ in-person, as well as T.V. broadcast that reaches 100 million households around the country. 

Fellow American, the National Memorial Day Parade is PRIMARILY FUNDED by private contributions, including from generous Americans like you. Will you help chip in today to help support the Parade with a gift of $25, $50, $75, $150, or more?

Support the National Memorial Day Parade

When the American Veterans Center first called me 18 years ago and invited me to the National Memorial Day Parade, I was honored to join the event to remember our fallen heroes.

The American Veterans Center revived the Parade in 2005 after it had been dormant for nearly 70 years. And this year, they're bringing the Parade back better than ever.

Every American should be proud that generations of our brave servicemen and servicewomen, from the last of our "Greatest Generation" heroes of World War II to our veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq, will get the public thanks for their service that they deserve this year.

But I know that the defenders and families of the fallen who will join me in the National Memorial Day Parade will be thinking of their friends and loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country -- the brave Americans we honor on Memorial Day.

Sadly, our country is losing hundreds of World War II veterans each day, so the mission of the National Memorial Day Parade is more important now than ever -- as this year's event may be the LAST opportunity for our WWII heroes to commemorate their friends who never came home.

Please make your most generous contribution of $25, $50, $75, $150, $250, $500, to support the National Memorial Day Parade and make it the tribute that our nation's heroes deserve.

Support the National Memorial Day Parade

The National Memorial Day Parade costs a fraction of other major public events to put on each year. In fact, the entire parade costs about as much as just THREE balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade or TWO floats in the Rose Bowl Parade! 

That means that every dollar that's contributed by a generous American like you makes a difference for this important event.

Your support of the American Veterans Center not only helps the Parade, but also supports great programs like:

• Recording hundreds of oral histories of veterans from World War II to today before we lose these stories forever.

• Holding our National Youth Summit which allows young students a chance to hear firsthand from veterans from WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. 

• Producing veteran-focused T.V. documentaries and specials that remind Americans of the price of our freedom.

Please join me in support of the National Memorial Day Parade with a gift of $25, $50, $75, $150, $250, $500, or more right now.

But no matter how much you can give to this important cause, I want to ask something additional of you.

On Memorial Day -- this year and every year -- please join me in honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.

Come to the National Memorial Day Parade in D.C. Visit a local veterans' cemetery. Send a note to a family of the fallen. Or simply take a quiet moment to think about the men and women who gave their lives to defend OUR country.

I believe while we can never do enough to express our gratitude to our defenders, veterans, and first responders, we can always do a little more.

Fellow American, thank you for your support of America's heroes, and please -- if you're able, make a gift to help fund the National Memorial Day Parade right now.

Sincerely,

Gary Sinise
Honorary Grand Marshal
National Memorial Day Parade

 Support the National Memorial Day Parade

The mission of the American Veterans Center and the World War II Veterans Committee is to preserve and promote the legacy and experiences of America's veterans and active duty service personnel from World War II through today.

A non-profit educational organization, the AVC and WWIIVC are funded solely through generous contributions from people like you. All contributions are tax-deductible.

 © American Veterans Center
1100 N. Glebe Road Suite 910, Arlington, VA 22201

Memorial Day Concert

WASHINGTON, DC -- PBS will broadcast the National Memorial Day Concert live from Washington, D.C. on Sunday, May 28, 2023 at 8:00 p.m. ET on the West Lawn of the US Capitol. This will be the 34th year the annual all-star event honors the men and women who served in the U.S. armed forces, as well as their families and those who sacrificed their lives for their country.

Emmy Award-winner Gary Sinis and Tony Award-winner Joe Mantegna, who have dedicated themselves to supporting the troops and veterans' causes, will be hosting once again. The concert will also feature special appearances and performances with the National Symphony Orchestra.
• Click for 34th Memorial Day Concert
• Click for 2023 Performers
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• 115- Michael Douglas to receive Honorary Palme d'or at the 76th Festival de Cannes
" It is always a breath of fresh air to be at Cannes, which has long provided a wonderful platform for bold creators, artistic audacities and excellence in storytelling. From my first time here in 1979 for "The China Syndrome" to my most recent premiere for "Behind the Candelabra" in 2013, the Festival has always reminded me that magic of cinema is not just in what we see onscreen but in its ability to impact people all around the world. After more than 50 years in the business, it's an honor to return to the Croisette to open the Festival and embrace our shared global language of film." Michael Douglas
••• 32nd Festival de Cannes, time to walk up those red carpet Steps. Michael Douglas arrived for the first time on the Croisette. He was with actors Jane Fonda and Jack Lemmon, as well as director James Bridges for the presentation of "The China Syndrome." Thirteen years later, in 1992, the sulphurous "Basic Instinct," by Paul Verhoeven was presented in Competition. Shaking up the thriller genre, the film was the talk of the Croisette: it propelled Sharon Stone to the rank of international icon and confirmed the power of Michael Douglas' talent. In 1993, Joel Schumacher's Falling Down was presented in Competition, for the American actor's third participation at the Festival.

•••• Michael Douglas will receive the Palme d'or d'honneur at the 76th Festival de Cannes, in recognition of his brilliant career as well as his engagement for cinema. The Festival de Cannes will pay a tribute to him during the Opening Ceremony broadcasted live on France 2 and internationally on ••• Brut. Tuesday, May 16.
•••• He reappeared on the Steps only 20 years later, with "Behind the Candelabra" by Steven Soderbergh. Transformed, moving and at the apex of his art, Michael Douglas played the famous singer and pianist Liberace. But his history with the Festival de Cannes began long before all this, through his father, Kirk Douglas, a lover of France and its cinema. The latter had marked the history of the Festival by presiding over the Jury in 1980. With the strength of his conviction and his character, he awarded the Palme d'Or to Akira Kurosawa and to Bob Fosse for "Kagemusha and All That Jazz."
•••• Michael Douglas has inherited his father's love for motion pictures, the kind of love that gives faith in the power of a film and spurs the desire to defend it body and soul. "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" by Milo Forman is proof of this; it is his first production in collaboration with Saul Zaentz and it gave him 9 Oscar nominations and the film was awarded Best Picture in 1975.
•••• Michael Douglas has worked as an actor with the greatest in the industry, such as Robert Zemeckis in "Romancing the Stone" (1984), Ridley Scott in "Black Rain" (1989) or Barry Levinson in "Disclosure" (1994). With Oliver Stone, he won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1987 for his portrayal of Gordon Gekko, a greedy New York broker in "Wall Street." The sequel, "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" was screened Out of Competition at the 63rd Festival de Cannes.
•••• In addition to his valuable contribution to cinema, Michael Douglas advocates multiple causes. In his capacity as a United Nations Messenger of Peace, he has been committed to nuclear disarmament across the world since 1998 and he has also been a longstanding advocate of gun control in the United States.
•••• To complete the tribute to Michael Douglas, a previously unreleased documentary by Amine Mestari, produced by Folamour with the support of Ciné+ and soon to be broadcast on Arte, will be shown on the Festival site for two days, from Sunday May 14 at 6pm to Tuesday May 16 at 6pm.
•••• This special documentary MICHAEL DOUGLAS, THE PRODIGAL SON shows how Michael, an actor and producer like his father Kirk, had to embrace their resemblance throughout his remarkable career in order to assert his difference. The time to learn how to become Michael when your name is Douglas.
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• Upcoming Industry Trade Shows

• 115-The Cincinnati Music Festival back to the Cincinnati Riverfront
••By Mark Anderson (Television Int'l Magazine)
••• 2023 represents The Festival's 59th year of bringing top R&B talent to Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Music Festival will take place July 20 - 22.
••• Originally called the Ohio Valley Jazz Festival when it was first held in 1962, the Cincinnati Music Festival has grown and evolved into a spectacular three-day event on Cincinnati's riverfront. Starting out as an all-jazz concert, over the years it has grown into a three-day festival featuring great music from the hottest stars in R&B, jazz, soul, and hip-hop, as well as up and coming artists. Past performers include Aretha Franklin, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, Gerald Levert, Patti Labelle, New Edition, Earth Wind and Fire, Lakeside, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Janet Jackson and many others
••• By the year 2000, the festival was the largest of its kind in the United States, drawing more than 50,000 people annually from all across the country. The festival has been held at various sites through its nearly 60 year history, including French Lick Indiana, the Carthage Fairgrounds, and the Hamilton County Fairgrounds before landing at its current home in Paycor Stadium on Cincinnati's river
front.
••• Accompanied by a street festival dubbed Festival 513, the Cincinnati Music Festival has an estimated annual economic output of $107 million, according to the Greater Cincinnati Center for Economic Education at the University of Cincinnati. 2015 marked the first of many years in partnership with Cincinnati based global company P&G.
 •••• The Cincinnati Music Festival Presented by P&G is co-promoted by The Santangelo Group and Ohio Valley Entertainment. 2023 represents The Festival's 59th year of bringing top R&B talent to Cincinnati.  

• About The Santangelo Group:
The Santangelo Group, led by Owner Joe Santangelo, has promoted or co-promoted the Cincinnati Music Festival at Paul Brown Stadium since 2005.  Prior to that, they promoted the Festival as the Coors Light Music Festival, the Kool Jazz Festival and the Ohio Valley Music Festival stretching back to 1962.  In addition to the Cincinnati Festival in Cincinnati, The Santangelo Group promotes the Hampton Jazz Festival in Hampton, VA.

• About Ohio Valley Entertainment (OVE):
OVE is an entertainment company created to co-promote the Macy's Festival in 2006. In addition to its involvement in the Cincinnati Festival, OVE has promoted other events at Paul Brown Stadium including the 2012 Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw "Brothers of the Sun" tour.
• Click for more Cincinnati Music Festival
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TVInews attends Electrify Expo

Gary Sunkin (TVInews) - Photo By: Cody Lopez

• 115- Electrify Expo is the one-stop shop to kick the tires on all things electric - By Gary Sunkin (Television Int'l Magazine)
•••• Electrify Expo will take place May 20-21, 2023 at the Long Beach Convention Center.
•••• It is North America's largest electric vehicle festival. Attendees at this year's Electrify Expo will ride, drive and demo the world's top electric cars and trucks alongside electric motorcycles, e-bikes, e-scooters, e-skateboards and more.
•••• In addition to automakers, Long Beach attendees will experience exciting e-bike, e-scooter, and other micromobility products from one to four wheels from top brands.
•••• Press Day for Electrify Industry Day happens on May 19. It's an event for networking with EV and micromobility professionals and discussing the latest trends, analysis, and insights during a full day of programming and brand engagement.
•••• Speakers and panelists include industry mega-minds from Ford, Walmart, Hyundai, MotorTrend, the EPA and more!
•••• Attendees at this year's Electrify Expo rode, drove and demostrated the world's top electric cars and trucks alongside electric motorcycles, e-bikes, e-scooters, and e-skateboards. Including:

• BMW: i7, iX xDrive50, iX M60, i4 eDrive 35, i4 eDrive 40, i4 M50
• Chrysler: Pacifica Hybrid
• Ford: Mach E, F150 Lightning
• Kia: EV9 and EV6
• Mitsubishi: Outlander PHEV
• Tesla: Models S, 3, X, Y
• Toyota: Rav4 Prime, Prius, Tundra Hybrid, bZrx, Mirai
• Volvo: All-electric XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge;
• Plug-in Hybrid XC60 Recharge and XC90
• RechargeVolkswagen: ID.4

Plus other micromobility products from one to four wheels from top brands including:
• Cake
• GIANT
• NIU
• Onewheel
• Ryvid Motorcycles
• Stacyc
And so many more!
• Click Direct for Electrify Expo.
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• 115- Cruise down the Danube river at NATPE Budapest June 10 - 22
•••• Central and Eastern Europe's most established market featuring the US studios.
With nearly 400 regional buyers in attendance, NATPE Budapest is the go-to content marketplace for distributors, streamers and acquisition executives.
•••• TV2 Media Group CEO Pavel Stantchev will take to the main stage at NATPE Budapest in June to give the keynote presentation.
•••• NATPE Budapest will once again feature a nighttime cruise, down the Danube River, reviving a popular tradition that used to be a networking mainstay of the market.
•••• Delegations from the Organization of Ukrainian Producers (OUP), Spain's ICEX and the Independent Film and Television Alliance (IFTA) in the US will be attending this year's most prominent global TV market focused on the CEE and EMEA regions, taking place from June 19 to 22.
•••• Created in March 2022 in response to the Russian army's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, OUP's mission is to create documentary and fiction projects about Russian military aggression in Ukraine, supporting movie professionals in hard times and bringing personal stories of living through this conflict to the world.
•••• The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) supports, protects and advances the global independent film and television industry. Its membership includes more than 140 companies from 23 countries.
•••• The event will continue its longstanding tradition of presenting screenings hosted by some of the global TV industry's biggest players. US studios including A+E Networks International, Paramount Global Distribution and Sony Pictures Television are already on board to showcase their newest programming.
•••• NATPE Budapest will also be home to a growing contingent of exhibitors with content to sell and new projects to finance. More than 60 are already signed up to do business on its market floor and meeting suites, including its newest exhibitors StudioCanal, Warner Bros. International Television Distribution and Warner Bros. International Television Production, joining other industry heavyweights such as Entertainment One, FOX Entertainment, Fremantle, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal Global Distribution, Paramount Global Distribution and Sony Pictures Television. 
• Click Direct to NATPE Budapest, June 10 to 22
• Click for more tviStory-115- The NATPE Budapest market place 2023
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• 101-SAG-AFTRA National Board Unanimously Agrees to Send Strike Authorization Vote to Members 
LOS ANGELES (May 17, 2023) -- In anticipation of the union's forthcoming TV/Theatrical Contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which begin June 7, the SAG-AFTRA National Board agreed unanimously to recommend that its members vote to authorize a strike. An affirmative vote does not mean a strike would necessarily happen, but it would allow the National Board to call one if deemed necessary during the negotiations process. The action comes following a unanimous agreement by the TV/Theatrical negotiating committee that the strike authorization would give the union maximum bargaining leverage as it enters this round of negotiations with the AMPTP. SAG-AFTRA represents more than 160,000 entertainment and media professionals.
•••• "For the first time in a very long time, our member leadership stands in solidarity at the negotiating committee and the National Board levels on moving forward with a strike authorization. We must get all our ducks in a row should the need present itself, said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. "The prospect of a strike is not a first option, but a last resort. As my dad always says, 'Better to have and not need than to need and not have!' Therefore, I implore eligible members to follow the leads of both the negotiating committee and the National Board with an unprecedented show of solidarity and make three a charm with an emphatic 'yes' for a strike authorization vote!"
•••• SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland explained, "Strike authorization sends an important message during the negotiations process. A 'yes' vote gives the National Board the power to call a strike if the AMPTP does not negotiate fairly in our upcoming bargaining. This will be a seminal negotiation that will determine the future of what it means to be a working performer. We must be ready to fight to secure a meaningful deal for our members." 
•••• Earning a living as a professional performer has become increasingly difficult, with both inflation and the streaming ecosystem undercutting compensation -- all the while, corporate profits and executive pay at studios continue to rise. Add to this the unregulated use of artificial intelligence and the burdens of the industrywide shift to self-tape, the outlook for working actors becomes unsustainable without transformative change. 
•••• A successful strike authorization vote doesn't initiate a strike. Instead, the strike authorization permits the National Board to declare a strike if the studios and streaming companies fail to negotiate fairly with SAG-AFTRA for the benefit of its members.
•••• Postcards will be sent to eligible members on Thursday, May 18 with instructions on how to vote, and voting will close at 5 p.m. PT on Monday, June 5. 
•••• The current SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Agreement expires at midnight on June 30, 2023.
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Day Eight of WGA Writers Strike
Photo by Gary Sunkin (Television Int'l Magazine)

• WGA negotiations fail - Writers Guild strike begins
•••• The board of directors of the East and West Coast division of the WGA voted unanimously to call a strike effective 12.01 a.m. Tuesday, May 2.
•••• Thousands of members were to walk picket lines after the union was unable to reach a last-minute agreement with the major studios on a new three-year contract to replace the one expiring Monday night.
•••• The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said it offered "generous increases in compensation for writers as well as improvements in streaming residuals."
••• Writers are seeking a larger slice of the pie as steaming has dramatically transformed the television business. They voted by a historic margin of 98% to 2% in favor to grant strike authorization sought by their leaders if the couldn't reach a deal on a new film and TV contract on behalf of 11,500 members.
••• The walkout which could last for weeks or even months, is expected to put a halt to much of TV and film prodction nationwide.
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 Day Eight of WGA Writers Strike in front of KTLA
Photo by Gary Sunkin (Television Int'l Magazine)

LAS VEGAS -- April 18, 2023 -- The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) announced today preliminary registered attendance of 65,013 for the 2023 NAB Show, the centennial celebration of the world's premiere convention for the broadcasting media, entertainment and technology industries.
•••• "We are thrilled to have so many exhibitors, attendees and partners from around the world join us in Las Vegas to help celebrate 100 years of innovation. More than any other year, everyone is filled with so much enthusiasm and energy as they engage on the show floor, in special sessions and throughout the entire event," said Curtis LeGeyt, NAB President and CEO. "We thank the NAB Show community for helping us reflect on our collective experience with media and entertainment and for previewing the many innovations we'll see within the next hundred years."

• 60 MINUTES TO RECEIVE INSIGHT AWARD FROM LIBRARY OF AMERICAN BROADCASTING FOUNDATION AT 2023 NAB SHOW

Washington, D.C. -- Venerated television news magazine "60 Minutes" will receive the second annual Insight Award from the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF) during the Welcome Session at the 2023 NAB Show on April 17 in Las Vegas, Nev. The award recognizes the iconic program's 55-year history of excellence in broadcast journalism.
•••• Reflective of LABF's purpose, the Insight Award recognizes an individual or organization for an outstanding artistic or journalistic work or body of work that enhances the public's understanding of the role, operation, history or impact of media in our society. Actor, director and educator LeVar Burton was the inaugural recipient of the award during the 2022 NAB Show.
•••• Created in 1968 by Don Hewitt and first hosted by Mike Wallace and Harry Reasoner, "60 Minutes" employs a magazine format of hard-hitting investigative reports, newsmaker interviews, feature segments and in-depth profiles. Over the years, the program has elevated a pantheon of broadcast journalists into household names, including Morley Safer, Lesley Stahl, Ed Bradley, Diane Sawyer, Steve Kroft, Christiane Amanpour, Scott Pelley, Bill Whitaker and Anderson Cooper.
•••• "60 Minutes" is the recipient of more Emmy Awards than any other primetime program and was honored with a special Lifetime Achievement Emmy. The program has also been awarded almost every broadcast journalism honor, including 25 Peabody awards for excellence in television broadcasting.
•••• Considered the most successful broadcast in television history, the program has finished among Nielsen's annual top-10 highest-rated programs for a record 23 consecutive seasons. During the 2021-2022 season, "60 Minutes" finished as the week's top-rated primetime broadcast seven times. Currently in its 55th season, "60 Minutes" airs on Sunday nights on CBS and is available for streaming on CBSNews.com and Paramount+.
•••• Bill Owens, executive producer of "60 Minutes," will accept the award at NAB Show on behalf of the program. Owens was named executive producer in February 2019 after previously serving as executive director and a senior producer of the program for 12 years. During his 35-year career at CBS News, he has worked in a number of producer roles including as senior broadcast producer for "CBS Evening News" and as the CBS News senior White House producer. He has received many awards including numerous Emmy Awards, an Edward R. Murrow Overall Excellence Award and an Investigative Reporters and Editors Award, to name a few. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Towson University, his alma mater, in May 2012.
•••• "'60 Minutes' has set the standard for broadcast journalism during its historic run, enriching the lives of generations of Americans with its coverage of the events, people and stories that shape our lives," said LABF Co-chairs Jack Goodman, former NAB general counsel and longtime DC-based Communications attorney and Heidi Raphael, Beasley Media Group Chief Communications Officer. "The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation is thrilled to honor '60 Minutes' with the Insight Award in recognition of its seminal place in television history, trailblazing legacy of prestigious journalism and outstanding contributions to our society."

• About the LABF
The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation serves the philanthropic arm of the Library of American Broadcasting, the nation's most extensive collection of broadcast history, policy and tradition, including historical documents, professional papers, oral and video histories, books, scripts and photographs preserved at the University of Maryland. In addition, the LABF presents the Annual Giants of Broadcasting Event, which pays tribute to trailblazers in the radio and television industry.
For more information, please visit www.tvradiolibrary.org.

• About NAB
The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America's broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age.
• More at nab.org
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• 40th Anniversary of Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi"
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - April 20, 2023 -- The El Capitan Theatre is celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" with an opening night fan event and a Trilogy Day.
•••• The Opening Night Fan Event will start at 8:00pm on Friday, April 28. Tickets are $40 and include one assorted Funko Pop, Popcorn, Beverage, Credentail and Lanyard.
••• The trilogy screenings will take on Saturday April 29, with "Star Wars: A New Hope" beginning at 12pm, "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" beginning at 3:30pm, and "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" beginning 7:00pm. Each screening sold separately.
•••• Daily showtimes for "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" April 28, and April 30 &endash; May 2 are 10:00am, 1:20pm, 4:40pm and 8:00pm. Dates and showtimes are subject to change.
•••• The El Capitan Theatre has taken enhanced health and safety measures for its guests and cast members. All guests must follow posted instructions while visiting. For health and safety information including theatre policies and procedures visit https://elcapitantheatre.com/safetyinformation/

• About Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi": 2023 marks the 40th anniversary of one of the most beloved chapters in the Star Wars saga, Return of the Jedi. Released in 1983, it was the third film in the original Star Wars trilogy, bringing to a close &endash; at least for a time &endash; the storylines introduced and developed in 1977's Star Wars: A New Hope and 1980's The Empire Strikes Back. Return of the Jedi is the film that first featured Jabba the Hutt, the lovable Ewoks, and one of the most poignant moments in the entire Star Wars saga -- Vader's ultimate sacrifice to save his son... and the galaxy. Rated PG.

• About The El Capitan Theatre: The El Capitan Theatre is an exclusive first-run movie theatre equipped with state-of-the-art technology, operated by The Walt Disney Studios. Known as Disney's Home on Hollywood Boulevard, the theatre also hosts live stage shows, world premieres, special events and screenings of classic Disney films. In 2014, the City of Los Angeles declared the theatre a Historical Monument after it's restoration showcasing the original lavish architecture.
•••• Tickets are on sale now at www.elcapitantickets.com and https://www.fandango.com/el-capitan-theatre-aacon/theater-page. All seats are reserved. Tickets are $16 for guests of all ages.
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• 102- BuzzFeed News shutting down as company cuts staff
- (Television Int'l Magazine)
NEW YORK - April 20, 2023 -- BuzzFeed News, which won a Pulitzer Prize for its reporting in 2021, is shutting down, due to economic challenges facing digital media companies attempting to deliver serious journalism.
•••• A memo from BuzzFeed chief Jonah Peretti announced the closure Thursday in a staff memo, which also said the New York-based company is cutting 15% of its staff.
•••• "While layoffs are occurring across nearly every division, we've determined that the company can no longer continue to fund BuzzFeed News as a standalone organization," Peretti said.
•••• BuzzFeed News, which once had as many as 250 employees, has undergone significant staff reductions in recent years, shrinking to a team of about 50.
•••• It used to be worth $1.6 billion; no it's down to $100 million.
•••• BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 and its news division launched in 2012. It was among the early successful online-only media sites, continuing a model established by Huffington Post, which BuzzFeed would later acquire.
•••• BuzzFeed, similard to other online news sites, has been hit by a deceleration in the advertising business amid greater economic challenges. With drops in advertising revenue, such companies have found themselves unable to support big staffs. Mass layoffs seem to have become so normal.
•••• Online news sites have also suffered because major social media companies, including Facebook, changed their algorithms, giving less focus to news publishers. Facebook's thinking is that its users would prefer to consume articles shared by friends. In addition, Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter has made that site less hospitable to news publishers.
••• NPR and PBS stopped using Twitte after receiving ''government funded' media label.
•••• Late last week, Twitter labeled the radio broadcaster as a "state-affiliated media" organization akin to foreign propaganda outlets such as Russia's RT and Sputnik. The move was quickly rebuked by NPR, which is publicly funded by listeners. NPR CEO John Lansing called the label "unacceptable." Twitter over the weekend updated the label to "government-funded media."
•••• BuzzFeed News earned a Pulitzer Prize in 2021 for an investigative series exposing China's mass detention of Muslims.
•••• The outlet also won two prestigious George Polk Awards, including for reporting how Facebook facilitated, then failed to control, disinformation spreading through its users' accounts, leading to violence.
•••• The division was also known for publishing an infamous dossier containing unflattering information about former President Trump in 2017.
•••• BuzzFeed's content was aimed at a younger demographic of digital natives who embraced the company's stories designed to get traction on social media.
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• 115- MIPTV 2023 marks 60th Jubilee
••••CANNES, France -- Mip TV 2023 will mark the' 60th jubilee scheduled for April 17 to 19, at it usual location in the Palais des Festival. MIP TV is Cannes's longest-running annual television and content marketplace tradefair.
•••• The Spring International Content & Co-production is 4 Markets in One:
•••• Billed as 'the biggest week in unscripted television', MIPTV features genre focused strands for Documentary & Factual (MIPDOC), Formats (MIPFORMATS), Drama (MIPDRAMA) and Kids and Young Adults (Future of Kids TV). ••••
•••• In addition to the MIPDOC COPRODUCTION SUMMIT, the footprints for both MIPDOC and MIPFORMATS are significantly expanded for the 60th anniversary edition of MIPTV, including the inaugural MIPDOC International Buyer Screening Showcase for over 500 invited buyers on the eve of the market and an extended MIPFORMATS programme featuring further workshops, the FRAPA summit and a new Fresh TV Formats survey from The WIT.
•••• Once again running alongside MIPTV will be international festival CANNESERIES (14-19 April) whose Season 6 also introduces its first documentary selection.
•••• Among the hundreds of leading documentary and factual buyers confirmed to attend the market are representatives from A+E Networks, Aljazeera Media Network, Amazon Studios, American Public Television, ARTE, CBC/Radio-Canada, Channel 4, Foxtel, France Télévisions, Globo, The HISTORY Channel, ITV, National Geographic Television, Network Ten, NHK Enterprises, PBS International, RMC Découverte, RTE, Seven.One Entertainment Group, Sky, SBS, TF1, Warner Bros. Discovery.
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• 101- Writers Guild of America calls for strike authorization
•••• The leadership of the Writers Guild of America is asking its 11,500 members to authorize a strike should they fail to reach an agreement on a new contract with the studios. The guild's negotiators cited a lack of progress in contract talks that began last month.
•••• Members of the Writers Guild of America have voted overwhelmingly in favor of allowing union leadership to call a strike if talks with Hollywood studios fail. The strike-authorization vote passed with 97.85% of members in favor, WGA leaders announced Monday.
•••• Leaders of the Writers Guild of America secured a strong showing of support from members on Monday, moving the union closer to a possible work stoppage that would disrupt Hollywood production and ripple across Southern California's economy.
••• WGA members voted by a historic margin &emdash; 98% to 2% &emdash; (among 9,218 ballots cast) in favor of a strike authorization, which allows union leaders to call a walkout if they are unable to negotiate a new film and TV contract.
••• The vote, held April 11 to 17, adds pressure to already high-stakes negotiations between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the Writers Guild of America over pay and conditions.
••• The current three-year contract, covering about 11,500 members, expires May 1.
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• 101- SAG-AFTRA Acquires Commercial Office Property in North Hollywood, California - Site to Be Future Home to the Union's National Headquarters
LOS ANGELES, (APRIL 11, 2023) - SAG-AFTRA, the nation's largest entertainment industry union, recently closed a deal for the purchase of an existing commercial office building and nearby vacant lot in North Hollywood, California.
•••• The property features more than 118,000 square feet of commercial office space and is 100 percent leased with two anchor tenants -- Pilgrim Media Group and Screen Engine/ASI. In total, the purchase includes the building on 1.22 acres and a nearby 0.71-acre vacant lot that provides a significant development opportunity for future office space, event facilities or additional leasable square footage.
•••• SAG-AFTRA was represented by Arlene Sommer of Cushman & Wakefield in the $46.6 million acquisition from former owner Dr. David Lee of Jamison Properties.
•••• SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said, "As National President, I began to investigate ways to diversify our investment portfolio and was surprised to learn we were the only entertainment industry union to not own our own headquarters versus paying large rents. After multiple sessions with my ED Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and CFO Arianna Ozzanto, it was determined that SAG-AFTRA was now in a financially sound position to pursue this goal. National Secretary-Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair Joely Fisher next took the lead in pursuit of a worthwhile real estate investment. She has dreamed of this day for years and showed great determination to complete the legacy that her mother, former Secretary-Treasurer, Connie Stevens began decades ago. Many thanks to this collaborative effort for bringing our union into this new chapter of ownership!"
•••• "This is a historic milestone for our union and a testament to our strength and resilience. The new building will provide us more space, better facilities, and greater opportunities to serve our members and advance our mission. By owning instead of renting, we will save money in the long run, build equity, and have more flexibility and stability. It also reflects our commitment to innovation and sustainability. I particularly want to thank Arianna Ozzanto, our extraordinary Chief Financial Officer, along with our dedicated member leaders, especially President Drescher, Executive VP Ben Whitehair, and Secretary-Treasurer Joely Fisher, for their dedication to moving this important project to fruition. We look forward to moving into our new home in a few years and continuing to make SAG-AFTRA the best union in the world for the professionals who work in front of the camera or behind a microphone," said National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. 
•••• Located in the heart of the Los Angeles "Media Triangle," the site is in close proximity to major studios and production facilities, including Netflix, Universal, Nickelodeon and Warner Bros. The property is conveniently located near major transportation arteries, including the 101 and 170 freeways and the Metro Orange Line.
Members will be kept apprised of critical design, occupancy and development milestones as they unfold.
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Illusionist-Palm Springs, Ca.- Photo: Gary Sunkin/TVI Magazine

 • 101- Passionate hip hop dancers meet at USA Hip Hop Championship at Burbank Mariott, April 14 - 16 - By Gary Sunkin
•••• Coast to Coast dance crews from all across the United States will unite in Los Angeles for the biggest weekend in hip hop dance. The three-day event includes the USA Hip Hop Dance Championship, World Moves Dance Workshops, meeting and socializing with respected living legends and icons of hip hop dance, and shopping the latest apparel and merchandise in Hip Hop International's Marketplace.

JV Megacrew division Snow PACK- Regbueg,ID Somethin' Creative Dance- San Diego, Calif. The Voltz- North Hollywood, California Illusionist- Palm Springs, California EManon- Oxnard, California Trouble Makers- Pasadena, California Chapkidz- Fairdield, California	Mini crew division OC-Prime- San Diego, California N'Dash- Orange County, California Pias- Orange County, California Fuego Dance crew- San Diego, Calif. SBXS- Pasco, WA The ELx3KT- Gilbert, Arizona
Megacrew divisions Ruthless- Cinncinnati, Ohio Animazing- Palm Springs, 4 Rogue Makers- Pasadena, California S-B- Pasco, Ohio Elektroy- Gilbert, Arizona Chapkis Dance family- Fairfield, California

• Click for more
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• 115- The 4th Filmocracy Film Market is around the corner!
•••• On April 6 - 8, Filmhub the virtual market presents a rare opportunity to get face time with executives who can launch your film/script/project into the stratosphere. Unlike other film markets, you don't just buy a badge and wander the halls hoping someone will sweep you off your feet. At the Filmocracy Film Market you click on the executive you want to meet with, wait for your turn, and start building that relationship. Love it or hate it, Hollywood is built on these relationships and if you don't have them, your career is infinitely harder.
•••• Filmocracy is an innovative film and media festival, bringing together the best of traditional festival events, while integrating unique digital programs.  
•••• More than ever, there is need for systemic, sustainable changes in Hollywood to make the entertainment industry a more equitable and inclusive place. Movikarma is hosting the first-ever 'Rewriting Hollywood' Summit. Named after her award-winning podcast that spotlights underrepresented talent and social impact projects around the world, the Rewriting Hollywood Summit provides an interactive, virtual space that will feature panel discussions with award winning filmmakers and working industry professionals, social impact film screenings, a live pitch competition and discussions with 2023 Oscar Nominees. Check out more lineups for this festival.
• Click for more
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• 114- Ron Rice, Hawaiian Tropic founder in 2004 accompanied the Troy Cory Show on a concert tour through China. -
Rice died May 19, 2022 at the age of 81 in Daytona Beach, Florida
••• He grew up in the mountains of North Carolina, and fell in love with the beaches of Florida on a childhood visit. He made his home in Daytona Beach, where he worked as a high school chemistry teacher and part-time lifeguard.
••• It was at his part-time job that Rice was inspired by seeing people all over the beach using Coppertone suntan lotion. He became determined to create a unique competitor, using his chemistry knowledge to experiment with a suntan lotion formula, scented with coconut and fruit.
••• He famously mixed his first formula in a garbage can, bottling it at home in his garage with a $500 loan from his father to launch his business. He named it Hawaiian Tropic to evoke an exotic beach locale.
••• His experiment was a hit making him a multi-millionaire, with his Hawaiian Tropic suncare brand creating sales of $110 million per year.
••• Ricewith his Hawaiian Tropic brand became known for sponsoring beauty pageants and NASCAR racecars.
••• In 2004 he accompanied Troy Cory to a concert tour through China.
•••After selling Hawaiian Tropic to Playtex in 2007, Rice returned to the industry in recent years with the suncare brand Habana Brisa.
• Click for More tviStory-114- Rice died in 2022 at the age of 81 in Daytona Beach, Florida
• Click for more Ron Rice Hawaiian Tropic Pagen at and Troy Cory Show China Tour
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• 102- These Countries spend the most time online
•••• Undoubtedly, we spend a significant portion of our day online. But just how much?
•••• According to data presented by the Atlas VPN team, the average time spent browsing the internet in 2022 was 397 minutes (6 hours and 37 minutes) per day. It equates to an astonishing 2,415 hours yearly, or nearly 30% of our time.
•••• However, there is some good news as daily online time actually decreased by 4.8% or 20 minutes compared to 2021 as we gradually moved past the pandemic.
•••• These figures are derived from data provided by Meltwater, and We Are Social. The data looks at internet usage trends worldwide among internet users aged 16 to 64.  
•••• The time spent online varies significantly from country to country. South Africans are the most internet-addicted, with an average of 578 minutes (9 hours and 38 minutes) spent online each day, three hours more than the global average.
•••• Brazilians are just a little behind, with 572 minutes (9 hours and 32 minutes) devoted to internet usage daily. The Philippines ranked third with an average of 554 minutes (9 hours and 14 minutes) spent online per day, followed by Argentinians and Colombians, both with 541 minutes (9 hours and 1 minute) of daily internet usage.
•••• People in the United States also spend an above-average amount of time online, dedicating 419 minutes (6 hours and 59 minutes) daily to internet browsing &emdash; the same as people living in Singapore. Meanwhile, Canadians are slightly less generous with their time, spending an average of 395 minutes (6 hours and 35 minutes) online daily.
•••• In contrast, East Asian countries have one of the lowest average daily internet usage, with Chinese people spending 325 minutes (5 hours and 25 minutes) online, followed by South Korea at 321 minutes (5 hours and 21 minutes), and Japan with only 225 minutes (3 hours and 45 minutes) &emdash; the least out of all the countries in the study. The only exception is Taiwan, with an average daily internet usage time of 434 minutes (7 hours and 14 minutes).
•••• Most European countries also spend significantly less time online than the global average. Austrians devote 322 minutes (5 hours and 22 minutes) daily to internet usage, while Germans spend 312 minutes (5 hours and 12 minutes).
•••• People in Denmark dedicate the least amount of time to being online out of all European countries in the study, with an average of 298 minutes (4 hours and 58 minutes) spent on the internet each day.
• Click to read the full article:
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• 101- John Wick: Chapter 4 sets franchise record with 73.5 Million •
••• Lionsgate said Wick 4 is one of nine movie franchises to set a box office record on its fourth release in the past 40 years.
•••• The fourth installment in Lionsgate's successful John Wick movie franchise met expectations, with the Keanu Reeves-starrer generating an estimated record $73.5 million in North American weekend ticket sales through March 26, according to Lionsgate. John Wick: Chapter 4 added another $64 million in foreign revenue to top $137.5 million in worldwide ticket sales.
•••• The opening exceeded the $56.8 million debut of John Wick: Chapter 3 &endash; Parabellum in pre-pandemic 2019. That movie went on to realize more than $328 million in global revenue.
•••• Driven by word of mouth, an A CinemaScore, skillful marketing strategy, and a 95% Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score, John Wick Chapter 4 screened at 3,855 locations as well as 1,692 premium priced format screens, including Imax, Premium Large Format, and Motion Enhanced Seats (DBOX, 4DX, MX4D), according to Lionsgate. 
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• 101- Hear Jackie Gibson in "BROADWAY BOUND" at the Lineage Performing Arts Center, Pasadena - (Television Int'l Magazine) Photo: Gene Reed
JACKIE GIBSON -- "Whatever the mood calls for, she's there, smooth and velvety, hard and angry, sexy and inviting. So great to hear a singer who knows what she's singing about and is capable of making you feel it 100%," so says celebrated vocal coach Terri Baker Weiss of Los Angeles-based singer JACKIE GIBSON.
Having performed locally throughout including E Spot Lounge, Feinsteins, The M Bar, the Gardenia Supper Club, Catalina's, Myrtle Tree Café, The Pour House, Campus Jax, La Puglia. And most recently at the Agua Caliente Casino in Palm Springs, in the beautiful Cascade Room, Jackie is probably best known for her often performed "Songs at the Brill Building" cabaret show that celebrates the best loved classics of the late 50s/early 60s.
•••• She is collaborating with singer/songwriter Wayne Moore, on her children's story, with Wayne and Jackie writing the lyrics and music for the upcoming book. She also has been recording the works of singer/songwriter Stephen Michael Schwartz, and the works of both the multitalented producer/musician Stephan Oberhoff and Country Music Hall of Famer Sharon Vaughn.
••••Jackie has been researching her Latino roots, and has been preparing a show as well as writing a book about her mother, Dr. Helia Israel Benavides Olivera, MD, sharing her journey of being a Latina woman whose passion was medicine, and the struggles she faced to become a doctor in California.
•••• Jackie is also part of a Latina duo, "DOS DIVAS," with fellow singer Lorraina Marro. Together, they celebrate their Latin roots and family stories, growing up as Latinas in Los Angeles. She is a member of the Angela O'Neil and the Outrageous 8 little Big Band.
•••• Singing songs from the Great American Songbook… She also is a member of the non profit group Theatre Americana, performing throughout Los Angeles and surrounding cities. They have an upcoming Broadway show, "BROADWAY BOUND," performing at the Lineage Performing Arts Center on April 28 and 29 in Pasadena, CA.
•••• Jackie's other passion is as a creator/producer of specialized fundraising events that assist fellow L.A. jazz artists. in various life-altering states of need. She is a member of the CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL MONROVIA GUILD and loves to share her songs at various functions.
•••• She has been chosen to be featured on RADIO AIRPLAY'S TOP ARTIST OF THE WEEK and social media. Radioairplayblog.logspot.com - Radio Airplay's Top 10 Artists of The Week. Jackie's single "LOVE SAID MY HEART" is being featured on jango.coms' INDEPENDENT ARTIST'S TOP PICK. ••••
•••• Tickets for BROADWAY BOUND" at the Lineage Performing Arts Center, 920 Mountain St., Pasadena, CA. http://www.bloomagain.ticketleap.com/broadway-bound---bloom-again-fundraiser/ Friday, 4/28 @7:00 pm - Saturday, 4/29 @3:00 pm
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• Click for More Jackie Gibson songs
"DOS DIVAS" at Vitellos
"REMIND ME" - Feinstein's upstairs at Vitello's
"MY EYES ARE OPEN" - music video release
Acoustic duo - Jackie and Marcus Gerakos
"LOVE SAID MY HEART"
• Click for More tviStory-101- Hear Jackie Gibson in "BROADWAY BOUND" /// 

• 115- "Everything Everywhere All at Once" scored big wins
•••• The 95th Academy Awards were held March 12 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and televised live on ABC.

View full list of 95th OSCAR AWARDS winners

Best picture "All Quiet on the Western Front" "Avatar: The Way of Water" "The Banshees of Inisherin" "Elvis" "Everything Everywhere All at Once" - WINNER "The Fabelmans" "Tár" "Top Gun: Maverick" "Triangle of Sadness" "Women Talking" Actor in a leading role Austin Butler ("Elvis") Colin Farrell ("The Banshees of Inisherin") Brendan Fraser ("The Whale") - WINNER Paul Mescal ("Aftersun") Bill Nighy ("Living") Actress in a leading role Cate Blanchett ("Tár") Ana de Armas ("Blonde") Andrea Riseborough ("To Leslie") Michelle Williams ("The Fabelmans") Michelle Yeoh ("Everything Everywhere All at Once") - WINNER Actor in a supporting role Brendan Gleeson ("The Banshees of Inisherin") Brian Tyree Henry ("Causeway") Judd Hirsch ("The Fabelmans") Barry Keoghan ("The Banshees of Inisherin") Ke Huy Quan ("Everything Everywhere All at Once" - WINNER Actress in a supporting role Angela Bassett ("Black Panther: Wakanda Forever") Hong Chau ("The Whale") Kerry Condon ("The Banshees of Inisherin") Jamie Lee Curtis ("Everything Everywhere All at Once") - WINNER Stephanie Hsu ("Everything Everywhere All at Once") Animated feature film "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio"-WINNER "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On" "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" "The Sea Beast" "Turning Red" Life Action short film "An Irish Goodbye" Tom Berkeley, Ross White - WINNER "The Red Suitcase" Cyrus Neshvad The Pupils, Alfonso Cuarón, Alice Rohrwacher "Ivalu" Anders Walter, Rebecca Pruza "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse" - WINNER "The Flying Sailor" "Ice Merchants" "My Year of Dicks" "An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It" Live Action Short Film Cinematography James Friend, "All Quiet on the Western Front" - WINNER "Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths" "Elvis" "Empire of Light" "Tár" Costume design Mary Zophres, "Babylon" Ruth E. Carter, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" - WINNER Catherin Martin, "Elvis" Shirley Kurata, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" Jenny Beavan, "Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris" Directing Todd Field ("Tár") Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert ("Everything Everywhere All at Once") - WINNER Martin McDonagh ("The Banshees of Inisherin") Ruben Ostlund ("Triangle of Sadness") Steven Spielberg ("The Fabelmans") Docuentary feature "All That Breathes" "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed" "Fire of Love" "A House Made of Splinters" "Navalny" - WINNER Documentary short film "The Elephant Whisperers"-WINNER "Haulout" "How Do You Measure a Year?" "The Martha Mitchell Effect" "Stranger at the Gate"

Film editing Mikkel E.G. Nielsen, "The Banshees of Inisherin" Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond, "Elvis" Paul Rogers, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" - WINNER Monika Willi, "Tár" Eddie Hamilton, "Top Gun: Maverick"  International feature Germany, "All Quiet on the Western Front" - WINNER Argentina, "Argentina, 1985" Belgium, "Close" Poland, "EO" Ireland, "The Quiet Girl" Live-action short film "An Irish Goodbye" "Ivalu" "Le Pupille" "Night Ride" "The Red Suitcase"  Makeup and hairstyling "All Quiet on the Western Front" "The Batman" "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" "Elvis" "The Whale" - WINNER  Music (original song) "Applause" from "Tell It like a Woman" "Hold My Hand" from "Top Gun: Maverick" "Lift Me Up" from "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" "Naatu Naatu" from "RRR" - WINNER "This Is a Life" from "Everything Everywhere All at Once"  Music (original score) Volker Bertelmann, "All Quiet on the Western Front" - WINNER "Babylon" "The Banshees of Inisherin" "Everything Everywhere All at Once" "The Fabelmans"  Production design "All Quiet on the Western Front" - WINNER "Avatar: The Way of Water" "Babylon" "Elvis" "The Fabelmans"  Sound "All Quiet on the Western Front" - WINNER "Avatar: The Way of Water" "The Batman" "Elvis" "Top Gun: Maverick" - WINNER  Writing (Adapted screenplay) Edward Beger, Lesley Paterson & Ian Stokell, "All Quiet on the Western Front" Rian Johnson, "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" Kazuo Ishiguro, "Living" Screenplay by Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie; Story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks "Top Gun: Maverick" Sarah Polley, "Women Talking" - WINNER  Writing (Original screenplay) Martin McDonagh, "The Banshees of Inisherin" Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once" - WINNER Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner, "The Fabelmans" Todd Field, "Tár" Ruben Ostlund, "Triangle of Sadness"  Visual effects "All Quiet on the Western Front" "Avatar: The Way of Water"-WINNER "The Batman" "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" "Top Gun: Maverick" Here are the total nominations by film: "Everything Everywhere All at Once" - 11 "All Quiet on the Western Front" - 9 "The Banshees of Inisherin" - 9 "Elvis" - 8 "The Fabelmans" - 7 "Tár" - 6 "Top Gun: Maverick" - 6 "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" - 5 "Avatar: The Way of Water" - 4 "Babylon" - 3 "The Batman" - 3 "Triangle of Sadness" - 3 "The Whale" - 3 "Living" - 2 "Women Talking" - 2

• Click for More tviStory 115- 95th Academy Awards Nominations
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Winners: Kenyan 's Stacy Ndiwa (2:31:00) and Ethiopia's Jemal Yimer (2:13:13) were the winners of the 2023 Los Angeles Marathon.

• The 38th Los Angeles Marathon presented by ASIC - By Gary Sunkin
•••• Participants will start at Dodger Stadium at 6:55 a.m. then heading east and finish at Avenue of Stars. The 26.2 mile course will cover iconic locations like Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, Little Tokyo, Hollywood and more. The "Stadium to the Stars" Los Angeles Marathon 2023 will maintain its traditional course till Brentwood. From there, the runners will backtrack on San Vicente, Sepulveda, and Santa Monica Blvd before reaching the finishing line at Avenue of the Stars just below Santa Monica Boulecard, by the Westfield Century City. A finish festival is waiting in Century Park across.
•••• Runners will not only accomplish their personal goals but also support McCourt Foundation's mission to build a healthier world.
•••• The Los Angeles Marathon, inspired by the success of the 1984 Olympics, was first run in 1986. It is the most popular marathon in the western half of the United States and is also keen to boast that it is "one of the biggest parties anywhere."
•••• The Event has a maximum race day time of six hours and 30 minutes runners are expected to finish within the 6:30 hour space.

• Click for more - www.lamarathon.com - www.mccourtfoundation.org/
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• 115- Berlin Film Festival reveals addictions to politics
Climate activists glue themselves to Berlinale's red carpet
BERLIN, Feb 16 -- The 73rd Berlin International Film Festival is in full swing and kicked off with politics, one cinematic low and a memorable high.
•••• A man and a woman glued themselves to the red carpet at the opening of Berlin's film festival on Thursday, calling on the German government and society to take more action to fight climate change.
•••The two activists glued themselves to the carpet after the arrival of film stars at the Berlinale Palast for the festival's opening ceremony, featuring a video address by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the premier of "She Came To Me", directed by U.S. director Rebecca Miller.
•••• The Last Generation group, which was behind the protest, said the current government and society are the last ones left with a chance of preventing the course to a climate hell with billions of deaths.
•••• "Advertising for sustainability on a small scale, like the Berlinale does, is important, but it will not save us on its own. We need to turn things around now," Raphael Voellmy, one of the activists, said in a statement.
•••• "If we continue escaping from reality, we will tear the first climate tipping points and unleash a deadly avalanche from which there is no escape," Lisa Winkelmann, the other activist, said.
•••• The protest did not interrupt the festival's opening ceremony.

Let's start with the politics...The topic was discussed during the opening jury press conference.
•••• The festival has never been shy about its political leanings and how engaged it is with current events. This 73rd festival was all about that from the get-go. It's no surprise, as Russia's war on Ukraine continues to rage on and Iranian citizens continue to be imprisoned and executed by a regime determined to destroy human rights and freedom of speech.
•••• The Berlinale has already announced a series of special events planned, including panel discussions and red-carpet protests in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and Iran. Artistic director Carlo Chatrian said the Berlinale would be a celebration of the "catalysing and revolutionary notion of cinema which unites even when it divides."
•••• Very early on, jury president Kristen Stewart - at 32 the youngest president in the festival's history - made some interesting remarks on the fact that we are currently living "in the most reactive, emotionally whiplashed time" and how the job of an artist is "to take a disgusting and ugly thing and transmute it, put it through your body and pop out something more beautiful and more helpful."
•••• Iranian-French actress Golshifteh Farahani, a co-juror, spoke about the symbolism of being in Berlin, especially in the context of what is happening in Iran.
•••• "It's very symbolic to be in Berlin, a city that broke the wall towards equality, freedom and brought so many people together. This year with Ukraine, Iran and the earthquake, it feels like the whole world is disintegrating - especially now with Iran," said Farahani.
•••• "In a country that is a dictatorship like Iran, art is not only an intellectual, philosophical thing - it's essential, it's like oxygen. Your existence by being an artist is put into danger. That's why it's so amazing to be here this year. Art and culture is a fire - we can all gather together and warm ourselves up. I'm really happy to be here to fight for freedom, in Iran and in the world," said the actress. The applause was immediate.
••••Echoing her comments, Hong Kong director Johnnie To (A Hero Never Dies, Election) spoke about the role of cinema as a tool to counter oppressive regimes.
Come the opening ceremony later that evening, Stewart and Farahani doubled down at the Berlinale Palast theatre.
••••"There are a lot of oppressions against our physical selves. I'm a girl, but I'm probably the least marginal version of a woman I can be," said Stewart.
••••As for Farahani, said stated with regards to the Iranian regime that it "lies and executes."
••••"The prisons of Iran are full of innocent people," she said. "We need you to stand on the right side of history with the Iranian people. This regime will fall."
••••"The wall of dictatorship is a thick wall. The revolution in South Africa took 800 days, ours has been just five months. This wall is one of oppression, attacking human rights. We need all of you. We need Germany, France, Europe. We need you to stand on the right side and to acknowledge it. Call it a revolution," she said.
••••To cap things off, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as has become his habit during major cultural ceremonies, appeared via satellite to introduce Sean Penn to the stage.
••••Seann Penn is currently in Berlin for his documentary Superpower, which features Penn's travels to Kyiv, his meetings with Zelenskyy, and focuses on the resilience of the Ukrainian people.
••••"A logical question comes up: On which side should culture and art be?" asked Zelenskyy. "Can art be outside of politics? Should cinema be outside of politics?"

•••• Should sports be outside politics? asks this writer.

••••Zelenskyy thanked the Berlinale for electing to ban creatives with ties to Russia, before concluding that "culture and cinema can be outside of politics, but not when it's a policy of aggression, mass crimes, murder and terrorism."
••••He added that the festival was "the showcase of the free world."
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• 115- 'On the Adamant' wins top Berlinale Prize, the Golden Bear
•••• The most important awards at the Berlinale are the Golden Bear and the Silver Bears. They are presented by the International Jury to films in the Competition and belong to the most renowned awards in the international film industry.
••• After a celebratory start, the 2023 Berlinale was delighted to report a lively audience interest. Full cinemas, glamourous Red Carpets and numerous prominent guests marked the first part of the Berlinale. The latest highlight was the awarding of the Honorary Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement to US director Steven Spielberg. In front of a standing ovation of an audience of 1,600, he accepted the prestigious award after a laudatory speech given by U2 singer Bono at the Berlinale Palast. Already before entering the hall, there had been a standing ovation lasting several minutes.
•••• "If this honor means that my work has found a home in Germany, then tonight, I feel like I'm home too," Spielberg said (via Variety). "This honor has particular meaning for me because I'm a Jewish director. I'd like to believe that this is a small moment in a much larger, ongoing effort of healing the broken places of history &endash; what Jews call Tikkun Olam, the repairing and restoring of the world."

Berlinale 2023: Golden and Silver Bear winners

• Golden Bear: 'On the Adamant' ...

• Silver Bear, Grand Jury Prize: 'Afire' ...

• Silver Bear, Jury Prize: 'Bad Living' ...

• Silver Bear for best director: 'The Plough' ...

• Silver Bear for best leading performance: Sofia Otero. ...

• Silver Bear for best supporting performance: Thea Ehre.

• Silver Bear for Best Screenplay &endash; "Music," Angela Schanelec

• Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution -- Disco Boy," Hélène Louvart, cinematography

Encounters winners:

Best Film -- "Here," Bas Devos
Best Director -- "The Echo," Tatiana Huezo
Special Jury Award -- "Orlando, My Political Biography," Paul B. Preciado; "Samsara," Lois Patino

Documentary winners:

Best Documentary -- "The Echo," Tatiana Huezo
Documentary Special Mention -- "Orlando, My Political Biography," Paul B. Preciado
Best First Feature -- "The Klezmer Project," Leandro Koch, Paloma Schahmann
Berlinale Shorts winners:
Golden Bear -- "Les Chenilles," Michelle Keserwany, Noel Keserwany
Silver Bear -- "Dipped in Black," Matthew Thorne, Derik Lynch
Special Mention -- "It's a Date," Nadia Parfan

Berlinale 2023 Highlights:
•••• Nahom Abraham from Eritrea has won the top prize for best film, and $5,000, in the Berlinale's 2023 NEFTI award for his film Home, a drama about a couple longing to be reunited.
•••• Mihk Vergara and Miko Livelo from the Philippines took the NEFTI Audience Viewers Choice award, along with the $2,000 prize for You Are Gathered Here Today, a story about a man who returns home to the Philippines to bury his father and reunite with his best friends.
|•••• The third finalist was Zoulikha Tahar from Algeria for her film Leila's Night Of Joy, about a girl who, on her 25th birthday, finally stands up for herself and takes her life into her own hands.
•••• A panel of judges, including actress Vivica A. Fox, Oscar-winning producer Bruce Cohen (American Beauty) and Fox/Disney President, of feature post-production Ted Gagliano, picked the NEFTI winners together with last year's competition winner Minenhle Luthuli, selected the three finalists.
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• 102-YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki announces plan to stepp down
MOUNTAINVIEW, Feb. 16, 2023 -- CEO Susan Wojcicki said that she's stepping down. Neal Mohan, chief product officer, will take the lead as the senior vice president and new head of YouTube.
•••• "Today, after nearly 25 years here, I've decided to step back from my role as the head of YouTube and start a new chapter focused on my family, health, and personal projects I'm passionate about," she said in a blog post.
•••• Wojcicki, 54, joined YouTube as CEO in 2014.
•••• She will continue working with YouTube teams, coaching members and meeting with creators, she added.
•••• Wojcicki said she agreed with Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai to, in the longer term, take on an advisory role across Google and Alphabet. "This will allow me to call on my different experiences over the years to offer counsel and guidance across Google and the portfolio of Alphabet companies," she wrote.
•••• "The time is right for me, and I feel able to do this because we have an incredible leadership team in place at YouTube," she noted. "When I joined YouTube nine years ago, one of my first priorities was bringing in an incredible leadership team."
•••• Wojcicki has long-held ties to Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who she let work out of her Menlo Park, California, home upon founding Google. Page and Brin rented the garage space for $1,700 a month from her. At the time Wojcicki was working in the marketing department at Intel.
•••• In 2006, she advocated for the $1.65 billion acquisition of YouTube.
•••• Wojcicki joined Google in 1999 and oversaw the design and build of Google's advertising and analytics products for 14 years. In recent years, YouTube has expanded its physical footprint in areas like New York and near its headquarters in San Bruno, California.
•••• During her tenure, she oversaw the company's rapid expansion to become the largest video platform in the world. YouTube now has more than 2.5 billion monthly active users and more than 500 hours of content are uploaded to the platform every minute, the company has said.
•••• The rapid growth became a challenge for the company to contain. Google and YouTube had to pay $170 million in 2019 to settle a case where the video platform allegedly violated children's privacy laws. Wojcicki also came under fire during the 2020 elections and the Covid-19 pandemic as the platform struggled to contain misinformation and disinformation campaigns.
•••• Wojcicki's blog post said she spent nearly 15 years of her career working with Mohan, the new head of YouTube, "first when he came over to Google with the DoubleClick acquisition in 2007 and as his role grew to become SVP of Display and Video Ads."
•••• YouTube has faced pressure in recent years amid a rise in popularity of social media, namely TikTok, which it has been trying to compete with through its short-form video platform Shorts. YouTube booked $7.96 billion in advertising revenue during the fourth quarter, which fell short of analyst expectations and was down 8% from the year prior.
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• 101- The Chiefs prevailed in Super Bowl LVII
GLENDALE, Ariz -- Kansas City Chiefs scored 38-35 vs. Philadelphia Eagles to win Super Bowl LVII, and become NFL champs for second time in four years.
•••• Patrick Mahomes, The Kansas City quarterback, who hobbled into the halftime locker room wincing in pain, emerged a hero in the second half, hoisting the Chiefs out of a 10-point hole and leading them to a 38-35 victory over the mighty Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium.
•••• Rihanna made her long-awaited return to the stage -- on the biggest stage in all of pop music -- backed by an expansive cast of dancers with with her half-time performance at Super Sunday.
••• She opened the show on a suspended platform high above the field at State Farm Stadium with the throbbing rap track "Bitch Better Have My Money" before segueing into a series of her uptemp EDM cuts "Where Have You Been," "Only Girl (In the World)" and "We Found Love." ••••

•••• The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game is played on the second Sunday in February. Prior Super Bowls were played on Sundays in early to mid-January from 1967 to 1978, late January from 1979 to 2003, and the first Sunday of February from 2004 to 2021. Winning teams are awarded the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named for the coach of the Green Bay Packers who won the first two Super Bowls. Due to the NFL restricting use of its "Super Bowl" trademark, it is frequently referred to as the "big game" or other generic terms by non-sponsoring corporations. The day the game is played is often referred to as "Super Bowl Sunday" or simply "Super Sunday."
•••• The game was created as part of a 1966 merger agreement between the NFL and the competing American Football League (AFL) to have their best teams compete for a championship. It was originally called the AFL--NFL World Championship Game until the "Super Bowl" moniker was adopted in 1969's Super Bowl III. The first four Super Bowls from 1967 to 1970 were played before the merger, with the NFL and AFL each winning two. After the merger in 1970, the 10 AFL teams and three NFL teams formed the American Football Conference (AFC), while the remaining 13 NFL teams formed the National Football Conference (NFC). All games since 1971's Super Bowl V have been played between the winners of each conference's championship game.
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• 115- Academy Awards Nominations announced
Los Angeles, Jan. 24, 2023 - The nominations for the 2023 Academy Awards were announced early Tuesday morning by actors Riz Ahmed and Allison Williams, accompanied by the usual gasps, cheers, snubs and surprises. Crowd-pleasing "Everything Everywhere All at Once" led the pack with 11, followed by Netflix's German war movie "All Quiet on the Western Front" and the Irish dark comedy "The Banshees of Inisherin" with 9 and "Elvis" with 8.
•••• The finalists in all 23 categories were revealed in two parts via livestream on Oscar.com and Oscars.org, along with the Motion Picture Academy's social media accounts (Twitter, YouTube and Facebook).
•••• The 95th Academy Awards will be held March 12 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and televised live on ABC.

View full list of 95th OSCAR AWARDS nominees

Best picture "All Quiet on the Western Front" "Avatar: The Way of Water" "The Banshees of Inisherin" "Elvis" "Everything Everywhere All at Once" "The Fabelmans" "Tár" "Top Gun: Maverick" "Triangle of Sadness" "Women Talking"  Actor in a leading role Austin Butler ("Elvis") Colin Farrell ("The Banshees of Inisherin") Brendan Fraser ("The Whale") Paul Mescal ("Aftersun") Bill Nighy ("Living")  Actress in a leading role Cate Blanchett ("Tár") Ana de Armas ("Blonde") Andrea Riseborough ("To Leslie") Michelle Williams ("The Fabelmans") Michelle Yeoh ("Everything Everywhere All at Once")  Actor in a supporting role Brendan Gleeson ("The Banshees of Inisherin") Brian Tyree Henry ("Causeway") Judd Hirsch ("The Fabelmans") Barry Keoghan ("The Banshees of Inisherin") Ke Huy Quan ("Everything Everywhere All at Once"  Actress in a supporting role Angela Bassett ("Black Panther: Wakanda Forever") Hong Chau ("The Whale") Kerry Condon ("The Banshees of Inisherin") Jamie Lee Curtis ("Everything Everywhere All at Once") Stephanie Hsu ("Everything Everywhere All at Once")  Animated feature film "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio" "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On" "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" "The Sea Beast" "Turning Red"  Animated short film "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse" "The Flying Sailor" "Ice Merchants" "My Year of Dicks" "An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It"  Cinematography "All Quiet on the Western Front" "Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths" "Elvis" "Empire of Light" "Tár"  Costume design "Babylon" "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" "Elvis" "Everything Everywhere All at Once" "Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris"  Directing Todd Field ("Tár") Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert ("Everything Everywhere All at Once") Martin McDonagh ("The Banshees of Inisherin") Ruben Ostlund ("Triangle of Sadness") Steven Spielberg ("The Fabelmans")  Docuentary feature "All That Breathes" "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed" "Fire of Love" "A House Made of Splinters" "Navalny"  Documentary short film "The Elephant Whisperers" "Haulout" "How Do You Measure a Year?" "The Martha Mitchell Effect" "Stranger at the Gate"

Film editing  "The Banshees of Inisherin" "Elvis" "Everything Everywhere All at Once" "Tár" "Top Gun: Maverick"  International feature Germany, "All Quiet on the Western Front" Argentina, "Argentina, 1985" Belgium, "Close" Poland, "EO" Ireland, "The Quiet Girl" Live-action short film "An Irish Goodbye" "Ivalu" "Le Pupille" "Night Ride" "The Red Suitcase"  Makeup and hairstyling "All Quiet on the Western Front" "The Batman" "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" "Elvis" "The Whale"  Music (original song) "Applause" from "Tell It like a Woman" "Hold My Hand" from "Top Gun: Maverick" "Lift Me Up" from "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" "Naatu Naatu" from "RRR" "This Is a Life" from "Everything Everywhere All at Once"  Music (original score) "All Quiet on the Western Front" "Babylon" "The Banshees of Inisherin" "Everything Everywhere All at Once" "The Fabelmans"  Production design "All Quiet on the Western Front" "Avatar: The Way of Water" "Babylon" "Elvis" "The Fabelmans"  Sound "All Quiet on the Western Front" "Avatar: The Way of Water" "The Batman" "Elvis" "Top Gun: Maverick"  Writing (Adapted screenplay) "All Quiet on the Western Front" "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" "Living" "Top Gun: Maverick" "Women Talking"  Writing (Original screenplay) "The Banshees of Inisherin" Everything Everywhere All at Once" "The Fabelmans" "Tár" "Triangle of Sadness"  Visual effects "All Quiet on the Western Front" "Avatar: The Way of Water" "The Batman" "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" "Top Gun: Maverick"  Here are the total nominations by film: "Everything Everywhere All at Once" - 11 "All Quiet on the Western Front" - 9 "The Banshees of Inisherin" - 9 "Elvis" - 8 "The Fabelmans" - 7 "Tár" - 6 "Top Gun: Maverick" - 6 "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" - 5 "Avatar: The Way of Water" - 4 "Babylon" - 3 "The Batman" - 3 "Triangle of Sadness" - 3 "The Whale" - 3 "Living" - 2 "Women Talking" - 2

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• 101- Gustavo Dudamel Takes Baton To New York Philharmonic
LOS ANGELES, Feb 7 - Gustavo Dudamel, the longtime Music and Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is heading east: He's leaving L.A. to take the baton of the New York Philharmonic when his current contract ends in 2026, dealing a blow to the music world of Los Angeles
••• It's a big loss for LA fans that welcomed him to LA with a 10-minute standing ovation at his inaugural concert. Dudamel has become one of the most respected and sought after conductors in the world.
••• Known for his kinetic energy and bouncing curly hair, Dudamel has led the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 2009. He was hired by Deborah Borda, who is now the president of the New York Philharmonic.
••• New York Philharmonic officials made the announcement: Dudamel will become the Orchestra's next Music Director, beginning in the 2026-27 season, and will hold the title of Music and Artistic Director of the New York Philharmonic for a five-year term. Prior to that term, he'll serve as Music Director Designate during the 2025-26 season.
••• With Dudamel at the helm, the New York Times called the LA Phil "the most important orchestra in America - period."
••• Dudamel made his New York Philharmonic debut in November 2007, conducting works by Dvorák and Prokofiev as well as the Orchestra's first performances of Chávez's Sinfonia India (Symphony No. 2) since Leonard Bernstein led the piece in 1961.
••• In addition to his tenure in L.A., Dudamel has been Music Director of the Opéra National de Paris since 2021, and Music Director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela since 1999. Dudamel, 42, has conducted 26 concerts of the NY Phil and made his debut there at just 26 years of age.•••
••• Coming to Los Angeles at 27, Dudamel worked to bring new audiences to classical music at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, promote music from the Americas and engage with contemporary composers and musicians.
••• As the most famous product of Venezuela's acclaimed network of music schools known as El Sistema, he also started a youth orchestra known as YOLA in 2007, providing 1,500 young people with free instruments and instruction.
••• LA Phil's chief executive officer, Chad Smith, congratulated Dudamel and said he "has left indelible marks on classical music, the LA Phil and Los Angeles."
••• Smith said Dudamel programmed some of the most ambitious works ever staged, inspired the orchestra to reach new levels of artistry, expanded the limits of Walt Disney Concert Hall, and demonstrated the power of music to change people's lives through YOLA.
••• "I am grateful to the musicians and leadership of the New York Philharmonic as we embark upon this new and beautiful journey together," Dudamel said on Tuesday. "As the great poet Federico García Lorca said: 'Every step we take on earth brings us to a new world.'"
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• 115- Beyoncé breaks record for most Grammy wins ever
•••• The main ceremony was hosted by Trevor Noah in Los Angeles from Crypto.com Arena and broadcast on CBS while streaming on Paramount+ and Grammys.com.
•••• Beyoncé's career triumph came in the wake of her 2022 album "Renaissance." With her wins for R&B song, traditional R&B performance, dance/electronic recording and dance/electronic album, Beyoncé has broken the record for most lifetime Grammy wins and is now the most-awarded artist in Grammys history.
•••• Harry Styles took home album of the year, an honor most music critic thought Beyoncé should win, while Lizzo won record of the year, Bonnie Raitt won song of the year and Samara Joy was named best new artist.
••••With a leading nine nominations this year brought Beyoncé even with her husband, Jay-Z, for the most nods (88) of all time.
•••• Beyoncé entered the night with 28 Grammys, tied with producer and musician Quincy Jones and trailing only classical conductor Georg Solti, who won 31.
•••• The honor of winning best album of the year was thought by many music critics and fans Beyoncé should win. The formula for success in album of the year, which despite the fragmentation brought on by digital streaming is still the Grammys' equivalent of best picture, has always been a shifting mixture of commercial might, critical acclaim and cultural impact.
•••• This week, Beyoncé announced dates for her "Renaissance" stadium tour, which hits Inglewood's SoFi Stadium on Sept. 2-3.
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• 115- Indie Films at Crossroad
•••• When the Sundance Film Festival last came to Park City, it was before COVID-19 drastically affected millions of lives, yes. But also before the entertainment industry ecosystem of which the festival is a part was wildly upended.
•••• In general there is an indication of tough times for indie movies. The unpredictable COVID-19 situation is only part of the blame. Producers and studios are reckoning with long-term trends in audience behavior that were amplified by the pandemic. Moviegoers over 35 -- the prime demographic for festival selections -- are the most reluctant group to return to theaters, especially older women, according to industry data.
•••• In addition to halting the in-person version of the annual Utah conclave in 2021 and 2022, after all, the pandemic caused theatrical filmgoing to cease altogether for a time. And audiences for the arthouse movies that are the festival's lifeblood have been slow to return to cinemas in the years since.
•••• "It kind of sets the tone for the year," said Joana Vicente, CEO of Sundance Institute, citing the festival's traditional January date and penchant for identifying and incubating emerging talent. "It's this opportunity to spotlight all of the amazing new voices, new films that the team is excited about. And we put them out there and it's like we are setting culture. We are really creating the conversation."
•••• "Sundance is a place where we convene so many different groups of people," said Kim Yutani, the festival's director of programming. "It's filmmakers, of course, but then it's also press, it's industry, it's people who just love independent cinema. And to be able to create a program full of new films, in some cases by people who are not household names, to be able to put them into a program and to launch these films with this kind of nexus of constituents, to me that feels like a privilege."
•••• In recent years, streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+ have paid outsized sums of money for titles, only for their nontraditional release strategies and unpredictable algorithms to seem to soften their impact. Meanwhile, distributors with a stronger investment in theatrical exhibition, such as Sony Pictures Classics, Roadside Attractions, Focus Features, Searchlight Pictures, Magnolia Pictures and IFC Films -- all strong presences at Sundance before the streaming services -- were forced to compete with unprecedentedly deep pockets.
•••• Now, as the streamers trim the fat for a shifting economy and the more established players face an uncertain theatrical landscape, most everyone is trying to figuer over what the new normal might be, or even how to define success.
•••• The industry's approach to the festival changes with the times as surely as the topics covered by the films in the festival, which this year includes movies about the immigrant experience, the war in Ukraine and a host of other hot-button issues.
•••• "We change our business model constantly because the business changes constantly," said Tom Bernard, co-president of Sony Pictures Classics, which at last year's festival picked up "Living," starring Bill Nighy, then released it in conjunction with an awards campaign for the lead actor.
•••• "The streamers are going to sort of collide. How many [services] can you subscribe to?" said Bernard. "I think that you're going to have a new version of a cable package, only it's going to be your streamer package. Eventually when the fear of COVID is totaly over, the audience will be back."
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• 115-Sundance- Is streaming the new hope for indie films?
PARK CITY, Utah - The Sundance Film Festival is under way since January 20 in a virtual format as the in-person event was cancelled January 5, amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the state brought on by the omicron variant. Accordingly, the Sundance Film Festival's action is a responsible, community-focused measure in response to the current infection rates in our communities.
•••• In general there is an indication of tough times for indie movies. The unpredictable COVID-19 situation is only part of the blame. Producers and studios are reckoning with long-term trends in audience behavior that were amplified by the pandemic. Moviegoers over 35 -- the prime demographic for festival selections -- are the most reluctant group to return to theaters, especially older women, according to industry data.
•••• Viewers have become used to being able to see a movie at home as soon as it hits theaters, or shortly after, as studios experiment with new distribution models. Many former moviegoers say they don't think they'll go back to theaters. Most living room TVs and sound systems don't replicate the movie house experience, but for many, they're good enough. However, for the little art-house films that dominate the scene at Sundance, the theatrical model seems no longer viable.
•••• At last year's Sundance, Apple paid $25 million for "CODA," a small and heartwarming drama about a teenage girl with a deaf family, for its streaming service Apple TV+. Disney-owned Searchlight Pictures and Hulu paid $12 million for Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson's music documentary "Summer of Soul." Those trends aren't going away soon.
•••• The streamers' ability to spend makes it difficult for traditional specialty distributors to compete for the top titles. Those companies for long have used the promise of a big-screen campaign as a bargaining chip with filmmakers.
•••• According to distribution chiefs a movie with a robust theatrical release can be more profitable and have longer-term cultural resonance than a streaming release. They make money not just at theaters but later through video on-demand and by selling to pay-cable channels and streaming services.
•••• Going forward, you're going to have to look at these films as being produced for the streaming market. That's the only market for them.
•••• This year's Sundance has the hallmarks of another seller's market, given the scarcity of available films and the proliferation of deep-pocketed buyers creating the expectation of bidding wars and eye-popping price tags, despite the lack of standing ovations and glitzy socializing typical of the non-virtual Sundances. •••• More than 80 feature-length films are screening during the Sundance program. Nearly 75% of the pictures showing at the festival did not have a distributor as of Thursday.
•• Streamers are buying up the bigger titles and there's going to be a level of competition this year not seen before."
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• 106- SAG-AFTRA Statement on Rust Charges
LOS ANGLES, CA - Jan. 19, 2023 - SAG-AFTRA released the following statement on news regarding charges in the Rust tragedy.
•••• " The death of Halyna Hutchins is a tragedy, and all the more so because of its preventable nature. It is not a failure of duty or a criminal act on the part of any performer. 
••••"The prosecutor's contention that an actor has a duty to ensure the functional and mechanical operation of a firearm on a production set is wrong and uninformed. An actor's job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert. Firearms are provided for their use under the guidance of multiple expert professionals directly responsible for the safe and accurate operation of that firearm.  In addition, the employer is always responsible for providing a safe work environment at all times, including hiring and supervising the work of professionals trained in weapons. 
••••"The Industry Standards for safety with firearms and use of blank ammunition are clearly laid out in Safety Bulletin 1, provided by the Joint Industry-Wide Labor Management Safety Commission. The guidelines require an experienced, qualified armorer to be put in charge of all handling, use, and safekeeping of firearms on set. These duties include "inspecting the firearm and barrel before and after every firing sequence," and "checking all firearms before each use." 
••••"The guidelines do not make it the performer's responsibility to check any firearm. Performers train to perform, and they are not required or expected to be experts on guns or experienced in their use. The industry assigns that responsibility to qualified professionals who oversee their use and handling in every aspect.  Anyone issued a firearm on set must be given training and guidance in its safe handlin g and use, but all activity with firearms on a set must be under the careful supervision and control of the professional armorer and the employer."

SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists, influencers and other entertainment and media professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. A proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO, SAG-AFTRA has national offices in Los Angeles and New York and local offices nationwide representing members working together to secure the strongest protections for entertainment and media artists in the 21st century and beyond. Visit sagaftra.org online or find us on social (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter).
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Peter Gould, Rhea Seehorn , Bob Odenkirk accept the best drama series award
for Better Call Saul Devin Winter/Getty Image

• 115- THE CRITICS' TURN - 28th Critics Choice Awards hosted by Chelsea Handler premiered live on the WC on January 15, 2023.
••• The ceremony honored the best in film with Avatar: The Way of Water, Babylon, The Banshees of Inisherin, Elvis, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fabelmans, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, RRR, Tár, Top Gun: Maverick and Women Talking up for Best Picture.
•••• On the TV side, there were nine shows nominated for Best Drama Serie -- Andor, Bad Sisters, Better Call Saul, The Crown, Euphoria, The Good Fight, House of the Dragon, Severance and Yellowstone --- and eight programs competing for Best Comedy Series -- Abbott Elementary, Barry, The Bear, Better Things, Ghosts, Hacks, Reboot and Reservation Dogs.

Here's the full list of 2023 CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS nominees and Winners- (bold)

BEST PICTURE "Everything Everywhere All at Once" (A24) (WINNER) BEST ACTOR  Brendan Fraser -- The Whale" (WINNER)	BEST ACTRESS   Cate Blanchett -- "Tár" (WINNER) Viola Davis -- "The Woman King" (Sony Pictures)

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• 115- The Rose Parade and Rose Bowl game will ring in on Jan 2nd, 2023 - TVImagazine
•••• This year, the 2023 Pasadena Tournament of Roses President, Amy Wainscott, announced "Turning the Corner" as the Pasadena Tournament of Roses theme; celebrating the unlimited potential that each new year brings, "The 2023 theme celebrates turning a corner. Whether that corner is actual or figurative like the unlimited potential that each new year brings -- we all enjoy the opportunity of a fresh start," explained Wainscott. "Turning a corner means rising above -- alone, or with family, friends and community. This year, as we turn the corner together, we share in the hope, beauty and joy of what 2023 will bring."
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• For information, visit www.tournamentofroses.com
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• 101- Georgia Bulldogs beat T.C.U., 65-7, at Sofi Stadium - By Gary Sunkin