New Look, Same Vibe. Digital Dark Ages: Internet History, Old Websites Are Disappearing. The long-promised digital apocalypse has finally arrived, and it was heralded by a blog post. Published on July 18, the post's headline sounded pretty arcane. "Google URL Shortener links will no longer be available," it declared. I know, I know — not exactly an attack of alien zombies from the death dimension. But the news nevertheless freaked me out. Here's the gist: Google used to have an online service that generated pithy, user-friendly versions of long, commercially unwieldy uniform resource locators — the key addresses that identify everything on the web. No more. Now, rendering a bunch of web content invisible isn't the end of days.
Maybe none of this matters much right now. Attempts to quantify the scope of the problem are heartbreaking. The degradation of those links wouldn't panic me so much if they hadn't replaced what came before them — if museum storerooms and dusty library stacks still served as the warehouses of our collective memory. Gawker is gone. Related stories. Blumhouse, Meta Partner on Short Films Using AI Video Generator. As Hollywood tests the waters with artificial intelligence, Blumhouse has partnered with on a series of short films that use the recently announced Meta Movie Gen, the tech giant’s AI tools that create video and corresponding audio.
Blumhouse produced three short films that were made with the help of Meta Movie Gen from filmmakers Casey Affleck, Aneesh Chaganty (Searching), and the Spurlock Sisters. The short films were part of a pilot program run by Meta that is meant to garner feedback from the creative community about their text-to-video tools. Blumhouse was approached by Meta to work with filmmakers to help test the generative AI tools. The company says they will continue to test Meta Movie Gen, which is not yet available publicly, with creatives in to 2025. Jason Blum added in a statement: “Artists are and forever will be the lifeblood of our industry. Meta isn’t the first company to put its AI video generation tools in front of Hollywood. AI Startup Clay Is Raising a New Round at a $1.3 Billion Valuation. Clay supports revenue operations and growth teams to automate outreach to potential customers.The company last raised a $46 million Series B at a $500 million valuation led by Meritech in June.Its customers include Anthropic, Notion, Vanta, Ramp, and Intercom.
Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Clay, the AI-powered sales startup, is set to be valued at $1.3 billion in a new funding round, two sources told Business Insider. Existing investors participated in the round, according to the same sources. Founded in 2017, Clay last raised a $46 million Series B at a $500 million valuation, which was led by Meritech Capital in June. Details of the latest funding round are not yet finalized, and the figures involved are subject to change. In response to a request for comment from Business Insider, Clay CEO Kareem Amin said, "We cannot confirm these details as no term sheet has been issued or signed. " Paramount Co-CEOs Can Resign, Receive Severance If They Are Demoted.
With Paramount Global poised to be taken over by Skydance Media in 2025, the three execs running Paramount as co-CEOs — George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins — now have an additional provision in their employment agreements that will let them quit and receive severance benefits if they are demoted from their co-CEO roles. If any of the three are assigned “duties or responsibilities substantially inconsistent” with their position or duties as co-CEOs, or they have “a material reduction in such position or duties,” the executives are entitled to resign for “good reason” and to receive corresponding severance payments, the media company disclosed in an SEC filing Tuesday. In addition, Cheeks, McCarthy and Robbins were each awarded grants of $3 million worth of restricted share units of Paramount’s Class B common stock under the company’s latest long-term incentive plan as of Oct. 8, 2024.
The New York Times warns AI search engine Perplexity to stop using its content. Box Office: 'Terrifier 3' Surprises, 'Joker: Folie a Deux' Collapses. UPDATE: There’s only room for one killer clown at the top of box office charts. “Terrifier 3” slashed its way to No. 1 in North America, collecting a stellar $18.3 million from 2,514 theaters in its opening weekend. It’s a huge start for the ultra-gory, independently made, low-budget slasher film about a demonic clown who brutalizes a small town. Meanwhile “Joker: Folie á Deux,” which topped the box office last weekend, collapsed in fourth place with $7 million from 4,102 theaters. The off-beat comic book musical, starring Joaquin Phoenix as a reclusive stand-up comedian and part-time clown, suffered a tragic 81% decline in ticket sales from its already-disastrous $37.6 million debut.
It ranks as one of the biggest-second weekend drops for the superhero genre, plunging more severely than last year’s misfires of “The Marvels” (78.1%), “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (69.9%), “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” (69%) and “The Flash” (72.5%). Adobe’s AI video model is here, and it’s already inside Premiere Pro. Adobe is making the jump into generative AI video. The company’s Firefly Video Model, which has been teased since earlier this year, is launching today across a handful of new tools, including some right inside Premiere Pro that will allow creatives to extend footage and generate video from still images and text prompts.
The first tool — Generative Extend — is launching in beta for Premiere Pro. It can be used to extend the end or beginning of footage that’s slightly too short, or make adjustments mid-shot, such as to correct shifting eye-lines or unexpected movement. Clips can only be extended by two seconds, so Generative Extend is only really suitable for small tweaks, but that could replace the need to retake footage to correct tiny issues.
Image:Adobe Two other video generation tools are launching on the web. Text-to-Video functions similarly to other video generators like Runway and OpenAI’s Sora — users just need to plug in a text description for what they want to generate. Americans' Trust in Media Remains at Trend Low. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans continue to register record-low trust in the mass media, with 31% expressing a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in the media to report the news “fully, accurately and fairly,” similar to last year’s 32%. Americans’ trust in the media -- such as newspapers, television and radio -- first fell to 32% in 2016 and did so again last year.
For the third consecutive year, more U.S. adults have no trust at all in the media (36%) than trust it a great deal or fair amount. Another 33% of Americans express “not very much” confidence. Gallup first asked this question in 1972 and has measured it in most years since 1997. In three readings in the 1970s, trust ranged from 68% to 72%, yet by Gallup’s next readings in the late 1990s and early 2000s, smaller majorities of 51% to 55% trusted the news media.
As has been the case historically, partisans have different levels of confidence in the media to report the news fully, accurately and fairly. Bottom Line. Comcast’s Brian Roberts On Hurricane Milton, M&A And Hulu. Universal CityWalk, a lagoon-front dining and retail complex, may open as early as Thursday night with the Universal Orlando theme park back in business Friday, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said, as the area continues to deal with fallout from Hurricane Milton, which made landfall on Wednesday. “Great news for that is we’ll be open tomorrow and maybe even tonight with CityWalk,” Roberts said at a media conference today. He noted that Comcast Cable is also in the area, in Fort Myers, “right where the storm came in. So a lot of devastation, as we all have witnessed.” Disney has also shut down Walt Disney World through today. “We just had this storm a couple weeks ago in Georgia and Florida. In a consolidating media landscape, Comcast has eyed its share of deals, JVs and other transactions, Roberts acknowledged.
Paramount is now spoken for — Roberts said Comcast did not bid. “You were about to say doing a good job,” interrupted Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw. “How can you read my mind?” Roblox accused of lying to investors about user numbers by Hindenburg Research. Roblox is facing accusations that it lied to investors about the number of people who use the platform. In a report published on Tuesday, the investment firm Hindenburg Research claims Roblox is “consistently overstating the amount of people on its platform by 25 percent to 42 percent or more.” Roblox, which went public in 2021, reported having 79.5 million daily active users in its most recent earnings report.
However, Hindenburg claims Roblox “intentionally conflates” actual people with daily users, as that number could also include alt accounts and bots. The research alleges that Roblox can separate alt accounts from single users, even though the company’s disclosure says daily active users “are not a measure of unique individuals accessing Roblox.” Hindenburg is an activist short-selling firm that infamously publishes research when it says it’s identified something shady about a business, allowing it to make a profit as its share value declines.
Here’s Roblox’s full statement: Live Nation Shifts Stance On Ticket Resale - CelebrityAccess. Scooter Braun says it’s time to ‘move on’ from talking about Taylor Swift’s masters | CNN. Scooter Braun would like to change the subject. The music exec particularly would like for people to stop talking about his very public and controversial sale of megastar Taylor Swift’s master recordings, saying that “five years later, I think it’s time to move on” from the topic. While appearing at Bloomberg’s Screentime event in Hollywood on Thursday, Braun added that after watching the Max docuseries “Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun: Bad Blood” – which was released in June and chronicled the fallout from the sale – he felt there were “a lot of things that were misrepresented.” (Max and CNN are owned by the same parent company, Warner Bros.
“I think that it’s important in any kind of conflict that people actually communicate directly with each other. He added that any in-person conversation with Swift “has not happened.” Braun in 2019 acquired the master recordings of Swift’s first six albums from her former label Big Machine Label Group, despite her objections. The Atlantic is expanding its print magazine as it surpasses 1 million subscribers | CNN Business. New York CNN — The Atlantic is doing something exceedingly unusual for a magazine in 2024: increasing the number of issues it prints.
The acclaimed 167-year-old magazine, once known as The Atlantic Monthly, is increasing its pace of publication from 10 issues to 12, returning to a monthly publication for the first time since 2002. The expansion plan – perhaps counterintuitive in the internet age, when so many other magazines and newspapers are printing less often or folding altogether – is a testament to “the excellent journalism our team makes, and the enduring power of a beautifully designed, well produced magazine,” editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg told CNN in an interview. The Atlantic, which is majority owned by billionaire businesswoman and philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, returned to profitability earlier this year and said it had crossed the one million subscriptions mark. “We want to meet our readers where they are, and our readers love the print magazine,” he said. American Music Awards Viewership Up 54% on CBS Over Previous Edition.
The American Music Awards came back in a big way. The 50th anniversary special of the performance-filled event averaged more than 6 million viewers in its Oct. 6 broadcast on CBS. That’s a 54 percent increase over the previous edition of the AMAs, which last aired in 2022 on ABC. That marks the largest year-over-year growth of a music special or award show on TV this year. It also stands as the second-most-watched music awards show in the U.S. in 2024 and the most-watched entertainment program on CBS in October so far.
The special also was the most-watched entertainment program on Oct. 6, behind only the NFL. It also beat out other major sports coverage including the MLB Playoffs and NASCAR. Dick Clark Productions also said that the special is also the most-streamed AMAs in the show’s history and has notched 65 million views across social media platforms since it aired. The American Music Awards is set to return in 2025, airing live on CBS from Las Vegas over Memorial Day Weekend. Apple TV+ Coming to Amazon Prime Video as Subscription Add On. In a surprise move, Apple and Amazon have cut a deal that will bring the Apple TV+ streaming service to Amazon’s Prime Video channels. The deal will see Apple TV+ join streaming services like Max, Paramount+, AMC+ and Starz as a subscription add-on for Prime Video subscribers.
Apple TV+ will cost $9.99 per month, and as with other streaming add-ons for Prime Video, users will be able to watch all their content within the Prime Video app. Apple TV+ will be added later this month. Prime Video chief Mike Hopkins announced the deal at the Bloomberg Screentime Conference Wednesday evening. “Our companies do a lot of business together, and want to thank Eddie Cue, who I know isn’t here tonight, but he and his team have done a great job with this deal, and we’re excited to get it going,” Hopkins said of the deal. Why would Apple TV+ want to strike a deal with Prime Video? Apple TV+ has series like Ted Lasso, Slow Horses, The Morning Show and Severance, as well as films like Wolfs. Pharrell Williams on Using Legos for His 'Piece By Piece' Biopic. Hailing from the Virginia Beach Atlantis Apartments, and what he considers to be “the mud,” Pharrell Williams admitted he is shocked to have the opportunity to bring forth his life’s story with Legos.
At a Piece By Piece screening and “Over The Moon” Lego activation in Los Angeles on Friday, the artist explained, “That’s what impossible looks and sounds like … I wasn’t interested in my story, but only until I realized the most fun part and the most integral part of it all was getting over my ego.” The star — who’s known for his hit songs including “Happy,” Britney Spears’ “I’m a Slave 4 U” and Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like Its Hot,” as well as his fashion with collaborations with brands like Louis Vuitton — is the subject of an upcoming coming-of-age film centered on the highs and lows he experienced as he achieved success. Lego vp, global brand development Alero Akuya also spoke with The Hollywood Reporter at the event, explaining why the company collaborated with Williams on the project. Why Faceless Content Creators are the New Viral Sensation.
Victoria posts several times a week on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, documenting her daily life. She vlogs her Target runs, films her hair-care routine, creates baking videos and more, all while never showing her face. “I feel like a lot of content creators who show their face have this pressure and judgment over their looks or identity,” says Victoria (@elysian.living), a woman in her 20s in New York City who asked to be referred to by her first name only to protect her identity. “I never really wanted to put my face out there.” Since launching her account in January 2023, she has amassed an audience of more than 1.9 million followers on TikTok and 2.2 million on YouTube.
One of her most popular videos on YouTube, which shows herself prepping a bath, has more than 80 million views. Victoria is just one member of a burgeoning class of creators getting famous without showing their face. You’ve likely seen their videos in your feed already. Snoop Dogg Hints At “Final Big Stadium Tour” Following “Missionary” Album - AllHipHop. Has Filed Suit Against the SEC to Protect the Future of Crypto in the U.S. AMD launches MI325X AI chip to rival Nvidia's Blackwell. The FBI made a token to trick scammers as market manipulation bedevils crypto - Sherwood News.
Vision Pro’s first scripted immersive film is coming this week, here’s the trailer. 'Joker Folie à Deux' Bombs at Box Office, Slayed by D CinemaScore. Netflix Orders John Mulaney Live Weekly Talk Show in 2025. Meta announces Movie Gen, an AI-powered video generator. DirecTV to Launch FAST Service in November. Derek Jeter Launches Cap 2 Production Company. OpenAI Exits: What's Happening Over There? Apple’s plan to spend $1 billion per year on movies means more theatrical releases. Meta won’t answer whether it’s smart glasses are using the images you record to train its AI.
Investors are scrambling to get into ElevenLabs, which may soon be valued at $3 billion. Google Lens now lets you search with video. Sinclair Partners to Launch Immersive News App for Apple Vision Pro. Paramount Sued by Ex-Workers Over Mass Layoffs Without Notice. Apple is being accused of ‘illegally’ violating workers rights by the U.S. labor board. Merlin: TikTok 'Walked Away' From New Licensing Negotiations.