Hundreds of thousands of revelers packed the streets of west London on Monday for the climax of the Notting Hill Carnival, one of the world’s biggest celebrations of Caribbean music and culture.Organizers say up to 2 million people are expected to take in the music, parades, dancing and food over the two days of Europe’s largest street party, which began Sunday with a children’s parade.The carnival traces its history back to 1958, when Trinidadian human rights activist Claudia Jones began organizing a gathering to unify the community after a series of racist attacks on Black people in the Notting Hill neighborhood.<h2>Huge annual street party</h2>Launched in 1964 with a few Trinidadian steel bands, it has grown into a huge annual street party involving colorful floats, thousands of calypso dancers in spectacular feathered costumes, almost 20 steel bands and more than two dozen sound systems.The carnival returned to the neighborhood’s narrow streets last year after two years when it had to be held online because of the coronavirus pandemic.<h2>A symbol of the post-war mass migration</h2>This year’s event coincides with commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the arrival in England of the Empire Windrush, a ship carrying hundreds of people from the Caribbean to new lives in Britain. The voyage became a symbol of the post-war mass migration that has transformed the U.K. and its culture.That journey has not always been easy, a fact exposed when some members of the Windrush generation were caught up in a U.K. immigration crackdown that improperly targeted legal residents largely from the Caribbean and other parts of the former British Empire.

Organizers say up to 2 million people are expected to take in the music, parades, dancing and food over the two days of Europe’s largest street party

A participant in colourful costume on the first day of the Notting Hill Carnival

Revelers pack London streets as Notting Hill Carnival celebrates Caribbean culture

Swift announced Thursday that the concert film “Taylor Swift - The Eras Tour” will open in North American theaters Oct. 13. The theater chain AMC, anticipating high demand from Swift fans, said the film will play at least four times a day Thursday, Fridays, Saturday and Sundays at all of its U.S. locations.- The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far and I’m overjoyed to tell you that it’ll be coming to the big screen soon - Swift said on social media channels.Prices will be higher than usual movie tickets. An adult ticket will cost $19.89 ( "1989 (Taylor's Version)" is coming soon) and a child ticket is priced at $13.13 (seemingly a nod to her favorite number ). Advance sales began Thursday.In an usual move, AMC is also acting as distributor for the film. ("The Eras Tour" will additionally play in other chains.) AMC said in anticipation of the announcement, it upgraded its website to handle more than five times the largest ticket buying rush it's experienced before.

Prices will be higher than usual movie tickets

Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert film coming to movie theaters in October

The cast of “Breaking Bad” has reunited to call upon Hollywood studios to resume negotiations with striking screen actors.- We want you to come back to the table with us - Bryan Cranston said in a plea to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers outside Sony Pictures Studios on Tuesday.Cranston was joined by Aaron Paul, Jesse Plemons and other members of the “Breaking Bad” universe in an effort to energize picket lines more than a month after SAG-AFTRA joined striking Hollywood writers.Both guilds are seeking to address issues brought about by the dominance of streaming services, which have changed all aspects of production and pay in the industry.- The way things were structured 10 years ago made a lot of sense and it made it more possible for journeymen-type actors, actors in the middle that are working just as a hard or harder - Plemons said.<h2>“We just want them to see reality.”</h2>By its final season, which aired more than a decade ago, “Breaking Bad” was one of the most watched and highest rated cable TV shows ever.The AMC hit series has achieved enduring popularity on Netflix, but its stars say that has not been reflected in their pay.“I don’t get a piece from Netflix on ‘Breaking Bad’ to be totally honest and that’s insane to me,” Paul said. “I think a lot of these streamers know that they have been getting away with not paying people a fair wage and now it’s time to pony up.”Cranston said they chose Sony for their reunion as the studio behind the Emmy-winning hit, along with its spinoff projects, the AMC prequel series “Better Call Saul” and the Netflix film, “El Camino.”“We’re not making them the enemy. They are not villains. These are people that we all will be working with once again at some point,” Cranston said. “We just want them to see reality.”<h2>Broader movement throughout the country</h2>Several other casts have joined picket lines during the strike, including actors from “Parks and Recreation” and the cult hit “Jury Duty," drawing a link between popular shows and the actors' strike goals.Cranston also affirmed SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher’s recent comments to The Associated Press that these dual Hollywood strikes are galvanizing a broader movement throughout the country.- Without organized labor, management will just keep stuffing their pockets. They don’t and will not ever just go, ‘You know what? I don’t think this is being fair to those people. I’m going to pay them more.’ It’s just not what they do - he said.Cast members of “Better Call Saul” were also on the picket lines, including Rhea Seehorn and Patrick Fabian, along with the series co-creator, Peter Gould, who has been on strike with the Writers Guild of America since May.

Both guilds are seeking to address issues brought about by the dominance of streaming services, which have changed all aspects of production 

'Breaking Bad' stars reunite on picket line to call for studios to resume negotiations with actors

Britney Spears ' husband, Sam Asghari, has filed for divorce from the superstar 14 months after they were married, a person familiar with the filing said late Wednesday.The person, who is close to Asghari but not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed the filing happened Wednesday, hours after several outlets including TMZ and People magazine reported the couple had separated.An email sent to a Spears representative was not immediately returned. Court records in Los Angeles and Ventura counties did not show where the case had been filed.<h2>Married&nbsp;on June 9, 2022</h2>Spears married Asghari at her home in Thousand Oaks, California, on June 9, 2022 in front of guests including Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore, Paris Hilton and Madonna, in a wedding seen as a milestone in her newly reclaimed life after the dissolution just six months earlier of the court conservatorship that controlled her life for more than 13 years.The pop superstar met and began dating Asghari, a model and actor, when he appeared in her video for the song “Slumber Party” in 2016.She cited her desire to marry Asghari as among the reasons she wanted an end to the constraining conservatorship, which she said was preventing it. The two announced their engagement in September of 2021 as it became clear she would be freed from the conservatorship — which was ended that November.<h2>Lost a baby</h2>Spears said she and Asghari lost a baby early in her pregnancy in May 2022, about a month before they married.Reports of the couple's struggles had increased in recent months.Their marriage is the first for the 29-year-old Asghari and the third for the 41-year-old singer. She was married for less than three days in 2004 to childhood friend Jason Alexander, who attempted to crash her wedding to Asghari and was later convicted of misdemeanor trespassing and battery.In 2004, she wed dancer Kevin Federline. Their three-year marriage would come at a time of intense media scrutiny and increasing mental health struggles for Spears. Federline is the father of her two teenage sons, and has custody of the boys.<h2>“The Woman in Me"</h2>She would be placed in the conservatorship run by her father in 2008. She did well under the arrangement at first, continuing to release records, make videos, and perform live, including a major concert residency in Las Vegas. But as she appeared less in public, fans began to demand that the court #FreeBritney, in what would eventually become a major movement.Since the conservatorship ended, Spears has put out music, including a collaboration with Elton John in 2022, but has not performed live in years, nor announced plans to do so.Her memoir, “The Woman in Me," is scheduled to be released in October.

Court records in Los Angeles and Ventura counties did not show where the case had been filed

Britney Spears' husband files for divorce

The Heart of Sarajevo award ceremony for the best TV series of the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival was held yesterday at the Hills Sarajevo Hotel.Nineteen TV series were nominated for the Heart of Sarajevo of the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival.The award ceremony for the best achievements in the category of TV Series at the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival was held yesterday in the Hotel Hills Sarajevo.The winners of the Hearts of Sarajevo Awards for TV Series are:The winner in the Best Drama Series category: THE HOLLOWThe Best Leading Actress in Drama Series: Jovana Stojiljković (VERA)The Best Leading Actor in Drama Series: Feđa Štukan (THE HOLLOW)The Best Supporting Actress in Drama Series: Ida Keškić (THE HOLLOW)The Best Supporting Actor in Drama Series: Boris Ler (THE HOLLOW)The Rising Star: Denis Murić (GOLDEN BOY)The Best Director for the Episode of Drama Series: Danis Tanović and Aida Begić (THE HOLLOW)The Best Screenplay for the Episode of Drama Series: Danis Tanović, Amra Bakšić Čamo, Nikola Kuprešanin and Adnan Lugonić (THE HOLLOW)The winner in the Best Comedy category: MUM AND DAD ARE PLAYING WAR 2The Best Director in Comedy: Gordan Kičić (MUM AND DAD ARE PLAYING WAR 2)The Best Screenplay in Comedy: Gvozden Đurić, Marko Manojlović and Gordan Kičić (MUM AND DAD ARE PLAYING WAR 2)The Best Leading Actress in Comedy: Nina Janković Dičić (MUM AND DAD ARE PLAYING WAR 2)The Best Leading Actor in Comedy: Gordan Kičić (MUM AND DAD ARE PLAYING WAR 2)The Rising Star in Comedy: Aleksej Bjelogrlić (MUM AND DAD ARE PLAYING WAR 2)The award ceremony was hosted by actor and TV presenter Tarik Filipović.

Nineteen TV series were nominated

Heart of Sarajevo Awards presented for Best TV Series

In recognition of her outstanding contribution to the Art of Film, Scottish director, screenwriter and producer Lynne Ramsay will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award at the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival. The Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award will be given to Ramsay on August 16th at the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema, followed by a gala screening of YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE starring Joaquin Phoenix.<h2>Based on the book</h2>Based on the book by Jonathan Ames, YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017, where it won the awards for Best Screenplay (ex-aequo) and Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix).Born in Glasgow, Lynne Ramsay is considered one of the most original and exciting voices working in independent cinema today. She has a long-running relationship with the Cannes Film Festival, where she won the Prix de Jury in 1996 for her short graduation film, SMALLS AND DEATH, and for her third short, GASMAN, in 1998. RATCATCHER, her debut feature film, had its premiere in Un Certain Regard, winning a Special Mention. Her next feature film MORVERN CALLAR premiered at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival in the Directors' Fortnight section, where it was awarded the Award of the Youth for Best Foreign Film. <h2>Third feature film</h2>Ramsay's third feature film WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN was the only British film nominated for the Palme d'Or in Official Competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Tilda Swinton was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in the film, which also went on to receive several BAFTA nominations and won Best Director at the British Independent Film Awards, Best Film at the London Film Festival, and Best Screenplay from the Writers Guild of Great Britain.Ramsey recently directed the 18th contribution to Miu Miu’s WOMEN’S TALES Series, a sensitive and cathartic short documentary BRIGITTE about French photographer Brigitte Lacombe, which premiered at Venice Film Festival in 2019.The 29th Sarajevo Film Festival will take place from August 11th to 18th, 2023.

The 29th Sarajevo Film Festival will take place from August 11th to 18th, 2023

Scottish director Lynne Ramsay to receive Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award

The Emmy Awards, which had been due to take place in September, have been postponed due to Hollywood strikes.Members of the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild are striking in the biggest walkout for 60 years.It means those in the unions can't work or do any publicity, so can't appear at awards shows.<h2>New date has not been confirmed</h2>A new date for the 2023 ceremony has not been confirmed, but organisers want to wait until an agreement has been reached with TV companies.An Emmy is the most prestigious US prize in television, with Succession, The Last of Us, The White Lotus and Ted Lasso leading this year's nominees.The WGA and Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) are currently trying to negotiate with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers over a number of issues, including the use of Artificial Intelligence in productions and a fair split of profits in the age of streaming.<h2>Hollywood strike could last until end of the year</h2>The Last of Us and Succession lead Emmy nominationsNetflix touts $900k AI jobs amid Hollywood strikesThe 75th Emmy Awards were originally scheduled for 18 September but could have played out to an empty room with no host.WGA writers are also often employed to write material for hosts and presenters too, meaning it be almost impossible for a show to go ahead.This is the first time the Emmys have been postponed in more than 20 years - the last time was in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.Voting in the awards is still set to go ahead in the coming weeks, but whether they awards will actually be handed out remains to be seen.The Creative Arts Emmys are also likely to be postponed from early September, which celebrate artistic and technical achievements in television.

Hollywood strike could last until end of the year

Emmy Awards 2023: Ceremony postponed as Hollywood actors and writers strike

A New Hampshire man celebrating his birthday on the ocean with his three daughters captured video of something so rare that even marine scientists are jealous — three humpback whales leaping from the water in near perfect unison.- It was such an uplifting thing to see. Just incredible - Robert Addie said.The Portsmouth man, now a home remodeler, spent decades on the water as a commercial fisherman in Massachusetts and Alaska. In that time, he said he's seen thousands of whales.<h2>Monday's whale encounter</h2>But he never witnessed anything like Monday's whale encounter on a tuna fishing trip off Cape Cod. The excursion with his daughters was for his 59th birthday, as well as to celebrate his safe return from a humanitarian aid trip to Ukraine where he came under heavy artillery fire.During the fishing trip, he was trying to film some humpback whales about 300 yards (275 meters) from their boat and was having no luck, until he got what he called a “whale ballet.”"A triple breach is unheard of and a synchronized triple breach is even rarer,” he said. “It’s once in a lifetime. Just very fortunate. I feel God shined down on me to allow me to to capture that.”<h2>Theories</h2>To add to the thrill, seconds after the three whales breached and twisted through the air, a juvenile whale did the same thing. Whale experts later told Addie that the aerial maneuvers may have been an attempt to remove parasites or aid digestion.He has another theory: “I have a feeling that maybe they were teaching or training” the younger whale.Those same experts also know how rare the spectacle was.- Even some of the whale experts that have reached out to me, they’re all jealous because they’ve never seen it - Addie said.

The Portsmouth man, now a home remodeler, spent decades on the water as a commercial fisherman in Massachusetts and Alaska

'Whale ballet': Thre humpbacks jump in unison, a birthday surprise for man and daughters

Adidas said Friday that it is releasing a second batch of high-end Yeezy sneakers after cutting ties with rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, as the German sportswear brand seeks to unload the unsold shoes while donating to groups fighting antisemitism.The online sale, to start Wednesday through Adidas smartphone apps and its website, follows an earlier set of sales in May. Models that will be available include the Yeezy Boost 350 V2, 500, and 700 as well as the Yeezy Slide and Foam RNR.The company cut ties with Ye in October after he made antisemitic and other offensive remarks online and in interviews. That left Adidas holding 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) worth of unsold Yeezys and searching for a responsible way to dispose of them.<h2>Best solution to deal with</h2>Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden said in May that selling the popular sneakers and donating some of the profits was the best solution to deal with the unsold inventory and make a difference. He said the company spoke with nongovernmental organizations and groups that were harmed by Ye’s comments and actions.Part of the profits from the sales of the Yeezy shoes will go to the Anti-Defamation League and the Philonise &amp; Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change, run by social justice advocate Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd.Shoes sold directly by Adidas in North America will include blue square pins established by Robert Kraft's Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism as a symbol of solidarity in rejecting antisemitism, the company said.<h2>Sale of Yeezy shoes</h2>Adidas declined to give details on numbers of shoes that would be released for sale and how much of the proceeds would be donated. Asked if Ye would receive royalties from the sales, the company would only say that “we will honor our contractual obligations and enforce our rights but will not share any more details." The company said Monday that the first sale of Yeezy shoes helped its preliminary second-quarter financial results and contributed to it raising its outlook for the year — from a high single-digit decline in revenue to a mid-single digit decline.That would still amount to an operating loss of 450 million euros (more than $494 million) this year, instead of a loss of 700 million euros.Adidas, which reports its earnings for the first half of the year on Thursday, said it expected future Yeezy sales to further boost its results.

The online sale, to start Wednesday through Adidas smartphone apps and its website

Adidas to release second batch of Yeezy sneakers after breakup with Ye

A red sweater adorned with a flock of sheep worn by the young Princess Diana is expected to sell for more than $50,000 at auction.The playfully patterned wool jumper featuring a single black sheep amid a pattern of white ones headlines Sotheby’s online Fashion Icons sale in September.The 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer was photographed in the garment at a polo match in June 1981, soon after her engagement to Prince Charles, who was then heir to the British throne.<h2>Style icon</h2>Diana was already becoming a style icon — and one of the world’s most photographed women — and the moment gave a big boost to designers Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne, who made the sweater for their small knitwear label Warm &amp; Wonderful.A few weeks later, Muir and Osborne received an official letter from Buckingham Palace explaining that Diana had damaged the sweater and asking whether it could be repaired or replaced. The original was returned, showing damage to a sleeve the designers thought might have been caused by snagging on Diana’s diamond and sapphire engagement ring.<h2>From the event in 1983</h2>A new sweater was knitted and dispatched, and Diana was photographed wearing it with white jeans and a black ribbon tie at an event in 1983.Some have speculated Diana liked the “black sheep” pattern because she felt like an outsider in the royal family. Emma Corrin sported a replica as the young Diana in season four of “The Crown.”Warm &amp; Wonderful still makes a cotton version of the design, which sells for 190 pounds ($250). Osborne discovered the original lying forgotten in a box in an attic earlier this year.Cynthia Houlton, Sotheby’s global head of fashion and accessories, said “this exceptional garment, meticulously preserved, carries the whispers of Princess Diana’s grace, charm, and her keen eye for fashion.”<h2>Sotheby’s New York showroom</h2>The sweater, which has an estimated price of $50,000 to $80,000, will be on display at Sotheby’s New York showroom from Sept. 7-13. Online bidding opens Aug. 31 and runs to Sept. 14.The record for a piece of Diana memorabilia is $604,800 for a Victor Edelstein-designed ballgown sold by Sotheby’s in January.

The 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer was photographed in the garment at a polo match in June 1981, soon after her engagement to Prince Charles

Princess Diana’s iconic sheep sweater could fetch at least $50,000 at auction

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and The Associated Press said Thursday that they've made a deal for the artificial intelligence company to license AP's archive of news stories.- The arrangement sees OpenAI licensing part of AP’s text archive, while AP will leverage OpenAI’s technology and product expertise - the two organizations said in a joint statement.The price of the deal was not disclosed.- Both organizations will benefit from each other’s established expertise in their respective industries, and believe in the responsible creation and use of these AI systems - the statement said.The two companies said they are also examining “potential use cases for generative AI in news products and services,” though didn't give specifics.

The price of the deal was not disclosed

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI signs deal with AP to license news stories

A still-life fresco discovered recently in the Pompeii archaeological site looks like a pizza, but it's not, experts at the archaeological site said Tuesday.They noted that key ingredients needed to make Italy's iconic dish — tomatoes and mozzarella — were not available when the fresco was painted some 2,000 years ago.Tomatoes were only introduced to Europe from the Americas a few centuries ago, and some histories have it that the discovery of mozzarella led directly to the invention of pizza in nearby Naples in the 1700s.<h2>Frugal meal</h2>The image is instead believed to be a focaccia covered with fruit, including pomegranate and possibly dates, finished with spices or a type of pesto, experts said. In the fresco, it is served on a silver plate and a wine chalice stands next to it.The contrast of the frugal meal served in a luxurious setting, denoted by the silver tray, is not unlike modern-day pizza, “born as a poor-man’s dish in southern Italy, which has won over the world and is served even in starred restaurants," said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii archaeological site.<h2>UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage</h2>The ancient Roman city of Pompeii was destroyed in the eruption of nearby Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The sudden and deadly event left much of the structure intact, embalmed in volcanic ash, and the site is now a major archaeological project and tourist attraction.The Coldiretti ag lobby immediately seized on the discovery of the fresco to promote pizza — invented as a quick meal for the working poor — as a national treasure. Today, pizza represents one-third of the food budget of foreign visitors and generates total annual revenues of 15 billion euros ($16.4 billion) in Italy.The art of the Neapolitan pizzamaker was put on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list in 2017, recognized for its four phases of dough preparation and for being baked exclusively in a wood oven at 485 degrees Celsius (905 degrees Fahrenheit.)

They noted that key ingredients needed to make Italy's iconic dish — tomatoes and mozzarella — were not available when the fresco was painted 

That's no pizza: A wall painting found in Pompeii doesn't depict Italy's iconic dish

Password sharers have been given a major boost as Netflix announced a major change to their rules. The streaming giant introduced the measure amid a crackdown on joint accounts.The company announced yesterday that they were taking steps to make it easier for customers to transfer profiles between accounts. Beforehand, you could only transfer your profile to a newly-created account, but now this can be done with those you are reactivating.For example, if you shared an account with a partner or pal, but have now been booted off it, you can still access your data even on old accounts. You could even swap right from the account you shared with an ex to that of your new flame.<h2>Extra feature</h2>The tool was first rolled out last year, but has now been updated with this extra feature.All you have to do is enter the email and password related to the profile into the Profile Transfer area on the Profile section of the account page. This will transfer over your watch history, shared games and MyList, so your viewing experience carries on without a hitch.It comes after Netflix imposed a monthly fee per "extra member" using your account from May.<h2>Subscription costs</h2>The measures are designed to stop users from getting around subscription costs by sharing their login details with family and friends.However, it was revealed that thousands of people could completely lose access to the service if they were sharing it through Sky, Virgin or BT.Despite the backlash, experts have said that the crackdown could actually help users save cash by protecting them from hackers.Meanwhile, fans have already started coming up with cheeky ways around the sharing ban.

The company announced yesterday that they were taking steps to make it easier for customers to transfer profiles between accounts

Major boost to Netflix password sharers as streaming service makes big change

Google said Thursday that it's rolling out its AI-powered chatbot Bard across Europe and in Brazil, expanding its availability to hundreds of millions more users.The company also said it's adding more features to Bard as it scrambles to keep up with rival Microsoft — which uses OpenAI's popular ChatGPT service in its Bing search engine — in the race to capitalize on generative artificial intelligence technology that has captured worldwide attention.Google launched Bard in February, but its planned rollout last month in the European Union was delayed as regulators checked whether the service complied with the 27-nation bloc's strict privacy rules.The company said it has “proactively engaged with experts, policymakers and privacy regulators."<h2>Privacy watchdog</h2>The Irish Data Protection Commission, Google's main EU privacy watchdog, said it sent the internet search giant a detailed list of questions seeking more information.As a result, Google hit pause and “made a number of changes” ahead of Thursday's European launch, ”in particular increased transparency and changes to controls for users," the watchdog said.Google detailed the improvements in a blog post, which said Bard can now be used in more than 40 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, German, Hindi and Spanish.Users also can tailor the tone and style of Bard's replies and ask it to read out responses, which Google said is “helpful if you want to hear the correct pronunciation of a word or listen to a poem or script.”<h2>New breed of AI&nbsp;</h2>English-language users can now start uploading images along with prompts for Bard to analyze for answers, Google said.A new breed of AI chatbots has wowed users with the ability to respond to questions with text, images or video that mimic human work, underscoring big advances by the technology that companies are rushing to take advantage of.Billionaire Elon Musk, who has voiced concerns about the existential risk that artificial intelligence could pose to humanity, this week launched his own AI company with the lofty but vague goal of understanding the universe.New AI systems, though, also have raised concerns about data privacy, copyright infringement and misinformation. Italian regulators forced OpenAI to temporarily suspend ChatGPT over privacy concerns, and the European Union is poised to bring in the world's first comprehensive set of rules for artificial intelligence.

English-language users can now start uploading images along with prompts for Bard to analyze for answers, Google said

Google rolls out AI chatbot Bard to Europe and Brazil and adds more features

The union representing film and television actors says no deal has been reached with studios and streaming services and its leadership will vote on whether to strike later Thursday.The Screen Actors Guild -American Federation of Television and Radio Artists said early Thursday that its decision on whether to join already striking screenwriters will be considered by leadership at a meeting later Thursday.If the actors go on strike, it will be the first time since 1960 that actors and writers picket film and television productions.<h2>Recognizing the best work&nbsp;</h2>The actors' guild released a statement early Thursday announcing that its deadline for negotiations to conclude had ended without a contract. The statement came hours after this year's Emmy nominations, recognizing the best work on television, were announced.- The companies have refused to meaningfully engage on some topics and on others completely stonewalled us. Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal - said Fran Drescher, the star of “The Nanny” who is now the actors' guild president.<h2>Failure to reach a deal</h2>The group representing the studios, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, said it was disappointed by the failure to reach a deal.- This is the Union’s choice, not ours. In doing so, it has dismissed our offer of historic pay and residual increases, substantially higher caps on pension and health contributions, audition protections, shortened series option periods, a groundbreaking AI proposal that protects actors’ digital likenesses, and more - the AMPTP said in a statement.It added that instead of continuing to negotiate, "SAG-AFTRA has put us on a course that will deepen the financial hardship for thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihoods.”If the actors strike, they will formally join screenwriters on the picket lines outside studios and filming locations in a bid to get better terms from studios and streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon. The actors’ guild has previously authorized a strike by a nearly 98% margin.<h2>Issues in negotiations</h2>Members of the Writers Guild of America have been on strike since early May, slowing the production of film and television series on both coasts and in production centers like Atlanta.Issues in negotiations include the unregulated use of artificial intelligence and the effects on residual pay brought on by the streaming ecosystem that has emerged in recent years.Actors have joined writers on picket lines for weeks in solidarity. An actors' strike would prevent performers from working on sets or promoting their projects.Whether the cast of Christopher Nolan's film “Oppenheimer” attends Thursday's London premiere hangs in the balance of whether the actors strike.<h2>Actors need a fair contract to survive</h2>Attending a photo event on Wednesday, star Matt Damon said that while everyone was hoping a strike could be averted, many actors need a fair contract to survive.- We ought to protect the people who are kind of on the margins - Damon told The Associated Press. “And 26,000 bucks a year is what you have to make to get your health insurance. And there are a lot of people whose residual payments are what carry them across that threshold. And if those residual payments dry up, so does their health care. And that’s absolutely unacceptable. We can’t have that. So, we got to figure out something that is fair.”The looming strike has cast a shadow over the upcoming 75th Emmys. Nominations were announced Wednesday, and the strike was on the mind of many nominees."People are standing up and saying, ‘This doesn’t really work, and people need to be paid fairly,’” Oscar-winner Jessica Chastain, who was nominated for her first Emmy Award on Wednesday for playing Tammy Wynette in “George &amp; Tammy,” told the AP. “It is very clear that there are certain streamers that have really kind of changed the way we work and the way that we have worked, and the contracts really haven’t caught up to the innovation that’s happened.”

If the actors go on strike, it will be the first time since 1960 that actors and writers picket film and television productions

No deal on Hollywood actors contract, strike vote will be held Thursday morning

A Texas-born princess piled her four yapping bichon frise dogs into a taxi Thursday after being evicted, following a bitter inheritance dispute, from a historic villa in Rome that contains the only known ceiling painted by Caravaggio. Princess Rita Jenrette Boncompagni Ludovisi, nee Rita Carpenter, abandoned the Casino dell’Aurora off the swank Via Veneto hours after Carabinieri police arrived to enforce a court-mandated eviction order. Before she had even left, a locksmith changed the locks on the big green front door.Her dramatic exit — one of the dogs briefly escaped as she spoke to journalists on the street — capped a remarkable, years-long soap opera that exposed the dirty laundry of one of Rome’s aristocratic families. The Boncompagni Ludovisi are perhaps best known for having produced Pope Gregory XIII of Gregorian calendar fame. But lately they have attracted more attention due to the inheritance dispute and court-mandated auction of their famous villa in the heart of Rome.“I feel like I’m in a surreal movie, like Sartre’s ‘No Exit,’” the princess said on the street, interrupted repeatedly by a barking fluffy white dog in her arms and three others at her ankles.Casino dell'Aurora, also known as the Villa Ludovisi, has been in the Ludovisi family since the early 1600s. After Prince Nicolo Boncompagni Ludovisi died in 2018, the villa became the subject of an inheritance dispute between the children from his first marriage and his third wife, the San Antonio, Texas-born Princess Rita, whom he married in 2009.Previously, she had been married to former U.S. Rep. John Jenrette Jr. of South Carolina.The children have argued that the home, built in 1570, belongs to them, that their grandfather intended for them to inherit it and that their late father abused them and mismanaged his fortune. They mounted a multi-pronged legal campaign to get control of the property so it can be sold.The latest chapter in the saga came in January after Rome Judge Miriam Iappelli issued an eviction order, accusing the princess of having violated a previous order forbidding her from conducting guided tours of the property.Boncompagni Ludovisi has said the tours were necessary to raise money to maintain the villa. In addition, the judge found that the princess had failed to maintain the home in a “good state of conservation” after an exterior wall crumbled.One of the heirs, Prince Bante Boncompagni Ludovisi, was on hand Thursday at the villa to watch “that woman,” as he refers to his father’s widow, leave the property.“This house needs renovations. The pipelines of water need to be restored and the frescoes are in danger,” he told reporters. “This is a country: We have our police, we have our judges and you need to respect our country and our laws if you stay here.”It’s not clear who will now undertake the work on the house, which needs at least 11 million euros in renovations to bring it up to code.The villa was put on the court-ordered auction block last year as part of the inheritance dispute and assigned a court-appraised value of 471 million euros ($533 million), in large part due to the Caravaggio. After the minimum bid of 353 million euros ($400 million) failed to get any takers in the first auction, the price was progressively lowered in a series of successive auctions, with more scheduled until a buyer is found.The Caravaggio ceiling graces a tiny room off a spiral staircase on the second floor. It was commissioned in 1597 by a diplomat and patron of the arts who asked the then-young painter to decorate the ceiling of the small room being used as an alchemy workshop. The 2.75-meter (9-foot) wide mural, which depicts Jupiter, Pluto and Neptune, is unusual: It’s not a fresco, but rather oil paint on plaster, and represents the only ceiling mural that Caravaggio is known to have painted.While the villa's fate is uncertain, so too is that of the princess.Vowing that the truth will eventually come out (and announcing a book deal), Boncompagni Ludovisi insisted she had cared for the villa during her two decades living there and digitized the family's archive, with the help of Rutgers University.“I see no logic in this. I was a good custodian for the villa,” she said.She didn’t say where she would go next, though she noted that the Episcopal Church in Rome had reached out to help.“I love Italy and I’m so sorry to have such a brutal ending to what has been a labor of love for 20 years,” she said. Her book, on the villa and its famous ceiling, is expected to be published at the end of the year."It’s dedicated to my husband, Nicolo," she said, before speeding off with the dogs in a taxi into the Roman traffic.

Her dramatic exit — one of the dogs briefly escaped as she spoke to journalists on the street

Texas-born Princess Rita Boncompagni Ludovisi, born Rita Jenrette Carpenter and last wife of late Prince Nicolo Boncompagni Ludovisi, leaves her residence, The Casino dell'Aurora, also known as Villa Ludovisi, during the execution of an eviction order, in Rome

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Entertainment

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No deal on Hollywood actors contract, strike vote will be held Thursday morning

Texan princess evicted from Rome villa, Caravaggio stays