Featured Voices
Critic’s Notebook: Three Debut Features Give Depth and Dimension to Black Mothers
A.V. Rockwell's 'A Thousand and One,' Savanah Leaf's 'Earth Mama' and now Raven Jackson's 'All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt' are revelatory dramas that shape and shade more complex screen representations of Black mothers.
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Warner Bros. Exec Recalls Casting Chandler: “It Was Magic”
Friends was and is a blessing to so many people around the world. And so was Matthew Perry. The alchemy of brilliant writing, a stellar cast, voice-of-a-generation twentysomethings, and hilarity and emotionality in abundance, made it a wonderful series in 1994 — and unbeknown to all of us, were the ingredients to continue to impact generations […]
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Maha’s Problematic Post: Can Hollywood Move On?
Last November, CAA held a town hall on antisemitism, part of a series hosted through CAA’s Amplify Presents program, described as “a network of changemakers” working toward “systemic change for communities of color.” The program was introduced by agent Maha Dakhil, who said it was “focused on fighting antisemitism and promoting allyship.” Next up was […]
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Iliza Shlesinger: “Jews Have Been Left Off the Agenda”
Innocent Palestinians are enduring a pain and tragedy that I cannot fathom. They have been born into a deeply complex region and society, and it is not right to treat their lives as expendable, or as a solution to a problem. I can’t say it’s right to treat them the way we, the Jews, have […]
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Hollywood’s AI Concerns About “Digital Replicas” Are Now Being Debated by Congress (Guest Column)
Even as the issue of protecting performers from the misuse of artificial intelligence continues to vex the labor negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, a second front has just opened. On Oct. 12, four U.S. Senators presented a bipartisan “discussion draft” of legislation intended to protect actors, singers and […]
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“Everyone Wants Us to Pick a Side”: Reporters Grapple With Covering Israel-Hamas War
Clarissa Ward was about to begin a top-of-the-hour CNN live shot in Sderot, Israel, when a Red Alert siren started to blare. The alert is “telling us to find shelter,” Ward said, as her crew hurried toward a bomb shelter. They didn’t make it in time. As Hamas rockets whizzed overhead and Israel’s Iron Dome […]
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‘Euphoria’ Creator Ron Leshem on Israel-Hamas Conflict: “The World Must Prevent Further Escalation” (Guest Column)
For 14 hours, on Saturday, we were texting with my aunt as she hid in her attic and begged for help that never arrived. She witnessed her neighbors, whole families with children and babies, bound and killed on their lawns. Children were shot in their mothers’ arms, then the mothers were taken hostage. Other children were taken […]
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Culture Shift: Why Is Hollywood Ignoring the Data When It Comes to Latino Representation? (Guest Column)
As a Latino, I have the privilege of understanding the rich tapestry of our culture, one woven with vibrant threads of heritage, resilience and passion. Latino culture is as diverse as the U.S. itself, a beautiful kaleidoscope of traditions, flavors, sounds and histories. We run the multicultural/multiracial gamut, including Indigenous, Afro Latinos, Asian Latinos, those […]
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Culture Shift: I’m a Writer Facing Eviction. Do I Regret the Strike? (Guest Column)
For over five months, I’ve stood shoulder-to-shoulder with my union, the Writers Guild of America. Our protest has brought a flawed industry reliant on our creativity to its knees. Our fight, and that of the performers of SAG-AFTRA, wasn’t just about insulating ourselves from AI and other disruptive technologies; we demanded recognition and fair compensation […]
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Toronto Awards Analysis: ‘The Boy and the Heron,’ Fest Opener and Miyazaki Swan Song, Will Be Hard for Academy to Resist
Hayao Miyazaki, the most celebrated figure to emerge from the world of motion picture animation since Walt Disney, received an honorary Oscar in 2015, two years after he announced his retirement following a remarkable career that included three films that received nominations for the best animated feature Oscar, one of which — his 2002 masterpiece Spirited […]
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Wall Street’s M&A Sharks Are Getting Ready for a Feeding Frenzy of Hollywood Deals
On Aug. 17, days after its strike passed the 100-day mark, the Writers Guild of America West issued a call for lawmakers and regulators to look into the deals of three Hollywood giants: Netflix, Disney and Amazon. “Pay and working conditions for writers have become so dire, and media conglomerates so unresponsive, that 11,500 writers went […]
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Telluride Post-Fest Analysis: Feinberg and Keegan on Rocky Mountain Highs and Lows
Per annual tradition, The Hollywood Reporter’s executive editor (awards) Scott Feinberg and senior editor (film) Rebecca Keegan huddled on the last day of the Telluride Film Festival to dissect their Labor Day weekend in the Rockies … REBECCA KEEGAN Scott, we’re writing this from the corner of the bar at the New Sheridan Hotel, located […]
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