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Dual strikes bring Hollywood to a screeching halt

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

In today’s Big Story podcast, last week, after negotiations with studios and streaming giants failed to yield an agreement, the 160,000 performers represented by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) decided to go on strike. They’re joined on the picket lines by Writers Guild of America members — the first time both unions have been on strike simultaneously since the 1960s.Both groups’ demands differ, but their main grievances boil down to two things: revenue decreases in the age of streaming and concern about AI-induced job losses. With their collective actions bringing many major productions to a screeching halt and leaving thousands of people out of work, the pressure is on both sides to come up with a reasonable compromise.Barry Hertz, deputy arts editor and film editor for The Globe and Mail, says the strike’s impact is already being felt within the Canadian film industry.“Projects that are funded by the Hollywood studios and streamers come up to Canada to produ...

Environmental activists disrupt play at British Open by throwing orange substance on 17th green

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

HOYLAKE, England (AP) — Environmental activists briefly interrupted play at the British Open on Friday by throwing an orange substance to the side of the 17th green at Royal Liverpool, prompting American player Billy Horschel to intervene.Police and security guards quickly took action to keep the Just Stop Oil protesters from causing a bigger disruption during the second round. Play resumed not long after organizers cleaned the substance.Horschel was playing the hole at the time and helped a greenside marshal lead one of the protesters away. The other players at the 17th were Corey Conners and Alex Noren. They all made par on the hole.The protesters, all wearing white shirts with the words “Just Stop Oil,” had entered from each side of the elevated green that sits with the Irish Sea in the background. One of them had a flare, police said.Two protesters were immediately taken away from the green, while two others were later escorted away separately.Local police said in a statem...

Croatian police detain 9 people suspected of smuggling migrants over the Danube from Serbia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatian police have detained nine people suspected of smuggling migrants into the European Union country from neighboring Serbia, a police statement said on Friday. The suspects joined forces with unidentified persons in Serbia to organize illegal entry over the Danube River for foreign nationals and financial gain, the statement said. All the detained suspects are Croatian citizens, the statement added. The Danube separates Croatia in the east from Serbia. Both countries lie on the so-called Balkan land route used by migrants trying to reach Western Europe.Thousands of people from the Middle East, Africa or Asia usually reach Greece or Bulgaria from Turkey, before heading toward North Macedonia, Serbia or Bosnia. From Serbia, migrants often rely on people smugglers to cross without authorization into the neighboring EU states of Croatia, Hungary and Romania. They are in danger of facing abuse, closed borders and harassment. The Associated Press

Statistics Canada says retail sales up 0.2% to $66 billion in May

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

Statistics Canada says retail sales rose 0.2 per cent to $66.0 billion in May, helped by gains at new car dealers and grocery stores.However, the figure fell short of the agency’s early estimate for May released last month that forecasted a gain of 0.5 per cent. Its early estimate for June suggests retail sales for that month were unchanged, but cautioned the figure would be revised.For May, sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers gained 0.8 per cent, helped higher by a 0.7 per cent sales gain at new car dealers and a 5.5 per cent increase at other motor vehicle dealers.Sales at food and beverage retailers rose 1.0 per cent as sales at supermarkets and grocery stores gained 1.4 per cent.Core retail sales — which exclude gas stations and fuel vendors, along with motor vehicle and parts dealers — were unchanged in May.In volume terms, retail sales rose 0.1 per cent for the month.

From Barbie to millennial pink, the cultural phenomenon behind the color that sells

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

“Think pink! think pink! when you shop for summer clothes. Think pink! think pink! if you want that quelque chose.”That advice, sung as an epiphany in the 1957 musical film “Funny Face,” has definitely been heeded — just take a look around at fashion and media. The fascination around pink — each shade and hue with its own connotation — has shaped those cultural engines for generations, revving into full force as we reach peak “Barbie” season. The color has been a crucial detail for films and television — from that scene in “Funny Face,” to Elle Woods sporting her iconic head-to-toe vibrant pink courtroom outfit in 2001’s “Legally Blonde,” to “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” where the shades of pink in costuming play a symbolic role in the final season. And, now, with the Greta Gerwig-helmed film’s release, the vividly hot “Barbie Pink” is inescapable. Throughout history, designers, artists, and brands have played with the emotions the color evokes, shaping meanings that are ...

Your paycheck may clear faster now with launch of FedNow instant payment service for banks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Reserve launched a new instant payment service Thursday. FedNow allows banks and credit unions to sign up to send real-time payments so they can offer customers a quicker way to send money between banks.FedNow, which was first announced in 2019, published a list of banks and credit unions that are already signed up to the service. However, it might take longer for customers to be able to use the service with their bank.Here's what you need to know about FedNow.HOW DOES FEDNOW WORK?FedNow offers instant payment services for banks and credit unions to transfer money for their customers. Unlike other private money-transferring services like PayPal or Venmo, FedNow services are not offered to customers directly through a third-party app or website. The services will only be available through banks or credit unions. However, once banks have adopted FedNow, they're expected to make it available on their websites and apps.Once a bank off...

Dean's Reviews: 'Barbie' in theaters now

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

Check out Dean's Reviews on the new film 'Barbie' which is in theaters now.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Dean's Reviews: Oppenheimer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

Check out WGN Entertainment Reporter Dean Richards’ review for “Oppenheimer."Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

AMC's plan to charge more for 'preferred' seats no longer coming to a theater near you

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

(WXIN) – AMC’s plan to charge different prices depending on where moviegoers sit is no longer coming to a theater near you.The movie theater chain had announced its “Sightline” program in February, which introduced a three-tiered pricing system for charging moviegoers different prices based on where they chose to sit. The “prime” seats were the most expensive.AMC Theatres launched the initiative in three markets, and had planned to roll it out nationwide by the end of 2023.The company has instead decided to scrap the idea outright, referring to Sightline as a “pilot test program” in an update released Thursday. AMC Theatres to make big change at concession stands The company said consumers didn’t change their behavior enough to warrant making Sightline pricing permanent. Discounting front seats didn’t make them more attractive to movie fans and charging more for the “best seats” didn’t stop anyone from choosing them.Effectively, people sat where they usually sat, regardless of the...

These Mega Millions numbers have been drawn the most since the last jackpot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – The most recent record-setting Powerball jackpot has been won, but a record-setting Mega Millions prize is still up for grabs. Ahead of Friday's drawing, millions of tickets will likely be sold, all hoping to perfectly match the six winning numbers needed for an estimated $720 million prize. You may be ready to try your luck at the Mega Millions prize, currently considered the fifth-largest in the game's history. But do your lucky numbers stand a chance?Just as it is in Powerball, every set of numbers has an equal chance of winning the Mega Millions jackpot. Still, there are some numbers that are drawn more frequently than others. Since 1996, when Mega Millions was rebranded from 'The Big Game,' there are five main numbers that have been drawn more than any others, according to data collected by Lotto America: 31, 17, 46, 20, and 4. All five have been drawn more than 250 times, and all but 20 have been pulled within the last month. When it comes to the Mega Ball, these f...