Dispatches From The Picket Lines, Day 31: Pride Events Hit LA & New York, ‘Euphoria’s Jeremy O. Harris Slams Studio “Crumbs” & Greta Gerwig Appreciation Day

Samba Pa Ti‘ or ‘Europa‘ — the ballads,” Santana, 75, told The Post from his home in Hawaii. “We made an impact on the world as far as facilitating a vibration that makes people feel spiritual and sexually aroused at the same time.” The dad of three — who may or may not have been listening to his favorite artists Marvin Gaye, John Coltrane, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Nina Simone and Tina Turner when his own children were conceived — said his sensual sound unites him with fans across continents.“Because people grew up listening to this music in their living rooms, people made love with them and so somehow we became like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, part of an institution,” he said.“I could go anywhere in the world, Ireland, Japan or Africa, and I’m not a tourist, I’m part of the family.”The native of Autlan, Mexico, whose father was a violinist, started as a street musician, and quickly realized his talent would one day become his profession.“My father would enter me into contests and I would always win,” he said.

It was a busy day on the L.A.-area WGA picket lines, with a visit from some Abbott Elementary folks, support from unionized teachers and nurses, and dancers getting their hula on for Pacific Islander Day.

A 12-year-old boy known for busking on Market Street and wowing shoppers with his vocals has appeared on hit TV show America's Got Talent - and got a standing ovation from all the judges.

It’s safe to say that today’s picket line at Warner Bros in Burbank drew a little more attention than some other days. That’s because newly unionized strippers from North Hollywood turned out to support striking WGA writers — and they brought a pole along.

Becky Hill has become the latest artist to receive one of those BRIT Billion awards from the BPI, marking one billion UK streams of her music. The record label trade body announced this morning that it handed her one of its BRIT Billion trophies backstage before her performance at Manchester’s Parklife Festival on Sunday.“One billion streams of my music in the UK – wild”, she says.

The head of the country’s largest labor union joined striking Writers Guild film and television writers at a rally on Monday outside the New York City offices of streaming giant Amazon and said the writers’ cause has the support of workers from across unionized labor. 

The day after New York-based pickets were canceled for the week because of smoke, the gathering at Warner Bros. in Los Angeles was a bit smaller on Thursday, with less than 50 people gathering in support of the WGA strike.

Drake scored a leading seven nominations for the music-heavy 2023 BET Awards today, and GloRilla was next with six. Both also are up for Album of the Year. Lizzo and 21 Savage follow with five nominations apiece.

The day that SAG-AFTRA began its talks with Hollywood studios over its own film and TV contract with a strike authorization in hand, picketing Writers Guild members on Wednesday hit up Disney and Warner Bros in Burbank.

So many stars are stepping out for the opening night of the 2023 Tribeca Festival.

Putri Ariani wowed the “America’s Got Talent” judges — one in particular — as her audition was shown on Tuesday’s show.

 returned on Tuesday for the second night of season 18 auditions, and the show kept the impressive display of skill going with a whole slew of new, jaw-dropping performances.The show's stalwart stars -- including judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara and Heidi Klum, as well as host Terry Crews -- returned to the Pasadena Civic Auditorium as another group of hopefuls hit the stage to show off their skills.However, there were a few that clearly stood out — and one that inspired Simon to hand out his coveted Golden Buzzer in only the second week.The episode felt special from the moment 17-Year-Old Indonesian singer/songwriter Putri Ariani took the stage and explained how much just competing on meant to her.«My biggest challenge is that people look at me as a blind person, not as a musician,» she shared with the cameras. «But when I'm singing, I feel like a superstar.»When introducing herself to the judges, Putri explained her ultimate dream, sharing that she's hoping to go to Juilliard after having just graduated, and added, «My dream is being the biggest diva in the world like Whitney Houston and win a Grammy award.»Putri began her audition seated behind a piano and belted out an original tune that left the judges and the audience in awe.

DEALSSuperstruct has bought majority stakes in three more festivals, London-based Mighty Hoopla and Cross The Tracks, and the Austrian festival Snowbombing. IQ says that it believes those acquisitions are the result of a deal between Superstruct and various companies owned by Gareth Cooper, who was the founder and former CEO of Broadwick Live.Beyond Music – one of those music investment firms, based out of Seoul in South Korea – has announced it has completed a new fundraising round totalling $170 million. Says CEO Jangwon Lee: “Home to all-time hits comparable to the Bon Jovis, Led Zeppelins and Whitney Houstons of Asia, Beyond Music has already established itself as the region’s market leader with the deepest pockets, quantitative disciplines and proven value-up records.

Apple may have entered the virtual reality arena earlier today with the unveiling of a new platform and headset, launched with the help of Disney boss Bob Iger, but in the real world it spent the day being targeted by writers.

WGA negotiating committee co-chair Chris Keyser issued a clarion call to members and supporters earlier today.

The Tribeca Festival, which gets under way Wednesday in New York, has announced members of the jury who will decide winners in 15 award categories.

As one of Reality TV’s royal family crossed the line, striking film and television writers joined forces on Wednesday in New York City with another group of culture workers involved in a pay dispute: musicians. 

The writers strike has entered its fifth week and is about to enter its second month and shows no sign of abating.

Striking film and television writers got a signal boost on Thursday from U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (d-NY), who spoke at a rally outside the East Coast offices of Paramount Global in the busy heart of Manhattan’s Times Square. 

As the WGA strike entered its fourth week, Tony Kushner swore, Steve Earle sang, Wanda Sykes led union chants and Busy Philipps told CEO jokes for more than 1,000 demonstrators and hundreds of onlookers who filled the street in front of NBCUniversal headquarters Tuesday in Midtown Manhattan.