SAG-AFTRA’s Duncan Crabtree-Ireland On The State Of Negotiations With Video Game Industry & Possible Strike: “We’re Getting To The End Of The Road”

Rudie Obias editor If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Back in October 2023, Microsoft acquired the game studio Activision-Blizzard with an eye towards growing Xbox‘s exclusive game library. And now, “Diablo IV” is the first major Activision-Blizzard game to hit Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s premium cloud gaming subscription service.

Glamour’s , Duncan speaks about her productive morning routine, her go-to work attire, and the last great book she read.Glamour: What time do you wake up in the morning?Gina Duncan: I wake up around 6:30 a.m. every morning.What's the first thing you do?The first thing I do is play Wordle and Connections, and then I have coffee and fit in a workout.Nice! What's your favorite workout?I have two favorites. I am a part of a local community where we do group workouts, which is for fun.

Will obsession lead to destruction or success? It’s a question that one persistent detective faces in Prime Video’s “Them: The Scare.” The series’ second season focuses on LA during a pivotal point in its history — the ’90s. Creator, executive producer, and showrunner Little Marvin found the location’s turbulent decade to be the perfect pairing for horror.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher called out the misogyny that dogged her in strike negotiations and coverage, saying it was “disgusting.” She’s opined on that before but remarks today met a particularly receptive audience at the annual gala of New York Women In Film & Television where she was honored.  

Brian Cox has dismissed suggestions that West End theatres are increasingly being dominated by celebrities instead of thespians.

Kate Middleton’s shock cancer diagnoses.The Princess of Wales, 42, revealed the heartbreaking news in a video message Friday, saying she is now undergoing chemotherapy. Following the announcement, a slew of stars took to social media to send their love and support to the British royal, including Oscar winner Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer SAG-AFTRA announced Friday that members have ratified new three-year contracts for voice actors who work on animated TV shows. The deals addressed the same concerns that fueled last year’s 118-day actors’ strike, notably artificial intelligence, which many actors fear will replace their jobs. As with the live-action agreement, the animation deals do not forbid the use of AI.

Jennifer Garner is celebrating Reese Witherspoon’s birthday by sharing a special message. To commemorate her friend, Garner shared a video of herself playing the saxophone, all dramatically edited to highlight her friendship with Witherspoon. The striking resemblance between these celebrity moms and daughtersJennifer Garner breaks her reading glasses seconds before honoring Mark Ruffalo at His Walk of Fame CeremonyA post shared by Jennifer Garner (@jennifer.garner)The video shows Garner putting on some sunglasses and beginning her sax solo.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Comedian Hasan Minhaj, currently touring with a new show recounting the year he just experienced, is set to headline the 10th edition of the SeriesFest event this May in Denver. This year’s SeriesFest, an annual event focused on “championing emerging and underserved voices in episodic storytelling” (aka TV), is also set to honor Shonda Rhimes’ and Betsy Beers‘ Shondaland shingle, as well as Minnie Driver and SAG-AFTRA.

Millions of 1950s-born women who lost out when the State Pension age changed cannot afford to wait much longer for compensation, campaigners said as they acknowledged that for some it was “already too late”. Age UK accused the UK Government of “seemingly endlessly dragging its feet in situations when there have been clear findings of fault”, and compared the situation to concerns around the Windrush Compensation Scheme and the Post Office and Contaminated Blood scandals.

Katcy Stephan SPOILER ALERT: This review discusses minor plot details and gameplay elements from “Rise of the Ronin.” “Rise of the Ronin,” the latest release from “Nioh” developer Team Ninja, is one of the most highly-anticipated game releases of the year, promising a high-octane role-playing story combining eastern and western combat styles. From its announcement, “Rise of the Ronin” drew inevitable comparisons to Sucker Punch’s critically-acclaimed 2020 release “Ghost of Tsushima.” It’s understandable: although “Ronin” takes place about 600 years after “Ghost,” both follow samurai warriors in Japan as they swing their swords in an action-adventure open world.

Novak Djokovic is enjoying a day at the beach.

Selome Hailu In Alex Garland‘s “Civil War,” the Western forces of Texas and California hardly remember what they’re fighting for. At least, Garland doesn’t say outright what they’re fighting for. The film, which had its world premiere at SXSW on Thursday, depicts a near-future U.S.

It’s unlikely that two shows exist that are as wildly different as these. As the trio behind Duplass Brothers Productions continue to spread their combined wealth of talents over film, television, and streaming, the experience of taking in the pilots to their two latest series, “Ryley Walker & Friends” and, “The Broadcast, “offers a glimpse at projects loaded with as much promise as they are dissimilar.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Issues around the use of AI in the production process is the big sticking point in SAG-AFTRA’s negotiations with the largest video game companies, SAG-AFTRA chief Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said Saturday during a wide-ranging Q&A at SXSW in Austin, Texas. Crabtree-Ireland, who is national executive director and chief negotiator of the performers union, said he put the chances of union members striking against key game companies is “50-50, or more likely than that we will go on strike in the next four to six weeks because of our inability to get past these issues,” Crabtree-Ireland told Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company, during a conversation focused on AI.

There may soon be another actors strike in Hollywood — this time against the video game industry.

There is a line from the poem 'This is the Place' that wraps around the Manchester City first team dressing room at the Etihad Stadium: "Some are born here, some drawn here but we all call it home."

EXCLUSIVE: Altitude Media Group has boarded a documentary shot entirely inside the Grand Theft Auto video game world.

Holly Jones Simmering inner turmoil, regret and a relationship on the mend feature as themes in “Little Loves” (“Los Pequeños Amores”), Spanish filmmaker Celia Rico‘s anticipated second feature, which premiered in competition this week at the Málaga Film Festival. Rico’s 2018 feature debut, “Journey to a Mother’s Room,” won the Youth Jury Award at San Sebastian Film Festival, and received a Special Mention in the New Directors competition.

J. Kim Murphy The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and Hollywood’s major studios have concluded their first week of talks Thursday evening, with both parties planning to resume negotiations for a new union contract on March 18. The IATSE Basic Agreement Negotiating Committee, which represents IATSE, Teamsters 399 and the Hollywood Basic Crafts, proposed the new agreement to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on Monday.