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Portly Donald Trump Fat Shames Illinois Governor and Chris Christie in Father’s Day Post

Roger Friedman
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Portly Donald Trump Fat Shames Illinois Governor and Chris Christie in Father’s Day Post

Portly — and that’s being nice — Donald Trump is left to an ad hominem attack against Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker.

Trump’s Father Day message calls Pritzker “sloppy” and “rotund” and that he “makes Chris Christie look like a male model.”

Is this the man people want as president?

Trump weighs in at least at 250 lbs. and is stuffed with processed, fast food. Yesterday during a rally he couldn’t remember the name of his doctor — who was present — Ronny Jackson, calling his Ronny “Johnson” — despite Jackson fudging Trump’s health records.

Trump has been making cognitive mistakes day after day, all recorded on social media, forgetting names and mistaking crowds of 150 for 8000 (per his mouthpiece Kellyanne Conway).

Armie Hammer Breaks His Silence After 3 Years: “People called me a cannibal! What? You would have to eat people!”

Armie Hammer Breaks His Silence After 3 Years: “People called me a cannibal! What? You would have to eat people!”

Roger Friedman
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Armie Hammer Breaks His Silence After 3 Years: “People called me a cannibal! What? You would have to eat people!”

Armie Hammer is finally coming clean. He appears on a little known video podcast called “Painful Lessons,” hosted by a friend named Tyler Ramsey, and immediately addresses rumors that he was a cannibal.

Hammer — wearing a yellow string on his wrist but looking pretty healthy, says, “People called me a cannibal. Like I ate people! What???? You know what you have to do to be a cannibal? You have to eat people!”

Hammer reveals that after his massive sex scandal, accusations of abuse, and yes, cannibalism, he’s in a 12 step program. He calls what he went through “a death.”

He admits, “I was drunk! I was high and I was acting like an idiot all the time!”

“It was an ego death, a career death,” he says, invoking Joseph Campbell. “A neutron bomb went off in my life. It killed off [everything].”

(Interesting note: Ramsey, a Hammer friend, says often in the interview he was full of “rage” about the bad press. He seems angrier than Hammer.)

What saved him? A rehab program “where they deal with addiction issues.” He reveals “there was sexual abuse when I was a kid.”

“There were a lot of times when I thought I can’t take this anymore,” Hammer says. “I was getting hate…so it just went right in… there was a time I was standing at the shore and I swam out really far and just laying there..a half-assed suicide attempt…But I thought I couldn’t do that to my kids.”

Hammer concedes that his acting career is “nowhere now.” He says he’s not allowed to play in the Hollywood sandbox, but he’s “making my own sandbox.” He’s writing a screenplay with a friend named Jerry.

Tony Awards, CBS Pushing Jay Z Appearance with Alicia Keys Tonight: Can Rapper Slay HBO Premiere?

Roger Friedman
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Tony Awards, CBS Pushing Jay Z Appearance with Alicia Keys Tonight: Can Rapper Slay HBO Premiere?

The Tony Awards are on tonight, from 8 to 11pm.

In the middle at 9pm, HBO debuts season 2 of “House of the Dragon.”

This morning the Tonys are pushing a performance by Jay Z with Alicia Keys which I guess will take place in that competing hour. (If it doesn’t, then, really.)

Jay Z will perform “Empire State of Mind” with Alicia Keys which is not part of her “Hell’s Kitchen” musical. In the actual show, it’s just the Alicia character who sings it.

“Hell’s Kitchen” is a very good show, but it’s hard to say it’s Best Musical. After all, most of the songs, like “Empire State of Mind,” were hits long ago. It’s not nominated for Best Score. So if it wins Best Musical, that could set a precedent.

This year the Tonys have been stuffed into a much smaller venue, the David Koch Theater in Lincoln Center. The after party is across the plaza at David Geffen Hall. It’s been the best Broadway year in some time, but the American Theater Wing and Broadway League have downsized considerably.

There won’t be much local press coverage. Page Six reports that many local theater reporters were denied access to the red carpet. But there will be Jay Z, because of his immense Broadway connections!

Tribeca Film Fest Award Winners: “Griffin in Summer,” “Jazzy,” “Bad Shabbos”

Roger Friedman
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Tribeca Film Fest Award Winners: “Griffin in Summer,” “Jazzy,” “Bad Shabbos”

The Tribeca (Film) Festival has announced its official winners. See below.

“Bad Shabbos” won the Audience Prize. Tolga Karacelik’s “The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write about a Serial Killer” won second place.

U.S. NARRATIVE COMPETITION

Founders Award for Best U.S. Narrative Feature: Griffin in Summer, director Nicholas Colia (United States) – World Premiere. Jury Statement: “For its precocious and unexpected storytelling, and well-crafted performance.” This award is presented by OKX.

Best Performance in a U.S. Narrative Feature: Jasmine Bearkiller Shangreaux for Jazzy (United States) – World Premiere. Jury statement: “For its truth, unflinching honesty, realness and heart.”

Special Jury Mention for Performance in a U.S. Feature: Joshua Burge for Vulcanizadora (United States) – World Premiere. Jury statement: “For his impact at showing moments both heart-wrenching and soulful, we were impressed by his depth and vulnerability.”

Best Screenplay in a U.S. Narrative Feature: Nicholas Colia for Griffin in Summer (United States) – World Premiere. Jury statement: “For its delightful humor, distinct point of view and specificity of tone.”

Best Cinematography in a U.S. Narrative Feature: Alejandro Mejia for The Knife (United States) – World Premiere. Jury statement: “For its engrossing visual aesthetic choices, its cinematic aliveness and stylistic point of view.”

Special Jury Mention for Cinematography in a U.S. Feature: Ki Jin Kim for Bitterroot (United States) – World Premiere. Jury statement: “For its marriage of the spiritual and the literal, and its contrast between natural beauty and the mundane.”

INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE COMPETITION

Best International Narrative Feature: Bikechess, director Assel Aushakimova (Kazakhstan) – World Premiere. Jury Statement: “This film caught the jury unaware. With a lightness of style and use of cinematic language that led us into a society of oppressed youth and passive leadership. With stylish performances, and generous cinematography, we met a country and the state of the world.”

Special Jury Mention for an International Narrative Feature: Yasemin Samdereli for Samia (Italy, Germany, Belgium, Sweden) – World Premiere. Jury Statement: “Special commendation for the film Samia for exploring the vital issue of refugees with humanity and integrity. Thanks to the beautiful performances by everyone involved.”

Best Performance in an International Narrative Feature: Yu Aier for Some Rain Must Fall (China) – North American Premiere. Jury Statement: “For her beautifully sustained performance of unabated suffering.”

Best Screenplay in an International Narrative Feature: Celina Murga, Juan Villegas, Lucía Osorio for The Freshly Cut Grass (Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, United States) – World Premiere. Jury Statement: “For the dexterous formality and humorous treatment of domestic chaos.”

Best Cinematography in an International Narrative Feature: Constanze Schmitt for Some Rain Must Fall (China) – North American Premiere. Jury Statement: “For the daring use of color and creation of searing visual tension as a cinematic reinforcement of suffering.”

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Best Documentary Feature: Hacking Hate, director Simon Klose (Sweden, Denmark, Norway) – World Premiere. Jury statement: “The documentary jury awards a film that bravely and fearlessly investigates the misuse of the internet to encourage hate and bias by allowing media giants to profit and foster the continuation of the outrage. On trial are first amendment freedoms that have been violated for profit.”

Special Jury Mention for a Documentary Feature: Made in Ethiopia, directors Xinyan Yu, Max Duncan (United States, Canada, Ethiopia, Denmark, Korea, United Kingdom) – World Premiere. Jury statement: “For its multi-faceted exploration of the personal and collective cost of today’s face of globalization, we award the Special Jury Mention to MADE IN ETHIOPIA. Congratulations to the makers for opening a window to the lived experiences of those most directly impacted by the global labor industrial complex.”

Best Cinematography in a Documentary Feature: Ezra Wolfinger for Shelf Life (United States) – World Premiere. “For a film that was self described as “a passionate odyssey through the aging process”—the jury appreciates and was delighted by our visual journey from string-cheese in Georgia to Mozzarella in Japan.”

Best Editing in a Documentary Feature: Rupert Houseman for Antidote (United Kingdom) – World Premiere. Jury statement: “At this difficult moment in the world’s history – we commend the filmmakers and editors ability to craft a narrative with clarity and urgency – and to ring alarm bells for the consequences of vicious attacks on journalists. For its crisp and compelling narrative.”

BEST NEW NARRATIVE DIRECTOR AWARD

This award is presented by Canva

Nnamdi Asomugha for The Knife (United States) – World Premiere. Jury Statement: “This film lingered with us long after the screening, nagging our imaginations about the characters’ futures, calling into question our own biases and beliefs, filtering the world through a lens that is painfully familiar to some of us and foreign to others. To be able to shed light on universal themes and craft exquisitely detailed characters is one thing but to do it in the form of a contained dramatic thriller that is an entertaining nail-biter is no small feat. This filmmaker showed immense confidence in his ability to harness the audience’s reactions to tension, to turn an empathic eye to characters often relegated to the sidelines, to showcase ambiguous moral situations, to tackle race and class–all in the form of a taut and marketable thriller was exciting.”

To be able to shed light on universal themes and craft exquisitely detailed characters is one thing but to do it in the form of a contained dramatic thriller that is an entertaining nail-biter is no small feat. This filmmaker showed immense confidence in his ability to harness the audience’s reactions to tension, to turn an empathic eye to characters often relegated to the sidelines, to showcase ambiguous moral situations, to tackle race and class–all in the form of a taut and marketable thriller was exciting.”

Special Jury Mention for New Narrative Director: Nicholas Colia for Griffin in Summer (United States) – World Premiere. Jury statement: “This film had the audience in the palm of its hand from the first minute. It straddled the very thin line between heartwarming, tragic, hilarious and awkward. It fills a void in the marketplace for films that touch on sophisticated themes while remaining family friendly. Never pandering, always fresh, full of relatable universal experiences while being incredibly specific and nuanced–this film also features a breakout performance from a young exciting newcomer! The director of this film made one of the funniest films of the year and we cannot wait to see where he goes next.”

ALBERT MAYSLES AWARD FOR BEST NEW DOCUMENTARY DIRECTOR

Debra Aroko and Nicole Gormley for Searching for Amani (Kenya) – World Premiere. Jury statement: “Exquisitely crafted with a taut narrative, this documentary paints a nuanced portrait of issues that often are ignored or worse unknown by those outside of a community. It is extremely difficult to take a topic that affects the world, and to tell a story about that topic in an intimate and personal fashion that is both subversive and charming. So much of the success of a documentary is based on its main character, and the passion, curiosity, and relentlessness of 13 year old Simon Ali was awe inspiring.”

Special Jury Mention for New Documentary Director: Elizabeth Ai for New Wave (United States) – World Premiere. Jury statement: “Loss, identity, the unspoken longing of mothers and daughters, fathers and sons pulsing and animated by an 80s soundtrack. This raw portrait of the American Vietnamese COMMUNITY is a story we’ve never seen before, where music becomes a way to escape from the old and belong to the new. For her powerful, evocative and emotionally honest storytelling.”

VIEWPOINTS AWARD

Viewpoints Award: Come Closer, director Tom Nesher (Israel) – World Premiere. Jury statement: “From alien abductions, to a ski team in Afghanistan, to a young man investigating the murder of his father, the diverse films of the Viewpoint category inspired all of us to think and feel deeply. However, when choosing a winner, our decision was unanimous. This film pulled us all in from the first few frames and we felt that we were in skillful hands as it is fiercely executed and superbly performed.”

Special Jury Mention for Viewpoints: Witches, director Elizabeth Sankey (United Kingdom) – World Premiere. Jury statement: “Our honorable mention, another unanimous winner, explores the taboo subject of women’s mental health during and after pregnancy. Expertly crafted through the lens of cinema and witchcraft, we hope everyone will get a chance to see WITCHES by Elizabeth Sankey.”

NORA EPHRON AWARD

Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge for Don’t You Let Me Go (Uruguay) – World Premiere. Jury Statement: “We (the jury) loved this poignant, life-affirming film that celebrates love and female friendships. We were moved and delighted by how the film beautifully honors the experiences of grief and life’s most special moments.”

HUMAN / NATURE AWARD

Dust to Dust (Japan) – International Premiere.

SHORTS COMPETITION

Best Narrative Short: Ripe!, director Tusk (United States, Spain) – World Premiere. Jury statement: “For beautifully capturing the raw and realistic essence of a teen summer romance and containing extraordinary performances that bring to life the bittersweet charm of youthful love; and for immersing the audience in the evocative feeling of summer in every scene.”

Special Jury Mention for Narrative Short: Alarms, director Nicolas Panay (France) – New York Premiere. Jury statement: “For empathetically portraying the dangers of burnout with excellent performances, sound design and editing; and effectively shedding light on how overwhelming stress in our lives can lead us to overlook the most important things.”

Best Documentary Short: Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World, director Julio Palacio (United States) – New York Premiere. Jury statement: “For the grace with which it showed the gratitude and joy of parents unlocking the brilliance of their autistic daughter, and for how it showcased her extraordinary, once hidden talent, we chose Mikayla’s Voice.”

Best Animated Short: In the Shadow of the Cypress, directors Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi (Iran) – New York Premiere. Jury statement: “For using a distinctive visual style, unique imagery and exceptional sound design to bring to life a poignant family relationship, characterized by love and protection amidst an effective portrayal of the profound impact of PTSD on both the individual and those around them”

Special Jury Mention for Animated Short: Budō, directors Amanda Aagard and Alexander Toma (Sweden) – International Premiere. Jury statement: “With appreciation for its quirky and humorous narrative and capturing viewers with its remarkably intricate manner of portraying its characters and surroundings.”

Student Visionary Award: Nay Tabbara for Ebb & Flow (Lebanon, Qatar) – World Premiere. Jury Comment: “Because of how it captured the extraordinary and the ordinary in the life of a teenage girl pursuing her first kiss against a background of chaos and war.”

Special Jury Mention for Student Visionary: Jamie Perault for Budd, Sweat & Tearz (United Kingdom) – World Premiere. Jury Statement: “For its clear-eyed and compelling portrait of resilience and innovation in the face of injustice and structural hurdles.”

Best Music Video: Never Ending Song, performed by Conan Gray (United States)

TRIBECA GAMES AWARD

Goodnight Universe (United States) – World Premiere.

TRIBECA AUDIO STORYTELLING COMPETITION

Fiction Audio Storytelling Award: The Skies are Watching . Jury statement: “Drawing from the historic past of radio drama and presenting a story that feels breathlessly of the moment, this genre-bending series brims with intrigue. Its shifting, stylish approach to the medium always kept us guessing as top-notch sound design introduced us to its cast of bewildering-yet-relatable characters. Classic and timeless meets cutting edge.”

Narrative Nonfiction Audio Storytelling Award: Delejos (United States, Canada,Puerto RIco). Jury statement: “This selection offers us a vivid and imaginative journey through grief, loss and remembrance. The interweaving of the narrator’s loss with her father’s perspective on death was original and artful, and the use of tape (gathered and chosen exquisitely) gave us deep insights into the characters, and served as a compelling guide through the story. This selection struck the jury as elegant, nuanced, and powerful. It stood out in part because of its method of unfolding its thesis: through the scenes and conversations between protagonists, rather than explication via script, which made us listen a little closer to a world we don’t inhabit. As a result, we were more invested in its arc and characters.”

Independent Fiction Audio Storytelling Award: Red for Revolution (United States). Jury Statement: “We found this project to be an untold story from one of the most important parts of artistic history in our country. It spoke of empowerment and activism. It also stood out to us with exciting sound design and strong performances. And when we look to where Audio Storytelling can go, this is a shining example.”

Independent Nonfiction Audio Storytelling Award: Back to the Water: More than One Octopus (South Africa, United States). Jury Statement: “This piece of narrative audio beautifully showcases the relationship between two women who grew up in the same country, but worlds apart. They balance their differences by thematically braiding in history, the natural world, and personal memoir. They allow us a glimpse of the interiority of two personal journeys as mirrors to the greater political forces that shaped their lives.”

AT&T PRESENTS UNTOLD STORIES

Lilian T. Mehrel for Honeyjoon

TRIBECA X AWARD COMPETITION

Best Commercial: Michael CeraVe from CeraVe and Ogilvy PR, directed by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim

Best Feature: Audrey’s Children from UTA and Ronald McDonald House Charities, directed by Ami Canaan Mann

Best Episodic: The Santa Stories from Coca Cola and WPP Open X/VML, directed by Steven Caple Jr. and Bryce Dallas Howard

Best Short: One Good Reason from ServiceNow, Tribeca Studios, and directors Perri Peltz and Matthew O’Neill

Best Games & Immersive: MLB The Show Storylines: The Negro Leagues by PlayStation Studios, directed by Jarred Schiff, Gavin Filipiak, Ramone Russell, and Brandon Akiaten.

Best Audio: Science will Win, by Pfizer

Best Content Creator: Jacksonville Jaguars 2023 Schedule Release Video from the Jacksonville Jaguars, directed by Asher Grodman

Social Impact Award: …One Good Reason from ServiceNow, Tribeca Studios, and directors Perri Peltz and Matthew O’Neill

Environmental Impact Award: Project Maji: Waters of Change Vr Experience from Born Studios and directors Bilge Tekin, Dominic Clarke, and Nicholas Masters-Waage

“Inside Out” Sequel Turns Box Office Inside Out with $155 Mil Weekend, “If” Crosses $100 Mil

Roger Friedman
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“Inside Out” Sequel Turns Box Office Inside Out with $155 Mil Weekend, “If” Crosses $100 Mil

For now at least the box office is back!

Disney’s “Inside Out 2” turned the business inside out with a $155 million weekend. That’s the biggest debut since “Barbie” last summer.

That’s the biggest debut of 2024 certainly. It knocks off “Dune Part Two” which opened with $82 million this winter.

Paramount’s “If,” which looked iffy when it opened, finally crossed the $100 million mark. The John Krasinski directed family film didn’t get enthusiastic reviews, but it was the sole picture you could take kids to this spring.

Sony’s “Bad Boys Ride or Die” is up to $110 million.

At least these titles show some light at the end of the tunnel as “Furiosa,” “The Fall Guy,” “Challengers,” and “Civil War” didn’t do much to help the first half of 2024.

And now we wait for “Deadpool and Wolverine,” which will break all 2024 records, and maybe some for 2023 as well!

Epoch Times CFO May Have Laundered Millions Through Shen Yun Dance Troupe and Conspiracy Fueled Chinese TV Channel

Roger Friedman
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Epoch Times CFO May Have Laundered Millions Through Shen Yun Dance Troupe and Conspiracy Fueled Chinese TV Channel

EXCLUSIVE

I told you a couple of weeks ago, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York has charged the chief financial officer of the Epoch Times with trying to launder $67 million.

Weidong Guan, a/k/a “Bill Guan,” the Chief Financial Officer of the Epoch Times, allegedly used the right wing conspiracy-based website “in a transnational scheme to launder at least approximately $67 million of illegally obtained funds to benefit himself and the media company.”

Great. So where did the money go? I can tell you one thing: Guan apparently used the Shen Yun dance company — that group you see advertised every year with bright costumes and sets — and cleaned their clothes, so to speak, with at least $14 million.

Guan runs the Epoch Times website and media company as a 501 c3 charity. The government will spend a lot of time studying the Epoch TImes Association’s tax filings to figure out where the $67 million went and what it what used for.

On the Epoch Times’s Form 990 for 2020, the picture becomes clear. The Epoch Association donated $3 million to Shen Yun Performing Arts Center in Cuddeback, New York. Then, on the 2021 Form 990, Shen Yun got another $10.4 million.

I always wonder when I see those beautiful TV Shen Yun TV ads, and subway posters: Where do they get the money for all this promotion? And the production, with its extravagant elements rivaling the Met Opera?

Now, I think, we know. Guan has literally danced away with the money.

That’s not all. In 2022, Epoch Times Association also donated a massive $41 million to the Universal Communications Network on West 28th St. They have the same address as Epoch Times. Universal Communications is also known as New Tang Dynasty, a TV channel that’s like a conspiracy theory PBS for adherents of Falun Gong, a Chinese dissident organization considered by many to be a cult.

Epoch, New Tang Dynasty aka Universal, and Shen Yun are all basically the same thing, all connected to Falun Gong.

Universal Communications aka New Tang didn’t receive just that $41 million. On the 2021 Form 990, Epoch Times gave them another $8.3. In 2020, Epoch gave them just over $1 million. So that’s over $50 million in two years. That’s a lot of money for one TV channel that, according to reports, spreads conspiracy theories about vaccines and perpetuates Q’Anon. (You can read all about them on Wikipedia.)

All roads on the tax returns for these groups lead back to Cuddeback, New York. That’s where Shen Yun is officially headquartered, although no one answers the phone or takes messages. When I called their 800 number, I was told it was just for ticket sales and no one there knows anything about them.

Shen Yun itself is run as a 501 c3 non profit. In 2022, they claimed $228 million in net assets. In Cuddeback, in addition to the Shen Yun Performing Arts Center, they also run a temple, a college, and an academy of the arts– all of which are tied up in their financial ball.

Curiously, Falun Gong doesn’t seem too happy about Guan exposing them with the $67 million scheme splashed everywhere. Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi is already trying to distance himself from Guan. He wrote in the Epoch Times this week:

“The trouble that the practitioner-founded media company is now facing mainly owes to practitioners not doing well, though factors from other dimensions are also at work behind the scenes. You were thinking that it’s hard to fight the CCP’s persecution without funds, and wanted to make money for this cause; and that the U.S. government would be understanding if something wasn’t handled quite right. But that was your own thinking. You thought that it would be justifiable since you were using that money not for other ends but to fight the persecution, given that live organ harvesting is happening and people are dying from the persecution every single day. But you mustn’t forget that Dafa practitioners need to always act with integrity, or there will be problems.”

Good luck getting out of that one.

JFK Grandson Posts More Eccentric “Grey Gardens” Videos: Is He Still Working for Biden Campaign?

Roger Friedman
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JFK Grandson Posts More Eccentric “Grey Gardens” Videos: Is He Still Working for Biden Campaign?

Jack Schlossberg is back to posting eccentric videos on Instagram.

Now he’s got Harlequin sunglasses and screeching, “New York, New York.”

The correlation is to his famously crazy cousins, the Beale sisters, from “Grey Gardens.” The eccentric, reclusive Beales came from grandma Jackie Kennedy’s bloodline.

 

Schlossberg, 31, is obviously not helping Joe Biden to get re-elected. He sounds and looks just as crazy as the Beales. Sorry, but this isn’t funny anymore. What the heck is going on?

The grandson of JFK and son of Caroline Kennedy obviously knows these videos he’s posted over the last few weeks make him look nuts. What’s the point, really? One would have sufficed. But now there are dozens.

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Jack Schlossberg (@jackuno)

Charts: Bon Jovi Sold the Most Albums This Week, But Came in at Number 5 with “Forever”

Roger Friedman
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Charts: Bon Jovi Sold the Most Albums This Week, But Came in at Number 5 with “Forever”

When is number 1 really number 1? Or is it number 5?

Bon Jovi debuted its “Forever” album this week and sold more CDs, LPs, and downloads than anyone — 52,000.

But the album had no streaming whatsoever.

The result is “Forever” is number 5.

Number 1 is — you guessed it — Taylor Swift’s “Tortured Poets.” Total was 128,380 copies. All but 23,000 came from streaming.

Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft” came in at number 2. Not having a designated single from this album has hurt it. As much as everyone likes “Chihiro” and “Birds of a Feather,” they aren’t propelling the album.

As for “Forever,” one week should do it. All legacy albums behave this way now. No singles, nowhere to play them, no tour.

Disney’s Pixar Comes Roaring Back with $62 Million Opening for “Inside Out 2” — $150 Mil Predicted!

Roger Friedman
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0

We have a winner.

Disney Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” will hit somewhere in the vicinity of $140 million tomorrow for its opening weekend.

The sequel to the 2015 hit, “Inside Out,” made $50 million Friday night for a total opening of $62 million! .

For Disney, this couldn’t have come any sooner. The company that got very taken away with itself thanks to Marvel movies had a dreary 2023. Only five releases cleared $100 million. Of those, only one — “Elemental” — was animated. And even that one was not a breakout hit.

The rest of 2023 included “Wish,” “The Marvels,” and “Haunted Mansion,” all non-starters. And while “Guardians of the Galaxy 3” scored $359 million, there wasn’t a lot else to celebrate.

But now, after a long drought, “Inside Out 2″ looks to be the hit everyone needed. Perfectly timed for the end of school, aimed at girls, ‘inside Out 2” is off to a stunning start. If only Richard Kind were in this one, it would have done even better!

Google Killed the Media Biz: Friday Layoffs, Buyouts at Daily Beast Hollywood Reporter, The Sun, Canada Media

Roger Friedman
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Google Killed the Media Biz: Friday Layoffs, Buyouts at Daily Beast Hollywood Reporter, The Sun, Canada Media

Google — and AI — are doing as predicted — killing oft the media business.

Yesterday there were a lot of layoffs again, all top people with a lot of experience. Forget print sales! Internet traffic is way down. It started last September, when Google employed a drastic change to it algorithm.

But now it’s even worse the web traffic, which has dropped like a stone over the last three months. Some sites have seen their readership cut in half as Google and other search engines point to artificially created links.

Yesterday, Penske Group’s The Hollywood Reporter let go of several staff including long time top TV editor Lesley Goldberg, and editor writer Rebecca Sun (who’d been laid off before and rehired). Penske owns the Reporter, Variety, Deadline, Rolling Stone, and Billboard among others. I’m told these layoffs aren’t the end.

The Daily Beast has reportedly offered buyouts to 70% of its unionized staff. Non-unionized staff is next as former Hearst editor Joanna Coles and ABC News chief Ben Sherwood take the reins to save the Beast from closing.

Over at The Sun.com, there’s buzz of more were sent packing. According to Semrush, The Sun.com has lost 20 million visitors since February. I’m surprised considering YahooNews just told me they’re relying on tabloid news. Go figure.

In Canada, 35 media people were laid off the by Global News. That’s in addition to 11 who already got the axe this year.

I do read snarky comments about all these layoffs who think that media people getting cut is funny, or that they deserve it. How stupid can people be? Is there really a desire for a fascist dictator — Donald Trump — and no free press? Were education programs cut so deeply in the 1980s that we have a generation of ignorance? The more media shrinks, so do the opportunities to know what’s going on in the world — whether you like it or not. The media contracts, the more you should worry.

And back to the headline: Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, etc are the villains, and they’re doing this all unchecked. The government has yet to to intervene for any kind of oversight or regulation. We were warned about AI more than a year ago, and no one took it seriously.

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