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Boy George Fires Label Manager After Reported Rift Over AI-Generated Pro-Israel Reggae Song: ‘Really Does Not Hurt to Say Goodbye’
Boy George has fired Tony Pontius, the longtime manager of his independent label BGP (Boy George Presents), after Pontius refused to distribute the singer’s new AI-assisted track “We Will Dance Again,” which expresses pro-Israel views on the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack. The 65-year-old Culture Club frontman framed the split as a consequence of standing…
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Oil prices plunge and Europe’s markets rally after Trump calls off Iran strikes
Oil prices fell sharply and European stocks and government bonds rallied on Monday after Donald Trump cancelled planned strikes on Iran and said peace talks were set to resume, easing fears of a wider Middle East conflict disrupting oil supplies. The move reverses some of the sharp rises seen in July, when fighting between the…
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Square Enix responds to Kingdom Hearts Collection AI controversy two months after players called it out
Square Enix has denied using generative AI in promotional artwork for the upcoming Kingdom Hearts Collection 1-3, following accusations from fans that first surfaced in early June. The publisher told GameSpot the images were created by its development team without AI, blaming “human error” for the visual oddities that prompted the backlash, and it pledged…
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Shadowbox Takes On Management Of New York’s Historic Kaufman Astoria Studios
Shadowbox Studios has taken over management of Kaufman Astoria Studios, the historic New York production facility, following a period of financial turmoil at the site. The move brings a major studio operator into a landmark venue with a long production history, offering some stability after its previous owner faced legal action over unpaid debts. The…
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Miyamoto Wants Nintendo Products To Be As Ubiquitous As School Bags
In a recent Famitsu interview, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto explained that he wants the company’s products to become such a routine part of life that families automatically think to buy them, likening the ambition to how Japanese parents buy school bags when a child starts elementary school. The comment offers a rare glimpse into Nintendo’s long-term…
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‘Have I Got News For You’ Producer Says BBC “Nervous” About Trump Jokes Amid Lawsuit: “I Wish The BBC Would Calm The F*** Down”
Jimmy Mulville, the Hat Trick Productions founder behind Have I Got News For You, has said the BBC has become nervous about jokes involving Donald Trump because of the US president’s ongoing $10 billion lawsuit against the corporation. He said the broadcaster fears Trump could accuse it of malice if upset by the topical comedy…
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Memory chip maker Samsung says the component shortage will continue to get worse in 2027, while earning a pretty penny from it
Samsung, which supplies around a third of the world’s memory chips, has warned that the global memory shortage will worsen through 2027 and persist until at least 2028, according to comments made during its latest earnings call. The forecast is driven by surging demand from AI companies, which are locking in long-term supply contracts, leaving…
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Willie Nelson Turned Down What Became One of Kenny Rogers’ Signature Songs in 1978
Country singer Willie Nelson has revealed he turned down the chance to record “The Gambler”, the Don Schlitz-penned track that went on to become one of Kenny Rogers’ signature hits and spawned a series of TV films. Rogers, a close friend, personally pitched the song to Nelson before recording it himself, making the revelation a…