Actors Demand Rights For Digital Replicas (And Other Headlines)

One of my favorite shows is Netflix’s near-future dystopian sci-fi series Black Mirror. In the episode Joan is Awful, a woman discovers her life has been virtually adapted into a show by a Netflix-like streaming company. She’s shocked that her likeness — her entire identity — is being used by an entertainment company. A company rep tells her she gave up her usage rights to her likeness by signing the streaming company’s terms and conditions.

Ethical concerns of using generative AI technology in Hollywood

Even though the show is fiction, generative AI technology that uses human likeness for entertainment that blurs the lines of consent is closer to reality than you might think. According to actors, it’s raising ethical questions during the SAG-AFTRA strike.

For his latest story, my colleague Robert Garrova spoke with actor Erik Passoja, who discovered from a friend that he was being used in a video game in a way that he didn't approve of — or even know about. He, along with other actors, are seeking consent and compensation for the use of their digital replicas.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) said in a statement that they do have a requirement to ask for consent before using replicas, but SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said that’s not the case.

Read more about the tension between SAG-AFTRA actors and AMPTP and what’s been going on with the Hollywood industry strike since May in Robert’s latest story.

Stay safe and cool, L.A. There’s more news below — just keep reading.

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• Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia said his office is investigating tree trimming allegedly done by Universal Studios in a location where actors and writers on strike would picket. The trimmed trees provided the picketers shade.  My colleague Nate Perez has more details. 
• You may not know it by name, but you’ve definitely heard the “Wilhelm Scream” from more than 400 films and TV shows like Star Wars and SpongeBob SquarePants. Now, Craig Smith, a professor from the California Institute of the Arts, has found the original recording of the scream from 1951. My colleague Manny Valladares wrote about how Smith is working on preserving original and old sound effects from film. 
• Despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s advice to not reject the state-approved Social Studies Alive! textbook in schools, the Temecula Valley Unified school board voted to ban it again. Now, the district is in jeopardy of losing state funding for not following the law. 
• The 2028 Summer Olympics in L.A. are just around the corner. How is the city preparing for this international event when it comes to transportation, housing and venues? AirTalk’s producer Lucy Copp has the lowdown. 
• Even though most work on productions has stopped due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, the union has given some independent films the clearance to continue rolling. 
• For months (and even years) high schoolers from Southern California and around the U.S. built solar-powered vehicles that could race cross-country in an event called the Solar Car Challenge. Unfortunately, after several staff members tested positive for COVID, they had to cancel the rest of the race. 
• Rental platforms like Zillow are launching a service that will show extra monthly fees that would make a place less affordable for tenants. NPR’s Jennifer Ludden has more details. 
• Netflix earned more than $8 billion in revenue while actors and writers held their strike. How? Netflix officials say it’s because of a recent policy that limits password sharing. 
• Even though illegal U.S.-Mexico border crossings have decreased, Biden administration border policies are being challenged in court. NPR’s Joel Rose has more into why. 
• The Women’s World Cup has started today in Australia and New Zealand. NPR’s Laurel Wamsley has five storylines you should watch out for during this tournament.

Wait... one more thing

Michelin Guide winners include L.A. and Long Beach

Heritage, Long Beach, CA

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Sterling Reed

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Courtesy of Heritage

)

If you’re somewhat educated in the food world, you know getting a Michelin star is a BIG deal. You get major street cred for being known as a restaurant with outstanding *chef’s kiss* cooking.

Well, one restaurant in L.A. County earned that cred for the first time: Heritage in Long Beach, run by siblings Phillip and Lauren Pretty. It earned its first Michelin star — along with a Green star for sustainable practices — in the 2023 Michelin Guide for California.

Other L.A. area winners include Providence in Hollywood, which won for its sustainable seafood cuisine, and Austin Hennelly from Kato in downtown L.A., who won the Exceptional Cocktails award.

Check out the rest of the winners in my colleague Gab Chabrán’s latest article.