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In the Zagar & Evans pop song classic In the Year 2525, the duo sang of a year where “some machine is doing that for you.” Voice-over actors, welcome to the future. A company called Sonantic has created what it claims is the first artificial intelligence voice models that sound genuinely human and capable of expressing “a wide range of complex human emotions, from fear and sadness to joy and surprise.” Gaming producers like Obsidian Entertainment, Splash Damage and 4A Games are  already on board with the technology, which is in use from development through post-production. The concept is similar to CGI for audio. Human, realistic voice tech is in its infancy, but along with this brave new frontier is a new opportunity for voiceover artists – banking their words for future use. Related Story Warner Bros International Enlists AI Specialist Cinelytic, Mostly For Distribution Data - CES Actors interested in creating voice models spend a few hours in the … [Read more...] about Sonantic Brings Artificial Intelligence To New Path For Voice-Overs

In a panel appearance Tuesday at CES in Las Vegas, a pair of top WarnerMedia execs offered a few new insights into HBO Max , the company’s subscription streaming offering set to debut in May. Chief Technology Officer Jeremy Legg and EVP and GM of Direct-to-Consumer Andy Forssell painted a somewhat more detailed picture of the $15-a-month service than was offered last October at the company’s investor day. Legg said one of the goals of the new platform’s user experience will be to eliminate what he called the “endless scroll” of many existing streaming, through a mix of tech tools and human curation. Also, the aim is to target mobile devices with an interface that is more “swipey” and less grid-oriented than those of competitors. (“Is that a word?” he joked.) Related Story 'The Runaway Bunny' Trailer: Tracee Ellis Ross Narrates HBO Max Animated Special Based On Classic Children's Book Moderator Sara Fischer of Axios asked which shows could potentially … [Read more...] about WarnerMedia Execs Talk HBO Max’s “Swipey” Interface, Distribution Plan, State Of HBO – CES

Getty Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is a trailblazer -- so says the Hollywood Critics Association that labeled him as such -- but D.J. says the real trailblazer was his pops. Johnson accepted the HCA's Trailblazer Award Friday night via Zoom, of course, and he got pretty emotional. Dwayne says he felt super lucky to be in a position of privilege where he could make people feel good. He's done that in a big way, working with the Make-A-Wish Foundation for a long, long time. He was also honored for the donations he's made to frontline workers and first responders. The former wrestling champ dedicated the award to his dad, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, who passed away a year ago at age 75.  Dwayne called his dad a real trailblazer, and then went on to describe their relationship as "complicated" -- "Father and son, tough love, tough love." Dwayne says his dad did all he could do to make people go home feeling happy. Congrats on the award!!! … [Read more...] about Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Dedicates Trailblazer Award to Dad

Sara Nelson believes in solidarity: When she speaks, she talks about collectivity, of worker power, of bread and roses. As the head of the American Flight Attendants, Nelson, who started working as a flight attendant for United Airlines in 1996, can wield strength in numbers — the union represents over 50,000 workers at 20 different airlines. During the Trump era, it meant standing up to the former president on immigrant family separation and the 2019 federal government shutdown . Under a new administration, Nelson is looking to a brighter labor future in America, as she believes the movement will capitalize on autoworkers’ and teachers’ strike victories, and an evolving sense of urgency among the working class. Related Stories Texas and Mississippi Say It's Time to Reopen Without Masks. Live Venues Say No Thanks Steam Clean: Using a Steamer Can Help Kill Germs and Bacteria, but Can It Kill Covid? Related Stories The 50 Greatest Rock … [Read more...] about Solidarity in the Skies, and Everything Beneath: Sara Nelson on How to Build a Better Country

In the latest socially distanced episode of our Useful Idiots podcast, hosts Matt Taibbi and Katie Halper are joined by Stella Moris, a lawyer and the life partner of Julian Assange . Matt and Katie discuss a recent Twitter thread by Dr. Sarah T. Roberts of UCLA, in which she laments the fall of journalistic integrity by reporters and writers moving to Substack. “I worry about this because it’s this whole idea that alternative media, which has already taken such a huge hit in the last 20 or 30 years… all the content is being driven to these big, centralized, largely national news organizations. And it’s consolidating more and more. And those news organizations are becoming more and more like each other all the time,” says Matt. Related Stories Joe Biden Inherited the Forever War. Will He Give it Away? Biden Prepares Major Changes to Immigrant Family Detention Centers Related Stories Chasteness, Soda Pop, and Show Tunes: The Lost Story of … [Read more...] about ‘Useful Idiots’: Julian Assange’s Partner Stella Moris on WikiLeaks, Concealing Their Pregnancy