From a Grammy Award upgrade to the long wait for new Disney flicks, here's what's happening in entertainment.
McCartney Embraces AI
Paul McCartney, who is a 12-time Grammy award winner, raised a bunch of eyebrows by announcing he'll embrace artificial intelligence and plans to use the tech to create a new music for what he called "the final Beatles record."
He told the BBC that the late John Lennon would be part of the new song after AI was able to extract and recreate his voice from an old demo tape.
"We were able to take John's voice and get it pure through this AI so then we could mix the record as you would. It gives you some sort of leeway," McCartney said.
This isn't the singer's first project with AI. Last year at the Glastonbury Festival in England, McCartney performed a duet with an AI-rendered voice of Lennon titled I've Got A Feeling.
Grammy Changes
The Grammy Awards are expanding and are set to dole out even more trophies at future ceremonies.
The Recording Academy approved the addition of three new categories, including Best African Music Performance, Best Pop Dance Recording and Best Alternative Jazz Album.
"These changes reflect our commitment to actively listen and respond to the feedback from our music community, accurately represent a diverse range of relevant musical genres, and stay aligned with the ever-evolving musical landscape," Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement.
Other changes could have implications on your favorite songwriters and producers. The Producer of the Year and Songwriter of the Year awards have been shifted to the general field, which allows all Grammy voters to decide on a winner rather than just members who practice the same crafts. The implications come in when those not familiar with specific genres cast votes contrary to what has already been deemed "best" by the general public: i.e. Macklemore's 2014 win for 'Best Rap Album.'
Pat Sajak's Exit
After 41 seasons as the host of Wheel of Fortune, 76-year-old Pat Sajak is calling it quits.
The iconic game-show host took to Twitter to break the news and said that the upcoming season would be his last.
[twitter]https://twitter.com/PatOnWheel/status/1668392962534043648?s=20[twitter]
"It's been a wonderful ride, and I'll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. (If nothing else, it'll keep the clickbait sites busy!)," he wrote. The announcement comes just a few years after Sajak snatched the record of longest stand game-show host from the late Bob Barker, who hosted the iconic Price is Right for a staggering 35 years.
The rumor mill has already begun swirling as fans talk about who will replace Sajak. Ryan Seacrest, who has hosted American Idol since 2002, quickly emerged as a contender. Bloomberg reporter Lucas Shaw, who broke the news about Sajak's exit, reported that Seacrest "has been talking to the producers of Wheel of Fortune," and shared speculation that he could be the frontrunner replacement option.
Seacrest does have some time on his hands as he recently departed LIVE with Kelly and Ryan.
Disney Delays
We're beginning to see some of the first major implications of the ongoing Hollywood writers strike.
Disney has reworked the release dates for a slew of highly-anticipated projects as writers take to the picket lines, according to Deadline.
Perhaps the biggest shakeup are the changed release dates for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Captain America: Brave New World, starring Anthony Mackie as Cap't, has been pushed back two months to July 2024, Fantastic Four is scheduled for release in May 2025, Avengers: Kang Dynasty is being held off for an additional year and will hit theaters in May 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars will be released in May 2027.
Other Disney properties impacted by the strikes and delays include Star Wars, Moana, three Avatar films, and Alien.
