Entertainment
Jurassic World to Resume Production in the UK, Spending $5 Million on COVID-19 Safety
Published
3 years agoon

Photo Credit: Universal Studios
- “Jurassic World: Dominion” will resume production in the United Kingdom this July, with a $5 million COVID safety budget.
- Cast and crew will be tested before production starts, there will be daily temperature checks, and masks will be required for everyone except actors who are filming a scene.
- The news that production on the franchise would continue was met with mixed reactions online, as many thought it was too soon for productions to safely reopen.
- A report from several film unions, including the Directors Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild maintained that testing will be key in heading back to set. They did, however, also warn of the inherent risks.
Jurassic World to Resume Production
After filming for “Jurassic World: Dominion” came to a halt in March, it is now slated to be one of the first major studio pictures to resume filming, with a sturdy budget for coronavirus safety measures.
“Jurassic World” is set to pick up filming again in the second week of July in the United Kingdom, according to an exclusive report from Deadline. The film was four weeks into its 20 week shoot when COVID-19 brought most productions to a quick stop. Universal has spared no expense in resuming production for the Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard led film, with Deadline reporting that $5 million will be devoted to health and safety measures.
Thousands of coronavirus tests will be conducted throughout production. Universal has also hired a private medical company called Your Doctor to conduct the testing. Everyone will take one before filming, at various times throughout, and antibody tests will also be administered. Actors and crew like Pratt and Howard, who are currently at home in the United States, will fly to the U.K. and enter isolation before going to set.
In addition to this, cast and crew will have to go through temperature checks before stepping foot on set. Doctors and nurses will also be on site, and 150 hand sanitizers will be put up around the studio. 1,800 signs will also be displayed to remind crews that their numbers are limited in certain areas, and urging them to social distance. On top of this, all staff must undergo a COVID-19 Safety Training program, and everyone must wear masks, except for actors who are filming.
“Anyone with symptoms will be isolated immediately before being sent home,” a Universal production executive told Deadline. “We want to make sure that we are going above and beyond the national protocols to create a safe environment. Cost isn’t our main concern now: it’s safety.”
Reactions to Filming Announcement
Many Hollywood executives have been pushing for productions to reopen and trying to find ways to do so safely. While this is a victory for those who want to see the film industry get the greenlight to reopen, some think it is way too soon.
Actor Bradley Whitford, best known for his roles in “The West Wing” and
“Get Out” said Universal was setting a “dangerous precedent which will endanger crew members.”
Don't. You're an extremely privileged franchise normalizing a dangerous precedent which will endanger crew members who don't have the power you have. https://t.co/7vqVpVo4pi
— Bradley Whitford (@BradleyWhitford) June 16, 2020
Many others found it ironic that a film in the “Jurassic Park” series, which depicts the disaster that can ensue when you don’t listening to clear warnings, would be the first to resume filming.
I feel like there's a movie that warned against tossing money in the face of nature and science, while demonstrating the inevitability of chaos in closed systems. https://t.co/Tag3sDPKwk
— Pablo Gallaga (@Pabably) June 16, 2020
Because if the Jurassic Park movies taught us anything, it's ignore scientist's warnings, natures threats can be subdued by large sums of money. https://t.co/Kf5T1By3Sp
— Jesse McLaren (@McJesse) June 15, 2020
Others believed that with testing as scarce as it is, and with so many in desperate need of medical and financial assistance, that Universal should not be spending millions of dollars on making sure its crew can be repeatedly tested so they can make a movie.
no one wants this, give this money to The Good Fight. i don't care if that's not how it works https://t.co/wMqVDWd40a
— Casey Johnston (@caseyjohnston) June 16, 2020
Uuuuhhhh – that dude in Seattle has a corona hospital bill over 1 million dollars… https://t.co/lvtyyhybCW
— Dave Hanson (@ComicDaveHanson) June 15, 2020
DGA and SAG Release Guidelines
The news came just a few days after film and theater organizations released their own safety guidelines for how productions should resume during coronavirus. In a 37-page document, the Directors Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and International Brotherhood of Teamsters emphasized that testing will be one of the most essential parts of safe film sets.
These unions worked with epidemiologists and other medical experts to develop protocols for heading back to work. While their recommendations were meant to instruct crews on how to prioritize safety right now, they still mentioned that filming at this time comes with risks.
“A working film set provides an exceptional opportunity for virus spread,” the document said, before noting that there are still so many things we do not know about this virus, like if antibodies equate immunity, or if rapid testing is reliable.
Even with testing, the safety guidelines emphasized that there could be massive hurdles should anyone fall ill.
“A single confirmed case would lead to a quarantining of all who came into close contact with that person,” the document read. “This could potentially lead to shooting delays, and—should that person be a key actor/performer or director—to production shutdowns, not to mention the real possibility of illness and death.”
Still, they maintained that “regular, consistent testing” was the best path forward, “based on the best available public health science.”
See what others are saying: (Deadline) (Variety) (The Hollywood Reporter)
Entertainment
Britney Spears Asks For Privacy After Fans Called Cops to Conduct a Wellness Check on Her
Published
2 days agoon
January 26, 2023
Fans said they were concerned after the singer deleted her Instagram account.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was updated to include a statement from Britney Spears
Fans Call 911
Britney Spears said her fans “went a little too far” after some called the police to conduct a wellness check on her.
The fans, many fueled by online conspiracy theories, were concerned about Spears because she deleted her Instagram account. While this is something the singer has done multiple times in the past, her fans thought she had left secret signals in her last post suggesting she needed help.
Some even posted videos of them calling emergency services on TikTok, a platform that is full of conspiracy videos about Spears.
“I love and adore my fans but this time things went a little too far and my privacy was invaded,” Spears wrote in a statement on Thursday, citing “prank phone calls” that were made to police.
— Britney Spears 🌹🚀 (@britneyspears) January 26, 2023
According to Spears, officers did not enter her home because once they got to her gate, they “quickly realized there was no issue and left immediately.”
“This felt like I was being gaslit and bullied once the incident made it to the news and being portrayed once again in a poor and unfair light by the media,” Spears continued. “During this time in my life, I truly hope the public and my fans who I care so much about can respect my privacy moving forward.”
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Ventura County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Page Six that the department “did get calls into our dispatch” but added there was no reason to believe that Spears was “in any kind of harm or any kind of danger.”
That spokesperson declined to say if officials contacted Spears or conducted a wellness check, citing privacy and public trust issues.
The Prominence of Britney Spears Conspiracies
Just over a year has passed since Spears was freed from a highly restrictive conservatorship that controlled her life and finances for 13 years. Throughout the conservatorship, fans tried to use the pop icon’s social media to pick up clues that she was secretly struggling. She did not publicly speak about the conservatorship until the summer of 2021.
Now that she has her freedom, fans are still reading heavily into her posts. Some believe there are hidden messages in her captions and in the gestures she does while dancing. Others think she is dead, missing, or hiding and that a body double is being used in her posts. Some are so concerned that they are coordinating a mass effort to pressure the Los Angeles Times into investigating Spears’ whereabouts and safety.
In the last several years, many have reflected on Spears’ early days in the spotlight and the cruel ways she was harassed and targeted by paparazzi, news outlets, and culture at large. Often the punchline to a joke throughout the 2000s, many now sympathize with Spears, who was forced to endure heavy public scrutiny at a young age. Documentaries like “Framing Britney Spears” prompted many to see Spears as a victim of abusive media tactics, not the “crazy” woman tabloids painted her to be.
Many are now concerned that fans are only going to subject Spears to a new onslaught of harassment by calling the police to her house. Even if the conspiracy theories are technically well-intentioned and often come from a place of concern, some believe they will jumpstart a media frenzy that could harm Spears’ mental well-being.
See what others are saying: (Page Six) (Jezebel) (TMZ)
Entertainment
Razzies Apologize For Nominating 12-Year-Old, Adopt Age Rules For Future Nominations
Published
3 days agoon
January 25, 2023
The group’s founder said the Razzies regret “any hurt” the young actress may have “experienced as a result of our choices.”
Razzies Face Backlash
The Razzie Awards revoked its “insensitive” nomination of 12-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong and added new guidelines banning child performers from being nominated in the future.
The Razzies, which award the year’s worst movies, included Armstrong in its “Worst Actress” lineup for her role in “Firestarter.” Bryce Dallas Howard, Diane Keaton, Kaya Scodelario, and Alicia Silverstone were also nominated in the category.
Armstrong starred alongside Zac Efron in “Firestarter,” an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. The picture received a 10% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
While the film was broadly panned, many thought it was a bridge too far to nominate a child for a bad acting award.
“The Razzies are already mean-spirited & classless, but to nominate a kid is just repulsive & wrong,” child star Julian Hilliard, best known for his work in “WandaVision,” tweeted. “Why put a kid at risk of increased bullying or worse? Be better.”
The razzies are already mean-spirited & classless, but to nominate a kid is just repulsive & wrong. Why put a kid at risk of increased bullying or worse? Be better.
— Julian Hilliard (@_JulianHilliard) January 23, 2023
Actor and podcast host Brandon Hardesty said the nomination was “completely ignorant and cynical.”
The Razzies nominating Ryan Kiera Armstrong for "Worst Actress" is so completely ignorant and cynical I can't wrap my head around it. They have no clue what this can do to a child actress who probably considered her starring role in FIRESTARTER as a high point in her life. (1/7)
— Brandon Hardesty (@Brandon_Hrdesty) January 24, 2023
“They have no clue what this can do to a child actress who probably considered her starring role in FIRESTARTER as a high point in her life,” he wrote.
“That girl was the best part of that mess of a movie,” film critic Shannon McGrew tweeted. “And on top of that, no kid should ever be nominated for an award that punches down on them.”
The Razzies nominating Ryan Kiera Armstrong for Worst Actress as if she was the cause of FIRESTARTER being so bad is hysterical. That girl was the best part of that mess of a movie. And on top of that, no kid should ever be nominated for an award that punches down on them.
— Shannon of the Dead 🧟♀️ (@shannon_mcgrew) January 25, 2023
Nomination Revoked
Razzies founder John Wilson addressed the backlash in a statement to the press on Wednesday, calling the criticism “valid.”
“Sometimes, you do things without thinking, Then you are called out for it. Then you get it,” Wilson said. “It’s why the Razzies were created in the first place.”
“We have removed Armstrong’s name from the Final Ballot that our members will cast next month,” he continued. “We also believe a public apology is owed Ms. Armstrong, and wish to say we regret any hurt she experienced as a result of our choices.”
In addition to removing Armstrong’s nomination, The Razzies is now adopting “a Voting Guideline precluding any performer or film-maker under 18 years of age from being considered” for awards.
“Since our motto is ‘Own Your Bad,’ we realize that we ourselves must also live up to it,” the statement closed.
While Armstrong will be the last child to nab a Razzie nomination, she was far from the first. Jake Lloyd made the list for his turn as young Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.” Gary Coleman and Macaulay Culkin also got nominations as teenagers.
See what others are saying: (Deadline) (The Hollywood Reporter) (People)
Entertainment
SeatGeek CEO Calls to Break up Ticketmaster and Live Nation in Senate Hearing Following Taylor Swift Debacle
Published
4 days agoon
January 24, 2023
“A lack of robust competition in our industry meaningfully stunts innovation, and consumers are who suffer,” Jack Groetzinger said.
Monopoly Concerns
Two months after technical difficulties blocked countless Taylor Swift fans from snagging seats to her tour, a bipartisan group of Senators held a hearing to re-examine the merger between Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
The two entertainment giants merged in 2010. Jack Groetzinger, the CEO of the rival ticket-selling platform SeatGeek, said during Tuesday’s hearing that the two need to be broken up to benefit consumers.
“One, a lack of robust competition in our industry meaningfully stunts innovation, and consumers are who suffer,” he said. “Two, venues fear losing Live Nation concerts if they don’t use Ticketmaster, and three, the only way to restore competition in this industry is to break up Ticketmaster and Live Nation.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) echoed concerns about the lack of competition, arguing that Live Nation is the “definition of monopoly.”
“Live Nation is so powerful that it doesn’t even need to exert pressure, it doesn’t need to threaten, because people just fall in line,” she said.
The Eras Tour Debacle
Ticketmaster has long been accused of price-gouging and complicating the ticket-buying process. Those issues made international headlines in November during the presale for Swift’s highly anticipated Era’s Tour.
Millions of fans who attempted to enter Ticketmaster’s virtual queue walked away empty-handed after experiencing crashes, price inflation, and a myriad of other issues.
According to Ticketmaster, the incredibly high demand, coupled with an onslaught of bot attacks, forced the platform to slow sales down. After the company delayed sales in certain cities and canceled the general sale altogether, Swift called the ordeal “excruciating.”
“We asked them, multiple times, if they could handle this kind of demand and we were assured they could,” she wrote on Instagram in November.
The controversy prompted many to accuse Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, of holding a monopoly over the concert and live events industry. The U.S. Justice Department has opened an antitrust investigation into the entertainment giant.
Ticketmaster Takes Heat
Ticketmaster has repeatedly tried to blame a number of factors for the failed Swift presale, even at one point suggesting the sale was too popular because the “Anti-Hero” singer waited so long to tour.
“May I suggest, respectfully, that Ticketmaster ought to look in the mirror and say, ‘I’m the problem, it’s me,’” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said during the hearing.
Still, the company continued to point the finger at record-breaking bot attacks.
“We knew bots would attack at onsale and planned accordingly. We were then hit with three times the amount of bot traffic that we’d ever experienced,” Live Nation CFO Joe Berchtold said on Capitol Hill.
“The attack requires [us] to slow down and even pause our sales. This is what led to a terrible consumer experience we deeply regret. We apologize to the fans, we apologize to Miss Swift, we need to do better and we will do better,” he continued.
Others present at the hearing were not happy with Live Nation’s bot defense. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said that she has worked with companies in a variety of industries that deal with bots without these issues.
“You know what, they get bot attacks every single day by the thousands. By the thousands,” she said. “And they have figured it out, but you guys haven’t? This is unbelievable.”
“You can’t blame bots for what happened to Taylor Swift,” JAM Productions CEO Jerry Mickelson added. “There’s more to that story that you’re not hearing.”
According to Mickelson, Ticketmaster can actually stand to benefit from glitchy sales on its platform.
“The process, when it’s slowed down, increases the money that Ticketmaster makes because they make money on fees and as the ticket prices go up due to dynamically priced tickets, Ticketmaster makes more off that,” he claimed. “So it’s to their advantage to slow the process down.”
Outrage against Ticketmaster has become so widespread that Sen. Blumenthal said the company was responsible for “an absolutely stunning achievement.”
“You have brought together Republicans and Democrats in an absolutely unified cause.”
See what others are saying: (Axios) (USA Today) (New York Times)

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