Updated every Friday 12:00 PM
September 6 - September 12

APPLE TV
Apple TV+ announced “Widow’s Bay,” a new 10-episode series from creator Katie Dippold (“The Heat,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Ghostbusters”), with Emmy Award winner Hiro Murai (“Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” “The Bear,” “Atlanta”) set to direct the pilot. “Widow’s Bay” is about a mysteriously cursed New England island and its superstitious citizens, led by a mayor who refuses to believe their warnings...

Four made-for-TV Planet of the Apes movies from 1980 are now streaming online, the first time they have been available for viewing since a DVD set was released nearly two decades ago. The four films are actually compilations of episodes from the 1974 CBS Planet of the Apes live-action series. The four films are currently streaming for free on YouTube's Movie Channel, and unlike previous bootleg versions of the films available online, these are official releases from Fox/Disney. The series was filmed at the Fox Ranch, and utilized many of the same Ape Village sets as the films. The makeup and costumes were the same as the films as well, but ratings were never very high. It was canceled after only 14 episodes in December of 1974...

Fans looking for the ultimate Ghostbuster decoration this Halloween can now pre-order the inflatable Hook & Ladder Company 8 firehouse from HalloweenCostumes.com for a locked-in price of $349.99, with a standard 4–6-day shipping cost of $11.99. Orders will ship at the beginning of October, so Halloween enthusiasts looking to spruce up their lawn will have plenty of time to display it during the spooky season. The inflatable Hook & Ladder Company 8 firehouse decoration that replicates the set-piece seen in the Ghostbusters franchise that you can actually walk into. First appearing in the 1984 movie as the dilapidated headquarters of everyone’s favorite ghost hunting quartet, the firehouse is still in use today by the FDNY, and is a hot spot for tourists and film enthusiasts looking to capture pictures of themselves in front of its Manhattan location....

An artificial intelligence researcher analyzes Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey for accurate AI depictions. The 1968 Stanley Kubrick movie starring Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, and Daniel Richter is based on a short story by sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke. The movie follows Dr. Dave Bowman (Dullea) and other astronauts as they embark on a mysterious mission. As time goes on, their ship’s computer system, HAL, begins to exhibit increasingly strange behavior. The 1968 film is based on a short story by sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke, which was written in 1948. The likelihood the AI aspects of the short story or film were going to be highly accurate to the year 2001 was incredibly low, though the beginning of the film is considered accurate by some experts. Luccioni’s 2/10 rating for AI accuracy feels appropriate and unsurprising. However, Luccioni made one comment about her rating that stood out to us: “We’re not there yet.” 2001: A Space Odyssey isn’t accurate for the year 2024, but perhaps it will be in the future...

George R.R Martin has made good on his promise to detail “everything wrong” with HBO’s House of the Dragon. The author and Dragon executive producer has posted a candid chronicle of his concern about the fantasy drama, giving readers a rare glimpse of behind-the-scenes creative friction of a major TV series. Martin essentially said on his blog that co-creator and showrunner Ryan Condal has made a key change from Martin’s book Fire & Blood that he strongly disagreed with. In Martin’s view, this change has already weakened the adaptation in season two and will cause much greater problems in seasons three and four (Condal has said the show will end with season four). Martin post was deleted within hours, HBO then issued a statement about Martin’s comments, and Condal is seemingly addressing the riff on the show’s podcast...

The Cherokee Nation has unveiled plans to open the first tribally operated film education program: The Cherokee Film Institute. Launched through its filmmaking arm Cherokee Film, CFI is a 120-hour program designed to educate aspiring filmmakers in below-the-line production in hopes of bolstering the entertainment workforce within the Cherokee Nation and across its home state of Oklahoma. Although CFI was primarily created to help Native Americans pursue careers in entertainment, it’s open to any person over 18. “We continue to illustrate that Native stories are best told by those with authentic perspectives. Empowering a talented Native workforce is essential to ensuring Native Americans are seen, heard and respected within this growing industry,” said Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., Cherokee Nation Principal. “This is more than a place of learning; it is a place of empowerment and a solution to a problem. Native misrepresentation stops here.”...