Youths And More

  Clare Cunningham performed at Iron and Oak Event Center on Thursday, June 20. Irish-born singer-songwriter Clare Cunningham is an independent, award-winning artist who spans across a multitude of genres. She made her Grand Ole Opry debut in 2023 and recently won The World Entertainment Awards for Best New Artist and Christian Song of the Year in 2023

  After most studios balked at the idea of releasing Ali Abassi’s “The Apprentice” — the Cannes-premiered Donald Trump movie — it is finally close to being bought by Briarcliff Entertainment. A fall U.S. release will be set up for it (via The Dish ). Abassi has been quite vocal about how no studio wanted to touch his film, he even went on social media to vent his frustrations and retweeted a Matt Belloni X post that said, “Remember when Hollywood wasn’t filled with total wusses?” Just to recap, the big four streamers (Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ and Apple) all passed on “The Apprentice.” So did Neon, Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics, Focus, A24, HBO and Lionsgate. They were all a firm NO. I thought maybe Vertical or Ketchup would be interested in purchasing the film, and definitely didn’t expect Briarcliffe to be in the running. “The Apprentice” cost $20M to produce, so the film’s producers wanted some, if not all, of the costs to be covered if any sell were to happen. I’m sure,...

  k-ID , a startup headquartered in Singapore and Seattle that’s building tools for online youth safety, announced Tuesday that it raised a $45 million Series A funding round. Billed as a “global compliance engine,” the k-ID suite is designed to help game developers comply with age-related regulations. It also lets parents customize their children’s online experience, both on the internet and in participating networks like online gaming. k-ID aims to address a developing issue in international media markets. In several countries, such as the U.K. and Australia, government regulators have started methods of “age assurance,” in attempts to keep children and teenagers away from inappropriate material. The types of international regulation that our technology touches is largely focused on age-appropriate experience and features,” said Aakash Mandhar, k-ID’s Seattle-based CTO. Mandhar continued: “As an example, in Belgium loot boxes in games are prohibited … while in Aust...

  Murtha’s vivid black-and-white photographs acutely capture neglected elements of working class life. Admirers of Murtha’s work have expressed amazement at how she managed to attain such intimacy with her subjects. The answer is bound up with her own background. Tish   –a documentary  about the life and extraordinary work of photographer Patricia Anne “Tish” Murtha was recently screened  Murtha was born in 1956, the third of 10 children of Irish descent, and grew up on a poor council estate in Elswick in the South Shields area of Newcastle in the north east of England. One of Murtha’s sisters recalls how their mother tried her best to encourage her children to be creative in difficult circumstances. Her early skill with a camera was recognised at college and prompted her in 1976 to go to the University of Wales, Newport. She studied at the School of Documentary Photography, set up by Magnum Photos member and documentary photographer David Hurn....

  who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Red Curtain Theatre in Conway did for the past few weekends while trying to save Bikini Bottom with two different casts for THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL: YOUTH EDITION June 14-23. There was laughter, there was singing, and each show had a special guest bringing the news about the impending doom. Fun was had by all.  Based on the series by Stephen Hillenburg with Book by  Kyle Jarrow , Spongebob (Davis Chrysler/ Farrah Sherman) is ready to prove that he is management material, even though Mr. Krabs (Reagan Kelley/Max Thrasher) thinks of him as “just a simple sponge.” Then, the news of the volcano about to explode puts the town in a panic. Sandy (Reagan Madsen/Sydney Madsen) believes she can use science to stop the volcano, but the town turns against her. However, Spongebob believes in her and wants to help her stop the explosion and recruits Patrick (Isaac Abel/Conner Moyer) to help them on their quest. Meanwhile, Plan...

  The recipients — students and alumni from the Northeastern community — were selected by a panel of judges and will receive a total of $500,000 in funding.  The Innovator Awards, now in their fourth year, have provided more than $1.32 million in funding to over 100 changemakers. The awards are unique in that the money goes to the individual entrepreneur, not their venture, with the intent of investing in the next generation of entrepreneurs and offering them the network of support they need to be successful. More than 100 applications were received this year as the program was expanded to include the Roux Institute Founder Residency program and the Lab of Inclusive Entrepreneurship. “Our students and alumni never cease to impress, inspire and energize me,” says Diane Nishigaya MacGillivray, Northeastern’s senior vice president for university advancement and founder of Women Who Empower. “This group — our current and past innovator recipients — truly represent the best of Nort...