Latest news with #Mathers
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Jerry Mathers Reunites with Leave It to Beaver Cast at Fan Event
Jerry Mathers , who became famous for playing Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver during the 1950s series Leave It to Beaver, appeared publicly at the Hollywood Show in Burbank, California, on June 6 and 7. The 77-year-old actor took part in autograph signings and photo ops, getting back together with classic television show fans. The event also included a reunion of the cast from the original show. Mathers was accompanied by Luke "Tiger" Fafara, 80, who portrayed Tooey Brown; Stephen Talbot, 76, who played Gilbert; Veronica Cartwright, 76, who played Violet Rutherford; and Jeri Weil, 77, who played Judy Hensler. Leave It to Beaver initially ran from 1957 to 1963 and continued to be popular throughout decades of syndication. The initial season is now streaming on Peacock. After the show ended, Mathers retired from acting. He went on to high school, where he participated in football, and afterward went into the Air National Guard. Later, he attended the University of California, Berkeley, to study philosophy. While attending Berkeley, a false rumor spread that he had passed away in the Vietnam War and people sent condolence letters and flowers to his family. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Eat 1 Teaspoon Every Night, See What Happens A Week Later [Video] getfittoday Undo Mathers resumed his acting career in 1978, teaming up again with Tony Dow, his on-screen brother Wally, in the stage play Boeing, Boeing in Kansas City, Missouri. The two then performed in The New Leave It to Beaver, a revival that ran from 1983 to 1989. The majority of the original cast reprised their roles in the revival, aside from Hugh Beaumont, who portrayed Beaver's father and died in 1982. Tony Dow died in 2022, and Barbara Billingsley, who portrayed the Cleaver family matriarch, died in 2010.
The National
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
John Swinney responds to 'controversial' ScotRail AI voiceover
The Government-owned train operator recently rolled out 'Iona', an AI voice on some routes, which replaced older messages recorded by Mathers since 2005. While established Scottish voiceover artist and actress Gayanne Potter is seeking 'an apology from ScotRail and an acknowledgement they have made a mistake' when basing "Iona" on recordings she made in 2021 without her consent, Mathers revealed to The National she also had no knowledge of the AI rollout. ScotRail later told Mathers's agent which trains the AI has now been rolled out on and contracted the actress for another six months of usage. READ MORE: I've voiced ScotRail trains for 20 years. No one told me AI was replacing me During FMQs on Thursday, Tory MSP Sandesh Gulhane asked the First Minister about the issue, to which John Swinney said Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop had told him ScotRail were "fixing it", referring to the voiceover. Gulhane said: "ScotRail is owned by the Scottish Government, yet it has chosen to use an AI voice, instead of employing a Scottish voice actor. "Is this how the Scottish Government supports actors?" Responding to Gulhane, Swinney said: "ScotRail have taken forward a development and I understand it has caused some controversy. "I'm sure ScotRail is engaging constructively with all concerned. "I think sometimes, these things just need careful handling, and I'm sure ScotRail will be doing exactly that. "The Transport Secretary tells me they're fixing it, so they'll be fixing it." ScotRail has been contacted for comment. READ MORE: Union slams Scottish companies using voice data without consent for new AI announcers SNP MSP Ben Macpherson has earlier highlighted Netflix's experience of filming Department Q — a drama currently ranked number one in the UK — in Edinburgh, asking the First Minister what was being done to encourage the growth of Scotland's film industry. Swinney said: "I welcome very much the investments that were made surrounding Department Q. I think it's been a tremendous success, and will be a great advert and showcase for our country. He added: "We have increased the budget for Screen Scotland and of course, the screen strategy that was published last year outlines an ambitious plan to grow the sector further and to combine international investment with increased support for emerging Scottish producers and local creative originations."
The National
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
I've voiced ScotRail trains for 20 years. No one told me AI was replacing me
Fletcher Mathers, a Scottish voiceover artist and actress with credits on Shetland and Taggart, has told The National she was sent a recording of the AI announcer by her friend who asked if she had been replaced. The Government-owned train operator recently rolled out 'Iona', an AI voice on some routes, which replaced older messages recorded by Mathers since 2005. READ MORE: SNP's 2026 candidates 'ignore' grassroots independence campaigners While established Scottish voiceover artist and actress Gayanne Potter is seeking 'an apology from ScotRail and an acknowledgement they have made a mistake' when basing "Iona" on recordings she made in 2021 without her consent, Mathers has revealed she also had no knowledge of the AI rollout. 'I got a WhatsApp message from a friend, an audio message, and she just went, 'listen to this,' and she was on the train. She recorded the voiceover on the train and let me hear it. 'And that's the first I knew that they were looking at changing over to AI,' Mathers shared. 'To be honest, after 20 years, it was a bit hurtful that they hadn't informed me that they were changing. 'I get things are moving in that direction. But I think we have be really careful about it and just let people know. Let people know if their voices are going to be taken over by AI.' Mathers then got in touch with her agent, who went to ScotRail and asked if their client was now out of a contact. ScotRail told Mather's agent which trains the AI has now been rolled out on and contracted the actress for another six months of usage. 'I think that was the compromise that ScotRail and my agent came to: That I would be paid for six months of usage,' Mathers, originally from just outside Perth, explained, adding: 'There's not much I can do. I do the voiceover, and I love that job. 'That's a third of my life I've been the voice on ScotRail. I don't take it for granted. I love the job. I think it's quite a privilege to do that job to be the voice that so many people hear.' Passengers also don't take her for granted. One 21-year-old man wrote to Mathers thanking her 'on behalf of all passengers' for her voice making him feel cared for when his living situation didn't feel safe as a child. A woman also got in touch and thanked her for keeping her company when travelling to her husband who was undergoing chemotherapy in hospital. Mathers shared: 'She said 'I never felt lonely because I felt as if you were with me on the train,' and that's a lovely thing for someone to say. They would no one will say that with an AI voice.' READ MORE: Pat Kane: Language really matters if we're to save ourselves from AI overlords Mathers isn't necessarily upset about the move to AI, but the way in which it has been handled for all involved. She stressed her support for Potter as well as voiceover artist Diane Brooks — a second Scottish woman who has discovered a synthetic version of her voice being used, this time on Edinburgh bus operator Lothian Buses. 'I know I'm not there forever. I thought what might happen is they may go with a male Scots voice after me. I didn't know that it would be so quickly to AI." From what Mathers understands, the AI's possibly not quite ready, and she doubts it's ability to pronounce words in Scots. 'I would like them to wait until it's ready. I haven't heard much of it, but I'm not sure it's good on the 'CH' pronunciation in Scots. Mathers works with Braw Clan, a Scots language theatre company, to create plays in Scots for audiences in Clydesdale and southern Scotland. "We cannot put out an AI system that mispronounces key aspects of the Scots language. And this is a national company — it's important," she said. 'Its intonation pattern doesn't sound quite right. So why not wait until it's ready? 'It feels rushed and feels kind of lurched towards it.' She added: "Let's just stop for a moment and think, take a more considered and careful path moving forward, a path on which which people own their own body and voice, a path in which multinationals pay for their voiceovers in a fair and just manner, a path in which people are informed in advance if their work is being replaced by AI. "Let's simply be human, be thoughtful and respectful to everyone involved. That's surely the answer." The rail operator has told media it does not intend to remove the AI voice from its trains. A sign of changing times Since originally recording announcements two decades ago with the team who rolled out the voiceover on the Hong Kong underground, Mathers has intermittently recorded and re-recorded updated lines. Around 10 years ago, Mathers changed agent and ScotRail struggled to get in touch with her. 'But they sought me out for that continuity,' Mathers stressed, comparing the contrasting treatment she has faced in the last week. 'If I'd been the announcer on them for two years or five years, maybe even seven years, then fair enough, but I've been there for 20 years.' Mathers has still not been contacted by anyone from ScotRail and is in the dark on whether her voice will disappear suddenly from the trains. 'I hope they use both,' she said, referring to human voices and AI, adding: 'I think there's a place for both. I think, for example, when you arrive at a station, I could say, 'you are now arriving in Edinburgh Waverley,' or whatever, and then if there's a delay or something changes, AI could be helpful in updating that.' READ MORE: Labour's migration crackdown will shrink UK economy, expert analysis says 'Even if AI can say the words right, it doesn't have the same feeling. It's that connection that matters." When The National approached ScotRail, a spokesperson said: 'ScotRail has been in contact with Fletcher Mathers' agent and confirmed that her voice would be used on all of the remaining trains in our fleet until at least December 2025.' The voice, 'Iona,' is the same that will be used on a remote real time system currently being developed for future use, the operator shared. They added: 'Place names and words can be entered phonetically. Milngavie is input as Mill-guy, Achnasheen as Akna-sheen for instance. This ensures that ScotRail staff have control over the current pronunciation of stations throughout the country. "It has been used on the class 156 fleet for small additional announcements in relation to East Kilbride, and also on the HST trains for announcements to advise of things like single door operation.'
Daily Record
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Ryder Cup star's backup golf caddy banks whopping £270,000 after answering late SOS
The back-up hopped onto the Austrian's bag after an SOS shout at the beginning of the week from the Ryder Cup star Lucky caddy Drew Mathers is in line for a staggering £270,000 windfall after Sepp Straka's late call-up to the Truist. The back-up hopped onto the Austrian's bag after an SOS shout at the beginning of the week from the Ryder Cup star. Straka 's regular caddy Duane 'Dewey' Bock was unable to do his work at the event after sustaining a back injury. Bock was in attendance, but couldn't carry the clubs and the European star had to call upon his pal Mathers to do the business. Straka made the trip worthwhile for his mate as he stormed to victory at the Philadelphia Cricket Club to grab a second PGA Tour title of the year, the fourth of his career, and charge up into the World No.9 spot in the rankings. With caddy rewards normally 10 per cent of a player's winnings, that could mean a cheeky dollop of the £2.7 million winnings heading to Mathers. Just three weeks ago, the same thing happened with Joe Greiner, who was called up by Justin Thomas to assist him after an injury to his regular looper Mark Minister. Greiner carried the clubs through Thomas' win at the RBC Heritage before moving back into a full-time with Collin Morikawa. On Mathers' selection, Straka said: 'I reached out to Drew, who I play golf with a lot in Birmingham and he immediately hopped on a flight and was up here ready to go. I've played a lot of golf with him, so it was very comfortable being beside him and it was a lot of fun having him on the bag, really. "Dewey's been here all week supporting us and just really grateful for those two guys, Dewey was also there to hug me on the 18th green.' You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also on WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
CBS News
24-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Eye hospital in Philadelphia to give free screenings on Diabetic Eye Screening Day
Free screenings to help prevent vision loss for people with diabetes are happening this Saturday at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia on Diabetic Eye Screening Day. Jack Mathers gets routine treatments for his eyes to protect the vision he has left. "If I'm looking at five letters, the one in the middle is missing," he said. Diabetes caused his vision loss. "I was worried, am I not going to be able to drive, am I not going to be able to do my job?" he said. He works on a computer all day and didn't know that diabetes is the most common cause of blindness in working-age Americans. "Which is a tragedy because so much of it is preventable," said Dr. James Vander, retina specialist at Wills Eye Hospital. Vander said diabetic retinopathy is treatable when caught early, but that often doesn't happen. "The most common reason for vision loss in diabetes is swelling of the retina," Vander said. "There are many diabetics with significant eye damage who have no idea they're in trouble." That's what happened to one Eagles fan who lives in Roxborough. "It kinda crept up on me, I didn't realize it was happening," said Mathers. Vander said it's fortunate that Mathers was eventually diagnosed. Many others aren't. "We see people who have vibrant, fulfilling lives who now can't drive, cant work, can't read, can't take care of themselves because they let it go too long," Vander said. Vander and the team at Wills Eye Hospital aim to change that with a yearly event that's happening Saturday. It now includes several locations. In Pennsylvania, April 26 has officially become known as Diabetic Eye Screening Day. "If we can get these people to come in, then we have a chance to help them," Vander said. It's a quick and easy eye exam for people with diabetes that could save their vision. You have to make an appointment for the Saturday screening at Wills Eye Hospital.
