Latest news with #Rossum
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
You wouldn't steal a... font: Famous anti-piracy campaign from the early 2000s 'uses pirated typeface'
An iconic anti-piracy advert has come under fire after it was reported that the font used in the campaign was in fact pirated itself. The hyperbolic advert was almost unavoidable during the early 2000s, appearing on DVDs and video cassettes as well as in cinemas. The crime-thriller style video flashes up with sentiments of 'You wouldn't steal a car, you wouldn't steal a handbag' alongside a backdrop of thumping music. It follows with the warning 'Piracy. It's a crime ', designed to strike fear into viewers, giving them second thoughts about burning a copy of the data onto their own disk or tape. However in an incredible twist fit for the movies themselves, social media users have discovered that the font itself was pirated from Just Van Rossum, a Dutch typeface designer. Van Rossum created his FF Confidential font in 1992. It was then illegally cloned and released as the font XBand-Rough, The Times reported. While this font was free, companies were charged for the use of Rossum's original creation. A Bluesky user ran an image from the 'You wouldn't steal a car' campaign through an online software which detects the exact font used. The user discovered that the pirated XBand-Rough was used instead of Rossum's original creation. The creators of the ad campaign are unlikely to have been aware of their font being pirated as it was not common knowledge that the XBand-Rough font was an illegal copy. It is also possible the adverts paid for and used the licensed version of the font. The font's original creator Just Van Rossum told tech news website TorrentFreak that he found the news 'hilarious'. He told the site he was unsure if his font was licensed or whether the cloned version was used for the campaign. He said: 'I knew my font was used for the campaign and that a pirated clone named XBand-Rough existed. I did not know that the campaign used XBand-Rough and not FF Confidential, though. So this fact is new to me, and I find it hilarious.' In the past, reports claimed the music used for the iconic warning was pirated. However these were proven to be false. The advert was discontinued in 2009, five years after its debut. But has lived on in collections for many years since. The clips were replaced with adverts promoting British cinema and thanking viewers for supporting films. MailOnline contacted the organisations behind the adverts, the UK's anti-piracy agency FACT, America's Motion Picture Association and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore.
Forbes
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
HBO Pays All ‘The White Lotus' Stars The Same Amount, But Is That Really A Good Thing?
The White Lotus Credit: HBO The big news around HBO's hit series The White Lotus is that all its regulars are paid the same, regardless of the size of their role or their star status. This means that veterans like Parker Posey and Jason Isaacs and Walton Goggins are paid the same as relative newcomers like Sam Nivola or Tayme Thapthimthong. Reportedly, that amount is $40,000 per episode over the eight episode season, or roughly $320,000 for the six-month shoot in Thailand. 'Everyone is treated the same on The White Lotus," producer David Bernad told The Hollywood Reporter. "They get paid the same, and we do alphabetical billing, so you're getting people who want to do the project for the right reasons, not to quote The Bachelor. It's a system we developed in the first season because there was no money to make the show.' Apparently Woody Harrelson originally auditioned for the role of Rick (Walton Goggins took the role in the end) and wanted to renegotiate the salary, taking his negotiations all the way to the top. He was refused, but initially took the role before turning it down due to scheduling conflicts. The salary is not negotiable, but 'Our series regulars are pretty much doing this for scale,' according to casting director, Meredith Tucker. 'Everyone auditions for The White Lotus,' star Carrie Coon said in the interview. The reaction to this online has been incredibly positive. Equal pay is a big deal in many circles, especially when it comes to the gender gap, so it's understandable that people would be excited to see all the series regulars paid the same amount regardless of their gender or star status. I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, the gender gap is a real issue. On the other hand, so is star status. Someone with a bigger draw, more time in the business, who brings more viewers to a movie or TV show absolutely deserves a paycheck that matches. There was much discussion during the Shameless years of the pay gap between stars Emmy Rossum and William H. Macy. I'm happy that Rossum was able to negotiate equal pay in the end, because after many seasons of that show she was clearly one of its main stars and a big draw in her own right (however frustrating I found her character). I would also argue that Rossum wasn't paid less just because she was a woman and Macy was a man. William H. Macy is a veteran actor and Frank is the reason many people kept coming back to Shameless. You would expect a pay disparity between someone with Macy's status and a relative newcomer like Rossum. I would also hope that over time, that pay gap would decrease. In any case, my question for everyone happy about the equal pay policy on The White Lotus is this: Who really benefits? The answer seems pretty obvious: HBO and Warner Bros. As a writer of online content, I'm almost triggered when I read a line like 'Our series regulars are pretty much doing this for scale.' It reminds me so much of 'writing for exposure.' How many young writers are convinced to trade their hard work and time for 'exposure' in an online publication rather than tangible money? If you pay everyone nothing, it's equal pay, but nobody benefits. Equality isn't necessarily a good thing. It's not like HBO chief Casey Bloys is earning the same amount as the series regulars on The White Lotus. Removing negotiations from actors' contracts might make it 'so much easier' for the producers of the show, but is this actually an unfettered good? Clearly, they're not making peanuts and I'm not suggesting anyone working on the show is getting screwed over, but I also worry about this model because negotiating pay is important in this business. I don't blame Woody Harrelson for trying to work out a better deal. I don't want Hollywood to adopt this model. Everyone earning equal pay without the ability to negotiate salaries sounds like a real gift to the studios and a raw deal for actors in the long run.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Emmy Rossum Signs With WME
EXCLUSIVE: Actress, singer, producer and director Emmy Rossum has signed with WME for representation. Rossum's performance in the indie musical feature Songcatcher (2000) earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Debut Performance. For her portrayal of 'Christine' in the Joel Schumacher-directed feature The Phantom of the Opera (2004) she received a Golden Globe Award nomination, as well as the National Board of Review's Best Female Breakthrough Performance award and the Broadcast Film Critics Association's 'Best Young Actress' award. More from Deadline Jason Bourne Franchise On The Shopping Block; Leaves Universal Ryan Reynolds Slams Justin Baldoni's $400M "Gossip Rag" Suit As 'Deadpool' Star Moves For Dismissal 'Anora' Actor Mark Eydelshteyn Signs With WME She is best known for portraying 'Fiona Gallagher' in Showtime's dark comedy Shameless alongside William H. Macy and Jeremy Allen White for nine seasons. In Season 7, Rossum made her directorial debut in the episode 'I Am The Storm.' Subsequently, she directed episodes of TNT's crime drama Animal Kingdom and Amazon's Modern Love. Last year, Rossum executive produced the series Three Women for Starz, based on the non-fiction book by Lisa Taddeo and starring Shailene Woodley. In 2023, she worked alongside Tom Holland and Amanda Seyfried in the Apple TV+ original series The Crowded Room. She also starred in the Peacock original series Angelyne, which she executive produced through her Composition 8 production banner. Her film credits include working opposite Will Forte and Domhnall Gleeson in the Netflix original film A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018); Comet from writer and director Sam Esmail; Shawn Christensen's Before I Disappear; Warner Bros.' Beautiful Creatures, DARE, Poseidon, The Day After Tomorrow and Mystic River. On stage most recently, Rossum could be seen starring in the off-Broadway production of Amy Berryman's Walden directed by Whitney White. Rossum recorded her first album for Geffen Records, Inside Out' in 2007. Her second album, Sentimental Journey, followed in 2013. She continues to be represented by MGMT Entertainment and attorney Patti Felker.
