The approach of Halloween brings an influx of horror to television and streaming, and this year the offerings have a classic appeal: reboots of “Chucky” on Syfy and USA , “Day of the Dead” on Syfy and of “I Know What You Did Last Summer” on Amazon Prime Video. But if the familiar delights of those franchises — and the campiness or melodrama that come with them — don’t appeal to you, here are a few recent or coming series that are scary with a difference. ‘ Midnight Mass ’ This is the third horror mini-series Mike Flanagan has created for Netflix, following “The Haunting of Hill House” (based on the Shirley Jackson novel) and “The Haunting of Bly Manor” (based on Henry James’s “The Turn of the Screw”). “Midnight Mass” has the same emphasis on chilly, foreboding atmosphere as the earlier shows, but it seems to benefit from not being tied to a specific literary source. (There’s a general aura of Stephen King.) Especially in its early episodes, it feels looser and quirkier and … [Read more...]

David Letterman is preparing to return to television in his first continuing series since stepping down as the host of CBS’s “Late Show” in 2015. Netflix announced on Tuesday that it had picked up a new show from Mr. Letterman, the comedian and broadcaster. Each hourlong episode of the series, which will run for six episodes next year, will feature a long-form interview between Mr. Letterman and a guest, as well as segments in which he explores the wider world. Mr. Letterman said on Tuesday in a phone interview that ever since he signed off from his “Late Show” duties, “Everybody would come to me and say, ‘What do you want to do?’ And I kept saying, ‘Well, jeez, I did what I wanted to do.’” But his new series, which does not yet have a title, “feels like exactly what I want at this stage of my life,” he added. In his 33-year tenure as a late-night host, Mr. Letterman, 70, pushed the format well beyond the boundaries established by predecessors like Johnny Carson, the … [Read more...]

BOSTON (CBS) – Boston City Councilors Annissa Essaibi George and Michelle Wu faced off in their first televised debate in Boston’s mayoral race Wednesday night on WBZ-TV. The candidates discussed topics including police reform, housing and education. Asked about closing the opportunity gap in Boston Public Schools, Essaibi George highlighted her time as a teacher. READ MORE: WATCH: Boston Mayoral Candidates Debate On WBZ-TV And CBSN Boston “Good enough as it relates to our education system, as it relates to my responsibility as a parent is not good enough,” said Essaibi George. “As a teacher, I know how to do this work. You want to fix the Boston Public Schools, hire a teacher, I’ll get it done.” Wu, who has two children in Boston schools, said she is personally invested in the issue. Boston mayoral candidates Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George, with moderator Jon Keller, prepare for to debate on WBZ-TV. (WBZ-TV) “We need to ensure that in this Mecca of … [Read more...]

Ray Fosse, the TV color commentator and former player for the Oakland A's, died Wednesday after a long battle with cancer, the team announced . He was 74. "The Oakland A's are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Ray Fosse," the A's posted on Twitter. "Few people epitomize what it means to be an Athletic more than Ray. He was the type of franchise icon who always made sure every player, coach, colleague, and fan knew that they were part of the Oakland A's family." We’ll miss you, Ray. pic.twitter.com/0MWrUzL3iK — Oakland A's (@Athletics) October 14, 2021 Fosse, who had been the color analyst for the A's radio and television broadcasts since 1986, alongside longtime play-by-play announcer Glen Kuiper and fellow analyst Dallas Braden, stepped away from his duties in August after revealing that he had been diagnosed with cancer 16 years ago. The 12-year Major League Baseball catcher played for Oakland from 1973 to 1975, winning two World Series with the team … [Read more...]

OAKLAND (CBS SF) — The Oakland A’s TV analyst Ray Fosse revealed Thursday he was battling cancer and would be stepping away from the broadcast booth. Fosse, the former All Star catcher, has served as the color analyst for the A’s radio and television broadcasts since 1986. READ MORE: COVID: Bay Area Pediatricians Already Prepare As FDA Considers Authorizing Vaccine For Kids Ages 5-11 “Along with my wife of 51 years, Carol, today we share that I have been silently battling cancer for the past 16 years,” he said. “Given my current medical condition, I am taking a step away from the A’s and NBC Sports California effective immediately, to focus on my treatment and to be with my family during this time.” “My wife, Carol, and I extend our gratitude to the baseball community, and community at large, for your thoughts and prayers.” READ MORE: Body Clock Boost: Afternoon Exercise May Provide An Edge For Getting In Shape, Researchers Say The Oakland A’s and NBC Sports California … [Read more...]

Few cultural experiences can be as surreal as stumbling upon a dubbed Hollywood movie. There's the cartoonish lip movements. The mistimed action. The strange baritone that doesn't sound at all like you remember Tom Hanks sounding. It turns out that after many decades a new class of startups is hoping to address this unintentional performance art. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, they aim to make the dubbing process more efficient and more natural, part of a movement that is coming to be known as "auto-dubbing." The implications could be sweeping. In the grand vision of auto-dubbers, any piece of video content will one day be available in a custom language at the flick of a button - and, even better, fully feel like the original. The resulting world would be one of seamless interchangeability: a piece of entertainment would emanate not from a particular place but pop up unexpectedly as the seeming creation of whatever language its viewer wants to watch it. As … [Read more...]