Meta and X questioned by lawmakers over lack of rules against AI-generated political deepfakes
US Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke of New York sent a letter Thursday to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and X CEO Linda Yaccarino expressing “serious concerns” about the emergence of AI-generated political ads on their platforms and asking each to explain any rules they’re crafting to curb the harms to free and fair elections.
Wes Anderson on his new '50s-set film 'Asteroid City,' AI and all those Tik Tok videos
“Asteroid City" is among Anderson’s most charmingly chock-full creations, a much-layered, ’50s-set fusion of science fiction, midcentury theater and about a hundred other influences ranging from Looney Tunes to “Bad Day at Black Rock.”.
New this week: 'Outer Banks,' Adam Lambert, 'Snowfall'
This week’s new entertainment releases include the arrival of a new Dierks Bentley album, the unveiling of Sony’s PlayStation VR2 virtual reality headset and Tom Hanks landing on video on demand as a despondent and ornery widower in “A Man Called Otto."
New this week: John Legend, ‘Serpent Queen’ and ‘Pinocchio’
This week’s new entertainment releases include fresh music from John Legend and Kane Brown, Samantha Morton stars as the 16th-century queen Catherine de Medici in an edgy Starz series and a race between two upcoming “Pinocchio” films begins with Robert Zemeckis’ adaptation.
'Elvis,' 'Top Gun' tie for box-office crown with $30.5M each
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley biopic “Elvis” shook up theaters with an estimated $30.5 million in weekend ticket sales, but — in a box-office rarity — “Elvis” tied “Top Gun: Maverick,” which also reported $30.5 million, for No. 1 in theaters.
Back to normal? Cannes Film Festival prepares to party
After the 2020 Cannes Film Festival was canceled by the pandemic and the 2021 edition was scaled back — even kisses were forbade on the red carpet — the lavish French Riviera cinema soiree is set to return with a festival that promises to be something like normal.
AP Was There: The surreal first day of the pandemic
On the day the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic, Koloud “Kay” Tarapolsi reflected the views of many people when she told an Associated Press reporter: “If we avoid each other and listen to the scientists, maybe in a few weeks it will be better."
Baldwin was told gun was ‘cold’ before movie set shooting, court records show
Hours before actor Alec Baldwin fired a fatal gunshot from a prop gun that he had been told was safe, seven camera crew members for the movie he was filming walked off the job to protest conditions and production issues that included safety concerns.
Oscars surprises, snubs include Glenn Close, ‘Da 5 Bloods’
It’s a rare year when most of the Oscar nomination surprises are good ones, but 2020 was also a rare year for moviegoing and awards campaigns. Here’s our rundown of the snubs and surprises in the 93rd Academy Award nominations. FEMALE DIRECTORS GET THEIR SHOTFor 92 Academy Awards, only 5 women had ever been nominated for best director and never more than one in the same year. This year, the dubious honor goes to Glenn Close for her portrayal of Mamaw in Ron Howard’s adaptation of J.D. Starring Mads Mikkelsen, the film was well received, but seemed like a long shot for the major Oscars categories.
After pandemic year, weary world looks back — and forward
The country of 60 million people has had more than 1.5 million confirmed cases, including more than 50,000 deaths. They probably have that virus.”AdMore than once during the pandemic, Kuo and others in her family encountered that kind of racism. Kuo recalls being constantly stressed; it seemed grocery store shelves were always out of basic foods and toilet paper. Or her 1½-year-old brother, who has grown from an infant into a toddler in the course of the pandemic, opens her bedroom door. A year from now, on March 11, 2022, she pictures herself doing all the things she missed in this endless pandemic year.
The Latest: Alaska opens vaccines to all 16 or older
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker shows Alaska leading states in the percentage of its population to have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Larry Hogan said Tuesday, citing improving COVID-19 health metrics and increasing vaccinations. It was unclear what authority state officials might be able to exert on federal facilities. — County health officials in Wyoming have detected the coronavirus variant that originated in South Africa. Another 16 million doses are expected to be shipped by the end of the month.
Academy Museum to honor Sophia Loren, Haile Gerima at gala
Director Haile Gerima appears at the 65th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Sept. 2, 2008, left, and Sophia Loren arrives at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles on Oct. 27, 2019. Loren and independent filmmaker Haile Gerima will be honored with special awards by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. (Photos by Andrew Medichini/AP, left, and Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 4PM ET/1PM PTThe Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is assembling a star-studded cast for its opening gala in September. Italian screen legend Sophia Loren and independent filmmaker Haile Gerima will be honored with special awards, and Tom Hanks, Annette Bening and Bob Iger are being saluted for their efforts to raise $388 million for the long gestating museum, the organization said Monday. Designed by architect Renzo Piano, The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is located at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in the historic Saban Building.
Fonda says Hollywood needs more diversity after Globes honor
In this video grab issued Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, by NBC, Jane Fonda accepts the Cecil B. deMille Award at the Golden Globe Awards. (NBC via AP)LOS ANGELES – Just like in her career, Jane Fonda used the Golden Globes’ platform to speak on deeper issues calling for greater diversity in Hollywood while praising the “community of storytellers” as she accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award. While wearing an all-white suit, Fonda raised the Globes’ highest honor above her head Sunday before commending storytellers for their vital role in troubled times. She is the daughter of Oscar winner Henry Fonda, who died in 1982, and sister of Peter Fonda, who died in 2019. She launched IndieCollect’s Jane Fonda Fund for Women Directors, an organization aimed to support the restoration of films helmed by women from around the world.
William McRaven adapts bestseller 'Make Your Bed' for kids
FILE - In this Aug. 21, 2014, file photo, William McRaven addresses the Texas Board of Regents in Austin, Texas. McRaven, the retired U.S. Navy admiral who directed the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, is continuing his career as an author. McRaven is adapting his best-selling Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life ... And Maybe the World for younger audiences. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers announced Monday that McRaven's Make Your Bed With Skipper the Seal will come out Oct. 12. William McRaven is adapting his best-selling “Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life ... And Maybe the World” for younger audiences.
Kate Hudson in, Spike Lee out and more Golden Globe chaos
From the Kate Hudson movie that no one has heard of to the very awkward shut out of Spike Lee, here’s a look at some of the biggest surprises of the morning. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who wasn’t surprised to hear Kate Hudson’s name announced among the best actress nominees. Lee’s acclaimed Vietnam drama “Da 5 Bloods” was expected to be a shoo-in for any number of categories: Best picture, best director, best actor for Delroy Lindo or supporting actor for Chadwick Boseman, who died last year. The Globe nominations also tested our understanding of what constitutes a film with some interesting categorizations and nominations, putting Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” anthology film series in a television category. The filmed “Hamilton” performance on Disney+, meanwhile, was eligible in the film categories and picked up two nominations.
Jane Fonda to receive Golden Globes' Cecil B. DeMille Award
FILE - Actress Jane Fonda appears at the 71st international film festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 12, 2018. The Golden Globes will bestow the Cecil B. DeMille Award to Fonda during the 78th annual awards show next month. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP, File)LOS ANGELES – Jane Fonda cemented herself into Hollywood allure as a chameleonlike actor and social activist, and now the Golden Globes will honor her illustrious career with its highest honor. Fonda will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award during the 78th annual awards ceremony on Feb. 28, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced Tuesday. She launched IndieCollect’s Jane Fonda Fund for Women Directors, an organization aimed to support the restoration of films helmed by women from around the world.
Hollywood on the Potomac: A-list turns out for Biden-Harris
A full-throated, supremely confident Lady Gaga belted out the national anthem at President Joe Biden's inauguration in a very Gaga way — with flamboyance, fashion and passion. While stars mostly eschewed Trump's inauguration four years ago, the A-list was back for Biden. Brooks was careful to call his decision to perform on Wednesday non-political, and in the spirit of unity. He had performed during the inaugural celebration for Obama in 2009, but turned down a chance to perform for Trump in 2017, citing a scheduling conflict. Alone with his guitar, The Boss sang his “Land of Hope and Dreams” in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
An inauguration unlike any other amid a pandemic, unrest
Final preparations are made ahead of the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. What to watch for on Inauguration Day:THE SWEARING-INBiden's oath of office is the only essential. Others say the first eyewitness account of a president using those words came at Chester Arthur’s inauguration in 1881. Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman will read an original poem, “The Hill We Climb.”THE SPEECHA president’s inauguration speech is designed to set the tone and the policies the new administration will pursue. The National Mall is closed and just a fraction of the tickets usually handed out for an inauguration will be distributed.
From Gaga to Garth, Miranda to Moreno: Celebs join inaugural
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)Like so much this past year, the inaugural celebration will be like no other: pared down, distanced, much of it virtual. But for actor Christopher Jackson — the original George Washington in Broadway's “Hamilton" — performing in a virtual “ball” is a way of participating in an essential rite of American democracy. Miranda will contribute a classical recitation, joining musicians like Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry, John Legend, Demi Lovato, Foo Fighters, Justin Timberlake and Bon Jovi. The inaugural committee has made sure to blend this high-powered list with ordinary Americans and inspiring stories. And the “AAPI Inaugural Ball: Breaking Barriers” celebrated the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities with planned participants including actors Kal Penn, John Cho, Kumail Nanjiani and Chloe Bennet.
INAUGURATION EXPLAINER: Biden’s event will be very different
The outgoing president traditionally attends the inauguration to symbolize the peaceful transfer of power. And there will be no inaugural balls for Biden, Harris and their spouses to dance the night away. But in the wake of the violent Jan. 6 mob attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters, all semblance of normality might be gone. Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Harris and second gentlemen Douglas Emhoff will later visit Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The inauguration comes just two weeks after the insurrection at the Capitol by Trump supporters as Congress was confirming Biden's victory.
Stars return to inauguration, with J.Lo, Gaga set to perform
FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2020 file photo, Lady Gaga performs during a drive-in rally for then Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. Try Lady Gaga and J. “In the end, I don’t think having Lady Gaga or J. “Lady Gaga is as big as you can get, and she is very talented,” he said. “If I were being inaugurated and I could have Lady Gaga, I would take it.”
Tom Hanks heads TV special celebrating Biden's inauguration
Bon Jovi, Timberlake and Lovato will perform at a 90-minute primetime TV special celebrating the inauguration of Joe Biden as president of the United States. (AP Photo)NEW YORK – Tom Hanks will host a 90-minute primetime TV special celebrating the inauguration of Joe Biden as president of the United States, with performances by Justin Timberlake, Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato and Ant Clemons. It will also be streamed live on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, Amazon Prime Video, Microsoft Bing, NewsNOW, DirectTV and U-verse. The inauguration will look different from other presidential inaugurations because of last week’s riot at the U.S. Capitol. The event was already going to be pared down because of COVID-19; Biden had asked supporters to say home and watch from afar.
'Wonder Woman 1984' debuts with pandemic-best $16.7M
This image released by Warner Bros. Entertainment shows Gal Gadot in a scene from "Wonder Woman 1984." “Wonder Woman 1984” grossed an additional $19.4 million in international markets where it began playing a week earlier. But WarnerMedia is counting on “Wonder Woman 1984” to matter more to HBO Max, which wobbled in its initial rollout. Warner Bros. nevertheless seized on the returns for “Wonder Woman 1984” as the best as could be expected, given the circumstances. Streaming numbers weren't provided for “Soul” or “Wonder Woman 1984.” WarnerMedia said nearly half of HBO Max’s subscribers watched “Wonder Woman 1984” on its first day on the streaming platform, though it didn't say how long constituted a watch.
New this week: 'Soul,' a Tom Hanks film & 'Bridgerton' on TV
This image released by Disney-Pixar shows the character 22, voiced by Tina Fey, left, and Joe Gardner, voiced by Jamie Foxx, in a scene from the animated film "Soul." But with more than half of U.S. theaters closed, two of the biggest movies of the year — “Soul” and “Wonder Woman 1984” — will be going straight to streaming. — Also arriving Christmas Day is “Wonder Woman 1984,” Patty Jenkins' sequel to her barrier-breaking 2017 film. With Gal Gadot returning, “Wonder Woman 1984” fast-forwards from 1918 to the “greed is good” decade. — AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy___Catch up on AP’s entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/apf-entertainment.
Clooney honored by MoMA as actor, director and humanitarian
Clooney was honored Monday, Dec. 7, 2020, by co-stars and colleagues at the annual film benefit for the Museum of Modern Art, held virtually. MoMA’s annual film benefit raises funds to bring great works of film to the museum’s collection. Also giving virtual tributes Monday evening were actors Felicity Jones, Tiffany Boone, Kyle Chandler and Demian Bichir, who appear in “A Midnight Sky,” which Clooney stars in and directs. The benefit featured clips from some of Clooney’s many films: “Michael Clayton,” “Syriana,” "The Descendants,” “Gravity,” and “Good Night, and Good Luck,” among others. In earlier comments to The Associated Press, Clooney said “Good Night, and Good Luck” was probably his proudest professional accomplishment.
Film Academy Museum reaches $388M initial fundraising goal
After 8 years and 13,000 donors including the likes of Barbra Streisand and Steven Spielberg, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has reached and exceeded its pre-fundraising goal. Academy Museum director and president Bill Kramer said Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, that the new museum has raised $388 million. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)It took 8 years and 13,000 donors including the likes of Barbra Streisand and Steven Spielberg, but the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has reached and exceeded its pre-fundraising goal. Academy Museum director and president Bill Kramer said Friday that the new museum has raised $388 million. Located in Los Angeles at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, the Academy Museum is set to open on April 30, five days after the 93rd Academy Awards.
A festival hit waylaid by the virus, ‘The Climb’ peddles on
FILE - Writer/director Michael Angelo Covino, left, and actor Kyle Marvin pose during a portrait session to promote their film "The Climb" at the 72nd international film festival, Cannes, southern France, on May 18, 2019. With each lurch forward, we have to get our bearings for where Mike (Michael Angelo Covino) and Kyle (Kyle Marvin) are now. Joined on a Zoom call, Kyle and Mike are hundreds of miles apart. After Cannes, Covino and Marvin landed distribution from Sony Pictures Classics, rode the festival circuit and won a Film Independent Spirit nomination. When Covino and Marvin hit a wall while writing, they'd go for a ride to clear their heads and talk it over.
'The West Wing' cast reunites again, this time for a book
NEW YORK – The stars of “The West Wing” are once again joining together, this time for a book about the award-winning White House television drama. On Monday, Dutton announced that it had acquired “What's Next: A Citizen's Guide to The West Wing,” organized by actors Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack, with the participation of Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney and series creator Aaron Sorkin among others. “What's Next” will combine memories of the NBC program, which ran from 1999-2006, with “a powerful case for competent and empathetic leadership, and for hope and optimism in what lies ahead," according to Dutton, which has not set a release date. In a joint statement, Fitzgerald and McCormack said the book was "for the millions of fans who love the show, and also to show how that love, hope and optimism it has engendered has been channeled into real world service and action. The series won four consecutive best drama series Emmy Awards beginning in 2000.
Documentary tries to prove existence of dead Lincoln photo
“I've seen enough of these things to know that this is a whole lot of hysteria about something that is not Lincoln,” said Harold Holzer, whose 1984 book, “The Lincoln Image: Abraham Lincoln and the Popular Print,” traced the 130 known photographs of the former president. Braun goes through a lengthy process herself, consulting with facial recognition experts, medical experts, a ballistics expert, Lincoln scholars and descendants of Ulke. The facial experts said the man in the image had a slight scar under the lip consistent with one Lincoln had. The image has been seen by several people in the community of Lincoln experts and is not believed, Holzer said. In one of the last photographs of Lincoln taken alive, his once-full beard was wispy, almost a goatee, he said.
Popular UK author Victoria Hislop granted Greek citizenship
In this photo provided by the Greek Prime Minister's Office, Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, left, meets the popular British author Victoria Hislop at Maximos Mansion in Athens, on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. Hislop has been granted honorary Greek citizenship and met with the prime minister of Greece. In her first book, The Island, published in 2005, the action takes place near the Greek island of Crete. Her most recent, Those Who Are Loved, is set in Athens and other Greek islands. (Dimitris Papamitsos/Greek Prime Minister's Office via AP)
Popular UK author Victoria Hislop granted Greek citizenship
In this photo provided by the Greek Prime Minister's Office, Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, left, meets the popular British author Victoria Hislop at Maximos Mansion in Athens, on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. Hislop has been granted honorary Greek citizenship and met with the prime minister of Greece. In her first book, The Island, published in 2005, the action takes place near the Greek island of Crete. (Dimitris Papamitsos/Greek Prime Minister's Office via AP)ATHENS – British author Victoria Hislop was granted honorary Greek citizenship Thursday and met with the prime minister of Greece. Honorary Greek citizenship may be granted in recognition of an individual's special contribution to the country.
Biden campaign 'flooding the zone' with celebrity backers
The four-time Grammy winner isn't the only Biden playlist mainstay helping his campaign against President Donald Trump. Still, Biden has gone beyond celebrities in search of campaign surrogates. Stars generate candidate buzz, help with fundraising and can build campaign event crowds even for those online. His reelection campaign has been holding its own online events with top supporters nearly every night for months and says its online events average 2.6 million views per broadcast, though its headliners are often the presidents children. The Trump campaign has also seized on Biden's preferred venue for participating in online events, a basement studio in his Delaware home accusing the former vice president of hiding from voters.
Hanks, who survived COVID-19, calls graduates 'the chosen'
DAYTON, Ohio – Tom Hanks says graduates of an Ohio university that named a film center after him are “the chosen ones.”The Oscar-winning actor delivered a surprise virtual speech Saturday to the graduates of Wright State University's Department of Theatre, Dance and Motion Pictures. “You are the chosen ones because of a fate unimagined when you began your Wright State adventures,” Hanks said. “You started in the olden times, in a world back before the great pandemic of 2020. Hanks isn’t an alumnus of Wright State but has connections with teachers and alumni of the school in Dayton. He visited the university in 2016 to dedicate a newly renovated motion pictures center named for him.
Hidden suffering of coronavirus: Stigma, blaming, shaming
The spreading global pandemic has tested the competing interests of public health and privacy, with thousands of individuals and families experiencing both physical illness and the less-discussed stigma that can come with it. “It hurt a lot.”The spreading global pandemic has tested the competing interests of public health and privacy, with thousands of individuals experiencing both physical illness and the less-visible stigma that can come with it. The extended Lamilla family is well-known there and prominent, including doctors, engineers and schoolteachers. Only the National Institute for Public Health Investigation could do the test, the clinic said, and it wasn’t until Feb. 27 that authorities agreed to analyze a specimen for coronavirus. Lamilla's relatives, still in quarantine, are trying to recover from both the loss of Bella and Charito and the psychological torment COVID-19 left behind.
Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne dies from coronavirus
Schlesinger, an Emmy and Grammy winning musician and songwriter known for his band Fountains of Wayne and his songwriting on the TV show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, has died from coronavirus at age 51. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)Emmy and Grammy-winning musician and songwriter Adam Schlesinger, known for his work with his band Fountains of Wayne and on the TV show “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” died Wednesday after contracting the coronavirus. “There would be no Playtone without Adam Schlesinger, without his ‘That Thing You Do!’” Hanks, who is himself recovering from the coronavirus, said on Twitter. Terribly sad today.”Raised in New York and Montclair, New Jersey, Schlesinger formed Fountains of Wayne, named for a lawn ornament store in Wayne, New Jersey, in 1995 with his classmate from Williams College in Massachusetts, Chris Collingwood. After Fountains of Wayne's main run was done, Schlesinger would then drop behind the scenes and go on to be known for his writing.
10 Things to Know for Today
Cuba has announced its first three cases of the new coronavirus on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:1. PANDEMIC INCREASINGLY TAKES OVER DAILY LIVES The new coronavirus overwhelms hospitals, shutters schools and offices, halts U.S. presidential campaign rallies and global sports. FOR ASIA, A ROLE REVERSAL As a virus pandemic spreads globally, China and other parts of Asia are scrambling to prevent it from coming back to where it broke out. UTAH PASSES NEW ABORTION RULES A measure approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature would ban most abortions if Roe v. Wade is overturned.
Brad Pitt wins first acting Oscar for 'Once Upon a Time'
(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)LOS ANGELES, Calif. – An emotional Brad Pitt won his first acting Oscar on Sunday night, claiming the supporting actor trophy for “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood,” while referencing his own storied run in the industry where he is among the most famous and revered. Pitt beat out an iconic group that included Tom Hanks, Anthony Hopkins, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino. In earlier speeches, Pitt joked about DiCaprio and director Quentin Tarantino, and via Robbie zinged Brexit and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's departure from their royal roles in Britain. Pitt's ex-wife, Angelina Jolie, won a supporting-actress Oscar in 1999 — years before she and Pitt got together. Pitt was the only man in the category who had never won an acting Oscar.
Hanks, Fonda and more stars amuse at Oscars rehearsals
(AP Photo/John Locher)LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell are standing on the Oscars stage performing some hilarious material for a few dozen people who are in stitches watching the two comedians. Louis-Dreyfus and Ferrell are just a few of the stars who circulated in and out of the Dolby Theatre to rehearse Saturday, including Tom Hanks, Salma Hayek, Jane Fonda and Mahershala Ali. But the stars weren’t always confined to the stage, especially if they arrived a little early. Makeup artists Antonio Rael has been standing in for big stars for 34 years. Rael was talking about the stand-ins but that doesn’t mean some of the stars aren’t anxious as well.
Greece gives actor Tom Hanks honorary Greek citizenship
Actor Tom Hanks attends a special screening of "A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood," at the Henry R. Luce Auditorium, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)Tom Hanks may officially consider himself Greek. Greece's President Prokopis Pavlopoulos has signed an honorary naturalization order allowing the 63-year-old actor to claim Greek citizenship, his office told The Associated Press on Friday. Hanks frequently spends his summer vacation on the Greek island of Antiparos and his wife, actress and producer Rita Wilson, is of Greek and Bulgarian ancestry. Under Greek law, honorary naturalization may be granted to people “who have provided exceptional services to the country or whose naturalization serves the public interest."
Toy stores hope playtime inside their shops lead to sales
In this Nov. 21, 2019 photo, Talya Cousins, right, looks at toys with Billie, 3, at Camp toy store in New York. Camp, which was founded last year, not only sells toys but has also workshops and interactive areas for children. The concept is expanding to other locations and is the latest offering in experiential retail. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Toy stores hope playtime inside their shops leads to sales
In this Nov. 21, 2019 photo, Talya Cousins, right, looks at toys with Billie, 3, at Camp toy store in New York. The New Jersey store “has cool stuff,” said Jaelyn during an outing with her dad and little brother. Now a new generation of toy stores hopes to capitalize on the demise of the old Toys R Us by emphasizing playtime. Richard Barry, head of Toys R Us' new parent company, thinks about $2 billion of that market is up for grabs. While playtime makes sense for selling toys, it's not just toy stores that are focusing on activities.