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Exclusive | Netflix steps up charm offensive to buy Warner Bros. Discovery even after Trump favors rival bid from Paramount

NYPost
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Exclusive | Netflix steps up charm offensive to buy Warner Bros. Discovery even after Trump favors rival bid from Paramount

Netflix is ramping up a major charm offensive with Warner Bros. Discovery and US regulators as it pursues the media giant’s streaming service and Hollywood studio – and rival bidders fret that it may be working, On The Money has learned.

The lobbying blitz by Netflix’s Chief Executive Ted Sarandos – which is looking to soothe antitrust concerns not only with the Trump administration but also members of Warner Bros. Discovery’s board – has begun to chip away at Paramount Skydance’s lead in the auction, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The emergence of Netflix as a serious contender comes as the bidding war enters its next stage. WBD is expected to hold a second round of bids in the coming days where players can up their offers or drop out of the process, sources close to the situation told The Post.

The lobbying blitz by Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has begun to chip away at Paramount Skydance’s lead in the auction, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Alan West/Hogan Media/Shutterstock

As The Post reported, Paramount Skydance – run by Trump supporters David and Larry Ellison –  has submitted a bid around $25 a share or around $60 billion for all of WBD. In addition to the top-rated Warner Bros. studio, WBD owns the HBO Max streaming service as well as cable properties such as CNN and HBO. 

Cable giant Comcast has made a bid for the WBD studio and streaming service and Netflix has, too. Netflix has been considered more of a dark horse since it has traditionally shunned big acquisitions and its antitrust issues in this deal have been viewed as thorny.

Now, however, insiders say Netflix’s charm offensive is sowing doubts about the inevitability of Paramount Skydance’s bid from an antitrust standpoint – both at WBD and among the staffers at DOJ’s antitrust division, who will make a recommendation to their boss Gail Slater.

Netflix’s legal eagles appear to have made headway convincing the WBD board with an argument about something called “category ambiguity,” a theory that antitrust law doesn’t necessarily apply to streaming services because of the prevalence of content on YouTube and social media; it’s not something that can be cornered and price gauged in the traditional sense.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is looking to get top dollar from bidders Paramount Skydance, Netflix and Comcast. Getty Images

As a result normal antitrust concerns would not apply to the combination of Netflix, the No. 1 streamer in the world, with WBD’s No. 3 ranked HBO Max.

WBD’s board is increasingly skeptical that Netflix will face a serious antitrust challenge in its bid to buy just WBD’s streaming service, HBO Max, and its studio, as is being argued by Paramount Skydance’s legal advisers. DOJ staffers, meanwhile, are now discussing the antitrust implications of combining Paramount Skydance’s studio with Warner Brothers.

WBD’s board is increasingly skeptical that Netflix will face a serious antitrust challenge in its bid to buy just WBD’s streaming service, HBO Max, and its studio. CAROLINE BREHMAN/EPA/Shutterstock

“It’s total horses–t from an antitrust standpoint that they’re selling to the Warner board but it’s working,” said one rival legal official on the deal. “They made this largely a two-horse race” between Paramount Skydance and the streaming giant.

A Netflix spokesman had no immediate comment. A rep for WBD CEO David Zaslav had no comment.

President Trump wants Larry and David Ellison to buy WBD for several reasons. Getty Images

With Trump publicly supporting the Ellisons’ various acquisition forays, the father-son duo seemed to have had the inside track on gaining approval for their planned purchase of WBD. And they still might: As The Post has reported, Trump wants them to buy WBD for several reasons including they will neutralize the anti-MAGA commentary on CNN.

Trump meanwhile, holds a particular animus for its CEO Brian Roberts for running the MAGA-hating cable channel MSNBC. Plus it too would be combining two major studios.

But Netflix is said to be particularly appealing to members of the WBD board because it wants just the studio and streaming service at a time when WBD was in the middle of breaking into two companies.

Insiders say Zaslav’s breakup idea was to get top dollar for the streaming and studio, which would receive a lower valuation combined with old media cable properties like CNN, as Paramount Skydance is proposing in its offer.

Over the past month, shares of Netflix have fallen nearly 10%. Getty Images

One problem for Netflix, of course, is whether “category ambiguity” really does apply to streaming. Lawyers for Paramount Skydance have argued to the WBD board that the Trump DOJ will block a combination of two top streaming services combined with a major studio that might be downsized given Netflix’s streaming-centric business model.

Another issue involves Netflix investors who aren’t too happy with its acquisition plans. Over the past month, shares of Netflix have fallen nearly 10% when it became clear earlier in the month it was planning to bid on WBD. 



This story originally appeared on NYPost

Gov. Hochul can lower insurance and other consumer costs right away by amending this valuable tort reform

NYPost
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Gov. Hochul can lower insurance and other consumer costs right away by amending this valuable tort reform

Wow: New York’s Legislature actually passed a good legal reform, reining in the dirty “legal lending” industry — but before she signs it into law, Gov. Kathy Hochul should push for an amendment to make it even better.

The bill, A00804C, limits third-party lenders who finance a lawsuit to a maximum 25% share of what the plaintiff winds up winning, a step crucial to discouraging shady schemes where “investors” recruit clients who wind up with almost nothing while the lenders cash in big.

But Hochul should ask lawmakers to add a provision requiring full disclosure of the third-party lenders’ identities, sunlight that will further protect against profiteering.

The Post has long reported on these scams; the need for reform has been obvious for years.

Among many other abuses, these schemes allow the funders, especially in class-action suits, to dictate a legal strategy that maximizes the funder’s profit and pushes defendants to settle at amounts higher than the merits justify.

And it’s all gravy for ambulance-chasing trial lawyers.

Lawsuit abuse drives up insurance and other costs all across the New York economy; along with high taxes and heavy regulation, it drives away job-creating businesses.

Signing this bill — after getting Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to agree to improve it with disclosure rules — is a great way for Hochul to proves she’s serious about improving the state’s business climate.

And, indeed, about making life in New York more affordable for honest citizens.



This story originally appeared on NYPost

How AI Is Being Used to Check People’s Social Media Before You Even Meet Them – Hollywood Life

Hollywood Life
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How AI Is Being Used to Check People’s Social Media Before You Even Meet Them – Hollywood Life


Image Credit: Pexels

People’s online activity can offer clues about their interests and habits, and some tools attempt to interpret these patterns to provide a broader picture of someone’s public online presence. Social media often reflects only portions of who we are, sometimes in ways that feel incomplete or overly curated, and technology is now catching up. To create a frighteningly transparent profile, a behavioral matrix of the person behind the screen, some analytical tools, such as Socialprofiler, review publicly available online activity to generate summaries.

People use it to check dates, screen tutors, or understand who’s coming into their homes. The focus is on safety, trust, and curiosity. Before hiring someone to watch your children or considering a relationship, it is common to seek more than a profile picture and a few posts. This digital background check is shaping how people assess character online, with digital footprints now examined with greater scrutiny.  

Why This Trend Is Catching On

The internet has made it easy to share who we are, but it’s also made it harder to hide. Every follow, like, and comment leaves a trace of what we care about. That’s why tools like Socialprofiler are taking off. They pull together the clues people leave online and organize them into patterns, interests, tone, and social circles that paint a bigger picture.

The appeal is obvious. Parents want to know who’s teaching their children. Homeowners want reassurance before hiring help. People who date online want to see if someone’s public persona matches their private conversations. Traditional background checks focus on official records, while social media analysis looks at publicly visible interests and activity, offering a different type of context.

This is a call for authenticity; don’t take it as paranoia. Public personas online are shifting, and people now tend to share more candidly than in the past. People increasingly look for more context before making decisions, and many prefer having a clearer sense of someone’s public activity.

How Socialprofiler Works 

Socialprofiler analyzes public social media activity and builds a kind of behavioral map. A name, @handle, or even just a phone number might serve as the first digital breadcrumb. From there, the technology searches the extensive ecosystems of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X for profiles that match. The true in-depth analysis starts when a match is locked. It carefully identifies their online blueprint, including the subjects that interest them, the material that sparks conversation, and the people they connect with the most.

This data is then decoded by the analysis, aiming to show general interests, repeated topics, and areas that may warrant closer attention, and possible difficulty locations. Imagine a digital existence that is organized as follows: 10% for nightlife, 15% for political discussion, and 20% for exercise. In some cases, these tools highlight recurring themes or communities that appear frequently in someone’s public feed.

It’s always about the whole person, not just the labels we use. That said, checking a nanny’s online footprint for alignment with your family’s vibe is just smart vetting. Treat this framework as a helpful starting point, not the final judgment. 

Real-World Uses: Dating, Parenting, and Everyday Safety

A common use for Socialprofiler is in dating. When meeting someone new online, their stated information may be limited. Running a social check offers additional insight into their interests and online behavior, helping identify inconsistencies at an early stage. The goal is safety and informed decision-making.

Parents are becoming astute as well, utilizing it to screen teachers, nannies, and, to be honest, anybody in the vicinity of their children. Their social media feed reveals their personality, but a professional background check reveals who they are. Before giving them the reins, you should know whether a prospective tutor has a string of red lights in their online life.

Parents are not the only ones. This approach is being used by small company owners and homeowners for new staff or contractors. It can be viewed as a support tool that helps users spot potential issues earlier by organizing publicly available information. Assessing your coworkers is not a sign of neuroticism; rather, it is a required prescription in a setting where security and integrity are critical.

The Challenges and Ethical Line

For all its benefits, digital screening has clear limitations. Socialprofiler can only analyse publicly available information. It cannot access private accounts or data hidden behind fake names. Furthermore, the tool is like an inquisitive neighbour that watches your clicks without understanding why you are doing them. You might not be loyal to a strange page; you might follow it for fun. Its rumours are frequently disjointed or just incorrect.

There’s also the matter of fairness. Unauthorized use of this instrument, particularly on business property, sets up a serious privacy alarm. Some people feel uneasy about how online information is interpreted, even when it falls within legal boundaries. The clever move? Treat this data as a clue, not a confession. And then there’s the human side. Online behavior is messy and sometimes misleading. People follow things out of curiosity, not conviction. While Socialprofiler can help you spot patterns, the final decision on how much to trust or how much to overlook should be yours, not an algorithm’s.

What Comes Next

Without a doubt, social screening is becoming more frequent. As AI develops, it will be able to identify risks, decipher our digital habits, and construct stories from disparate internet posts. Tools that can sense emotional subtext and anticipate behavioral shifts are almost here. Unquestionably, this algorithmic power forces a critical balance between openness and individual integrity. 

If you choose to use this power, be careful. Start with only one question. Examine the information you have acquired and consider its actual potential. Consider these results as strong recommendations rather than absolutes. When used wisely, this digital advantage will magnify your decisions, making them safer, more calculated, and very perceptive.

The present era’s unedited confessionals are our internet feeds. Now that AI has sharpened this digital mirror, the real question is not whether we will perceive the truth, but rather how we will respond to the reflections we see. 

Socialprofiler signals a new era in building trust. It’s not a replacement for instinct or conversation—it refines them. Checking someone’s social presence before meeting isn’t judgment; it’s understanding. Use it to spot early warnings, protect your family, or confirm your intuition. Make every connection intentional.

These technologies are just footnotes that explain the text in an era where everyone is subject to interpretation. Use them wisely to select the people in your social circle. The best introductions, after all, occur after you’ve read the digital dossier, enabling you to move forward with composure and purpose.

The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as legal, financial, medical, or professional advice. Readers should not rely solely on the content of this article and are encouraged to seek professional advice tailored to their specific circumstances. We disclaim any liability for any loss or damage arising directly or indirectly from the use of, or reliance on, the information presented.



This story originally appeared on Hollywoodlife

Chaos in Canary Islands as major airports ‘gridlocked’ due to big change | Travel News | Travel

Express.co.uk
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Chaos in Canary Islands as major airports ‘gridlocked’ due to big change | Travel News | Travel


Brits in the Canary Islands are experiencing chaos at the airports following a major change that was rolled out. The EU’s new £1.1 billion Entry/Exit System (EES) is currently being tested for non-European travellers.

There were long queues and dense crowds at Tenerife South on Friday (November 21) due to testing, with frustrated passengers waiting for hours to complete the new biometric entry process. The rollout has already been difficult, with a system glitch knocking out six of the 10 biometric kiosks the day after opening, leading to huge queues of more than 1,000 holidaymakers. The EES collects the fingerprints, facial images, and passport information of non-EU citizens. As the scheme gradually rolls out, travellers will soon not need to have their passports stamped. The new system is being introduced to make border crossing quicker and more efficient. The EES will be fully rolled out by April of next year, according to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, meaning the automated checks will run alongside manual ones. 

Despite this, as the scheme is still in its early stages, holidaymakers have been warned that they may face significant delays at the airport and to arrive earlier than normal. 

Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “Make sure, where possible, you’re leaving yourself between three and four hours from the point of entry. 

“If you’re not leaving yourself enough time and you unfortunately arrive at an airport where there is a bottleneck, which in a lot of places there are already, this is going to add another layer of frustration and delay.”

This comes after it was announced that EES checks for car passengers going through Dover have been delayed until 2026. It was meant to be introduced on November 1, already being in place for coach passengers.

In a statement on social media, the Port of Dover said it was looking to avoid “any significant changes for passengers just before the busy end-of-year period”.

The port has been working with the French authorities with “a shared determination to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the gradual ramp-up period”.



This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk

‘Dead Man’s Wire’ Trailer Finds Bill Skarsgård at the Center of a True Kidnapping Story

MovieWeb
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‘Dead Man’s Wire’ Trailer Finds Bill Skarsgård at the Center of a True Kidnapping Story


Bill Skarsgård leads an ensemble cast in the trailer for director Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire. The true-crime film also stars Al Pacino, Coleman Domingo, Cary Elwes, Myha’la, and Dacre Montgomery. Van Sant, the Academy Award-nominated director of Good Will Hunting, is at the helm of the movie, with a script from Austin Kolodney, who is making his feature writing debut.

Dead Man’s Wire is based on a true story that follows Skarsgård’s Tony Kiritsis, a man pushed to his limits, who takes a hostage in a desperate bid to be heard. The film’s official synopsis expands on the true story that inspired it, setting the stakes and leaving enough mystery to draw viewers in.

On February 8, 1977, Tony Kiritsis entered the office of Richard Hall, president of the Meridian Mortgage Company, and took him hostage with a sawed-off shotgun wired with a “dead man’s wire” from the trigger to Tony’s own neck.

The trailer highlights the cast, with Skarsgård as the driving force who loops in the other characters. Montgomery is the unfortunate hostage, who is strapped to the device that inspired the film’s title. Domingo also makes an impactful appearance throughout the trailer, proving to be a contemplative force who has Tony’s ear, with Pacino looking to talk some sense into him. Dead Man’s Wire also looks to feature dark humor, with several comedic moments peppered throughout, enticing potential audiences ahead of its January 2026 release.

‘Dead Man’s Wire’ Expands Bill Skarsgård’s Exceedingly Impressive Resume

Dead Man’s Wire embraces a film aesthetic of the era, locking into the 1970s feel. While it is based on a true story, some elements may be embellished or altered for cinematic appeal. Still, it captures elements reminiscent of Shane Black’s humorous crime films, like The Nice Guys, or even Derek Cianfrance’s recent Roofman. While general audiences have yet to lay eyes on the finished film, the true-crime story looks to be another lauded film for Van Sant and the star-studded cast.

Early reviews have heaped stellar praise on Van Sant’s film, with Rotten Tomatoes currently showing Dead Man’s Wire at 97% Fresh based on 34 reviews at the time of writing. MovieWeb’s review of the film states:

The film doesn’t obfuscate the terror Kiritsis wrought, nor does it condone his violence. But cleverly, it calls into question the double standards to which society holds people like Kiritsis and the corporations they target. Banks may not literally be strapping guns to people’s necks, the film argues, but their practices are no less violent and brutal. Those with power believe that they can mold the world into their image. But Van Sant has crafted a film that reminds us that as long as people like Tony Kiritsis live, there will always be a reckoning for such hubris.

Dead Man’s Wire is another unique role on Skarsgård’s resume, with the actor recently returning as Pennywise in It: Welcome to Derry. The star has made memorable appearances beyond his lauded and terrifying turn in Stephen King’s It adaptations, including Zach Cregger’s Barbarian and Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, with a standout performance as Count Orlok. Skarsgård also played the villain in John Wick: Chapter 4, with other bold choices in Boy Kills World and the latest adaptation of The Crow. However, Dead Man’s Wire aims to adapt his unique adaptability into an unstable yet potentially sympathetic man who makes extreme and illegal choices.



Release Date

September 2, 2025

Runtime

105 minutes

Director

Gus Van Sant

Writers

Austin Kolodney





This story originally appeared on Movieweb

PlayStation’s Biggest RPG Of 2025 Completely Free, No PS Plus Needed

ScreenRant
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PlayStation’s Biggest RPG Of 2025 Completely Free, No PS Plus Needed


PlayStation’s biggest game of the year is completely free to download and play, and you don’t even need PlayStation Plus to check it out. That’s a big win for any gamers looking for their next major time-sink.

It’s been a pretty amazing year for PlayStation, with Death Stranding 2 and Ghost Of Yotei leading the charge. But the literal biggest open-world RPG released for PlayStation 5 this year is one you don’t need to hand over $70 to play.

PlayStation’s Latest RPG Is Huge, And Free

No PlayStation Plus required

You’ve almost certainly heard of Where Winds Meet by now. Developed by Everstone Studio, Where Winds Meet is described as “an epic Wuxia open-world action-adventure RPG set in ancient China during the tenth century.”

It’s a truly massive free-to-play open-world RPG, one that managed to pull in over 2 million players in its first 24 hours. As I write this, it’s the sixth most-played game on Steamdb.

It’s not as clear how many people are playing Where Winds Meet on PlayStation, but at the incredibly low price of nothing, it’s absolutely worth a look for any console gamers out there. Being a free-to-play title, PlayStation Plus isn’t required to play, so it really is free in every sense of the word.

How Big Is Where Winds Meet?

It ain’t small, so be prepared

While Ghost Of Yotei’s map size certainly isn’t to be sniffed at (and is filled with things to do), Where Winds Meet is even bigger. Now, I should stress that the size of an open-world should never be considered the only metric by which to judge its quality. But Where Winds Meet just so happens to be massive and packed with content.

At present, Where Winds Meet is roughly over 20 square kilometres, and there are plans to further expand the world in future updates. There are currently two major regions: Qinghe to the North, and Kaifeng and Kaifeng City to the South.

Within these regions there are dozens of points of interest, quests, and fun things to discover. Basically, it’s an absolute beast of a game, and one you could lose yourself in for hours at a time.

If you’ve yet to check out Where Winds Meet, you should definitely try and hop on over Christmas and see what all the fuss is about.


where-winds-meet-tag-page-cover-art.jpg

Systems


PC-1



phone transparent


Released

November 14, 2025

ESRB

Teen / Use of Alcohol, Violence, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact

Developer(s)

Everstone Studio

Publisher(s)

NetEase, Inc.

Engine

Proprietary




This story originally appeared on Screenrant

Warner Music Group settles lawsuit with AI firm Suno

LATimes
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Warner Music Group settles lawsuit with AI firm Suno


Warner Music Group on Tuesday announced a partnership with AI business Suno that will compensate music artists and songwriters, ending a legal battle between the two companies.

Suno allows users to write text prompts to create songs. Last year, music companies including WMG sued Suno, accusing it of using copyrighted songs to train AI models.

Under the partnership, Cambridge, Mass.-based Suno will make changes to its platform next year and launch new licensed models and place download restrictions. For example, users on the free tier will not be able to download songs they made. Paid users will have caps on downloads but can pay more to increase that amount.

WMG artists can choose to opt in to have their likenesses, voices, names and compositions used in AI-generated music, which will open up new revenue streams for them, Suno said in a blog post.

“This landmark pact with Suno is a victory for the creative community that benefits everyone,” said Robert Kyncl, WMG‘s chief executive, in a statement. “With Suno rapidly scaling, both in users and monetization, we’ve seized this opportunity to shape models that expand the revenue and deliver new fan experiences.”

WMG declined to comment on the financial terms of the settlement or which artists will be participating. A Suno representative referred The Times to the company’s blog post, which did not detail the financial terms.

Kyncl has said in a Nov. 20 blog post that his company will only make AI deals with partners who “commit to licensed models,” that the terms reflect the value of music and that artists and songwriters have a choice to opt in for the use of their name, image, likeness or voice in AI-generated songs.

Suno says it has nearly 100 million people who use its platform to make music. Last week, Suno closed on a $250-million fundraising round with investors including Menlo Ventures, giving the AI business a $2.45 billion valuation.

Suno CEO Mikey Shulman said the partnership with WMG “unlocks a bigger, richer Suno experience for music lovers.”

“Together, we can enhance how music is made, consumed, experienced and shared,” Shulman said in a statement.

Suno has also acquired the music and concert discovery platform Songkick from WMG. The financial terms were not disclosed.

Last week, WMG also reached an agreement with AI firm Udio, resolving its litigation with the company.



This story originally appeared on LA Times

Cody Simpson Dives Into Surf Lifesaving Campaign

Billboard
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Cody Simpson Dives Into Surf Lifesaving Campaign


Cody Simpson: pop star, elite swimmer, life saver.

The Australian artist and allrounder hopes to make a splash with his latest project, a campaign that encourages Australians to become ocean-safe before they dive in this summer.

Simpson, who earned a Billboard 200 top 10 album with Surfers Paradise, is the face of the Beach Passport PSA, which launched a year ago through Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) and the national airline Qantas.

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The beach safety exercise is a complimentary online training resource that, in its first season, organizers say, was completed by more than 37,000 beachgoers.

“Growing up on the Gold Coast, the beach has always been my second home and surf lifesavers are the unsung heroes who keep us all safe,” says Simpson in a statement.

The Beach Passport, he continues, “only takes 15 minutes and will give you the knowledge that could save your life or someone else’s this summer season.”

With over 198,000 members and more than 300 affiliated clubs, according to its latest data, SLSA is said to be the largest volunteer movement of its kind in the world.

The not-for-profit was established in 1907, with a mission to keep Aussies safe in the water, a national pastime in these warmer months. Since formation, more than 715,000 people have been rescued by its surf lifesavers.  

Simpson has been a dedicated Surf Life Saving volunteer and member of his local surf club, Northcliffe Surf Club, since childhood, and he’s a medalist in a major competitive swimming, having collected gold as part of the Australian men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.  

He came up short in his bid to qualify for the individual 100m butterfly and freestyle events for the 2024 Paris Olympics, but turned his disappointment into creativity with the publication of his first-ever kid’s book, titled The Sea In Me, and the tease of “exciting projects.” He’s also behind the eco-friendly fashion brand Prince Neptune.



This story originally appeared on Billboard

Jon Ecker Breaks Down Jake and Amy Getting Back Together

TV Insider
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Jon Ecker Breaks Down Jake and Amy Getting Back Together


What To Know

  • The Doc Season 2 fall finale sees Jake’s dad’s funeral and Jake and Amy make a big decision about their future.
  • Jon Ecker breaks down that emotional ending as well as the role Amy plays in a choice he makes in the 2020 flashbacks.
  • Ecker also shares why he enjoys Jake and Michael scenes so much, even though the two characters are in the middle of a love triangle with Amy.

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Doc Season 2 Episode 9 “Kaddish.”]

“All I care about in this moment is, do you want to be with me?” With that question, Amy (Molly Parker) and Jake’s (Jon Ecker) future together, at least for now, is sealed on Doc. The fall finale ends with the two back together.

That comes after Amy’s there for Jake while he buries his father, even having a memory flash and telling him that his dad was proud of him. But this also comes just as Hannah (Emma Pfitzer Price) and her brother (Daniel Gravelle) have struck again, this time sending a recording from Amy’s therapy session about kissing Michael (Omar Metwally) to his wife and Jake. Uh-oh!

Below, Jon Ecker breaks down the midseason finale, why it seems like Jake and Amy think they can make their romance work this time, that decision in the flashbacks, and more. (Plus, read what executive producer Hank Steinberg had to say about the fall finale and what’s next here.)

How is he doing with his dad’s death at the end of the episode? It feels like there’s still so much unresolved, but then he had that nice moment of Amy telling him how proud he was to have him as his son when she had the memory flash.

Jon Ecker: Yeah, I think it’s a lot to deal with. I think anytime you lose anybody, it’s a lot to deal with, on top of it, a parent, and I lost my mother when I was younger, so basically losing my dad, I’m now alone. So that’s a lot on its own. I think always if you ever lose anybody close to you, you always feel like you wish you had more time and you said more, but especially for Jake, that it was such an unexpected death, that they weren’t as close as he would’ve liked for them to have been and not to get to say a lot of things, I think just made it a lot harder. And so for Amy to have that flashback and at least hear that he was proud of me as a dad, it doesn’t take away from the loss, but I think it definitely makes him feel a little bit better about where the relationship was left off, that he was proud of his son when he left.

John Medland/Fox

Jake then makes that decision about Amy while he’s still dealing with that, which you could argue isn’t the best time to do so. So, how they feel about each other aside, because that’s not in question, is Jake in the right mindset to make the decision to move forward like they are?

Yeah, no, I think it is definitely questionable. Any time there’s any romantic re-encounters after a traumatic loss like that, you have to question the intentions because inherently, you’re going to want to go find comfort. And for Jake, Amy’s pretty much the only person he has. It’s her and the ex-wife [Samantha Massell], and that’s kind of the only emotional attachments he has besides his sister, but that’s a different relationship. So it’s definitely questionable, but I think for Jake, more than just wanting to have somebody to lean on, it’s him — he’s kind of put his career first and I think he’ll always put being a good doctor and helping his patients first.

But as far as his actual professional livelihood in the hospital, that’s been one of the obstacles with Amy because they work together. And so I think having this newfound fear of his own mortality after his dad dies definitely causes him to have a realignment of priorities and say, you know what? I can’t keep putting my emotional life on hold for my professional life. I need to follow that because our days are numbered. So I think, yeah, on Amy’s end, you could definitely question, why is he seeking me out? But I think for Jake, it’s just like, I don’t want to waste any more time on this. Even if it’s going to mess up, it’s going to be a problem with HR at the hospital, we’ll take that risk. It’s worth it.

I do like that Jake, after hearing that recording, immediately thinks someone’s trying to destroy Amy, that’s where his head goes.

Well, yeah, I think the first thing is obviously, it hurts. You don’t want to hear about the person you love kissing somebody else, and especially talking about how good it was. But he also understands the history between her and Michael, and her losing eight years of her memory makes the whole situation different. But I think he knows, obviously, she didn’t send him that recording. So, I think he’s always put Amy’s wellbeing — both her professional and emotional and mental care wellbeing — ahead of their relationship.

I think that’s the number one thing, is like, “Hey, somebody’s trying to mess with your life here and doing this and causing the hack.” And so regardless of what was in the email and the voice recording, we need to deal with that. And then on top of it, it’s one of those things, it’s like you know the person that you’re with has had a past with other people. You don’t want to hear about it. That sucks, but unless you met in grade school, they have a past. So just kind of turn a blind eye to that.

Does he suspect it’s Hannah at all? Because then there’s also the matter of him being the one to select Hannah, and I wonder how he’s going to feel about it when it is revealed that she’s behind this.

I’m sure he is going to want to take some responsibility because, like you said, he hired her, but at the same time, I don’t think there were any indicators at the time that she would cause a problem. And there weren’t. It wasn’t like Hannah came into that job to get back at Amy. The past between Amy and her father was discovered throughout her tenure at the hospital. So, of course, you’re going to be like, maybe I should have seen something, and I made the decision, but it was through no fault of his own.

Going back to Jake and Amy, because they have decided to move forward, you talked about the HR component of it. What are we going to see there when it comes to their personal relationship, but then also what they have to deal with at work? Because there’s Joan (Felicity Huffman) also…

We’re going to follow this thing through. We’re not going to be making out in the hallways and let everybody know. But I’m sure at some point people are going to find out and what happens when they find out?

Given how things have gone in the past with these two trying to make a relationship work, why does it feel like they can do it this time?

I think they’re both aware that it’s not going to be smooth sailing. They work together. Both of their exes are very much in their lives, both because of their careers and also because they share children. So I think they’re aware of that. It’s not like this is going to be easy sailing from here, but I think for Jake, he has the idea of, OK, I’m not going to put my career first. She’s going to have a healthier work-life balance, and hopefully, we can just work through the HR thing. And they’ve kind of moved past — at least we think each person has kind of moved past their history with their exes, and so that hopefully won’t be an issue moving forward, that I understand that she had a little bit of emotional ties to Michael because she forgot about the eight years where they fell out of love. But I guess Jake just has the hope that that’s behind us.

Talk about filming Jake’s dad’s funeral and that eulogy.

I don’t know how to describe that. Being at a cemetery is not my favorite place to be in general. It was a beautiful cemetery, and it was a beautiful day. So I’m imagining that it turned out nicely. But to have to give a page-long eulogy for your father around not only the people you normally work with, but I don’t know how many people were there, 50 or 70 other strangers… But it was great, and I’m hoping it turned out well. I think it was a really important storyline for Jake and just him moving forward in the second half of the season. So I tried to do it justice. They made it easy by us really having a cemetery, and standing over an empty hole with a coffin, it makes it as real as possible. That was an interesting day of filming.

In the flashbacks, we see Jake make the decision not to move. When Rachel finds out about their relationship, she accuses Jacob of not moving because of Amy. At that point in early 2020, how much had it been about Amy, not necessarily romantically, but what he was seeing in her as a doctor, that led to that decision for Jake?

My interpretation of it is, and I’m hoping that in the future we do get even more flashbacks to kind of bridge that gap between when I decided to stay and us actually developing a romantic relationship — But I think the main thing at that point for Jake was yes, she was really hard to deal with, but we have that whole flashback dealing with COVID and stuff, and I think Jake just really realized that it’s a great hospital, she’s a great mentor and a doctor to learn from. So, even though she’s really hard to deal with and be around because of how she treats everybody else, it didn’t really bother me so much how she treats me and that it’s really going to benefit me over the long term as a doctor to be around such a knowledgeable, professional person and that she’s also starting to give me authority and that she respects me as a resident, and so that’s just going to be a good place for me to be. I think that’s the priority. That’s the main deciding factor, at least at this point, to stay at the hospital in those flashbacks.

Yeah, because Jake impressed Amy. He doesn’t know what he’s going to get elsewhere at that point.

And I don’t think he expected to get it from her. When I’m having the conversation in the car with my ex-wife about quitting, I don’t think he was expecting that she saw in me what I hope she would see in me and give me that level of respect and authority and responsibility. So, when she does, it’s like, oh, OK, she sees me in a completely different light. It might be worthwhile staying here. I have a future here.

Molly Parker and Jon-Michael Ecker — 'Doc' Season 2 Episode 9 "Kaddish"

John Medland/Fox

At the end of the episode, we see Charlie’s making the deepfake of Amy’s voice. I’m curious how much Jake is going to continue to be caught up in this because we already seeing it.

Yeah, now it’s really affecting Amy, and we’re aware that it’s happening and there’s a third party out there doing this, so he’s obviously going to get involved to whatever extent he can. Jake doesn’t have a background in computer coding and hacking, and AI, so there’s only so much he can do, but he’s definitely going to take an interest in it.

I enjoyed the Jake and Michael stuff we got earlier this season.

Yeah, it’s great. Omar’s great to work with, so we always have fun. It’s obviously a task to try to keep from cracking up with him because I know he seems so serious, but he is really not real life. I have a lot of fun working with him, just being in between the scenes and then also doing the actual scenes, so that’s great. And I think it makes sense that they both can bond over their interest in Amy and beyond their emotional attachment to her, they both have her best interest at heart, getting her healthy mentally and emotionally and professionally. So they have that common goal. And they’re both good guys who want to be good doctors and look out for Amy. So it kind of makes sense that they can bond over that once they can get over the fact that they both have a past with the same woman.

Because even though there have been moments, it’s like neither one of them is the bad guy in this triangle, because it’s such a complicated situation.

I think that’s what makes the whole triangle interesting, is that both of them are good guys. Both of them have genuine interest in Amy. Both of them are probably good for her. So it makes it a hard argument whether you’re team Michael or team Jake.

Doc, Midseason Return, Tuesday, January 6, 2026, 9/8c, Fox




This story originally appeared on TV Insider

How LinkedIn is using AI to improve its job-search features – Computerworld

Computerworld
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How LinkedIn is using AI to improve its job-search features – Computerworld



AI-powered job search became available earlier this year in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, and Singapore. A broader rollout is planned for 2026, a LinkedIn spokeswoman said.

LinkedIn this month also launched “People Search,” an AI feature that connects applicants to potential references inside a company. Job seekers can type in, “Who can refer me to Accenture” or “Who knows about diffusion models,” and discover relevant connections within the network. Those results previously did not appear through traditional searches.

“You’re suddenly getting to this world where, as a job seeker, you’re able to quickly ask a question here and find answers that you would otherwise not have found,” Rajiv said.



This story originally appeared on Computerworld

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