CBS reality shows will feature more diverse casts in upcoming seasons.
The network announced it is now making a significant push toward inclusion with its latest initiative, mandating that 50 percent of its reality show casts are represented by Black, Indigenous, or people of color. These changes are expected to roll out in the 2021-22 broadcast season.
"For many Americans, television is the only exposure they have to African Americans, so what they see on TV affects their real-life reaction," said Brice Izyah, the first Black, openly gay contestant on Survivor, connecting it to issues surrounding police brutality. "It is so important not only to get us on the screen but to have correct portrayals of us."
Izyah, who starred on the hit reality show's 28th season in 2014, said being one of the few people of color in the cast was isolating. "My otherness was highlighted, and it made me an instant target. On a tribe of six I was the only non-Caucasian person," he said.
In an effort to call attention to the apparent discrepancy, Izyah formed a petition with an alliance of Black Survivor alums on MoveOn.org that garnered over 8,000 signatures. "We really wanted to get change from Survivor and CBS for the lack of diversity and poor portrayal they've had on people of color." For Izyah, it wasn't necessarily about calling CBS out, it was about calling on them to make a change.
This lack of diversity doesn't just affect the cast, it also extends to the writers room. To address this, CBS is also pledging that 40 percent of its writers will be Black, Indigenous, or people of color, with a goal of upping that number to at least 50 percent in the coming years. "In order to tell our story correctly we need people that look like us to be able to tell our story," said Izyah.
"CBS has gotten the message, and they are definitely changing with the times. And so they choose to be on the right side of history, so I hope that other networks follow suit in CBS' lead."
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
