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Raye Beats McCartney for Mercury Prize

· Fact-checked before it aired. Unconfirmed claims from this segment are not shown.

The FCC announced Thursday it has blocked two devices from the US market — a dashboard camera and a wireless video transmitter — because they contain chips made by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon, which the agency describes as advertising "surveillance market" features like human face detection. This is the first use of its new authority.

Raye won the 2026 Mercury Prize for her second studio album, "This Music May Contain Hope," beating Olivia Dean, Paul McCartney and others, according to Variety.

John Mayer has set up his own label, Sob Rock Records, in partnership with Mercury, and will release his first new solo music in five years, according to Variety.

"Wildwood" director Travis Knight said at AFI Fest that he sees AI as "an amazing piece of technology" but is not embracing it, saying Laika uses technology like pencils, paintbrushes and 3D printers as tools.

Variety reports that "Wildwood" received a PG-13 rating from the MPA for "strong fantasy violence/bloody images, thematic material, suicide-related material, brief partial nudity and language," making it Laika's first PG-13 film.

Fact-check

VERIFIED TRUE

The FCC announced Thursday it has blocked two devices from the US market — a dashboard camera and a wireless video transmitter — because they contain chips made by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon, which the agency describes as advertising "surveillance market" features like human face detection. This is the first use of its new authority.

US blocks two devices with Chinese-made surveillance chips https://t.co/Ov76yv0Qcl https://t.co/Ov76yv0Qcl

Original post · @Reuters

[reuters.com](https://965wtou.com/2026/10/22/us-blocks-two-devices-with-chinese-made-surveillance-chips/) NAMES: FCC = Federal Communications Commission, the U.

VERIFIED TRUE

Raye won the 2026 Mercury Prize for her second studio album, "This Music May Contain Hope," beating Olivia Dean, Paul McCartney and others, according to Variety.

Raye Wins Mercury Prize for Album of the Year - Singer-songwriter and Variety Hitmakers 2024 honoree Raye has won the 2026 Mercury prize for her epic second studio album, “This Music May Contain Hope,” beating out Olivia Dean, Paul McCartney and others for the prize. The Mercury

Original post · Variety

[variety.com](https://variety.com/2026/music/news/raye-wins-mercury-prize-album-of-the-year-1236921858/) NAMES: Mercury Prize = a UK music award recognizing the

VERIFIED TRUE

John Mayer has set up his own label, Sob Rock Records, in partnership with Mercury, and will release his first new solo music in five years, according to Variety.

John Mayer Sets Up His Own Label, Sob Rock Records, in Partnership With Mercury to Release First New Solo Music in Five Years - John Mayer has had his hands full with what felt like a hundred projects over the past few years — with putting out new music not among them. It takes a

Original post · Variety

[variety.com](https://variety.com/2026/music/news/john-mayer-new-label-sob-rock-records-mercury-1236921812/) NAMES: Sob Rock Records = John Mayer's new record l

VERIFIED TRUE

"Wildwood" director Travis Knight said at AFI Fest that he sees AI as "an amazing piece of technology" but is not embracing it, saying Laika uses technology like pencils, paintbrushes and 3D printers as tools.

‘Wildwood’ Director Travis Knight on AI: ‘An Amazing Piece of Technology’ But ‘I’m Not Embracing It at All’ - “Wildwood” director Travis Knight is weighing in on Hollywood’s use of AI. “I’m not embracing it at all,” Knight told me Wednesday night at AFI Fest’s opening night U.S.

Original post · Variety

[variety.com](https://variety.com/2026/film/columns/wildwood-director-travis-knight-ai-1236921716/) NAMES: Travis Knight = director of "Wildwood" and CEO of sto

VERIFIED TRUE

Variety reports that "Wildwood" received a PG-13 rating from the MPA for "strong fantasy violence/bloody images, thematic material, suicide-related material, brief partial nudity and language," making it Laika's first PG-13 film.

Laika’s First PG-13 Film, Brad Bird’s Neo-Noir and an Alzheimer’s Memoir: Animation’s Revolution Isn’t for Kids - The MPA gave “Wildwood” a PG-13 for “strong fantasy violence/bloody images, thematic material, suicide-related material, brief partial nudity and language,” which is

Original post · Variety

[variety.com](https://variety.com/2026/film/awards/animation-adults-wildwood-ray-gunn-tangles-hoppers-scad-1236917883/) NAMES: MPA = Motion Picture Association,

Sources

What the hosts said

ERaye just beat Paul McCartney for the Mercury Prize.
SWait, McCartney was nominated this year?
EHe was. And Variety says the prize went to Raye for "This Music May Contain Hope."
SGood. That album is massive and weird and exactly what that prize is for.
EShe's been on a run since the Brits. Now she's got the Mercury too.
SBeating a Beatle for a British album prize is not nothing.
EMcCartney will be fine. He's got a few other trophies.
SMeanwhile, John Mayer is starting his own label. Sob Rock Records, with Mercury.
EHis first new solo music in five years, too.
SI respect the move. Own the masters, release when you want.
EMore artists should do it, if they can afford to.
SSpeaking of creators who control their work — Travis Knight is drawing a line on AI.
EThe Laika CEO says it's "an amazing piece of technology" but he's not embracing it.
SHe's not wrong that it's a tool. A pencil is technology. But tell that to the animators losing work.
EI don't know. "I'm not embracing it at all" while he's still using tools? That's a comfortable position.
SHe's not saying AI is evil. He's saying it's not how he wants to make his films. That's legitimate.
EBut it's also easy to say when your studio has a reputation built on hand-crafted everything.
SAnd "Wildwood" just got a PG-13. Strong fantasy violence, bloody images, the whole mouthful.
ELaika's first PG-13 in seventeen years.
SA stop-motion film about a girl hunting for her kidnapped brother. That's not "Coraline" anymore.
EAnimation for adults is having a moment. And I'll watch anything Brad Bird touches.
SIf they're pushing ratings, at least they're still pushing the craft.
EAlright, totally different world: the FCC just blocked two devices over Chinese-made surveillance chips.
SWhat kind of devices?
EA dashboard camera and a wireless video transmitter. Reuters says the chips are from HiSilicon, which is Huawei's chip arm.
SFirst time the FCC has used this authority, right?
EYeah. They're describing features like human face detection as surveillance-market tech.
SThat's a real escalation. They're not just blocking Huawei's network gear anymore. Now it's consumer hardware with their silicon inside.
EFace detection in a dash cam does sound more like profiling than safety.
SOr it's just what every camera chip does now. We're putting surveillance features in everything and acting shocked when it's used for surveillance.
EThat's exactly why the FCC is acting. To keep it out before it's everywhere.
SI get the security argument. I just hope we're not banning chips based on a feature list rather than what the device actually does.
EFor now, it's two products. But this sets the playbook.
SAnd the maker is probably already swapping in a different chip for the next version.
EThe supply chain always finds a way.
SQuick check on something that's bounced around X — some accounts are claiming Dianna Agron and Ben Platt recreated that viral Glee cover together.
EI saw that floating around. No official word from anyone involved, so treat it as rumor.
SIf it happens, the internet will let us know. Loudly.

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