Entertainment
Death at 97 of Shoichiro Toyoda, the architect of Toyota’s globalization
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Eva Deschamps / February 14, 2023
Shoichiro Toyoda, who died Tuesday at the age of 97, was the former head of the Japanese automotive giant Toyota, which was founded by his father. He developed the group’s global industrial presence and laid the foundations for its success in hybrid vehicles.
He died of heart failure and his funeral will be held in the privacy of his family, according to a brief statement from the group.
Born on February 27, 1925, this eldest son of Kiichiro Toyoda, founder of Toyota, joined the company in 1952, gradually climbing the hierarchy and improving production quality control.
In 1982, the arrival at the helm of this trained engineer also marked the birth of the current group, with the merger of its commercial and production activities, divided since the 1950s.
The successful integration of these two opposing branches is largely the work of Shoichiro Toyoda, who led the group for ten years before becoming chairman of the board (1992-1999) and then honorary chairman until his death.
In the early 1980s, the unbridled success of Japan’s automobile exports had led to serious trade tensions with the United States and Europe. Toyota realized that it had to produce as much as possible locally.
A joint venture between Toyota and the American General Motors was created in 1984, allowing the Japanese group to start production in the United States.
Other factories of the group have subsequently grown like mushrooms in North America, but also in the rest of the world (Europe, China and Southeast Asia, Latin America…). Today, Toyota manufactures two-thirds of its vehicles outside Japan.
In 1989, Shoichiro Toyoda brought his group into the high-end automotive segment with a new brand, Lexus, which was mainly present in North America and China.
He also approved the development of the Toyota Prius, the first mass-produced hybrid (gasoline-electric) car, which went on sale in 1997.
Hybrids subsequently became the cash cow of the group, which sold a record 2.7 million Toyota and Lexus cars in this category in 2022.
Shoichiro Toyoda, who was succeeded at the head of the group by his younger brother Tatsuro (who died in 2017), was also president of the Keidanren, the powerful Japanese employers’ federation, in the 1990s.
He was the father of Akio Toyoda, CEO of the group since 2009.
While he was increasingly criticized externally for delaying the serious launch of his group into the 100% electric segment, Akio Toyoda made a surprise announcement last month that he would be replaced in April by one of his lieutenants, Koji Sato. Aged 66, Akio Toyoda will take over as chairman of the board.
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Steph Deschamps / September 23, 2023
Actor Billy Miller has died at the age of 43. Known for his role as “Billy Abbott” on the soap opera The Young and the Restless, which ran for 719 episodes.
American actor Billy Miller has died. The cause of his death remains unknown. However, his agent revealed that “the actor suffered from manic-depressive disorders”.
Born in Texas in 1979, Billy Miller grew up in Austin.
In 2007, he landed his first major role in the soap opera La Force du Destin. The following year he was cast as “Billy” in the hit soap opera The Young and the Restless.
His acting skills won him two Daytime Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor.
He played the character for 6 years, appearing in over 700 episodes. In 2014, he decided to step down in favor of David Thorn
He then went on to appear in various series, including CSI, General Hospital and Suits, Lawyers Made to Measure, where he co-starred with Meghan Markle.
On the big screen, he played roles in American Sniper and Bad Blood.
Entertainment
“It’s insane!”: the stars of “Breaking Bad” reveal that they receive nothing for airing the series on Netflix
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Sylvie Claire / September 12, 2023
In the midst of a writers’ and actors’ strike, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul try to make streaming platforms see “reality ».
After months of paralysis, the situation seems to be at a standstill in Hollywood, where the writers’ strike, later joined by the actors, is still in full swing. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul are among the many stars who have joined the movement, mainly to support their less well-off colleagues. The two actors have been on the picket lines in front of major studios on several occasions, but they also regularly appear in the media to defend the cause. Interviewed on the spot by the Canadian version of Entertainment Weekly, Aaron Paul returned to the viral success that “Breaking Bad” has enjoyed since its arrival on Netflix, years after its broadcast on television. “To be perfectly honest, I don’t get a dime from Netflix for ‘Breaking Bad’. It makes no sense to me. Series live forever on these platforms. (…) I think a lot of these broadcasters know they’ve gotten away with not paying people what they’re worth, and it’s time they did. That’s one of the things we’re fighting for,” he said.
Also present, Bryan Cranston was more measured, wishing to reiterate that the streaming giants were not their “enemies”. “They’re not bad guys. They’re people we’ll all work with again at some point. We just want them to see reality,” he said, according to Deadline. He also added that “residuals”, the sums received by all artists and technicians who have participated in a project, with each broadcast in the U.S. or elsewhere, are used to pay their bills, as are DVD sales. “But these things have disappeared,” he lamented.
As a reminder, the writers’ strike was launched last May, on the initiative of their union, the WGA. After a month and a half without any real negotiations with the body representing the studios (the AMPTP), the SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, joined the movement. The aim of these organizations is to renegotiate the contracts used by these major studios, in order to adapt to the changes the industry has undergone in recent years. The subject of AI is particularly under discussion, as is that of streaming platforms, which are not subject to the same rules as other broadcasters. In the absence of an agreement, Hollywood is paralyzed and several productions are at a standstill, which has an impact on many theatrical releases, but also on the return of your favorite series.
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Steph Deschamps / 6 September 2023
American country singer Jimmy Buffett died on Friday. He was 76 years old.
Buffett had only one real success, “Margaritaville” in 1977, but he had an eye for business affairs. He built an empire that included real estate and hotel businesses, and made the Forbes billionaire list.
According to the American newspaper New York Post, Buffett had had to cancel concerts in recent months following a number of hospital admissions.
Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1, surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs,” reads a statement posted on the singer’s website and social networks.
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