Scouting Hollywood (Dec. 22, 2022)

A round up of news, gossip and history of the entertainment business brought to you from Hollywood, California.

• Rumor has it Apple will announce at its developers conference next summer a way to enable outside developers to load apps (known as side loading) onto Apple devices without using the Apple AppStore. Also in the works are ways developers can monetize in-app purchases without giving Apple its customary 30 percent cut. These changes are due to legislation in the European Union as well as a pending lawsuit.

• With the demise of the crypto scam known as FTX, a few Hollywood names are now caught in a lawsuit claiming they were participants in a Ponzi scheme to defraud investors. Most notable is writer/star Larry David (Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm) who pitched FTX in a past Super Bowl commercial. Until adjudicated of course the claims are merely legal hyperbole, but other notables have decidedly pricked up their ears.