Blog

Universal Orlando’s Jurassic Park and World experiences have long been a highlight of visiting the parks, but lately with the opening of Epic Universe the Florida park has dragons too! Not to be outclassed, ahead of the new release Jurassic World: Rebirth, the Hollywood version of the theme park has added a new dino experience, and she is so stinking adorable. You don’t even have to trust me, the Internet is freaking out, too.

Without further ado, meet Dolores, an aquilops who is very tiny but who is very much not a baby, according to her keeper. Take a look.

@patrickadougall
♬ original sound – PatrickaDougall

It’s Mega Movie Summer in Hollywood, and the park is looking ahead to releases on the upcoming 2025 movie schedule. That includes Jurassic World: Rebirth, the brand new movie in the long-running franchise spearheaded by Gareth Edwards and starring Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey and more. What that means for theme park lovers is some new experiences, including the introduction of Dolores, and people cannot get enough.

The realistic puppets and animatronics at Universal Orlando are one way the world class theme park has set itself apart, and this isn’t the first time a cool new Jurassic World dino has been introduced. They are so real-looking they’ve even fooled some fans of the theme parks, or at least their moms, as parkgoers noted the realistic nature of the new character.

• “Y’all gotta stop. When they first started with these puppets, my mom called me to complain about how cloning dinosaurs is wrong.”
• “EXCUSE ME THAT’S NOT REAL.”
• “I almost said, ‘OMG what kind of lizard is that? It looks like a dinosaur’ before realizing it was a puppet.”
• “Her lore makes this even more realistic.”

Fans on X (Twitter) were also gaga over the new dinosaur, showcasing her roaring skills in another absolutely adorable video. It’s enough to make me want to hop on a plane and head to the park.

Obviously, right now, this is only a fixture at the Hollywood edition of the Universal parks, so if you are like me and closer to the Florida version, this may not be feasible to check out right away. I do hope if Dolores retains her popularity – as many are hedging she might – we may see more from her in more Universal parks in the future. But she will also pop up on the big screen soon in Rebirth, which will hit theaters in just a few weeks on July 2nd, and I expect to have a roaring good time.

Kaitlin Olson and Morgan Gillory — the super-smart LAPD cleaning lady Olsen plays in crime procedural High Potential — have one thing in common: people quickly learn that they’re not to be underestimated. While known mostly for her comedic roles in shows like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Hacks, Olson came up through the theater, so she’s no stranger to more meaty dramatic roles. That doesn’t mean she shies away from adding her own brand of humor, leading to a character that is as comfortable tackling a mystery as she is making witty comebacks.

DEADLINE: What made you want to be involved with High Potential? 

KAITLIN OLSON: I didn’t think I was interested in doing an hour-long procedural on a network, but I read the script and I just fell in love with the character. I thought she was so fantastic and I thought that Drew Goddard just wrote such a beautiful pilot, which is hard to do. It’s certainly hard to find that balance of the perfect tone between a true crime procedural and levity, humanness and comedy, but he did a really wonderful job. I was really impressed. For something like this, you need to buy into the fact that there is an actual crime that has been committed or there’s been a murder and there’s real danger, and you also need to really trust the police department and not have them just be goofy. So, if you lean too far into the comedy, I think you don’t buy into the story. It’s just not realistic anymore.

DEADLINE: The show is very serious, but has a lot of humor in it, like you mentioned. Can you talk more about bringing some of those elements of comedy into the series? 

OLSON: It’s the fact that she’s human and allows for things to happen. I wanted to create a character that was very well-rounded, and there’s a lot going on in her life, she’s always overwhelmed. There’s always a lot going on in her brain, and sometimes she’s able to laugh at herself. She definitely feels fine making fun of people, especially when they’re underestimating her, so there’s comedy in that. That’s just human nature. I think that the best character-driven dramatic pieces of material, whether it’s TV or movies, have comedy sprinkled in, because that’s life. There are funny moments and there are snarky things to be said that can be funny, and you have to be able to laugh in dark times. That’s just the way the world works, it’s also just more fun to watch.

I wanted people to fall in love with this woman and really root for her. If it was just serious all the time, I think you’d feel like you’re watching a TV show. 

DEADLINE: In switching from being a completely comedic actor to a more drama-focused role, was that a change for you? 

OLSON: It was a huge change for everybody else to see me do it, but it’s been a while. I grew up doing theater, so I’ve done all kinds of things and you get to see little glimpses of it in Hacks and the film Champions. So, I think it was more of a surprise to everybody else than it was to me. 

DEADLINE: What were some of your entry points in connecting to Morgan?

OLSON: The fact that she’s a great mom. That’s a really beautiful part of this person, that you get to see so many different sides of her. It was nice to have that be in conjunction with how scrappy she is and how she’s had to rely on no one for her whole life. She doesn’t need a man or parents. She’s got it. She’s been forced into this position. So, the fact that she has found a way to figure it all out and still give everything of herself emotionally to her kids, I just really loved that about her.

The fact that she is incredibly smart I think is wonderful for the story, but really what connected me to her is how that’s a struggle for her. I mean, I consider myself to be a smart person, I don’t have a crazy-high IQ like she does, but I do know what it’s like to have anxiety. I do know what it’s like to be up in the middle of the night worrying about something or trying to figure something out. Or even trying to put pieces together and not being able to relax and let it go until I’ve figured it out. That’s something the two of us share, and I think that’s something all parents share. Also, the fact that she’s underestimated. I’ve certainly been in situations very often where I feel people underestimate my ability to do something. Those are the main things that I’ve latched on to. 

DEADLINE: It’s funny you mention the high IQ, because I feel like in a lot of shows that feature an incredibly smart person, it’s always romanticized in a way where the person’s life is perfect because of how smart they are.

OLSON: Right. Their life is great and they always save the day. That’s so boring to me to play. I didn’t want to do that, and I think we’re going to try and dig into that even more in the second season. It’s so much more interesting to me to have a person who is not perfect and who’s still trying to figure it out and who makes mistakes. So, I want her to make personal life mistakes. I want her to make professional mistakes as well, but be really convinced that she’s right, but be wrong. I mean, also it just would get boring if you just are like, OK, well, Morgan’s going to figure it out. You know what I mean? You want to surprise people and you don’t want to do the same thing over and over.

I keep saying that it would be boring and predictable, but also, I don’t know how much it’s been explored on TV. Someone with an incredibly high IQ like that, I believe that’s classified as a neurodivergent brain, and there are so many people in the world who are neurodivergent in some way. I think most of the world looks at that and thinks of that as a disorder, and it’s upsetting and it’s bad, but oh, if you’re super smart, it must be really great. And that’s not necessarily the case. There’s a lot that goes on in there, and I’m sure it can be very lonely and people can feel very misunderstood, and people who aren’t as intelligent or don’t have a crazy- high IQ can maybe be jealous of that and lash out, and their way of feeling good about themselves is putting those people down.

I mean, it’s a rich world that I think we can tap into, and I think it’s too common to have the perception that because someone’s smart, they must have a wonderful life. It’s the same thing with anything, right? Just because someone’s rich, they must have a wonderful life, or if someone’s attractive, they must have a wonderful life. Not necessarily true. People are well-rounded human beings, and that’s why I wanted to make sure Morgan was multifaceted and not just a smart person in short skirts.

DEADLINE: Having a show centered around a single mother is not something you see all the time. Morgan does have her ex that she’s friendly with, but how did you make this aspect be a part of the story without it eclipsing everything? 

OLSON: It was really important to Drew to show that it’s possible to co-parent in a peaceful way. It would’ve maybe been the easy choice to have it be that she’s just a single parent or that she hates the ex-husband. I think it’s nice to see that they weren’t right for each other, and to cast it in a way where it’s like, OK, yeah, they just weren’t right for each other, and that it’s another way that Morgan has not been able to maintain relationships. You now know that she’s had two different fathers to her children, there’s multiple failed relationships.

I like though, that ultimately, she’s got him and the kids are safe, but at the end of the day when she lays her head down on the pillow, she’s alone, she’s figuring this all out pretty much by herself. I just think that that’s interesting, because it adds that element of having the weight of the world on her shoulders, especially now that she has this job and is emotionally invested in it and has to figure out what’s happened.

There’s been a murder. Adding that on top of everything else that’s been going on in her life and having her not treat it just as a job, appreciating the money, loving being appreciated that she’s actually capable of holding down a job and being of value, but oh, no, she’s now feeling deeply for either the victim or whoever was left behind.

DEADLINE: Going into Season 2, what topics would you like to explore with your character? 

OLSON: In the pilot, she’s got that wonderful speech with [Selena] Soto where Soto says she has a gift and she’s like, it’s not a gift, and names all the reasons why. As in any first season of television, you’re trying to figure everything out, and looking back, I got a lot of feedback from people just loving that part of it. The fact that there’s a lot of really exceptionally intelligent people in the world who don’t necessarily find it all that amazing. I think it must be very lonely at the very least, and then all of the other things that Morgan states in that first episode. I felt like it really touched a lot of people, and I was like, oh, yeah, there are people who are identifying with that and would like to see more of how difficult it can be.

I definitely want to do more of that, and I also want her to make mistakes, like I said before. It’s not fun to watch somebody just hit it out of the park every single time, it’s going to get boring. I love the stuff with the kids. I would love to see some more examples of her son and the way that he’s gifted and how that’s challenging for him. I mean, we touched on it a little bit with friendships at school this past season, but I think that there’s so much to be explored there. Same with Ava and how it’s a struggle for her maybe, or maybe not. Maybe Ava starts to have a really, really great life and great social life, and that’s enviable to Morgan and Elliot. 

Also, obviously, I want to know what’s going on with Morgan. I want to know what’s going on with Ava’s dad. There’s a lot of stuff, I want to do it all. I want to have really fun, dramatic stuff, and I want to have really funny moments and explore relationships. I think it’s important to dive deeper into the other characters on the show. We didn’t have the opportunity to do that as much as I think we should, and so we’re going to definitely be digging in there, too.

‘Session musicians, background singers, and studio instrumentalists fill out the sound of India’s biggest hits.’
‘But their names rarely show up on screen.’
‘Their royalties never arrive.’
‘And their contribution, no matter how iconic, vanishes once the track is mastered.’

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff

Every hit song has a hidden side.

Behind the shimmering vocals, viral melodies, and expertly produced beats are dozens of hands that brought it to life — the violinist who added an aching swell, the flautist whose solo became the song’s signature, the percussionist whose rhythm tied it all together.

They are the session musicians, background singers, and studio instrumentalists who fill out the sound of India’s biggest hits.

But their names rarely show up on screen.

Their royalties never arrive.

And their contribution, no matter how iconic, vanishes once the track is mastered.

India’s music industry has never been louder. Streaming platforms have turned chart-toppers into overnight sensations, regional voices into global exports, and bedroom producers into brand names.

The Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS) disbursed over Rs 600 crore (Rs 60 billion) in royalties in 2024-2025 alone, much of it driven by digital plays.

But behind this digital boom lies a stubborn analogue problem: non-featured artistes — session musicians, backing vocalists, instrumentalists — remain locked out of the royalty system that their work fuels.

 

The shift from cassettes to clicks has transformed India’s music economy. The IPRS now reports that nearly 70 per cent of its royalty collections come from streaming. Independent and regional artistes are flourishing; some earn over Rs 50 lakh (Rs 5 million) annually.

Yet, as lyricist, screenwriter, and National Award-winning songwriter Varun Grover (known for films like Masaan, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Gangs of Wasseypur and the Netflix series Sacred Games), puts it, “Session musicians deserve way more than what they are getting.”

These non-featured artistes typically work on a one-time session basis. They show up, perform, and leave. Their names rarely appear in streaming metadata. Their contracts, if they exist at all, often cede all future rights. Their artistry, stitched into the DNA of a song, is monetised endlessly by others.

Independent composer Joell Mukherji, who has collaborated with Amit Trivedi and Pritam, composed over 150 ad films, and created the viral song Credit De Do Yaar, confirms the problem runs deep.

“The concept of royalty distribution is still in a very nascent stage in India… Even FM stations do the same,” he says.

Veteran violinist Jeetendra Javda, whose bow has swept across decades of Bollywood, echoes this, pointing to a complete lack of paperwork: “The typical work which we do here does not have any discussed contract… It is like the hours we work for them or the instrument we like.”

“We don’t even have proper documentation of who played what,” adds Madhav Ajgaonkar (Maddy), a seasoned music composer.

“Forget money. Even credits are missing.”

India’s Copyright (Amendment) Act, 2012, was heralded as a landmark reform. But the law’s benefits have largely bypassed non-featured performers.

Though performers are recognised in theory, few musicians are registered with collective management organisations, and fewer still negotiate royalty-bearing contracts.

Grover recalls being coerced into contracts where labels disguised royalties as advance fees.

“They would say, ‘Here’s Rs 10 lakh for your song… Rs 9 lakh is advance royalty for 50 years.’ They’d even add wild clauses about ‘perpetuity across all galaxies’…”

The systemic inequality stems from the deep-rooted practice of work-for-hire agreements under Section 17 of the Copyright Act.

Javda admits most of his work is based on “mutual understanding” — a handshake deal, with no formal contract, no enforceability. Maddy underlines this rot.

“Even in the 1960s and 70s, we don’t know who played what. Musicians were just tools… R D Burman may be the only one who gave his session artistes visibility.”

Across Europe, non-featured performers enjoy legal mandates for equitable remuneration. Collective societies in Germany, France, and Spain facilitate this distribution. But implementation isn’t seamless.

“Unless you’re formally registered and actively claiming rights, even European systems tilt towards power players,” says Grover.

The difference? In Europe, there are enforceable mechanisms. In India, it’s mostly goodwill, inertia, or luck.

Some changes, however small, are underway.

Javda notes a five-year trend of composers crediting musicians more consistently.

Grover himself released the soundtrack of his film All India Rank on his own YouTube channel, carefully crediting every instrumentalist.

But credit alone doesn’t pay bills. Maddy points to a deeper injustice. “They don’t even know what investing means.”

Industry insiders agree that reform must begin with enforceable contracts and awareness.

“Even when contracts exist, they aren’t notarised,” says Maddy. “Anyone can deny they signed it.”

The Indian Singers’ and Musicians’ Rights Association and IPRS have set precedents for featured artistes. A similar push is needed for session musicians.

“Start with credit,” Maddy says. “Then fight for the money.”

As Javda puts it, “In 1992, none of us even dreamed of royalties. In 2025, at least we’re talking. Maybe in 10 more years, we’ll be counted.”

For now, the soundtrack of India’s digital music boom carries with it an echo — of violins played in silence, flutes forgotten in metadata, and lives that sang so others could shine.