Kendrick Lamar Drops New Music Video Featuring Deepfakes
Kendrick Lamar has released a new music video for his song “The Heart Part 5” in which his face morphs into that of several other famous black men – including O.J. Simpson, Kanye West, Will Smith, Kobe Bryant, Jussie Smollett, and Nipsey Hussle – via deepfake technology. The video debuted on Sunday and had amassed …
Netflix Rolls Out “Double Thumbs Up” Rankings
Netflix debuted its new Double Thumbs Up ranking system this week, giving users more nuanced control over how they rate entertainment on the platform. Viewers can now differentiate between content they “like” versus “love,” according to TechCrunch. “Providing an additional way to tell us when you’re really into something means a profile with recommendations that …
Ed Sheeran Wins ‘Shape of You’ Copyright Lawsuit
A London High Court judge ruled on Wednesday that British musician Ed Sheeran did not plagiarize grime artist Sami Chokri’s song “Oh Why” in writing his 2017 hit “Shape of You,” according to BBC News. Chokri, who performs under the pseudonym Sami Switch, insisted that the “Oh I” hook in Sheeran’s song was “strikingly similar” …
Oscars 2022: Historic Wins and a Smack for the Ages
The 94th Academy Awards ceremony brought its own drama to L.A’s Dolby Theater on Sunday night. Several films garnered multiple Oscars, including “Dune,” with six wins in technical categories, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” for which Jessica Chastain won Best Actress, and Apple TV+’s “CODA” – the first film from a streaming service to nab …
SXSW Returns to In-Person Festival
The Austin-based South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) plans to welcome in-person audiences this year for the first time since the spring of 2019. Taking place March 11-20, the festival will feature 99 full-length films – 76 of which are set to make their world premieres there. 111 short films, 29 XR titles, and 24 …
Spotify to Close In-House Podcast Studio
Spotify is shutting down its in-house podcast division, Studio 4, and either laying off or reassigning between 10 and 15 staff members, according to Deadline. The last day for those laid off will be January 21. Others have been offered new roles with Spotify’s three acquired networks Gimlet, Parcast, or The Ringer. “When you have …
Making Music Out of Mushrooms
Musician Tarun Nayar spends much of his time experimenting with sound in Canada’s old-growth forests. At the age of seven, Nayar began studying Indian classical music with Narendra Verma – a disciple of the famous Indian sitar virtuoso and composer Ravi Shankar, according to VICE. These formative lessons taught Nayar not only about the technical …
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Scores Second Highest Domestic Debut Ever
Sony’s latest Marvel movie “Spider-Man: No Way Home” raked in a whopping $260 million at the U.S. box office over the weekend, making history as the second highest domestic debut of all time, according to Deadline. It beat the previous record of $257.6 million set by “Avengers: Infinity War.” “This weekend’s historic ‘Spider-Man: No Way …
Britney Spears Officially Freed From Conservatorship
The conservatorship over Britney Spears’s life and finances has now officially come to an end. On Friday, Judge Brenda Penny terminated the legal arrangement entered into nearly 14 years ago, according to The New York Times. Spears took to social media to celebrate “the best day” of her life and thank her supporters. “She was …
Mark Ruffalo Featured in ‘Electile Dysfunction’ Parody Ad
Mark Ruffalo has teamed up with actors Jake Johnson of FOX’s “New Girl” and Johnathan Scott of the HGTV show “Property Brothers” to promote the Freedom to Vote Act in a spoof on TV infomercials about erectile dysfunction, according to Deadline. The public interest organization RepresentUs is sponsoring the digital ad. “Trouble maintaining a strong …
