ESPN is giving tennis great Serena Williams the episodic documentary treatment with In the Arena, a series co-produced with Religion of Sports, 199 Productions and Williams and Caroline Currier’s Nine Two Six Productions.
28.04.2023 - 15:01 / variety.com
Audrey Schomer Advances in deepfake technology raise the prospect that the day will soon come when the digital likeness of actors can be brought to life for movies and TV without their needing to even lift a finger. These likenesses have been variously referred to as personal avatars, digital twins or digital doubles. While entirely new synthetic personalities can be created, generative AI can also yield realistic replicas of celebrities. The prospect of acting avatars was thrust front and center last year when, months after Bruce Willis retired due to illness, he appeared in a commercial for a Russian wireless company thanks to an AI firm, Deepcake, that was able to re-create him. While it was erroneously reported he had sold off his performance rights to Deepcake, it turned out the commercial was more of a one-off usage of the actor’s likeness.
Typically, there are two types of avatar tools: one that generates realistic and reactive moving and speaking avatars given video sample footage, typically a few minutes long, of a specific person; and a second type that generates more constrained moving avatars given a still image that is then manipulated to look responsive (blinking, grinning). Deepfake video and audio could enable talent and media businesses to produce and scale content output that was previously impossible, whether with existing tools or, frankly, the limits of physical space and time. Realistic avatars and voice clones can be effectively deployed into new environments or productions without the talent’s physical presence or contribution being required, even in instances beyond an individual’s physical ability — for example, if an actor is already engaged in a different project, is sick or even dead.
ESPN is giving tennis great Serena Williams the episodic documentary treatment with In the Arena, a series co-produced with Religion of Sports, 199 Productions and Williams and Caroline Currier’s Nine Two Six Productions.
Lea Michele is sadly going to miss her Funny Girl performances this week.
S Club 7 reappeared on social media one month after the death of group member Paul Cattermole. The pop singing group announced that the reunion tour would continue in memory of their bandmate.
The members of Glee‘s New Directions are all grown up, and many of them have started families of their own since the show concluded in 2015.
Prince Andrew is reportedly refusing to vacate the Royal Lodge, despite plans for Prince William to move into the property. King Charles is said to have embarked on a shake-up of royal households in recent months, with the duke of York set to be moved from Royal Lodge - the 30-room, Grade II listed mansion, in Windsor Great Park, where he has lived with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson since 2003. As part of the shake-up, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were evicted from Frogmore Cottage - the UK home they were gifted by the late Queen following their marriage in 2018.
Pensacola News Journal.Under the law, which goes into effect on July 1, any medical provider, including doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers, pharmacists, mental health professionals, or lab technicians, as well as nursing home workers and hospital administrators, may refuse to provide care to patients if doing so would violate their conscience. Insurance companies also enjoy the right to deny care based on any moral, ethical, or religious objections.Health care professionals are also empowered to refuse to conduct research, update medical records, conduct testing or blood draws, or even make referrals if they believe doing so would enable a patient to make decisions or take actions that violate their provider’s personal moral, ethical, or religious beliefs.The Florida law also allows health care employers to discriminate in hiring and prevents medical boards from disciplining providers who deliberately spread misinformation about certain treatments, procedures, or diseases, such as a doctor who opposes COVID-19 vaccinations or believes that antiretrovirals are ineffective at treating HIV.While the newly signed law says patients can’t be discriminated against or denied care based on a host of personal characteristics, such as race, color, religion or national origin, it contains no such protections for sexual orientation or gender identity.According to the Movement Advancement Project, a think tank that focuses on LGBTQ-related policies, prior to the Florida law’s passage, about 1 in 8 LGBTQ Americans lived in a state where they could be denied medical care and are barred from bringing lawsuits against providers who refuse treatment.
George Santos is a “dead man walking.” That’s how Brendan Buck, former press secretary to Republican House Speaker John Boehner and current political analyst, described the U.S. representative while on Tuesday night’s episode of “Alex Wagner Tonight.”“The problem is George Santos, as we have seen, is not a stable person,” Buck said.Buck emphasized that most representatives who get into situations where they know they will likely be convicted and “have no future” step down. “I just don’t know that we can trust George Santos is going to see that that clearly.
Love Island stars Jessie Wynter and Will Young are preparing for a potential long-distance relationship after she revealed to fans that she would be heading back to Australia “soon” and wasn’t sure if her other half would be going with her. Since falling in love earlier this year during the Winter Love Island series, farmer Will, 23, and Aussie Jessie, 26, have been going from strength to strength, with Jessie moving in with Will on his family farm.
Giant theater chain AMC Entertainment saw sales blow past Wall Street forecasts for the March quarter, rising 20% to $954 million.
Royally romantic! Prince William and Princess Kate expressed their love for one another in the sweetest way to ring in 12 years of marriage.
Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Stanley Tucci may not be searching much longer. The actor-foodie says he’s “pretty confident” that he’ll find a new home for his cooking and travel show, “Searching for Italy.” CNN canceled the two-season series in December when the network ended its development of original documentary programming. “We’re talking to different companies,” Tucci told me at the premiere of his new Amazon Prime Video series, “Citadel.” “We’ll find out in a few weeks.” The series received seven Emmy nominations, winning for outstanding hosted nonfiction series in 2021 and 2022.
Kai is preparing for mandatory military enrollment.
Naman Ramachandran Canadian thriller “Exile” has been acquired by Electric Entertainment in the U.S., Vortex Media in Canada and Nicely Entertainment for international. The film, shot in Powell River, British Columbia, stars Adam Beach (“Power of the Dog,” “Suicide Squad”) as Ted Evans, a father struggling with his past who receives a threat from the man whose family he killed in a DUI. In order to protect his family when he is released from prison, Evans exiles himself and commits to a reclusive life; separating himself from the people he loves. His wife, Sara (Camille Sullivan, “Hunter Hunter”), believes the threat is a manifestation of her husband’s profound guilt. Determined to rebuild their family, Sara tracks down Ted to confront him, but she has no idea who he’s become or how real the threat may be.
This weekend will see King Charles III and Queen Camilla officially crowned during their Coronation at Westminster Abbey. Charles, who instantly became monarch last September following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, will leave the Abbey with his wife and other senior members of the royal family and head back to Buckingham Palace, where they’ll pose on the iconic balcony for photographs.
Two judges won’t be in attendance at the American Idol live episode on Sunday, May 7.
Prince William is set to honor his father, King Charles, during his coronation on Saturday. The Prince of Wales – who is also the heir to the throne – will vow his loyalty and allegiance to the King during the ceremony. According to the liturgy of the service, about halfway through the historic ceremony, William will kneel before his father, place his hands between his and recite: "I, William, Prince of Wales, pledge my loyalty to you and faith and truth I will bear unto you, as your liege man of life and limb.
Prince William wait to be king. Just watch how he sweetly corrected a little boy who called him «the king.»The Prince of Wales had a charming encounter with a little boy Thursday when he and Kate Middleton visited the Dowlais Rugby Club in Wales.
Lawrence Jones will host Fox News Tonight next week, the latest rotating host in the 8 PM ET time slot after the exit of Tucker Carlson.
The legacy of MGM Domestic Distribution Chief Erik Lomis was remembered this morning at CinemaCon by his Paramount Domestic Distribution Boss Chris Aronson, who worked with the former at MGM years ago. Lomis died suddenly March 22, having just released MGM’s Creed III to record box office results; a win also for the studio’s streaming parent Amazon.
The Prince of Wales commemorated Australia and New Zealand’s war dead in a dawn service marking Anzac Day on Tuesday. Hundreds of Australians, New Zealanders, and military personnel watched as William laid a wreath of red poppies and white flowers at Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner in London. The message on the wreath read: “In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.” He wore a red poppy during the service, and bowed briefly to the wreath before standing in silent tribute for a few moments.