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We can build immortal celebrities from ChatGPT and their existing back catalogs
It's amazing just who you can bring back from the dead given enough deepfake tech and a few hours of AV recordings.
A Bruce Willis deepfake could appear in his stead for future film projects (updated)
Bruce Willis may have retired from acting following a diagnosis of aphasia, but a version of him will live on in future projects.
Cameo now lets you buy 10-minute video calls with celebrities
You can invite up to nine friends to take part in a Cameo Live chat with your favorite star.
Amazon's Alexa voice options now include Shaq and Melissa McCarthy
Amazon's Alexa digital assistant can now impersonate the voices of Shaquille O'Neal and Melissa McCarthy.
YouTube Originals launches a star-studded slate of COVID-19 content
YouTube’s Originals division is working on a slate of COVID-19-related shows. After YouTube launched the #withme campaign, it saw a huge increase in watch-time, Susanne Daniels, global head of original content at YouTube, told Deadline. The new COVID-19-related content will take advantage of the #withme traffic, and allow YouTube to produce shows that can be filmed remotely.
These deepfake celebrity impressions are equally amazing and alarming
Actor Jim Meskimen partnered with deepfake artist Sham00k to make his celebrity impressions a little more realistic. Meskimen and Sham00k shared the results in a YouTube video, and honestly, they're pretty remarkable. While Meskimen did the voices, deepfake software applied the facial features of 20 celebrities, including George Clooney, Nicholas Cage, Colin Firth, Robert De Niro, Nick Offerman, Arnold Schwartzenegger, Robin Williams and George W. Bush.
Issa Rae is Google Assistant's newest celebrity voice
The long-promised John Legend voice eventually landed on Google Assistant back in April, now we've got the next celebrity voice offering in the form of the brilliant actress, writer and producer, Issa Rae. Just say, "Hey Google, talk like Issa," or switch your Assistant voice settings, and she'll be ready to answer a whole bunch of questions, from "Do I need an umbrella today?" to "Tell me a joke." Plus there will be a few Easter eggs, too -- trying asking "Hey Google, do you have any dating advice?" to hear what Issa has to say.
Stream select Tribeca Film Festival talks live on Facebook
The Tribeca Film Festival is underway, and it's live-streaming a handful of its talks. Through the festival's Facebook page, you can watch conversations with celebs like Queen Latifah, Michael J. Fox, Denis Leary, Ali Wong and Tiffany Haddish. You can also catch cast members from In Living Color, who will reunite to reflect on the show, and Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who's now 90 years old and will talk about her journey from Holocaust survivor to household name as a sex therapist.
Twitter pulls conspiracist's verified badge after celebrity outrage
Twitter's stricter approach to verification isn't just taking checkmarks away from the leaders of racist groups. The social network has pulled the verified badge from conspiracy peddler Liz Crokin after Chrissy Teigen and her husband John Legend reacted to Crokin's unsupported claims that the two were trafficking their child in a Washington, DC pedophile ring. As Teigen explained, it didn't make sense that Twitter would verify someone who was accusing her of horrific acts, especially not when this person has nearly 50,000 followers.
I tried (and failed) to become an Instagram guru
The life of a rock star social media celebrity may not be as worthwhile as building hospitals in war zones, but it looks a hell of a lot more fun. Imagine all of those trips behind the red velvet rope to a world where beautiful people like and respect you as you effortlessly acquire wealth and influence. Alas, it's not as simple as shoving your face on Instagram and waiting for the cash to roll in -- if you want to quaff champagne with the Jenners and Swifts, you'll need to put in plenty of effort.
Google puts celebrities to work answering your search questions
It's easy to find celebrity info if you're determined to look for it, but wouldn't you rather hear it straight from the source? You just might. Google is adding a feature to mobile searches in the US that has celebrities answering questions in selfie-style videos. If you want to know Gina Rodriguez's favorite movie or whether Will Ferrell can play the drums, you'll see a video that can take over the full screen.
Kevin Hart made a family-friendly mobile game
Kevin Hart cultivates a brand of relentless positivity. The comedian and actor makes motivational Snapchats from the gym at 5:30AM, trumpets his Laugh Out Loud streaming network as a place for upcoming, multicultural performers and repeats the mantra "live, love, laugh" without any irony. Like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, he's created a tirelessly optimistic public image that cuts across race, class and mediums, and it's taken Hart straight to the Forbes list of highest paid comedians.
ITV’s new celebrity show uses social media to mug off the public
This year, I became a genuine Love Island fan. I'm no stranger to the show, but have previously watched as a voyeur, convincing myself that although I might not be as pretty as these people, I totally have more to offer (all the while alone on a Friday night, sipping the dregs of a McDonald's milkshake I've just had delivered). There was something about the caricatures of last season I found genuinely entertaining, but the price of that is contributing to ratings that allow ITV to justify dropping even trashier commissions into the primetime schedule. This leads us to Celebrity Showmance, a new ITV show that revolves around two seemingly ill-matched celebrities perpetuating a fake relationship on social media for the sole purpose of winding up the public.
Nicki Minaj's new game could make you a rap star
It's hard to believe anyone that's not a Kardashian, a Jenner or a Ramsay can successfully make a game about their careers, but Nicki Minaj's new app actually sounds like fun. Through a collaboration with Glu Mobile -- the same company behind those Kim Kardashian, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and Gordon Ramsay games -- Minaj made The Empire, a game that focuses on rap music and lets players create their own songs. In addition, you can record your own voice (rapping your own words) into the app, and Minaj herself (or her minions, anyway) will select the best few to showcase on her social media accounts. The Empire is now available on iOS and Android, and from my few days playing a beta preview, it seems like more than just another celebrity-branded app.
The Engadget Podcast, Ep 4: All Eyez On Me
Editors Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar join host Terrence O'Brien to talk about Intel's latest CPUs, Dead or Alive's controversial VR feature and Lenovo's "innovative" take on the keyboard. Then the panel takes a look at Chris Brown's standoff and how Instagram videos and Facebook Live fit into our modern media landscape.
The Engadget Podcast, Ep 3: Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
Editors Nathan Ingraham and Devindra Hardawar join host Terrence O'Brien to talk about Android Nougat, PlayStation 4 rumors and why Amazon would create an Echo-exclusive music service. Then the panel addresses the endless harassment faced by Leslie Jones, and use the word "garbage"... a lot.
Celebrity augmented reality 'holograms' are coming
Get ready for celebrity 'holograms' beyond the usual 2D illusions. RadicalMedia and Uncorporeal are partnering on 3D captures of celebrities for augmented reality and eventually virtual reality performances, giving digital stand-ins a greater presence. You could go to a venue and see a convincing virtual concert or lecture no matter where you sit, and with more freedom of movement for the star of the show. The technique encircles a green screen stage with 48 cameras, creating a hologram-like effect that not only works in any AR or VR format (including future headset tech), but can carry over to 2D video.
Celeb hacker who stole nude images gets six months in prison
Andrew Helton from Oregon pleaded guilty to hacking celebs' emails and stealing explicit images earlier this year. Now, District Judge John A. Kronstadt has sentenced him to six months in prison and two years of supervised release. According to Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Christensen, the defendant "targeted, baited and hooked" not just celebrities, but also acquaintances with phishing emails for over two years. He also kept the nude and intimate photos he stole in his own computer. Helton's celebrity victims remain unnamed, because the source for that massive nude photo leak dubbed as "The Fappening" was another hacker altogether.
Second man pleads guilty to breaking into celebrity accounts
No, the convictions over celebrity account breaches aren't over yet. Chicago man Edward Majerczyk has agreed to plead guilty to using phishing scams to fool more than 300 people into compromising their Gmail and iCloud accounts, including 30 celebrities. The bargain reduces his sentence from a maximum of 5 years in prison to between 6 to 12 months. We'll learn the extent of his time behind bars in a few weeks, when the case transfers from California to Illinois for sentencing.
Philippines man charged with raiding US celebrities' accounts
Online attacks against celebrities aren't limited to perpetrators in the US. American officials have unsealed charges against Peter Locsin, a Filipino who allegedly participated in a plot to compromise the financial accounts of at least five high-profile targets. Officials aren't naming the victims, but they do mention the CEO of an international corporation and a "well-known socialite and entertainer." Last year, when Locsin was arrested, the Philippine Star claimed that former FBI director Robert Mueller (shown above) was one of the targets.
