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How augmented reality put five Madonnas on stage at once
At Wednesday's Billboard Music Awards, Madonna performed her latest single, "Medellín", with Latin singer Maluma. However, they (and their flesh-and-blood dancers) weren't alone on the Las Vegas stage. Several virtual versions of the pop icon joined them: a secret agent, a musician, a cha-cha instructor and a bride. Augmented reality brought Madonna's personas to life with the help of volumetric capture -- essentially 3D video -- and Unreal Engine.
Apple Music's new film chronicles Bad Boy's hip hop legacy
Apple Music's latest documentary is all about Sean "Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records. From the looks of the trailer below, it will chronicle the label's ascent and downfall -- in many ways, mirroring Combs's career -- and will of course touch on the death of Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace. Last night at the Billboard Music Awards, Diddy debuted the trailer and spoke a bit about Biggie's legacy. Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A Bad Boy Story comes from Live Nation Productions, an offshoot of the concert-promoter/ticket-seller/venue-owner amalgam.
Watch Michael Jackson's holographic return at the Billboard Music Awards
Michael Jackson isn't the first posthumous recording artist to be reconstituted by light projection -- Tupac got there first -- but it didn't stop the assembled crowds at the Billboard Music Awards whipping themselves into a frenzy during the performance. Naturally, it all coincided with Jackson's Xscape album, launched earlier this month, but the surprise was spoiled a few days early by litigation between several holographic companies over the tech being used. We've embedded ABC's coverage after the break although the performance looks a little flat on video. And don't worry: there's moonwalking.
