| | | | | | If you scroll quickly, you may not notice. Look closer and things look off. That's the feeling that AI ubiquity brings now. It's enough to make you want to unplug altogether. So, in this Weekender edition, we're delivering a few disturbing dispatches from Hollywood's fuzzy AI future ... and pairing them with the decidedly sunnier bets in our new Travel Issue. — Erik Hayden
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Classic* Movies The AI-restoration wave may only be starting to crest. Edward Saatchi, is currently spearheading an elaborate project on The Magnificent Ambersons. The only existing version of the 1942 Orson Welles family drama was famously cut down and reshot by RKO against the director’s wishes. But just because we now can fill in some blanks, should we? David Canfield's report.
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George Lucas of AI The artist known as Gossip Goblin has built an incredible fan base with bold visions and machine-generated creations. The man behind the Instagram account is Zack London, 35, a Los Angeles native who so far has kept a relatively low public profile even as his work has spread widely online. But is he the future or just another slop merchant? Seth Abramovitch's story.
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New AI Scam The emails began appearing in inboxes in mid 2025, and fame and success have provided no immunity. Patrick Radden Keefe, the best-selling author of Say Nothing and Empire of Pain, both of which were adapted into hit TV shows, says it’s nonstop. With their blend of ego and insecurity, writers are ideal marks for swindlers promising fortune and glory. Chatbots have turbocharged the con. Julian Sancton's report. |
A Curious Refuge If you’re 73, have worked on a string of hits ranging from Forrest Gump to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and have two Oscars on your shelf, it might seem like a strange decision to suddenly go back to school. But for production designer Rick Carter, the rise of AI seemed like an opportunity to learn valuable new skills. The online film school Curious Refuge is showing industry pros how to use the latest AI tools as they scramble to learn a technology that might rescue — or ruin — their careers. James Hibberd's report.
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Sora's Collapse Sam Altman's OpenAI is closing down Sora, and its Disney deal is toast. The big video-generation tool that was supposed to turn Disney+ into a user-generated paradise — or a field of memeslop, depending on your point of view — is no longer. And maybe, with it, OpenAI’s Hollywood ambitions are gone, too. Three editors debate.
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They Said It "I hope that a lot more of us will at least be invited to attend it." — Academy member Bruce Feldman, on news that the Oscars will move from the Dolby Theatre to the bigger L.A. Live complex in 2029. "Him trying to block me from getting it, I respect the move." — Bill Maher, on Trump meddling ahead of getting a Kennedy Center honor. "There are going to be very hard discussions or very funny discussions or very sad discussions." — Alana Haim, on A24's already buzzy The Drama plot points ahead of the Zendaya and Robert Pattinson drama's bow. "This report’s findings point to a significant divestment in women-led projects." — WIF CEO Kirsten Schaffer on gender-balanced hiring dipping among IMDbPro’s list of the 100 most popular films of 2025. "If someone doesn’t like this book, it’s not just them saying they don’t like my writing. It’s 'I don’t like your personality.'" — Cazzie David, on her new book of essays. |
Bon Voyage Which brings us to THR ’s first travel issue , a package devoted to all the ways entertainment now shapes how we vacation — from set-jet pilgrimages and celebrity hideaways to the cover story by David Hochman on You, Me & Tuscany, in which Halle Bailey, Regé-Jean Page and director Kat Coiro make a pretty compelling case that a great location can be as potent a lure as any star. |
Korea Is Personal Daniel Dae Kim was 1 when he left South Korea. It took him five decades to find his way back. The host of CNN’s upcoming travel show K-Everything speaks about returning to the country he left as a baby — and how he ended up being named an honorary citizen. Degen Pener's story. |
French Connection Eva Longoria thinks she knows France pretty well. The actress, producer and longtime Francophile now is taking viewers across the country in a new season of Searching For, from baguettes in Paris to blue lobsters in Brittany: "Even the rule-breakers would say, 'You have to know the rules before you break them.'" The interview. |
Japan Passport White Collar actor Matt Bomer — soon to be seen in Jonah Hill's Apple TV film Outcome — on cherry blossom season, staying at the Lost in Translation hotel and losing his travel documents in one of his "favorite countries in the world." As told to Kathryn Romeyn. |
Neil's Florida Game At Little Palm Island in Florida, Neil Patrick Harris' immersive luxury weekend turns a five-star getaway into a live-action whodunit — and offers a glimpse into celebrity travel’s next lucrative act. Melinda Sheckells' story. |
Ahoy! It's superyacht season. High-end hospitality brands — like Aman, Four Seasons, The Ritz-Carlton and Orient Express — are betting that travelers who hate traditional cruises will happily climb aboard their smaller, sleeker and much more exclusive vessels. Elycia Rubin's story. |
100 Hot Spots Location, location, location: If the destinations featured on big and small screens are any indication, these are the ultimate trips to put on your bucket list. As THR’s list of 100 destinations made famous by films and TV shows makes clear, the effect goes back to classics like Roman Holiday, La Dolce Vita, Blue Hawaii and The Sound of Music. The itinerary, in other words, has been building for a long time. The list. |
Around Town Katie Bethell, Maggie Rogers, Jane Fonda and Joy-Ann Reid came together in D.C. for a Committee for the First Amendment initiative. Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias and Jo Koy became the first comedians to headline SoFi Stadium in L.A. Lauren Conrad, Stephen Colletti and Kristin Cavallari united at Roku’s The Reunion: Laguna Beach premiere in Santa Monica. Charlie Cox, Margarita Levieva and Vincent D'Onofrio attended a launch event for the second season of Marvel's Daredevil: Born Again in NYC. Sheryl Lee Ralph's DIVA Foundation celebrated its 12th Annual Truth Awards Weekend, culminating in a gala at The Beverly Hilton alongside Jenifer Lewis and Don Lemon. All 36 photos from this week's premieres and events. |
The Bottom Line Snapshots from THR's team of critics: Zazie Beetz "kicks ass in giddy, gory eat-the-rich actioner" They Will Kill You. Elsie Fisher "headlines an exhilaratingly fresh and affecting queer teen indie" Sparks. Riz Ahmed's Amazon comedy Bait , about a Muslim actor’s James Bond audition, is "full of potential." The Duffer brothers romantic horror Netflix show Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen is "a clever spin on prenuptial jitters." Amazon's comedy-reality hoax hybrid Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat is "too mild." Minnie Driver's Fox religious drama The Faithful is "by the numbers." |
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