Uncategorized

This weekend brought news of another Hollywood controversy, as some AI grifter tried to debut an “AI actress.” Deadline reported that multiple talent agencies are trying to sign “Tilly Norward.” Eline Van der Velden is an actor and comedian, and apparently “created” the AI nonsense in question. During the Zurich Summit, Van der Velden discussed “developing” content for AI production studio Particle6. (As a matter of course, I feel the need to point out that generative AI models effectively steal from other sources to “produce” their various wares. So, yeah what acting is really going on here?)

Melissa Barrera, Ralph Ineson and others quickly reacted to the news in ways you would expect artists and actors to respond. Basically disgust, and it’s hard to blame them. The Screen Actors Guild had a lengthy strike recently to avoid nonsense just like this. But, it sounds like, as it would happen with AI in general, the public just isn’t interested in having “generated” stars on their screens. In fact, it’s hard enough to see our faves on-screen without this business gumming up the works.

After a lawsuit was filed by PleasrDAO, owners of Wu-Tang Clan’s album, Once Upon A Time in Shaolin, accusing convicted pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli of making copies of the album, against the conditions of not keeping any and playing it online without permission, a judge has ruled that the suit can go on.

According to Reuters, U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen ruled that Shkreli, AKA “Pharma Bro,” must face PleasrDAO’s claims that he misappropriated Once Upon a Time in Shaolin in a 32-page decision on Sept. 25. The company is looking for unspecified damages and profits, and is requesting that Shkreli return the copies of the album he is allegedly in possession of.

The lawsuit was filed last summer after the convicted felon allegedly admitted in livestreams that he had made copies of the rare Wu-Tang Clan offering, and he played the album for his followers. PleasrDAO claimed that Shkreli responded online to a post by a PleasrDAO member who posted a picture of the album on the social media platform X by writing, “LOL i have the mp3s you moron.”

Based on the judge’s decision, Steven Cooper, an attorney for PleasrDAO, will “fully and aggressively” pursue its case against Shkreli.

Shkreli did obtain a partial victory when Chen dismissed other claims, including two she said were preempted by federal copyright law. A lawyer for the controversial executive, Edward Paltzik, said the dismissal of some of the claims is “a significant step forward in our effort to vindicate Mr. Shkreli, who we unequivocally believe engaged in absolutely zero wrongdoing.”

In 2015, Shkreli purchased the one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album at an auction for $2 million. In 2017, he was arrested and convicted of securities fraud. The government seized the album as well as other property that he owned. In 2021, PleasrDAO reportedly bought the album from the government for $4 million.

RELATED CONTENT: DOJ Reveals Buyer Of Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘Once Upon A Time In Shaolin’ Album Paid $2.2M

In Anu Valia’s quietly observant indie drama We Strangers, Kirby Howell-Baptiste steps into a role defined by subtlety, a woman who works for a commercial cleaning company in Northwest Indiana and whose life unfolds in the margins of other people’s stories. But within that quiet, the film uncovers something profound: a portrait of labor, identity, and belonging, told with patience and empathy.

But beneath that exterior, the film uncovers a rich inner world filled with resilience, dignity, and longing. It’s a story about class, identity, and what it means to truly see and be seen in a world that often looks past you.

For both Howell-Baptiste and Valia, We Strangers became an act of empathy and transformation. Together, they built a story that honors the emotional lives of working-class women, while exploring how our environments shape who we become.

For Kirby, bringing her character to life meant more than memorizing lines, it meant embodying her humanity. In an interview with Black Girl Nerds, she expresses candidly what that meant to her during filming:

“I think the thing I wanted to add to her that wasn’t on the page was just an element of… it’s almost like, when you create something like this, it’s like you draw the model,” she explains. “That’s what Anu had done. And then someone comes in like a magician and brings it to life. I wanted to be that person, the one who brings it from 2D to 3D.”

Kirby’s artistry has always been rooted in authenticity, as fans of her work as Death in Netflix’s Sandman we know she loves to push boundaries and her approach here was no different. In this case, she didn’t rely on formulas or acting tricks. Instead, she drew from her own lived experiences, immersing herself in the world of her character.

“I don’t know that I could say I did X, Y, Z,” she reflects. “A lot of it came from the experiences I’ve had. I worked with a woman named Roberta who owned a commercial cleaning company. I spent a long time in Gary, Indiana. I steeped myself in that world.”

For writer-director Anu Valia, We Strangers is more than a film, it’s a reflection of her own journey. Growing up as an Indian American in Northwest Indiana, she learned to move between spaces, adapting to the shifting expectations around her.

“Growing up as an Indian American kid in Northwest Indiana, that’s where the film takes place, just outside Chicago. I feel like I became very good at being a chameleon, at changing who I was in different situations,” she shares. “And I wasn’t even aware of it. I wasn’t smart enough to think I was doing that.”

Together, Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Anu Valia transform We Strangers into a meditation on identity, labor, and belonging. Their collaboration reminds us that there’s power in the stories of people who work hard, dream quietly, and move through the world unseen. For audiences who crave depth, nuance, and representation, We Strangers is a reminder that every life holds meaning and every story deserves to be told.

We Strangers is currently available on video on demand.

The post Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Anu Valia on Transforming the Everyday in ‘We Strangers’ appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

Graphic t-shirts with images on them displaying your favorite musician, sports team, or characters have been ubiquitous since the ’50s. But would you believe the graphic t-shirt might actually have originated somewhere over the rainbow? In a video which you can watch below from Alex Rabinowitz of Pop Culture Brain (via Laughing Squid), we learned that the first documented graphic t-shirts appearing in film were in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz. We see them for mere seconds on workers in the Emerald City, getting Tin Man and Scarecrow back into shape. They are green shirts that simply have the words “Oz” in white font written on them. Simple, but revolutionary.

The t-shirt itself didn’t become popular in North American society until after World War II. In the early part of the 20th century, the t-shirt existed merely as an undergarment. No one would dream of going outside the house wearing one. And if you watch movies of the Golden Age of Hollywood, you don’t see them in anything but that capacity. During World War II, soldiers started wearing them as outerwear. And that continued after the war. And by the 1950s, actors like Marlon Brando and James Dean began appearing with them in iconic films. Soon, every teenager in America would go out wearing a t-shirt, making it a symbol of youth culture. And before long, companies started selling t-shirts with printed images to teens, and later, adults.

As the video states, no one really knows if The Wizard of Oz costume designer saw a graphic t-shirt somewhere, or if he invented it expressly for the film. But most pop culture historians lean toward the latter, believing he invented the graphic t-shirt to evoke the otherworldly universe of Oz. As everyone knows, The Wizard of Oz is one of the most popular pieces of cinema ever produced. But it may be that because of it, we have this very common article of clothing that today everyone has in their closet.

The post THE WIZARD OF OZ May Have Invented This Common Piece of Clothing appeared first on Nerdist.