Entertainment

Putting their faith in the hands of a sentient computer system didn’t go so well for humans in the world of James Cameron‘s Terminator movies: Skynet came to see all mankind as a threat and tried to exterminate it by setting off a nuclear exchange.

In real life, with the rise of ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tech, he’s here to say he told you so.

“I warned you guys in 1984, and you didn’t listen,” the Canadian Oscar winner joked to CTV on Tuesday, July 18.

“I think the weaponization of AI is the biggest danger,” the Titanic and Avatar director said.

“I think that we will get into the equivalent of a nuclear arms race with AI, and if we don’t build it, the other guys are for sure going to build it, and so then it’ll escalate,” he argued.

“You could imagine an AI in a combat theater, the whole thing just being fought by the computers at a speed humans can no longer intercede, and you have no ability to deescalate.”

That said, on a lighthearted note, Cameron said he wouldn’t be open to directing a movie written by AI — “unless they were really good, you know,” he smiled. “You know, let’s wait 20 years, and if an AI wins an Oscar for Best Screenplay, I think we’ve gotta take them seriously.”

He did say that he feels humanity is key to moving an audience with a script, however.

Incidentally, the Ontario native was honored Tuesday by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society for his tireless ocean exploration and his environmental conservationism.

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In case you’ve been living under a rock over the past year and hadn’t heard, pickleball is taking the world by storm — and if you needed more proof, there’s a new reality show in the works. 

Ace Rodrigues, CEO and founder of the Pickleball Kingdom franchise, promises Pickleball Paddle Battle will “deliver an immersive, captivating viewer experience guaranteed to unite legions of pickleball enthusiasts, sports lovers, and reality TV fans alike,” as well as offer “opportunities for contestants to win prizes at a level never offered before.”

He continues, “Viewers can expect awe-inspiring displays of athleticism, gripping rivalries, and emotional triumphs, all set against the backdrop of the pickleball craze that has swept throughout the world.”

What’s more, they’re looking for players. 

Rodrigues says a nationwide call is searching for “16 elite players, carefully selected based on exceptional skills and unwavering passion for the game.”

The eight men and eight women “will face a series of challenging and exhilarating pickleball matches, pushing their physical and mental limits to emerge victorious.” 

If you think you’ve got what it takes, take a low-impact jog to www.pickleballpaddlebattle.tv for more information on how to apply.

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Costume designer Shawna Trpcic recently scored her third Emmy nomination for a Star Wars small-screen project, Disney+’s third season of The Mandalorian. 

This is her third nomination, following noms for the first season and The Book of Boba Fett.  

She tells ABC Audio she wasn’t even aware it was Emmy nomination week the first time around.

“I didn’t even know that was that time period,” she says. “This time I was very aware, you know, everybody’s on strike. It’s very quiet. And I was like, ‘There’s so much good content out there right now. … I don’t know that we stand a chance, but we worked so, so hard. It would be just so wonderful to get nominated for this one because we poured our heart into it, and it’s the biggest show we’ve done yet.'”

Trpcic expresses, “And then when we got nominated, I was tearful, and I was shaking, and I was, like, texting everybody. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, we did it.’ So it was a thrill, honestly.”

In a new installment of Gallery: Behind the Scenes of The Mandalorian, season 3 guest stars Jack Black and Lizzo can be seen in their costumes as the leaders of the planet Plazir-15 — and they couldn’t be having more fun. 

Trpcic laughs of Black’s fitting, “He’s just so full of glory and light, and we’re huge fans of his. And so we’re trying to maintain and be serious and get all of our measurements in while we can … We’re trying to stifle giggles, be quiet and get our job done.”

The designer recalled Lizzo’s reaction to seeing her spectacular gown’s design. “She teared up. I said, ‘Welcome to Star Wars.’ And, you know, she has Star Wars toys on her bookshelf at home. So she’s one of us.” 

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It’s been 25 years since we were introduced to one of television’s favorite onscreen friendships with Will & Grace. To celebrate — and kick off the Paley Pride celebration — The Paley Center for Media in New York City launched a new exhibit celebrating BFFs Will Truman and Grace Adler and their scene-stealing pals, Jack McFarland and Karen Walker.

Will & Grace is credited with paving the way for LGBTQ+ representation on primetime TV, being one of the first to feature openly gay principal characters in Will and Jack. Premiering on NBC in 1998, the series quickly became a part of the pop culture zeitgeist. Audiences were treated to the quartet’s antics for eight seasons before wrapping in 2006; the show then briefly returned in 2017, before officially ending in 2020.

The exhibit, which opened in June, has been extended until July 30. It’s a fun, immersive experience, recreating Will and Grace’s famous New York apartment’s living room. Plus, fans of Café Jacques can take a seat and some pictures at Jack’s one-table café for a true Instagram moment.

There are a total of 42 items on display that were used during the series’ run, including jewelry, ID cards and other accessories — like Will’s garden gnome, Squatsie. Perhaps the most nostalgic components of the exhibit are Will, Grace, Karen and Jack’s costumes — from Karen’s “I Loves Me Kitty” sweatshirt to Jack’s shower caps.

After taking them all in, kick back in the Bennack Theater to screen classic episodes (only available Wednesdays through Sundays). If you’re ready to prove you’re a die-hard fan, test your knowledge of the sitcom with some trivia on the interactive monitor.

If you happen to be in NYC, grab your BFF, practice your best Cher impersonation and head to the Paley Center for Media.

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Jennifer Lopez is getting waxed…again.

On July 21, a new wax figure of J.Lo will be unveiled at Madame Tussauds New York. This one is dressed in the gold-studded, black leather motorcycle vest, over-the-knee boots, gold gloves and pink skirt she wore as one of her looks during her 2020 Super Bowl halftime show with Shakira.

“J.Lo is a New York icon and her Super Bowl performance is a spectacular moment in time that is worthy of memorializing with a new wax figure in her home city,” says the general manager of Madame Tussauds New York in a statement. 

The unveiling of the figure, which took 20 artists six months to complete, also ties in with J.Lo’s upcoming birthday on July 24 and the impending release of her new album, This Is Me … Now.

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With celebrity panels out thanks to the SAG-AFTRA strike, celebrated comic artist and Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld is bringing back an activity from conventions past to keep fans happy.

Like he did starting at 2015’s San Diego Comic-Con, when Ryan Reynolds was promoting a little movie called Deadpool, Liefeld tells The Hollywood Reporter that this year, he’s again hiding original sketches all over the San Diego Convention Center.

This time, they will be sketches of DP and his frenemy Wolverine to celebrate the fact that the fan-favorite hero, played again by Hugh Jackman, will be joining Reynolds’ Merc with a Mouth in 2024’s Deadpool 3.

To make it more of a challenge, Liefeld isn’t doing the hiding himself, he tells the trade — and neither are members of his family. Keen-eyed fans spotted them in years past and followed them as they stashed the treasures, so instead, he’ll tap some anonymous helpers to do the hiding for the scavenger hunt.

Incidentally, while an original sketch from a comics legend is worth cold hard cash, Liefeld says he has found few people turning the pieces over for resale.

He explains, “People generally keep them, but I don’t care what people do with them. Once they are yours, they are yours.”

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After tackling Agatha Christie‘s classics Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile on the big screen, actor and director Kenneth Branagh is back as legendary investigator Hercule Poirot in the trailer to A Haunting in Venice.

Like the previous hits, Venice has an impressive cast, including Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan, and Yellowstone‘s Kelly Reilly.

Set in post-World War II Venice, the upcoming mystery from 20th Century Studios sees Poirot coming out of retirement to solve a mystery, prompted by Fey’s character who wants him to discredit a psychic, played by Yeoh.

Together, they join a séance, and in the middle of it, someone is murdered, leading the detective to shut everyone inside a creepy mansion. “Somebody is dead. No one shall leave this place until I know who did it,” he maintains.

As Poirot looks for a rational answer, he also begins to doubt his skepticism: Was the murderer among the living or “have the living been killed by the dead?”

The film debuts in theaters September 15.

20th Century Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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After weathering battles with both brain and pancreatic cancer and struggles with fertility, Maria Menounos is a mom.

The entertainment journalist tells Us Weekly in a new interview that little Athena was born on June 23 via surrogate, saying, “It was the most special moment of my life.”

She recalled, “I sat with her on my chest, and Keven and I kept looking at each other like, ‘Oh, my God.’ It was just pure joy.”

Maria added, “For so long, I’ve felt something’s been missing…And now I feel so grounded, like I finally know where I belong.”

The 45-year-old revealed in February that she and Undergaro, 55, were expecting a baby, having tapped fellow moms through surrogacy Zoe Saldaña and Kim Kardashian about their journeys.

Menounos recalled to Live with Kelly and Ryan that she and Undergaro had been trying everything to start a family.

“We’ve done literally everything. They tried to, you know, get me pregnant, that didn’t work. Had a surgery, that didn’t work,” she said at the time. “We did everything but we got so lucky.”

Menounos called Zoe and Kim “so helpful to me in this journey and they both gave me all their advice and people. And Kim especially gave me this wonderful lawyer named Andy, and he found me this woman, Stephanie, who helped me find my surrogate.”

Maria called her surrogate and her family “literal angels.”

Menounous was diagnosed with a pancreatic tumor in January, calling the news a “nightmare” for the expectant couple. She underwent successful surgery to remove it. “The fibroid was the size of a baby,” she tells Us. “I have a C-section scar, basically, even though I never had a baby — I gave birth in a different way!”

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Dax Shepard has shared a loving message to his wife Kristen Bell for her 43rd birthday, which was Tuesday, July 18.

In the caption of a sweet Instagram post showing the smiling couple on a boat, Shepard wrote, “Happy Birthday to the world’s hottest jujitsu practitioner. And that’s in addition to being the greatest mom, wife, sister and dog owner that this world has ever known.”

The 48-year-old added, “[Every] one of us in her Orbit has hit the jackpot. Happy Birthday Buddy!!!! @kristenanniebell.”

Bell replied to her husband’s message in the comments, writing, “So grateful I get to spend them all with you ♥️.”

Shepard and Bell have been married for nearly 10 years. The couple tied the knot at the Beverly Hills County Clerk’s Office in October 2013.

They have two children together, daughters Lincoln, 10, and Delta, 8.

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Craig Robinson is back and ready to tackle a “creepy swamp family” in the season 2 trailer of Peacock’s comedy series Killing It, which was released on Tuesday. Robinson teased the new season, stating, “It’s the same wild rollercoaster as last year — an ambitious, complex exploration of life and pursuit of the American Dream mixed in with some of the stupidest jokes on television.” All eight episodes of the series will premiere Thursday, August 17…

Disney’s live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid will soon make a splash on digital platforms. The beloved underwater tale will be available for streaming on Prime Video starting July 25 for $19.99. The movie will also be available on other platforms such as Apple TV. Disney is the parent company of ABC News…

MTV is set to launch an exciting new dating series called The Love Experiment, aiming to bring the thrills and choices of dating apps into the real world. Premiering on August 15 at 10 p.m., the show revolves around three best friends from Atlanta, Georgia — Marcia, 30, Paige, 27, and Tamara, 30 — who find themselves in a sea of eligible men who want committed relationships. However, they soon discover that having an abundance of ideal options is not as easy as it appears. Relationship expert Mari Waugh, also known as Spicy Mari, the CEO and founder of the Spicy Life, will guide the ladies through the experiment…

Variety reports the SAG-AFTRA has approved 39 independent productions to continue filming during the strike, as they are not affiliated with Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) companies. Notably, The Whale and Everything Everywhere All at Once Oscar-winning studio A24 has two projects on the list: Mother Mary with Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel, and Death of a Unicorn starring Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega, set to shoot in Hungary. A24, being independent, is separate from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Other approved projects include Matthew McConaughey‘s The Rivals of Amziah King; Mark Wahlberg‘s Flight Risk directed by Mel Gibson; Mads Mikkelsen and Sigourney Weaver in Dust Bunny, and Rebel Wilson‘s Bride Hard…

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