Elon Musk, a co-founder of the company OpenAI, raised his concern about a potentially dark turn for artificial intelligence.
In an interview at the Dealbook summit, Musk hinted at the possibility that OpenAI has discovered “something dangerous” that has raised concerns for the current board members, leading to the firing of CEO Sam Altman.
Altman was hired back just days later after nearly all the staff threatened to quit.
OpenAI, which was founded by Altman and Musk with Ilya Sutskever and Greg Brockman, was initially created as a non-profit to serve humanity and offer potential benefits to modern life.
Musk expressed his “mixed feelings” about both the company and Altman.
Most of these feelings were put on display when Musk announced his resignation from the company in 2018 because of disagreement over its direction, criticizing the company for making the switch from a not-for-profit to for-profit.
Musk has said that OpenAI,...
In an interview at the Dealbook summit, Musk hinted at the possibility that OpenAI has discovered “something dangerous” that has raised concerns for the current board members, leading to the firing of CEO Sam Altman.
Altman was hired back just days later after nearly all the staff threatened to quit.
OpenAI, which was founded by Altman and Musk with Ilya Sutskever and Greg Brockman, was initially created as a non-profit to serve humanity and offer potential benefits to modern life.
Musk expressed his “mixed feelings” about both the company and Altman.
Most of these feelings were put on display when Musk announced his resignation from the company in 2018 because of disagreement over its direction, criticizing the company for making the switch from a not-for-profit to for-profit.
Musk has said that OpenAI,...
- 12/14/2023
- by Morgan Lee Powers
- Uinterview
The 911 call came in around 2:30 a.m on April 4.
“Help, someone stabbed me,” said the voice on the phone.
Police and paramedics rushed to the address he gave near the downtown waterfront, beneath the hulking steel beams of the Bay Bridge. By the time first responders arrived at the 300 block of Main Street, the man who made the 911 call was lying bloody and unconscious on the sidewalk, his unmoving figure illuminated by the lights lining the doorway of a data-server company. He was a white man in black jeans,...
“Help, someone stabbed me,” said the voice on the phone.
Police and paramedics rushed to the address he gave near the downtown waterfront, beneath the hulking steel beams of the Bay Bridge. By the time first responders arrived at the 300 block of Main Street, the man who made the 911 call was lying bloody and unconscious on the sidewalk, his unmoving figure illuminated by the lights lining the doorway of a data-server company. He was a white man in black jeans,...
- 10/22/2023
- by Albert Samaha
- Rollingstone.com
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hasn’t exactly been towing the Democratic Party line since announcing his presidential run in April. The scion has been vowing to seal off the U.S.-Mexico border, siding with Vladimir Putin over Ukraine, and pushing a host of outlandish conspiracy theories — most notably about Covid-19, including a claim this weekend that it was ethnically targeted while noting infections were lowest among Jewish and Chinese people.
It should come as no surprise, then, that Rkf is raking in cash from GOP donors. Popular Information published a fundraising breakdown on Monday,...
It should come as no surprise, then, that Rkf is raking in cash from GOP donors. Popular Information published a fundraising breakdown on Monday,...
- 7/17/2023
- by Ryan Bort
- Rollingstone.com
While it didn’t commence with 20 minutes of technical difficulties like the Twitter campaign kickoff of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Monday forum on the site’s audio Spaces platform was still a garbled affair. The environmental lawyer turned conspiracy theorist — now attempting to primary President Biden for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination — made time to discuss a wide range of his more outlandish and pseudoscientific ideas throughout a conversation that lasted nearly two and a half hours.
Kennedy started off the “Reclaiming Democracy” event by thanking...
Kennedy started off the “Reclaiming Democracy” event by thanking...
- 6/5/2023
- by Miles Klee
- Rollingstone.com
New Delhi, May 28 (Ians) Outgoing Twitter CEO Elon Musk on Sunday apologised to a user for his platform eating up extra space on smartphones.
Musk shared a screenshot where the Twitter app was seen taking 9.52Gb space on a phone.
“Sorry this app takes up so much space,” he commented in a tweet.
According to Musk, Twitter usage has “went ballistic” after the changes he made to the platform, and there is a great engagement on the “digital town square”.
In March, Musk said that the platform is growing fast.
“Just exceeded 8 billion user-minutes per day…of the most influential, smartest people on Earth,” he had tweeted.
Musk also said that the platform will keep prioritising responses from followers, verified accounts, and unverified accounts in the coming weeks.
Musk recently said that the technical “fiasco” during Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ 2024 US presidential election bid on Twitter Spaces was actually the...
Musk shared a screenshot where the Twitter app was seen taking 9.52Gb space on a phone.
“Sorry this app takes up so much space,” he commented in a tweet.
According to Musk, Twitter usage has “went ballistic” after the changes he made to the platform, and there is a great engagement on the “digital town square”.
In March, Musk said that the platform is growing fast.
“Just exceeded 8 billion user-minutes per day…of the most influential, smartest people on Earth,” he had tweeted.
Musk also said that the platform will keep prioritising responses from followers, verified accounts, and unverified accounts in the coming weeks.
Musk recently said that the technical “fiasco” during Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ 2024 US presidential election bid on Twitter Spaces was actually the...
- 5/28/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
San Francisco, May 27 (Ians) Twitter Spaces team, which once had as many as 100 employees, is down to “roughly three” people, a report has revealed, as the technical “fiasco” during Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ 2024 US presidential election bid on the platform this week rocked the world.
For months now, the Spaces team has been operating without most of the “institutional knowledge it accumulated since Twitter added live audio conversations in 2021 to compete with then-hot Clubhouse,” reports Platformer.
“Practically no one remaining knows the current architecture in depth,” one person wrote on a pseudonymous employee forum called Blind.
After almost 20 minutes into the glitch, DeSantis could finally make the announcement.
“I am running for President of the US to lead our great American comeback,” DeSantis said.
Musk and David Sacks, a tech entrepreneur, admitted that the limited capacity of Twitter’s servers played into the issues it faced getting the event underway.
For months now, the Spaces team has been operating without most of the “institutional knowledge it accumulated since Twitter added live audio conversations in 2021 to compete with then-hot Clubhouse,” reports Platformer.
“Practically no one remaining knows the current architecture in depth,” one person wrote on a pseudonymous employee forum called Blind.
After almost 20 minutes into the glitch, DeSantis could finally make the announcement.
“I am running for President of the US to lead our great American comeback,” DeSantis said.
Musk and David Sacks, a tech entrepreneur, admitted that the limited capacity of Twitter’s servers played into the issues it faced getting the event underway.
- 5/27/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
San Francisco, May 25 (Ians) Outgoing Twitter CEO Elon Musk on Thursday said that the technical ‘fiasco’ during Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ 2024 US presidential election bid on Twitter Spaces was actually the “top story on earth” and he welcomes all US Presidential candidates to do so on his platform.
Reacting to how traditional media described the technical glitch, Musk said: “I call it massive attention. Top story on Earth today.”
He further said: “All Presidential candidates are most welcome on this platform.”
The livestream event was hosted by Musk and David Sacks, a tech entrepreneur.
“This was by far the biggest room ever held on social media. Twitter performed great after some initial scaling challenges. Thanks Twitter Team for adapting so quickly to make history,” Sacks said in a tweet.
Twitter Space with DeSantis reached around 701,000 listeners, the highest it’s ever been.
Musk said: “Twitter new account signups just went ballistic.
Reacting to how traditional media described the technical glitch, Musk said: “I call it massive attention. Top story on Earth today.”
He further said: “All Presidential candidates are most welcome on this platform.”
The livestream event was hosted by Musk and David Sacks, a tech entrepreneur.
“This was by far the biggest room ever held on social media. Twitter performed great after some initial scaling challenges. Thanks Twitter Team for adapting so quickly to make history,” Sacks said in a tweet.
Twitter Space with DeSantis reached around 701,000 listeners, the highest it’s ever been.
Musk said: “Twitter new account signups just went ballistic.
- 5/25/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
As more than half a million people attempted to tune into an audio Twitter Spaces event to hear Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announce his 2024 presidential campaign in an interview with Elon Musk, the app continually crashed, booted listeners, and emitted garbled sound — including snippets of hold music.
Instead of a seamless campaign launch, the 6 p.m. interview, like SpaceX‘s giant Starship rocket, exploded shortly after liftoff. And “liftoff” is putting it generously: After a period of awkward silence, the host, venture capitalist David Sacks, could be heard attempting to...
Instead of a seamless campaign launch, the 6 p.m. interview, like SpaceX‘s giant Starship rocket, exploded shortly after liftoff. And “liftoff” is putting it generously: After a period of awkward silence, the host, venture capitalist David Sacks, could be heard attempting to...
- 5/24/2023
- by Miles Klee
- Rollingstone.com
Turns out Twitter Spaces isn’t the best place to make a major announcement.
Ron DeSantis learned this the hard way Wednesday evening, when the Florida governor was scheduled to kick off his presidential campaign during a live audio conversation with Elon Musk on Twitter Spaces after filing paperwork with the Federal Election Commission earlier Wednesday.
More than 20 minutes after the conversation was scheduled to begin, DeSantis wasn’t even able to speak as the live audio room repeatedly crashed and featured echoing audio, which Musk said was due to Twitter’s servers being overloaded by the number of listeners in the room. The Space appeared to be cut short after 21 minutes, and a recorded version of the conversation-that-wasn’t noted 347,000 users had tuned in.
Though the conversation later moved to a new room with fewer technical difficulties, the snafu also didn’t go unnoticed by Joe Biden’s social media team,...
Ron DeSantis learned this the hard way Wednesday evening, when the Florida governor was scheduled to kick off his presidential campaign during a live audio conversation with Elon Musk on Twitter Spaces after filing paperwork with the Federal Election Commission earlier Wednesday.
More than 20 minutes after the conversation was scheduled to begin, DeSantis wasn’t even able to speak as the live audio room repeatedly crashed and featured echoing audio, which Musk said was due to Twitter’s servers being overloaded by the number of listeners in the room. The Space appeared to be cut short after 21 minutes, and a recorded version of the conversation-that-wasn’t noted 347,000 users had tuned in.
Though the conversation later moved to a new room with fewer technical difficulties, the snafu also didn’t go unnoticed by Joe Biden’s social media team,...
- 5/24/2023
- by J. Clara Chan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Miami, May 24 (Ians) Ron DeSantis, the Republican Governor of Florida, will launch his bid for the 2024 US presidential election on Wednesday during an online appearance on Twitter with outgoing CEO Elon Musk, according to media reports.
Musk confirmed the development at a Wall Street Journal event on Tuesday, reports CNN.
“I will be interviewing Ron DeSantis, and he has quite an announcement to make. And it will be the first time that something like this is happening on social media and with real-time questions and answers, unscripted,” the tech billionaire said, adding that he was not planning to endorse any candidate “at this time”.
The Twitter Spaces conversation between Musk and De Santish will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday and will be moderated by David Sacks — a tech entrepreneur and major political donor who contributed just over $70,000 to the Governor’s political committee in 2021.
Twitter Spaces is a...
Musk confirmed the development at a Wall Street Journal event on Tuesday, reports CNN.
“I will be interviewing Ron DeSantis, and he has quite an announcement to make. And it will be the first time that something like this is happening on social media and with real-time questions and answers, unscripted,” the tech billionaire said, adding that he was not planning to endorse any candidate “at this time”.
The Twitter Spaces conversation between Musk and De Santish will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday and will be moderated by David Sacks — a tech entrepreneur and major political donor who contributed just over $70,000 to the Governor’s political committee in 2021.
Twitter Spaces is a...
- 5/24/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Ron DeSantis will make his 2024 presidential candidacy announcement during a Twitter Spaces discussion with Elon Musk. NBC News was the first to report the details of the announcement. Musk confirmed it himself at The Wall Street Journal‘s CEO Council Summit. “I will be interviewing Ron DeSantis, and he has quite an announcement to make,” he said.
“I will be interviewing Ron DeSantis, and he has quite an announcement to make.”
— Elon Musk, amid reporting Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fl) will announce his 2024 campaign for president in a Twitter Space with Musk on Wednesday pic.
“I will be interviewing Ron DeSantis, and he has quite an announcement to make.”
— Elon Musk, amid reporting Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fl) will announce his 2024 campaign for president in a Twitter Space with Musk on Wednesday pic.
- 5/23/2023
- by Nikki McCann Ramirez
- Rollingstone.com
Rumble, the popular video-sharing platform (Nasdaq: Rum), announced today that it has acquired Callin, the San Francisco-based podcasting and live streaming platform founded by technology entrepreneur and investor David Sacks and Axel Ericsson. Pursuant to the terms of the definitive acquisition agreement, Sacks is slated to join Rumble’s board of directors in the second half of June 2023. Ericsson and the Callin team will continue to develop live streaming capabilities as a part of Rumble.
Callin creates a seamless experience for its users to create, discover, and consume live and recorded content. The Callin app was built to blend the best aspects of social audio and video with the most attractive features of podcasting. We believe the addition of Callin’s user-friendly app and post-production tools coupled with Rumble’s substantial creator and user communities will create beneficial synergies, improving the experience of Rumble’s creators and their fans.
“It...
Callin creates a seamless experience for its users to create, discover, and consume live and recorded content. The Callin app was built to blend the best aspects of social audio and video with the most attractive features of podcasting. We believe the addition of Callin’s user-friendly app and post-production tools coupled with Rumble’s substantial creator and user communities will create beneficial synergies, improving the experience of Rumble’s creators and their fans.
“It...
- 5/16/2023
- Podnews.net
San Francisco, Jan 15 (Ians) As office rentals drop significantly in the city of San Francisco amid remote work and massive layoffs, Meta (formerly Facebook) and Microsoft are now vacating office buildings in Seattle and Bellevue in Washington State.
The Seattle Times reported that Meta is reviewing “leases for Seattle-area office buildings.”
Facebook has confirmed plans to sublease its offices in downtown Seattle and in the Spring District in Bellevue.
Microsoft also confirmed that it won’t renew its lease at the 26-story City Center Plaza in Bellevue when that lease ends in June 2024, the report mentioned.
The ongoing work-from-home and layoffs have cut into demand for office space in Seattle and other tech cities in the US.
In November, Meta announced layoffs of 726 Seattle-area workers.
A Meta spokesperson said that given the economic climate, it is trying to be financially prudent.”
The Seattle office market is now struggling “where total...
The Seattle Times reported that Meta is reviewing “leases for Seattle-area office buildings.”
Facebook has confirmed plans to sublease its offices in downtown Seattle and in the Spring District in Bellevue.
Microsoft also confirmed that it won’t renew its lease at the 26-story City Center Plaza in Bellevue when that lease ends in June 2024, the report mentioned.
The ongoing work-from-home and layoffs have cut into demand for office space in Seattle and other tech cities in the US.
In November, Meta announced layoffs of 726 Seattle-area workers.
A Meta spokesperson said that given the economic climate, it is trying to be financially prudent.”
The Seattle office market is now struggling “where total...
- 1/15/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
San Francisco, Jan 8 (Ians) Twitter CEO Elon Musk on Sunday said that office rentals in San Francisco will further drop, as the city is reeling under the pressure after massive tech layoffs and company offices being shut.
David Sacks, Co-founder and partner at Craft Ventures, tweeted that he got offered office space in San Francisco for the same price as 2009.
Musk replied: “It will go lower”.
Twitter has been sued for failing to pay 136,250 in rent at one of its office spaces here.
According to a complaint filed by landlord Columbia Reit, Twitter is late on rent at 650 California Street on the edge of Chinatown, USA Today reported last week,
The lawsuit was filed on December 29 in state court in San Francisco.
The company’s headquarters are located at 1355 Market St, where Twitter has also reportedly fallen behind on rent.
Musk also converted rooms at the Twitter headquarters into small bedrooms,...
David Sacks, Co-founder and partner at Craft Ventures, tweeted that he got offered office space in San Francisco for the same price as 2009.
Musk replied: “It will go lower”.
Twitter has been sued for failing to pay 136,250 in rent at one of its office spaces here.
According to a complaint filed by landlord Columbia Reit, Twitter is late on rent at 650 California Street on the edge of Chinatown, USA Today reported last week,
The lawsuit was filed on December 29 in state court in San Francisco.
The company’s headquarters are located at 1355 Market St, where Twitter has also reportedly fallen behind on rent.
Musk also converted rooms at the Twitter headquarters into small bedrooms,...
- 1/8/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
San Francisco, Nov 3 (Ians) Twitter Boss Elon Musk is likely to eliminate half of the micro-blogging platform’s workforce to cut costs and more details on how many people might be impacted have started to emerge, a media report said.
Musk met his advisors, including former PayPal executive David Sacks, to finalise a plan to fire about 3,800 workers, the Verge quoted its deputy editor Alex Heath as saying in the report.
According to an earlier report, Musk was planning to cut 3,700 employees and the impacted people could receive 60 days of compensation.
Additionally, he intends to remove Twitter’s “forever” work-from-home policy, it added.
Earlier, it was reported that Twitter layoffs would hit roughly a quarter of the staff, which would heavily impact teams including sales, product, engineering, legal, and trust and safety.
Meanwhile, Musk has also dissolved Twitter’s board of directors after his takeover, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing.
Musk met his advisors, including former PayPal executive David Sacks, to finalise a plan to fire about 3,800 workers, the Verge quoted its deputy editor Alex Heath as saying in the report.
According to an earlier report, Musk was planning to cut 3,700 employees and the impacted people could receive 60 days of compensation.
Additionally, he intends to remove Twitter’s “forever” work-from-home policy, it added.
Earlier, it was reported that Twitter layoffs would hit roughly a quarter of the staff, which would heavily impact teams including sales, product, engineering, legal, and trust and safety.
Meanwhile, Musk has also dissolved Twitter’s board of directors after his takeover, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing.
- 11/4/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
San Francisco, Sep 7 (Ians) Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday said that Twitter should put more effort into tackling bots and spams on its platform and not in serving subpoenas to his friends.
Musk’s friend David Sacks has already lost a bid to quash a Twitter subpoena because of his controversial tweets aimed at the micro-blogging platform that included an image of a middle finger, as well as a video of a man urinating on a subpoena.
Sacks, CEO of Craft Ventures and member of the “PayPal mafia”, lost his appeal after being subpoenaed by Twitter for his correspondence with Musk, according to court documents.
Gary Black, Managing Partner, The Future Fund LLC, posted on Twitter that Musk needs to be very careful not to disrespect Twitter counsel or the court as “Judge McCormick is a no-nonsense judge with a gift for wicked prose. She will tear...
Musk’s friend David Sacks has already lost a bid to quash a Twitter subpoena because of his controversial tweets aimed at the micro-blogging platform that included an image of a middle finger, as well as a video of a man urinating on a subpoena.
Sacks, CEO of Craft Ventures and member of the “PayPal mafia”, lost his appeal after being subpoenaed by Twitter for his correspondence with Musk, according to court documents.
Gary Black, Managing Partner, The Future Fund LLC, posted on Twitter that Musk needs to be very careful not to disrespect Twitter counsel or the court as “Judge McCormick is a no-nonsense judge with a gift for wicked prose. She will tear...
- 9/7/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Elon Musk cited the claims of Twitter whistleblower Peiter Zatko in a new filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Tuesday, Aug. 2 as he attempts to back out of his deal to buy the social media company for 44 billion.
Zatko, Twitter’s former head of security, claimed in a recent whistleblower complaint that the social media platform had major security deficiencies and that it prioritized user growth over combatting spam (his allegations were first covered in The Washington Post and CNN). In the new filing, Musk’s lawyers cited Zatko’s complaint,...
Zatko, Twitter’s former head of security, claimed in a recent whistleblower complaint that the social media platform had major security deficiencies and that it prioritized user growth over combatting spam (his allegations were first covered in The Washington Post and CNN). In the new filing, Musk’s lawyers cited Zatko’s complaint,...
- 8/30/2022
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Click here to read the full article.
On the day Twitter accepted a 44 billion takeover offer in April, former CEO Jack Dorsey said Elon Musk is the “singular solution I trust” for the company’s future.
The endorsement may come back to haunt Dorsey after Musk subpoenaed him on Monday to further a bid to walk away from the deal. The request for documents and communications relating to the number of fake accounts on the platform aim to bolster Musk’s arguments at the heart of the legal duel that he doesn’t have to complete the acquisition he proposed because Twitter misrepresented its user data.
Dorsey stepped down in November from his perch as head of the company he cofounded as he fielded escalating calls — and criticism — from Republican lawmakers who complained of the suppression of conservative voices on social media. He supported Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, noting...
On the day Twitter accepted a 44 billion takeover offer in April, former CEO Jack Dorsey said Elon Musk is the “singular solution I trust” for the company’s future.
The endorsement may come back to haunt Dorsey after Musk subpoenaed him on Monday to further a bid to walk away from the deal. The request for documents and communications relating to the number of fake accounts on the platform aim to bolster Musk’s arguments at the heart of the legal duel that he doesn’t have to complete the acquisition he proposed because Twitter misrepresented its user data.
Dorsey stepped down in November from his perch as head of the company he cofounded as he fielded escalating calls — and criticism — from Republican lawmakers who complained of the suppression of conservative voices on social media. He supported Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, noting...
- 8/22/2022
- by Winston Cho
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Elon Musk has subpoenaed Twitter founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey in the lawsuit between the social media platform and the billionaire Tesla founded that once wanted to buy it.
A flurry of subpoenas by both sides have been landing regularly in Delaware Chancery Court ever since a judge, or chancellor as they’re called in the nation’s busiest business tribunal, set an October trial date.
Twitter sued Musk last month after he tore up an agreement he’d made in late April to buy the company for 44 billion, or 54.20 a share, cash. There was a 1 billion breakup fee, but Twitter says that’s only if one party reneges for good cause. Its lawsuit claimed the termination was due to buyer’s remorse, which would not apply. Musk has accused Twitter of under-reporting the number of fake or spam accounts on its site. The Musk camp has filed a counter-suit against Twitter.
A flurry of subpoenas by both sides have been landing regularly in Delaware Chancery Court ever since a judge, or chancellor as they’re called in the nation’s busiest business tribunal, set an October trial date.
Twitter sued Musk last month after he tore up an agreement he’d made in late April to buy the company for 44 billion, or 54.20 a share, cash. There was a 1 billion breakup fee, but Twitter says that’s only if one party reneges for good cause. Its lawsuit claimed the termination was due to buyer’s remorse, which would not apply. Musk has accused Twitter of under-reporting the number of fake or spam accounts on its site. The Musk camp has filed a counter-suit against Twitter.
- 8/22/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
“Dalíland,” a biopic about the life of artist Salvador Dalí that stars Ben Kingsley, will be the closing night film of next month’s Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF announced on Tuesday.
Mary Harron directs the film that will make its premiere on Sept. 17 at Roy Thompson Hall.
“Dalíland” tells the story of the later years of the strange and fascinating marriage between the genius Salvador Dalí and his wife, Gala, as their seemingly unshakable bond begins to stress and fracture. Set in New York and Spain in 1973, the story is told through the eyes of James, a young assistant keen to make his name in the art world, who helps the eccentric and mercurial Dalí prepare for a big gallery show.
Also Read:
TIFF Midnight Madness Program to Open with World Premiere of ‘Weird: The Weird Al Yankovic Story’
Mary Harron directs the film that also stars Barbara Sukowa,...
Mary Harron directs the film that will make its premiere on Sept. 17 at Roy Thompson Hall.
“Dalíland” tells the story of the later years of the strange and fascinating marriage between the genius Salvador Dalí and his wife, Gala, as their seemingly unshakable bond begins to stress and fracture. Set in New York and Spain in 1973, the story is told through the eyes of James, a young assistant keen to make his name in the art world, who helps the eccentric and mercurial Dalí prepare for a big gallery show.
Also Read:
TIFF Midnight Madness Program to Open with World Premiere of ‘Weird: The Weird Al Yankovic Story’
Mary Harron directs the film that also stars Barbara Sukowa,...
- 8/9/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
The 47th Toronto Film Festival on Tuesday selected the Mary Harron-directed Dalíland as its closing-night movie. The pic stars Ben Kingsley as the older Salvador Dalí and Ezra Miller as the younger Dalí. However, the TIFF press release left Miller’s name off the cast credits.
It’s been public knowledge that Miller is in the film. The Flash star this week was charged with felony burglary in Vermont in addition to several other run-ins with the law this year. Deadline learned this morning that Miller has not been cut out of Dalíland.
In a 2021 Cannes Market interview with Deadline, Harron told us: “We started looking at Dalí in the 1970s, the older Dalí, with flashbacks to the younger Dalí, which are rendered like an old movie. That format really excited me. Ezra had like three days between finishing Fantastic Beasts and starting The Flash, and insisted on coming and doing our film.
It’s been public knowledge that Miller is in the film. The Flash star this week was charged with felony burglary in Vermont in addition to several other run-ins with the law this year. Deadline learned this morning that Miller has not been cut out of Dalíland.
In a 2021 Cannes Market interview with Deadline, Harron told us: “We started looking at Dalí in the 1970s, the older Dalí, with flashbacks to the younger Dalí, which are rendered like an old movie. That format really excited me. Ezra had like three days between finishing Fantastic Beasts and starting The Flash, and insisted on coming and doing our film.
- 8/9/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Director Mary Harron’s “Dalíland,” a movie about influential surrealist artist Salvador Dalí, will have its world premiere as the closing night film for the 47th Toronto International Film Festival.
The movie will debut on Saturday, Sept. 17 at Roy Thomson Hall.
Ben Kingsley is playing Salvador Dalí in “Dalíland,” which tells the story of his strange and fascinating marriage with his wife Gala as their seemingly unshakeable bond begins to crack. Set in New York and Spain in 1973, the tale is told through the eyes of James, a young assistant trying to make a name for himself in the art world, who helps the eccentric and mercurial Dalí prepare for a big gallery show.
“We’re excited to premiere Mary Harron’s ‘Dalíland’ as this year’s closing night film,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF. “We couldn’t be prouder that Harron is a Canadian who has taken her...
The movie will debut on Saturday, Sept. 17 at Roy Thomson Hall.
Ben Kingsley is playing Salvador Dalí in “Dalíland,” which tells the story of his strange and fascinating marriage with his wife Gala as their seemingly unshakeable bond begins to crack. Set in New York and Spain in 1973, the tale is told through the eyes of James, a young assistant trying to make a name for himself in the art world, who helps the eccentric and mercurial Dalí prepare for a big gallery show.
“We’re excited to premiere Mary Harron’s ‘Dalíland’ as this year’s closing night film,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF. “We couldn’t be prouder that Harron is a Canadian who has taken her...
- 8/9/2022
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Mary Harron’s biopic stars Ben Kingsley as Salvador Dali.
The world premiere of Mary Harron’s Dalíland starring Ben Kingsley as celebrated surrealist painter Salvador Dali will close the 47th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 17 at Roy Thomson Hall.
Dalíland recounts the latter years of Dali’s marriage to Gala, played by Barbara Sukowa, as their seemingly unshakable bond begins to crack. Set in New York and Spain in 1973, the story is told through the eyes of a young assistant, played by Christopher Briney, who helps the eccentric artist prepare for a big show.
“We’re excited...
The world premiere of Mary Harron’s Dalíland starring Ben Kingsley as celebrated surrealist painter Salvador Dali will close the 47th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 17 at Roy Thomson Hall.
Dalíland recounts the latter years of Dali’s marriage to Gala, played by Barbara Sukowa, as their seemingly unshakable bond begins to crack. Set in New York and Spain in 1973, the story is told through the eyes of a young assistant, played by Christopher Briney, who helps the eccentric artist prepare for a big show.
“We’re excited...
- 8/9/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The cosmos is vast and unpredictable, so it’s no surprise that “Final Space” has been able to find a steady stream of humans, aliens, robots, and all-powerful metaphysical behemoths to fill out its roster. Plenty of them have multiplied, some have taken different forms. Regardless of how they’ve manifested, they all contribute to the idea that this series slides comfortably right alongside plenty of its other peers in the animated sci-fi subgenre. Now entering Season 3, “Final Space” has managed to sharpen all of its component parts on both logistical and emotional levels. And there’s plenty of room for it to keep going.
The season’s opening sequence plays out like a bonus ending to where the show left off, with human adventurers Gary (voiced by series creator Olan Rogers) and Quinn (Tika Sumpter) fully reunited, but still stranded in the Negative Zone-esque reaches of space. The details...
The season’s opening sequence plays out like a bonus ending to where the show left off, with human adventurers Gary (voiced by series creator Olan Rogers) and Quinn (Tika Sumpter) fully reunited, but still stranded in the Negative Zone-esque reaches of space. The details...
- 3/19/2021
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
TBS has ordered a second season of Final Space, its breakout animated comedy from indie filmmaker/actor/comedian Olan Rogers.
The intergalactic space saga, produced by Conan O’Brien’s Conaco and New Form in association with Turner’s Studio T, is TBS’ youngest-skewing original series to debut on the network, reaching more than 20 million viewers across TBS’ linear, VOD and digital platforms, according to TBS.
Co-written and executive produced by Rogers and David Sacks (Pig Goat Banana Cricket), Final Space is a serialized intergalactic space saga about an astronaut named Gary and his adorable, planet-destroying friend, Mooncake. The series follows their adventures as they embark on a quest to unlock the mystery of “Final Space,” the place where the entire universe ends.
Rogers starred in season one alongside Fred Armisen, Tom Kenny, David Tennant, Tika Sumpter, Steven Yeun and Coty Galloway.
Throughout the show’s first season, Final Space...
The intergalactic space saga, produced by Conan O’Brien’s Conaco and New Form in association with Turner’s Studio T, is TBS’ youngest-skewing original series to debut on the network, reaching more than 20 million viewers across TBS’ linear, VOD and digital platforms, according to TBS.
Co-written and executive produced by Rogers and David Sacks (Pig Goat Banana Cricket), Final Space is a serialized intergalactic space saga about an astronaut named Gary and his adorable, planet-destroying friend, Mooncake. The series follows their adventures as they embark on a quest to unlock the mystery of “Final Space,” the place where the entire universe ends.
Rogers starred in season one alongside Fred Armisen, Tom Kenny, David Tennant, Tika Sumpter, Steven Yeun and Coty Galloway.
Throughout the show’s first season, Final Space...
- 5/7/2018
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Space is a scary place, as we’ve seen in countless movies and TV shows — but the thrills that come with these stories prove that while the dangers of venturing off this planet are many, there are still thrills a’plenty in the great unknown, and adventures beyond our potential comprehension.
Timed to the Season 3 premiere of Syfy’s “The Expanse” and the launch of the Netflix’s “Lost in Space” reboot, here’s a look back at all the great sci-fi television we’ve seen set in the cosmos, a rich tradition of storytelling that’s captured our imagination for decades.
Debating what counts as a “space show” is tricky, though one easy rule was that the show has to center around a spaceship or space station of some sort. Some of these selections below didn’t last all that long — several Season 1s weren’t followed by Season 2s — as television,...
Timed to the Season 3 premiere of Syfy’s “The Expanse” and the launch of the Netflix’s “Lost in Space” reboot, here’s a look back at all the great sci-fi television we’ve seen set in the cosmos, a rich tradition of storytelling that’s captured our imagination for decades.
Debating what counts as a “space show” is tricky, though one easy rule was that the show has to center around a spaceship or space station of some sort. Some of these selections below didn’t last all that long — several Season 1s weren’t followed by Season 2s — as television,...
- 4/18/2018
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
During the TCA panel for TBS' new animated sci-fi comedy Final Space, debuting February 26, the exec producers, including David Sacks and Conan O'Brien, got asked how long it takes series episodes to get from idea to air, given that The Simpsons takes about nine months, while, at the other extreme, South Park is "very quick" with its turnaround. "South Park has really been hurt by rushing it," O'Brien cracked. "That's probably why it never caught on." Noting he and Sacks…...
- 1/12/2018
- Deadline TV
Finally! Turner has announced its new Final Space TV show will premiere on TBS, Monday, February 26, 2018 at 10:30pm Et. The animated series comes from creator Olan Rogers, who writes and executive produces with David Sacks. A sci-fi comedy, Final Space follows a spaceman named Gary and his alien friend, Mooncake. In addition to Rogers, the TBS voice cast also include Fred Armisen, Tom Kenny, David Tennant, Tika Sumpter, Steven Yeun and Coty Galloway. Watch the Final Space season one trailer, and learn more from this TBS press release. Read More…...
- 1/12/2018
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
TBS has revealed a first peek for “Final Space,” its new animated TBS series from Conan O’Brien’s production company and creator Olan Rogers. Watch below.
Produced by Conan O’Brien’s Conaco and New Form, “Final Space” is a “serialized intergalactic space saga about an astronaut named Gary and his adorable, planet-destroying friend, Mooncake,” per TBS’ synopsis. The show will chronicle their adventures as they go on a quest to unlock the mystery of “Final Space,” the place where the entire universe ends.
Read More: ‘Paranormal Action Squad’ Exclusive Clip: YouTube Red’s New Animated Series Follows Three Supernatural Enthusiasts
Rogers and creative partner David Sacks will write the episodes, executive-producing them along with O’Brien, David Kissinger, Larry Sullivan and Jeff Ross of Conaco and Kathleen Grace, Melissa Schneider and Matt Hoklotubbe of New Form.
Rogers first created a seven-minute pilot for “Final Space” as part of New Form’s Incubator 3 Series,...
Produced by Conan O’Brien’s Conaco and New Form, “Final Space” is a “serialized intergalactic space saga about an astronaut named Gary and his adorable, planet-destroying friend, Mooncake,” per TBS’ synopsis. The show will chronicle their adventures as they go on a quest to unlock the mystery of “Final Space,” the place where the entire universe ends.
Read More: ‘Paranormal Action Squad’ Exclusive Clip: YouTube Red’s New Animated Series Follows Three Supernatural Enthusiasts
Rogers and creative partner David Sacks will write the episodes, executive-producing them along with O’Brien, David Kissinger, Larry Sullivan and Jeff Ross of Conaco and Kathleen Grace, Melissa Schneider and Matt Hoklotubbe of New Form.
Rogers first created a seven-minute pilot for “Final Space” as part of New Form’s Incubator 3 Series,...
- 12/4/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
Turner is taking on the final frontier. TBS has ordered the animated Final Space TV show to series. Indie actor, comedian, and film-maker, Olan Rogers, created the "interstellar comedy." Watch preview, after the jump.Rogers and writing partner, David Sacks, will write all of the episodes. The pair will also executive produce with Conan O'Brien, David Kissinger, Larry Sullivan and Jeff Ross of Conaco and Kathleen Grace, Melissa Schneider and Matt Hoklotubbe of New Form.Read More…...
- 12/3/2016
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
TBS is set to premiere an animated series titled Final Space from YouTube star and indie filmmaker Olan Rogers as well as Conan O’Brien’s Conaco production firm. New Form Digital and Turner’s branded content studio, Studio T, are also helping to develop the series, Deadline reports, which will bow in 2018.
The serialized space saga is about an astronaut and his friend, Mooncake, who has the ability to destroy planets, as they seek to unlock a place in space where the universe ends. Final Space is co-written by Rogers -- whose YouTube channel counts roughly 900,000 subscribers and who also serves on the board of Hank Green’s recently-launched Internet Creators Guild -- and his creative partner David Sacks.
Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.
The serialized space saga is about an astronaut and his friend, Mooncake, who has the ability to destroy planets, as they seek to unlock a place in space where the universe ends. Final Space is co-written by Rogers -- whose YouTube channel counts roughly 900,000 subscribers and who also serves on the board of Hank Green’s recently-launched Internet Creators Guild -- and his creative partner David Sacks.
Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.
- 12/2/2016
- by Geoff Weiss
- Tubefilter.com
Exclusive: TBS’ continues its push in animation with a series greenlight for Final Space, an interstellar animated comedy from indie filmmaker/actor/comedian Olan Rogers, Conan O’Brien’s Conaco, and New Form in association with Turner’s Studio T, for premiere in 2018. (You can watch a preview above) Co-written by Rogers and David Sacks (Pig Goat Banana Cricket), Final Space is a serialized intergalactic space saga about an astronaut named Gary and his adorable…...
- 12/2/2016
- Deadline TV
Game Over
Showcase Inventory
Created by David Sacks
Produced by Carsey-Werner Productions
Aired on Upn for 1 season (6 episodes, 1 unaired) from March 10 – April 22, 2004
Cast
Patrick Warburton as Rip Smashenburn
Lucy Liu as Raquel Smashenburn
Rachel Dratch as Alice Smashenburn
Elizabeth Daily as Billy Smashenburn
Artie Lange as Turbo
Show Premise
This is a show that, similar to Disney’s Wreck It Ralph, asks the question, “What do video game characters do outside of the video game?” Unlike the film however, this series focuses on an average family of video game characters known as the Smashenburns. The family is made up of father Rip, a Grand Prix race car driver from an unspecified racing game, mother Raquel, a Lara Croft type from an artifact scavenging adventure game, daughter Alice, who is an activist that sometimes goes boy-crazy, son Billy, who is trend-obsessed with becoming a rapper, and lastly Turbo, their talking purple...
Showcase Inventory
Created by David Sacks
Produced by Carsey-Werner Productions
Aired on Upn for 1 season (6 episodes, 1 unaired) from March 10 – April 22, 2004
Cast
Patrick Warburton as Rip Smashenburn
Lucy Liu as Raquel Smashenburn
Rachel Dratch as Alice Smashenburn
Elizabeth Daily as Billy Smashenburn
Artie Lange as Turbo
Show Premise
This is a show that, similar to Disney’s Wreck It Ralph, asks the question, “What do video game characters do outside of the video game?” Unlike the film however, this series focuses on an average family of video game characters known as the Smashenburns. The family is made up of father Rip, a Grand Prix race car driver from an unspecified racing game, mother Raquel, a Lara Croft type from an artifact scavenging adventure game, daughter Alice, who is an activist that sometimes goes boy-crazy, son Billy, who is trend-obsessed with becoming a rapper, and lastly Turbo, their talking purple...
- 1/24/2015
- by Jean Pierre Diez
- SoundOnSight
If time permitted, you could do a full-length interview with Mayim Bialik on any number of topics: neuroscience, a field in which she has a PhD.; attachment parenting and the theories behind it; her religious faith; or her return to show business after building a family and immersing herself in academia.
But after an Aug. 15 auto accident, the first question that comes to mind is "How's your hand?" Bialik has been very forthcoming about the accident, how the surgery went on her hand and how she's dealt with it on the set of "The Big Bang Theory," discussing it in interviews and on her blog at Kveller.com. On "Big Bang," she plays Amy Farrah Fowler, the "girlfriend" of Sheldon Copper (Jim Parsons), who's been spending the last two seasons coming out of her cloistered shell and discovering her late-blossoming womanhood.
Last week, Bialik talked to Zap2It about how her hand is doing,...
But after an Aug. 15 auto accident, the first question that comes to mind is "How's your hand?" Bialik has been very forthcoming about the accident, how the surgery went on her hand and how she's dealt with it on the set of "The Big Bang Theory," discussing it in interviews and on her blog at Kveller.com. On "Big Bang," she plays Amy Farrah Fowler, the "girlfriend" of Sheldon Copper (Jim Parsons), who's been spending the last two seasons coming out of her cloistered shell and discovering her late-blossoming womanhood.
Last week, Bialik talked to Zap2It about how her hand is doing,...
- 9/10/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Microsoft has confirmed its $$1.2 billion (£771.5m) acquisition of Yammer. The deal, first reported earlier in the month, will see the enterprise social network integrated into Microsoft Office products. Current Yammer chief executive David Sacks will continue to lead the company, reporting to Microsoft Office Division president Kurt DelBene. Launched in 2008, Yammer is a social media service for businesses, offering software that enables private communications networks within companies, working similarly to Jive and the Salesforce-owned Chatter. Yammer has grown strongly by offering its social networking software for free to companies, but then encouraging them to pay for upgrades. The startup claims to have 5 million global users, including employees at 85% of the Fortune 500 companies. Around 20% of its customers are said to pay for services, such as additional file-sharing (more)...
- 6/26/2012
- by By Andrew Laughlin
- Digital Spy
Yammer CEO David Sacks's 40th Birthday party this past weekend -- held in the wake of recent word that Microsoft would purchase the company for $1 billion and which Business Insider reports cost an estimated $1.4 million -- had two defining themes.
The first was "Let Him Eat Cake," a nod to the Marie Antoinette-esque 18th Century costume attire guests wore and Sacks being the eater of said cake as the birthday boy. The second theme might similarly be described as, "Don't let them post about the party on social media" -- them being the partygoers, that is.
As Forbes noted, it's pretty tough to keep a lavish party secret in the age of social media, and not surprisingly, tweets, pictures and blog posts surfaced before the party even started.
"Let's them eat Cake party tonight...we've been told,using social networks is banned!!.#Snoop#FleursDeLys#DavidSacks#18thCentury" Victoria Hervey, a...
The first was "Let Him Eat Cake," a nod to the Marie Antoinette-esque 18th Century costume attire guests wore and Sacks being the eater of said cake as the birthday boy. The second theme might similarly be described as, "Don't let them post about the party on social media" -- them being the partygoers, that is.
As Forbes noted, it's pretty tough to keep a lavish party secret in the age of social media, and not surprisingly, tweets, pictures and blog posts surfaced before the party even started.
"Let's them eat Cake party tonight...we've been told,using social networks is banned!!.#Snoop#FleursDeLys#DavidSacks#18thCentury" Victoria Hervey, a...
- 6/19/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
Yammer, a Twitter-like system for corporate communications, won the top prize at TechCrunch50 last year amidst a flurry of both praise and derision. But unlike many TC50 startups that peak during the conference, Yammer has done well for itself in the year since its triumphant win, raising $5 million and bringing over 40,000 companies into the fold.
Instead of asking Twitter's question of "what are you doing?"--Yammer asks "what are you working on?" Employees can enter status updates into company-specific Yammer networks that allow the easy trading of ideas, questions, and complaints. Yammer is free for employees to join, but if companies want to claim a network and have access to security features (ie, the ability to suspend or remove users), they have to pay either $3 or $5 per employee per month, depending on whether they choose a "self-service" or "gold" membership. Companies with over 1000 employees get a corporate discount.
TechCrunch has...
Instead of asking Twitter's question of "what are you doing?"--Yammer asks "what are you working on?" Employees can enter status updates into company-specific Yammer networks that allow the easy trading of ideas, questions, and complaints. Yammer is free for employees to join, but if companies want to claim a network and have access to security features (ie, the ability to suspend or remove users), they have to pay either $3 or $5 per employee per month, depending on whether they choose a "self-service" or "gold" membership. Companies with over 1000 employees get a corporate discount.
TechCrunch has...
- 9/15/2009
- by Ariel Schwartz
- Fast Company
Thank You for Smoking, a satire about a D.C. lobbyist for Big Tobacco, takes pot shots at just about everything and everybody -- tobacco, guns, liquor, liberals, red-necks, anti- and pro-smoking advocates and self-serving politicians.
It's really about the Age of Spin, where with the right TV spokesperson even Adolph Hitler might come off as a misunderstood individual. If there is a problem with the feature debut of Jason Reitman, it's that the tone and tenor of the movie is far removed from the real world of a D.C. lobbyist. Put it this way: How many times do you suppose MPAA's Jack Valenti got kidnapped during his tenure in Washington?
The movie is amusing and clever but only skin deep. It lacks the acidity and rage of a satire such as Network. While often entertaining, the film keeps hitting the same comic notes. Smoking will find its audiences in upscale and university venues, although it may founder in, say, North Carolina.
Reitman's script, which derives from Christopher Buckley's 1994 novel, delves into the world of Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart), a superb practitioner of spin. And what greater challenge than to lobby for the cigarette industry, which kills upward to 1,200 Americans daily? One of the movie's grand touches is frequent lunch sessions Nick has with fellow lobbyists, who speak on behalf of alcohol (Maria Bello) and guns (David Koechner). The group dubs itself the MOD Squad, as in Merchants of Death.
David is divorced from his wife Jill (Kim Dickens) and too often absent from the life of his 12-year-old son Joey Cameron Bright). When Nick takes a keener interest in Joey, especially on a trip to Hollywood, the two begin to bond over their discussions of strategies for making effective arguments in any debate. As Nick tells his son, "If you argue correctly, you're never wrong."
This is the one area where the movie feels real as the father presents his job in a way that makes sense to the boy. The rest of the movie indulges in implausible subplots involving a newspaper reporter (Katie Holmes), who uses sex to get a scoop; a kidnapping in which Nick receives an overdose of nicotine; a Godfather of Tobacco (Robert Duvall) with a dumb ticker; a Vermont senator (William H. Macy), who never has a snappy answer for opponents; and a Hollywood superagent (Rob Lowe), a transparent dig at former agent Mike Ovitz.
Under Reitman's direction, the acting is energetic and scenes flow smoothly and swiftly. Eckhart and Bright are convincing in their father and son roles, but most of the other actors fall back on caricatures, albeit pretty deadly ones. Sam Elliott has a solid sequence as a Marlboro Man dying of cancer.
Jams Whitaker's cinematography and Dana E. Glauberman's editing are sharp while the sound track makes clever use of vintage songs about smoking.
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
Room 9 Entertainment presents a David Sacks production in association with Content Film
Credits:
Writer/director: Jason Reitman
Based on the novel by: Christopher Buckley
Producer: David O. Sacks
Executive producers: Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Max Levchin, Mark Woolway, Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt, Alessandro Camon, Michael Beugg
Director of photography: James Whitaker
Production designer: Steve Saklad
Costumes: Danny Glicker
Music: Rolfe Kent
Editor: Dana E. Glauberman
Cast:
Nick Naylor: Aaron Eckhart
Polly Bailey: Maria Bello
Joey: Cameron Bright
Jack: Sam Elliott
Heather: Katie Holmes
Bobby Jay Bliss: David Koechner
Jeff Megall: Rob Lowe
Sen. Finistirre: William H. Macy
BR: J.K. Simmons
Captain: Robert Duvall
Running time -- 92 minutes
No MPAA rating
Shopgirl
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures and Hyde Park Entertainment present
An Ashok Amritraj production
Credits:
Director: Anand Tucker
Screenwriter: Steve Martin
Producers: Ashok Amritraj, Jon Jashni, Steve Martin
Executive producer: Andrew Sugarman
Director of photography: Peter Suschitzky
Production designer: William Arnold
Editor: David Gamble
Costume designer: Nancy Steiner
Music: Barrington Pheloung
Cast:
Ray Porter: Steve Martin
Mirabelle Buttersfield: Claire Danes
Jeremy: Jason Schwartzman
Lisa Cramer: Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
Catherine Buttersfield: Frances Conroy
Dan Buttersfield: Sam Bottoms
Christie Richards: Rebecca Pidgeon
MPAA rating R
Running time -- 106 minutes...
It's really about the Age of Spin, where with the right TV spokesperson even Adolph Hitler might come off as a misunderstood individual. If there is a problem with the feature debut of Jason Reitman, it's that the tone and tenor of the movie is far removed from the real world of a D.C. lobbyist. Put it this way: How many times do you suppose MPAA's Jack Valenti got kidnapped during his tenure in Washington?
The movie is amusing and clever but only skin deep. It lacks the acidity and rage of a satire such as Network. While often entertaining, the film keeps hitting the same comic notes. Smoking will find its audiences in upscale and university venues, although it may founder in, say, North Carolina.
Reitman's script, which derives from Christopher Buckley's 1994 novel, delves into the world of Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart), a superb practitioner of spin. And what greater challenge than to lobby for the cigarette industry, which kills upward to 1,200 Americans daily? One of the movie's grand touches is frequent lunch sessions Nick has with fellow lobbyists, who speak on behalf of alcohol (Maria Bello) and guns (David Koechner). The group dubs itself the MOD Squad, as in Merchants of Death.
David is divorced from his wife Jill (Kim Dickens) and too often absent from the life of his 12-year-old son Joey Cameron Bright). When Nick takes a keener interest in Joey, especially on a trip to Hollywood, the two begin to bond over their discussions of strategies for making effective arguments in any debate. As Nick tells his son, "If you argue correctly, you're never wrong."
This is the one area where the movie feels real as the father presents his job in a way that makes sense to the boy. The rest of the movie indulges in implausible subplots involving a newspaper reporter (Katie Holmes), who uses sex to get a scoop; a kidnapping in which Nick receives an overdose of nicotine; a Godfather of Tobacco (Robert Duvall) with a dumb ticker; a Vermont senator (William H. Macy), who never has a snappy answer for opponents; and a Hollywood superagent (Rob Lowe), a transparent dig at former agent Mike Ovitz.
Under Reitman's direction, the acting is energetic and scenes flow smoothly and swiftly. Eckhart and Bright are convincing in their father and son roles, but most of the other actors fall back on caricatures, albeit pretty deadly ones. Sam Elliott has a solid sequence as a Marlboro Man dying of cancer.
Jams Whitaker's cinematography and Dana E. Glauberman's editing are sharp while the sound track makes clever use of vintage songs about smoking.
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
Room 9 Entertainment presents a David Sacks production in association with Content Film
Credits:
Writer/director: Jason Reitman
Based on the novel by: Christopher Buckley
Producer: David O. Sacks
Executive producers: Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Max Levchin, Mark Woolway, Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt, Alessandro Camon, Michael Beugg
Director of photography: James Whitaker
Production designer: Steve Saklad
Costumes: Danny Glicker
Music: Rolfe Kent
Editor: Dana E. Glauberman
Cast:
Nick Naylor: Aaron Eckhart
Polly Bailey: Maria Bello
Joey: Cameron Bright
Jack: Sam Elliott
Heather: Katie Holmes
Bobby Jay Bliss: David Koechner
Jeff Megall: Rob Lowe
Sen. Finistirre: William H. Macy
BR: J.K. Simmons
Captain: Robert Duvall
Running time -- 92 minutes
No MPAA rating
Shopgirl
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures and Hyde Park Entertainment present
An Ashok Amritraj production
Credits:
Director: Anand Tucker
Screenwriter: Steve Martin
Producers: Ashok Amritraj, Jon Jashni, Steve Martin
Executive producer: Andrew Sugarman
Director of photography: Peter Suschitzky
Production designer: William Arnold
Editor: David Gamble
Costume designer: Nancy Steiner
Music: Barrington Pheloung
Cast:
Ray Porter: Steve Martin
Mirabelle Buttersfield: Claire Danes
Jeremy: Jason Schwartzman
Lisa Cramer: Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
Catherine Buttersfield: Frances Conroy
Dan Buttersfield: Sam Bottoms
Christie Richards: Rebecca Pidgeon
MPAA rating R
Running time -- 106 minutes...
- 9/12/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New Line Cinema has picked up the comedy spec Me v. Me from the writing team of David Sacks and Evan Lowenstein, with studio-based Rat Entertainment set to produce. The script centers on a failed attorney who decides to sue himself for mismanaging his life and turns the legal world on its ear while trying to win back his one true love. New Line production execs Richard Brener, Cale Boyter and Luke Ryan are overseeing for the studio. Sacks is a veteran TV writer who has written for such hit series as The Simpsons, 3rd Rock From the Sun and Murphy Brown. The Me project marks the first sale for Lowenstein, who is half of the pop music duo Evan and Jaron. The pair just completed their second album, which is due out this fall from Columbia Records, and Lowenstein will direct a video from the album. Both writers are repped by CAA.
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