AI’s coming for Hollywood
Maer Roshan, born in Iran, educated here, been co-editor of the Hollywood Reporter —whose current issue spotlights Carey Mulligan — says: “Celebrities, responsible for many projects, are the glue that hold certain projects together. Writers, staffers are paid because of them. Their care and feeding gets VIP treatment.
“Recently, a young writer took forever preparing an obit so on a whim I asked artificial engine ChatGPT to do it, and the thing spit it out in 20 seconds. Needed lots of editing but, then, so did the writer whose piece we used. AI can’t match great writing and reporting, but soon we’ll find AI can replace basic tasks. There’s always need for creative artists but certain basics can be covered now by computers.
“This revolution will make white-collar people less important, but plumbers and electricians more important because AI cannot do that. The big tech revolution makes those people less important.
“Hollywood Reporter’s no fan zine. It’s a hybrid trade magazine, industry focused, so it toes the line a bit to curry favor but we’ve actually been critical of celebrities. New Yorkers and people around the country read us so we don’t essentially do kick pieces.
“With strikes our industry’s lost billions. People moving here start at the beach, Venice, Santa Monica. Then, realizing it’s too far and friends won’t visit them there, they eventually move to the city’s center. So, although I miss New York I can at least say I’m working now in a T-shirt.”
“In college I became a messenger for Details magazine then to New York Magazine and that’s where I learned the socialite worlds that are beyond most people.”
Not left ‘Behind’
SPEAKING of technology, “Leave the World Behind” is Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke and Oscar winner Mahershala Ali. It’s about families in a Hamptons rental while the world’s collapsing.
Mahershala: “A small group’s fending for themselves, deciding to unite for survival or let things tear them apart. It reconsiders our relationship with technology and what really matters if things go bad.”
Ethan warns millennials of another horror story: The thing’s in black and white.
That’s not Goode
ANOTHER story. New Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode movie is “Freud’s Last Session.” Special VIP screening at West 13th Street’s Quad Cinema. Invitee Andrew Saffir, who has partied every film but “The Jazz Singer,” because that was 1927, Al Jolson. Me, I was personally invited to meet Matthew Goode. It was arranged. It was confirmed. I showed. He didn’t. He somehow got on a plane to Los Angeles. One of us could’ve used AI.
Googley-moogley
MORE computerized wisdom. Google’s saying what 2023 Googled most. Gone, but still Googled — Matthew Perry, Tina Turner. Actors Jeremy Renner then Jenna Ortega. Music — Shakira. TV? “The Last of Us.” Museum? The Louvre. Top stadium — Barcelona?! Central Park came second. No wonder Google’s in trouble. Sports? No Jets, Giants, Yankees, Mets. It’s whateverthehell’s Miami CF. For apparel it’s the shirt, outerwear then footwear. Pants are down at No. 5. For recipes, saddest of all was “Scooped Bagel” down at No. 4! I am now thinking to tell Google I know where it can go Goog.
And that’s not from those of us only in New York, kids, only in New York.