While AI can seem like a fun version of Photoshop at times (like imagining what Katy Perry would have worn to the Met Gala), it can and has often been used to pernicious effect (like Trump imagining Taylor Swift “endorsing” him). I think management teams for celebs must all now be factoring in resources to track and stop illegal uses. Or, you have an actor who’s on the lookout himself. And so it is with American Treasure Tom Hanks, who took to his Instagram to warn his fans directly about a rush of fake ads in which an AI-generated replica of him shills “miracle cures.” No, AI. You don’t do that to Tom Hanks.

Tom Hanks is issuing a warning to his followers on social media to be wary of advertisements using his likeness that he says were created “fraudulently and through AI.”

“There are multiple ads over the internet falsely using my name, likeness, and voice promoting miracle cures and wonder drugs,” Hanks wrote on his Instagram page Thursday. “These ads have been created without my consent, fraudulently and through AI.”

He added that he has “nothing to do with these posts or the products and treatments, or the spokespeople touting these cures.”

Hanks, who has openly talked about living with type 2 diabetes, acknowledged that he only works “with my board certified doctor regarding my treatment.”

“Do not be fooled. Do not be swindled. Do not lose your hard earned money,” he wrote.

Hanks is among many celebrities, including Drake, The Weeknd and Taylor Swift, to name a few, whose name and likeness have been falsely used in AI-generated images, songs, political endorsements or advertisements posted online.

Several state and federal legislators have recently launched or pushed for expanded protections against the misuse of individual identities in the digital era.

The state of Tennessee recently enacted a law aimed at protecting people from unauthorized use of content that mimics their image or voice called The Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act, or ELVIS Act, which went into effect last month.

[From WQOW.com]

This is actually at least the second time I’m aware of that Hanks has had to rebut a medically-related, AI-created ad featuring his likeness. I don’t really understand why the sham medical industry has targeted Hanks to promote their products. Not that there’s anything he can’t play! The man is a thoughtful, empathic actor (and writer too!) who makes it seem effortless. He just doesn’t scream “doctor” to me, particularly. But more importantly, leave him alone, AI! I laughed uproariously this year when George Santos sued Jimmy Kimmel, saying Kimmel “took advantage of Santos’ gregarious personality.” You know what? I dare say that the “gregarious personality” defense is actually applicable here! To all nefarious actors out there, human and software alike: do not take advantage of Mr. Hanks’ amiable nature. He knows how to clap back when he needs to. And well done to Tennessee for not only passing that new law, but for working on the name until they got the acronym ELVIS Act.

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Everyone always jokes about how their devices are listening to them in order to give them target advertisements, and once again, we have confirmation that it actually happens. Cox Media Group, a conservative-leaning media, news, and entertainment company that counts Facebook, Amazon, and Google as its clients, admitted in one of its client pitch decks that it uses “Active Listening” software to listen to users thru their smartphones so they can send us ads accordingly. If you’ve ever made that “my phone is listening” joke, you can properly feel vindicated now.

In a pitch deck to prospective customers, one of Facebook’s alleged marketing partners explained how it listens to users’ smartphone microphones and advertises to them accordingly. As 404 Media reports based on documents leaked to its reporters, the TV and radio news giant Cox Media Group (CMG) claims that its so-called “Active Listening” software uses artificial intelligence (AI) to “capture real-time intent data by listening to our conversations.”

“Advertisers can pair this voice-data with behavioral data to target in-market consumers,” the deck continues.

In the same slideshow, CMG counted Facebook, Google, and Amazon as clients of its “Active Listening” service. After 404 reached out to Google about its partnership, the tech giant removed the media group from the site for its “Partners Program,” which prompted Meta, the owner of Facebook, to admit that it is reviewing CMG to see if it violates any of its terms of service.

An Amazon spokesperson, meanwhile, told 404 that its Ads arm “has never worked with CMG on this program and has no plans to do so. The spox added, confusingly, that if one of its marketing partners violates its rules, the company will take action.

This latest leak marks the third time in a year that 404 has reported on CMG’s shady voice targeting service. Last December, the independent news site not only put a marketing company on blast for boasting about such creepy tech on its podcast, but also revealed the existence of CMG’s Active Listening feature.

Together with this latest update to the CMG saga, these stories bolster longstanding suspicions about advertisers using our phones to listen to us.

“We know what you’re thinking. Is this even legal?” a since-deleted Cox blog post from November 2023 noted. “It is legal for phones and devices to listen to you. When a new app download or update prompts consumers with a multi-page term of use agreement somewhere in the fine print, Active Listening is often included.”

Beyond taking a big game, CMG did not cop to how it acquires its alleged voice data, instead saying only that it can identify users who are “ready-to-buy” and create targeted ad lists based on their interests. For this service, the media group that specializes in hyperlocal news charges $100 per day to target folks in a 10-mile radius, and $200 per day to target those in a 20-mile radius.

In its own reporting on the leak, Gizmodo found that CMG had not yet responded to its email asking for more information about “Active Listening,” and Futurism has also not yet heard back from our own queries.

Given that the company boasted about it on its public — and still archived — website before anyone began paying attention, however, it seems like it would be pretty hard at this juncture to deny that it was charging for its eavesdropping.

[From Futurism]

This is gross but completely unsurprising. It is honestly kinda chilling that these companies can identify us as consumers in such detail. It is absolutely f-cking unacceptable that it’s legal for companies to have our phones and devices listen to us. I don’t care if it’s hidden within the fine print of some agreement. It should not be this easy to just sign away our rights to privacy. I swear, sometimes, these companies can read our minds as well as listen to our phones. I have been targeted-advertised things that I swear I have only thought of, not said out loud! I want to know how they do that trick.

PSA: I just turned off active listening on my iPhone. If you haven’t already done so, you can go into “Settings,” then into “Privacy & Security.” Tap the “Microphone” option and turn that puppy off on any apps that have no business having access to it.

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Tilda Swinton wore Chanel & Julianne Moore wore custom Bottega Veneta at the Venice Film Festival premiere of The Room Next Door. They also got a 17-minute standing ovation, as did writer-director Pedro Almovodar. [Just Jared]
I feel sorry for Amy Ryan – completely overshadowed by her costars being idiots at the Venice Film Festival. Her gown was meh. [RCFA]
George Clooney & Brad Pitt looked awful in Venice. [Socialite Life]
More photos from Venice – Sydney Sweeney! [Buzzfeed]
I’m not looking forward to the Joker: Folie a Deux promo. [LaineyGossip]
I agree, Cheryl Hines is a bad person. [Pajiba]
Glenn Close wore a golden basket?? [Go Fug Yourself]
The “halo brows” trend is dumb, you guys. [OMG Blog]
The trailer for Screamboat. [Seriously OMG]
I always get grifter vibes from 90 Day Fiance stars. [Starcasm]
Vanna White worried she wouldn’t have chemistry with Ryan Seacrest. [Hollywood Life]

George and Amal Clooney walked the red carpet together for the Wolfs premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday night. The Clooneys were in Venice for several days and these photos were supposed to be the big, splashy premiere which would launch Wolfs and make it a much-needed box office success for Clooney and Brad Pitt. Hilariously, AppleTV+ is no longer giving this film a wide theatrical release. The Clooneys put on this big show for what is basically a direct-to-streaming mess.

Amal looked nice, albeit sort of like a showgirl? She’s done this before, and I suspect that George prefers when she’s styled this way, with big hair and heavy makeup. Her gown was Atelier Versace, and she wore Cartier jewelry. George wore Armani, of course. Amal pulls off most shades of yellow but this feels a tad same-y to me? It just feels like we’ve already seen both of them do versions of all of this a million times before.

Meanwhile, George is still trying to figure out what to say now that President Biden has left the presidential race. Back in July, George wrote a NYT op-ed in which he mocked Joe Biden for being old and said that Biden should step down and the Democrats should have a mini-primary. The op-ed was part of a coordinated effort by certain Democrats to not only get a sitting president out of the race, but to marginalize the sitting vice president. They wanted a contested convention too, don’t forget about that. Well, here’s what George said about everything that’s happened:

“The person who should be applauded is the president, who has done the most selfless thing anybody has done since George Washington, and that’s the truth. All of the machinations that got us there, none of that is gonna be remembered. And it shouldn’t be. What should be remembered is the selfless act of someone who, it’s very hard to let go of power — we know that, we’ve seen it all around the world — and for someone to say I think there’s a better path forward, all the credit goes to him. And that’s really the truth, and all of the rest of it will be long gone and forgotten and so I’m just very proud of where we are in the state of the world right now.”

[Transcribed via Reuters]

“All of the machinations that got us there, none of that is gonna be remembered.” LMAO. No, George, I will never forget. There are a lot of people who will never forget. The disloyalty, the classlessness, the lack of grace, the public political malpractice. I still haven’t heard one g–damn thing about George opening up his purse for Kamala Harris either.

George Clooney called President Joe Biden selfless for ending his reelection bid pic.twitter.com/i4M9JIzPLK

— Reuters (@Reuters) September 1, 2024

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Over the long holiday weekend here in America, the Mail decided to splash a major story on its front page: Prince Harry wants to come back to the UK! Not only that, Harry is plotting a return and the Windsors – especially Prince William – are in a position of strength in the negotiations! If this all seems like a royalist fan-fic lunacy, then congrats, you are an intelligent consumer of royal gossip. It absolutely feels like the British media generally and the Mail specifically are getting kicked in the teeth by the Sussexes these days. Harry and Meghan didn’t give them access in Nigeria or Colombia, and then Harry was able to fly into the UK for his uncle’s funeral without the Mail’s knowledge. This story is designed to be Harry’s punishment for their lack of access:

Prince Harry has sought advice from trusted former aides in Britain on how to mastermind a return from exile in the United States, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Sources said the Duke of Sussex is consulting people ‘from his old life’ as a working royal after allegedly growing dissatisfied with advice from American-based image experts.

The overtures signify the first stage in a strategy to ‘rehabilitate’ Harry that would involve him spending more time in the UK to repair his relationship with his father and potentially initiate a partial return to the royal fold.

Sources stressed that Harry and Meghan, who have spent the past four years living in self-imposed exile in California with their two children, are not seeking a permanent return.

This newspaper can also reveal that the couple have parted company with yet another American PR adviser. Christine Weil Schirmer joined the Sussexes in 2020 as head of communications but left quietly late last year. She is the tenth staff member to have left the couple in three years and last month took up a job with PR giant Brunswick advising clients on reputation management.

‘Harry is turning away from all sorts of Hollywood publicists and is seeking counsel from his old friends and associates,’ said a source. ‘He is clearly reaching out thinking, “I need to do something different because what I’m doing is clearly not working”. In short, he is rethinking the way he operates.’

Prince Harry’s representatives did not respond to a request for comment. Ending his rancorous feud with his brother William is not seen as a realistic goal, but last week this newspaper revealed that the King may be open to healing the rift with his youngest son, and had consulted with faith leaders as he explores the nature of forgiveness.

At least one of the advisers approached by Harry is a trusted figure ‘from the old school’ known for loyalty and discretion. One friend has already devised a strategy for how Harry might begin moving in UK circles again – even carrying out ‘very low-key royal duties’ – although the Duke is said to be open to ideas from many sources. A source said the friend ‘believes if Harry comes back to the UK with zero fuss, and does zero publicity and attends very mundane events, he could prove himself and win over the British public again. He would have to accept, though, that he might be reduced to ribbon cutting for a long period. But it would give him purpose to work again.’ But the source said it would only happen ‘if certain members of the family could find it in themselves to allow it’.

Separately, the Duke, who turns 40 this month, has sent conciliatory messages to a number of old friends in the UK on WhatsApp. They are ready and willing to help him smooth a path back to Britain, with some referring to their task as Operation Bring Harry In From The Cold. Friends are hoping the Duke’s former private secretary Edward Lane Fox might spearhead a comeback. One said: ‘If anyone can do it, Edward can. Last time I saw him I wanted to take him by the shoulders and say, “Ed, please bring our boy home”. It’s the right time now.’

Asked about helping Harry, Mr Lane Fox told this newspaper: ‘It’s not something I’ve got a view on I’m afraid.’

[From The Daily Mail]

“He would have to accept, though, that he might be reduced to ribbon cutting for a long period. But it would give him purpose to work again.” Harry will be in New York in a few weeks on behalf of his work with the Diana Award, African Parks, The HALO Trust, and Travalyst. In addition to that work, he obviously has Invictus, Sentebale, Archewell and BetterUp. My point is that he’s a busy man who isn’t begging to come back ALONE to those bitter, awful people just so he can do ribbon-cuttings and be his brother’s doormat. He would also not accept any situation in which he leaves his wife and children for weeks or months at a time.

There’s an update on this Mail story, which I’m covering separately. I just think that this needed to be a stand-alone piece to discuss.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images. Cover courtesy of the Mail.

Here are some photos of Brad Pitt and his girlfriend Ines de Ramon in Venice. I’m including photos of their arrival in Venice and then pics from the big Venice premiere of Wolfs on Sunday. This was Brad and Ines’s first red carpet together and it was widely predicted that this would be their debut. My general thoughts on these photos? Ines is an attractive woman and I sort of feel sorry for her, but whatever, she made her bed. Brad looks horrendous – like a man who overdid the pre-Venice injectables and plastic surgery, then tried to cover it up with too much makeup and a bright orange tanning spray.

You know how I know that this relationship is weird? Because “sources close to Brad” can’t shut up about it and the whole thing comes across as very uncool and performative. This should be a moment for the photos to speak for themselves, the big couple debut on a red carpet, pizzazz, glamour, etc. Instead, Brad’s team wanted to step all over Angelina Jolie’s good press just a few days earlier, so they told Page Six that Ines and Brad have been holed up at Chateau Miraval this summer (so much for vacationing with the Clooneys?) and that Ines has been spending a lot of time in the chateau co-owned by Yuri Shefler. Don’t forget this item dropped in People:

Brad Pitt and Ines de Ramon’s relationship is going strong after the pair enjoyed “a great summer together,” according to a source.

“Brad’s been working in Europe, so they’ve spent a lot of time there,” the source exclusively tells PEOPLE. “He’s serious about Ines,” the source adds. “He’s very happy and enjoys spending time with her. She’s easygoing and everyone likes her.”

[From People]

Don’t you get it? They definitely, 100% spent the summer together and this is not a showmance of convenience. Meanwhile, Brad’s team couldn’t help themselves – they were so mad that Angelina was treated like a queen at Venice, they dropped a separate item into People Magazine in which a source close to Pitt said it’s “pretty shocking” that Brad and Angelina still “can’t find a resolution and finalize the divorce.” Does Brad really want to keep banging this drum? Because I’m absolutely positive that he’s the one holding everything up.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

The long Labor Day weekend was full of nonsense from the British media. Last week, they were stunned to learn that Prince Harry flew into the UK quietly for Robert Fellowes’ funeral, and it definitely feels like Kensington Palace led the way with tons of briefings, post-funeral, about how Harry is desperate to return to the UK solo and he’s begging for scraps at the Windsors’ table. You can tell that those stories are coming from a certain angry egg because, within the breathless reporting of Harry’s “plot to return,” there are always references to Prince William’s incandescent rage at Harry. Well, this will no doubt increase the egg-rage. “Sources close to Harry” told the Telegraph that all of the Kensington Palace fantasist stories about Harry returning to be Huevo’s doormat are false.

The Duke of Sussex has “no interest” in returning to royal duties in the UK and is focused solely on his future in the United States, well-placed sources have told The Telegraph.

Prince Harry’s efforts to maintain contact with old friends, coupled with an evident desire to repair his relationship with the King, have prompted renewed speculation that he is seeking a fresh start and even an official working role within the family fold. But multiple sources close to the Duke have said this is not the case and he is happy and settled in California, with an “amazing” new set of friends and several projects on the horizon.

Since relocating to the US, the Duke has maintained contact with a tight group of trusted advisers with whom he worked in his former UK life, some of whom he occasionally turns to for advice. However, they too expressed surprise at the suggestion that he might one day return to royal duties and are unaware of an alleged “blueprint” outlining how he might one day begin moving in UK circles again, the existence of which was first reported by The Mail on Sunday.

The newspaper claimed certain “friends” want a key lieutenant to lead a “comeback campaign”, naming Ed Lane Fox, the Duke’s former private secretary, as the ideal candidate. Mr Lane Fox, a former captain in the Household Cavalry, has maintained contact with him and sits on the board of the Invictus Games.

Although Team Sussex seemingly wanted to keep the Duke’s attendance [at Robert Fellowes’ funeral] under wraps, it demonstrated that he could come and go with minimal fanfare and, therefore, minimal security risk. The visit also showed that the Duke is keen to stand shoulder to shoulder with his family. Those close to him maintain that, despite the ongoing rift with his father and brother, he is incredibly happy and is determined to look forwards, not back.

[From The Telegraph]

Do you want me to say it? I will say it. Prince William is pathetic and his obsession with briefing about and against Harry at this late stage of the game is really sad. William doesn’t seem to realize that it’s not 2019 anymore and Harry isn’t going to just sit around and do nothing while William lies about him far and wide. As much as the Windsors complain about “the Oprah interview” and “the book,” they fundamentally do not understand that all Harry has to do to combat their bullsh-t is call up a friendly journalist and deny the palace briefing. Of course Harry has no interest in leaving his huge mansion and his family just to go back to do ribbon-cuttings for William. It’s absurd that the William’s office even orchestrated that cover story.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.

Cate Blanchett wore Armani to the Venice premiere of Disclaimer. It’s kind of boring in the front, but there’s a pearl party in the back. [Just Jared]
Taylor Russell wore Loewe in Venice. [RCFA]
Spotlight on model Rayan Ricci. [Socialite Life]
A reminder – there’s so much enthusiasm for Kamala Harris. [LaineyGossip]
Greedy People is like Temu Coen Brothers? [Pajiba]
More Cate Blanchett! [Go Fug Yourself]
This is truly why Bette Midler’s true fans will never leave her. [OMG Blog]
Shohei Ohtani brought his dog to work. [Seriously OMG]
A Sister Wives’ house is for sale. [Starcasm]
An explainer for abrosexuality. [Buzzfeed]

Programming note: we’ll be off for Labor Day (unless some big story breaks) so have a good holiday weekend if you’re in the US and come back on Tuesday!

In our coverage of the Venice premiere of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, I included photos of Justin Theroux and his girlfriend Nicole Brydon Bloom. While I know that Justin dove back into the dating pool two seconds after his faux-marriage to Jennifer Aniston ended, I did not realize that he has been seriously involved with anyone in particular. Apparently, Justin and Nicole have been together more than a year and a half. In the Venice photos, some people clocked Nicole’s ring. It turns out that Justin did propose and they’re engaged.

Justin Theroux and Nicole Brydon Bloom are heading down the aisle!

PEOPLE has confirmed that Bloom and Theroux are engaged. Theroux popped the question in Italy, where the couple is for the Venice Film Festival for the actor’s film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. She showed off her striking engagement ring on the red carpet for the movie’s premiere.

Theroux, 53, and Bloom, 30, were first spotted together in February 2023, when they both attended a Netflix event at the New York City social club Zero Bond. The duo spent the night alongside Tan France and actress Louisa Jacobson, with whom Bloom works on their HBO series, The Gilded Age.

In August 2023, Theroux and Bloom were seen sharing a kiss during a date night at the Manhattan restaurant Altro Paradiso. A couple months later, in October, the pair were photographed leaving a gym together in N.Y.C.

[From People]

When I was her age, I didn’t have a problem dating guys nearly twice my age. Now that I’m closer to Justin’s age, I wonder what the hell they have to talk about or what their shared frame of reference could be. It’s not an Aaron Johnson-Sam Taylor-level age gap and experience gap, but it’s still pretty significant. It’s also significant that she really resembles his other ex, Heidi Bivens. I hope Heidi is doing well these days. Justin really has a type.

The Aniston fans always freak out when I point out that she and Justin lied for years about their “wedding” and “marriage.” It’s true though, they lied and they were never legally married. I wonder if Justin will actually legally marry Nicole, and if he does, whether anyone will ask if he ever got a “divorce” from Aniston. CAA did a hell of a job cleaning up that situation, and I’ve always assumed that Justin walked away with a very nice exit package.

Honestly, the ring is beautiful. It looks like an Asscher cut or emerald cut, a nice size, maybe 4 carats. Much more tasteful than Aniston’s cloudy ring.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Here are some additional photos of Winona Ryder at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday. She was in town to promote Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, alongside Jenna Ortega, Catherine O’Hara, Michael Keaton and the rest of the cast. Winona has been enjoying a “second act” to her career for years now, and it might actually be a third act? I don’t know. The point is, between this film and Stranger Things, Winona has been working with a lot of much-younger costars and she has some thoughts about them. Mostly, she has thoughts about how they don’t have the attention spans or the ability to watch real movies. From her interview with the LA Times:

Ryder, however, is concerned about the future. Not about her own career, exactly, but for the continuation of the medium of film, which she holds dear. The nights she spent with [Gena] Rowlands driving around in a cab for [Jim] Jarmusch’s movie represent the kind of art she loves.

“I’m not a religious person,” she says. “I’m not anti-religion, but I feel like the closest is film and it’s to me a very sacred thing. I feel so protective, but I’m not in any place to be in control. It’s not up to me.”

[Ryder] was immediately impressed with her younger co-star after Ortega mentioned “I Am Cuba,” the 1964 film by Soviet director Mikhail Kalatozov, during one of their early scenes. They were working in a crypt and Ryder says she almost wept hearing Ortega reference specific shots from the classic.

Ryder appreciates getting to interact with the up-and-coming generation of film lovers who remind her of herself, excitedly telling me how her “Stranger Things” co-star Finn Wolfhard is obsessed with Elliott Gould. Still, she gets frustrated when there is a lack of curiosity among her more junior colleagues.

“I don’t mean to sound so hopeless,” she says. “There are a few that are just not interested in movies. Like, the first thing they say is, ‘How long is it?’ ”

[From The LA Times]

I think Winona is right and wrong. There are many youths who have no attention span for movies and no curiosity about the history of film. We’ve seen that over and over whenever one of the great filmmakers criticizes Marvel or the superhero genre – tons of young people screaming about how Avengers: Endgame was the most important film of all time or how Martin Scorsese isn’t important and his opinions don’t matter. So that’s real and that’s what Winona is talking about. But I also think there are many young people who actually do have the attention span and the willingness and they just don’t know where to start. It’s easier to binge-watch seven seasons of a TV show on Netflix than hunt for old Douglas Sirk or John Cassavetes films.

Also: in this LAT piece, Winona says that she still exchanges hand-written letters with Keanu Reeves and Daniel Day-Lewis. OMG.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.