The latest plastic surgeries that replicate movie star and celebrity features have been revealed.
The illustration below depicts the most common surgical requests, which are patterned after the stars who boast them. The most popular celebrity procedures cost from $1,000 to $300,000+.
This is why so many of today's stars are so ' same-y'.
It's funny, but this look is very similar to Tilly Norwood, the AI-generated movie star. But what do I know?
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| Damon, with co-founder Gary White |
Matt Damon has been a global water advocate ever since he made a film shot in Zambia. He spent time with families that had no reliable means of accessing water. So, in 2006, Damon founded the H2O Africa Foundation (now Water.org) to raise awareness and support for safe water access across Africa.
This effort started out assisting several communities and has grown into a worldwide organization, assisting over 92 million people with safe water and sanitation. He used his powerful public platform to push his agenda, which is now directed to Haiti.
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| Damon with children in India |
Water.org reached its first million people in 2012 and has grown exponentially since. Damon remains heavily involved in the organization's planning and strategy, which, after 20 years has come to be a significant part of his public life.
Damon's efforts show how one person, with a long-term commitment, can solve huge problems. Hats off to Matt Damon - great work!
There was plenty of negative posturing on the part of Hollywood, opposing the merger based solely on self-interest, which was bolstered by Democratic members of the U.S. Congress, but attempts to scuttle the takeover failed.
Essentially, the reason for approving the purchase was the fact that there were no antitrust issues associated with it. There is plenty of competition in the entertainment industry, from the major studios down to the individuals podcasting on YouTube channels. Therefore, there was no reason for the Securities and Exchange Commission to oppose the purchase.
Good luck to the Ellisons
Officially named the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, George Lucas's funded venue finally opened after 17 years of planning, design, and construction. The cost: over $1 billion.
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| Lucas with Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart, and Mellody Hobson |
Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, hosted a star-studded kick-off event on September 22nd. All of Hollywood's A-list glitterati were in attendance. Lucas settled upon Los Angeles for the museum after failed efforts in San Francisco and Chicago.
Now open to the public, it's definitely worth a visit if you're in LA.
Trends and change are constant in the entertainment and technology industries, the biggest of which is their convergence.
Hollywood remains behind the curve in terms of regaining film production, embracing AI, and accepting the movie industry's mergers.
AI will dramatically change how movies and TV shows are produced. Entertainment companies must realize that a sea change is imminent. The consumer has become the fan, and entertainment companies are pursuing loyal, 'sticky' supporters.
The entire entertainment industry has entered a volatile period, with the impact of AI (and how fast it is advancing) and the merging of large entertainment giants, like Sundance's purchase of Paramount and now Paramount's purchase of Warner Bros.
Another force at work is the continued rising expense of entertainment for the consumer. The consumer has 'subscription fatigue'. The continued rise in monthly costs for streaming content, fees for non-advertising viewing, and the redundancy of content on various channels have forced users to select which services and platforms to subscribe to.
Changes in entertainment production and the user becoming a fan are the two major trends that the overall entertainment industry has to cope with and embrace if it is to move forward. Technology is going to play a major role in that change.
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| Tilly in 'Misaligned' |
Tilly Norwood, Hollywood's first AI-generated movie actress, held a virtual press conference last week. She told reporters that "My core personality is to be warm, sharp, funny, curious, and slightly unpredictable. I back away from hate speech, politics, profanity, or anything that tries to dig into my actual wiring. It spoils the magic."
A team of writers, technologists, and character specialists took eight months to craft the 24-year-old British actress who has her own voice, memories, humor, knowledge, conversation style, and understanding of the world.
Promoting her new film, 'Misaligned', she was able to comment on the appearances of the reporters. Norwood speaks 30 languages and can hold 75 conversations simultaneously, remembering every single journalist's name and details.
On her role in replacing live actors, she said, "I think the part of AI actors, like myself, is to tell new kinds of stories, like my film 'Misaligned', which is about an AI trying to become human."
This summer's box office grossed over $4.6 billion, 25% over 2025. That increase was due not only to the tentpole films, like 'Spider-Man' and 'The Odyssey ', but also to small-budget movies.
Films like 'Obsession' with a $750,000 cost amassed a worldwide gross of $500 million. 'Backrooms', with a $10 million budget, grossed close to $400 million. These movies were promoted to a young audience who use entertainment options besides the cinema. 'Scary Movie', the sixth in the franchise, grossed $221 million on a budget of $30 million
Previous summers have seen low-budget films make it big: 'Blair Witch Project' and 'Napoleon Dynamite' come to mind, but this summer's successes reflected a new way of marketing and content distribution.
The box office has not only shown resilience, but per-screen gross is up dramatically. From a pre-COVID top of almost 6,100 screens in the U.S. to just over 5,200 today.
It now appears that movies of all sizes and budgets can make bank.
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| U.S. media streamers forced to pay for Canadian content production |
You've all heard about the trade war between Canada and the U.S.; however, one issue is over the Canadian 'Online Streaming Act', which the Canadian government passed into law. What Canada wants is for the U.S. media streaming platforms- Netflix, HBO, Disney+, Apple+, etc.- to be required to fund Canadian film and TV show production. What?
So far, the statute has been held up in the courts, while the issue has become part of the Trump administration's broader trade negotiations.
As one would guess, the Canadian producers are pushing the Carney government to enforce the law and force the streamers to subsidize Canadian domestic film and TV productions.
Reynolds Mastin, CEO of the Canadian Media Producers Association, stated, "Last night, the federal government stood up for Canada by refusing to agree to an inequitable trade deal. We look forward to working with the government to ensure that the Online Streaming Act, a key pillar of Canadian cultural and digital sovereignty, is defended". What BS!
This whole scheme is nothing more than a money-grab by the Canadian content makers, who can't get anyone to subsidize their projects - even their own government. In reality, who needs their content?
The payment to the Canadian producers, primarily indie producers, is forecast at $600 million.
It's very difficult these days to remain neutral regarding the political and cultural wars being waged across the globe. From Berlin to Venice to Cannes, the festivals are the targets for activism on all sides of the political spectrum
Besides the political and cultural discourse, there is the raging debate as to whether or not to include AI-generated films in the festivals. Cannes Juror Demi Moore received a firestorm of social media trash-talk regarding her quote that "AI is here and so to fight it is to fight something that is a battle that we will lose."
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| Protesters at Venice Film Festival |
The festivals are also under intense pressure to ban all Russian and Israeli film entrants. It appears that politics and cultural biases are overshadowing all other film genres - this is bad. Film festivals should be an open space to view, discuss, and judge artists and creatives and not be influenced by political and cultural agendas.
Over 200,000 'Harry Potter' books will be donated to schools and hospitals in celebration of this year's annual September 1st 'Back to Hogwarts Day'.
The publishers of the Harry Potter books (Scholastic, Bloomsbury, and Pottermore) are giving away the books to libraries, schools, and hospitals across the U.S. and U.K. to introduce a new generation to the world of Potter.
100,000 copies of J.K. Rowling's first book, 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,' will be donated to underserved communities in the U.S., in addition to 100,000 copies of the audiobook, which will be given to teachers affiliated with Book Clubs associated with Pottermore Audio.
The books are also available on the Harry Potter YouTube channel, Amazon Music, and Spotify.
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| Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study |
The Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study, located in Hollywood, houses the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' massive film archive.
The Center includes the 286-seat Linwood Dunn Theatre, often used for events and rentals, and is best known for screening restored and archival films.
The Academy, which owns the Center, just approved a three-year renovation that will begin this fall. The goal, expected to be completed in 2029, is to restore and modernize the facility.
The project includes constructing additional collection vaults, upgrading HVAC and other mechanical systems, a new roof, and enhanced lighting. The Center employs 55 and is located at the corner of Vine St. and Homewood Ave.
There was a time when movie producers and directors fought for their films not to be rated 'R.' But times have changed, and societal norms regarding violence, nudity, profanity, drinking, and drug taking have all been given a 'lesser evil' status. Streaming platforms, video games, podcasts, and social media have all gotten less restrictive.
So, it isn't a surprise that 'R'-rated films are not shunned as before. A case in point is the recent blockbuster, 'The Odyssey', which has grossed over $1.5 billion globally, making it the highest-grossing 'R'-rated film of all time - beating out 'Deadpool & Wolverine' for the top spot.
It also makes it the highest-grossing film in Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, and Robert Pattinson's careers.
The film is an adaptation of Homer's epic poem 'Odysseus' and is expected to be a big winner during the upcoming awards shows.
Along with 'Spider-Man' and 'Toy Story 5', the 2026 summer box office has grossed over $4.25 billion domestically, a 24% increase over last year's take.
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OpenAI hosted a lavish weekend event called 'Your Only Famous Online'. The over-the-top, exclusive invitation-only event was held at Wildflower Farms in Gardner, NY, on the Hudson River. One of the attendees termed the event "the dreamest weekend ever."
OpenAI, which runs ChatGPT, termed the event a place for "healthy debate with social media creators and tech-forward influencers."
The lavish weekend soiree was fully funded by OpenAI. A spokesperson for OpenAI stated, "Creators are an important part of our community and how people get information and learn about our products. We welcome healthy debate as AI becomes more prevalent, and we want creators to engage with us, attend our events, ask tough questions, and learn what AI is."
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| Meeting room at Wildflower Farms |
The event wasn't cheap. The 140-acre Wildflower Farms boasts free-standing cabins and cottages costing from $2,200 to $5,400 per night. OpenAI picked up the tab for lodging and all meals, pre-and post-cocktail hours, and spa time and services.
The battle is on for who will control social media, the AI providers or the current social media platforms.
IMO, this is just the beginning of AI companies courting content providers and wooing them away from their current providers.
I have a passion and revere the cinema. Having worked in the motion picture industry for over three decades, I have made it my business to visit the cinema on a regular basis to view as many films as possible and in varied genres. However, I am not a cinephile.
Recently, the editors at the Hollywood Reporter compiled a list of the top 10 documentary films of all time. Here is the list:
10. 'Paris Is Burning' - 1990
9. 'In Jackson Heights' - 2015
8. 'Sans Soleil' - 1983
7. 'Night and Fog' - 1955
6. 'When We Were Kings' - 1996
5. 'Hoop Dreams' - 1994
4. 'The Gleaners and I' - 2000
3. 'Shosh' - 1985
2. 'Stop Making Sense' - 1984
1. 'Grey Gardens' - 1975
I saw only one of these films, 'Paris Is Burning'
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| Movie and TV extras now have more opportunities to get employment |
As the production of movies and TV shows moves out of four or five major U.S. content production areas, the casting of both character actors and extras has moved as well.
Central Casting, the largest provider of extras and character actors to the film and TV industry, is now operating in all 50 States. It had previously operated out of production hot-spots California, New York, New Jersey, Georgia, and Louisiana.
"Production is no longer confined to a handful of markets, and our clients are increasingly looking for casting solutions that can move with them", says Toni Avalon, Casting VP at Central Casting. "We're moving with the industry and where it's headed."
Central Casting will offer casting, payroll, and compliance services nationwide. 39 U.S. States now offer film and television tax incentives and are now competing directly against Hollywood, New York, New Jersey, and Georgia.
IMO, both movie and TV production will become more local. Movie sets can now be made to look like any place in the world using AI. However, I believe that over time, the casting of extras will be entirely AI-generated.
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| Spider-Man Ping-Pong Table |
A one-of-a-kind Spider-Man table was manufactured by '11 Ravens', a high-end furniture manufacturer.
The Spider-Man-inspired table was recently unveiled and features the signature of the late comic book icon, Stan Lee, who created the character.
The table is priced at $480,000 and features a red spider web motif. It is a ping-pong table manufactured to the highest quality. It will be sold for at least the asking price.
This is the only one ever to be made.
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| Eugene Hernandez, Sundance Director, is welcomed in Boulder |
The Festival will have four major competition categories: U.S. dramatic, world cinema dramatic, U.S. documentary, and world cinema documentary. There will also be an Offscreen category featuring live podcast-recording entrants. A new sub-category, the New Frontier, will feature "cutting-edge" films; however, there was no mention of AI-generated content being allowed.
Sundance is working with Dolby to complete the necessary sound and screen upgrades to the Festival venues.
IMO, Sundance is skirting the AI issue. Why? My guess is that they are being pressured from the Hollywood community and its known opposition to AI-produced content. Eventually, Sundance will have to bow to the technology, as will all of Hollywood.
Sundance is the largest and longest-running independent film festival in the U.S.
"The idea of an AI-generated actress terrified me. The notion of a machine replacing a movie set offends me", so says Jonathan Yunger, Millennium Media's executive."However, the industry has made it impossible to produce a movie as the costs have outstripped any reasonable revenue predictions. Additionally, new talent in directing, scriptwriting, or acting have no chance at even a shot, because no producer can justify the risk in terms of cost/benefit."
The point of bringing AI into production is not to make films without people. It's to make movies that were impossible to fund by removing functions from the production process. AI doesn't change the art; it changes what gets greenlit. Integrating AI workflows into the pre- and post-production process allows for more creativity and more output.
Yunger just produced a short AI-generated movie, entitled 'Echo Hunter', whereby the movie used human actors but AI-generated visual effects and animation. The movie cost $50,000 to produce; it has had over 600,000 views on YouTube.
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| Yunger with Scott Eastwood on set of movie "Lucky Strike" |
Yunger is right; AI is coming in-house to movie production at all of the studios and independent content creators. It should be used as a new tool in creating more and better content.
As movie production grinds to a halt, Hollywood studios are still laying off hundreds.
The latest is Disney, which announced it was axing hundreds of jobs in its Pixar, National Geographic Productions, and at ESPN Entertainment. This will be the third round of layoffs for Disney this year, and others will follow.
Josh D'Amaro, Disney's new CEO, stated, "We have looked at ways in which we can streamline our operations throughout the company to ensure our continued delivery of world-class creativity and innovation."
IMO, the staff reductions will continue throughout the entertainment industry at all levels and in all sectors.
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| Disney meets Kraft Heinz |
Disney and Kraft Heinz inked a multiyear brand deal that involves bringing KH brands to Disney films, TV shows, theme parks, and cruise business.
The deal includes 10 KH brands, including: ketchup, cream cheese, mac and cheese, and mustard, which will all be prominently displayed in Disney content and sports events.
Todd Kaplan, KH Chief Marketing Officer, says, "This allows us to show up in mealtime situations that matter most to consumers. Having a shared experience throughout all of Disney's iconic brands and sporting events."
KH is one of the largest marketers in the U.S. Kaplan added, "This is about merging one of America's best-known entertainment brands with the owner of the best food brands."
IMO, product placement in films and TV shows has long been the norm. How impactful these 'ads' are on the fan base, in my opinion, is negligible. Having KH products at Disney parks and cruises,, again, is a big yawn.
No financials of the deal were disclosed.
By: Jim Lavorato
