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If you’ve ever wanted to see Elon Musk tied to a chair in an abandoned warehouse, you are probably not alone in that. But would you ever actually create a video of Musk and his likeness in order to fulfill said daydream? No! But you don’t have to, because a company already did that apparently, which opens up a whole new terrifying conversation.

An investment startup called reAlpha Tech Corps has been putting out a series of perplexing videos featuring a person who looks very much like Elon Musk if you stretched his face into a $16.99 silicone Halloween mask at Spirit Halloween and then ran it through a pasta machine. Of course, he didn’t actually star in this ad, but their YouTube channel features two videos of “Elon,” including one of him in a bubble bath that nobody should ever have to see. This is a DeepFake, or a digitally imposed image featuring the likeness of someone else over another person’s being. And it’s scary!

According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, these DeepFake videos are becoming popular among small companies that don’t have the budget to actually hire a real celebrity. So they just superimpose a famous face on someone else instead! That’s totally fine, and the Black Mirror writers are going to eat this up. But it’s also opening up the possibilities for much worse.

“Deepfake technology does have the potential to be extremely harmful,” said Dayne Biggs, owner of Slack Shack Films, who produced the viral Musk video. “We are always careful that what we are creating is not damaging or deceitful, but an entertaining and fun way to share a message.” Earlier this year, there were rumors that Bruce Willis had sold his image to a DeepFake company in order to keep churning out films, though that turned out to be false. But the technology is getting there!

This technology is new-ish, so it’s easy to see when something is obviously edited. But that doesn’t mean it’s any less popular, or that more companies won’t use this to their advantage to confuse all of your distant relatives on Facebook. Average, everyday citizens are even jumping in on the action, fooling everyone on the internet into thinking they are the likes of Tom Cruise or Titanic-era Leonardo Dicaprio on a grown man’s body. And you have to be the one to explain to your second cousin Martha that it’s not actually Elon Musk in the low-budget ads (assuming they even know who he is at all).

The future of the new technology is up in the air, but WSJ claims that as it gets more advanced, Hollywood will have to adapt, either by stopping it or embracing it:

The language in contracts written years before the technology existed may be vague enough to allow marketers to use existing footage to create new deepfake videos. For this reason, actors, athletes and other celebrities will at some point begin inserting clauses that prohibit any new such use of their likenesses in all commercial contracts they sign.

Experts and practitioners say deepfake technology will become increasingly popular in advertising, because it can help brands and agencies produce more content faster while eliminating many of the expenses involved in production.

The article also adds that though Musk could sue over his likeness, it seems silly for him to waste that time and money over a legal gray area. Whatever happens, please don’t sign away your soul or likeness to a tech company…unless they offer you the right amount of money.

(Via The Wall Street Journal)

Not only has the deal between Kanye West and Adidas went sour, but the company’s dark past has come to light in the process.

In a turn of shocking events, it’s been revealed that one of the founders of the famous footwear and apparel brand, Adolf “Adi” Dassler, has a pre-WWII connection to Nazism.

Dassler founded the company with his brother Rudolf in 1920s Germany. While the company predates the rise of prominent Nazi figure Adolf Hitler, the brothers would eventually go on to join the Nazi party in the 1930s. Adi, would also eventually become an athletic coach for the Hitler Youth.

After the war, the brothers became rivals — Adi launched Adidas, while Rudolf launched the athletic shoe brand Puma. While some fans were shocked to learn this history, others pointed out the irony of its partnership with Ye in light of his recent comments.

Adidas finally cut ties with the rapper after facing increasing public pressure for West’s antisemitic comments, particularly after West said on the Drink Champs podcast earlier this month, “I can say antisemitic sh*t, and Adidas cannot drop me.”

The company issued a public response saying it “does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech” and that Kanye’s comments were “unacceptable, hateful, and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect, and fairness.”

Life came at Bailey Zappe quickly. At the start of the 2022 NFL season, the New England Patriots rookie was the third-string quarterback behind starter Mac Jones and backup Brian Hoyer. However, Jones got hurt, then Hoyer quickly succumbed to injury himself, putting Zappe in the spotlight.

He stepped up, too, completing 10 of 15 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown in a 27–24 loss against the Green Bay Packers during Week 4. He then started the next two games and won them both before Jones returned to the starting lineup for yesterday’s (October 24) Monday Night Football contest against the Chicago Bears. In that match-up, Zappe actually replaced Jones and threw a touchdown pass on his first drive. Things soured from there, though, as Zappe threw two interceptions and the Pats picked up an L.

Zappe did get himself a win, though, when it comes to viral moments: At one point during the game broadcast, Zappe was seen mouthing along to Fountains Of Wayne’s classic 2003 hit “Stacy’s Mom” as it played over the stadium’s PA speakers. The clip is good, clean fun that was embraced by fans from across the NFL. Now, Zappe (who had just turned 4 when the song was released, in case you wanted to feel old today), has addressed the endearing moment.

In an interview with Boston-based radio station WEEI, Zappe explained, “To be honest with you, I don’t even know how I know that song.”

Fountains Of Wayne caught wind of this, by the way, sharing a video of the moment on Twitter and writing simply, “Oh g*ddammit.”

Coming in hot on the tail of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Marvel has dropped yet another trailer, this time for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special which will apparently hit Disney+ just in time for Thanksgiving. In the new preview, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is down in the dumps after losing Gamora (Zoe Saldana) twice following the events of Avengers: Endgame. Granted, she’s alive after being killed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, but it’s a different Gamora who never joined the Guardians or fell in love with Quill/Star-Lord.

But enough superhero junk. In the hilariously heart-warming trailer, Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) set out to cheer up Star-Lord for the holidays by traveling to Earth in search of the one thing they know he’ll love: The legendary Kevin Bacon. However, the Footloose star is not exactly on board with a hulking green alien and a bug lady literally busting into his house to whisk him off to space. Celebrities, right?

On top of the wacky hijinks, Marvel fans get a good look at Groot’s current form going into Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 and our tree boy is clearly not the adorably little baby he once was. Groot got jacked.

The whole special looks pretty great, but don’t take our word for it. James Gunn has already been telling people that it’s the greatest thing he’s ever made. And he said that after Peacemaker, which totally owned. That’s a pretty high bar, Mr. Gunn.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special streams November 25 on Disney+.

Cancel culture isn’t real, but that isn’t stopping Kanye West from feeling the consequences of his recent actions in real time. They say life comes at you fast; Kanye, who challenged established institutions to silence him after making antisemitic remarks and disparaging George Floyd, is finding out just how fast.

In the past few weeks, he’s his bank accounts closed by JP Morgan, his social media accounts banned by Twitter and Instagram, and losing his lucrative partnerships with Balenciaga, Vogue, CAA, and most recently, Adidas, Gap, with which West said he ended his partnership over contract disputes before all this started, says that it’s “taking immediate steps” to remove Yeezy Gap products from its stores.

In a statement, Gap representatives wrote, “Our former partner’s recent remarks and behavior further underscore why we are taking immediate steps to remove Yeezy Gap product from our stores and we have shut down [the Yeezy Gap site]. Antisemitism, racism, and hate in any form are inexcusable and not tolerated in accordance with our values. On behalf of our customers, employees, and shareholders, we are partnering with organizations that combat hate and discrimination.”

While Ye maintains that he doesn’t believe his statements were antisemitic at all, the sad truth remains that theories like the ones he’s parroted in recent interviews and online have been used to justify hate and violence against Jewish people, and we’ve already seen signs that his words have motivated hate groups. Basically, he should be deplatformed and arguably, should have been four years ago when Zack Fox predicted this eventual turn of events (because, let’s face it, that train is never late).

Of course, he’ll be just fine despite not being a billionaire anymore (I’ll take $400 million any day of the week, thanks), and he’ll probably use this to justify some of his conspiratorial talking points but on the bright side, he’ll soon be the tree that falls in the forest with no one around to hear it.

Back in 2020, Forbes declared that Kanye West had become a billionaire, with an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion. Ye actually pushed back on that, though, claiming his actual worth was $3.3 billion. Now, Forbes has a new estimated net worth for West and the rapper would probably be happy with the initial alleged low-ball figure at this point: Forbes estimates that today, West is worth about $400 million.

So, what happened? Well, Ye recently made some antisemitic comments, and since then, people and companies associated with the rapper have been distancing themselves from him, including Balenciaga, Anna Wintour, Vogue, and his talent agency (CAA). The latest company to drop the hammer is Adidas, who shared in a statement from this morning, “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech. Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful, and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect, and fairness. After a thorough review, the company has taken the decision to terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products, and stop all payments to Ye and his companies. Adidas will stop the Adidas Yeezy business with immediate effect.”

As for the estimated $400 million in new worth Ye has left (which is still very much a lot of money, by the way), Forbes estimates it comes from real estate, cash, his music catalog, and a 5-percent stake in Skims, Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand.

Billy McFarland, the bad brain behind the disastrous Fyre Festival, is out of prison — and he already appears to be setting up his next scheme. In a new TikTok, after joining the platform, McFarland has uploaded new teasers… for something?

In 2017, McFarland’s Fyre Fest (and event co-runner Ja Rule) defrauded investors. Initially promoted by influencers on social media, including the likes of Kendall Jenner, Emily Ratajkowski, and Bella Hadid, the actual festival faced intense struggles related to safety and security. By October 2018, after pleading guilty, McFarland was sentenced to six years in prison and a $26 million penalty. There were also additional class action lawsuits for organizers, to the tune of $2 million. McFarland was released from prison back in March and transferred to a halfway house. His house arrest ended in September.

McFarland has now noted that the next update will arrive in November and that “everyone is invited.” He is remaining relatively cryptic about what many suspect is another music festival attempt. (Per TMZ, “sources with direct knowledge” say McFarland is “creating another festival, among other things in the near future.”) Or, at the very least, a strange scavenger hunt for his next business venture. He also made a YouTube page, which features a video titled “RLTH Clue #1” and a short titled “Comment what you think I’m working on.”

The odd clue video includes a woman swimming in the ocean with fish and a strange bottle before flashing to what appears to be an island. Others commented with questions the general public might wonder: What is that bottle? Why are there sharks?

As for McFarland’s short, he drew a “F*ck around, find out” chart on a whiteboard behind him. “As you might know, I f*cked around and because of that, I definitely found out,” he said. “Obviously, I’ve had a little too much time to think about this. But I do feel like the moment is right to start making this up to everybody.”

“You might have guessed, but I’m working on something new,” he continued as he draws on a strange map. “This time, it’s a little crazier, but a whole lot bigger than anything I’ve ever tried before.”

Watch McFarland’s cryptic video above.

The three main reasons to be excited for Avatar: The Way of Water are: 1) it’s a new James Cameron movie; 2) it’s the sequel to the highest-grossing film ever; and 3) new James Cameron press tour quotes. You never know what’s going to come out of his mouth, but he knows you’ll sh*t yourself with your mouth wide open while returning to Pandora.

Cameron told the New York Times in a recent interview that Avatar: The Way of Water takes place 15 years after the original, and Jake Sully (played by Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) are now parents. “In the first movie, Sam’s character leaps off his flying creature and essentially changes the course of history as a result of this crazy, almost suicidal leap of faith,” he said. “And Zoe’s character leaps off a limb and assumes there’s going to be some nice big leaves down there that can cushion her fall.”

As a parent in real life, Cameron wondered, “What happens when those characters mature and realize that they have a responsibility outside their own survival?” He wishes the Marvel and DC universes were equally thoughtful.

“When I look at these big, spectacular films — I’m looking at you, Marvel and DC — it doesn’t matter how old the characters are, they all act like they’re in college. They have relationships, but they really don’t. They never hang up their spurs because of their kids. The things that really ground us and give us power, love, and a purpose? Those characters don’t experience it, and I think that’s not the way to make movies.”

Cameron, Martin Scorsese, and Guillermo del Toro need to start a group chat to sh*t talk Thor and Black Adam. Marty and del Toro can also bug their director buddy for an early cut of Avatar: The Way of Water, which opens for the rest of us on December 16.

(Via the New York Times)

After roughly one billion years, give or take, the James Corden restaurant saga has seemingly reached its conclusion. We hope. We really, really hope. We just want to see our families!

In a new post on Instagram, Balthazar owner Keith McNally announced that he has re-lifted his ban on Corden after unbanning him and then banning him again since the whole thing started. It’s been a lot. However, this time, McNally seems to be finally over the whole ordeal and appreciative that Corden addressed the situation on Monday night’s episode of The Late Late Show. Corden also issued an on-air apology, which was enough for McNally to call a truce.

Via Instagram:

LAST WORD……..

Last Night on his TV show, James Corden very graciously apologized for his outburst at Balthazar. It takes a real man to do this. In the past, I’ve behaved much worse than Corden, but wasn’t man enough to apologize. For this reason, I’m going to lift the ban on Corden and impose one on myself instead. I’m going to ban myself from Balthazar for 2 weeks. People who live in Glass Houses…

After spending the past week quasi-apologizing and then playing down the situation in an interview with The New York Times, Corden took time out of his show on Monday to fully address the accusations about criticizing the service at Balthazar.

“It’s a comment I deeply regret,” Corden said. He later added, “I made a rude comment and it was wrong. It was an unnecessary comment. It was ungracious to the server.”

And thus ends The Great Restaurant War until another celebrity (and/or James Corden) acts up at a restaurant, which will probably happen. Let’s be real.

(Via Keith McNally on Instagram)

The internet remains undefeated.

Always the performer, Maxwell is known for giving his fans soulful and intimate shows, but recently, he’s been catching attention for something new — his killer dance moves.

The #MaxwellChallenge has taken over the internet after a viral video of the singer performing on stage was shared on social media. In the footage, the Brooklyn singer can be seen dropping it like it’s hot, with knees of steel.

It looks like people have been enjoying the viral challenge, judging by the hilarious responses on Twitter. Interestingly, the “Pretty Wings” singer’s knees have caused quite the conversation on social media, with some fans debating if his dance abilities rival Megan The Stallion.

“Not Maxwell got Megan knees,” one person tweeted.

The singer gave fans a cheeky response regarding his viral video, offering folks a chance to see if they do better.

“Y’all wanna laugh, but your knees ain’t built like that. This the Maxwell Challenge,” he wrote with a dancing man emoji.

“Y’all done pissed this man off. Maxwell said CHALLENGE!!!” said comedian Roy Woods in response to the singer’s hilarious declaration.

The singer has been going viral a lot lately. Just recently, his classic jam, “Ascension,” was taking over TikTok.

With all that’s going on in the world, a light-heartened challenge might be what we all need. It’s still yet to be determined if anyone’s knees are up for the challenge, though.