New Zealand has voted the pūteketeke as its “Bird of the Century” after John Oliver announced on his show earlier this month that Last Week Tonight was taking up the mantle of “official campaign manager.”
31.10.2023 - 15:09 / nme.com
The Finals has responded to the criticism from fans and actors over the use of artificial intelligence to create voices for its characters.After a few voice actors noticed an affectation to the callouts from the commentators, a podcast episode featuring two of The Finals audio designers affirmed that these voices were the result of text-to-speech (TTS) software.“Trying to imagine how an audio professional could possibly think this sounds good,” said an actor of a compilation of the commentators’ callouts.Now, Embark Studios has supplied a statement to IGN justifying the inclusion of artificial intelligence at this point in The Finals‘ development.“We use a combination of recorded voice audio and audio generated via TTS tools in our games, depending on the context,” said a spokesperson.“Sometimes, recording real scenes where actors get together – allowing character chemistry and conflict to shape the outcome – is something that adds depth to our game worlds that technology can’t emulate.“Other times, especially when it relates to contextual in-game action call-outs, TTS allows us to have tailored voice over where we otherwise wouldn’t, for example due to speed of implementation.”In the open beta, those voices are the product of a “mix of professional voice actors and temporary voices from Embark employees” put through TTS software.“Making games without actors isn’t an end goal for Embark and TTS technology has introduced new ways for us to work together.”The Finals is in development for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Its open beta is active until November 5 and allows players to earn in-game exclusives to show off at launch.In other gaming news, the Destiny 2 community has shared their concerns that the future of the game
.New Zealand has voted the pūteketeke as its “Bird of the Century” after John Oliver announced on his show earlier this month that Last Week Tonight was taking up the mantle of “official campaign manager.”
Peter Hook & The Light have announced a huge 2024 world tour that will see the band play the ‘Substance’ albums from Joy Division and New Order in full – find dates and ticket information below.The New Order and Joy Division co-founder will be touring with his band from May next year, spanning New Zealand, Australia, North America, the UK and Ireland.The tour will open at the Opera House in Wellington, New Zealand on May 16, followed by eight more dates across New Zealand and Australia. From August 31, they’ll continue with a North American run that starts at History in Toronto, Canada.
The Crown season six, part one will focus on Princess Diana (played by Elizabeth Debicki) and Prince Charles (Dominic West) as they navigate their first Summer as a divorced couple. The pair share very different holidays with their sons William (Rufus Kampa) and Harry (Fflyn Edwards). Diana is being courted by the Fayeds in the South of France, giving the young Princes a taste of luxury yachts, video games and movie nights.
Rafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor Roger Ross Williams is having quite the year. So far, the Oscar-winning director has released his first fiction film, Amazon Studios’ “Cassandro”; the HBO documentary “Love to Love You, Donna Summer”; AppleTV+ docuseries “The Super Models”; and Hulu miniseries “The 1619 Project.” Joining Williams’ impressive output this year is Netflix’s “Stamped From the Beginning,” an adaptation of the eponymous bestselling book by Ibram X. Kendi about the history of racism and anti-Blackness in the U.S.
Timothee Chalamet is celebrating!
Wu-Tang Clan have been awarded their own day in their hometown of New York City on the same day as the 30th anniversary of their debut album.Last month, the rap collective finished touring around the world with fellow rap legend Nas on the ‘N.Y. State Of Mind’ tour, celebrating hip-hop’s 50th anniversary.Yesterday (November 9), New York City mayor Eric Adams declared the day as Wu-Tang Clan Day and the iconic Empire State Building was lit up in the colours of the Wu-Tang logo; black and yellow.
Hozier is back by popular demand.Following a successful 2023 tour, the Irish singer announced a second 39-concert leg of his ‘Unreal Unearth Tour’ with special guest Allison Russell on select dates from April through September 2024.Along the way, he’ll play not one, not two, not three, not four but five (!) concerts in New York.First up, Hozier will stop into Saratoga Springs’ Saratoga Performing Arts Center on May 19.Soon after that, the “Take Me To Church” crooner hits Syracuse’s Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater on May 21, Forest Hills’ Forest Hills Stadium on June 4-5 and Bethel’s Bethel Woods Performing Arts Center on July 27.The tour is in support of Hozier’s critically acclaimed 2023 album “Unreal Unearth;” the New York Post called the record a “fantastic, sonically diverse offering from a constantly maturing artist.”And if you missed Hozier in 2023, you can grab your 2024 tickets as soon as today.Although inventory isn’t available on Ticketmaster until Friday, Nov. 17, fans who want to ensure they have tickets ahead of time can purchase on sites like Vivid Seats before tickets are officially on sale.Vivid Seats is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.They have a 100% buyer guarantee that states your transaction will be safe and secure and will be delivered before the event.Batter up, baseball fans.Right before spring training kicks into high gear, Hozier will headline at Tempe, AZ’s annual Innings Festival at Tempe Beach Park on Feb.
American sitcom Friends director James Burrows has revealed that the cast of the show were left “destroyed”, following the sudden passing of Matthew Perry.The actor, who is known for playing Chandler Bing in Friends, was found lifeless in his jacuzzi on Saturday, 28 October, with no illegal substances present and no foul play suspected. Following Matthews tragic passing at 54, director James spoke with NBC’s Liz Kreutz for Today where he expressed his “utter shock” and revealed what Matthew’s former cast members said in a text.
Just 24 hours before his tragic passing, Friends actor Matthew Perry was spotted on a mystery dinner date and now the woman he was with has spoken out and given an insight to the actor's final hours before his death.
The minor news of the day: Lucasfilm’s “Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny” is finally coming to Disney+ on December 1. The final chapter in the Indiana Jones story, ‘Dial Of Destiny’ came out at the end of June and grossed $383.9 million worldwide, but failed to crack $175 million domestically and thus was viewed as a disappointment, and Disney reportedly lost $100 million on the film.
A Night In The Life Of Jimmy Reardon alongside Perry for his film debut in 1988, took to her Instagram page yesterday (October 29) to post a throwback photo of the pair along with the caption: “I’m very, very sad. Loved this guy.”Sharing a message which Perry sent on October 15, he made reference to Peter Gabriel‘s song ‘In Your Eyes’ which featured in the 1989 film Say Anything… (1989), which starred Skye and John Cusack.It read: “Hi! I hope all is well.
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “Funny Birds,” an heartwarming comedy-drama starring Andrea Riseborough, Catherine Deneuve and Morgan Saylor, has sold in key territories in the run up to the AFM. Executive produced by Martin Scorsese, the movie is directed by Marco La Via and Hanna Ladoul.
Cynthia Littleton Business Editor “That’s like a billion dollars in Indiana.” That quip from Bobby Axelrod is one of the memorable lines in the series finale of “Billions,” the Showtime drama series that wrapped its seven-season run Oct. 27 with the crowd-pleasing episode “Admirals Fund.” Axelrod, played by Damian Lewis, delivers that line as he takes a victory lap after demolishing his latest foil, rival hedge fund manager Mike Prince (Corey Stoll). It’s a reference to that fact that Prince, after an elaborate sting pulled off by Axelrod and the core “Billions” ensemble, is left wiped out but for $100 million he invested with Black-owned banks a few years ago.
Royal parents Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been blasted by a parenting expert for leaving their children at home while they went on holiday.The royals were recently spotted enjoying some alone time on the Caribbean island of Canouan, following another couples' getaway to Portugal, while their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet were nowhere to be seen, and presumably stayed at their home in Montecito, California. Parenting expert Brenda Hart revealed to Express.co.uk that it is “important” for families to holiday together and that it is significant to have a "balanced family life".The expert told the publication: “Children are adaptable and if they need to be looked after by their nanny they will accept this.
Timothee Chalamet changes outfits at his car after getting in a workout on Thursday (October 26) in Los Angeles.
Malia Obama, the eldest daughter of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, has always been in the public eye. Her fashion choices and personal style have consistently drawn attention.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Boutique sales agent, House of Film has acquired worldwide rights, excluding Asia, to represent the Malaysian mythical horror film “Curse of the Totem” (aka “Sumpahan Jerunei”) from Produksi Seni Duapuluh-Duapuluh SDN BHD. Based on the 13th Century Borneo sacrificial rituals, “Curse of the Totem” tells the story of Dr.
Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Amy Schumer, Jon Stewart, Rachel Bloom and Stephen Colbert are among the performers set for Next For Autism’s annual Night of Too Many Stars comedy event in New York City in December.
BreAnna Bell “NFL on CBS” scored strong viewership numbers with its Week 7 telecast, CBS says. As the Kansas City Chiefs took home another win this week, taking down the Los Angeles Chargers 17-31, the National Game delivered a historic high as CBS’ most-watched Week 7 game window in 10 Years with nearly 24.4 million viewers and was the most-watched program of the week on any network. It also marks the most-watched week 7 regional game since 1998, when NFL programming originally returned to CBS, with almost 16 million viewers thanks in part due to the Bills-Patriots game, which took place at 1 p.m.
Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis has spoken to NME about making his theatrical debut by penning the music for new play The Confessions, as well as his long-mooted project with the late Tony Allen.Having opened at London’s National Theatre last week before a press showing last night (October 23), The Confessions is an emotional, gut-wrenching and powerful play written and directed Alexander Zeldin – telling the story of his mother’s life across eight “tumultuous” decades across two continents and a series of complex relationships.Philippakis and Zeldin have known each other since their days at school, when they would sneak away to smoke together on a nearby riverbank. Speaking with NME, the artist explained how the director had “a reputation that preceded him a bit” as someone “ferociously intelligent, but with a naughty streak”.“We’ve just been in each other’s lives for a long time, but with differing orbits and different worlds,” Philippakis told NME.