For a generation of American anime fans, discovering a new series once meant staying up late to watch Toonami, Cartoon Network’s seminal anime programming block, or tracking down low-quality, fan-subtitled episodes online. (Or on VHS.) Today, your introduction to anime might be a 30-second TikTok edit, an Olympic figure skater referencing her favorite character on…
Alexander Skarsgård’s wicker man is getting the full 4DX treatment. Make of that what you will. Black Bear announced that Wicker, the upcoming romantic comedy starring Olivia Colman and Skarsgård, will screen in 4DX for one night only on Oct. 28. The studio says the event follows mass fan requests prompted by the trailer. Even…
You don’t need to be a model to land a brand deal. You don’t need to step onstage to post a stand-up clip. And in the AI influencer business, the person attracting all that attention doesn’t even need to exist. If you haven’t encountered one yet, an AI influencer is a character whose images or…
A week in a Los Angeles mansion, dating lessons, a wardrobe upgrade, and PowerPoint presentations about plastic surgery. Welcome to Camp Looksmax. Hosted by streamer Braden Peters, AKA Clavicular (who was charged with rape in Massachusetts on Sept. 8; Peters’ attorneys have denied the allegations in a related civil lawsuit), and fellow creator Hexumlite, the…
If you spend time scrolling YouTube Shorts, you’ve probably seen plenty of podcast excerpts, livestream highlights, and interview clips uploaded by someone other than the original creator. Taking moments from podcasts, interviews, livestreams, or other videos and repackaging them as short-form content is called “clipping,” but now, YouTube wants those accounts to bring more to…
Scroll through social media, and you’ll likely see the same sentence repeated over and over: “I am Jane Doe.” From comedians to authors to creators to everyday users, people are lending their names to a movement aimed at protecting the identity of the former Cornell University student who alleges that seven Chi Phi fraternity members…
Pete Davidson has a lot to get off his chest. And, no, not just the tattoos. In a new Variety cover story and accompanying videos published Sept. 30, the comedian opened up about famous exes Kim Kardashian and Ariana Grande, discussed Ye’s harassment, took aim at influencer culture, and defended AI filmmaking. And, naturally, the…
On this, the final day of Bisexual Visibility Month, I must say my piece about a sexuality label controversy before I once again disappear into the ether until next September. It centers around musician King Princess, who identifies as a lesbian. This week, a Nov. 2024 appearance on the podcast Celebrity Book Club with Steven…
Alberta Tech didn’t start posting TikToks because she was plotting her escape from corporate America. She was bored. Like so many of us, cooped up at home in the early days of the pandemic, she started filming jokes, riffing on the absurdity of her tiny New York apartment and whatever else the For You page…
You’re scrolling through your TikTok For You page, watching videos, when suddenly a pop-up appears on your smartphone screen. “Congratulations! You have been selected for our Screentime To Cash program,” reads the prompt, which looks a lot like a TikTok notification. These types of ads suggest that TikTok users can get paid to watch videos;…