For the Record - July 25, 2025
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Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Rod Stewart's AI-Generated Ozzy Osbourne Controversy, Explained
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 26: Singer Rod Stewart performs on stage at the Acer Arena on February 26, 2008 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Don Arnold/WireImage) WireImage Singer Rod Stewart sparked backlash after his concert featured an AI-generated tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne, which struck many as distasteful. Osbourne passed away last month at the age of 76—his death inspired an outpouring of love and affection from his fans and peers, but Stewart's AI-generated tribute invoked unease. Rod Stewart has been paying tribute to Osbourne ever since he passed away, with Stewart regularly dedicating his song 'Forever Young' to the Black Sabbath star during his 'One Last Time' tour. Stewart's concert on August 1 featured a new addition to the 'Forever Young' tribute—a bizarre, AI-generated video of Osbourne taking selfies with deceased celebrities, standing before a cloudy background meant to represent Heaven. Celebrities featured in the AI-generated video include Prince, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, XXXTentacion, Tupac Shakur, Freddie Mercury, Bob Marley, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse. The fact that many of these late stars suffered tragic, untimely deaths adds to the ghoulishness of the display—all are shown grinning inanely at the camera, animated by the digital necromancy of generative AI. Concertgoers quickly shared their reaction on social media, along with online commentators who did not attend the show. Relatives of XXXTentacion and Tupac Shakur told TMZ that they had no problems with the AI-generated tribute, but many fans felt otherwise. One commentator described the tribute as a 'sign of stupidity'—many reckoned it was 'creepy and tasteless.' Another expressed shock at the contents of the video, and concluded, 'We truly are in the end times.' The condemnation echoed the words of the legendary Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki, whose negative reaction to a generative AI presentation became something of a rallying cry for anti-AI artists. Musing on what he had just witnessed, a dispirited Miyazaki said, 'I feel like we are nearing the end times. We humans are losing faith in ourselves.' The Backlash Against Generative AI Continues Generative AI has been controversial since release—it's an energy-intensive invention built on the output of artists without their consent, threatening the livelihood of workers and polluting the internet with machine-made content. Recent concerns about AI involve the altering of real video and imagery, such as the reshaping of The Wizard of Oz to fit the Las Vegas Sphere. Lately, AI enthusiasts have been using the technology for a more unsettling purpose, posting pictures of their deceased relatives that they have 'animated' using AI, old photographs imbued with the appearance of life. Many commentators react to these re-animated clips with visceral disgust and horror, often citing works of fiction that warn against meddling with memories, or attempting to reanimate the dead. The AI-generated Ozzy Osbourne tribute feels like a step toward the normalization of such practices, trivializing the memory of the deceased with images and videos that do not feature their true self, but a machine-made echo of their likeness. It wasn't long ago that generative AI crossed a technological boundary, capable of creating convincing video of anyone, doing anything—now, it's forcing the dead to smile for the camera. MORE FROM FORBES Forbes The AI-Altered 'Wizard Of Oz' Controversy, Explained By Dani Di Placido Forbes Google's AI Passed The 'Will Smith Eating Spaghetti' Test By Dani Di Placido Forbes It's The End Of An Era For YouTube's 'Lofi Girl' By Dani Di Placido Forbes The AI-Generated Studio Ghibli Trend, Explained By Dani Di Placido
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Metallica to Perform Special Concert in the Hamptons to Launch SiriusXM ‘Maximum Metallica' Channel (EXCLUSIVE)
Metallica will perform a special club concert on Thursday, August 28 to celebrate the launch of 'Maximum Metallica,' a new music channel on SiriusXM. The concert takes place on at Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, Long Island, with the channel officially launching the following day (August 29) on Channel 42 and the SiriusXM app. A recording of the show will then premiere on the channel the following Monday (Sept. 1) at 12 p.m. ET. Drummer Lars Ulrich made the announcement Wednesday morning on SiriusXM's 'Howard Stern Show.' More from Variety Black Sabbath Reunites for Ozzy Osbourne's Final Performance, Joined by Metallica, GNR, Steven Tyler and Other Hard Rock All-Stars: The Complete Setlists Lars Ulrich on the New Metallica Doc, Embracing Streaming Music Fans and the 'Star Wars' Meme He Just Sent to the Band Black Sabbath Announces 'Final' Concert, 'Back to the Beginning,' With Metallica, Slayer and More SiriusXM subscribers and fans can enter for a chance to attend the concert, sponsored by Hertz here. The show will rebroadcast throughout the week on air on Maximum Metallica (ch. 42) and will be available on the SiriusXM app. Additionally, the full concert will air on Howard Stern's SiriusXM channel Howard 101 on Friday, September 5 at 7:00 pm ET and PT. The channel, billed 'The Most Metallica Anywhere,' will range from hits and deep cuts to live shows and behind-the-scenes stories from the band. Additionally, fans can expect rare recordings, exclusive interviews, and surprises curated by the band members themselves. Maximum Metallica will launch Friday, August 29 at 12 p.m. ET and will be available for free in all SiriusXM-equipped vehicles through the month of September. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in August 2025 What's Coming to Netflix in August 2025
Forbes
10 hours ago
- Forbes
Several Black Sabbath Classics Climb To All-Time New Peak Positions
The past few weeks on the United Kingdom's music charts have been some of Black Sabbath's biggest in recent memory, though only for a heartbreaking reason. Following the death of Ozzy Osbourne in July, millions of fans have revisited his catalog, especially the music he made with the band that launched his career. Even weeks following the sad news, Black Sabbath is still dominating, and several of the group's albums climb to new peaks decades after they were first released. The Eternal Idol Reaches New Highs The Eternal Idol appears on three U.K. tallies this frame, and earns new personal bests on two of them. The set rises to No. 60 on the Official Albums Sales chart and to No. 61 on the Official Physical Albums ranking. On the Official Rock & Metal Albums roster, it returns at No. 13 — just one spot shy of its all-time peak. A Late Debut Finds New Momentum Originally released in 1987, The Eternal Idol didn't debut on the three charts until April of this year. This frame marks only its second on each list, amazingly, but it may not be the final stint for the title. The Ultimate Collection Earns Multiple New Peaks The Ultimate Collection also celebrates hitting new highs on two rankings. The career-spanning compilation improves to No. 14 on the Official Albums chart and to No. 13 on the Official Albums Streaming tally. The set has never soared so high on either roster. Matching Its Best Placement on the Download List The same set also matches its all-time high of No. 21 on the Official Album Downloads chart. The Ultimate Collection also continues to land in lofty spots on a variety of other tallies in the U.K., including the rock-only list, where it recently passed two full years. Other Black Sabbath Albums Also Grow Several other Black Sabbath projects hit new highs on a single chart apiece this frame. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath lifts to No. 63 on the Official Album Downloads chart, Black Sabbath improves to No. 22 on the same list, and Paranoid climbs to a new best of No. 60 on the Official Albums Streaming ranking.
