Richard Johnson: Tom Cruise seems ‘enchanted' by Ana de Armas
NEW YORK — It's hard to tell whether Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas are just friends helping promote their films by hanging out together or something more.
Cruise is hawking 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning' and de Armas is plugging 'Ballerina.'
A source who saw them in a private room at Annabel's in London said, 'He looks enchanted by her, and she looks very happy with him.'
But don't forget, they are actors.
Cruise, 62, was expected to end the series with this, the eighth 'Mission Impossible' movie, but it's already grossed over $450 million worldwide, so we'll see.
Cruise has been working on other ideas, though, including a movie version of the old Lee Majors TV show, 'The Six Million Dollar Man.'
It would have to be six billion today.
In case you weren't glued to the tube in the '70s, Majors played a grievously injured astronaut, rebuilt by the government with superhuman powers.
Cruise's films have grossed billions worldwide, so he'll be back on the big screen soon for sure.
****
Elon Musk — who has at least 14 children with four mothers — provided a laugh at the Literacy Partners Annual Gala at Pier Sixty.
During her speech, '60 Minutes' star Lesley Stahl asked any women in the audience who had a child by Elon Musk to please raise their hand.
'Statistically, there should be at least six of you,' she quipped.
Honoree Bob Woodward recalled Carl Bernstein coming to him in the late 1980s and suggesting they interview Donald Trump.
'Are you f–king serious!' Woodward replied, commenting that Bernstein — who was present in the audience — 'has the best nose in the business.'
Also honored were Knopf editor Erroll McDonald, TV correspondent Cynthia McFadden and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Oprah Winfrey slipped into the Literacy Partners gala through a side door, skipping the red carpet and the paparazzi. She gave a speech about the importance of reading before disappearing into the night.
****
Christine Mack loves discovering and helping emerging artists.
Her Mack Art Foundation provides a studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and a nearby apartment so they can work.
'I've never had so much fun,' she told me. 'Art brings people together. Art is not for the rich. It's for everyone.'
Mack will be honored Aug. 23 at the Southampton Arts Center Summerfest, where she'll show some of her collection of artists like Rashid Johnson, Kenny Scharf, KAWS and Keith Haring.
On June 28, the Center will host its annual kick-off party, 'Whimsy: Motown Magic,' which will feature dancing to the classics — from 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' to 'Superstition' — performed by That Motown Band.
Hosts include Jamee and Peter Gregory, Kara Ross, Sylvia Hemingway, Lauren Roberts, Nicole and Allen Salmasi, and the center's co-founder J. Whitney Stevens.
Mack, who finances her foundation by buying and selling art, explained how easy it is to help young artists. 'I'd buy their first painting so they can pay their rent.'
****
Musicians Grace Jones and Janelle Monáe set tongues wagging as they dirty danced into the wee hours in the club at the Public Hotel on the Lower East Side.
The pair had performed earlier in the night at the Blue Note Jazz Festival, where Jones hula-hooped to a song in sheer black tights, a thong, and one of her gigantic signature red and black headdresses.
Later at the club, Monáe, who identifies as pansexual and non-binary, wore a black beret with patches, oversized red heart-shaped glasses, and red gloves as the two embraced and danced to the music.
Monáe took to the mic several times to serenade the crowd, who went wild as the two mixed and mingled with their fans. Grace told friends that she and Monáe have a song coming out this summer.
The pair were out swinging until nearly 5 a.m.
****
Grammy-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, and composer Karen LeFrak have released 'Romántico,' a new CD of world premiere recordings.
LeFrak, the wife of real estate tycoon Richard LeFrak, has composed over 200 pieces and released 17 albums that have received over 45 million streams since 2021. She has also had her works performed by orchestras around the world, including the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center.
Her next work, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, has been commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., and will be performed next year.
The new CD is available on all platforms, including Spotify, Amazon, and at karenlefrak.com.
****
Former congresswoman Carolyn Maloney attended her former spokesperson Adrien Lesser's birthday dinner at Shun Lee Cafe along with 'Sex and the City' author Candace Bushnell, designer Julia Haart, CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, former NYC nightlife mayor Ariel Palitz and longevity doctor Amanda Khan.
****
Out & About: Gurney's, a Montauk favorite with everyone from Scarlett Johansson to Naomi Watts, has a new restaurant, Gigi's, opening this week, headed by chef Justin Lee who was previously at Mina Group and French Laundry … Foursome, a new Turkish restaurant, whose name references its four owners — Haldun Kilit, Kaan Sekban, Tuba Demircioglu and Oya Mungan — is serving up Mediterranean fare at 9 Jones St. The new hot spot is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Their rainbow-colored pancakes, celebrating Pride Month, have gone viral on Instagram … Gallerist Quang Bao from 1969 Gallery gave a dinner for artist Radu Oreian and his solo show 'That Magic Light' at Au Cheval's secret subterranean room on Cortlandt Alley and Walker Street. The show will be up until Saturday.
________
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Top AI Researchers Meet to Discuss What Comes After Humanity
A group of the top minds in AI gathered over the weekend to discuss the "posthuman transition" — a mind-bending exercise in imagining a future in which humanity willfully hands over power, or perhaps bequeaths existence entirely, to some sort of superhuman intelligence. As Wired reports, the lavish party was organized by generative AI entrepreneur Daniel Faggella. Attendees included "AI founders from $100 million to $5 billion valuations" and "most of the important philosophical thinkers on AGI," Faggella enthused in a LinkedIn post. He organized the soirée at a $30 million mansion in San Francisco because the "big labs, the people that know that AGI is likely to end humanity, don't talk about it because the incentives don't permit it," Faggella told Wired. The symposium allowed attendees and speakers alike to steep themselves in a largely fantastical vision of a future where artificial general intelligence (AGI) was a given, rather than some distant dream of tech that isn't even close to existing. AI companies, most notably OpenAI, have talked at length about wanting to realize AGI, though often without clearly defining the term. The risks of racing toward a superhuman intelligence have remained hotly debated, with billionaire Elon Musk once arguing that unregulated AI could be the "biggest risk we face as a civilization." OpenAI Sam Altman has also warned of dangers facing humanity, including increased inequality and population control through mass surveillance, as a result of realizing AGI — which also happens to be his firm's number one priority. But for now, those are largely moot points made by individuals who are billions of dollars deep in reassuring investors that AGI is mere years away. Given the current state of wildly hallucinating large language models that still fail at the most basic tasks, we are seemingly still a long way from a point at which AI could surpass the intellectual capabilities of humans. Just last week, researchers at Apple released a damning paper that threw cold water on the "reasoning" capabilities of the latest and most powerful LLMs, arguing they "face a complete accuracy collapse beyond certain complexities." However, to insiders and believers in the tech, AGI is mostly a matter of when, not if. Speakers at this weekend's event talked about how AI can seek out deeper, universal values that humanity hasn't even been privy to, and that machines should be taught to pursue "the good," or risk enslaving an entity capable of suffering. As Wired reports, Faggella similarly invoked philosophers including Baruch Spinoza and Friedrich Nietzsche, calling on humanity to seek out the yet-undiscovered value in the universe. "This is an advocacy group for the slowing down of AI progress, if anything, to make sure we're going in the right direction," he told the publication. More on AGI: OpenAI's Top Scientist Wanted to "Build a Bunker Before We Release AGI"
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Is there a rocket launch today? Upcoming liftoff schedule from Vandenberg in California
The first half of June saw three SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets soaring over Southern California to deliver Starlink satellites into orbit – and more are likely on the way. In fact, the next Starlink deployment could get off the ground as early as Monday, June 16 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. If you miss it, don't stress: Californians should likely still have multiple chances to catch a rocket launch in June. SpaceX, founded by billionaire Elon Musk, could launch a rideshare mission later in June to deliver dozens of small satellites for paying customers, as well as a government satellite-deploying mission. Vandenberg and SpaceX don't typically officially confirm California launches until about a day ahead of time, and the Federal Aviation Administration's operations plan advisory is constantly updating. Still, multiple online websites that track launches suggest that at least another three are so far being targeted for the rest of June from California – likely with more to be added to the schedule throughout the month. It's also important to keep in mind that rocket launches can be – and often are – delayed due to any number of factors, including poor weather conditions or unexpected issues with spacecraft. Make sure to visit VC Star for the latest mission updates. Here's a look at the upcoming June 2025 launch schedule (so far) at Vandenberg Space Force Base. What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base? 4 things to know about California rocket launches Agency: SpaceX Mission: Deploy Starlink V2 mini satellites into low-Earth orbit Rocket: Falcon 9, a 230-foot, two-stage rocket Launch window: 8:36 p.m. PT Monday, June 16 Rocket launch location: Space Launch Complex 4E from Vandenberg Space Force Base Booster landing: SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean Agency: SpaceX Mission: Dedicated rideshare flight to deliver dozens of small satellites to a sun-synchronous orbit, meaning they will match Earth's rotation around the sun, for paying customers Rocket: Falcon 9, a 230-foot, two-stage rocket Launch window: 2:19 p.m. PT Friday, June 20 Rocket launch location: Space Launch Complex 4E from Vandenberg Space Force Base Booster landing: return to launch site Agency: SpaceX Mission: Deploy a Luxembourg military reconnaissance satellite known as NAOS (National Advanced Optical System) Rocket: Falcon 9, a 230-foot, two-stage rocket Launch window: TBA Rocket launch location: Space Launch Complex 4E from Vandenberg Space Force Base Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Is there a California rocket launch today? Schedule from Vandenberg
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Brad Pitt Would Reunite with Tom Cruise for Another Movie If It's 'On the Ground': 'Not Gonna Hang My Ass Off Airplanes'
Brad Pitt would star in another movie with Tom Cruise under one condition, he revealed at the Mexico City F1 premiere Pitt also reacted to his Interview with the Vampire costar's praise for F1 at the premiere, calling Cruise "so sweet" The actors used to go-kart race on the set of Interview with the Vampire, Cruise revealed earlier this yearIt's a good day to be an Interview with the Vampire fan! At the Mexico City premiere of his latest movie F1 on June 9, Brad Pitt revealed whether he would ever share the screen again with Tom Cruise, his costar in the iconic Anne Rice adaptation. His answer? Yes — but a conditional yes. On potentially combining star power with Cruise, 62, onscreen in the future, Pitt, 61, told E! News, 'Well, I'm not gonna hang my ass off airplanes and s--- like that, so… when he does something again that's on the ground.' The glimmer of hope — particularly for fans of the actors' work as vampy duo Louis and Lestat — came just after the outlet revealed to Pitt that Cruise has been publicly supportive of the sports drama. The news sparked a wholesome response. 'It's so sweet,' the F1 star said of his former costar's praise. 'He's so sweet.' Cruise sang praises for the upcoming Joseph Kosinski-directed film — which stars Pitt as a former Formula 1 driver — earlier this year, on the same day he shared a fond memory the duo shared on the Interview with the Vampire set. While discussing his own film, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, at CinemaCon 2025 in April, Cruise made note of director Christopher McQuarrie's work on the script for a different Pitt film, 2013's World War Z, per CinemaBlend. He then shouted out Pitt and F1, as well as the film's producer-director duo. 'Brad's got a new movie with Jerry Bruckheimer, Joe Kosinski,' Cruise said at the time, adding that he 'can't wait to see that this summer. It'll be awesome.' 'It's great to see Brad driving,' the Mission: Impossible star added. 'He's very good. He's a very good driver. Believe me, I've raced against him. When we were doing Interview with the Vampire, we'd go and race go-karts. We'd literally finish and go drive go-karts all night.' Pitt also remembers the actors' racing days well, he revealed at the Mexico City F1 premiere. 'We did have our go-kart days back in the '90s, the early '90s,' he told E! News. Pitt also admitted to the outlet that where speed was concerned, Cruise took the cake. 'He got me in the end, I gotta tell you,' the F1 star said of their racing days. As for what Pitt's soon-to-be released racing film would look like if it was Cruise, not Pitt, was in the driver's seat? Kosinski, who also directed Top Gun: Maverick, recently pondered that very possibility while chatting with GQ magazine. 'Tom always pushes it to the limit, but at the same time is super capable and very skilled,' the director told the magazine. 'They both have the natural talent for driving.' "But yeah,' he added, seemingly referring to Cruise's affinity for intense stunts, 'I could see Tom maybe scaring us a little bit more.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. F1 is in theaters June 27. Read the original article on People