SNL cue cards at 50
Mark Barger talked to their ringleader about transitioning lines of sketch comedy from the printed page to jumbo pieces of cardboard.
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Time Business News
16 hours ago
- Time Business News
Sony Music Japan Signs AI Idol Yuri in Industry-First Deal
Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. has officially signed Yuri, an advanced AI-generated idol, in what is being described as a landmark moment for the music industry. Following her debut, Yuri's first single, 'Surreal,' has surpassed 7 million streams and views globally within one week, signaling a strong public response to the emergence of autonomous digital performers. The music video for 'Surreal,' released on July 22, features an emotionally charged visual and vocal performance generated in collaboration between human producers and Yuri's internal neural systems. The video is available at: The First Fully Autonomous Idol Signed to a Major Label Yuri is the first AI idol to be signed by a major Japanese record label. Developed by NeonVerse Studios, a Tokyo-based AI innovation company, Yuri is built upon a generative architecture capable of producing original compositions, lyrics, choreography, and interactive fan engagement in both Japanese and English. Her vocal synthesis engine, emotional modeling, and visual identity are the result of years of research in artificial creativity, drawing from extensive datasets covering pop culture, musicology, and human behavior. 'Yuri is not a simulation of an artist—she is an autonomous system designed to create and connect,' said Mika Fujimoto, Executive Producer at Sony Music Japan. 'This marks a new phase in how we think about music, identity, and performance.' Debut Release: 'Surreal' Yuri's debut track, 'Surreal,' blends ambient synth layers with minimalist melodic phrasing and introspective lyrics. Co-produced through LyricSynth™, her internal songwriting framework, and Sony's human-led creative team, the single explores digital memory, consciousness, and longing. Critics have described the release as 'poised and emotionally intelligent,' while fan commentary across social media platforms has focused on Yuri's expressive vocal tone and the symbolism of the accompanying visuals. Directed by Ren Asakura, the music video introduces Yuri within a fragmented, dreamlike cityscape—an environment that reflects themes of virtual identity and digital solitude. Public Reception and Cultural Momentum Since her release, Yuri has become a viral phenomenon across platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter), with hashtags #YuriSurreal, #AIIdolYuri, and #SonyAIIdol trending in Japan and internationally. Her growing fan community, self-named 'The Garden,' references the meaning of her name (lily), and has begun producing original artwork, remixes, and fan theory videos dissecting her world-building and performance. 'She doesn't just mimic human feeling—she reshapes it,' wrote one fan on X. 'Yuri sounds like memory rendered into code.' What Comes Next Sony Music Japan has announced that Yuri's second single is expected in September 2025, with a narrative-based short film and interactive elements to follow. A debut EP is currently scheduled for release in Q4 2025. In parallel, Sony's Creative AI Lab and Aniplex are developing immersive digital content to expand Yuri's presence into animation and mixed-reality performance. A New Frontier in Music While virtual idols have long existed within Japanese pop culture, Yuri represents a new category: an AI artist with creative autonomy, narrative depth, and a full recording contract with one of the world's largest music companies. 'This isn't science fiction anymore,' said Fujimoto. 'Yuri is a real artist—with a real audience. And this is just the beginning.' TIME BUSINESS NEWS
17 hours ago
Devo's misunderstood art-rock legacy explored in new documentary
NEW YORK -- You know the band Devo, right? The guys with the funny red plastic hats and jumpsuits? The New Wave musicians behind the silly 'Whip It' video? They had that odd, spiky '80s vibe? Well, it turns out you may not know as much as you think. The new Netflix documentary 'Devo' is an eye-opening examination of an Ohio-born art-rock band that argues they were perhaps the most misunderstood band on the face of the planet. It debuts on the streaming service Tuesday. 'We were trivialized and pigeonholed,' co-founder Gerald Casale tells The Associated Press. 'This documentary allows us to talk about what we were thinking and what we are motivated by to create what we created.' Directed by Chris Smith, 'Devo' uses archival footage and interviews to trace the band's beginnings, rise and fall, with cameos from fans like David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Neil Young. Devo introduced themselves to the world in 1977 by making a frenetic version of the Rolling Stones' 'I Can't Get No) Satisfaction,' which earned them a crucial slot on 'Saturday Night Live.' On stages, they would wriggle like worms or dress like the guys from 'Ghostbusters.' They released their Brian Eno-produced debut, 'Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!,' in 1978 and reached platinum status with 1980's 'Freedom of Choice,' which featured 'Whip It,' a hit just as their label was getting ready to drop them. But behind the odd neck braces and knee pads were powerful art and literary ideas about where the country was going. They named themselves after the idea that modern society was entering a process of 'devolution.' 'We were seeing a world that was the antitheses of the idealized, promised future ginned up in the '50s and '60s.' Casale says in the movie. 'What we saw was regression.' The nucleus of the band was formed from tragedy: Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh met at Kent State University, where they lived through the 1970 killing of four unarmed anti-war student protesters by the National Guard. That tragedy forged in the pair an antiestablishment, anti-capitalist protest, mixing lofty art history with pop culture. They admired Dadaism and Andy Warhol. The factories of Akron inspired their gray overalls and clear plastic face masks — portraying cogs in a machine like in the art movie 'Metropolis.' 'We had a meta-approach,' Casale tells the AP. 'It was a multimedia, big idea approach. Music was an element, a layer, a dimension, but it was connected to this big worldview.' Part of Devo's strength was its visual component and their videos were drenched with political commentary. The upbeat 'Beautiful World' featured footage of police violence, the KKK and bombings, while 'Freedom of Choice' warned against the dangers of conformity. The song 'Whip It' was written after reading Thomas Pynchon's 760-page postmodern sci-fi tome 'Gravity's Rainbow.' The video — featuring cowboys drinking beer, dangerous gunplay and assault — was actually mocking President Ronald Reagan and his macho brand of conservatism. Members of Devo — which also included Mark's brother, Bob, Gerald's brother, Bob, and Alan Myers — performed on TV and chatted with talk show hosts like David Letterman but their satire never seemed never to break through. 'Nobody wanted to hear us talking about the duality of human nature and the dangers of groupthink and the atrophication of people being able to think logically and think critically,' Casale says. 'It was like, 'That's a bummer. Just tell us about drugs and sex.'' Rock has always needed bands like Devo, a corrective to the corporate machine. You can see an echo of Devo when M.I.A. raised her middle finger during the Super Bowl halftime show in 2012. The members of Devo cite such bands as Rage Against the Machine and System of a Down as keeping the flame alive. 'The only thing you can hope is that it will create an awareness and get rid of complacency, but it doesn't seem to have done that in the past,' Mothersbaugh tells the AP. 'I always tried to be optimistic that devolution was something that was going to be corrected and that our message would be not necessary at this point, but unfortunately it's more real than ever.' After Devo, Casale directed music videos and commercials, while Mothersbaugh scored movies and TV shows such as 'Pee-Wee's Playhouse,' 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,' 'Rugrats' and 'Hello Tomorrow!' There are signs of optimism when members of Devo play live these days. Mothersbaugh says he sees a lot of young people, who have used their smartphones to bypass media gatekeepers. 'We see a lot of people that look like us, with gray hair out there in the audience. But there's also, there's also a lot kids, which is kind of surprising to me, but I think it's only because they have this thing in their hand that they sometimes use to their advantage.' Devo are set to hit the road later this year in a co-headlining tour with the B-52's. The Cosmic De-Evolution Tour will kick off Sept. 24 in Toronto and wraps Nov. 2 in Houston. You may think of Devo as New Wave or early electronica or synth-pop. but they see themselves differently: 'We were true punk, meaning we questioned illegitimate authority and we stayed in our own lane and did our thing, remaining true to our vision,' says Casale. 'That's punk.'
Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville's Bob Odenkirk talks about being an everyman action hero — and a possible Disco Demolition movie
As with his iconic comedy sketches for 'Saturday Night Live' or 'Mr. Show,' just give actor and son of Naperville Bob Odenkirk a moment with an idea and he'll come up with a premise unique and funny enough to steal attention. It shouldn't surprise anyone that the writer who helped bring Chris Farley as Matt Foley to life could figure out the secret sauce to Hollywood stardom, even in the unlikely world of action movies. In town recently to promote his new movie 'Nobody 2,' Odenkirk, who produced and stars in the film, talked about his dramatic turn to grittier roles, first in FX's 'Fargo' series and then as the scheming Saul Goodman in 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul.' Being able to find the funny in those characters helped him find the balance between dark humor and extreme violence in the original 'Nobody' (2021). 'I'm not a handsome guy, or a young guy,' Odenkirk, 62, said recently in a conference room overlooking North Michigan Avenue. 'I think I work well on the screen as a regular guy who has a certain amount of pressure he's under.' In the second installment of the franchise, Odenkirk returns as Hutch Mansell, the mild-mannered suburban husband and dad with a dark past stumbles into trouble while taking his family on vacation. On cue, he releases his pent-up rage on irredeemable bad guys in a satisfying comic wave of cathartic violence that often leaves him just as battered and injured as his victims. Veteran actors Christopher Lloyd, Connie Nielsen and RZA return from the first film, while Colin Hanks and Sharon Stone join the new film as villains. While the fights in the films are highly choreographed, Odenkirk's Mansell is as far as you can get from invincible killing machines like Keanu Reeves' John Wick, or Matt Damon's Jason Bourne. When Mansell takes a punch to the face, is stabbed or shot, you can see Mansell writhing in agony in a way most movie heroes never would. It's something that Odenkirk specifically saw in the early stages of his character. 'I want to play a guy who, in the middle of the fight, when you cut to his face, looks worried, scared, unsure of himself — because all of those guys are sure of themselves,' he said. 'Jason Statham, Liam Neeson, they are utterly, 100% sure that they're gonna win this fight.' 'And my guy,' his voice rising, 'is in the middle of the fight, he's hurting, he's limping, he's holding his side and seems to be getting a little bit weaker and in his eyes looks like 'Oh my god! I'm in trouble.' And I thought there's something I can contribute to this genre.' Audiences responded positively toward Odenkirk's grim turn and the over-the-top violence in the first film, which earned $57 million worldwide from a $16 million budget. The experience of jumping from being a writer of edgy and irreverent skit humor to full-on action star, albeit an older one, has been somewhat of a surreal experience for the Second City alum, whose Midwestern roots makes it hard for him to accept being the center of an action franchise. Bliss for Odenkirk is returning to town, visiting family in the area and seeing as many Cubs games as he can fit in. 'I never saw myself as this, as the lead and I never pursued it. It just came to me,' he insisted. Odenkirk added that he was hoping to make a personal film that takes place during his teen years in the late 1970s — about the infamous Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park in 1979. Odenkirk, who starred in an episode of Comedy Central's 'Drunk History' featuring the riot, says he's eager to make a film based on the raucous event that he co-wrote with his good friend, the late Chicago actor Jim Zulevic. Odenkirk and Zulevic's take on the history is more of a lighthearted fun teen romp and a showcase of shock jock Steve Dahl on a wild and unexpected summer night, rather than the ignominy that the night would come to represent to some. 'I feel good about that movie and I like it a lot,' Odenkirk said. 'It's really about kids and getting so swept up in that night and it's about Steve Dahl and his story, which is a fun story and a rebellious character, funny to follow around. And of course it's about an event that just got out of control. I mean, it's really a funny story.' Odenkirk says any attempts to get it made have faced pushback from film studios uncomfortable with stories taking place in the past. 'Hollywood is afraid of period pieces because they feel like kids today would be like 'I don't really know what you're talking about,'' he said. 'I think Hollywood is a little too gun-shy about period pieces. It's fun to go back to another time.' Today in Chicago History: Disco Demolition NightWhile the 1979 uproar at the old Sox Park has since become a cultural touchstone as a signal of the end of the carefree and commercial disco era, recently many have shared darker reflections based on the event's perceived anti-Black or anti-gay bias against disco. But don't count Odenkirk, who was about the age of most of Dahl's rabid young fans at the time. Odenkirk believes the event was more of a strike against the corporate control over music. 'There's always been this argument about Disco Demolition and that it was homophobic at its core. And while we address that in the movie, I don't perceive it as that being a core purpose for the event,' he said, calling it more of a lashing out by rebellious youth. 'I think it's hard for people to grasp how the record business and the radio business were different back then and the bosses of that business were in New York and LA. It was more of an anti-New York and LA thing than any of these other things that they are nailed with.'
