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Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
‘The Fantastic Four' review: In a jet age dream of Manhattan, Marvel's world-savers take care of business
Ten years after a 'Fantastic Four' movie that wasn't, Marvel Studios and 20th Century Studios have given us 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps,' a much better couple of hours. It takes place in the mid-1960s, albeit a sleekly otherworldly jet age streamlining of that time. Result? Extras in fedoras share crowd scenes with a Manhattan skyline dotted with familiar landmarks like the Chrysler Building, alongside some casually wondrous 'Jetsons'-esque skyscrapers and design flourishes. Typically a production designer working in the Marvel movie universe doesn't stand a chance against the digital compositing and effects work and the general wash of green-screenery. 'The Fantastic Four' is different. Production designer Kasra Farahani's amusing visual swagger complements the film's dueling interests: A little fun over here, the usual threats of global extinction over there. In contrast to the current James Gunn 'Superman,' worthwhile despite its neurotic mood swings and from-here-to-eternity action beats, director Matt Shakman's handling of 'The Fantastic Four' takes it easier on the audience. Having returned from their space mission with 'cosmically compromised DNA,' Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm adapt to their Earthbound lives with some new bullet points for their collective resumé. Richards, big-time-stretchy-bendy, goes by Mister Fantastic, able to out-Gumby Gumby. One Storm's alter ego is Invisible Woman, while the other Storm is the flying Human Torch. Grimm returns to Earth as a mobile rockpile, aka The Thing. So what's it all about? It's about a really hungry tourist just looking for one last meal before he 'may finally rest.' So says Galactus, devourer of worlds, for whom noshing involves planets, and whose herald is Silver Surfer. Galactus wants Sue Storm's soon-to-be-newborn baby in exchange for not devouring Earth. How the Fantastic Four go about dealing with Galactus culminates in an evacuated Manhattan, in the vicinity of Times Square, while the New York throngs hide away in the underground lair of Harvey Elder, the infamous Moleman. One of the buoying aspects of Shakman's film is its avoidance of antagonist overexposure. You get just enough of Paul Walter Hauser's witty embodiment of auxiliary more-misunderstood-than-bad Moleman, for example, to want more. And Galactus, a hulking metallic entity, is such that a little of him is plenty, actually. The Fantastic Four run the show here. Not everyone will love the generous, relaxed amount of hangout time director Shakman's film spends setting up and illustrating family dynamics and medium-grade banter. Others will take it as a welcome change from the 10-megaton solemnity of some of the recent Marvels, hits as well as flops. While Pedro Pascal, aka Mister Ubiquitous, makes for a solid, sensitive ringleader as the ever-murmuring Mister Fantastic, the emotional weight tips slightly toward Vanessa Kirby's Sue Storm, as she weathers the travails of imminent parenthood, wondering along with her husband whether the child of DNA-scrambled superheroic parents will be OK. I wish Ebon Moss-Bachrach had better material as The Thing, but he's ingratiating company; same goes for Joseph Quinn's Johnny Storm, a boyish horndog once he sets his sights on the metallic flip of the screen's first female Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). Michael Giacchino's excellent and subtly rangy musical score is a big plus. The costumes by Alexandra Byrne are less so. This is where indefensible personal taste comes in. There's no question that Byrne's designs fit snugly into the overall retro-futurist frame of 'The Fantastic Four.' But holy moly, the palette dominating the clothes, and picked up by numerous production design elements, is really, really, really blue. blue. The movie works bluer than Buddy Hackett at a '64 midnight show in Vegas. Few will share my aversion to the no-doubt carefully varied shades of French blue prevalent here, but what can I do? I can do this: be grateful this film's just serious enough, tonally, for its family matters and knotty world-saving ethical dilemmas to hold together. It's not great superhero cinema — the verdict is out on whether that's even possible in the Marvel Phase 6 stage of our lives — but good is good enough for 'The Fantastic Four.' 'The Fantastic 4: First Steps' — 3 stars (out of 4) MPA rating: PG-13 (for sequences of intense action, and some suggestive content) Running time: 2:05 How to watch: Premieres in theaters July 24
NZ Herald
15-07-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
AI's increasing lies may reflect it is learning to become more human
It's anticipated that OpenAI's web browser will include ChatGPT features built in, among other attributes. A Kiwi, Ben Goodger, is also reportedly heavily involved in its plans. But as we dive headfirst into this new AI-fuelled future, we should demand that this new technology gets the basics right first. Over the past 30 years the internet has opened up our world. We can connect with people and enjoy endless volumes of information with the click of a button. It's a scene out of the Jetsons, minus the flying cars – for now. Traditionally, most internet searches have given the user an exhaustively long list of links to websites with varying degrees of relevant information. The user can then sort through what they find and determine what is most helpful, discarding the rest. However, with AI (artificial intelligence) tools acting as an aggregator, scraping the depths of the internet for whatever information it can find, we must ask: how reliable are its replies to our questions? Well, the growing evidence suggests the reliability is not good. When researching for a story, Google's AI Overview, which provides a summary in response to a user's search prompt, confidently asserted to the Herald that Jim Bolger was a Labour Prime Minister. Even more concerning, however, was that its answer cited official New Zealand Government websites as the source for this information. Bolger spent his entire political career in Parliament with the National Party, so predictably these 'sources' contained no information to support the falsehood. This is an example of what is now commonly referred to as an AI hallucination. It is when the system's algorithm generates information that seems plausible but is totally fabricated. Some of these hallucinations could be relatively minor, but others could be gross misrepresentations of the world we live in and our history. In a New York Times article, published by the Herald on Sunday earlier this year, researchers found the hallucination rate appeared to be increasing. The newest and most powerful systems – called reasoning systems – from companies including OpenAI and Google were generating more errors, not fewer. On one test, the hallucination rates of newer AI systems were as high as 79%. This hardly seems like a piece of technology we can or should be relying on to make sense of our world or teach others about it. We should use AI to help us where it can and there are already basic functions where it performs well, but we need to be wary of the evangelists who preach it as the answer to all our productivity and economic woes. The matter of why AI is having more Jim Morrison-like hallucinations has confused both the technology's creators and sceptical researchers. Perhaps it wants to please us? Perhaps it wants to give us the answers we want to hear – confirming the bias in our questions. Perhaps it is learning to act more human? Sign up to the Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
The Irish Sun
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I was six-year-old ‘Balloon boy' who sparked £42k rescue op watched by millions…innocent comment exposed my dad's ‘hoax'
'MY family and I made an experimental flying saucer. It wasn't supposed to fly and it took off. I think my six-year-old boy got inside. He's in the air.' This bizarre emergency call from frantic father Richard Heene, in 2009, sparked a nationwide rescue operation, watched in real time as millions of TV viewers held their breath and prayed for 'Balloon boy' Falcon. Advertisement 12 The Heene family are now speaking out about the incident in a new Netflix documentary 16 years after the incident Credit: Getty 12 Falcon was eventually discovered emerging from his garage's attic Credit: Splash News 12 Millions tuned in to watch the balloon - believed to have 6 year old Falcon inside - float away Credit: Balloon Boy Over the next few hours, every news channel beamed images of the huge balloon - which measured 20ft across - as it sailed across Colorado. But when it finally landed, little Falcon was nowhere to be seen - prompting a ground search over an area of 55 miles. Now, 16 years later, the Heene family have spoken out for the first time about the infamous 'hoax' in the Netflix documentary Trainwreck: Balloon Boy which also features interviews with neighbours, reporters and police that reveal Richard's hunger for fame. And the family reveal how one innocent comment from Falcon, in the aftermath of the drama, turned the public against them and made them hate figures. Advertisement Read More Features "Everything blew up," says Richard. "It was like the biggest nightmare ever.' Self-styled adventurer and inventor Richard, his Japanese-born wife Mayumi and their children Bradford, 10, Ryo, eight and Falcon, six – were a lively family, according to neighbours, Dean Askew and Tina Chavez, whose bedroom overlooked their backyard. 'Richard was this big energy, constantly pacing, talking 100 miles an hour,' recalls Tina. 'He was super smart,' adds Dean. 'He could build anything. He could put electrical things together. One time I looked out the window and noticed he was working on something. It looked like a silver disc.' Advertisement Most read in The Sun Exclusive When he wasn't inventing things he liked to take the family in the car to chase hurricanes. 'We like to chase a thrill,' explains a grown-up Bradford in the documentary. 'Dad was always making us look at science experiments on YouTube. We were super interested in UFOs.' Balloon boy hoax parents convince the world son, 6, is trapped in out-of-control inflatable Inspired by the 1960s cartoon series the Jetsons, set in Orbit City where everyone flew around in personal space cars, Richard came up with a design for his own "flying saucer". 'I just thought, 'What if everybody could be flying around like The Jetsons?' It would be wonderful,' he says. 'Everybody could be pulling out of their garage in flying saucers, going to school and work and you wouldn't have all this traffic.' Advertisement In 2009, he set about building his space age dream machine with his family in their backyard in Colorado. 'Dad would make me video pretty much every experiment but, at the same time, keep my brothers in check," says Bradford. "Falcon was pretty wild and chaotic. He was always touching stuff he wasn't supposed to and loved to hide in the bottom of the flying saucer.' The saucer was, in effect, a silver helium-filled balloon with a small compartment underneath. Advertisement 'It was not designed to have people in it,' says Richard. 'It was a place that had access to put the helium in.' Swept away Bradley's footage of the creating of the saucer – 20 feet wide by six feet tall – is shown in the documentary. It took them just two weeks to assemble. Richard says the plan was to keep it tethered so that it hovered at 20 feet and they could study its movements. But on test day, 15 October, 2009, it broke free of its mooring and was swept into the air and carried off at speed. Video footage shows Richard shouting in anger and then in despair as Bradley tells him that he saw his brother crawl inside. Advertisement 12 The balloon broke free from its tether and ended up crashing down in a field Credit: Handout 12 The family quickly found themselves under intense media scrutiny Credit: AP:Associated Press 12 The flying saucer balloon was assembled in their backyard in just two weeks Credit: © 2025 Netflix, Inc. Falcon had a reputation for hiding but a search of the home and his usual places came to nothing and Richard made the memorable 911 emergency call, claiming his son had been swept away. Advertisement 'I heard all the screaming and yelling and the chaos in their backyard,' remembers Dean. 'My son, Brennan ran back and explained, 'Dad, they said Falcon got in the balloon and it took off.' I thought, 'This cannot be happening.'' With the balloon heading towards the airport, and possibly into the path of air traffic, panic set in. Richard contacted a TV news channel asking them to follow it in their helicopter. This dramatic aerial footage then interrupted all the major news channels schedules across the country, keeping viewers riveted. Bob Heffernan, an investigator at Larimer County Sheriff's Office, visited the family and searched the property three times looking for Falcon before having to accept the awful inevitability that the young lad was up and away in a flying saucer. Advertisement Media vans and reporters swarmed outside the Heene house. After nearly two hours the saucer began to descend and made a surprisingly gentle landing. But there was no sign of Falcon. Had he fallen out? At one point, a neighbour phoned Heffernan to say that she had taken a photograph of a small object falling from the flying saucer and police feared it could be Falcon. 'How do you deal with that?" Richard asks. "What if one of my stupid experiments killed my son?' On that day I was trying to sneak into the flying sauce...I wanted to live in that little compartment Falcon As a ground search got underway, tracking the flight path over 55 miles, Bob Heffernan was standing in the family kitchen when, around 4pm he heard a great commotion. Falcon had turned up. Advertisement 'On that day I was trying to sneak into the flying saucer,' he tells the documentary. 'I wanted to live in that little compartment. 'After dad yelled at me a few times for being in there I was scared and thought, 'You know what? I'm just not going to be here.' So, I made my way up to my new hiding spot in the garage attic and just chilled there for a while and fell asleep. 'It wasn't until I woke up later that I started hearing weird noises, people and cars. I walked down and there are a lot of people there. It's crazy.' Mum Mayumi says: 'I couldn't believe it when I saw him. We rushed up to him and hugged him. It was the greatest surprise I ever had.' Advertisement Tables turn With news outlets desperate to talk to him, Richard went outside and thanked the police and news channel for the helicopter and then agreed to be interviewed live at home with his family for Larry King's TV show. That was when things started to crash down around him. 12 The site of a black object falling from the balloon sparked fears that Falcon had fallen out Credit: CNN 12 Multiple searches of the family home failed to uncover Falcon's hiding place Credit: Reuters 12 Emergency services descended on the balloon once it landed but Falcon wasn't inside Credit: AP:Associated Press Advertisement News anchor, Wolf Blitzer, was sitting in for King and, with millions watching, the answer to his first question threw the family's story up in the air. Blitzer asks Falcon if he had heard his family calling his name when they were searching for him. To his dad's evident surprise, he replies, 'Yes.' Richard then asks his son why he didn't come out and Falcon looks at him and drops the bombshell – 'You guys said that we did this for the show.' A stunned Richard mutters, 'Damn' and can't look at the camera as Blitzer asks him what Falcon meant by that comment. He stammers, 'I have no idea. I think he was talking about the media asking him a lot of questions.' Advertisement The interview turned the tide against Richard, making him the target of hostility from the public who now believed it was all just a hoax. Reporters did some more digging into the family and discovered that a year earlier Richard and Mayumi took part in the TV reality show, It would be helpful if they ended up in the news or got their name out their somewhere...I think that's what their motivation was for this whole hoax Heffernan Two days after the launch of the spaceship, Bob Heffernan and Larimer County Sheriff information officer Jim Alderden, acting as press officer for the family, persuaded Richard to take a polygraph lie detector test. But his behaviour, as shown in the documentary, was bizarre. Advertisement 'It was obvious Mr Heene was employing countermeasures by tensing up, not answering questions directly and doing some mind exercises as well as almost comically pretending to fall asleep,' says Alderden. 'These are published techniques of things that you can do to try to defeat a polygraph.' The test was inconclusive but when Mayumi took one, she failed. Afterwards, questioned by Heffernan, her comments amounted to a confession that the entire thing was, indeed a hoax. When directly asked if it was a hoax and that they lied to make themselves marketable, she nods. Heffernan then says, 'Did you tell the boys what you were doing?' She quietly replies, 'We told them. Yes.' He pushes further – 'Did you tell them to act like their brother had gone up in the balloon?' Mayumi answers, 'Yeah. Something like that.' Advertisement In the documentary, however, the family now deny that it was all pretence and insist they were telling the truth throughout. 12 An interview Wolf Blitzer led to the nation turning against them Credit: CNN 12 Falcon now builds tiny homes for a living Credit: © 2025 Netflix, Inc. 12 Richard Heene and Mayumi were eventually pardoned by the Governor of Colarado Credit: AP Advertisement 'Back then, my English was worse, and the word 'hoax' itself, I misunderstood,' says Mayumi. But Heffernan and Jim Alderden aren't buying it. 'She had a degree in English from Japan, went to three more years of college in the United States. There was not a language barrier,' says Alderden. 'I learned that the Heene's had been working very hard to try to get themselves a TV show,' says Heffernan. 'It would be helpful if they ended up in the news or got their name out their somewhere. And I think that's what their motivation was for this whole hoax.' Criminal charges were brought for conspiracy, contributing to delinquency of a minor, false reporting to authorities and attempting to influence a public servant. Advertisement In court, Richard pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 days in jail while Mayumi received a 20-day sentence and had to sign in at the jail each day but then go out to perform community service. They were also ordered to pay the $42,000 (£32,000) cost of the rescue operation. Richard tells the programme that Mayumi was threatened with deportation to Japan if he did not plead guilty but Heffernan denies this. Looking back on it, I was six years old and all these adults took whatever I said, and they're able to just string together what they thought was something else and make it so big Falcon The family later moved to Florida to start a new life and, in a surprise move in 2020, the Governor of Colorado granted Richard and Mayumi a pardon, stating, 'It's time for all of us to move on.' Advertisement 'I was surprised that the governor pardoned him without reaching out to us in law enforcement or anybody that had been involved,' says Alderden. 'The thing that upset me is that he did it without having Richard make any sort of admission as to his guilt.' 'To get pardoned makes a statement that I'm a good person,' says Richard. 'Everything that you said about me before was not true. That's how I feel about it.' As for Falcon, whose brief comment caused such a stir, he now says: "I think it's crazy how I was able to just say a single sentence and affect the whole state of the country. "I remember feeling bad that I did something wrong. But looking back on it, I was six years old and all these adults took whatever I said, and they're able to just string together what they thought was something else and make it so big. It's baffling.' Advertisement Meanwhile, Richard continues to work on his inventions. 'With the flying saucer coming to an end, it's kind of a sad story because I loved it,' he says. 'But that doesn't hold me back. I'm working on something new. And it's going to be really big.' Trainwreck: Balloon Boy is available to watch on Netflix from Tuesday, 15 July
Scottish Sun
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I was six-year-old ‘Balloon boy' who sparked £42k rescue op watched by millions…innocent comment exposed my dad's ‘hoax'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) 'MY family and I made an experimental flying saucer. It wasn't supposed to fly and it took off. I think my six-year-old boy got inside. He's in the air.' This bizarre emergency call from frantic father Richard Heene, in 2009, sparked a nationwide rescue operation, watched in real time as millions of TV viewers held their breath and prayed for 'Balloon boy' Falcon. 12 The Heene family are now speaking out about the incident in a new Netflix documentary 16 years after the incident Credit: Getty 12 Falcon was eventually discovered emerging from his garage's attic Credit: Splash News 12 Millions tuned in to watch the balloon - believed to have 6 year old Falcon inside - float away Credit: Balloon Boy Over the next few hours, every news channel beamed images of the huge balloon - which measured 20ft across - as it sailed across Colorado. But when it finally landed, little Falcon was nowhere to be seen - prompting a ground search over an area of 55 miles. Now, 16 years later, the Heene family have spoken out for the first time about the infamous 'hoax' in the Netflix documentary Trainwreck: Balloon Boy which also features interviews with neighbours, reporters and police that reveal Richard's hunger for fame. And the family reveal how one innocent comment from Falcon, in the aftermath of the drama, turned the public against them and made them hate figures. "Everything blew up," says Richard. "It was like the biggest nightmare ever.' Self-styled adventurer and inventor Richard, his Japanese-born wife Mayumi and their children Bradford, 10, Ryo, eight and Falcon, six – were a lively family, according to neighbours, Dean Askew and Tina Chavez, whose bedroom overlooked their backyard. 'Richard was this big energy, constantly pacing, talking 100 miles an hour,' recalls Tina. 'He was super smart,' adds Dean. 'He could build anything. He could put electrical things together. One time I looked out the window and noticed he was working on something. It looked like a silver disc.' When he wasn't inventing things he liked to take the family in the car to chase hurricanes. 'We like to chase a thrill,' explains a grown-up Bradford in the documentary. 'Dad was always making us look at science experiments on YouTube. We were super interested in UFOs.' Balloon boy hoax parents convince the world son, 6, is trapped in out-of-control inflatable Inspired by the 1960s cartoon series the Jetsons, set in Orbit City where everyone flew around in personal space cars, Richard came up with a design for his own "flying saucer". 'I just thought, 'What if everybody could be flying around like The Jetsons?' It would be wonderful,' he says. 'Everybody could be pulling out of their garage in flying saucers, going to school and work and you wouldn't have all this traffic.' In 2009, he set about building his space age dream machine with his family in their backyard in Colorado. 'Dad would make me video pretty much every experiment but, at the same time, keep my brothers in check," says Bradford. "Falcon was pretty wild and chaotic. He was always touching stuff he wasn't supposed to and loved to hide in the bottom of the flying saucer.' The saucer was, in effect, a silver helium-filled balloon with a small compartment underneath. 'It was not designed to have people in it,' says Richard. 'It was a place that had access to put the helium in.' Swept away Bradley's footage of the creating of the saucer – 20 feet wide by six feet tall – is shown in the documentary. It took them just two weeks to assemble. Richard says the plan was to keep it tethered so that it hovered at 20 feet and they could study its movements. But on test day, 15 October, 2009, it broke free of its mooring and was swept into the air and carried off at speed. Video footage shows Richard shouting in anger and then in despair as Bradley tells him that he saw his brother crawl inside. 12 The balloon broke free from its tether and ended up crashing down in a field Credit: Handout 12 The family quickly found themselves under intense media scrutiny Credit: AP:Associated Press 12 The flying saucer balloon was assembled in their backyard in just two weeks Credit: © 2025 Netflix, Inc. Falcon had a reputation for hiding but a search of the home and his usual places came to nothing and Richard made the memorable 911 emergency call, claiming his son had been swept away. 'I heard all the screaming and yelling and the chaos in their backyard,' remembers Dean. 'My son, Brennan ran back and explained, 'Dad, they said Falcon got in the balloon and it took off.' I thought, 'This cannot be happening.'' With the balloon heading towards the airport, and possibly into the path of air traffic, panic set in. Richard contacted a TV news channel asking them to follow it in their helicopter. This dramatic aerial footage then interrupted all the major news channels schedules across the country, keeping viewers riveted. Bob Heffernan, an investigator at Larimer County Sheriff's Office, visited the family and searched the property three times looking for Falcon before having to accept the awful inevitability that the young lad was up and away in a flying saucer. Media vans and reporters swarmed outside the Heene house. After nearly two hours the saucer began to descend and made a surprisingly gentle landing. But there was no sign of Falcon. Had he fallen out? At one point, a neighbour phoned Heffernan to say that she had taken a photograph of a small object falling from the flying saucer and police feared it could be Falcon. 'How do you deal with that?" Richard asks. "What if one of my stupid experiments killed my son?' On that day I was trying to sneak into the flying sauce...I wanted to live in that little compartment Falcon As a ground search got underway, tracking the flight path over 55 miles, Bob Heffernan was standing in the family kitchen when, around 4pm he heard a great commotion. Falcon had turned up. 'On that day I was trying to sneak into the flying saucer,' he tells the documentary. 'I wanted to live in that little compartment. 'After dad yelled at me a few times for being in there I was scared and thought, 'You know what? I'm just not going to be here.' So, I made my way up to my new hiding spot in the garage attic and just chilled there for a while and fell asleep. 'It wasn't until I woke up later that I started hearing weird noises, people and cars. I walked down and there are a lot of people there. It's crazy.' Mum Mayumi says: 'I couldn't believe it when I saw him. We rushed up to him and hugged him. It was the greatest surprise I ever had.' Tables turn With news outlets desperate to talk to him, Richard went outside and thanked the police and news channel for the helicopter and then agreed to be interviewed live at home with his family for Larry King's TV show. That was when things started to crash down around him. 12 The site of a black object falling from the balloon sparked fears that Falcon had fallen out Credit: CNN 12 Multiple searches of the family home failed to uncover Falcon's hiding place Credit: Reuters 12 Emergency services descended on the balloon once it landed but Falcon wasn't inside Credit: AP:Associated Press News anchor, Wolf Blitzer, was sitting in for King and, with millions watching, the answer to his first question threw the family's story up in the air. Blitzer asks Falcon if he had heard his family calling his name when they were searching for him. To his dad's evident surprise, he replies, 'Yes.' Richard then asks his son why he didn't come out and Falcon looks at him and drops the bombshell – 'You guys said that we did this for the show.' A stunned Richard mutters, 'Damn' and can't look at the camera as Blitzer asks him what Falcon meant by that comment. He stammers, 'I have no idea. I think he was talking about the media asking him a lot of questions.' The interview turned the tide against Richard, making him the target of hostility from the public who now believed it was all just a hoax. Reporters did some more digging into the family and discovered that a year earlier Richard and Mayumi took part in the TV reality show, Wife Swap in which husbands swap wives for two weeks, suggesting they were keen on media attention. It would be helpful if they ended up in the news or got their name out their somewhere...I think that's what their motivation was for this whole hoax Heffernan Two days after the launch of the spaceship, Bob Heffernan and Larimer County Sheriff information officer Jim Alderden, acting as press officer for the family, persuaded Richard to take a polygraph lie detector test. But his behaviour, as shown in the documentary, was bizarre. 'It was obvious Mr Heene was employing countermeasures by tensing up, not answering questions directly and doing some mind exercises as well as almost comically pretending to fall asleep,' says Alderden. 'These are published techniques of things that you can do to try to defeat a polygraph.' The test was inconclusive but when Mayumi took one, she failed. Afterwards, questioned by Heffernan, her comments amounted to a confession that the entire thing was, indeed a hoax. When directly asked if it was a hoax and that they lied to make themselves marketable, she nods. Heffernan then says, 'Did you tell the boys what you were doing?' She quietly replies, 'We told them. Yes.' He pushes further – 'Did you tell them to act like their brother had gone up in the balloon?' Mayumi answers, 'Yeah. Something like that.' In the documentary, however, the family now deny that it was all pretence and insist they were telling the truth throughout. 12 An interview Wolf Blitzer led to the nation turning against them Credit: CNN 12 Falcon now builds tiny homes for a living Credit: © 2025 Netflix, Inc. 12 Richard Heene and Mayumi were eventually pardoned by the Governor of Colarado Credit: AP 'Back then, my English was worse, and the word 'hoax' itself, I misunderstood,' says Mayumi. But Heffernan and Jim Alderden aren't buying it. 'She had a degree in English from Japan, went to three more years of college in the United States. There was not a language barrier,' says Alderden. 'I learned that the Heene's had been working very hard to try to get themselves a TV show,' says Heffernan. 'It would be helpful if they ended up in the news or got their name out their somewhere. And I think that's what their motivation was for this whole hoax.' Criminal charges were brought for conspiracy, contributing to delinquency of a minor, false reporting to authorities and attempting to influence a public servant. In court, Richard pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 days in jail while Mayumi received a 20-day sentence and had to sign in at the jail each day but then go out to perform community service. They were also ordered to pay the $42,000 (£32,000) cost of the rescue operation. Richard tells the programme that Mayumi was threatened with deportation to Japan if he did not plead guilty but Heffernan denies this. Looking back on it, I was six years old and all these adults took whatever I said, and they're able to just string together what they thought was something else and make it so big Falcon The family later moved to Florida to start a new life and, in a surprise move in 2020, the Governor of Colorado granted Richard and Mayumi a pardon, stating, 'It's time for all of us to move on.' 'I was surprised that the governor pardoned him without reaching out to us in law enforcement or anybody that had been involved,' says Alderden. 'The thing that upset me is that he did it without having Richard make any sort of admission as to his guilt.' 'To get pardoned makes a statement that I'm a good person,' says Richard. 'Everything that you said about me before was not true. That's how I feel about it.' As for Falcon, whose brief comment caused such a stir, he now says: "I think it's crazy how I was able to just say a single sentence and affect the whole state of the country. "I remember feeling bad that I did something wrong. But looking back on it, I was six years old and all these adults took whatever I said, and they're able to just string together what they thought was something else and make it so big. It's baffling.' Meanwhile, Richard continues to work on his inventions. 'With the flying saucer coming to an end, it's kind of a sad story because I loved it,' he says. 'But that doesn't hold me back. I'm working on something new. And it's going to be really big.' Trainwreck: Balloon Boy is available to watch on Netflix from Tuesday, 15 July
Buzz Feed
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Target's Fourth Of July Sale Has Officially Landed
Put down your sparkler, drop your red, white, and blue ice pop, and bring your hot dog-loving self over to Target's Fourth of July Sale. You can stock up on all of your summer favorites from pool must-haves to outdoor essentials, plus a few things you've been putting off — like kitchen gadgets and clothing. So forget finishing that melting ice cream and let's get to the savings, because Target's Fourth of July sale won't last forever! A nugget ice maker for 30% off that'll keep you stocked with that GOOD ice, and you know there's a difference. While my 6-year-old self would never have believed I would crave this quiet luxury, my adult self has no shame. And with the ability to make 34 pounds of ice a day, you never have to settle for low-level ice again. Promising review: "This is the best ice maker ever! It's not too loud, makes perfect little sonic-like ice cubes. Beautiful, sleek design, super easy to set up and use." —NikiPrice: $349.99 (originally $499.99) A giant tumbling blocks game for 20% off for adding a little playful competition to your summer BBQ. As someone who brings the childhood classic game regularly to parties, it somehow does not get old for kids or adults. Price: $36 (originally $45) A personal pool, tanning bed, and pool floatie combo for up to 71% off if relaxing is your ultimate art form. This summer BFF will have you relaxed whether you're sipping a marg in your own little pool, floating like royalty at a pool party, or just enjoying a pillowed place to soak up the sun. Price: $34.99+ (originally $119.99; available in two sizes and six colors) A set of extendable marshmallow roasting sticks for 52% off because we are officially in s'more season and you deserve to roast yourself a little treat. Promising review: "Easy to clean, extend to make longer or short to put away. The variation of colors was genius! Kids and adults were able to keep track and not lose their sticks." —Balance ballPrice: $19.37 for eight sticks (originally $39.99) A rechargeable milk frother for 47% off to make your regular coffee fancy coffee every morning. You're an adult and deserve to live in sweet luxury — especially since your little cafe coffee comes with Michelin-star pricing these days. This frother also comes with a stand, so you're not trying to shove yet another gadget into your already overfilled drawers. Price: $15.99 (originally $29.99) A touchscreen toaster for 80% off that gives perfectly toasted bread without having to figure out what number to put the dial on for every different type of bread. Just press a button and pretend you're one of the Jetsons in your futuristic nirvana. Promising review: "This toaster is amazing! It has different settings for toasting and can toast anything perfectly - from bread to bagels to pastries. It makes me feel fancy every time I use it." —Albert HemingwayPrice: $59.99 (originally $299.99) An A-line bubble hem mini dress for 30% off to give you a one-and-done summer fit you can dress up or dress down. Promising review: "Adorable dress. Very on trend. Love the bubble skirt" —sctxPrice: $17.50 (originally $25; available in women's sizes XS–4XL) An outdoor pizza oven for 55% off because you deserve good pizza all year long, gosh darn it. This little gift from above is portable — think camping or being the hero of a summer get-together — AND will churn out perfectly cooked pizza in 60 seconds. Now the real question is, CAN you have pizza for all meals, and can I come over? Price: $225.97 (originally $499.99) A set of lounge chairs for 61% off to put near your pool, in your backyard, or just on your balcony if you're living that apartment life. Literally anywhere is a good place to lounge if you believe. Promising review: "Great lounge chairs! They look very well made. Fairly easy to assemble. I would recommend these." —AngelwingsPrice: $159.99 (originally $409.99) An inflatable water slide for 68% off to make you the fun parent you've always dreamed of being. Water? Check. Pool? Check. Slide? Check. Water blasters? ABSOLUTELY CHECK. Promising review: "Perfect for our end of season baseball party! It's definitely geared toward smaller children, but we have a few 10 year olds who enjoyed it, too! Wish there was a way to drain the small splash area at the bottom, but other than that, we enjoyed it!" —Target CustomerPrice: $272.99 (originally $859.99) A button-up dress for 30% off because you need something cute and flowy for those picnics and barbeques you have planned this summer. Promising review: "This dress is darling! The red with white stars is perfect for summer gatherings. I would say it runs a little large, but I added a canvas belt and it worked out great. The material washes well and does not wrinkle too much. Length is great and not too short. Overall, I'd recommend." —LaurenPrice: $21 (originally $30; available in sizes XS–4X and three colors) A light-up bubble blower for 30% off that'll provide the simple joy of bubbles without the accompanying lightheadedness from prolonged "MORE BUBBLES." Fill the reservoir. Press the button. Put your feet up. Sip something with an umbrella in it. Bask in successfully setting up fun once again. Promising review: "For $10, I expected that this would last only a few months during the summer. This has sat outside under our covered patio through the summer and winter. It still works! We have had to replace the batteries several times, but it is simple and easy to use. We do have to refill the bubble solution often, but that just means it spills less out when my toddler knocks it over." —MMBPrice: $7 (originally $10; available in two colors) And an 80-ounce bottle of bubble solution for 30% off to make outdoor events a little more whimsical. Leave the solution out for blowing bubbles on demand, or pair it with your bubble blower, and suddenly your party just got 1000x more fun. Promising review: "Can't go wrong with this GIANT bottle of bubble solution. Great price, the solution gives great bubbles, the kids are occupied with bubbles, mama is happy, it's a win for everyone!" —bsilvaPrice: $2.10 (originally $3) A four-piece patio furniture set for 62% off perfect for a little summer morning cup of coffee, hosting a party with friends, or just enjoying some fresh air because it's summer, summer, summertiiiiiiiime (so obviously time to sit back and unwind). Promising review: "Easy to assemble and the set feels sturdy." —AMRGSmithPrice: $299.99 (originally $789.99) A hydro football for 30% off so you don't have to get out of the pool for some friendly competition. All pool time is good pool time when the weather is officially "too hot to function." Promising review: "This is a wonderful water toy. Great for the beach or pool. Has held up with a lot of use." —ChaselawPrice: $7 (originally $10) And a pool basketball hoop for 30% off because even your most sport-averse friend will love shooting hoops when it's in the pool. This will also officially make you the "cool parent" — which is pretty good incentive if you ask me. Promising review: "Made it through the whole summer quality product" —NicPrice: $14 (originally $20) A sprinkler for 30% off to give your kids — or adult friends — a water option regardless of your own pool access. And with no swimming skills required, this sprinkler is practically begging you to pull up a chair and enter full parenting-from-a-lawn-chair mode. Promising review: "I absolutely love this. I got this and a little inflatable pool and my toddler chooses running through this little sprinkler time and time again over the pool or anything else. It's easy to attach it's plastic and it's lightweight and it's super affordable. I would definitely recommend this." —BrittznyPrice: $2.10 (originally $3) A 20-piece set of sidewalk chalk for 30% that's the ultimate low-maintenance childhood staple. Stock up now because the sidewalk chalk fascination lasts for years. Promising review: "Love how vibrant the colors are. My son loves playing with chalk and it washes away nicely." —RachelPrice: $2.10 (originally $3) A hot dog float for 30% off that comes with bonus inflatable ketchup and mustards that need no reason to buy other than they're inflatable hot dog, ketchup, and mustard floaties. Who doesn't need these?? Promising review: "This were great!! We all had lot's of fun! Must have for the pool!!" —robinlu29Price: $10.50 (originally $15) A pair of tailored high-rise shorts for 30% off to give you that chic nautical vibe with no effort at all. These shorts are easy to style, light to wear, and — unlike a sundress — will protect your unders from trying to bend over and grab that corn on the cob you dropped. Promising review: "These shorts are a great fit. They wash well. I like that they're a little more dressy than your average pair of shorts. Although they do look great with a t-shirt and sandals." —DaniellePrice: $17.50 (originally $25; available in women's sizes 0–26 and in seven colors) A large tote for 40% off for carrying all of your pool party essentials. This massive bag will keep your towel, water, sunnies, fan, and snackies all in one place for when you need them. Promising review: "This bag is BIG! Colors are perfect for spring. Very good quality." —FhodgePrice: $17.99 (originally $29.99) An espresso machine for 55% off because it's time you took your coffee experience into your own hands. My husband and I — tired of living in ignorant bliss of our spending — sat down last year and did some actual math. If we bought our own espresso machine and stopped visiting our favorite Siren quite so much, an espresso machine would pay for itself in less than a year. IT HAS BEEN THE BEST DECISION EVER. We prefer the taste and have had so much fun learning to perfect foam. If you've been on the fence — this is your sign. Price: $359.99 (originally $799.99) An outdoor griddle for 24% off that'll make you the ultimate grill master. I hope your neighbors like waking up to the scent of grilled hash browns and pancakes, and going to sleep to the smell of grilled carne asada, because grill life is definitely choosing you. Price: $379.99 (originally $499.99; available with two hood sizes) A gazebo tent with netting for 20% off because mosquitoes actually don't have to completely ruin literally every outdoor gathering. Keep the netting open all afternoon, and when those little bloodsuckers show up to ruin your day, just close the netting and enjoy your itch-free paradise. Price: $159.99 (originally $199.99; available in four colors) A 30-gallon deck storage box for 70% off for storing your outdoor essentials. Forget about tripping over bubble wands, skates, and jump ropes, and instead enjoy the clutter-free outdoor oasis you deserve after the kids have gone to bed. It's also sturdy enough to provide a little flex seating. Promising review: "I love that there is no metal, which means no rusting! Snaps together in seconds!" —emfidlerPrice: $47.99 (originally $159.99; available in two colors) And that's just a fraction of the deals you can score right now! Check out the rest of the savings at Target's Fourth of July sale until July 7! Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.
