Latest news with #L.A.TimesFestivalofBooks
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jon M. Chu slams Silicon Valley for AI excesses — and studios for forgiving it
Jon M. Chu suspects artificial intelligence may have been born wicked. The hit filmmaker's Silicon Valley upbringing, which he details in his 2024 memoir "Viewfinder: A Memoir of Seeing and Being Seen," made him comfortable with technology from an early age, he said Sunday during an L.A. Times Festival of Books panel. It even gave him an edge as a young person pursuing a creative career that now includes directing credits for blockbuster films such as "Wicked" and "Crazy Rich Asians." But Chu said he believes the entertainment industry has been too lax about tech companies' ethically questionable training methods since the advent of generative AI, calling the unauthorized use of Hollywood creations an "original sin." "There was an initial sin that I think we're not over yet, which is they gathered all the data. They took all the scripts, they took all the movies," Chu told the audience. In his view, the studios who owned such copyrighted materials didn't fight back hard enough. "It feels like they're saying, 'We're past it, move on,'" he said, adding that he could "never forgive that." Read more: Broadway makes way for 'Crazy Rich Asians' with new musical directed by Jon M. Chu But the "Crazy Rich Asians" director said that despite generative AI being "freaking scary" for the entertainment industry, he is confident it will never replace human creativity. Nor will it rob people of the right to define "art" for themselves. "I don't think the robots choose what we decide is valuable," Chu said. "We decide, and that's very empowering for me," he said. Read more: Hollywood creatives urge government to defend copyright laws against AI Chu also spoke during the Sunday panel about his forthcoming projects, including "Wicked: For Good," which is slated for a Nov. 21 theatrical release. Outside of the movie musical, Chu is also working on adaptations of Britney Spears' 2023 memoir "The Woman in Me" and the video game "Split Fiction," which centers on two writer friends who become trapped in a high-tech simulation of their imaginations. "That was leaked, so I cannot confirm or deny that, but yes," he said of the latter adaptation project reportedly starring Sydney Sweeney. Still, the director said the challenge of visualizing the video game's dual realities "excites me, because I don't know how to balance that correctly yet." Get the latest book news, events and more in your inbox every Saturday. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Chelsea Handler has... interesting writing habits
Author, comedian and actor Chelsea Handler stopped by the L.A. Times Festival of Books to talk about writing, words and answer Very Important Questions.
Los Angeles Times
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Jon M. Chu slams Silicon Valley for AI excesses — and studios for forgiving it
Jon M. Chu suspects artificial intelligence may have been born wicked. The hit filmmaker's Silicon Valley upbringing, which he details in his 2024 memoir 'Viewfinder: A Memoir of Seeing and Being Seen,' made him comfortable with technology from an early age, he said Sunday during an L.A. Times Festival of Books panel. It even gave him an edge as a young person pursuing a creative career that now includes directing credits for blockbuster films such as 'Wicked' and 'Crazy Rich Asians.' But Chu said he believes the entertainment industry has been too lax about tech companies' ethically questionable training methods since the advent of generative AI, calling the unauthorized use of Hollywood creations an 'original sin.' 'There was an initial sin that I think we're not over yet, which is they gathered all the data. They took all the scripts, they took all the movies,' Chu told the audience. In his view, the studios who owned such copyrighted materials didn't fight back hard enough. 'It feels like they're saying, 'We're past it, move on,'' he said, adding that he could 'never forgive that.' But the 'Crazy Rich Asians' director said that despite generative AI being 'freaking scary' for the entertainment industry, he is confident it will never replace human creativity. Nor will it rob people of the right to define 'art' for themselves. 'I don't think the robots choose what we decide is valuable,' Chu said. 'We decide, and that's very empowering for me,' he said. Chu also spoke during the Sunday panel about his forthcoming projects, including 'Wicked: For Good,' which is slated for a Nov. 21 theatrical release. Outside of the movie musical, Chu is also working on adaptations of Britney Spears' 2023 memoir 'The Woman in Me' and the video game 'Split Fiction,' which centers on two writer friends who become trapped in a high-tech simulation of their imaginations. 'That was leaked, so I cannot confirm or deny that, but yes,' he said of the latter adaptation project reportedly starring Sydney Sweeney. Still, the director said the challenge of visualizing the video game's dual realities 'excites me, because I don't know how to balance that correctly yet.'
Los Angeles Times
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Harry Shum Jr. and Shelby Rabara talk writing, eating and dancing
Authoers Harry Shum Jr. and Shelby Rabara came to the L.A. Times Festival of Books to answer some Very Important Questions about writing, living and YAH.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bestselling mystery novel 'Listen for the Lie' is coming to TV
True crime podcast lovers, bookworms and mystery series fans will all find something of interest in 'Listen for the Lie,' the latest hit book to get the TV treatment. Universal will adapt the thriller novel into a drama series of the same name, the studio announced Sunday at the L.A. Times Festival of Books. Author Amy Tintera's bestseller, published last March, follows Lucy on her quest to solve best friend Savvy's murder, in which she is the prime suspect. The TV series, written by Rachel Shukert ("Nine Perfect Strangers," "The Baby-Sitters Club") and executive produced by Tintera, Shukert and Dinner Party Productions' Sue Naegle and Ali Krug ("Pam & Tommy"), is in development at UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group. Read more: Everything you should know about Hollywood's new book boom At the start of the novel, it's been five years since Lucy was found wandering the streets covered in her best friend Savvy's blood shortly after she was murdered. After moving to L.A. to start a new life, Lucy is forced to revisit her small Texas hometown — and the circumstances of Savvy's death — when the host of the hit true crime podcast 'Listen for the Lie' makes the case the focus of his next investigation. Tintera, Naegle, Shukert and Jordan Moblo, the executive vice president of creative acquisitions and IP management at Universal Studio Group, first announced the project Sunday at the L.A. Times Festival of Books, where the group joined The Times' Matt Brennan for a panel discussion about book-to-TV adaptation titled 'A Novel Approach to a Television Series.' Sign up for Screen Gab, a free newsletter about the TV and movies everyone's talking about from the L.A. Times. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
