Entertainment
George Carlin's daughter slams AI-generated comedy special: 'No machine will ever replace his genius'
Kelly Carlin, the daughter of comedian George Carlin, is slamming an AI-generated comedy special mimicking the voice of her late father.
On Tuesday, it appeared that the comedian, who died in 2008 at age 71 of congestive heart failure, was weighing in on contemporary hot-button issues, including former President Trump and mass shootings in America. In an hourlong comedy special, “George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead,” an artificial intelligence bot named Dudesy uses Carlin’s voice for what is described as an impersonation attempting to capture the comedian’s “iconic style” to tackle the topics it imagines Carlin would cover today.
“You know how much Americans love reality TV? We love it so much, we elected a reality TV show host as president,” Dudesy says in Carlin’s voice. “Well, not we, I was dead at the time. So you elected a reality TV show host as president. And let me tell you, I have never been more glad to be dead than the moment I heard that Donald Trump was the leader of the free world. But as unbelievable as that news was, it also made sense to me. America hasn’t taken a good s— since Nixon.”
The AI program Dudesy creates a podcast and YouTube show hosted by “Mad TV” alum Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen, who’s a producer, novelist and journalist.
Kelly Carlin is unimpressed. She took to social media to slam the re-creation of her father.
“My dad spent a lifetime perfecting his craft from his very human life, brain and imagination,” Kelly Carlin wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday. “No machine will ever replace his genius. These AI generated products are clever attempts at trying to recreate a mind that will never exist again. Let’s let the artist’s work speak for itself. Humans are so afraid of the void that we can’t let what has fallen into it stay there.
“Here’s an idea, how about we give some actual living human comedians a listen to?” she continued. “But if you want to listen to the genuine George Carlin, he has 14 specials that you can find anywhere.”
She later thanked her followers for their support regarding the “AI bot (?) that has arrogantly stepped over a line in the world of comedy today that will surely affect dead artists and their estates now,” before calling out Zelda Williams, the daughter of Robin Williams; Melissa Rivers, the daughter of Joan Rivers, and the X account of Garry Shandling, which is run by his estate.
“We should talk,” she continued. “They’re coming for you next.”
Last May, Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks weighed in on the modern reality that artificial intelligence could have his likeness appearing in movies long after his death.
On an episode of “The Adam Buxton Podcast,” Hanks said it was a “bona fide possibility” that AI would take on roles for him after his death. “I can be hit by a bus tomorrow. And that’s it, but my performances can go on and on and on and on and on,” he said, “And outside of the understanding that has been done with AI or deepfake, there’ll be nothing to tell you that it’s not me and me alone. And it’s going to have some degree of life-like quality. And that is certainly an artistic challenge, but it’s also a legal one.”
Buxton agreed that the potential was real but argued that people would be able to differentiate between the living, breathing Hanks and the AI Hanks.
“Without a doubt, people will be able to tell,” Hanks agreed. “But the question is, will they care?”
Movie Reviews
‘Relationship Goals’ Review: Amazon’s Glamorized Book Commercial Almost Looks Like a Real Rom-Com
It didn’t used to be this way, but thanks to the magic of streaming you can now pause anything at any time and pick up on fun little details. I don’t recommend you watch Prime Video’s “Relationship Goals” — at all — but if you do, I recommend you pause it towards the end. There’s a scene where Kelly Rowland, playing a TV executive with a long list of demands for her romantic partners, looks at a multi-page printout of her green flags. It’s full of unreasonable requirements, like having a 401K (in this economy), but also very reasonable demands, like well-groomed nose hair. Not “no” nose hair. Apparently she likes nose hair. She just needs it well-groomed. Fair enough.
In a halfway decent universe, this could have been the only interesting thing about “Relationship Goals,” a conventional, boring, forgettable romantic comedy if ever I’ve seen one. But we don’t live in a halfway decent universe. We live in one where this conventional, boring, forgettable romantic comedy isn’t even a romantic comedy. It’s a shameless promotion for a book about relationship advice, released on a streaming service that also happens to sell the book. It even features lines like, “This story hit so hard I Amazoned a copy of ‘Relationship Goals’ right away.”
If you haven’t heard of it, “Relationship Goals” is a book by Pastor Michael Todd which, if this movie is any indication, is full of mind-blowing romantic self-help tips like, if you’re not dating people you like, try dating different people, or maybe just try being single for a while. And hey, that’s not bad advice, it’s just really obvious advice. Then again it also compares people who date a lot, without a specific relationship goal, to chicken nuggets, because nobody wants to eat chicken nuggets if everyone’s touched them first. I’d like to think the book is more thoughtful and less condescending than that, but I remind you that this is a feature-length commercial for that book, and this is how they’re selling it. So maybe not?
“Relationship Goals” stars Kelly Rowland as Leah, a TV producer on a hit morning news show. She expects a big promotion after her boss retires but, surprise-surprise, the network wants her to compete with a new hire, Jarrett (Cliff “Method Man” Smith), who just happens to be the ex-boyfriend who cheated on her years ago. They’re assigned to work on a Valentine’s Day segment together — yes, together, as if that could possibly prove one is more qualified than the other — and it’s about the book “Relationship Goals,” which Jarrett says changed his life. Unlike Jarrett, Leah doesn’t want to make a puff piece commercial, which is the funniest thing about this “comedy” because that’s obviously all this is. All of it.
“Relationship Goals” runs through all the romantic comedy rhythms without ever settling on a beat. Rowland and Smith are likable performers but their banter is strained, and the film can’t settle on a structure that forces them to interact. Early in the movie they get trapped in Oklahoma, so they have to drive six hours to another airport to get back to the studio. You’d think that would be a decent framework for a rom-com. It’s familiar, but tried-and-true. Instead, we just get one brief interaction in a car, one forced gag about diner food and then they’re back home. The film set up a bit and then abandoned anything resembling a bit. Again, this is supposed to be a romantic comedy. We’re literally here for the bits. More bits, please. Why did you abandon the bits?
There’s a supporting cast in “Relationship Goals,” including a best friend who’s single and desperate (Annie Gonzalez) and another best friend who’s in a long-term relationship with no marriage prospects (Robin Thede). They exist to have problems that are easily solved by the book “Relationship Goals,” because the protagonists can’t get together until the end, and by itself that wouldn’t make it look like “Relationship Goals” has quick-fix solutions to all your romantic needs. And this movie really wants you to think it’s the perfect quick-fix.
But those characters also exist because “Relationship Goals” is following the template set forth by “Think Like a Man,” another rom-com based on and explicitly about a real-life romantic advice book. “Think Like a Man” was also a shameless commercial but it did, at least, try to be a very good commercial. “Think Like a Man” had a variety of romantic subplots that it sold with a great cast, solid dialogue and some cinematic oomph. “Relationship Goals” isn’t trying to convince us it’s a real film, it’s only doing the book commercial part. Which means it’s not even a good book commercial.
If you look back at Leah’s list of romantic requirements you’ll notice that one of them is “Enjoys film.” She tears these pages up, by the way, presumably because by that point Leah — and the movie itself — has long since given up on the concept of cinema. “Relationship Goals” isn’t as insulting as Prime Video’s “War of the Worlds,” in which the planet was literally saved by two Amazon purchases and the wonder of flying Amazon drones, but then very few films are, so that’s not a useful comparison. It’s enough that this film is insulting, unconvincing, unfunny, unromantic, and, worst of all, at least to the Amazon executives, it doesn’t even make you want to buy the damn book.
Entertainment
Savannah Guthrie will no longer be part of NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage
“Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie will not head to Milan for NBC’s 2026 Winter Olympics coverage as she deals with the ongoing police investigation into the suspected abduction of her mother.
“Savannah will not be joining us at the Olympics as she focuses on being with her family during this difficult time,” an NBC Sports representative said Tuesday in a statement. “Our hearts are with her and the entire Guthrie family as the search continues for their mother.”
Guthrie was scheduled to co-host NBC’s telecast of the Friday opening ceremonies for the Milan Cortina Games alongside Terry Gannon of NBC Sports. The network representative said alternative plans will be announced shortly.
Savannah Guthrie and her mother, Nancy Guthrie, in 2023.
(Nathan Congleton / NBC / Getty Images)
Law enforcement officials believe Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her home outside of Tucson, Ariz. on Saturday night. Police were called after relatives were told she missed the Sunday church service she regularly attends and did not find her at home.
Police found Nancy Guthrie’s phone, wallet, car and medication left behind, indicating she did not leave voluntarily. She has no cognitive issues, but has limited physical mobility and could not walk far on her own, family members have told police.
On Tuesday, Lima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said at a news briefing that authorities believe Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will. He also said the department is aware of “reports circulating about possible ransom note(s)” in the case. TMZ reported on the existence of an alleged ransom note Tuesday, but Nanos did not verify the account,
According to law enforcement sources not authorized to speak about the case publicly, there was blood at the scene and someone appeared to have forced their way inside.
Guthrie, a “Today” co-host since 2012, has been off the program since Monday. She was scheduled to head to Milan early this week.
Guthrie’s mother, who lived on her own, has been an occasional on-air guest at “Today.” Her appearances made her a favorite of Guthrie’s co-workers and staff at the program.
Movie Reviews
Still Hope
When Hope gets abducted and forced into human trafficking, her life turns into a living nightmare. Still Hope details her journey through that appalling experience and her subsequent rescue, emphasizing the long and difficult recovery that follows. Based on true stories from trafficking survivors, the film covers difficult subject matter. We see violence and some drug use. And though it doesn’t shy away from the horrors of sex trafficking, the film doesn’t delve into visually explicit territory. And ultimately, it ends on a hopeful note.
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