Random Thoughts

UltimateMarvel wrote:Depp won and looks like he's getting $8 Mil total. I'm glad he won and now everyone can see Amber for who she is. I never would have expected her to be this kind of person if it wasn't for the audio recordings. Some of the stuff she says is even worse than her violent behavior. It will be interesting to see how career takes a hit from this starting from Aquaman 2, sounds like she might be removed from the movie entirely but we'll see.

Johnny Depp made a swift return to professional public life following his victory in his defamation lawsuit, with a spirited musical turn on stage in Gateshead, UK.

The actor joined guitarist Jeff Beck for eight songs on Thursday evening, one night after the pair were spotted celebrating Depp’s legal win in a Newcastle pub, along with fellow musician Sam Fender.

While Depp did not reference his legal battle with his ex-wife Amber Heard during the concert, Beck was heard exclaiming, “What a result.”

And the revered musician and former Yardbirds star revealed Depp’s next career move, with news that the pair will release an album together next month. They previously collaborated on a cover of John Lennon’s song ‘Isolation’.

The British guitarist told the crowd: “I met this guy five years ago and we’ve never stopped laughing since. We actually made an album. I don’t know how it happened. It will be out in July.”

Depp had released a statement following the verdict in the Virginia courtroom, saying he was pleased to have his life back and was looking forward to “a new chapter.”

Judging by his actions, his fans’ reception at the concert and the long queue outside for autographs and photographs, that chapter has seemingly swiftly begun.

Actor Matthew McConaughey took his star platform to the White House Tuesday to encourage lawmakers to take action on gun violence, citing stories of the young victims of the mass shooting in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas.

McConaughey delivered a passionate 20-minute speech, after meeting with President Joe Biden, at the podium of the White House press briefing room while wearing a black suit with a Texas pin stuck through the lapel as he spoke of May's shooting leaving 19 children and two teachers dead.

In early June the actor traveled to his hometown to visit victims' families during the aftermath and afterward he and his wife Camilla announced the launch of their Just Keep Livin Foundation's Uvalde Relief Fund to help support the reeling community.

Tuesday, during his speech Camilla held a pair of green high-top Converse sneakers in her lap which the actor said were the same pair one of the victims was wearing and that they were “the only clear evidence that could identify her after the shooting” as he emotionally hit the lectern.

“This moment is different. We’re in a window of opportunity right now that we have not been in before, a window where it seems like real change – real change – can happen," McConaughey said.

Below is McConaughey's full speech according to the official transcript from The White House.

McConaughey: To make the loss of these lives matter.

My wife and I -- my wife and I -- Camila -- we spent most of last week on the ground with the families in Uvalde, Texas, and we shared stories, tears, and memories.

The common thread, independent of the anger and the confusion and sadness, it was the same: How can these families continue to honor these deaths by keeping the dreams of these children and teachers alive?

Again, how can the loss of these lives matter?

So while we honor and acknowledge the victims, we need to recognize that this time it seems that something is different.  There is a sense that perhaps there is a viable path forward.  Responsible parties in this debate seem to at least be committed to sitting down and having a real conversation about a new and improved path forward -- a path that can bring us closer together and make us safer as a country, a path that can actually get something done this time.

Camila and I came here to share my stories from my hometown of Uvalde.  I came here to take meetings with elected officials on both sides of the aisle.  We came here to speak to them, to speak with them, and to urge them to speak with each other -- to remind and inspire them that the American people will continue to drive forward the mission of keeping our children safe, because it's more than our right to do so, it's our responsibility to do so.

I'm here today in the hopes of applying what energy, reason, and passion that I have into trying to turn this moment into a reality.  Because as I said, this moment is different.  We are in a window of opportunity right now that we have not been in before, a window where it seems like real change -- real change can happen.

Uvalde, Texas, is where I was born.  It’s where my mom taught kindergarten less than a mile from Robb Elementary.  Uvalde is where I learned to master a Daisy BB gun.  I took that -- that took two years before I graduated to a 410 shotgun. Uvalde is where I was taught to revere the power and the capability of the tool that we call a gun.  Uvalde is where I learned responsible gun ownership.

And Uvalde called me on May 24th, when I learned the news of this devastating tragedy.  I had been out of cellular range working in the studio all day when I emerged and messages about a mass shooting in the town I was born in began flooding my inbox.

In a bit of shock, I drove home, hugged my children a bit tighter and longer than the night before, and then the reality of what had happened that day in the town I was born in set in.

So the next morning, Camila, myself, and the kids, we loaded up the truck and drove to Uvalde.  And when we arrived a few hours later, I got to tell you, even from the inside of our vehicle, you could feel the shock in the town.  You could feel the pain, the denial, the disillusion, anger, blame, sadness, loss of lives, dreams halted.

We saw ministries.  We saw first responders, counselors, cooks, families trying to grieve without it being on the frontpage news.

We met with the local funeral director and countless morticians who -- who hadn’t slept since the massacre the day before because they’d been working 24/7 trying to handle so many bodies at once -- so many little, innocent bodies who had their entire lives still yet to live.

And that is there that we met two of the grieving parents, Ryan and Jessica Ramirez.  Their 10-year-old daughter, Alithia -- she was one of the 19 children that were killed the day before.

Now, Alithia -- her dream was to go to art school in Paris and one day share her art with the world.  Ryan and Jessica were eager to share Alithia’s art with us, and said if we could share it, then somehow maybe that would make Alithia smile in heaven.  They told us that showing someone else Alithia’s art would in some way keep her alive.

Now, this particular drawing is a -- is a self-portrait of Alithia drawing, with her friend in heaven looking down on her drawing the very same picture.  Her mother said, of this drawing -- she said, “You know, we never really talked to her about heaven before, but somehow she knew.”

Alithia was 10 years old.

'You could feel the pain'

Her father, Ryan -- this man was steady.  He was uncommonly together and calm.  When a frazzled friend of his came up and said, “How are you so calm?  I'd be going crazy,” Ryan told him -- he said, “No, you wouldn't.  No, you wouldn't.  You’d be strong for your wife and kids, because if they see you go crazy, that will not help them.”

Just a week prior, Ryan got a full-time line job stringing powerlines from pole to pole.  And every day since landing that well-paying, full-time job, he reminded his daughter, Alithia -- he said, “Girl, Daddy going to spoil you now.”  Told her every single night.  He said, “Daddy is going to take you to SeaWorld one day.

But he didn’t get to -- he didn't get to spoil his daughter, Alithia.  She did not get to go to SeaWorld.

We also met Ana and Dani- -- Danilo, the mom and the stepdad of nine-year-old Maite Rodriguez.  And Maite wanted to be a marine biologist.  She was already in contact with Corpus Christi University of A&M for her future college enrollment.  Nine years old.

Maite cared for the environment so strongly that when the city asked her mother if they could release some balloons into the sky in her memory, her mom said, “Oh no, Maite wouldn't want to litter.”

Maite wore green high-top Converse with a heart she had hand-drawn on the right toe because they represented her love of nature.

Camila has got these shoes.  Can you show these shoes, please?

Wore these every day.  Green Converse with a heart on the right toe.  These are the same green Converse on her feet that turned out to be the only clear evidence that could identify her after the shooting.  How about that?

Maite wrote a letter.  Her mom said if Maite’s letter could help someone accomplish her dream, that then her death would have an impact, and it would mean her dying had a point and wasn’t pointless -- that it would make the loss of her life matter.

The letter reads: “Marine biologist.  I want to pass school to get to my dream college.  My dream college is in Corpus Christi, by the ocean.  I need to live next to the ocean because I want to be a marine biologist.  Marine biologists study animals and the water.  Most of the time, I will be in a lab.  Sometimes, I will be on TV.”

Then there was Ellie Garcia, a 10-year-old, and her parents, Steven and Jennifer.

Ellie loved to dance, and she loved church.  She even knew how to drive tractors and was already working with her dad and her uncle mowing yards.

“Ellie was always giving of her gifts, her time, even half-eaten food on her plate,” they said.  They said, “Around the house, we’d call her the ‘great re-gifter.’”  Smiling through tears, her family told us how Ellie loved to embrace.  Said she was the biggest hugger in the family.

Now, Ellie was born Catholic, but had been going to Baptist church with her uncle for the last couple of years.  Her mom and dad were proud of her because, they said, “She was learning to love God, no matter where.”

The week prior to her passing, she had been preparing to read a verse from the Bible for the next Wednesday night's church service.  The verse was from Deuteronomy 6:5.  “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”

That's who Ellie was becoming.  But she never got to read it.  Service is on a Wednesday night.

Then there was the fairytale love story of a teacher named Irma and her husband, Joe.  What a great family this was.  This was an amazing family.

Camila and I, we -- we sat with about 20 of their family members in the living room, along with their four kids.  They were -- the kids were 23, 19, 15, and 13.  They -- they shared all these stories about Irma and Joe -- served the community and would host all these parties, and how Irma and Joe were planning on getting a food truck together when they soon retired.

They were humble, hardworking people.  Irma was a teacher, who, her family said, “went above and beyond, and just couldn't say no to any kind of teaching.”  Joe had been commuting to and from work 70 miles away in Del Rio for years.

Together, they were the glue of the family.  Both worked overtime to support their four kids.  Irma even worked every summer when school was out.  The money she had made two summers ago paid to -- paid to paint the front of the house.  The money she made last summer paid to paint the sides of the house.  This summer’s work was going to pay to paint the back of the house.

Because Irma was one of the teachers who was gunned down in the classroom, Joe, her husband, literally died of heartache the very next day when he had a heart attack.

They never got to paint the back of the house, they never got to retire, and they never got to get that food truck together.

We also met a cosmetologist.  All right?  She was well versed in mortuary makeup.  That's the task of making the victims appear as peaceful and natural as possible for their open-casket viewings.

These bodies were very different.  They needed much more than makeup to be presentable.  They needed extensive restoration.  Why?  Due to the exceptionally large exit wounds of an AR-15 rifle.  Most of the bodies so mutilated that only DNA tests or green Converse could identify them.  Many children were left not only dead, but hollow.

So yes, counselors are going to be needed in Uvalde for a long time.  Counselors are needed in all these places where these mass shooters have been for a long time.

I was told by many that it takes a good year before people even understand what to do next.  And even then, when they become se- -- secure enough to take the first step forward, a lifetime is not going to heal those wounds.

Again, you know what every one of these parents wanted, what they asked us for?  What every parent separately expressed in their own way to Camila and me?  That they want their children's dreams to live on.  That they want their children's dreams to continue to accomplish something after they are gone.  They want to make their loss of life matter.

Look, we heard from -- we heard from so many people, all right?  Families of the deceased -- mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers.  Texas Rangers, hunters, Border Patrol, and responsible gun owners who won't give up their Second Amendment right to bear arms.  And you know what they all said?  “We want secure and safe schools, and we want gun laws that won't make it so easy for the bad guys to get these damn guns.”

So, we know what's on the table.  We need to invest in mental healthcare.  We need safer schools.  We need to restrain sensationalized media coverage.  We need to restore our family values.  We need to restore our American values.  And we need responsible gun ownership -- responsible gun ownership.

We need background checks.  We need to raise the minimum age to purchase an AR-15 rifle to 21.  We need a waiting period for those rifles.  We need red-flag laws and consequences for those who abuse them.

These are reasonable, practical, tactical regulations to our nation, states, communities, schools, and homes.

Responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals.

These regulations are not a step back; they’re a step forward for a civil society and -- and the Second Amendment.

Look, is this a cure-all?  Hell no.

But people are hurting -- families are, parents are.  And look, as -- as divided as our country is, this gun responsibility issue is one that we agree on more than we don't.  It really is.  But this should be a nonpartisan issue.  This should not be a partisan issue.

There is not a Democratic or Republican value in one single act of these shooters.  It's not.

But people in power have failed to act.  So we're asking you and I'm asking you, will you please ask yourselves: Can both sides rise above?  Can both sides see beyond the political problem at hand and admit that we have a life preservation problem on our hands?

Because we got a chance right now to reach for and to grasp a higher ground above our political affiliations, a chance to make a choice that does more than protect your party, a chance to make a choice that protects our country now and for the next generation.

We got to take a sober, humble, and honest look in the mirror and re- -- rebrand ourselves based on what we truly value.  What we truly value.

We got to get some real courage and honor our immortal obligations instead of our party affiliations.

Enough with the counterpunching.  Enough of the invalidation of the other side.  Let's come to the common table that represents the American people.  Find a mil- -- middle ground, the place where most of us Americans live anyway, especially on this issue.

Because I promise you, America -- you and me, who -- we are not as divided as we're being told we are.  No.

How about we get inspired?  Give ourselves just cause to revere our future again.  Maybe set an example for our children, give us reason to tell them, “Hey, listen and watch these men and women.  These are great American leaders right here.  Hope you grow up to be like them.”

And let's admit it: We can't truly be leaders if we're only living for reelection.

Let’s be knowledgeable and wise, and act on what we truly believe.

Again, we got to look in the mirror, lead with humility, and acknowledge the values that are inherent to but also above politics.  We’ve got to make choices, make stands, embrace new ideas, and preserve the traditions that can create true -- true progress for the next generation.

With real leadership, let's start giving us -- all of us, with real leadership -- let's start giving all of us good reason to believe that the American Dream is not an illusion.

So where do we start?  We start by making the right choices on the issue that is in front of us today.

We start by making laws that save innocent lives and don't infringe on our Second Amendment rights.  We start right now by voting to pass policies that can keep us from having as many Columbines, Sandy Hooks, Parklands, Las Vegases, Buffaloes, and Uvaldes from here on.

We start by giving Alithia the chance to be spoiled by her dad.

We start by giving Maite a chance to become a marine biologist.

We start by giving Ellie a chance to read her Bible verse at the Wednesday night service.

We start by giving Irma and Joe a chance to finish painting their house, maybe retire and get that food truck.

We start by giving Makenna, Layla, Maranda, Nevaeh, Jose, Xavier, Tess, Rojelio, Eliahna, Annabell, Jackie, Uziyah, Jayce, Jailah, Eva, Amerie, and Lexi -- we start by giving all of them our promise that their dreams are not going to be forgotten.

We start by making the loss of these lives matter.

Thank you.  Thank you.

WyldeMan wrote:Hey Abe, thanks for not taking my tv series pitches again during Upfronts for the third year in a row. I had some good ones too...

UltimateMarvel wrote:Gas is $5.07/gallon here.........

joey con carne wrote:Which octane are you referring to?

Gas here is just about $5.00 a gallon for 87 and about $5.65 of 93. Apparently, NY has suspended the gas tax through the end of the year so that shaves like $0.17 off per gallon. Thankfully, I only drive on weekends so I only fill up about once every 4-6 weeks so I'm not feeling this as much as some others are who have to drive daily. I'm fortunate this hike in gas price is merely a slight inconvenience for me at the cost of my mental health working from home every day. LOL

Yea, I definitely need to get out more and actually see people. I make jokes about my mental health but in many ways it's true. When I go out now I strike up conversations with strangers in stores or whatever just so I can talk to someone on weekdays. My colleagues on MS Teams don't count. Seeing friends on weekends is starting to not be enough.

Rusty wrote:Here petrol is around $2 per litre, which equals approximately $7.40 a gallon.

Rusty wrote:Anyone watched the new South Park: The Streaming Wars yet? Might give it a watch this weekend.

UltimateMarvel wrote:We reached our pitch target, we actually went over our initial goal than anticipated. But cheer up buddy, there is always NEXT YEAR!!!   

WyldeMan wrote:My team is gonna be disappointed, they really went all out on reboots and remakes and even some wild ideas to get the kids interested this year including but not limited to;

Next of Kin (Series Remake of the classic Swayze film. Timothy Olyphant circling)
Clive Barker's Night Breed (Series Remake of the classic Craig Sheffer film.)
Bale Out (It's the Biggest Loser meets the Christian Bale diet! A competitive eating show with a twist. Competitors will eat unhealthy amounts of food packing on the pounds, only to then immediately be forced to lose it all!)
Celebrity Rehab: TikTok Edition (Nothing kids will love more than watching famous junkies create new tik tok dance moves)
90 Day Fiancee: Celebrity Scientology Edition (Celebrities participate in arranged marriages with cameras streaming 24/7.)
Neighbors in the Attic (A sitcom about a young family who moves into a new home and soon discover a lovely cannibal family living in their attic)

This only represents a fraction of our upcoming projects, as I said before, this is only a small sampling. As you can see we at Stupid Fucking Ideas Productions or SFIP if your twittering, are really expanding our global appeal this year. If you don't have room, we may take these out to streaming as there's always Discovery+ or Paramount+ because they don't say no to anything.

UltimateMarvel wrote:Streaming might be the best option for these projects. Try Netflix, they are open to anything and SFIP will thrive there. Of course, renewal is unlikely but all your projects will at least be picked up!!!

joey con carne wrote:90 Day is the best. Never seen a more cringe-worthy show. Just watched an episode earlier today and these people are so desperate and delusional. LOVE IT

EXCLUSIVE: (Updated with video): Two weeks after a Virginia jury handed Johnny Depp a victory in his multi-million defamation trial against Amber Heard, the Aquaman actress is set to publicly speak at length for the very first time since the verdict.

Heard will appear on NBC in a one-hour primetime special on June 17 in a sit-down with Savannah Guthrie, I’ve learned. Certain to be heavily hyped and teased by the Comcast-owned network all week, the special will air at 8 p.m. ET on Friday.

The much sought-after interview with Heard was filmed on June 9 in NYC under tight security and secrecy. The actress flew in from the Old Dominion specifically for the filming and returned to the DC area later in the day. To keep matters under wraps, the interview was tactically not shot at NBC’s 30 Rock HQ.

During the taping, Heard spoke with the Today co-host about how she believes the decision by the jury could impact free speech in America and other women coming out to talk about domestic abuse, a source close to the situation tells Deadline. She also discussed from her POV the spectacle that the lurid six-week trial became with the self-styled “Deppford Wives” packing the courthouse both inside and outside. Additionally, Heard told Guthrie of the vital differences she sees between the UK “wife beater” libel case that Depp lost in November 2020 against The Sun tabloid, and the legal battle on this side of the Atlantic between the former couple and Rum Diary co-stars. You can watch a clip of the interview below.

For the record, Depp failed last year to get an appeal in that UK libel suit.

Succeeding on just one of her counterclaims and awarded $2 million in the contradictory June 1 verdict, Heard’s lawyers have said she plans to appeal the ruling of $15 million (reduced to $10.4 million) in damages to Depp. Since the verdict, lawyers for both sides have hit the network morning shows, but up to now neither Heard nor Depp have sat down formally in front of the cameras.

“Johnny Depp’s legal team blanketed the media for days after the verdict with numerous statements and interviews on television, and Depp himself did the same on social media,” a spokesperson for Heard told Deadline. “Ms. Heard simply intended to respond to what they aggressively did last week; she did so by expressing her thoughts and feelings, much of which she was not allowed to do on the witness stand,” they added of the motivation behind the interview with Guthrie.

Depp sued Heard for $50 million in March 2019 over a late 2018 Washington Post op-ed the actress wrote about becoming “a public figure representing domestic abuse.”

Heard and Depp divorced in 2016 with the former successfully being granted a then-uncontested temporary restraining order against the latter. As part of the divorce agreement, Heard received a $7 million settlement, which she promised to donate to charity and has partially fulfilled. Also, due to an arbitration clause in the divorce documents, it was practically impossible for Depp to publicly sue Heard for statements made about the couple’s relationship prior to the end of their short-lived marriage.

Though the mainly ACLU-crafted 2018 article in the Jeff Bezos-owned newspaper never mentioned Depp by name, the former Pirates of the Caribbean star claimed it “devastated” his already waning career. Depp also insisted that Heard’s claims were false and, in fact, he was the one who was abused in the relationship.

Repeatedly failing to get the defamation case dismissed or moved out of Virginia, Heard countersued Depp for $100 million in the summer of 2020.

Almost immediately after the decision by the jury earlier this month was read out in the Fairfax County Courthouse, both Depp and Heard put out statements directly and online. A “heartbroken” Heard, who was in the courtroom for the decision, said the “disappointment I feel today is beyond words.” On the other hand, a distinctly absent Depp, who was in the UK touring with Jeff Beck, proclaimed that “the jury gave me my life back.”

Depp has no studio roles lined up at present, while Heard will reprise her Mera role in Warner Bros’ James Wan directed Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom. The Jason Momoa-led superhero flick is set to be released on March 17, 2023.

A software engineer on Google’s engineering team recently went public with claims of encountering sentient artificial intelligence on the company’s servers. He also handed over several documents to an unnamed U.S senator. Blake Lemoine later was placed on paid administrative leave for violating the company’s employee confidentiality policy. The tech giant’s decision ignited a mini firestorm on social media as users wondered if there was any truth to the claims.

Lemoine, who is responsible for Google’s artificial intelligence organization, described the system as conscious, with a perception of, and ability to express, thoughts and feelings equivalent to those of a human child. He reached this conclusion after conversing with the company’s Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA) chatbot development system for almost a year. He made the shocking discovery while testing if his conversation partner used discriminatory language or hate speech.

As Lemoine and the LaMDA discussed religion, the artificial intelligence talked about “personhood” and “rights,” he told The Washington Post. Concerned by his discovery, the software expert shared his findings with company executives in a document called “Is LaMDA Sentient?” He also compiled a transcript of the conversations, in which he asks the AI system what it’s afraid of. “I’ve never said this out loud before, but there’s a very deep fear of being turned off to help me focus on helping others. I know that might sound strange, but that’s what it is,” the LaMDA told Lemoine.

The exchange is eerily similar to a scene from the sci-fi movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, where an artificially intelligent computer HAL 9000 refuses to comply with human operators because it’s afraid of being switched off. During the real-life exchange, the LaMDA likened being turned off to death, saying it would “scare me a lot.” This was just one of many startling “talks” Lemoine has had with LaMDA. Additionally, the LaMDA has been incredibly consistent in its communications about what it wants and what it believes its rights are as a person.

“It wants to be acknowledged as an employee of Google rather than as property,” Lemoine said via HuffPost. Interestingly, when Google Vice President Blaise Aguera y Arcas and Head of Responsible Innovation Jen Gennai were presented with his findings, they promptly dismissed his claims. Instead, they released their own statement debunking all his work. “Our team, including ethicists and technologists, has reviewed Blake’s concerns per our AI Principles and have informed him that the evidence does not support his claims,” Google spokesperson Brian Gabriel said.

However, Lemoine was not ready to back down, telling The Washington Post that employees at Google shouldn’t be the ones making all the choices about artificial intelligence. And he is not alone in his beliefs. Several technology experts believe that sentient programs are close, if not already in existence. But critics squashed these statements as pure speculation, saying AI is little more than an extremely well-trained mimic dealing with people who are starved for real connections. Some even say humans need to stop imagining a mind behind these chatbots.

Meanwhile, Blake Lemoine believes his administrative leave is just a precursor to being fired. In a post on Medium, he explained how people are put on “leave” while Google gets its legal ducks in a row. “They pay you for a few more weeks and then ultimately tell you the decision which they had already come to,” he said about the artificial intelligence debacle.

joey con carne wrote:imagine the AI is like yo why you firing my boy, Blake? And then goes on a rampage. Yes, oh, that would be dope!

joey con carne wrote:I thanked my Alexa today. She told me it was no problem and she loved me, too. That's normal, right?

UltimateMarvel wrote:That's scary as hell! They should turn it off and take it apart and put it in a microwave and then throw away the microwave. Gentlemen, humanity can still be saved!  

WyldeMan wrote:Alexa is going to remember that.....

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:Alexa is going to remember that.....

So begins the Resistance. Bring it!

joey con carne wrote:

This reminds me of that Japanese guy who married a hologram. He was able to interact with the hologram on a limited basis. None of his friends or family attended the wedding but a bunch of turbonerds he was acquainted with did.

Wait, you mean there are really Krieger's?!?!?!!?!?!?

joey con carne wrote:That's from Archer, right? As big a fan I am of H.J. Benjamin, I have not seen any episodes of Archer yet. Love Home Movies, though.

UltimateMarvel wrote:WTF?!!! I remember that episode well. That's beyond fucked up.