The daily gossip: André 3000 announces entirely instrumental flute album, Matt LeBlanc and Courteney Cox pay tribute to Matthew Perry, and more

1. André 3000 announces entirely instrumental flute album

When it comes to flute music, André 3000 don't mess around. The Outkast rapper has announced his debut solo album and his first album of new music in almost two decades. But he's throwing fans a bit of a curveball. The album, "New Blue Sun," consists not of rap songs, but of instrumental flute music. Speaking to NPR, André explained he spent "years" walking and playing flute for "hours," and "it got to a point where, okay, I want to share." The album "has no lyrics" and features "spontaneous compositions" made up "on the spot," he said. NPR described "New Blue Sun," which drops Friday, as an experimental "87-minute mind-bender," and the song titles are certainly descriptive. The opening track is named "I swear, I Really Wanted To Make A 'Rap' Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time." André said he doesn't "want to troll people," though, which is why the album's packaging will declare, "Warning: no bars." NPR

2. Matt LeBlanc and Courteney Cox pay tribute to Matthew Perry

Matt LeBlanc and Courteney Cox have shared further thoughts on the tragic death of their co-star. The "Friends" actors both posted individual tributes to Matthew Perry on Instagram Tuesday more than two weeks after his death. "It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye," LeBlanc wrote. "The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life. It was an honor to share the stage with you and to call you my friend. I will always smile when I think of you and I’ll never forget you. Never. Spread your wings and fly brother you’re finally free. And I guess you're keeping the 20 bucks you owe me." Cox also shared a favorite memory of a time Perry whispered a funny line for her to say during a scene where their characters wake up in bed together. "I am so grateful for every moment I had with you Matty," Cox wrote, "and I miss you every day." Instagram

3. Édith Piaf to receive the 'first animated biopic of an artist using AI'

Like it or not, the age of the AI biopic may already be here. A movie about French singer Édith Piaf, who died in 1963, is in the works that will use artificial intelligence to "recreate her voice and image," Warner Music has announced. It will be a 90-minute film that was described as the "first animated biopic of an artist using AI." The "innovative" AI technology has been trained on "hundreds" of voice clips and images of the "La vie en rose" singer, and recordings of her will also be utilized. Warner Music partnered with Piaf's estate on the movie, which will be "narrated" by Piaf's voice. "It's been a special and touching experience to be able to hear Edith's voice once again — the technology has made it feel like we were back in the room with her," Catherine Glavas and Christie Laume, executors of Piaf's estate, said. We're one step closer to hearing the phrase "and the Oscar goes to … ChatGPT." Warner Music Group

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

4. Kim Kardashian covers GQ's 'Men of the Year' issue

If she was a man, she'd be the man of the year. Kim Kardashian has graced the cover of GQ's "Men of the Year" issue as she promotes her company Skims' men’s line. "Hi! I'm the GQ Man of the Year!" the "Kardashians" star declared on Instagram. The cover showed Kardashian wearing a jacket and tie as she held a bag of Cheetos, and another photo showed her dressed in business attire while sitting behind a desk. Much of GQ's profile was focused on Kardashian remembering her late father, Robert Kardashian, who she said was once told by a psychic that the name "Kardashian will be internationally known." She also claimed her father reached out to her from her afterlife. Noting he "had a chip on his tooth" that he refused to get fixed, Kardashian said that during a session with a medium, she found she had a chipped tooth, and the medium told her, "Your dad is laughing at your tooth." GQ

5. Jason Alexander has no clue what's going on with a rumored 'Seinfeld' reboot

George is getting upset! Jason Alexander told Extra he hasn't been asked to return for a possible reboot of "Seinfeld" that has been rumored in recent weeks. "I don't know anything about it," he said. "Nobody called me! Apparently, they don't need George." The rumors stem from a cryptic comment Jerry Seinfeld made at a stand-up show, where he teased that "something is going to happen that has to do with" the ending of the sitcom. Nothing has been announced, and some have speculated Seinfeld could be teasing a Super Bowl commercial. Alexander told Extra that when he saw Seinfeld's comment, his reaction was, "Good for you!" Julia Louis-Dreyfus is also apparently out of the loop, as she told The Guardian, "I don't know what the hell he's talking about." It's always possible Alexander knows more than he’s letting on and is lying to keep a surprise under wraps. But in the words of George Costanza, it's not a lie if you believe it. Extra