The Week Evening Review
Taylor Swift's election influence, AI in an indie film, and debate over a French singer

 
talking points

Indie film's 'very brief' use of AI sparks backlash

The firestorm engulfing new indie horror film "Late Night with the Devil" is a thoroughly modern one, despite its 1970s flair. Co-created by Cameron and Colin Cairnes, the film's depiction of a talk show taping gone supernaturally wrong initially earned rave reviews. But since its wider debut this month, many critics have focused less on the film's chilling narrative than its use of artificial-intelligence-generated images.

The Cairnes confirmed they had "experimented with AI for three still images" to Variety last week. Letterboxd user "based gizmo" had complained they "can't enjoy the amazing performances and clever ending" knowing the film contained AI art, Variety said, crediting the review for having "kickstarted" the controversy. The incident has opened a broader debate over artificial intelligence in cinema. 

'A major threat to artists everywhere'
The use of AI is a "fraught topic in many industries, especially at this moment in Hollywood," The Daily Beast said. "Union contracts have fought for protections against AI-assisted or -generated work," although to date those have focused on acting and writing and don't "cover the use of it in art and illustration."

AI is a "major threat to artists everywhere," especially in the film industry where even basic use to "cut costs and time" means "jobs are being cut and less people are working," No Film School's Grant Vance said. 

"We're lucky" that it's still "relatively easy to tell when an image is, in fact, artificially generated," The AV Club said. Still, it will be "interesting to see how this decision impacts the movie's success at the box office, if it does at all."

Boycotting won't 'accomplish anything'
The backlash is mostly misplaced frustration, others said. Using AI in 2022 when the film was made "wasn't quite the hot-button issue it is now," film critic Eric Snider said, cautioning that "if they use it after this, maybe then I have a problem."

Because the film was created without major studio backing, a boycott "seems harsh," film journalist Rendy Jones said on X. "Where was this vitriol hate when Marvel did it last year?" The juggernaut studio used AI-generated images in the title credits of its "Secret Invasion" series. Boycotting "Late Night with the Devil" isn't going to "accomplish anything," said film critic Justin LaLiberty on X, except making indie films "harder to see in theaters."

 
 
In the Spotlight

French singer sparks debate over language and race

France's biggest music star has been subjected to "racist attacks" following reports that she may perform an Edith Piaf song at the Paris Olympics' opening ceremony. French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura is rumored to have discussed the idea with President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée Palace last month. 

The unconfirmed report has "sparked an almighty row in France about identity and language," said the BBC. Some have argued that Nakamura's music "owes more to Africa and the United States than it does to France."

'A no-brainer' 
Nakamura is the "world's most popular French-speaking artist," said Le Monde, and has had more than 1 billion views of the YouTube video of her 2018 hit "Djadja." Music critics argue that the 28-year-old's global reach surpasses all other French female singers, even Piaf. So "on paper, tapping her for the curtain-raiser of 'the biggest show on Earth' is a no-brainer," said France 24. 

'Doesn't sing in French' 
But Nakamura has faced criticism from the far-right for the "liberties she takes with the French language using the familiar argot of hip-hop," said The Telegraph. Her lyrics mix French with slang and words from other languages. 

Claims by right-wing politicians and pundits that Nakamura is "not French enough" to perform at the Olympics ceremony in July have exposed "deep fault lines of racism and class prejudice that threaten to cast a shadow over the Games," said The Guardian. 

"Like her or not, the fact is this singer doesn't sing in French," said far-right politician Marion Maréchal, the vice president of the nationalist Reconquest Party. Nakamura "does not represent the French language," said Maréchal, a niece of Marine Le Pen, during a television interview. 

'Backward side of France' 
The backlash has shown how important it would be to have Nakamura perform at the opening ceremony, Carole Boinet, from culture magazine Les Inrockuptibles, said to AFP. The singer has "invented" a new language, and France "should be proud" to have her represent the nation on a global stage. "It's a controversy that comes from the backward side of France, but it's not them who will decide. I hope she will sing at the Olympics – it has become imperative."

 
 

Poll watch

Rising prices remain the top concern of people around the world, according to a new Ipsos poll. The poll measured the worries of 23,761 adults from 29 countries and found that 35% saw inflation as the most pressing issue, followed by poverty and social inequality, and crime and violence, both at 30%.

 
 
Picture of the day

Parade protests

Young Jews gesture to Israeli security forces in Jerusalem during the festival of Purim, which celebrates the biblical story of how a plot to exterminate Jews in Persia was thwarted. Relatives of hostages held in Gaza had petitioned the city to abandon this year's parade due to the ongoing conflict.
Ronaldo Schemidt / AFP via Getty Images

 
 

Good day ?

… for rescued lions. A lioness and her three cubs have arrived at their new home in the U.K. after a nine-month ordeal that "began in war-torn Ukraine," said the Mirror. The lions were driven 2,000 miles from Poznań, Poland, where they stayed after the lioness Aysa, who was pregnant at the time, was rescued from Russian bombs in Donetsk over a year ago.

 
 

Bad day ✈️

… for Boeing. CEO Dave Calhoun announced plans to resign at the end of the year amid a sweeping shakeup of the plane-maker's management as the company "fights to repair its reputation following a terrifying cabin panel blowout," The Guardian said. Larry Kellner, the chair of the board of directors, will also step down. Calhoun said he plans to "complete the critical work underway to stabilize and position the company for the future" over the coming months.

 
 
Puzzles

Test your general knowledge with The Week's daily crossword, part of our puzzles section, which also includes sudoku and codewords

 
 
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION

Could Taylor Swift swing the election?

Taylor Swift is at the height of her powers, wielding outsize influence that extends beyond the music industry. A solid 20% of millennials and 24% of Gen Z said Swift made them care about football after she was seen at Kansas City Chiefs games leading up to their win at the Super Bowl, said a LendingTree survey. And 53% of American adults across the political spectrum identify as Swift fans, with 16% calling themselves "avid fans," a Morning Consult survey said.

Swift previously denounced Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) in 2018 and former President Donald Trump in 2020. But she has yet to weigh in on the 2024 presidential election, aside from advising her followers to "vote the people who most represent YOU into power."

What did the commentators say?
"I've never seen a potential endorsement be so anticipated as this one," David Jackson, a Bowling Green State University professor who has studied the effect of celebrity endorsements, said to The Guardian. While it is unlikely that Swift's endorsement could influence a voter still torn between Trump or President Joe Biden, she could "propel voter turnout."

And Swift may influence the youth vote and undecided voters, said Dr. Brandon Valeriano of Seton Hall University to Dazed. Consider those in "red districts with heavy MAGA families who are consistently told what to do but don't have opinions." Swift can "activate these people, maybe give them a voice."

Biden's campaign team is strategizing to "coax Taylor Swift out of her den" and endorse him, Jon Lovett said on "Pod Save America." "But it's also on Taylor Swift. You built up a ton of goodwill. Time to spend it. Your country needs you."

What next?
The Swifties are organized, frequently rallying to boost the pop star's music on the charts. So it is indeed possible that Swift could direct their energy into support for a candidate. But an endorsement for Biden would be no guarantee. "Swaying the election is unlikely but also a very dramatic way of framing the issue," said Valeriano. It's almost "setting up a situation in which [we] can blame an individual for a collective failure." 

Still, 1 in 6 adults admitted they were "more likely to vote" if Swift or her boyfriend on the Kansas City Chiefs team, Travis Kelce, encouraged them to do so, said a poll cited by The Hill. "If this is a close election, anything becomes possible," said Valeriano.

 
 

Statistic of the day

526: The number of Guinness World Records held by the United Arab Emirates, research from The Times found. This includes unique records such as the largest flag flown while skydiving. The country has been accused of paying Guinness for its records, but the organization has denied this, saying its records are awarded on merit alone.
The Times

 
 
WORD OF THE DAY

Kermitops

A recently discovered prehistoric species, Kermitops gratis is a 270 million-year-old amphibian with "wide eyes and a cartoonish grin," CNN said. It's named after the iconic Kermit the Frog by paleontologists at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

 
 
INSTANT OPINION

Today's best commentary

'No candor, no credibility: Hiring RNC Ronna is a flub for NBC'
Lauren Stiller Rikleen in The Bulwark
NBC did a "disservice to viewers and its own journalists" by hiring former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel as a commentator, says Lauren Stiller Rikleen. McDaniel's "complicity" in former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss should disqualify her for a "media role that must be rooted in trust to succeed." Now she concedes President Joe Biden won "fair and square." But that doesn't excuse everything she did to normalize "political misinformation."

'AI will mean cheaper food'
Sultan Meghji in The Wall Street Journal
Artificial intelligence presents "legitimate dangers," but it could help make grocery shopping less painful, says Sultan Meghji. A main driver of "food's price spike was an even larger cost jump for fertilizer," which accounts for a "fifth of farmers' operating costs." Up to 80% of fertilizer gets wasted because farmers can't pinpoint where a "plant can reach its nutrients" or when rain will wash it away. AI and satellite data could reduce that waste to "near zero."

'Aileen Cannon's handling of Trump's classified records case just went from bad to horrible'
Harry Litman in the Los Angeles Times
Judge Aileen Cannon has gone beyond indulging Donald Trump's "far-fetched legal arguments" and stalling in the federal case over the former president's handling of classified documents, says Harry Litman. Her latest order would make jurors seriously ponder Trump's frivolous claim that he somehow "magically transmogrified" the documents into "personal property" using his authority under the Presidential Records Act. "Cannon has truly crossed the line" in favor of the "former president who put her on the bench." 

 
 
The Week recommends

Juneau's gorgeous landscape offers endless variety. Here are a few ways to experience the uniqueness of Alaska's capital, from whale watching to panning for gold.

Mendenhall Glacier
The 13-mile-long Mendenhall Glacier has been receding since the 1700s, though our warming planet is accelerating matters. For now, the jagged body of ice remains Juneau's biggest draw due to its beauty and easy accessibility. You will find fantastic views of the glacier and lake at the visitors center, but it's a popular spot, so expect crowds during the summer high season. You can also book a guided kayaking tour. Permits are limited, so it will just be you and a select few paddling along Mendenhall Lake. 

Whale-watching
After wintering in Hawaii, hundreds of humpback whales make their way back up to Juneau to spend the summer feasting on a bounty of krill and herring. Whale-watching season runs from April to November, with the peak in June through August. On any water excursion, you will likely see a combination of harbor seals, sea lions, bald eagles and Dall's porpoises. Keep an eye out for water sprays and huge gatherings of birds — tell-tale signs that whales are nearby. 

Panning for gold
Juneau was named after Joe Juneau, one of the prospectors who struck gold there in 1880 and ushered in the gold rush. You can book a tour to explore old mines and shafts, learn about the prospectors who flocked to Juneau and pan for gold in an icy cold stream.

 
 

In the morning

Billions of dollars in taxpayer money fuel pollution from plastics, and tomorrow's Morning Report explains how. We also take a look at two brothers who tried to turn a car into a helicopter, only to have their Suzuki-copter dreams thwarted.

Thanks for reading,
Summer

 
 

Evening Review was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Harold Maass, Joel Mathis, Summer Meza, Devika Rao, Rafi Schwartz, Anahi Valenzuela and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Getty Images; Photo by Vuk Valcic / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images; Joseph Okpako / WireImage / Getty Images; Patrick J. Endres / Getty Images