In Case You Haven’t Heard: Heath Ledger, AI actress Tilly Norwood

Actor Paul Bettany says there’s one movie he refuses to watch due to the death of fellow actor and friend Heath Ledger, fictional AI actress Tilly Norwood isn’t going away anytime soon, and the streaming service Tubi dips its toes in the world of pro sports in this edition of “In Case You Haven’t Heard.”

It can be hard for a filmmaker or artist to watch material that they’ve created or were a part of. Sometimes it’s because they watch it so much while making it, they just don’t feel the need. In the case of actor Paul Bettany, however, he can’t watch “A Knight’s Tale” anymore because of Heath Ledger, despite the film being a breakout role for Bettany, according to Yahoo! News. “The Da Vinci Code” actor said recently at Comic-Con L.A. that he just misses his friend Ledger, who he called a “playful, joyous spirit.” The two bonded on the 2001 film in which Bettany plays Geoffrey Chaucer. 

Tubi is on fire! The streamer, which is mostly free, has dipped its toes into pro sports and now is doing a cannonball off the high dive…. into pro sports. The network will be part of the Thanksgiving Day NFL extravaganza and air your Green Bay Packers against the Detroit Lions. It will be a simulcast with Fox Sports. Fox acquired Tubi in 2020. The Streamer also has tons of great free movies, if you don’t mind a few ads.

Have you heard of Tilly Norwood? If not, you probably will be hearing more about this AI actress in the near future. AI is becoming more of an issue in the entertainment business. It was a big point of contention during the recent Screen Actors Guild strike. Tilly is the creation of Eline Van Der Velden, a Dutch actor, director and physicist – that’s a rare combo. She is the founder of Particle 6, a video production company that makes AI. Van Der Velden says Tilly is even being looked at by talent agencies for representation and even has her own Instagram account – the AI with the IA, if you will.

As you can imagine, the Hollywood acting community is not happy about this creation. According to Yahoo! News, the Screen Actors Guild says Tilly is not a real actor, as she has no real-life experiences to draw from, adding that AI devalues human artistry. My question is, is Tilly really even a she? AI creations seem more in line with animation. This will get more interesting and contentious real soon, folks. 

Thank goodness for fact checkers. Have you ever found out something was a hoax and you’re not really surprised, but you also sort of wished it was real? A story broke a few days ago that a 37-year-old Florida man with blazing red hair was arrested for kidnapping 27 people and forcing them to play Yahtzee for 36 hours straight. The mugshot used by the hoaxer was actually a picture of a man who was arrested in 2016 for robbing a Louisiana church. Frankly, I think most people would rather be part of a church robbery crew than have to sit through 36 hours of Yahtzee. 

Sad news from the world of Not Many People Care. Oddball actress Nicole Kidman and Ken Doll country music star Keith Urban have announced they are splitting up after 19 years of marriage. People.com says that, according to those close to the couple, the split of the plastic-looking duo was inevitable. The publication reported that Urban’s decision to move out was the breaking point for Kidman. Sounds like she really put her foot down. Although, maybe living apart will rekindle that fire. 

Editor’s note: For more movie and entertainment talk, join host Pete Schwaba weeknights from 6 to 8 p.m. for “Nite Lite” on the Civic Media radio network.