Hollywood stars in the driver's seat for new 'F1' movie
NBC News' Savannah Sellers sits down with the cast of "F1," including stars Brad Pitt and Lewis Hamilton, to discuss the making of the film.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
9 hours ago
- NBC News
Accusations of plagiarism, AI use and author bullying: 'BookTok' rocked by recent scandals
A scandal over allegations of plagiarism is rocking the book community on TikTok, becoming the latest drama to unfold in a pocket of the internet that was once considered a safer space from online toxicity. 'Beverly,' a romance novel by indie author Laura J. Robert, had picked up recent buzz on the social media platform, where readers and authors often discuss the latest titles and give recommendations. But several creators removed their videos praising Robert's book after allegations emerged that it was a rip-off of the indie author R.J. Lewis' 'Obsessed,' which was published in 2016. Both books have plots that follow a lead female character and her romance with her childhood friend. Some people posted excerpts of Lewis' words juxtaposed with Robert's, identifying what they described as similarities. Others accused Robert of using artificial intelligence to tweak and lengthen Lewis' book to create her own version. A handful of people speculated the authors could be the same person — because Robert's initials are Lewis' initials backward — and that the controversy could all be a PR stunt. NBC News was unable to reach Robert on Friday. Lewis declined to comment further. On BookTok, some have cited the somewhat niche controversy as yet another example of the community's shift away from lighthearted content around new releases. 'Does anyone miss just having a silly, goofy, fun time, having a bit of a laugh?' Lola Oluremi, a BookTok creator, said in a recent video discussing 'Beverly' and 'Obsessed.' 'I feel like every time I log onto BookTok now, it's something.' The online space, which has been credited for inspiring a fresh wave of interest in literature, hasn't been devoid of drama in the past. But this month, the 'Beverly' accusations followed two other separate situations that had caused some division among BookTokers online. Author Ali Hazelwood, who is behind popular novels such as 'The Love Hypothesis,' left Instagram purportedly after she was 'bullied' for a comment she made during a panel discussion at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books in April. Hazelwood weighed in on who she thought Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist of Suzanne Collins' 'Hunger Games' books, should have ended up with romantically, saying it should have been her childhood friend Gale, rather than her fellow tribute, Peeta. 'He's a terrible, mean, selfish person,' Hazelwood said of the character Peeta, a baker's son from District 12 who was reaped alongside Katniss in the books. The clip of Hazelwood's remarks was widely circulated and blasted online by people who accused her of having a bad take. Hazelwood didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Since she went dark online, several BookTokers have come to her defense, reflecting on how the community has seemingly become more prone to getting lost in meaningless discourse. 'The way y'all have lost the plot over a fictional bread boy has left me genuinely questioning the mental health of the book community,' Shelley Fleuridor, the YouTuber behind the channel 'Book Chats with Shelley,' said in a recent video delving into the Hazelwood backlash. 'We need to talk about what's happening to this community and why some of you genuinely need to be placed in a reading timeout immediately, maybe permanently.' Also this past month, Victoria Aveyard, the author of the 'Red Queen' books, sparked a wave of backlash and speculation on BookTok after she post a video alluding to another author's using generative AI in a novel without naming the purported writer. She said she didn't name the person because she didn't want to get sued. 'Using GenAI to come up with characters, plots and story ideas isn't writing. It's theft,' Aveyard said. 'Using GenAI doesn't make you a writer. It makes you a thief.' She said generative AI has been trained on copyrighted material that 'has been stolen from artists without license or compensation.' Some subsequent posts from users accuse Aveyard of being a 'mean girl' obsessed with 'drama.' In other videos, some try to guess which author she was referring to. Meanwhile, a handful of authors have also been posting videos of their writing and editing processes to prove their work isn't made with AI. With 'Beverly,' it remains unclear whether there will be consequences for Robert beyond online fallout. Robert's social media pages and her author website were no longer online Friday. 'Beverly' has also been removed from Amazon. The title remains on GoodReads, where several people have posted comments about the plagiarism accusations and given the book a one-star review. Lewis posted about the plagiarism allegations on Instagram this week, calling the situation an indie author's 'worst nightmare.' "I'm an author who does not have a big online presence and thank all who have reached out to bring this to my attention as I don't have much visibility on the social media space," she wrote. She said she has contacted Amazon to raise a copyright infringement case and hopes 'that people in the booktok space realize this author is stealing content and profiting from it.'
NBC News
11 hours ago
- NBC News
There's Good News Tonight: The original summer blockbuster turns 50
'Jaws,' the movie that has made for nightmares for beachgoers worldwide, made famous by a 25-foot shark and those two ominous notes turns 50 this year. NBC News' Stephanie Gosk goes back to the idyllic Massachusetts island to see if people are still nervous to go back in the 20, 2025
Times
12 hours ago
- Times
How Brad Pitt's favourite watch got its own starring role in F1
Brad Pitt may be best known for appearing in some of cinema's biggest blockbusters, but as a figure in the public eye for nearly four decades, he's also no stranger to scrutiny when it comes to his style choices. Alongside the clothes on his back, his hoard of statement watches has been well documented. And with the release of this season's high-octane motor-racing movie F1, Pitt's interest in horology is set to be centre stage again. The film, which is co-produced by Lewis Hamilton, stars Pitt as Sonny Hayes, who returns to the track to reclaim his lost glory following a spell in rehabilitation. But long before the movie's premiere this month — for which IWC is the sponsor of the fictional racing team and supplied all the timepieces — watch aficionados were caught up in a speculative frenzy when images of Pitt found their way into media channels. What had them bamboozled was a mystery green-dialled watch that was perfectly colour-coordinated with Pitt's elegant Sunspel sweatshirt and leather holdall. Theories swirled as to whether this was a 'prop' watch or something with more substance. It turned out to be the latter. 'Some time ago I got an email from somebody called 'BP' and I discarded it at first, until my team asked me if I had got an email from Brad Pitt,' says Chris Grainger-Herr, the CEO of IWC, recalling his astonishment when the actor got in touch. Pitt's message concerned the watch he thought his character should wear in the film, and a particular IWC model would be the only one up to muster. He requested an IWC Ingenieur SL 1832, a vintage 1976 model by Gérald Genta — often considered the godfather of modern watch design — who was also responsible for the cult Patek Philippe Nautilus and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. 'He was very specific — he wanted it half as thick as the original and a special dial colour,' Grainger-Herr adds. Pitt also requested that the modifications involve his jeweller, Cloister Watch Co in New York, which is famed for its customisation work. The dial Pitt chose, a moss green that is his character's signature colour in the film, never existed in the original Seventies iteration — and was what had watch fanatics scratching their heads. Ingenieur Automatic 40, IW328908, £11,100, Christian Knoop, IWC's creative director, and his team were so taken with this one-off 'fictional' watch designed by the actor that they decided to launch their own tribute to his timepiece. The result is a contemporary spin on Pitt's remodelled vintage design, which still retains the Seventies swagger of the film version with a slick, integrated bracelet and angular case, but has all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a modern watch, including a high-spec self-powered movement that will keep ticking for 120 hours off the wrist. And that green dial has been given a textural upgrade with a grid-like finish. 'With this re-engineered model, we brought back the aesthetic codes of the original 1976 Ingenieur SL 1832, pairing them with the ergonomics and finishing of a luxury sports watch for today,' Knoop explains. And with only 1,000 being produced, you'll need to move like an F1 champ to get your hands on one before the chequered flag is waved.
