Timothée vs. the opera community, 'Heated Rivalry' creator's new show, SZA against AI music

Timothée Chalamet draws flak from the opera community

A conversation about the future of moviegoing has turned into a heated debate across the arts world after Timothée Chalamet made blunt remarks about opera and ballet in a Variety and CNN town hall that quickly went viral and drew criticism from performers and cultural institutions.

During the event, he talked about how short-form video content and declining attention spans may be shaping the way audiences consume movies. “I admire people, and I’ve done it myself, who go on a talk show and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to keep movie theaters alive, we’ve gotta keep this genre alive,’” Chalamet said.

The actor then pivoted to discussing other art forms, which is where his comments began to spark controversy. “I don’t want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive, even though, like, no one cares about this anymore. All respect to the ballet and opera people out there. I just lost 14 cents in viewership. Damn, I just took shots for no reason.’”

After the clip circulated online, the classical arts community responded swiftly.

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, the Royal Ballet and Opera in the United Kingdom pushed back against the suggestion that the art forms have faded into irrelevance. “Ballet and opera have never existed in isolation–they have continually informed, inspired, and elevated other art forms. Their influence can be felt across theatre, film, contemporary music, fashion, and beyond,” they wrote. 

Opera performers were also quick to weigh in. “Honestly, I’m shocked that someone so seemingly successful can be so ineloquent and narrow-minded in his views about art while considering himself as [an] artist as I would only imagine one would as an actor,” American mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard asserted. 

“To take cheap shots at fellow artists says more in this interview than anything else he could say. Shows a lot about his character. You don’t have to like all art but only a weak person/artist feels the need to diminish in fact the VERY arts that would inspire those who are interested in slowing down, to do exactly that,” she added.

Meanwhile, major opera houses responded with invitations rather than criticism. Organizations including the English National Opera, Seattle Opera, and New York’s Metropolitan Opera have shared posts encouraging Chalamet to attend a performance and experience the art form firsthand.

‘Heated Rivalry’ creator Jacob Tierney teases new show about Alexander The Great and Aristotle

A sweeping historical drama exploring the formative relationship between Alexander the Great and his legendary mentor Aristotle is officially on the way. 

Jacob Tierney, the creator of the upcoming series Heated Rivalry, is set to write, direct, and produce the new project titled “Alexander.” The series is backed by Aggregate Films, with Jason Bateman and producer Michael Costigan joining Tierney and Brendan Brady as executive producers.

The drama is inspired by Annabel Lyon’s acclaimed novel The Golden Mean, which imagines the intellectual and emotional dynamic between the brilliant philosopher Aristotle and the young Macedonian prince who would eventually conquer much of the known world.

For Tierney, the adaptation has been a long time coming. “I fell in love with Annabel Lyon’s book ‘The Golden Mean’ years ago and have been dreaming of telling this story ever since.” 

“Brendan and I couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with Aggregate and Netflix to bring this insanely compelling world to life,” he added.

Olivia Rodrigo drops music video filmed by children in war zones

Olivia Rodrigo is using her platform to spotlight the experiences of children living in conflict zones through a moving new music project tied to a global charity campaign.

The Filipino-American pop star recorded a cover of “The Book of Love”, originally by The Magnetic Fields, for the charity compilation album Help(2). The song arrives with a poignant music video filmed from the perspectives of children living in war-affected regions including Palestine, Sudan, Ukraine, and Yemen.

Rather than using traditional production, the video features footage captured by the children themselves. Scenes show them navigating their daily lives amid damaged neighborhoods, running through streets filled with rubble, and finding moments of joy while playing with friends despite the destruction surrounding them. The concept aims to present a raw and personal glimpse into the realities faced by young people growing up in areas shaped by conflict.

Rodrigo’s contribution is part of a wider effort organized by War Child UK, a humanitarian group that works to “protect, educate, and stand up for the rights of children living through conflict.” The organization launched Help(2) as a collaborative album featuring a diverse lineup of artists who came together to raise awareness and funds for the cause.

All proceeds from the project will go directly toward supporting War Child UK’s programs for children affected by war. Alongside Rodrigo, the album features contributions from artists including Arctic Monkeys, Beabadoobee, Wet Leg, and Depeche Mode, among many others.

SZA speaks up against AI music

SZA is once again raising concerns about artificial intelligence in the music industry, saying the growing technology has become a serious threat to creativity and fairness, particularly for Black artists.

The singer previously touched on the topic in her 2022 album SOS, where she referenced the uneasy relationship between humans and machines in the track “Ghost in the Machine.” In the song, she reflects on the emotional divide between people and technology, singing, “Let’s talk about AI, robot got more heart than I/ Robot got future, I don’t/ Robot got sleep but I don’t power down.”

Now, in a recent interview with i-D Magazine, SZA shared stronger feelings about how artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape the music landscape. “I feel like I’m at war because of AI,” she admitted.

The Grammy-winning artist also pointed out what she sees as an uneven impact on Black musicians. According to SZA, “It’s happening disproportionately with Black music,” before questioning the rise of AI-generated covers circulating online. “Why am I hearing AI covers of Olivia Dean, when Olivia Dean just came the fuck out? She can’t even collect the streams.”

“I’m also really offended by the type of Black music that’s coming out of AI. Weird, stereotypical struggle music,” SZA added.

While competition between artists is common in the music industry, SZA believes the real battle lies elsewhere. “I’m not up against the pop girls. I’m not up against the R&B girls. I’m up against anti-intellectualism and doing things easy. The type of blend of information my human experience provides, AI can’t even be prompted to fuck with. I want to just let this angst drive me into bizarre directions,” she asserted.

ICYMI:

• A woman has been arrested for firing gunshots at Rihanna’s residence while the singer was reportedly home, though sources confirmed she is unharmed, according to TMZ.

• Charles Burton, a man in Alabama, is scheduled for execution this Thursday for a murder he insists he did not commit, as he was part of a group robbery in which an accomplice fatally shot a man in the back while Burton had already left the store.

• Daylight Savings time has officially started, with clocks moving forward one hour, giving people more sunlight during the evening.

— Bea Bertuldo

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