'Mrs. Doubtfire' Star Wants to Bring Back Robin Williams as the 'Voice' of AI

'Mrs. Doubtfire' Star Wants to Bring Back Robin Williams as the 'Voice' of AI

'Mrs. Doubtfire' Star Wants to Bring Back Robin Williams as the 'Voice' of AIoriginally appeared onParade. ActorMatthew Lawrencewants to bring back hisMrs. DoubtfirecostarRobin Williamsin an unusual way: By using artificial intelligence. Lawrence, who played the young son of Williams in the classic 1993 comedy, opened up toEntertainment Weeklyat Comic-Con on Friday about how he believes Williams should be the "voice of AI." "I would love — now, obviously, with the respect and with the okay from his family — but I would love to do something really special with his voice because I know for a generation, that voice is just so iconic," Lawrence explained toEW. Lawrence went on to say that he got the idea while watching old commercials starring Williams, who died by suicide in 2014. "It's not just the fact that I knew him and worked with him and so it's in my head — it's in everybody's head," he continued. "And it would be so cool." Lawrence, who recently competed in season 13 ofThe Masked Singer, elaborated on the idea. "It's kinda like this very contemporary, modern, almost sort of foreshadowing of what's going on commercial that he did, where he did this computerized voiceover," he shared. "And it always stuck with me. And then, during his passing, with the AI coming out, I'm like, 'Man, he's gotta be the voice of A.I. He's gotta be the voice in something.' So yeah, I would love to do that." 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 In addition to his ideas of how to bring Williams back, Lawrence has also spoken about how much the legendary performer touched his life and guided him throughout his career. "Robin Williams was the landmark figure in my young career," Lawrence toldPage Sixback in April. "Not only was he the most brilliant artist, but he was just the most compassionate, humble, good human being I've yet to work with in this business." One of the most important lessons Williams taught him was to avoid acting in fear. "He would say that all the time and it's so special," said Lawrence. Related: Robin Williams' Son Shares Emotional Update on What Would've Been His Dad's 74th Birthday 'Mrs. Doubtfire' Star Wants to Bring Back Robin Williams as the 'Voice' of AIfirst appeared on Parade on Jul 27, 2025 This story was originally reported byParadeon Jul 27, 2025, where it first appeared.

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 26, 2025

'Mrs. Doubtfire' Star Wants to Bring Back Robin Williams as the 'Voice' of AI

'Mrs. Doubtfire' Star Wants to Bring Back Robin Williams as the 'Voice' of AI 'Mrs. Doubtfire' Star Wants to Bring B...

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“It: Welcome to Derry” screens first 10 minutes of premiere at Comic-Con — here's what you missed

"It: Welcome to Derry" screens first 10 minutes of premiere at Comic-Con — here's what you missed

Brooke Palmer/HBO It: Welcome to Derry, the upcoming prequel series toAndy Muschietti's twoStephen King-basedItmovies, screened the first 10 minutes during a late-night Saturday panel atComic-Con. It more than sets expectations for the horrors to come. The main takeaway? Don't get too attached to anyone, including the kids! Muschietti and his sister/longtime producing partner, Barbara, were present to screen the footage with fans. The opening of the first episode hones in on one particular little kid, who appears at least middle school-aged, even though he still sucks on a pacifier. He watches a movie in a theater but is caught by an employee who chases him out for being underage. We meet Hank, a projectionist in the theater, and his young daughter, Ronnie, who helps the boy escape. Brooke Palmer/HBO Outside, it's winter and snow covers the ground. The kid tries to hitch a ride out of Derry and meets a seemingly kind-hearted family — the dad behind the wheel, the pregnant mom in the passenger seat, and a brother-sister pair in the back. Things quickly get progressively more creepy in that car ride as the boy notices strange behaviors of his apparent saviors. As the events unfold, it's revealed that this entire family is It, the shapeshifting, child-eating entity that continues to plague Derry for decades. The boy, sadly, does not make it out alive. The family starts chanting "O-U-T!" heralding the arrival of a winged, demonic baby that births from the mother in bloody fashion. When the demon infant attacks, all we see of the boy is his pacifier fly out of the car window, land in the river, and drift toward It's den in the sewers. King'sItnovel and Muschietti's 2017Itmovie adaptation open on a similar note with the introduction of a young boy, Georgie Denbrough, who is then killed off in brutal fashion. Brooke Palmer/HBO It: Welcome to Derryadheres to the timeline established in Muschietti's movies, which is slightly tweaked from the original King novel. The main events — the "baseline," asthe Muschitti siblings previously toldEntertainment Weekly— is 1962. The events are all based on the "interlude" chapters of King's novel, which show Mike Hanlon interviewing citizens of Derry for information on past sightings of It. Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free daily newsletterto get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. The launch of the Black Spot, a speakeasy catering to Black patrons, and its burning will be core events depicted in the series, but it will be "an event in which many stories are built around," the Muschiettis confirmed in the past. Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Madeleine Stowe, and Rudy Mancuso star onIt: Welcome to Derry, which also returnsBill Skarsgårdto the role of Pennywise, the clown form of It. The nine-episode first season will premiere this October. Check out more ofEW's coverage from San Diego Comic-Con 2025. Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 26, 2025

“It: Welcome to Derry” screens first 10 minutes of premiere at Comic-Con — here's what you missed

"It: Welcome to Derry" screens first 10 minutes of premiere at Comic-Con — here's what you missed Brooke Palmer/HBO It: Welcom...

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Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, The Writing Process

Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, The Writing Process

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solvetoday's puzzlebefore reading further!The Writing Process Constructor:Zhouqin Burnikel Editor:Amanda Rafkin IRAN (17D: Country that celebrates Sizdah Bedar) In IRAN, Sizdah Bedar is celebrated thirteen days after Nowruz, the Iranian New Year. The festival is also known as Nature's Day and is celebrated by spending time outdoors. EDEN (25D: "Lempicka" actress Espinosa)Lempickais a musical based on the life of Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980), a Polish painter who fled to Paris, France during the Russian Revolution. EDEN Espinoza played the role of Tamara de Lempicka when the musical opened on Broadway in 2024. For the role she received a Tony Award Nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. ALOO (13A: Hindi for "potato") The clue here is giving the reminder I occasionally provide. EPEE (20A: Slowest form of fencing) There are three swords used in the sport of fencing: foil, saber, and ÉPÉE. Part of the reason that ÉPÉE is the slowest form of fencing is that the ÉPÉE is the heaviest of the fencing weapons. ÉPÉE is also slower because the entire body is a target area, so fencers must be cautious not to get hit. BO DIDDLEY (28A: Blues legend known for his rectangular guitar)BO DIDDLEY(1928-2008) was a rock and roll musician. HE was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998. BO DIDDLEY's trademark instrument was a rectangular guitar nicknamed "The Twang Machine." PAELLA (34A: Valencian rice dish) PAELLA is a traditional dish in Spanish cuisine. It originated from Valencia, one of Spain's autonomies (administrative divisions of government). "PAELLA" is the word for "frying pan" in the Valencian/Catalan language, and the wide, shallow pan used to cook the dish gave PAELLA its name. Recipes vary, but PAELLA consists of rice, vegetables, meat, and seasonings. Its yellow color comes from saffron or turmeric. NEIL (39A: Young with the album "Trans")Transis NEIL Young's thirteenth studio album, released in 1983. The album incorporated the use of vocoders (speech encoders), synthesizers, and electric beats and was of a different style than his previous albums. BOO RADLEY (44A: Misjudged neighbor in "To Kill a Mockingbird")To Kill a Mockingbird(1960) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel written by Harper Lee. The novel is narrated by an adult Scout Finch who is remembering events of her childhood. BOO RADLEY is a neighbor of the Finch family. BOOK A TRIP (59A: Use Kayak, perhaps) The capital K of Kayak alerts solvers that the word is referring not to the boat, but to the travel service company, which one might use to BOOK A TRIP. ELLE (63A: "The Great" actress Fanning)The Great(2020-2023) is a satirical historical fiction TV series very loosely based on Catherine the Great. In the first and third seasons, the show was titled onscreen asThe Great: An Occasionally True Story. During the second season, the title used wasThe Great: An Almost Entirely Untrue Story. ELLE Fanning portrays Catherine, who was the empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. ALPS (2D: Mont Blanc's range) Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the ALPS. It is located on the France-Italy border and has an elevation of 15,766 feet. BRO (9D: Mario, to Luigi) Mario and Luigi are the brothers in theMario Bros.video games – they are fraternal twins. Mario, who wears a red shirt, is the oldest of the twins. Luigi wears a green shirt. EPIPEN (21D: Lifesaving allergy device) EPIPEN is the trademark name for a brand of epinephrine autoinjector, a medical device used to inject a measured dose of epinephrine to treat anaphylaxis (a life-threatening type of allergic reaction). CAIRO (26D: Capital near the Sphinx) TheGreat Sphinxis a statue located in Giza, Egypt. It is one of the oldest known sculptures in Egypt, dating to the 2500s BCE. A sphinx is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion. Giza is located across the Nile River from CAIRO, the capital of Egypt. YALE (31D: New Haven school) YALE is located in New Haven, Connecticut. It was founded in 1701 as the Collegiate School, and is the third-oldest college in the United States, following Harvard and College of William & Mary. In 1718, the Collegiate School was renamed YALE College after Elihu YALE, who was persuaded to donate money to construct a new building for the school. ARAB (32D: Like most people in Jordan) Jordan is a country in West Asia. Its capital is Amman. 95% of Jordan's residents are ARABs. Jordan was mentionedtwo days agoin the clue for PETRA, [World Heritage Site in Jordan]. PET (61D: Animal that gets belly rubs) My cat, Willow, says, "Did somebody say belly rubs?" A few other clues I especially enjoyed: RING (35A: Piece of jewelry slipped on after a "yes") POLKA (57A: Genre of dance music with accordions) NOON (3D: Twelve hours before midnight) B POSITIVE (16A: Blood type that sounds like an optimist's advice) BO DIDDLEY (28A: Blues legend known for his rectangular guitar) BOO RADLEY (44A: Misjudged neighbor in "To Kill a Mockingbird") BOOK A TRIP (59A: Use Kayak, perhaps) THE WRITING PROCESS: The first words of the theme answers are "WRITING" a BOOK, letter by letter: B → BO → BOO → BOOK. We don't see "add-a-letter" progression themes like this too often, and I think they're quite fun. If only THE WRITING PROCESS were as easy as adding these four letters together! Thank you, Zhouqin, for this enjoyable puzzle. USA TODAY's Daily Crossword Puzzles Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Crossword Blog & Answers for July 27, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 26, 2025

Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, The Writing Process

Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, The Writing Process There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solv...

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Thai-Cambodia border shelling continues despite Trump's ceasefire call

Thai-Cambodia border shelling continues despite Trump's ceasefire call

By Shoon Naing and Artorn Pookasook SISAKET, Thailand (Reuters) -Cambodia and Thailand each said the other had launched artillery attacks across contested border areas early on Sunday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said the leaders of both countries had agreed to work on a ceasefire. Four days after the worst fighting in more than a decade broke out between the Southeast Asian neighbours, the death toll stood above 30, mainly civilians. More than 130,000 people have been evacuated from border areas in the two countries. Cambodia's Defence Ministry said Thailand had shelled and launched ground assaults on Sunday morning at a number of points, including in Phnom Kmoach, which borders Thailand's coastal Trat province. The ministry's spokesperson said heavy artillery was fired at temple complexes. The Thai army said Cambodia had fired shots into several areas, including near civilian homes, early on Sunday. The governor of Surin told Reuters artillery shells had been fired into the province, damaging a house and killing some livestock. In the Thai province of Sisaket, Reuters reporters heard shelling early on Sunday and said it was unclear which side of the border it was on. "If there is a ceasefire, things will be better," Sisaket resident Thavorn Toosawan told Reuters. "It's great that America is insisting on the ceasefire because it would bring peace." TRUMP SPEAKS TO BOTH LEADERS Trump said on Saturday that he had spoken with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia and they had agreed to meet immediately to quickly work out a ceasefire to end fighting that began on Thursday. Bangkok and Phnom Penh each say the other side started the hostilities. "Both Parties are looking for an immediate Ceasefire and Peace," Trump wrote on social media. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet endorsed the call for the fighting to stop. "I made it clear to Honourable President Donald Trump that Cambodia agreed with the proposal for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire between the two armed forces," Hun Manet posted on Facebook, noting he had also agreed to Malaysia's earlier ceasefire proposal. Thailand's response was more qualified, as it had been with the proposal from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, saying Cambodia needed to do more before talks could begin. "I thanked President Trump for his concern and expressed that Thailand agrees in principle to have a ceasefire in place. However, Thailand would like to see sincere intention from the Cambodian side," acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on Facebook. The countries have faced off since the killing of a Cambodian soldier late in May during a brief skirmish. Troops on both sides of the border were reinforced amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand's fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse. Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over undemarcated points along their 817-km (508-mile) land border, with ownership of the ancient Hindu temples Ta Moan Thom and the 11th century Preah Vihear central to the disputes. Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, but tension escalated in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and skirmishes over several years brought at least a dozen deaths. Cambodia said in June it had asked the court to resolve its disputes with Thailand, which says it has never recognised the court's jurisdiction and prefers a bilateral approach. (Reporting by Shoon Naing and Artorn Pookasook in Sisaket, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Panu Wongcha-um, Chayut Setboonsarng, Panarat Thepgumpanat and Juarawee Kittisilpa in Bangkok; Writing by John Mair; Editing by William Mallard)

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 26, 2025

Thai-Cambodia border shelling continues despite Trump's ceasefire call

Thai-Cambodia border shelling continues despite Trump's ceasefire call By Shoon Naing and Artorn Pookasook SISAKET, Thailand (Reuters) -...

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Here's how a major Mexican tomato exporter is affected by Trump’s 17% tariff

Here's how a major Mexican tomato exporter is affected by Trump's 17% tariff

AJUCHITLAN, Mexico (AP) — The Trump administration's decision to impose a17% duty on fresh tomatoesimported fromMexicohas created a dilemma for the country providing more tomatoes to U.S. consumers than any other. Theimport taxthat began July 14 is just the latest protectionist move by an administration that has threatened dozens of countries with tariffs, including its critical trading partner Mexico. It comes as the Mexican government tries to also negotiate its way out of a30% general tariffscheduled to take effect Aug. 1. While the impacts of the tomato tariff are still in their infancy, a major grower and exporter in central Mexico shows how a tariff targeting a single product can destabilize the sector. Surviving in times of uncertainty Green tomato plants stretch upward row after row in sprawling high-tech greenhouses covering nearly six acres in the central state of Queretaro, among the top 10 tomato producing states in Mexico. Climate controlled and pest free, Veggie Prime's greenhouses in Ajuchitlan send some 100 tons of fresh tomatoes every week to Mastronardi Produce. The Canadian company is the leading distributor of fresh tomatoes in the U.S. with clients that include Costco and Walmart. Moisés Atri, Veggie Prime's export director, says they've been exporting tomatoes to the U.S. for 13 years and their substantial investment and the cost to produce their tomatoes won't allow them to make any immediate changes. They're also contractually obligated to sell everything they produce to Mastronardi until 2026. "None of us (producers) can afford it," Atri said. "We have to approach our client to adjust the prices because we're nowhere near making that kind of profit." In the tariff's first week, Veggie Prime ate the entire charge. In the second, its share of the new cost lowered when its client agreed to increase the price of their tomatoes by 10%. The 56-year-old Atri hopes that Mastronardi will eventually pass all of the tariff's cost onto its retail clients. Mexican tomato exports brought in $3 billion last year Experts say the tariff could cause a 5% to 10% drop in tomato exports, which last year amounted to more than $3 billion for Mexico. The Mexican Association of Tomato Producers says the industry generates some 500,000 jobs. Juan Carlos Anaya, director general of the consulting firm Grupo Consultor de Mercados Agrícolas, said a drop in tomato exports, which last year amounted to more than 2 billion tons, could lead to the loss of some 200,000 jobs Experts: U.S. will have difficulty replacing fresh Mexican tomatoes When the Trump administration announced the tariff, the Commerce Department justified it as a measure to protect U.S. producers from artificially cheap Mexican imports. California and Florida growers that produce about 11 million tons would stand to benefit most, though most of that production is for processed tomatoes. Experts believe the U.S. would find it difficult to replace Mexico's fresh tomato imports. Atri and other producers are waiting for a scheduled review of the measure in two months, when the U.S. heads into fall and fresh tomato production there begins to decline. In reaction to the tariff, the Mexican government has floated the idea of looking for other, more stable, international markets. Mexican Agriculture Secretary Julio Berdegué said Thursday that the government is looking at possibilities like Japan, but producers quickly cast doubt on that idea, noting the tomatoes would have to be sent by plane, raising the cost even more. Atri said the company is starting to experiment with peppers, to see if they would provide an option at scale. President Claudia Sheinbaumsaid recently her administration would survey tomato growers to figure out what support they need, especially small producers who are already feeling the effects of a drop of more than 10% in the price of tomatoes domestically over fears there will be a glut in Mexico.

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 26, 2025

Here's how a major Mexican tomato exporter is affected by Trump’s 17% tariff

Here's how a major Mexican tomato exporter is affected by Trump's 17% tariff AJUCHITLAN, Mexico (AP) — The Trump administration'...

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