Hollywood has long struggled to hash out its diversity issues or lack thereof, but director Jon M. Chu told Cheddar that those that have smashed through the hiring ceilings at movie studios are working to keep them open for others.
"[Hollywood] is a network of ideas and ideologies that come together in this place to make stuff, and so I don't think there's an easy answer to 'Hey, it's changed now in Hollywood,'" Chu said. "But I do think that people are in positions now to make sure that the gates are more open, and it's not just one gate. It's thousands of gates."
Chu directed the 2018 blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians, based on a book of the same name written by Kevin Kwan, which was notable in Hollywood for featuring a cast made up almost entirely of those of Asian descent.
Nowadays, the decision to direct a film for Chu lies in how entertaining he believes the movie can be. His filmography also includes projects like Step Up 2: The Streets and G.I. Joe: Retaliation, but for his upcoming project, In The Heights, an adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's play, he explained the importance for him to be able to bring a story about first-generation immigrants to the big screen.
"I saw the Broadway show when I was making my first movie and I saw it in New York City and it moved me. I'm not from Washington Heights. I'm not from New York. I'm a California boy. I grew up in a Chinese restaurant with my family, basically," Chu said. "But the community of children of immigrants surrounded by their aunts and uncles who want the best for them, who work their butt off trying to take care of us, have hopes and dreams of themselves but also for us. And us trying to piece together our cultural identity crisis, and that each of us have different ways to deal with it. That really touched me."
With the success of films that touch on identity like Crazy Rich Asians, particularly at the box office, Chu said Hollywood also is feeling pressure from "activists and nonactivists" to continue releasing films that reflect society. He also pointed to the power of the dollar, showing studios the movie-goer support for the films they want to see.
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A rare magnum of Dom Pérignon Vintage 1961 champagne that was specially produced for the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana has failed to sell during an auction. Danish auction house Bruun Rasmussen handled the bidding Thursday. The auction's house website lists the bottle as not sold. It was expected to fetch up to around $93,000. It is one of 12 bottles made to celebrate the royal wedding. Little was revealed about the seller. The auction house says the bids did not receive the desired minimum price.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
OpenAI has appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue. Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and help businesses integrate AI into daily operations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently emphasized improving ChatGPT, which now has over 800 million weekly users. Despite its success, OpenAI faces competition from companies like Google and concerns about profitability. The company earns money from premium ChatGPT subscriptions but hasn't ventured into advertising. Altman had recently announced delays in developing new products like AI agents and a personal assistant.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
