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A new feature will indicate when advertisers have used generative AI tools to create or edit their ads, Google says.

The Paris-based ElevenLabs competitor, just announced a hefty seed extension round.

"Exactly what that dialog looked like between the government and Anthropic and OpenAI is unclear."

⚡ Quick Take

• The Vampire Lestat has landed a well-deserved panel in Hall H at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Get ready for Lestat, SDCC!

It’s a jam-packed year at San Diego Comic-Con in 2026. Marvel is expected to return to SDCC with some major announcements. The Rings of Power is riding back into the swing of things. And… The Vampire Lestat has landed a panel in Hall H. Rock star vampire summer has arrived in all its glory. We at Nerdist were at The Vampire Lestat‘s Ballroom 20 panel last year, and it was AMAZING. Of all the panels we visited (and there were many), The Vampire Lestat‘s outing was easily the most exciting, most passion-filled, and most thrilling of them all. Fans were absolutely in a frenzy. The room was as full as I’ve seen it. There was electricity, chemistry, and a hunger for every little morsel of information about what was to come. It was a celebration that was not to be missed, which could only be fueled by a series that is truly beloved by its fans. And that’s why it makes all the sense in the world that, for SDCC 2026, The Vampire Lestat has graduated to Hall H. It could not be a more well-earned move.

AMC The Vampire Lestat Is Heading to SDCC’s Hall H—And It Is WELL-DESERVED

The love for Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat has only grown over the last few years. And it shows no signs of stopping. Ballroom 20 just isn’t big enough to contain it anymore. And that’s why The Vampire Lestat has to find a new home at the very heart of San Diego Comic-Con, Hall H. But hey, The Vampire Lestat filled a whole concert venue in NYC and held an actual rock show. Hall H is a walk in the park (with Armand and Daniel) after that.

The vampires are returning to San Diego.

Join us at @Comic_Con International for the official #TheVampireLestat panel, moderated by @rottentomatoes' Jacqueline Coley (@thatjacqueline), July 24 starting at 12:30pm PT in Hall H. #SDCC26 pic.twitter.com/A0MnNIOin2

— The Vampire Lestat (@AMCsAnneRice) July 9, 2026

This The Vampire Lestat panel at SDCC will land immediately after the final episode of The Vampire Lestat season one. And that means that the love and excitement for The Vampire Lestat will be at an all-time high. And fans will be HUNGRY for some answers about whatever delicious devilry they will have just witnessed on their screens. So, even if you just want to experience true communion of enthusiasm and affection, we suggest you check out this panel. If you’re heading to SDCC, make sure to add The Vampire Lestat‘s Hall H panel to your list.

AMC When and Where Is The Vampire Lestat’s San Diego Comic-Con 2026 Panel?

Here are the details:

The Vampire Lestat Panel on Friday, July 24, 12:30pm-1:15pm, Hall H  

The Vampire Lestat cast and producers, including Jacob Anderson (“Louis du Pointe du Lac”), Assad Zaman (“Armand”) and Eric Bogosian (“Daniel Molloy”), Rolin Jones (creator and showrunner), Mark Johnson (executive producer) and Hannah Moscovitch (executive producer) take the stage for a panel moderated by Rotten Tomatoes’ Jacqueline Coley discussing the jaw-dropping season finale, with highlights from the electrifying music performance The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only Live, featuring original songs from series composer Daniel Hart and performed by Sam Reid as Lestat. 

This season, Lestat (Reid) goes on an electric multi-city tour while being haunted by “muses” from his wild and rebellious past. As his band’s popularity and star power rises, so does Lestat’s influence over vampires and humans alike, leaving others to contend with Lestat’s power in the face of the Great Conversion, an unnatural surge in the vampire population.

AMC

Yes, Jacob Anderson, Assad Zaman, Eric Bogosian, Rolin Jones, Mark Johnson, and Hannah Moscovitch will be on hand. And we already can’t wait to hear from them. All of the above have delivered us one astounding season of television this year. The SDCC Hall H panel will also allow fans to get a new glimpse at The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only Live, which, as mentioned, took place in NYC. We’re sure that will be some stunning footage.

The Vampire Lestat Is Can’t Miss Television

In our The Vampire Lestat review, Nerdist wrote, “The Vampire Lestat is unlike anything else on TV right now. When I envision what it was like to watch the series, the image of a stained-glass window, smashed up and then turned into a mosaic that we try to parse, comes to mind. Maybe we don’t fully understand every facet of the design, but we are aware it’s beautiful. The Vampire Lestat is not a simple watch, if that’s what you’re looking for—instead, it’s a revelatory meditation on some of the most intense possible themes, dressed up in sultry crooning, sweat, and glitter with an edge sharp enough to slice right into you. (Complimentary.)”

And so, if you haven’t watched The Vampire Lestat yet and you’re heading to SDCC. We suggest you do so IMMEDIATELY!!! Otherwise, we’ll see you in Hall H. (And if you haven’t watched The Vampire Lestat and you’re not heading to SDCC, watch it anyway!!!)

The Vampire Lestat airs Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC and midnight PT on AMC+. You can also read The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice today as you wait for the next episode of the series to air.

Rotem Rusak is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist. She is ready for Devil’s Minion to become canon so one of her ships can finally sail.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

The post THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Moves to Hall H at SDCC (And It Is DESERVED!) appeared first on Nerdist.

Meta's new AI image generator is using your public Instagram photos unless you opt out. Here's how to do that.

In its bid to spend less on GPUs from providers like Nvidia, Meta is on track to start making its the latest versions of its AI-specific chips in September.

Having proven how valuable compute can be, the company finds itself at the center of a market everyone wants to be in — while simpler technologies and less interesting companies get rich on the sidelines.

⚡ Quick Take

• The trailer for Buddy takes the concept of Barney and turns it into a horror show that’s nightmare fuel for kids.

If you were a child of the ‘90s, you certainly remember Barney. He was the dinosaur sensation from our imagination who taught us how to be a friend. We loved him, and he loved us, too. I personally owned a talking Barney stuffed animal that I slept with at night. As I got older, I began to see the somewhat creepier aspects of Barney. That big ole head and those unblinking eyes were one thing, but a random big dinosaur who plays with kids all day with no parental supervision is…sketchy. Well, the teaser trailer for Buddy takes the concept of Barney and makes it horror. 

In the clip, we see a bright orange unicorn singing and playing with a group of kids in a dreamlike place that appears to have ’90s vibes. It’s clear that Buddy sparks joy for all the youth as they help him spread pure joy into the world. Well, almost everyone. It seems that one child is not down for hanging out with a big furry unicorn (totally understandable), and that’s when Buddy’s facade starts to crack.

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The utopia that is presented gets dark, and we see kids starting to look pretty terrified. That’s for good reason. There’s blood on children’s shirts, some weird doll, and a really creepy eye. Were they being mind controlled or held hostage? What does Buddy want? Does he feed off their energy like Aunt Gladys? We all need answers. What makes this even more intriguing is that Keegan-Michael Key plays Buddy the Unicorn. 

Roadside Attractions/Saban Films

My thoughts about the Buddy horror movie teaser trailer are pretty simple. I love it. I need it. And yes I need to see it as soon as possible. Thankfully, none of us have to wait very long because Buddy will come to theaters on August 28.

The post BUDDY Trailer: Barney Vibes, But Make It Nightmare Fuel appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• The legendary monster isn’t the only battle mankind faces in the intense new teaser trailer for Godzilla Minus Zero.

Mankind might have (barely) survived its encounter with one of cinema’s greatest monsters in Godzilla Minus One, but it didn’t eliminate the threat. And in the Oscar-winning film’s follow-up, that iconic kaiju is back. He’s also bigger and more dangerous than ever before. But as the new teaser trailer for Godzilla Minus Zero shows, the battle against Godzilla isn’t the only war being waged. Even old allies will find themselves battling one another as they struggle to do even know what’s right and what’s wrong in the face of total annihilation.

This Godzilla Minus Zero teaser from TOHO and GKIDS for director Takashi Yamazaki’s sequel marks the return of many familiar faces. Ryunosuke Kamiki is back as Koichi Shikishima, the kamikaze pilot who earned redemption standing up to Godzilla. As is Minami Hamabe as Noriko Shikishima. Also back for mor emonster fun are Hidetaka Yoshioka as Kenji Noda, director of the Disaster Response Bureau. Yuki Yamada reprises his role as Shiro Mizushima. As does his boat’s captain, Kuranosuke Sasaki as Seiji Akitsu. And the film also marks the return os Sakura Ando as Sumiko Ota and Miou Tanaka as Tatsuo Hotta.

This time they’ll be joined by Min Tanaka (Kokuho). He’s playing “the pivotal role of Kanji Murakami, a biologist carrying deep psychological scars from the war.”

TOHO/GKIDS

What exactly is going on, though? The film’s previous trailer showed Godzilla near the Statue of Liberty, as the legendary creature will also threaten the United States. But the film’s official synopsis says this battle will truly be the last anyone fights against Godzilla. From TOHO and GKIDS:

War reduced Japan to zero, and Godzilla plunged it into minus. Two years have passed since then, and the country has faced agonizing struggles to achieve recovery and finally reclaim its daily life. Just as humanity managed to cling to a hard-won peace, a new threat strikes, crushing hope in an instant. There is no third time. Everything ends here.

How will everything end? We’ll find out when Godzilla stomps his way back to theaters later this year. Godzilla Minus Zero will debut in Japan on November 3, the anniversary of the original 1954 film’s release. It will then open in North America on November 6.

The post Mankind Battles Its Worst Instincts in GODZILLA MINUS ZERO Teaser appeared first on Nerdist.

State attorneys general said they found that Block misled users by falsely advertising that Cash App provided bank-like protections, including advanced fraud detection.

Claude’s new Reflect dashboard doesn’t just visualize how you use AI. It also subtly reinforces how much of your daily work now depends on Anthropic’s chatbot.

Three big AI IPOs are set to generate more value than all the U.S. VC backed exits since 2000.

⚡ Quick Take

• Netflix is teaming up with media outlets like The Hollywood Reporter, People, Buzzfeed, and others to bring video content to subscribers.

When it comes to streaming services, there isn’t one that baffles me more than Netflix. The streamer was once at the forefront of the industry but now, with loads of competition from HBO Max, Prime Video, and Disney+, it seems that Netflix would have a solid strategy to fight back. But, the flagship series Stranger Things is over and there doesn’t seem to be any other major series to take its place. Sure, Wednesday is incredibly popular, but Stranger Things was a mammoth of a series. And new original films that come to the streamer are hit and miss, to say the least.

Netflix is leaning more of the weird reality competition series and documentary route, and I’m not totally sure about that pathway. The streamer also continues to increase its prices, which has some consumers wondering exactly what they are paying for. Now, Netflix is teaming up with Penske Media outlets like The Hollywood Reporter as well as People, Buzzfeed, and others to bring video content to consumers. 

BERNARD WALSH/NETFLIX

According to The Hollywood Reporter, these Netflix streaming videos will be anywhere from 3-20 minute episodes that subscribers can find on its homepage starting August 3. The topics will have a lifestyle slant and include travel inspo, cooking, fashion trends, celebrity profiles, home and gardening tips and viral conversations. So basically, Netflix is trying to become a pseudo version of YouTube with video content. 

There will be archival content with BuzzFeed Celeb’s 30 Questions, Vanity Fair’s Lie Detector, Architectural Digest’s Walking Tour, Harper’s Bazaar’s Burning Questions, Billboard’s 24 Hrs With, Variety’s How Well Do They Know?, People’s My Life in Pictures and Travel + Leisure’s Travel Unfiltered. 

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I suppose it does make sense to try to bring in fans of those types of series and then perhaps recommend shows/movies that align with their interests. That’s better than introducing a bunch of new series and cancelling them after one season. We will check out these videos and see if it’s what Netflix needs to set themselves up to elevate to a new streaming level.

The post Netflix Teams Up With Media Outlets for Video Content appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• ’80s power ballad icon Bonnie Tyler is dead. The “Total Eclipse of the Heart” singer was 75 at the time of her death.

At Nerdist, we don’t cover too much music. But it’s undoubtedly true that the movies and TV series that we love so much are greatly impacted by the great musical artists of different times. And one of these artists is absolutely Bonnie Tyler. From Stranger Things to Shrek, ’80s power ballad icon Bonnie Tyler has certainly left her mark across pop culture. (Not to mention given this author her favorite karaoke song.) And so, with great sadness, we share that Bonnie Tyler has died. Tyler was 75 at the time of her death.

Bonnie Tyler’s death marks the loss of a great ’80s icon. And if you’ve never seen her “Total Eclipse of the Heart” music video, it’s a great cinematic masterpiece in its own right. And we greatly encourage you to watch it immediately. Dramatic lighting, billowing fabric, dancers in the middle of the hall, falling chandeliers, and a possessed group of college men, for some reason. We have no choice but to stan. Tyler knew how to deliver a power ballad.

Bonnie Tyler

In a statement around Bonnie Tyler’s death, her family shares, “Bonnie’s family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in a hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for. We will issue a further statement shortly, but for now, ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy.”

It seems Bonnie Tyler had been unwell for some time leading up to her death, and had been in a prolonged medically induced coma after undergoing emergency surgery for a perforated intestine.

The Welsh singer, who originally found fame in the 1970s and 80s, was still performing concerts late into her life. And even though it had been over 40 years since “Total Eclipse of the Heart” released and became a huge hit, Bonnie Tyler loved it her whole life. “I never get tired of singing it,” she shared with BBC News. “I love it because everyone can’t wait to sing it.”

And love it we do. We feel greatly saddened by Tyler’s death. But grateful that she gave generations of people an anthem to scream in the shower as they pour their hearts to the gods. We appreciate the legacy Bonnie Tyler leaves to the world.

The post Bonnie Tyler Dies, ‘Total Eclipse’ Singer Was 75 appeared first on Nerdist.

Benchmark-backed Ollama has amassed 176,000 stars, and nearly 17,000 forks on Github by helping developers easily run AI on their PCs.

In an interesting twist that takes advantage of the company's core product, users can chat with these shows' characters, ask them questions, and even roleplay different storylines.

Nilekani remains Fundamentum's anchor investor as the firm expands its leadership team and targets AI and fintech startups in India.

The caller ID company says users are increasingly ignoring and blocking calls from India's dedicated business number series.

The saga of Musk's tussle with the SEC over how he disclosed his growing stake in Twitter (now called X) has come to an end.

The $300 million round is expected to be led by Menlo Ventures, Sifted reported.