It's All-out Virtual Popstar War!!!

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Never mind Beatles v Stones, Blur v Oasis, Britney v Christina, Hearsay v Shaggy, or even All Saints v All Saints... It's time for the computer 3D artists to get all bolshy with: TMmy vs T-Babe!!!

Yes, finally, after a long gestation period in Japan, the idea of the VR popstar has hit the UK, with two VR Britney clones, both developed by record companies working with games company type places in Central Scotland, strangely enough. And sure enough, they're already started a war of words, which appropriately enough, is pretty much on the "virtual" level, with TMmy's spokeman hilariously attacking T-Babe for having to "to be told what to say and do"!!

Well, they're got to do something I suppose- the main difference between the two seems to be that T-Babe is 18, whilst TMmy (Am I the only one whho thinks these names are a tad gimmicky!?!?) is 21, and holds a Motherwell season ticket. ;)

Old Fart

Old Fart!!!!, Wednesday, 28 March 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two months pass...
I've been waiting weeks for a response to this interesting question, but in vain. Why? Because I want to know more! The "virtual artist" has been predicted for so long, I want to know how the real "virtual" thing holds up. Certainly now that Hollywood actors must play computer-game creations in major motion pictures, it's time to begin think about these things in detail... Am I alone in this desire? Will T-Babe become a virtual drug addict or break with her manager in an ugly virtual tiff?

X. Y. Zedd, Friday, 22 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Did any ILM-ers finish W.Gibson's idoru? It's abt virtual popstardom — but I got bogged down abt 40 pages in, and never restarted. Given the family-romance undercurrents (OVERcurrents!) and Freudian subtext (SUPERTtext) of Pokemon 3, I'm totally looking forward to the Japanese leisure industry's version of (eg) Hear'Say v Gorillaz...!

Hentai slash popstars now: Nigel are you reading this?

mark s, Friday, 22 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

idoru wasn't bad, though if you want something that flows better, try the next one - all tomorrow's parites.

Geoff, Friday, 22 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

All Tomorrow's Parties actually forms the last of that trilogy I believe. What was interesting about that book was that Rei (the Idoru) dumped the real popstar (Lo/Rez) to become real herself (Surely Gibson's own commentary on the need for current stars to try to reinvent themselves/acheive independance/become mortal)...

Speaking of - I know that there are probably a million no-brainer metaphors between Artificial Intelligence and Pop Music - but the comparisons are pretty intriguing nonetheless. Idoru can be charted back to the Monkee's - a band specifically engineered by television (the laziest website), designed/programmed to attract young screaming girls. I find it fascinating that we're not seeing this phenomenon happening more in an age where AI-level games are growing more and more popular. (Probably due to the western notion of sincerity and the fact that most computer animation still looks as real as old "thunderbirds" episodes)

Perhaps Speilberg's summer offering "AI" might be a timely excursion for the ILM thread?

In any case - the original Idoru - Kyoko Date (DK96) - used to have a website - but unfortunately, her career must have ended with the last upgrade to Win2k. Looks like you'll have to build your own Idoru at Alicebot.org: http://alicebot.org/

Jason, Saturday, 23 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)


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