Remember when red carpets were about journalism… and not vertical video, viral moments, and whether someone got free cake?
This week on Entertainment Is Broken, Sarah and I dive into the growing clash between influencers and traditional entertainment journalism — and ask the uncomfortable question: who actually belongs on the red carpet anymore?
From the Oscars red carpet controversy to the backlash surrounding TikTok influencer Jake Shane at the Vanity Fair party, we break down what happens when viral culture meets legacy media… and whether the result is evolution or erosion.
Along the way, we explore:
How red carpet interviews have changed from journalism to content creation
The rise of TikTok influencers in Hollywood spaces
Whether viral moments are replacing meaningful conversations
Behind-the-scenes stories from TIFF, press junkets, and old-school Hollywood access
Why authenticity still matters — whether you have millions of followers or none
Plus: BTS Army shows up in a big way, Richard shares wild junket stories (including Rome and the Vatican…), and Sarah defends the idea that maybe disruption isn’t the enemy — maybe it’s the point.
Are influencers ruining the red carpet… or just revealing what it’s become?
The internet spent a week asking a very serious question:
Was that actually Jim Carrey… or someone wearing Jim Carrey?
When the comedy legend appeared at the César Awards in Paris, conspiracy theories exploded online. People compared eye colour, hand dominance, and facial features, trying to prove that the man on the red carpet couldn’t possibly be the real Jim Carrey.
Because obviously the most logical explanation is… a clone.
This week on Entertainment Is Broken, Sarah Hanlon and I unpack the strange online reaction and what it reveals about celebrity culture. Why do fans feel betrayed when stars change their appearance? Why did Jennifer Grey’s nose job derail her career? And why does Hollywood still pressure actors to look permanently 30 years old?
Along the way, Richard shares stories from meeting Jim Carrey before he was famous, interviewing Jennifer Lawrence early in her career, and why the new film Sweetness might be one of the year’s most interesting indie surprises.
What starts as a celebrity conspiracy theory quickly turns into something bigger:
A conversation about beauty standards, fame, identity… and why the internet thinks it owns your face once you’re famous.
Why do we travel just to stand where a movie scene was filmed?
This week on Entertainment Is Broken, Sarah Hanlon and I explore the booming $73 Billion world of film and TV tourism — from Twin Peaks and Ghostbusters to Hollywood landmarks and Ontario’s suddenly famous Heated Rivalry cottage. They unpack the nostalgia, escapism, and surprising economics behind visiting fictional worlds in real life… and ask whether renting a famous filming location is pure fan magic or brilliant marketing.
Because sometimes the real destination isn’t the place — it’s the story.
I’ve done this a long time, but on Friday as I sat next to Boo Radley, Lt. Col. William “Bill” Kilgore and Tom Hagan, all rolled up in the form of Robert Duvall, I don’t mind admitting I was star struck.
Even though he was one of the most quotable actors I had spoken to during the opening days of TIFF — for instance he said, “I call Billy Bob Thornton the hillbilly Orson Welles.” — while he was talking all I could hear were his lines from his famous movies rolling around in my head.
Getting an up close and personal look at the 83-year-old Oscar winner, brought back memories of him as Apocalypse Now’s warmongering Kilgore, shirtless kneeling down to tell his soldiers, “I love the smell of napalm in the morning,“ and Don Corleone’s loyal adopted son Tom in The Godfather. “He never asks a second favor when he’s been refused a first.”
The actor was at TIFF to discuss the opening night film The Judge. He stars opposite Robert Downey Jr. as an erasable old judge, who, when accused of vehicular manslaughter must reluctantly rely on his estranged lawyer son for a defense in court. Luckily I pulled myself together long enough to take some notes.
When he’s asked what it’s like to play a mean character, he says, “Who’s mean? What’s mean about him? He’s a human being.”
He adds, “I almost didn’t take this but once I took it I had to jump in. There are so many negative things about the guy.”
But when asked if he’s afraid to immerse himself in negative characters, his answer turns into a master class on acting. “Why would I be afraid? Once I commit to do it, I’ll do it. I just wonder about it sometimes. Is it worth it to show those negative aspects of somebody?
“But Shakespeare said you hold a mirror up to nature. You try and approximate life as much as possible. Brando used to watch Candid Camera. You try and watch things as closely as you can. You learn from life and you try and represent life as accurately as possible. There’s no right or wrong, there’s just truthful and untruthful.”
He’s a living legend, a star whose career spans six decades, but he’s not nostalgic for the past.
“I think movies are better than ever now. The actors are better. There’s room for everybody now. If you go world wide, I think the actors are better than ever.”
As for his own career, he has more movies on tap, including one he’s directing, starring his wife Luciana Pedraza as a “lady Texas Ranger.” “I got a few more left in me before they wipe the drool,” he says.
