While You Were Sleeping, Stephen Fry Wrote A Moving Essay About Russia’s Anti-Gay Laws And Boycotting The Winter Olympics

Welcome to Spike Jonze’s vision of the future, where Joaquin Phoenix makes sex moves on a computer

Her is Spike Jonze’s upcoming sci-fi romance, a kinda follow-up to his excellent 2010 Andrew Garfield-as-robot short film, I’m Here. It stars Joaquin Phoenix as a lonely sadsack writer who learns to love life again with the help of a friendly AI computer operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). “Awww,” we all sigh in unison… And then the trailer goes and makes it all creepy around the 1:25 mark.

Besides Joaquin Phoenix’s awesome hipster clothes, the film also features Rooney Mara and Amy Adams in minor roles, and a score by Arcade Fire (whose music was featured heavily in Jonze’s 2009 film, Where The Wild Things Are). This is what happens when people get too attached to Siri.

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Stephen Fry’s open letter on Russia’s anti-gay laws will make you wonder why Stephen Fry isn’t the King of England already

The upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia have been under a controversial cloud lately, not because the general public’s finally realised they don’t give a shit about things like luge, but because of the host country’s ongoing human rights abuses. Last month, President Vladimir Putin introduced the latest in a string of laws banning the “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations”, which is legal -talk for “No more gays!” Just last week, four Dutch filmmakers were arrested in the northern city of Murmansk for allegedly discussing gay rights with local teens.

As the Winter Olympics opening approaches in February, the international condemnation’s started to step up. Barack Obama addressed his concerns extensively during an appearance on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show a couple of days ago, but the most eloquent and emotional response to date came overnight from comedian, scribe and general excellent dude, Stephen Fry, who penned an open letter to UK Prime Minister David Cameron and the International Olympic Committee, calling for a boycott of the Games.

In the two-page screed, Fry compares the situation to the ’36 Olympics in Nazi Berlin:

“I am gay. I am a Jew. My mother lost over a dozen of her family to Hitler’s anti-Semitism. Every time in Russia (and it is constantly) a gay teenager is forced into suicide, a lesbian ‘correctively’ raped, gay men and women beaten to death by neo-Nazi thugs while the Russian police stand idly by, the world is diminished and I for one, weep anew at seeing history repeat itself.”

Read the whole thing here, and remind yourself to stop forgetting to watch QI.

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Fox News really hates Ryan Adams now

When not grilling Muslim religious scholars on their academic credentials, Fox News hosts are now apparently screaming violently at cult alt-country rockers. Ryan Adams — maker of beloved albums like 2000’s Heartbreaker  and lover of beloved wife Mandy Moore — drew Fox’s warped ire after sending this excellent tweet to yell-y Fox News host Sean Hannity: “@SeanHannity Your entire soul is controlled by fear and by hate. Evolve little chicken man. See reality.”

True to form, Hannity brought up the whole episode on his morning talk show, bringing along two other talking heads (one of them was the current ‘Miss Oklahoma’) to join in the loud screaming, where, amongst other things, he called Ryan Adams “a wimp that hides behind rock star make-up”, which… well, come on, that’s a pretty great burn.

Watch the whole exchange here, if you don’t mind starting your morning with moronic yelling.

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Stephen Colbert got pissed at Daft Punk, held a ‘Get Lucky’ dance party anyway

Elusive French click-clack music duo Daft Punk were apparently supposed to appear on The Colbert Report last night, but bailed at the last minute, citing contractual issues with the upcoming MTV Music Awards. After hilariously berating them for a while, Colbert pushed on anyway with some other famous folks, including Matt Damon, Jeff Bridges, Breaking Bad‘s Bryan Cranston, House‘s Hugh Laurie, and ’80s politics’ Henry Kissinger.

Sheesh, who needs Daft Punk when you’ve got roller disco Walter White?