Bryson DeChambeau would "love to" bring his popular YouTube series to Charlotte
Why it matters: The professional golfer's YouTube channel has 1.95 million subscribers, and "Break 50" has featured everyone from Tom Brady to President Donald Trump.
The video with Brady has 3.5 million views. The video with Trump, who was not in office at the time the video was filmed, has 14 million views.
"It would be an honor to bring the Break 50 series to Quail Hollow," DeChambeau said. "We've got a couple of other ideas we'd love to do, but that would be awesome."
The big picture: DeChambeau, one of more than 150 golfers competing in the PGA Championship this week, isn't just one of the top golfers in the game. He's gone from being one of the game's antagonists to a social media star.
"It really gives me perspective out there when I'm under intense pressure and somebody yells out, 'hey, let's do a Break 50,' or 'I loved the video with John Daly,' or whatever," DeChambeau said. "It really sets me back into a positive mind frame of I know why I'm doing this."
Between the lines: The Majors are the only time LIV golfers play in Charlotte, so this week is a rare appearance for DeChambeau, who left the PGA Tour for LIV in 2022.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Quebec man who pulled off AI band hoax reveals his identity
The Quebec man who pranked journalists and music fans by saying he was behind a wildly successful AI band has revealed his identity as web platform safety and policy issues expert Tim Boucher. Speaking on video from his workspace in a rural area outside Quebec City, Boucher told CBC News Wednesday that the reality-blurring prank was partly motivated by revenge for the five years he worked as a content moderator. "When you're the one that has to deal with all the fighting and the fakery and just all of the garbage that humans can come up with, it changes how you look at the world," he said. Last month, Boucher claimed he created the Velvet Sundown, a '70s-inspired "band" that had about 300,000 monthly listeners at the time and was drawing attention for appearing to use AI. He set up an X account purporting to represent the band and fielded media requests. Using the pseudonym Andrew Frelon — frelon being the French word for hornet — he first said the band was made up of real humans, then "admitted" it was AI, then said he had nothing to do with it at all. The Velvet Sundown now has nearly 1.5 million monthly listeners and its creator remains a mystery. "I want to be able to show people a bit of what that's like — this feeling of having to determine what's real, and having to determine is this right or is this wrong, or having to make all these really weird decisions that for some reason are your problem, or your responsibility," Boucher told CBC News. Boucher has previously been in the news for publishing novels using AI and proposing an AI bill of rights. He also has a history of public pranks, having helped create a fake company and a fake art movement. He insisted on using a pseudonym when he spoke to CBC News three weeks ago, in part because he says he was bombarded with messages from people telling him to kill himself over the Velvet Sundown experiment. He says those messages have tapered off significantly. He says he also hopes to deepen the "convoluted" conversation that has come out of his experiment. "I realized that there's a limit of the depth that we can go to if I'm not willing to expose myself, too, and to be vulnerable," he said. The truth is out there The experiment has sparked conversations about the impact of AI and artificial streaming on music platforms, while spawning a miniature industry around the mysterious band. Countless AI artists with identical or similar names to the Velvet Sundown have popped up on Spotify. On YouTube, people have made videos using band's songs, dissecting the controversy, creating similar AI bands and, in one case, making an eerily realistic fake documentary. At times, it's difficult to parse who is involved with the original Velvet Sundown, who is trying to capitalize on its success and who is simply toying with the absurdity of it all. The Velvet Sundown's official social media accounts have remained quiet, and have not responded to CBC News's requests for comment. Two men behind one of whom says he's Canadian and lives part-time in Vancouver, told CBC News they are part of a network of people behind the Velvet Sundown, but declined to answer specific questions about the operation. The site is selling Velvet Sundown-branded merchandise but is not linked to the band's official Spotify or social media accounts. Meanwhile Vinyl Group, which owns Rolling Stone Australia and other music outlets, bought as a condemnation of AI trickery, with an expressed goal to "expose the fakes." Rolling Stone Australia editor in chief Neil Griffiths told CBC News he's found the Velvet Sundown experiment both "fascinating" and "terrifying" and says the new website will be a hub for conversations and investigations about AI and art. Spotify has not responded to CBC News's requests for comment. Boucher wants people to be vigilant Boucher's X account, which he initially claimed was run by the band, turned to absurd farewell messages mid week, including AI-generated images of the band members walking into Narnia, being abducted by a UFO and going to heaven. He also posted a collection of public domain Velvet Sundown T-shirt designs, playing on one of the biggest questions raised by the spectacle: who has the rights to a band that no one will claim ownership of? LISTEN | An expert speaks on AI and thinking: Many have suspected he's behind the band after all, a theory Boucher played into with a satirical blog post before going public with his real name in a lengthy blog post entitled The True Confessions of Andrew Frelon. He maintains he has nothing to do with the Velvet Sundown and has been working to crack the case himself. In the meantime, Boucher says he hopes the experiment encourages people to be more vigilant about verifying things they see — and people they encounter — online. "I want people to be encouraged and to learn on their own, to share and to have those conversations," he said. "In a way, it's too bad that sometimes the best way to make those conversations is to trick people in the wild. But I think if you can do that, and then you can expose the trick, there can be a lot of value in that."
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
'Happy Gilmore 2' best sports moments: Scottie Scheffler arrested again
Spoiler alert! We're discussing important plot points during "Happy Gilmore 2" (streaming now). If you haven't seen the movie yet and don't want to know anything about the plot, stop reading now! The future of "regular golf" is on the line and Happy Gilmore is a down-on-his-luck drunk and father of five who gave up the game years ago after he accidentally killed his wife, Virginia Venit, with a wayward drive off the tee. Shooter McGavin is in an insane asylum and Gilmore is working at a grocery store. This is the foundation behind the beginning premise of "Happy Gilmore 2," the highly-anticipated made-for-Netflix sequel of Adam Sandler's classic 1996 golf film that was released by the streaming service on Friday, July 25. Sandler and much of the original cast returned to reprise their roles for a story set almost 30 years later, with plenty of nostalgic moments, people and scenes that call back to the first movie. But the plot also plays off modern golf themes with a new renegade league promising more fun threatening the existence of "The Tour." Gilmore ends up having to save the sport, save himself, find enough money to send his daughter to ballet school in Paris and get grandma's house back (after he lost it again following Virginia's death). It's a fun trip down memory lane fueled by sports, with much of the film taking place on golf courses, golf simulators, driving ranges and batting cages, as a bevy of celebrities and athletes appear on screen in various roles or as themselves. Here's a look at some of the best sports moments and cameos from "Happy Gilmore 2," (and we'll try not to spoil too much of the movie if you haven't seen it yet, but beware): Scottie Scheffler gets arrested … again There were loads of recognizable golfers from the past and present in the film (although Tiger Woods is notably not one of them, despite being mentioned). But current world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler provided the most timely comic relief as the script called for a couple references to Scheffler's infamous arrest at the 2024 PGA Championship. Happy Gilmore shows Scheffler how to win a hockey fight at one point. Scheffler uses the skills late in the film when he punches an opponent when The Tour is in a showdown with evil, "Maxi Golf." Scheffler is disqualified and put in handcuffs, at which point he says, "Oh, no. Not again." Scheffler is later shown in prison, including a hidden scene after the credits. He also blows off an interview featuring goofy questions by Gary Potter, played again by actor and comedian Kevin Nealon. Jack Nicklaus is a close second in the golf humor department when he orders a "half-lemonade, half-iced tea, refusing to call it an "Arnold Palmer." Will Zalatoris is Happy Gilmore's former caddie There are several modern-day twists on what happened in the first "Happy Gilmore," but the best might be the way the script capitalizes on PGA Tour golfer Will Zalatoris and his striking resemblance to the actor who played Gilmore's caddie in the original film. For "Happy Gilmore 2," Zalatoris plays himself but he's also Gilmore's former caddie and, unbeknownst to Gilmore, he's now on Tour. The two end up in the same group at The Tour Championship, with the grudge Zalatoris holds about the way Gilmore used to treat him serving as a catalyst for a fun montage showcasing Gilmore's return to tournament golf. Gilmore ends up accidentally hitting Zalatoris with a snake, covering him in sand from the bunker and eventually tackles him into a pond just like the old days thinking Zalatoris likes it. Zalatoris, for good measure, is shown choking his own caddie like Gilmore once did to him, with Gilmore offering his approval. Bad Bunny is Happy Gilmore's new caddie thanks to evil Travis Kelce Happy Gilmore's new caddie winds up being Oscar, a waiter played by Puerto Rican actor and rapper Bad Bunny. Oscar gets unfairly fired by his boss, played by Travis Kelce, during the Tour Champions dinner attended by Gilmore. After Gilmore can't persuade Kelce's character he's being too harsh, Oscar shows up at the first tee as Gilmore's caddie still dressed in his waiter's outfit and no clue what to do with Gilmore's clubs. Gilmore asks Oscar to go to his "happy place" on the green for him at one point and it leads to a dream sequence in which Bad Bunny's character lathers honey on Kelce's character tied to a tree. A bear then approaches to eat Kelce before the camera cuts back to the golf course. 'Uncle John Daly,' Happy Gilmore's drunk neighbor Happy Gilmore's daughter Vienna, played by Sunny Sandler, one of Sandler's real-life children, initially calls John Daly, "Uncle John Daly." He lives next to Gilmore in the rougher neighborhood he has to move to when he loses all his money. Daly is treated as a quasi-family member in the film. As part of a running gag in the film in which Sandler's character hides booze in an assortment of props and household items, Daly is frequently seen squirting booze into his mouth from a bottle of hand sanitizer. But Daly, a recovering alcoholic in real life, also serves as a sounding board and confidant for Gilmore as he contemplates returning to golf, reminding him to, "Grip it and rip it." Boban goes streaking Remember Mr. Larson, the large construction foreman who had a nail in his head courtesy of Happy Gilmore, only to become his biggest fan in the gallery? Well, he's not in the sequel after chasing Shooter McGavin for Gilmore's gold jacket. But his son, played by 7-foot-4 former NBA center Boban Marjanovic, appears in the film. Like his father, Drago Larson comes to Gilmore's aid from the gallery on the golf course when Gilmore falls off the wagon on Mother's Day. Gilmore avoids arrest because the police have to chase after Boban's character, who takes off his clothes and goes streaking down the fairway. Happy Gilmore takes golf's best to batting cage The lead up to the film's final competition (trying not to spoil too much) includes a scene in which Happy Gilmore takes Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Scheffler to the batting cages. This, he tells them, is how he used to get ready for big tournaments and there's even a flashback to the memorable scene of Gilmore taking baseballs into the chest from the first movie. But DeChambeau proceeds to get hit below the waist and the rest of the world's best golfers get taken out, too.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
'Happy Gilmore 2' works because it has something for the woke and Trump crowds
Whether you're a liberal or a conservative, it's not hard to find parts of Happy Gilmore's personality that fit your world view. There's a danger in trying to pull too much hidden meaning from an Adam Sandler movie. For years, the comedian-turned-actor has starred in films that provide a few belly laughs ‒ at least for those of us with a certain sense of humor ‒ but not a lot of in-depth social commentary on the human condition. With Sandler, dating to his time as a "Saturday Night Live" cast member during the early 1990s, what you see is mostly what you get. With his style of comedy, you either love it or you don't. Except for the original "Happy Gilmore" and "The Wedding Singer," I find most of his movies unwatchable. Yet there was something about the original "Happy" movie, featuring a failed hockey player who turns into an irreverent golfing sensation, that inspired a cult following and compelled Hollywood to greenlight a sequel almost 30 years after the first movie's debut. After much more thought than a healthy person probably should give to such matters, I believe I've discovered why Happy Gilmore makes his fans happy: He's a character who appeals to both the woke- and the MAGA-oriented in our tribal society. The subtle genius of 'Happy Gilmore' If you remember any tidbits of the first movie, the MAGA side of Happy Gilmore's personality was easy to see, two decades before Donald Trump's first successful run for the presidency. As a hockey fan, Happy was a man's man. He had a short temper and a tendency for settling problems with his fists. He hated effeminate intellectual types, like the tax collector who was preparing to sell his grandmother's home at auction. If Trump says what a lot of people are thinking, Happy did what a lot of people would like to do ‒ either by taking a whack at those who annoyed him or tossing them through glass doors. In the first movie, after discovering his talent for hitting long drives, Happy joined a professional golfing circuit, modeled after the real-life PGA Tour, then made a mockery of the sport's stuffy traditions and mannerisms. Opinion: I'm taking a stand against jacked-up airline fees by taking the middle seat Parts of the story are very familiar. "Caddyshack" was another golfing movie that poked fun at the snobbery of the country club set and the decadent lives its members led. Happy and his followers in the first movie seem to identify strongly with the Make America Great Again crowd of modern-day politics, too. Happy's supporters at golf tournaments were bikers and other free-spirited individuals who delighted in following their Everyman hero's lead and defying rules and conventions aimed at ruining the common person's fun. Happy was Trump before Trump burst onto the political scene. Don't forget that Happy had another side That's not all, though: The Happy of the original movie was a pretty woke guy, too. Consider the people in his inner circle: There's his mentor, a Black former golfer. His caddy is a homeless person he meets at his first pro event. His main love interest is the smart and capable tour communications director, who is dismissed by chauvinistic men in her life. His role model is his elderly grandmother. Opinion: Undocumented immigrants are easy to demonize. Punish businesses instead. Happy seems to see the value in people regardless of their gender, social status, color or age. While he is short-tempered and prone to violence, he also is quick to show forgiveness and compassion toward the less fortunate. That was the hidden genius of the first movie. Happy had traits that were relatable to people at both ends of our society's fragmented political spectrum. Die-hard conservatives and raging liberals alike could cherry-pick some of Happy's traits and claim him as their own. So how did this character development translate in "Happy Gilmore 2"? Same old Happy, with a few twists The new Happy, 30 years older and maybe somewhat wiser, hasn't mellowed all that much. He's still quick to use his fists to settle problems, or even toss those who bother him into a nearby lobster tank. He also has four sons who have grown into regular working Joes, all doing manual labor jobs and sharing their dad's pugilistic tendencies. "Money is for snobs," one of them declares early in the movie. Happy has a new live-in house guest − former pro golfer John Daly, an unabashed Trump supporter in real life, who plays himself in the movie. (Don't worry; there are plenty of other cameos from athletes, sportscasters and other celebrities to keep the surprises coming throughout the movie.) Happy 2.0 still has qualities that should also endear him to liberals. His new caddy is played by Bad Bunny, a Hispanic singer who endorsed Kamala Harris in last year's election. His allies in the movie include the son of his Black golfing mentor from the first movie and a transgender Black woman. Happy spends a large portion of the movie trying to get his daughter into ballet school − in Paris, of all places − and he ends up defending some of the stodgy traditions he mocked in the first movie. In short, whether you're a liberal or a conservative, it's not hard to find parts of Happy's personality that fit your world view. Whether that was by accident or design, it may explain why Hollywood thought movie fans would be willing to walk the course with Happy Gilmore again after all these years. Blake Fontenay is USA TODAY's commentary editor.
