You, Lu, entangling | The Pressres

A section that allows our columnist to look over his shoulder

No, Céline is not agony

The proliferation of photos generated by artificial intelligence (AI) where stars appear in incredible staging is a scourge. Céline Dion and Phil Collins were recently shown on a hospital bed, the first crying hot tears with Ed Sheeran, the second listening to her friend McCartney sing a song to him.

It is so big that a tiny part of the public believes in these holes. But the day will come when creators will show subtlety. And that day, it will be very difficult to disentangle the true from the false.

In the meantime, I become more and more suspicious every day. I scrutinize everything: the number of fingers, the texture of the skin, the size of the objects in relation to the rest, the details of the jewelry, etc. I am like in the game of the 7 errors.

Faced with this, several websites and applications allowing to know if an image was created by a human or by AI are emerging (we create tools to generate falsehoods and we create others capable of recognizing these falsehoods). But where it is necessary to act quickly, it is on the legislative level.

At the beginning of the summer, the new Canadian Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, Evan Solomon, said that he would focus less on AI regulation and more on the search for means to exploit the economic advantages of this technology. Not reassuring at all.

René Lévesque seen by Martine Tremblay

I renounced the enriching interview that Martine Tremblay gave Marie-Louise Arseneault, as part of the series Political passionon here first. The old strategist was only 23 years old when she was recruited by René Lévesque. She climbed the ladder until she became her chief of staff.

The one who is rare in an interview recalls that many young advisers surrounded René Lévesque at that time, that is to say in the early 1970s. These people had the incredible chance of getting their start with the one who offered them his confidence. And a future project.

This is what political parties can no longer do today.

Listen to the interview with Martine Tremblay

50 years ago was born Fabienne Thibeault

From August 10 to 17, 1975, Quebec City welcomed singing Août, a mega-event which was aimed at highlighting Quebec song. More than 500 artists, known and unknown, found themselves there. Scenes were devoted to the next generation every day.

On August 11, the public discovered a young 23 -year -old singer in the Governors’ park. Her name was Fabienne Thibeault and had as a business card the interpretation prize that she had won a year earlier at the Granby Festival.

In a few songs, the author-interpreter put the public in the pocket of her peasant skirt. The timbre of the voice, the look, the attitude, it all seemed so different in the eyes of the producers who came to spot new foals. According to legend, several of them rushed on her after her singing tour.

In 1976, she launched a first disc made of songs almost entirely signed by her. In 1978 and 1979, she exploded on the disc and in the show of Starmania. The rest belongs to history.

Trump insults clowns

We hear a lot saying that Donald Trump is a clown. It should not be said anymore. It is an insult for clowns. It is the president of the association Clowns Sans Frontières who wrote it in the Washington Post. “The real clowns bring joy, not chaos,” he says. He is right.

So, in all respect for clowns around the world, let us adopt the term buffoon to speak of the American president.

Lavilliers poetry

In recent months, I have a lot of paying tribute to giants at the time of their death. So I want, without any reason, to tell you how Bernard Lavilliers (still alive) is a huge song artist. You have to listen to your work to realize it.

My reading list recently offered me The English walksong that appears on the disc Powerspublished in 1979. It is of incomparable beauty. The sound of the poorly granted piano provides a unique atmosphere to this work which borders on perfection. A great writing lesson.

Soon death and you hang on / to old not beautiful memories / a few tickets at the bottom of the pockets / a little girl by the water / soon death and you drop out / very gently your false nails / fierce greed / black clothes and tangos.

The latest festivals

Summer is coming to an end. I saw a few days ago the first yellow leaves peel off from the trees. We no longer sing “here have taken out the chairs on the gallery”, but “Dollarama has released its Halloween decorations”.

However, there are several festivals and shows to see: the just for laughter festival and the superfrancofête in Quebec, Mutek in Montreal, the International Jazz Festions in Rimouski, the Gatineau Montgolfières festival, the Cityfolk festival in Ottawa.

To help you move, I tell you: January, -17 degrees, 11 centimeters of snow, frozen sidewalks, snowy cars …

Ah! I knew that your folding chair was not far!