Re: Which RSPWers saw this as their only chance?


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Researcher: Humans will wed robots

MAASTRICHT, Netherlands, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- The University of Maastricht in
the Netherlands is awarding a doctorate to a researcher who wrote a paper
on marriages between humans and robots.

David Levy, a British artificial intelligence researcher at the college,
wrote in his thesis, "Intimate Relationships with Artificial Partners,"
that trends in robotics and shifting attitudes on marriage are likely to
result in sophisticated robots that will eventually be seen as suitable
marriage partners.

Levy's conclusion was based on about 450 publications in the fields
of psychology, sexology, sociology, robotics, materials science,
artificial intelligence, gender studies and computer-human interaction.

The thesis examines human attitudes toward affection, love and sexuality
and concluded that the findings are just as applicable to human
interaction with robots of the future as they are to the relationships
between humans of today.

Unfortunately, I do see this eventually happening.

I mean, come on, a completely accurate physical representation (I
completely believe that can happen in the next 100-200 years) that you
don't have to worry about betraying you? With sophisticated programming?

Losers last resort. And it will happen.

How about this...
By Gregg Goldstein Thu Oct 11, 8:50 AM ET

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - How do you market a wholesome, old-fashioned
film about a churchgoer who falls in love with his sex doll? Grass-roots
screenings with religious groups, maybe?

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That's one of the novel approaches being taken with the marketing campaign
for director Craig Gillespie's unexpectedly poignant comedy "Lars and the
Real Girl," which opens Friday in Los Angeles and New York.

"Half Nelson" Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling plays Lars, a painfully shy loner
who lives in the garage next to his brother and sister-in-law's house.
Crushed by the loss of his parents, he orders a lifelike doll named Bianca
over the Web and convinces himself that she's his girlfriend. The local
doctor (Patricia Clarkson) persuades his family, his small town and even his
church to help him by going along with the delusion and accept Bianca as a
real person.

There's nothing really prurient in the film, which earned a mild PG-13
rating for "some sex-related content." Lars and Bianca sleep in separate
houses. There's a discreet scene in which Bianca's potential in-laws bathe
her, but while some silicone is exposed, her anatomical correctness is never
shown.

The film's producer, Sidney Kimmell Entertainment (SKE), plans more than 100
promo screenings by the time the film goes wide on October 26 including,
yes, outreach to church leaders.

"We've found an enormous response from mainstream Christian groups," says
Bingham Ray, who heads up SKE's distribution operations. "Some pastors may
discuss the film as part of their sermons."

The trailer doesn't intentionally misrepresent the film's tone, but it does
feature Bianca in ridiculous situations (holding a baby, sitting in church),
making it tough to convey the film's themes of acceptance, tolerance and
kindness.

"It's a hurdle we're trying to work with," Gillespie says. "I'm hoping the
campaign will put more weight on Ryan's performance and the emotional
journey that's happening to his character as it rolls out."

Ray says the marketing drive is likely to evolve.

Gillespie has reason to be nervous. His feature debut, "Mr. Wood***," was
passed to "Wedding Crashers" director David Dobkin after poor test
screenings where audiences expected a different tone based on the premise.
The Billy Bob Thornton comedy has earned just $23 million after four
weekends.

"The concept of a gym teacher falling in love with his student's mom wasn't
suited to mining the damaged relationship between a mother and son and
Freudian triangle (issues)," he says. "A lot of comedies are suited to being
dark and subtle, and that was not one of them. I think it was my own
undoing."

With "Lars," Gillespie made the film he wanted to make with his backers'
full support.

After the former commercials director spent four years unsuccessfully
shopping Nancy Oliver's screenplay to the indies, the project came together
in five days. Gillespie arranged a meeting with SKE, which produced such
films as the FBI thriller "Breach" and the upcoming Afghan drama "The Kite
Runner." He then sent the script to Gosling on a Friday. By Monday he had
agreed to star, and SKE agreed to produce the $12 million film that
Wednesday.

Now comes the hard part. The movie earned a rapturous reception at the
Toronto International Film Festival last month, but whether audiences can or
will ignore the sex doll in the room remains to be seen.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter



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