Filmmaker Interviews

08/04/2025

From the Sundance Institute

07/30/2025

Compete for $80K+ in Prizes

07/29/2025

07/29/2025

John Mayer just introduced Conan O’Brien to the chaotic world of Italian brainrot memes, and the internet can’t get enough.

During a recent episode of How’s Life with John Mayer, the musician unexpectedly dropped knowledge about one of TikTok’s weirdest corners: the Italian brainrot meme universe.

It started with a simple question from Mayer: “Are you familiar with the Italian brainrot characters?” Unsurprisingly, Conan had no idea what he was in for.

“Never. Never heard that until now. But educate me. Tell me,” Conan replied.

Mayer eagerly obliged. He explained how people feed bizarre prompts into AI, like putting sneakers on a shark, then give the results hilariously nonsensical, Italian-sounding names. In the shark’s case, it is named Tralalero Tralala.

Any creator of an Italian brainrot meme, Mayer explained, “takes the AI image and names it something ridiculous, gibberish, Italian-sounding.” These meme characters then circulate in high schools, where students shout the names across classrooms for laughs.

“It’s this democratic Disney thing,” Mayer added, “that doesn’t belong to anybody.”

Italian brainrot memes, also called “AI brainrot,” are absurdist creations blending goofy AI images with musical-sounding gibberish. Iconic examples include Tralalero Tralala (a shark in sneakers), Ballerina Cappuccina (a ballerina in the shape of a coffee cup), and Bombardino Crocodilo (an airplane with a crocodile head).

These memes went on to develop their own bizarre lore through the lens of social media. TikTok creators crafted stories around love triangles and betrayals involving characters like Ninja Cappuccino Assassino and Tung Tung Tung Sahur, a Ramadan-themed Indonesian AI meme later adopted into the Italian meme “canon.”

Other characters include Trippi Troppi Troppa Trippa, a trout-like man with hairy arms, and Brr Brr Patapim, a proboscis monkey with root-like legs.

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07/29/2025

Q&A WITH SALLY FIELD

07/29/2025

From the Sundance Institute

07/29/2025

07/23/2025

Skydance says it will appoint an ombudsman to “evaluate” complaints of bias at the network.

07/23/2025

Kevin Feige had a clear and compelling response to critics who accuse the MCU of being “woke” or overly focused on DEI initiatives. In a conversation with reporters on July 20, 2025, he challenged the notion—stating that Marvel’s approach mirrors our real-world diversity, not a fictional utopia or dystopia.
He explained, “I said this before ‘woke’ and ‘DEI’ became a thing and I’m still saying it after: Marvel is the world outside your window… It’s not Gotham City and Metropolis. This is New York and L.A.. And yes, there’s also Wakanda and Asgard, but it is all made up of the people who make up our world.”.
Feige didn’t frame Marvel’s diverse casting as a trend, but as a long-standing creative philosophy. He emphasized that the studio began representing a broader array of characters well before “woke” became a buzzword, and that those values remain intact. What's more, he pointedly differentiates fictional landscapes—like Wakanda or Asgard—from the familiar, multicultural cities of the real world, such as New York and Los Angeles..
Feige’s statements come during a period when many Hollywood studios are retreating from formal DEI initiatives. Disney, for example, recently rebranded its DEI program amid external pressures, despite maintaining on-screen diversity in MCU projects..
Yet Feige stands firm. He celebrated recent diverse heroes—Ms. Marvel, Shang Chi, and Black Panther—not just as isolated successes, but as cultural milestones that drive authentic storytelling. He emphasized that the studio will continue featuring such characters regardless of box office performance or backlash..
Kevin Feige boldly framed Marvel as a mirror to our real world—a creative decision, not a political statement. By distancing the MCU from purely fictional cities and reaffirming his long-held values, he underscored a commitment to inclusive narratives that reflect our society as it actually is.