Who is this Phoenix?

A few weeks ago Joaquin Phoenix showed up to that Airbnb.org gala and people were like… huh? Joaquin Phoenix? He’s one of the more elusive celebrities, he’s not often on the party circuit, he famously does not want to see and be seen. But he was one of the most surprising stars on that guest list - for a cause. Airbnb.org is Airbnb’s non-profit, providing housing for those in crisis…which is why that inaugural event was so well attended.

Two weeks later, Joaquin again – and this time there is no philanthropic angle, this is just straight brand partnership: he’s starring in Gentle Monster’s new Intelligent Eyewear campaign, wearable A.I., a new collection that launched yesterday in partnership with Google and Samsung. Joaquin stars in a short film for the brand(s), directed by Jonathan Glazer.

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Gentle Monster is exploding in popularity, already huge in East Asia and now popping off in the west. And everyone is trying to get in on the fashion + tech trend, so that tracks, I guess; it’s just Joaquin Phoenix who I’m having a hard time connecting to this because for a long, long, lonnnngggg time we’ve known Joaquin Phoenix to be a vegan and a climate crisis advocate.

He got up on stage when he won the Golden Globe six years ago and called for climate action. And A.I. is actively threatening environmental resources, this isn’t a fringe theory. Maybe there is an argument out there for how A.I. wearables are actually not that harmful to the environment, and a justification for A.I. use in this way that will actually help the climate and the communities that data centers directly impact. Maybe someone out there reading this will tell me that wearing a pair of A.I. glasses uses virtually no energy and does not need to go through a data center and nobody needs to be worried about it and this is not in conflict with what Joaquin Phoenix values. I am not being sarcastic, I look forward to hearing from you so that I can stop being confused.

For now I will keep trying to imagine Joaquin googling something through his glasses or taking a photo of something when he’s walking down the street.

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What else happened today…

Speaking of A.I., the biggest gossip saga of the week, and on the planet, continued today as Jensen Huang resigned from Nvidia. Brian Phillips writes about how this has “f-cked everybody”. (The Ringer)

Kayleigh Donaldson on KATSEYE in crisis. (Pajiba)

I am typically into Miu Miu. And I’m into each separate piece of Ella Purnell’s Miu Miu outfit. The polo is cute. The striped shirt is cute. The dress is cute… but all together? And those shoes? And the way this shot is lit? I don’t get how this was approved by the brand itself. (Go Fug Yourself)

Ariana Grande brought Ricky Alvarez to a work event so that’s basically how serious they are now. (Celebitchy)

I am powerless to resist a headline like “I love my boyfriend but is he rich enough?” (The Cut)