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1980s cultural icon Michael Winslow made an emotional comeback on 'America's Got Talent'

He walked away at the height of his fame to raise his children after his wife's sudden death.

via The Nerd Patrol / Flickr

Actor, comedian, and self-proclaimed "voicetramentalist," Michael Winslow was just about everywhere in the '80s. His incredible ability to make sound effects with his voice and uncanny beatboxing skills landed him the role of officer Larvell Jones in all seven "Police Academy" movies.

He also did voiceover work in "Gremlins" and appeared in Mel Brooks' "Spaceballs."

But Winslow was forced to scale back his career in 1993 after the death of his first wife Belinda Church. As a single father, he had to stop appearing in films so he could spend more time with his children.

He continued to star in the occasional commercial, perform stand-up comedy, and make guest appearances, but he didn't have the profile he once had.

Back in July of 2021, Winslow stepped back in the spotlight with a performance on "America's Got Talent." After some prodding from his son, he decided it would be the perfect venue to relaunch his career on television.

In the '80s, he was known as "The Man of 10,000 Sound Effects," but things have changed since then, he now claims to have "hundreds of thousands."

"Now, after raising my two kids, I'm in a different phase. I think this is my time," Winslow, 62, said on the episode. "And America's Got Talent is the place for me to show the world I still have something to offer, I still have some sounds to make. There's still room for a little more."

Judge Simon Cowell was excited to see Winslow when he took the stage. "We know you!" Cowell exclaimed. "I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that you are here!"

Winslow then gave a stunning performance where he impersonated the chimes on an airplane, beatboxed to Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust," and performed Jimi Hendrix's version of "The Star Spangled Banner." His performance was proof that after five decades in show business Winslow hasn't lost a step and, in fact, he may be at his peak.

After his performance, Winslow won a standing ovation from the audience and four "gigantic yeses" from the panel.

"My life has changed again for the better, and I've gotten another blessing," Winslow told Terry Crews after leaving the stage. America's Got Talent is the place for me to show I still have something to offer. I've still got some sounds to make, and there's still room for a little more."

Winslow is a great reminder that sometimes when celebrities seem to fade away, it isn't necessarily because they're washed up or past their prime. They are humans with real challenges just like the rest of us and real-world events can affect their career trajectories. It's great to see such a wonderful performer get another shot at the big time.

This article originally appeared on 07.14.21

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From comedies to kickass concerts, these two creatives are here to make social impact fun

Aaron Brown and Lenny Barszap raised millions for the unhoused community in a movement they've named "Trojan-horse social impact."

Lenny Barszap (Left) Aaron Brown (right)/ (The Pharcyde, Brownout, Adrian Quesada, Lenny Barszap, Chris Rogers (muralist), Chris Baker (TOOF), Aaron Brown) - photo credit IIsmael Quintanilla III

Have fun doing good.

There is often a distinct line between social impact—that is, something meant to provoke thought, connect us to our humanity, inspire positive change, etc.—and entertainment, which provides us a fun escape.

But sometimes that line can become blurred in innovative ways, allowing entertainment itself to be the change agent.

This is the concept behind creative partners Aaron Brown (Onion Creek Productions) and Lenny Barszap (Entertaining Entertainment)’s Been There music festivals, which are specifically intended to be social movements in disguise.

But first, let’s go back to 1997 when Brown and Barszap were in college. They met an unhoused former professor living in the park at the end of their block - a chance encounter that would change their lives forever.

Not wanting the man to suffer Texas’ infamous storms, Brown and Barszap offered the man a chance to crash on their porch—and later their couch as boundaries began to soften—which began a nearly yearlong chapter of bonding with him and others from his community.

Their relationship, along with the antics that ensued, would later become the basis for “Home Free,” a coming-of-age college comedy that Barszap calls “‘Dazed & Confused’ meets ‘Superbad,’” which premiered at Hollywood's iconic Chinese Theatre in July 2023 and earned rave reviews, including one from Kevin Smith saying it is “the most important comedy you’ll see this year.”

And while “Home Free” succeeds in providing laugh out loud moments, Brown and Barszap hoped it could be the first of many “Trojan horse-style social impact films,” using humor as the spoonful of sugar to raise awareness on the serious issue of homelessness.

That’s why the duo partnered with The Other Ones Foundation (TOOF), an organization that offers people in Austin, TX facing homelessness shelter, opportunities and support. Through this partnership, six percent of all donations raised for Brown and Barszap’s film went directly to the foundation. In addition, 10% of the film's profits were earmarked for TOOF and other nonprofits fighting to end homelessness.

Which brings us back to Been There, which got its title as a way of suggesting “we can get beyond homelessness and someday look back from a new perspective with empathy.”

Here’s how it started: In 2021, TOOF had recently begun supporting a tent encampment of around 200 people experiencing homelessness in East Austin, later renamed The Esperanza Community. Brown and Barszap began making relationships with Esperanza’s residents during production of “Home Free” (especially when filming was slowed to a halt during COVID).

Before/After images of The Esperanza Community

That year, Austin had been hit by some severe ice storms, causing power outages and devastating the tent community. And while replenishing supplies would have been enough to help the neighborhood recover, Barszap and Brown thought “why not go beyond necessities and replenish people’s spirits as well?”

And so, the pair called upon their musician friends, who just so happened to be Grammy award-winning heavy hitters in the industry, to put on a kickass private music festival.

The Esperanza community got to enjoy the talents of Adrian Quesada, best known for his work with The Black Pumas, as well as local legends like the latin funk orchestra Grupo Fantasma and indie darlings Wild Child, just to name a few. And even better, though no one intended to make the event a fundraiser, a couple of inspired attendees donated a collective $600,000 to TOOF on the spot.

Because their first event was such a success, another Been There festival was held in 2023, this time intended as a fundraiser, composed of musical heroes from the 90s and local Austin heavyweights. Headlining the act was legendary hip hop group The Pharcyde, who also contributed two new songs to the original soundtrack for “Home Free,” produced by Adrian Quesada. The Pharcyde were accompanied for the first time ever by a live band, Austin’s Latin-funk heroes Brownout who have backed the likes of Prince, GZA and many more.

Barszap told Upworthy the second festival was an even bigger hit. Not just because of the money it raised, but because it brought people together who might normally be separated by social barriers. And it all took place in Esperanza, which has now become a flourishing transitional tiny home community.

“It was incredible…so many showed up to the event and were surprised they were having an amazing night with people who were transitioning out of homelessness and getting back on their feet. Everyone was so moved that we raised over $1million that day, enough to build over 100 new tiny homes for The Esperanza Community,” he said.

(The Pharcyde, Brownout, Adrian Quesada, Lenny Barszap, Chris Rogers (muralist), Chris Baker (TOOF), Aaron Brown) - photo credit IIsmael Quintanilla III

The first two Been There music Fests were hosted at The Esperanza Community in Austin but Barszap and Brown envision a series of Been There's in cities across the country. "When you see the power of artists coming together to help our neighbors and spotlight the organizations doing the most innovative work, it's undeniable. We've seen first-hand how music and art can change lives," says Brown.

As more non-profit music festivals similar to Been There continue popping up across the country, both to reinvigorate those who are disenchanted with how capitalism has affected the industry, it’s becoming clear that this is more than a novel concept—it’s a style of entertainment that people actually want to participate in.

As for what the future holds: today, Been There is more than a music festival. It has transformed into a non-profit in its own right, bringing even more “Trojan horse-style social impact entertainment that kick-starts a movement” including festivals, films, art, music and proving that making a difference doesn’t have to be a chore or byproduct of guilt.

Lenny Barszap (Left) Aaron Brown (right)

Maybe it’s not so impossible to, as Barszap puts it, “have fun doing good.”

If you’d like to support more of Been There’s impactful entertainment, donate here.

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Taylor Swift praises 'gem' of a friend Beyoncé in a powerful display of female friendship

Swift was named Time's 2023 Person of the Year and used it to lift up other women.

photo by J.ébey/Wikipedia, photo by Angela George/Wikipedia

Tyalor Swift was recently names TIME's Person of the Year

On December 6, 2023, Taylor Swift was named TIME magazine’s Person of the Year, not only for her achievements as an entertainer, but as a changemaker.

In an exclusive interview with TIME, Swift spoke on a range of topics, including overcoming challenges in her career, navigating being “raised up and down the flagpole of public opinion” and key relationships that made her who she is today—one being her friendship with Beyoncé.

For years the media has made the two chart-topping artists out to be “frenemies” at best, a well-known catalyst moment being during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards show when Ye, formerly Kanye West, interrupted a then 19-year-old Swift during her acceptance speech for Best Female Video to go on a tirade about how Beyoncé should have won.

However, both women would go on to challenge this narrative of rivalry with their support of one another, be it at other awards shows, networking events, online or making guest appearances at each other’s record-shattering concert film premieres.

And in her interview with TIME, Swift couldn’t help but gush over her fellow music icon.

“She’s the most precious gem of a person — warm and open and funny," she told TIME. “And she’s such a great disrupter of music-industry norms. She taught every artist how to flip the table and challenge archaic business practices.”

Swift then argued that any supposed rivalry between her and Beyoncé was merely a thinly veiled marketing ploy:

“There were so many stadium tours this summer, but the only ones that were compared were me and Beyoncé. Clearly, it’s very lucrative for the media and stan culture to pit two women against each other, even when those two artists in question refuse to participate in that discussion.”

But that needs to change.

"I've never felt like there was a need for female artists to be in competition. There's room for everyone to shine,” she said.

It’s such a simple statement, but a powerful one—one that epitomizes a real turning point for how female friendships are portrayed in the media. More and more (think back to Jamie Lee Curtis hyping up Michelle Yeoh for her Golden Globe win earlier this year) we are seeing female peers swap out jealousy for being supportive of one another and celebrating each other's successes. In a world that still often divides women, this kind of solidarity feels pivotal.

Swift continues to use her massive platform as a force for good—avocating for women and girls, challenging negative stereotypes and encouraging positivity. And especially this year, her work has inspired coming together in pure joy. It was for these reasons that TIMES’ Sam Jacobs said the magazine awarded her with the honor. Here’s to that well deserved recognition continued her message for generations to come.

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Impressionist transforms into 20 celebrities with deep fake technology and it's wild

Watch Jim Meskimen transform both his voice and his face as he recites a poem about impressionists.

Jim Meskimen/YouTube

Deep fake VFX make Jim Meskimen's impressions all the more believable.

Actor and comedian Jim Meskimen is one of those actors who may look familiar to many but could probably only be named by a few. He has acted in movies such as "Apollo 13" and "There Will Be Blood" and TV shows such as "Friends" and "Castle," and has also done a wide range of voiceover work.

Meskimen's voice is one of his most honed tools. A master impressionist, he can imitate dozens of famous actors, from George Clooney to Jack Nicholson to Morgan Freeman. In fact, he's created a series of impressionist tutorials on YouTube to help others figure out how to do their own impressions of famous people.

But one video of Meskimen's that has gotten viral attention goes beyond just voice impressions. Using deep fake video technology (courtesy of video effects editor Shamook), Meskimen transforms not just his voice and mannerisms, but his actual face, to impersonate celebrities.

As he recites a poem he wrote about doing impressions, Meskimen slips seamlessly from one famous voice to another—and as he does so, his face also morphs into whichever celebrity he's doing, almost like magic.

It's super trippy, really cool and slightly terrifying to watch. Check out Meskimen's "A Deeper Look Into the Life of an Impressionist":

Impressive, no?

Aside from showcasing Meskimen's enviable abilities, the video highlights how easy it can be to dupe people with modern technology. Confusion over what's real and true is a pervasive problem as it is, but the ability to create video that makes it look like a real person is really saying something they never said adds a whole new layer to people's levels of distrust of all media.

In fact, MIT reported in 2019 that the problem with deep fake videos isn't merely the impact that the creation of convincing video dupes might have. Just the mere possibility that a video could be faked causes people to question whether any video they see is real, and that kind of generalized confusion is exactly what disinformation pushers want.

Meskimen's video, of course, isn't meant to be a statement or warning on deep fake tech, but rather a showcase of what can be done with it. VFX creator Shamook shared a split-screen video showing how he used the celebrities' faces to transform Meskimen's face, and it's pretty cool to see.

(By the way, if you're struggling to figure out who any of the famous people are, here's the list in order: John Malkovich, Colin Firth, Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, Nick Offerman, George Clooney, Christopher Walken, Anthony Hopkins, Dr. Phil, Nicholas Cage, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Morgan Freeman, Bryan Cranston, Christoph Waltz, Joe Pesci, Jack Nicholson, George W. Bush, Ian McKellen, Ron Howard, Robin Williams.)

Absolutely amazing what humans have figured out how to do, isn't it? Here's hoping that this kind of deep fake technology stays in the realm of entertainment where it belongs.

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