'Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall' does exactly what a great concert doc should do: capture a once-in-a-lifetime performance and elevate it

A scene from 'Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall.'

Most folks were not at Woodstock, Altamont, or Wattstax. Many of us were not a gleam in our parents’ eyes when Monterey Pop took place. We didn’t attend Bob Dylan’s numerous performances at the Newport Folk Festival in the 1960s, and we were not lucky enough to catch the Talking Heads do a four-night stand at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood in 1983. For every person that was at the Fillmore on Thanksgiving 1976, watching the Band give a massive farewell show, there are hundreds of thousands who have never set foot in the storied venue.

But we know these legendary events and performances like the back of our proverbial hands, thanks to the movies. Someone was smart enough, savvy enough, or simply lucky enough to have cameras rolling and boom mics at the ready when history was being made, one flaming Fender Stratocaster or boombox-accompanying “Psycho Killer” at a time. There were online comments galore about Paul Thomas Anderson and Benny Safdie sightings at Cameron Winter‘s show at Carnegie Hall in December of last year, and how both of these namebrand auteurs were running around with Panavision rigs on their shoulders. Thus, folks had a hunch that some sort of visual chronicle of a landmark show would make its way in to the world at some point. You figured it would be special. Even knowing who was pounding the keys and who was calling the shots, however, you might not have guessed it would be something so sublime as to make you so teary and euphoric.

Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall is, in many ways, as simple and straightforward as its title, a document of the Geese frontman’s solo gig at a venue that’s played host to everyone from Benny Goodman to the Beatles, Lenny Bruce, and Robert Zimmerman. Anderson’s understanding of how to meld sound and vision in a way that’s ultra-cinematic is a given (we still think about that “Dirty Work” needledrop in One Battle After Another on a weekly basis), and he’s cut his teeth on enough short- to medium-form music videos for Radiohead, Joanna Newsom, Fiona Apple, and Haim to know how to use visual ideas to harmonize with a song. The filmmaker is also fluent in the language of Vintage Music Docs 101, which is why his movie kicks off with well-dressed patrons grinning into the camera, tickets being procured and scanned, and an establishing shot of a building that takes up a whole midtown Manhattan corner and requires practice, practice, practice to tread on its boards. There will be rapturous audience reaction shots.

Winter’s show was little — “little” — more than a man, a piano, and two-taped-together microphones. That’s what is in PTA & Co’s viewfinders. That’s what shows up onscreen. Songs like “It All Fell in the River,” “The Rolling Stones,” and the exquisitely titled “Cancer of the Skull” don’t require being goosed with high-concept ballyhoo, especially not in the stark presentations Winter gives them here. But like all great concert films, Anderson’s portrait understands both how to capture a performance and how to elevate it. And while Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall does give you various best-seat-in-the-house viewpoints, it’s the cuts to wide shots that frame the singer in a lone spotlight and the intimate close-ups of the musician hunched over a Steinway, channeling poetry and pain, that makes it transcendental.

It’s not just a point-and-shoot affair. There’s a slightly jarring moment where viewers find themselves backstage, the doors open from the wings, and you ride shotgun as someone brings out a camera mid-song. Then you watch the rest of the number perched on the other side of the instrument, Winter deep into his own playing, eyes shut, his baritone occasionally breaking. A few shaky handheld moves suggests PTA, Safdie (who does double duty as cameraman and producer), and their cohorts have graduated from the D.A. Pennebaker School of Direct Cinema, Music Division, with honors. There’s one shot that puts you directly under Winter in medias yowl, as light flares stream from the ceiling and across his face, that will take your breath away. But showing off or gussying things up is the last thing on Anderson’s mind; high concepts aren’t listed on the program. The director knows what he’s got in Winter as a subject, a performer, a piano man who feels like a zero-dollar man. That’s more than enough to grace a 35mm strip of celluloid and a soundtrack.

So many people point to Stop Making Sense as the benchmark for how to transform a live performance into something more than an ephemeral moment happening in front of a lens. Anderson is a self-confessed Jonathan Demme superfan — as all cinephiles worth their salt should be — and can probably recite cut-for-cut sequences from that Talking Heads movie by memory. The real touchstone here, however, is a different Demme production: his music video for New Order’s “The Perfect Kiss.” Four people in a room, playing together, cameras catching all of their wordless communication, their concentration and their intensity in full focus. Some shots dwell on the band member’s hands working their instruments. Others are literally in their faces. It’s a celebration of the humans who are making this music.

Anderson, like his hero, is a humanist at heart, and you get the sense watching Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall that he’s fascinated and slightly in awe of the 23-year-old human gracefully tickling ivories and singing stream-of-consciousness doggerel with a weariness beyond his tender young age. That act of baring himself is worthy of being preserved for posterity. As PTA himself might declare, it’s great music made by a great new artist. What the fuck else do you need, man?!

For the record, Mr. Anderson did not say that when he took the stage, along with Winter, to present the documentary’s world premiere at the New York Film Festival. Both he and his subject thanked the festival director Dennis Lim; Winter thanked “Andrew” (as in Carnegie). Neither of them felt the need to say much beyond expressing their gratitude, with Anderson wisecracking “You don’t talk so much” to his nearly silent partner staring up at the screen behind him. You could have heard a moth flap its wings during the movie itself, with the crowd greeting every song with hushed reverence. At one point, the audience tentatively started clapping then quickly quieted back down. There was a sense that we were being taken to church by this movie, as much as the attendees of that concert must have felt watching Winter play. Anderson’s collaboration with this gifted young man nails the one thing that every great concert movie tries gift to those who could not be their for the original moment. It does not just put you inside the theater. It makes you feel like you’re inside the music.

South Park, or South America as it’s called this season, skewered “weenie” billionaires and data centers on its latest episode.

In the second episode of the series’ 29th season, town resident Butters becomes upset when a colony of micro-sized “weenie” billionaires pop up in his backyard and begin building little data centers that siphon off his electricity, and thus deprive Butters of his YouTube videos.

In response, Butters calls in an exterminator to deal with the problem. “I swear there’s more of these stupid billionaires every day,” Butters says.

“Yeah well that’s the country we’re living in now, I’m afraid, but hopefully everything will change in November,” the exterminator tells him. “That’s when Grand Theft Auto 6 comes out.”

The colony of “weenie” billionaires continues to expand at an alarming rate. “Billionaires have always been around, people just didn’t pay attention to them as much,” the exterminator adds.

“This is some new strain of billionaires. They like to go on podcasts and get into public arguments with Mark Ruffalo. I sprayed them so that’ll shut up for a little bit, but once they take root like this, that’s pretty much it for the town.”

The new episode — dubbed Billionaire Weenietown — also quickly lampooned anti-vaxxers, the Ed Sheeran/Macklemore situation, Joe Rogan’s podcast, and Donald Trump, with the series’ infamous deep-fake version of the president returning at the end of the episode.

The AI president sits on a toilet watching his own campaign ads when his own “teeny tiny” weenie makes a cameo, returning for the first time since the Season 27 premiere episode in July 2025.

Mike Smith, the actor best known for playing Bubbles on Trailer Park Boys, will resume his responsibilities with the franchise after a sexual assault charge against him was dismissed in Nova Scotia on Thursday.

Smith’s three-day trial was scheduled to begin October 1 in Dartmouth Provincial Court, according to the Canadian Press. Instead, the judge dismissed the charge after Crown prosecutors told the court they would not present any evidence. Smith had pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault connected to an alleged incident in December 2017. He was charged in October 2025.

Outside the courthouse, Crown lawyer Bryson McDonald said the decision followed an ongoing assessment that the prosecution standard was no longer met. He declined to provide further details about the Crown’s decision or the specific facts of the case.

Smith’s lawyer, Stan MacDonald, said his client was pleased with the dismissal and wanted to put the matter behind him.

Smith had previously stepped away from his responsibilities at Trailer Park Boys Incorporated following the charge. The company confirmed Thursday that he will now return to his role.

“The court has dismissed the charge against Michael Smith, concluding the legal proceedings that began in October 2025 regarding an allegation dating to December 2017,” Trailer Park Boys Incorporated said in a statement. “Now that he is cleared of this matter, Mike is resuming his responsibilities with Trailer Park Boys Incorporated.” The company said it would not comment further.

Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady attend the premiere of "Heated Rivalry" at TIFF Lightbox on November 24, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario.

Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady, the executive producers behind hit hockey romance series Heated Rivalry, have launched the Irina Foundation through their production company, Accent Aigu Entertainment. The private fund will support organizations creating opportunities for LGBTQIA2S+ and underserved communities to participate in sports and the arts, with an emphasis on connection, belonging and mental well-being.

The name comes directly from Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novels, the books that inspired Heated Rivalry. In the series, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov establish their own Irina Foundation, named after Ilya’s late mother. The fictional organization supports inclusion and mental health initiatives, including a youth hockey camp.

The real-life foundation will provide support to existing organizations whose sports and arts programs align with its mission. Kate Spade New York is the foundation’s inaugural donor, while men’s grooming company Harry’s is among its early supporters.

“For many of us, some of life’s most meaningful moments happen on a team, in a studio or on a stage,” Tierney and Brady said in a statement. “The Foundation is our way of giving back.”

The launch follows a significant fundraising effort surrounding Heated Rivalry. According to Accent Aigu, the company, its partners and fans have raised more than $1.5 million USD in recent months for organizations including You Can Play, the New York LGBTQ Center and Rainbow Railroad. The new foundation is intended to continue that philanthropic work.

Accent Aigu president Jayme Alter Wilson said the foundation’s name reflects what Irina represents within Reid’s story: the idea that people facing difficult circumstances deserve support and connection.

Paul McCartney has been listening to Céline Dion’s work on his upcoming animated film High in the Clouds, and the former Beatle is already seriously impressed.

As Dion continues her long-awaited return to the stage in Paris, McCartney took to Instagram this week to celebrate her comeback and reveal that he has heard some of what she has recorded for the animated musical.

“It’s been great to see the amazing reaction to Céline’s comeback in Paris. There’s so much love out there for her,” McCartney wrote.

He also spoke of her contribution to High in the Clouds, the animated adaptation of the children’s book McCartney co-wrote with Geoff Dunbar and Philip Ardagh.

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“I’m so excited that she’s part of our High in the Clouds film. I’ve just been listening to some of her performances, and I’m blown away. Wow, what a talent!” he wrote. “We are very lucky to have her as part of the team. Can’t wait to share it with the world.”

McCartney also shared images with Dion that appear to have been taken during a recording session. Dion subsequently shared the images herself. Dion was announced as part of the film’s star-studded voice cast in 2025, alongside Himesh Patel, Hannah Waddingham, Idris Elba, Lionel Richie, Ringo Starr and McCartney himself. She voices Sugartail, while McCartney plays McKenzie.

The film follows Wirral, a teenage squirrel who sets out to restore music to a world where it has been banned by Gretsch, a tyrannical owl. McCartney wrote the film’s original songs, while Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino is handling the score.

The movie is scheduled for release in the summer of 2027.

A collection of memorabilia spanning the career of Paul Reubens is headed to auction via Julien’s Auction on Oct. 28. It will feature an array of iconic items from his Pee-wee Herman days, including the quintessential gray suit and custom red Schwinn bicycles used while playing the beloved character.

The auction includes more than 400 items from Reubens’ estate, including rare limited-edition dolls from Reubens’ JCPenney line, original production costumes and props, stop-motion puppets and claymation artwork, production scripts and storyboards, signed posters, and personal items.

Highlights include the slate gray glen plaid suit Reubens wore in 2016’s Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, which comes with the white shirt, red bowtie, pocket square, and white loafers that completes the outfit. It’s expected to go for $8,000-$10,000.

One of the bicycles available at the auction is a replica from Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, which is packaged with his 2011 Visionary Spike TV Scream Award. The full-scale replica of the red Schwinn DX he rode to accept the award is expected to fetch $5,000-$7,000.

Among the puppets available is a Pee-wee’s Playhouse dinosaur, which is an original wire-armature and foam puppet. It’s mounted on a custom wooden stand amd includes an extruder handle for stop-motion animation. It’s listed at $2,000-3,000.

Other eclectic lots under a grand are also up for grabs, including 12 prop food pieces from the Pee-wee Playhouse refrigerator. Among the props are claymation red pepper and bacon with armature arms, olive barbells, frozen food boxes, and desserts. It’s expected to nab $800-$1,000.

There’s also a collection of 13 scripts, one for each episode of Pee-wee’s Playhouse Season One, as well as a Pee-wee’s Big Adventure script — credited to Phil Hartman, Paul Reubens, and Michael Varhol — containing minor differences from the final film including a deleted magic shop scene. Each lot ranges from $500-$700.

On the Hollywood memorabilia side, there is as a Pee-wee Herman 1989 JCPenney 40-inch limited edition doll, with only 2,000 made, which is on offer for $300-$500. For the same price range, there’s a metal production parking sign that reads “Pee Wee’s / PLAYHOUSE / P. REUBENS.”

The live auction will take place on Oct. 28 at 10 a.m. PT on the Julien’s Auctions website and at The Groundlings Theatre, where Reubens continued to develop his craft and where he first showcased his Pee-wee Herman character with the renowned Groundlings improvisational group. To celebrate the late actor, who died in 2023 at age 70, Julien’s and the Groundlings will present an exclusive exhibition featuring highlights from Reubens’ archive from Oct. 14 through Oct. 28. On Oct. 14, The Groundlings will screen several episodes from his career-defining Pee-wee’s Playhouse series, with a panel discussion to follow. Tickets for the kick-off screening celebration go on sale Oct. 2 via The Groundlings website.