At the Tribeca Festival, Brian Williams attempted a challenge: interviewing Robert De Niro.
Williams sat down with the actor Saturday as part of Tribeca’s “Directors Series” talks. De Niro is a famously difficult interview, but Williams was eager for a chance to face-off with a personal idol.
He was warned of De Niro’s sphinx-like reputation. Introducing the event, Jane Rosenthal, who co-founded Tribeca with De Niro and has long been his producing partner, said she was surprised at Williams’ request.
“Great idea, but have you seen Bob’s interviews?” said Rosenthal, recalling her reply.
The NBC News anchorman said that he wanted to interview De Niro “as a fan.” While De Niro often answered Williams’ questions with typical recalcitrance, the two managed a good conversation with only an occasional sigh from Williams.
At one point, Williams’ attempts for a more conversational interaction broke down when De Niro stymied him. “Did I answer the question?” asked De Niro, when there hadn’t been one.
But the two still had common ground. Asked if he watches his old movies when they air on TV, De Niro said he doesn’t.
“I don’t do that, Brian. I watch the news and I watch the ‘Today’ show,” said De Niro, drawing a laugh from the crowd. “I’m very set in my ways.”
De Niro said it was actually TV that helped inspire him to be an actor.
“I used to look at television and say, ‘Well, if that person can do it, then I can certainly do it,” recalled the 67-year-old actor.
And De Niro said TV is again frequently on his mind when he’s filming.
“Whenever I have a big dramatic scene, I always think: ‘What are they going to do with this on ‘Saturday Night Live’?” said De Niro, who has hosted the sketch comedy show and spent much of his later years making comedies.
The Tribeca Film Festival, which is celebrating its 10th incarnation, runs through May 1.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More