About: In Eastern Ukraine, follow the daily life of children and staff in a special kind of home: an institution for children who have been removed from their homes while awaiting court custody decisions.
About: The improbable tale of a short kid from a Canadian army base who became the darling of 1980s Hollywood — only to find the course of his life altered by a stunning diagnosis. What happens when an incurable optimist confronts an incurable disease?
About: The quixotic journey of Nam June Paik, one of the most famous Asian artists of the 20th century, who revolutionized the use of technology as an artistic canvas and prophesied both the fascist tendencies and intercultural understanding that would arise from the interconnected metaverse of today’s world.
About: Investigative journalist Rae de Leon travels nationwide to uncover and examine a shocking pattern: Young women tell the police they’ve been sexually assaulted, but instead of finding justice, they’re charged with the crime of making a false report, arrested, and even imprisoned by the system they believed would protect them.
SOFIA, Bulgaria — Bulgaria’s chief prosecutor escaped unharmed as a bomb exploded on a motorway near the capital, Sofia, while his motorcade drove past on Monday, government officials said.
“The chief prosecutor and his family were the target of a terrorist act,” the head of the National Investigation Service, Borislav Sarafov, told reporters. He added that the incident was not an attempt at intimidation but assassination, and fortunately no one was hurt.
Sarafov said that around 11:30 a.m. on Monday, chief prosecutor Ivan Geshev was on his way to Sofia, when a bomb exploded on a sharp turn of the road which had to be approached at a slower speed. He said the explosion left a crater 30-40 centimeters (12-16 inches) deep with a diameter of nearly 3 meters (10 feet).
The force of the blast was equivalent to no less than 3 kilograms (6 pounds, 10 ounces) of TNT, according to initial expert estimates.
“I am convinced that we will get to the perpetrators. The state cannot afford to allow such incidents. This is an attack on statehood. It sends a signal to the European partners that Bulgaria cannot protect its institutions. The prosecutor general is currently in a safe place,” Sarafov said.
Criminal proceedings have been opened for an act of terrorism, Sarafov said. The case is being treated extremely seriously. A search for detonators and fragments is underway, he said and added that the device was set not just to explode but to kill.
From divorcee to royalty! Queen Camilla had a winding journey before she was able to settle down with King Charles III.
Before meeting the future monarch, Camilla (née Shand) studied in England, Switzerland, and France. Her future changed when she became a debutante in London’s high society in 1965 and one of her friends introduced her to Charles. The pair began to date in the 1970s before he had to leave for his Royal Navy service. While Charles served his country, Camilla moved on with Andrew Parker Bowles. When the royal returned from his military service, he learned Camilla was engaged.
In July 1973, she wed the British Army officer. The duo welcomed two children, son Tom in 1974 and daughter Laura in 1978. Charles, for his part, moved on with Princess Diana in 1981 and shared sons Prince William and Prince Harry, who were born in 1982 and 1984, respectively.
While married to their respective partners, Charles and Camilla allegedly began to rekindle their romance in secret. In December 1994, Camilla and Parker Bowles split after 21 years of marriage. Their divorce was finalized in March 1995. Charles and Diana, for their part, separated in 1992 amid speculation of marital issues — and allegations of infidelity on both sides. Their divorce was finalized in 1996.
Diana seemingly hinted at Charles’ affair with Camilla in 1995 during her infamous interview with BBC’s Panorama. “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded,” the late Princess of Wales quipped as to why she and Charles didn’t last.
“It was horrid. It was a deeply unpleasant time and I wouldn’t want to put my worst enemy through it,” Camilla reflected to the Daily Mail in May 2017 of the early days of her relationship with Charles. “I couldn’t have survived it without my family.”
The pair later got engaged in February 2005 and tied the knot in a civil ceremony two months later. After their nuptials, Camilla assumed the role of Duchess of Cornwall and began her tenure as a working member of the royal family.
Prior to Queen Elizabeth II’s death, the late monarch announced in February 2022 that her daughter-in-law would earn the title of Queen Consort when Charles ascended the throne. When the announcement was made, Camilla shared she was “very honored and very touched” by the queen’s endorsement.
Amid cost-cutting, the flexibility of streaming and the lessons learned during the pandemic, the industry doesn’t work the way it did 15 years ago
For TV writers, the current negotiations are “in some ways a much uglier situation than almost the innocent times of 2007/2008,” former NBC Studios and UPN executive Tom Nunan told TheWrap.
The previous strike lasted for 100 days and resulted in the loss of almost 25% of primetime scripted programming for the 2007-2008 network season. That forced studios and networks to get creative and take advantage of the groups that weren’t unionized. It would become a boon for unscripted TV. The industry was much different then — streaming TV was in its infancy.
“In 2007-2008, it was sort of in the middle of a very active network viewing cycle and a very disruptive time of the year for studio people as well as writers and there were fewer outlets,” Nunan explained. “The writers had more leverage in a way because the industry hadn’t suffered a work stoppage in a very long time and it was sort of unprepared for how to stock up on shows and how to respond in a more defensive manner should there be a work stoppage. So the level of chaos was high, which worked in the writers’ favor. But setting all of that aside, the gains they made really weren’t that significant long term.”
Streaming is now at the center of these new negotiations as writers have found that the large upfront payments they’ve come to accept in streaming deals pale in comparison to the money they made with the broadcast and cable networks’ longer-running shows with more episodes per season. Not only that, but the popularity of streaming means their work could be watched by millions more people compared to linear — and repeatedly — but writers aren’t included in most backend and residual payments for streaming. And then there’s the practice of mini-rooms, where streamers hire fewer writers at minimum pay levels to churn out more scripts before production begins.
Set on not finding themselves in a similar situation as they are now with streaming, the WGA also has its eye on emerging technologies such as AI.
But timing is everything and according to the former network execs who spoke to TheWrap, the TV industry is in a very different place than it was 15 years ago when the last writers’ strike went down.
Studios are already looking for cost savings
The situation is “much, much different” as all the major media companies are tightening their belts, Nunan pointed out.
“They’re looking for ways to save and in some ways they’re looking for radical ways to save… the kind of cost-cutting that’s going on in the industry right now hasn’t occurred at least in my memory in many years, if not decades,” he added.
Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney and even tech-rich Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have been undergoing layoffs, freezing content budgets and looking for potential new revenue in advertising, third-party licensing and returning to theatrical movie releases.
“So the idea that there’s a possible labor threat to these companies that are already looking for massive savings is sort of bad timing on the writers’ part,” Nunan continued. “It’s nothing to do with them, it’s just the way of the world.”
Linear will be hardest hit
In a recent memo outlining the potential devastation created by a writers’ strike, the WGA warned that a work stoppage in May could delay the network television season, which continues to account for one-third of all episodes produced, including 45% of the episodes produced by legacy media companies Disney, Paramount Global and Comcast NBCUniversal.
The WGA memo also warned that new episodes of late-night shows including ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” “Saturday Night Live,” and HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” among others would cease immediately.
WGA-covered drama and comedy episodes, 2021-2022 (WGA)
In 2007, the loss of original programming had a significant impact on ratings, with the major broadcast networks’ ratings declining, on average, by double digits compared to the same period in the previous year, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Benjamin Swineburne.
“Should a strike occur in 2023, delay or loss of original primetime programming could similarly affect ratings,” the WGA said.
But Nunan argued that the “seasonal nature of television has kind of gone away” and thus mitigates the threat of lower broadcast content and ratings on the entertainment industry.
“I just don’t think that it’s gonna be quite as dramatic a disruption as the guild is describing and I’m not sure the big networks and media companies care as much as they once did because they have streaming services and other revenue to offset any kind of disruption of the fall season,” he added.
Nunan acknowledged that a strike could potentially accelerate “the demise of some of the weaker broadcast options,” but pointed out that the decline in broadcast has “seemed to have been on the horizon line anyway.”
“Audience viewership is down so dramatically when it comes to broadcast TV,” he said. “While it’s still a major revenue source for these media companies, culturally, socially, it’s no longer the thing that really drives the conversation in terms of viewer lifestyles.”
Streamers can fall back on extensive content libraries
The WGA memo also outlined how a strike can directly affect streamers in addition to a trickle-down effect from less linear programming.
“Streaming services owned by the legacy media companies, including Hulu, Peacock and Paramount+, would also lose this programming as their content lineups prominently feature in-season network television content like ‘Abbott Elementary,’ ‘Chicago Med’ and ‘NCIS’ that is made available the day after network airing. Hulu, for instance, gets twice as many new episodes from ABC and Fox in-season broadcast content as it does from its entire lineup of scripted originals.”
It also warns that a strike would hit networks and streamers (who have become increasingly dependent on advertising revenue as well) just as upfront presentations are set to begin this month: “A work stoppage could delay sales or place pressure on advertising rates and price increases.”
And there would be additional hits to licensing revenue due to lack of content that “can amount to millions of dollars per episode” in losses.
But former ABC Daytime executive Brian Frons told TheWrap that dealing with COVID was good training for a strike if one is programming a platform or a channel.
“Access to original programming will slow to a trickle, and marketing efforts will push the massive amount of library all the platforms have made or acquired. In the short run, profit margins will expand,” Frons said. “In 2008, the focus was on the networks, which needed original programming and pushed reality as a solution — expect more of that too.”
“There’s so many other options and there’s libraries of content that still haven’t been explored on the streaming services,” Nunan also said.
Nunan argued that while churn could become an issue during a prolonged strike, streamers likely wouldn’t see the impact until the fourth quarter of 2023 or first quarter of 2024.
“The subscription part of this equation I think is more of a longer term play, not an immediate term play and I’m not even sure that that it would be a big deal issue given the robust nature of most of these streamers’ libraries and ways for them to reposition and re-market the content that’s available in those libraries,” he said. “There are programming options with subscribers that I think the Writers Guild may be underestimating.”
In an April 17 post, LightShed Partners analyst Rich Greenfield said that an extended WGA/AMPTP strike could lead to “notably better than expected streaming profitability across the streaming landscape.”
“The two stocks that would likely benefit the most are WBD and [Paramount], given investor focus on the balance sheets of both companies,” he said. “It’s worth noting that while a prolonged strike could boost earnings and free cash flow in 2023 while depressing 2024 to some degree as production ramps back up, it is possible that some content originally slated for 2024 gets pushed to 2025 to make room for delayed 2023 content — yielding minimal impact on 2024 earnings/free cash flow.”
Frons predicted that studios who will be best prepared for a strike are those with libraries to “substitute in the place of originals,” such as Warner Brothers Discovery, Disney, Paramount, NBCUniversal and Netflix, or who have revenue streams outside of their video business, like Amazon.
“Sony will sell the library, but won’t be able to make much,” Frons added. “Apple has no library really, so maybe they push for more sports to fill the gap.”
The good news is…
A writers’ strike may not even get to that points addressed above. Ultimately, Nunan believes AMPTP and the WGA could reach an agreement “swiftly.”
“I really believe that this is a solvable problem. The two biggest issues seem to be how can we create a more fair and equitable streaming/residual relationship with writers and can we eliminate these mini rooms that are really unfair to writers in the short and the long term? Those seem to be the two primary issues and I think both of these are addressable,” he said. “They may not be able to be addressed in the dramatically substantial fashion that the writers may want, but they could at least make progress on those fronts, I think, rather quickly. But it’s just gonna be a question of do the studios really want to continue working or are they looking forward to this work stoppage? And that’s a question I don’t know the answer to.”
That would be good news for not only the 11,500 writers of TV, film and streaming media represented by the WGA, but all the countless other jobs that would be impacted by the strike — not to mention the viewing experience for fans.
The AMPTP declined to comment. The Writers Guild didn’t immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment.
Gersh Agency has sold a 45% stake in the company to private equity firm Crestview Partners, the company announced on Monday. For 75 years, the company has been solely owned by the Gersh family.
As part of the deal, Gersh Agency heads Gersh and David Gersh will continue their current leadership positions. Leslie Siebert, Gersh Agency’s longtime managing partner, has been promoted to co-president status with Bob and David Gersh.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Gersh on the agency’s next growth stage,” said Brian Cassidy, Crestview’s co-president and head of media. “We have long admired Gersh’s unwavering commitment to best-in-class client representation and are honored to become Gersh’s first equity partner in the agency’s long and storied history.”
The Gersh brothers said that the investment from Crestview will help the agency expand to new areas to “to support our continued growth as a client-first agency.”
“For over seven decades, we have maintained our independence as an agency because we felt this allowed us to be the firmest advocates for our clients,” Bob Gersh said in a statement. “We knew we found the right partners in Crestview, as it was clear they were completely aligned with our agency ethos, and that they would bring to bear meaningful experience and infrastructure to support our continued growth as a client-first agency.”
“We are very proud of our agency and all we, and our clients, have accomplished together. The opportunity to partner with Crestview will provide us greater flexibility to advance as an institution” said David Gersh. “We have a prestigious, diverse, and tightly held group of agents and clients. We will continue our unique brand of representation and will always hold ourselves to the highest standard of hands-on bespoke representation. We will be aggressive in our growth while never abandoning what makes us special to our clients or our team.”
Gersh Agency was founded in 1949 by Bob and David’s father, Phil Gersh. Bob joined the firm in the late 1970s, with David joining in the late 1980s.
Currently, Gersh Agency has approximately 300 employees, including 125 agents, with offices in Beverly Hills and New York.
After his second conviction, Harvey Weinstein has hired a new legal team to handle his Los Angeles appeal, after he was found guilty by a jury of sexual assault and rape with a judge sentencing him to 16 years.
Weinstein has hired California-based attorney Michael Freedman, who will work alongside Jennifer Bonjean, the criminal defense attorney who got Bill Cosby’s conviction overturned, and will act as Weinstein’s lead counsel for his West Coast appeal.
Bonjean has become known for defending some of the most high-profile men accused throughout the #MeToo movement. In addition to representing Cosby on his appeal before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which resulted him being freed from prison, she was R. Kelly’s lead attorney during his criminal trial in Chicago. She also represented Nxivm sex cult leader Keith Raniere.
Bonjean’s firm’s website says she “works tirelessly to reverse the convictions of innocent people wrongly incarcerated.” She has the words “not guilty” tattooed on her arm.
Weinstein’s new legal team will also represent Weinstein in his civil case against Jane Doe #1, a European model, who after the trial, publicly revealed her identity as Evgeniya Chernyshova. Her testimony, where she alleged that Weinstein raped and sexually assaulted her in 2013, led to Weinstein’s conviction in Los Angeles. After the trial, Chernyshova filed a civil suit against Weinstein for rape, seeking compensation for physical and mental pain and suffering, loss of earnings, and the cost of medical and psychological treatment.
“The Bonjean Law Group and Jennifer Bonjean herself understand the issues facing Harvey and knows what is needed; not simply the law, but the environment in which we exist now,” Weinstein’s spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer, says to Variety in a statement. “With this team, Harvey’s appeal in L.A. will be made in a way that not only demonstrates errors in applications of law and possible bias in meting out so-called justice, but will also expose how the proverbial deck was stacked in advance against Weinstein. In addition to the criminal appeal, the firm will bring the facts together in answers to the civil suit filed by a witness whom Harvey insists was never with him in the hotel or anywhere.”
Weinstein was recently moved back to New York in early April, after the completion of his Los Angeles trial. The judge in Los Angeles ordered Weinstein to serve both sentences consecutively, so if he serves the full prison terms in both jurisdictions, he would not be free until 2059 — that is, if he lived until he was 107 years old.
In addition to his L.A. appeal, Weinstein is also currently appealing his conviction in New York where he was sentenced to 23 years in 2020. The highest court in the state of New York agreed to hear his case.
Weinstein is now serving his East Coast prison sentence at Mohawk Correctional Facility in the city of Rome, N.Y., which is a medium security state prison for men. He had been in L.A. County Jail since July 2021 when he was extradited to the West Coast, but prior to his L.A. trial, he was housed at the Wende Correctional Facility in upstate New York, which was maximum security.
Throughout his Los Angeles trial, Weinstein was represented by defense attorneys Mark Werksman and Alan Jackson.
His new legal team is comprised of Freedman of The Freedman Firm, based in Santa Monica, Calif., as well as Bonjean and Ashley Cohen from The Bonjean Law Group, which is based in New York City.
Underscoring the musical’s darker bits, deBessonet said, like the fear and loneliness the orphaned Oliver experiences, was a matter of subtraction rather than addition. Without elaborate sets or showstopping production numbers there are fewer elements competing to divert the audience’s attention from the words of the actors.
But neither did the production need to amp up the grim with foreboding lighting or a fog machine, she said — the darkness is already inherent in Dickens’s text, and in Bart’s book, score and lyrics.
“We’re trying to have those words be heard with the belief that the complexity is in the lyric itself,” she said.
One example, she said, is the titular tune “Oliver!,” a song familiar to many, even those who haven’t seen the show, for its high-spirited chorus.
“It’s this really bouncy song,” deBessonet said, “but the actual lyrics are:
There’s a dark, thin, winding stairway
Without any banister
Which we’ll throw him down and feed him on cockroaches
Served in a canister.
The show does preserve many of the musical’s more lighthearted elements. Every song from the original Broadway production remains, including bouncy numbers like “I’d Do Anything” and “You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two.” The dreamlike sequence “Food, Glorious Food,” with its visions of sausages and mustards, jelly and custard. And 20 additional performers, all New York City public school students, will join the company onstage for “Consider Yourself,” the boys’ full-voiced embrace of Oliver into their ranks — the first true family he has known.
“The show is incredibly challenging — the domestic violence, the treatment of children at that time in general is truly harrowing,” deBessonet said. “And yet there’s this buoyant joy about these numbers.”
Deadpool 3 just added a major star to its cast – one whose character actually died in Ryan Reynolds‘ last Marvel movie, Deadpool 2.
Deadpool 3 Brings Back Hero Peter
Marvel
Deadline shared that Rob Delaney has joined the cast of Marvel Studios’ Deadpool 3, reprising his role as Peter from 20th Century Fox’s Deadpool 2.
Peter was famously part of Wade Wilson’s X-Force team that assembled in Deadpool 2, although every single member of the group except for Domino died gruesome deaths during their mission to find Josh Brolin’s Cable.
However, Peter eventually proved to be among the luckier side of the group, as Wade Wilson utilized Cable’s time machine to undo his death in Deadpool 2‘s final moments.
Reynolds hyped up Delaney’s return on Twitter, using the nickname “SugarBear!!!!!” that Wade gave Peter in the movie along with two “two swords” emojis and a red heart.
According to Affleck, the plans for his Batman movie “were to make interesting, nuanced, complex characters,” and “in particular to” Deathstroke:
“There were a number of them that I was kind of exploring. And, the plans were to make interesting, nuanced, complex characters, in particular to the character you mentioned. I kind of feel like either you do – I’m just going to get into my own preference here – but either you do a kind of massive one villain that is so formidable you just can’t imagine how your protagonist is going to be able to overcome it. Or you have to really sort of populate kind of, you know, Injustice – these big group villains – where you have to get all these different characters.”
Affleck’s intentions for Deathstroke were public knowledge back in 2016 and before the release of 2017’s Justice League which is when studio plans began to change.
In the comics, Deathstroke was a talented soldier named Slade Wilson who was chosen for secret experimentation. After gaining enhanced supersoldier-esque abilities, Wilson became a deadly mercenary with a signature suit and a reputation for employing strategy and even psychological warfare against his enemies.
In regard to Affleck’s own strategy for Deathstroke, the Justice League star shared how he wanted to make the villain “seem as impressive as I felt there was the opportunity to do:”
“So I was at the time really trying to hone in and focus on that character and get into depth and detail about it to make him seem as impressive as I felt there was the opportunity to do. That’s the only detail I have for you.”
A DC Future for Deathstroke?
Back when his Batman movie was still a reality, Ben Affleck told Collider why he wanted Deathstroke for his film, saying, “I just had an instinctive feeling that he would match up with him well:”
“He’s a great villain because—I just had an instinctive feeling that he would match up with him well. You know, I’m a big admirer of that character as well, especially in the New 52 the way that they did Deathstroke, and I thought that it could work.”
Having two tacticians on two opposing sides was something prior Batman films hadn’t fully explored at that time.
However, it somewhat echoes what DC fans saw in Matt Reeves‘ The Batman where Pattinson’s Dark Knight doesn’t just battle his antagonist physically, but also mentally via detective work.
With so many Batman projects on the horizon, the character of Deathstroke may still have a future in the new DCU.
If you’re like me and try to stay media blackout on a game, it’s become increasingly difficult as the internet tends to spoil many things. Whether it’s a twist in HBO’s Succession or the latest Marvel film, you really can’t avoid spoilers, leaks, and everything in between. Anyway, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has completely leaked online, so it’s probably time to use those Twitter-muted keywords and stop checking the gaming leaks and rumors subreddit.
Beware! Tears of The Kingdom Has Completely Leaked Online
We won’t link to the leaks or even tell y’all where they are. If you’re keen on seeking them out, find them elsewhere and fear the wrath of the Nintendo Ninjas knocking on your door. They will send Mario, the cop, to take you out, so you’ve been warned.
Someone got a retail copy of Tears of the Kingdom and has dumped the entire game online, so over the coming hours, days, and weeks, leading up to launch, more and more of this gameplay will show up. So now is the time to either leave the internet until Tears of the Kingdom comes out on May 12, 2023 or to start being real loose with that block and mute button on various websites.
This isn’t the first time a major game has leaked online just weeks before a release. This happens more and more as physical copies end up at retailers way ahead of time. There’s no real way to stop it, and with how easy it has become to share screenshots, video clips, and more on social media, this trend won’t stop any time soon. Nintendo has already started taking down a lot of the footage and screenshots, but as we all know, the internet is forever.
Anyway, everyone, be careful and try to stay clear of spoilers. Tears of the Kingdom launches on the Nintendo Switch on May 12, 2023.
AI has made a short film, and we think it’s kind of good.
I’ve been interested in digging into what artificial intelligence can do. While I don’t think it’s going to replace us as storytellers or creatives, I do wonder what the capabilities will be as the technology moves forward so rapidly.
Now, someone has created a short film using AI entirely.
Check out the short film from NEXT ON NOW and let’s talk after.
What can I say? I found that thoroughly entertaining, and the animation style to be a little jerky but engrossing. The AI tools used to create this short are Elevenlabs, Runwayml’s GEN2, and ChatGPT-4.
Apparently, they made this AI-generated short film in twenty-four hours.
My skepticism comes in with the idea that AI assisted them in making this – I wonder how much of the writing and ideation came from AI, also, what the human-controlled visual prompts would have been for it as well.
We don’t have that info, but I will keep digging.
For now, I think we’re good to enjoy the short film.
Leticia Jimenez’s many recurring TV roles include the Freeform franchise series The Fosters and the web series Bronx SIU but prior to that, she has done various dancing and stage work. We get an exclusive from the rising producer on what are the best acting methods, determining one’s acquired skill sets and finding other ways to make a splash on-screen. Don’t miss this thoughtful advice from this hard-working talent! 🙂
HBO’s limited series is yet another account of Nixon’s infamous scandal, but its stellar cast, meticulous construction, and dark-comic spirit get the job done.
Just before G. Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux) embarks on his very public trial for conspiracy, burglary, and illegal wiretapping — all tied to the 1972 Watergate scandal — his wife, Fran (Judy Greer), stops him outside the courthouse. “Are you sure you don’t want me to be there?” she asks her husband. “Oh, no, no, no,” Liddy replies. “I am going to act like a jackass — piss off the prosecution, force a few errors, send the whole thing to appeals, and get it all thrown out. If I see you in the gallery, I might be forced to remember my manners.”
Liddy’s trial prep is but one of many, many bad plans the former FBI agent cooks up over the course of “White House Plumbers,” HBO’s five-part limited series about the inept burglars behind the infamous Watergate break-in. But few so succinctly summarize his perpetually cocky, off-kilter demeanor, or what makes him such a great subject for satire. Liddy is a jackass, even when he’s not trying to be. He pledges loyalty to men he’s never met and ideas he only thinks he understands. He’s so far up his own ass (an ass he’ll later invite prison guards to “drink in,” as he spreads his cheeks and laughs), Liddy can’t see his true character. He can’t fathom what other people think of him, nor grasp the strange effect his behavior has on others. But rather than worry about it, he simply charges ahead, deeper into the darkness, wherein lies not only his blackened soul, but perhaps the reason so many others like him keep popping up in, or adjacent to, American seats of power.
Related
Related
Created, written, and produced by “Veep” scribes Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck, “White House Plumbers” tracks the same subject and many of the same characters as last year’s Starz series, “Gaslit” (where Shea Whigham played an even more volatile and vicious version of Liddy), but the latest account of the scandal that took down President Richard M. Nixon isn’t the stark, jarring warning Robbie Pickering cooked up. Gregory and Huyck, along with director and executive producer David Mandel, focus on the attempted incursion itself, envisioning Watergate as a farcical satire where Liddy and E. Howard Hunt (Woody Harrelson) can’t get out of their own way well enough to enact the illicit wishes of their president. By delving into the duo’s family lives, personal histories, and miserly motives, “White House Plumbers” feels fresh enough to entertain and provoke (in that order), while still proving as tough a watch as anything so concentrated on Bad Men™.
Still, for history buffs (and fans of Theroux’s comic wit), the five hourlong episodes should be a hoot. Not only does the well-known narrative dive into various nooks and crannies rarely explored in Watergate recaps, but Mandel relishes each period detail, from the Hunts’ amber-lit, wood-paneled home filled with colorful place settings and a bright yellow phone (which practically flashes like a traffic signal’s warning light), to shooting at the actual Watergate hotel and a handful of D.C. landmarks. Every door handle, cocktail glass, and office chair draw you back to the early ’70s, as we get to know Howard and Gordon, their wives, Dorothy (Lena Headey) and Fran, as well as a number of political appointees, staffers, and hired help — all cast to perfection by Allison Jones, Ben Harris, and Meredith Tucker.
Hunt takes point in the story, with Harrelson playing up the anger and anxiety of an oft-frustrated loser. When first introduced, Hunt is retired from the CIA and stuck riding a desk. He’s been scapegoated for the Bay of Pigs debacle and shunned by his CIA peers (the former being his opinion and the latter an irrefutable fact). His attempts at writing the great American spy novel haven’t been well-received, either, but he sees a new appointment to the White House Special Investigations Unit as his ticket back to Langley’s good graces. It’s there he first meets Liddy, when the two are asked to originate and execute various acts of political sabotage on behalf of the White House. There’s a trip to Los Angeles, where they break into a psychiatrist’s office in search of intel on Daniel Ellsberg, and a series of meetings with Dita Beard (played by a marvelously cranky Kathleen Turner), who they convince not to tarnish their cause.
“White House Plumbers”
Courtesy of Phil Caruso / HBO
Throughout their misadventures, Hunt and Liddy form a tenuous friendship while emerging as firm professional partners. Hunt clocks his cohort’s many quirks (highlighted by a carnival-esque dinner engagement at the Liddy household), but he values loyalty above logic, as does Gordon. Their minor successes, despite numerous missteps, bond them almost as much as their shared expulsion from D.C.’s inner circle, and prepare them (as well as anything could) for breaking into the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters, their shameful arrest, and even-more-embarrassing trial.
Harrelson channels the jilted white male rage and entitlement seen in plenty of his past characters, from HBO’s own “True Detective” to Focus Features’ recent feature, “Champions.” His Hunt is discontent with his job, his family (only one of four children takes their education seriously, which serves as a great, recurring “pot calling the kettle black” joke), and his reputation. In case it’s not clear how desperate Hunt is to be accepted, he half-brags, half-chuckles about being a member of four separate country clubs. His internal journey is a simple one — from unquestioning believer to a scorned skeptic, without ever finding clarity for his positions — and it can make the character a tad tiring. Such joyless buffoonery requires an underlying charisma Harrelson doesn’t tap into often enough, and Theroux finds almost too often.
For those who’ve enjoyed the puppy-loving actor’s fanciful turns in “Maniac,” “At Home with Amy Sedaris,” “Zoolander,” and more, “White House Plumbers” offers a historical stage for comparable extremism. Where Theroux could push the fictitious Dr. James K. Mantleray or cartoonish Space Captain to (magnificent) unchecked excess, here he has to keep Liddy grounded in his own twisted little reality. That can be hard to do when he’s pulling a gun on neighborhood kids or blasting Nazi speeches over cocktail hour, but Theroux dances on the line more often than he trips — and simply by knowing how to two-step, he enlivens a familiar story with an utterly unfamiliar presence.
“White House Plumbers” likely won’t go down as the definitive Watergate tale (though a voice in Episode 4 sure seems like a nod toward one classic film), and its tone may be too indefinite to attract average TV fans. (It’s a historical drama steeped in absurd humor, just as it’s a satire absent “Veep’s” laugh-a-minute leanings.) Still, each element is made with such obvious enthusiasm for the time, place, and central story that it’s hard not to admire how the five-hour oddity adds up. (Plus, how can you not appreciate a show that casts Toby Huss, Kiernan Shipka, John Carroll Lynch, Judy Greer, and — in a one-line cameo — Dave Pasquesi?) Perhaps it’s a bit too mannered, but such pointed jackassery still serves a fine purpose.
Grade: B
“White House Plumbers” premieres Monday, May 1 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. New episodes will be released weekly.
Gamora was supposed to die in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and not in Avengers: Infinity War, director James Gunn reveals. Zoe Saldana debuts Thanos’ favorite adopted daughter in the original Guardians of the Galaxy film. She is now set to go on what could be her final mission with her fellow cosmic heroes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Had things turned out differently, however, Saldana could have only played Gamora two times. In a new interview with ComicBook, Gunn reveals his plan to kill her in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. This would have significantly changed Joe and Anthony Russo’s story for Avengers: Infinity War. Read Gunn’s full quote below:
“So things always change and you never know. But Gamora almost died in ‘Vol. 2.’ I knew from the beginning Zoe only wanted to play the character for so many years, and she’s been very honest saying that she’s done [after ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’]. And so I was going to have her die.”
Will Gamora Survive Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
2023 marksAvengers: Infinity War‘s 5th anniversary, and yet, it remains to be one of the MCU’s most impactful stories. It’s difficult to imagine what the film would have looked like without Thanos and Gamora’s dynamic. Aside from her death playing a pivotal role in the story’s main conflict, her involvement somehow grounded the Titan. It humanized him, thus making him more than a one-dimensional ruthless villain.
Gunn’s reasoning for wanting to kill off Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 raises questions about her future in the MCU. If Saldana has been open about playing the character for only a limited number of years, it’s possible that the hero meets her end in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. For what it’s worth, Gunn has been upfront about the threequel featuring one or two major deaths. It makes sense if one of those is Gamora.
Overall, Yondu making the sacrifice inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2works better overall. His demise ties into Peter Quill’s issues about clamoring for his father, Ego the Living the Planet’s love. Meanwhile, the Russos are able to lean on Thanos’ humanity through Gamora. It also leads to Star-Lord’s infamous meltdown in Avengers: Infinity War.
This fall, Aerosmith fans are going to be cryin’ along with the legendary rockband. Frontman Steven Tyler and co. announced their Peace Out farewell tour on Monday, kicking off in September.
The tour will start on Sept. 2 in Philadelphia. The 40-date farewell across North America will include stops in Los Angeles, New York City, Austin, Seattle, Chicago and Toronto as well as a hometown show in Boston on New Year’s Eve. The Peace Out tour will wrap on Jan. 26 in Montreal.
Tickets will go on sale Friday.
“It’s not goodbye it’s PEACE OUT!” Aerosmith said in a statement. “Get ready and walk this way, you’re going to get the best show of our lives.”
Though Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton and Brad Whitford will be on tour, drummer Joey Kramer will not be joining, the statement revealed.
“While Joey Kramer remains a beloved founding member of Aerosmith, he has regrettably made the decision to sit out the currently scheduled touring dates to focus his full attention on his family and health,” the band said in a statement. “Joey’s unmistakable and legendary presence behind the drum kit will be sorely missed.”
The Black Crowes, best known for the albums “Share Your Money Maker” and “The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion,” will open for the Peace Out tour.
Aerosmith is coming off of its Las Vegas concert residency, Aerosmith: Deuces Are Wild, which ran from 2019 to 2022. The residency was interrupted for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last fall, the band also broke a Fenway Park record when it performed at the Boston institution, kicking off the band’s 50th anniversary celebration. Over 38,700 people attended the event.
One of the best known and influential rock bands of their time, Aerosmith was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Tyler and Perry were then inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013. Over the course of their existence, the band has sold over 150 million records worldwide, including over 85 million records in the United States. They hold 25 gold, 18 platinum and 12 multi-platinum albums and have won four Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards and 10 MTV Video Music Awards.
The American band incorporated elements of pop-punk, heavy metal, glam metal and blues into their hard rock sound. Among their greatest hits are “Walk This Way,” “Cryin’,” “Sweet Emotion,” “Dream On” and “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” They’re also the only rock band to currently have their own major roller coaster, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
However, it’s not all great music and thrill rides. Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler is currently being sued for allegedly sexually assaulting a teenager in the 1970s. Tyler wrote about the relationship in his memoir, “Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?” The rock star and his legal team have since argued that because Tyler had legal custody over the then-minor, this gives him “immunity or qualified immunity to Defendant as caregiver and/or guardian.”
Tim Bachman, guitarist and co-founder of Canadian rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive, has died at age 71. The news was announced by Bachman’s son, Ryder, on Friday, who wrote in a Facebook post, “My Dad passed this afternoon. Thank You Everyone for the kind words. Grateful I got to spend some time with him at the end. Grab yer loved ones and hug em close, ya never know how long you have.”
In a previous post, Ryder revealed that he got a call from the care unit where his father was staying last Wednesday in which they informed him to pay his final respects after doctors found “cancer riddled all throughout his [Tim’s] brain.”
Tim Bachman co-founded the group commonly referred to as BTO in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1973 with his brothers, singer/guitarist Randy Bachman and drummer Robin Bachman; the latter died in January of this year at age 69. Tim performed on the band’s eponymous album and their breakthrough second collection, Bachman-Turner Overdrive II, which dropped in December of that year and featured two of the band’s most beloved, hard-charging hits, “Let It Ride” and Billboard Hot 100 No. 12 hit “Takin’ Care of Business,” which Tim sang backing vocals on in addition to playing second lead guitar.
His run in the brotherly band would be short-lived, however, as he left in early 1974 shortly after the second album dropped, reportedly due to singer Randy’s strict rules prohibiting drugs, alcohol and premarital sex on the road. He was replaced by Blair Thornton, who played on the band’s third album, 1974’s Not Fragile, which included the No. 1 single “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” and “Roll on Down the Highway.”
After a series of lineup changes — including the departure of singer Randy in 1977 — BTO reunited in 1983 with Randy and Tim leading the charge, with younger brother Robbie declining to participate. They released Bachman-Turner Overdrive in Sept. 1984 and a live album from their stint opening for Van Halen before Randy left again in 1986, which marked the last year of Tim Bachman’s run with the group as well. The group re-re-reformed in 1988 with Randy Bachman again taking lead along with Robbie on drums, but no Tim Bachman.
On Sunday, Ryder Bachman continued paying tribute to his dad, writing “The last words he said were, “I love you Paxton, Share the Music” and so I’ll honour Dad this afternoon by sharing songs, some he’s played a million times on stage; c’mon down and sing em with me, I bet u know the words.”
As its industry confab kicks into full gear, Hot Docs is giving 1,800-plus delegates from more than 40 countries something extra to chatter about this morning with the announcement that leading media executive Marie Nelson has been tapped as the organization’s new president after a months-long international search.
Nelson—who mingled with local and international doc players at the opening bash of the festival’s 30th edition last Thursday—will begin helming the strategic leadership and management of Hot Docs’ annual festival, conference, and market as well as its evolving year-round industry and public activities and initiatives, effective June 1, 2023.
“Having the chance to link arms with Hot Docs was an unequivocal swipe right—from my first trip to Toronto for the festival and its legendary pitch forum, it was love at first sight,” commented Nelson, who most recently served as senior vice-president, integrated content strategy for ABC News.
“Hot Docs has earned its reputation as a beacon for the global documentary filmmaking community and their audiences by fostering a sense of home and supporting the best in the genre year-round. I am so energized to begin working with my colleagues at Hot Docs to continue innovating and building an even more inclusive and dynamic future for our storytellers.”
Before her game-changing tenure at ABC News—where she led a strategy that prioritized audience-diversifying, non-fiction primetime programming such as the award-winning series “Soul of a Nation”—Nelson was vice-president for news and independent film at PBS, overseeing programming for documentary series such as Frontline, Independent Lens and POV. She also held executive positions at WGBH, NPR and Viacom/BET Networks.
Nelson, who holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the Harvard Kennedy School and a B.A. in Political Science and Women’s Studies from Duke University, has also served with government, non-profit and development organizations; she served in two U.S. presidential administrations, notably as director, public diplomacy (appointee), in the office of the U.S. President’s Special Envoy to Sudan, U.S. Department of State, from June 2009 to September 2011.
“Marie is a dynamic leader with a proven track record of supporting filmmakers, growing and diversifying audiences, and lifting powerful and yet often unheard voices into national discussion, which makes her ideally suited to lead Hot Docs into its next chapter,” said Lalita Krishna, co-chair of the Hot Docs board of directors.
“The entire board is thrilled to welcome her to the team, and we look forward to working with her to realize the incredible opportunities ahead,” added co-chair Robin Mirsky.
Outgoing president Chris McDonald has been with Hot Docs in a leadership role for 25 years, previously serving as its executive director. The board of directors thanked McDonald for his “immeasurable contribution to the organization’s remarkable growth,” noting his efforts to expand the festival’s public screenings; establish the Forum and various funding programs; negotiate the partnership that allowed the organization to establish the Hot Docs Roger Cinema in 2012; and negotiate the purchase of the building in 2016. McDonald will continue to work with Hot Docs in a voluntary capacity on special projects.
Shocking new video shared with MailOnline appears to capture the moment Royal Marine commandos clashed with police in Gibraltar in a brawl that saw seven arrested on Friday.
Gibraltar police were responding to a call near the Ocean Village Gym when they became involved in a brawl with elite soldiers from 43 Commando at around 4am.
Witness footage showed Royal Gibraltar Police wrestling men in civilian clothing to the ground. One man in a T-Shirt and shorts was seen to back off with his hands up as police adopted fighting stances and grappled with others.
A second clip shows sirens lighting up the street as police detain suspects on the floor near a police vehicle. Police were reported to have used batons and pepper spray to stop the soldiers in the clash that left seven officers and a member of the public injured.
Suspects were charged on Saturday with offences including assault on police, violent disorder and disorderly whilst intoxicated. They will appear in court on Tuesday.
The commandos are part of a 550-strong unit, based at HM Naval Base Clyde in Scotland, responsible for protecting Britain’s nuclear weapons.
Footage showed the commotion between police officers, commandos and the public
People are pictured clashing, on the floor and doubled over, as police arrive on scene
Footage shows the aftermath, with sirens lighting up building as police appear to detain somebody on the floor
Kyle Connell, 20, Anthony Houghton, 36, Graham Tait, 42, Cameron Bull, 23, Connor Holborn, 24, Sandy Dove, 36, and Samuel Bates, 26, are part of a 550-strong unit responsible for protecting Britain’s nuclear weapons.
The Royal Navy’s website says they are currently on deployment for ‘Maritime Security’ – boasting the group includes crack snipers and close combat specialists.
Royal Gibraltar Police said: ‘Seven men will be appearing before the Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday morning (May 2) following a large fight in Ocean Village.
‘During the incident, seven RGP officers and one member of the public were injured.
‘The Response Team officers were required to use captor spray, baton tactics and unarmed defence tactics.
‘The Royal Gibraltar Police officers were assisted by officers from the Gibraltar Defence Police.
‘Early this morning, the men, who are all serving members of the military, were charged.’
Houghton was charged with two accounts of violent disorder, one of resisting and obstructing police, one of disorderly whilst intoxicated and one of assault on the police.
Dove was charged with two counts of violent disorder, one of resisting and obstructing police and one of assault on police.
Connell, Tait, Bull, Holborn and Baits were all charged with two counts of violent disorder and one of resisting and obstructing police.
Police rushed to Ocean Village Gym, next to a harbour-side strip of bars, after recieving a call. Pictured: Ocean Village Gym
Police had to call the Gibraltar Defence Police for backup as they tried to subdue the serving soldiers.
They have been bailed from with conditions, pending their court appearance on Tuesday.
A MoD Media Officer told The Olive Press that ‘seven service personnel from 43 Commando were arrested by Royal Gibraltar Police on 28 April 2023’.
The Navy’s website reads: ‘From snipers who can disable a moving speedboat from a pursuit helicopter, through to close combat and cold-weather warfare specialists, 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines are the elite warriors who protect the UK’s strategic nuclear deterrent.
‘The unit works closely with the Ministry Of Defence (MOD) Police but also supports the Atomic Weapons Establishment, US Marine Corps and US Coast Guard.
‘Ready and able 24/7/365, 43 Commando delivers specialist capability in a uniquely complex urban, maritime, industrial environment.’
The Ministry of Defence has been contacted for comment.
Dubai-based podcast company Kerning Cultures Network is producing “The Lebanon Heist,” an original investigative probe into the root causes of Lebanon’s devastating financial crisis.
Launching in October, the six-part podcast will be produced in English and Arabic, delving into the crash that led to millions of Lebanese citizens being robbed of their life savings, and exploring the role of Riad Salamah, the country’s current central bank governor, who is considered to be at heart of the collapse. He is accused of having embezzled and laundered hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds.
Salameh, who denies wrongdoing, is being investigated in Lebanon and several European countries for allegedly siphoning off more than $300 million from the central bank with his brother throughout more than a decade.
The “Lebanon Heist” podcast will be hosted by award-winning Lebanese journalist and author Dalal Mawad — formerly with the Associated Press, now with CNN — and Beirut-based reporter Finbar Anderson.
Using live interviews, original reporting and archival materials, the podcast aims to reconstruct the story of the crash from the perspective of Lebanese citizens who lost everything as the political elite systematically ransacked the country’s resources in what has been defined as a state-sanctioned Ponzi scheme by the World Bank.
“[It] is a personal story that has affected me and those that I love,” said Mawad in a statement. “My whole life changed after 2019. My husband and I lost everything we had saved and hoped to build in Lebanon.”
The podcast will follow the active court cases against Lebanon’s central bank governor. Salameh is accused of money laundering, embezzlement, forgery, illicit enrichment and tax law violations in two separate cases in Lebanon but has not yet been formally charged within the investigating European countries.
“Lebanon might be small in size, but the reach and impact of this crime is global,” said Kerning Cultures editor Dana Ballout. “This series will serve as a canary in a coal mine for an international and regional audience who might, like we once did as Lebanese, think their money is safe,” she added, noting that “The fact is, no matter where you call home, your money is never really safe.”
Besides Ballout, the Kerning Cultures Network production team includes Alex Atack, Ahmed Feteha, Heba Afify, Alma Intabli and Mohamad Khreizat.
“The Lebanon Heist” will be the first true crime investigative podcast produced by Kering Cultures, which is a female-led and venture-funded podcast company founded in 2015 with the stated goal of forging a new kind of storytelling from the Arab world.
On Sunday’s “Inside With Jen Psaki,” MSNBC host and former White House press secretary Jen Psaki took a moment to reflect on the week over at Fox News — particularly in its surprising and unceremonious firing of Tucker Carlson.
But while there continues to be speculation over what Rupert Murdoch’s decision came down to, it’s clear that Carlson’s absence hasn’t changed much of the problematic sentiment espoused on the network daily. Psaki argued that “explicit white nationalist views were never the total problem for the network” and that under Carlson, they even “endorsed all of that.” Now instead, hosts like Laura Ingraham are continuing to push that messaging.
“This is simply who they are,” Psaki said of Fox News.
“The announcement that Fox News had abruptly fired Tucker Carlson caught many by surprise — including Tucker Carlson. And it ignited a flurry of reporting about why, exactly, the conservative cable network parted with its top-rated host,” Psaki began in Sunday’s “Inside” segment. “Was it because of highly offensive and crude messages discovered by the board of directors? Maybe. Like reportedly calling a female executive the c-word? (You know the one.) Was it due to the workplace harassment lawsuit filed by a former producer? Or was it simply that Rupert Murdoch decided that Carlson was more trouble than he was worth? For now, it’s not entirely clear. But what we do know is that for years, Fox News seemed to have ample reasons, many of them, to oust Carlson — and did nothing.”
The host then pulled up several clips of Carlson between 2018 and today to show just where his rhetoric feel, such as a 2018 anti-immigration argument in which he said immigrants make “our own country poorer and dirtier and more divided.”
“Charming,” Psaki responded.
A second clip showed Carlson peddling conspiracy theories on the Jan. 6 insurrection on the Capitol, claiming it was an “inside job.” “FBI operatives were organizing the attack on the Capitol,” Carlson argued, to which Psaki responded, “Obviously crazy.”
Or, Psaki added, there was his “obsessive promotion of the white nationalist replacement theory.” She pulled up a clip to match.
“Throughout it all, Fox backed Tucker. When asked in 2021 to comment on Carlson’s long record of lies and bigotry, Fox News plainly said, ‘We fully support him,’” Psaki said. “And for years, they did. But if you think Tucker’s firing means Fox has seen the light, don’t hold your breath. Don’t judge them on why they fired Carlson, judge them for all the times they didn’t. And judge them for what they’re still putting on the air this week. Since his exit on Monday, it’s been business as usual for their primetime lineup.”
That’s when Psaki pulled up a clip of Ingraham last week claiming that “illegal immigrant dreamers are valued over native-born Americans,” echoing Carlson’s fears of so-called replacement theory.
“Sounds pretty familiar, right?” Psaki said. “Fox News may have had a problem with Tucker himself, but his ideas, the conspiracies, the lies, his explicit white nationalist views, were never the total problem for the network. They endorsed all of that, and continue to do so. This is simply who they are.”
Watch the full “Inside With Jen Psaki” segment in the video above.
The name Candy Montgomery is familiar to many. But after the first three episodes of Love & Death, people will better understand the woman who has been known as the housewife who struck her friend 41 times with an axe.
“I oddly think we made the show she would want to have made,” Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Candy, tells The Hollywood Reporter. “We really defend her, without trying to let her completely off the hook. But we are telling, I think, her story.”
The seven-part Max series written by David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies, The Undoing and many more) released its first three episodes before moving to a weekly release. And the three-part premiere, all of which were directed by Lesli Linka Glatter (Homeland, Mad Men and many more), serve as an opening chapter to the true-crime retelling of the infamous story.
On June 13, 1980, Texas housewife Candace “Candy” Montgomery was accused of brutally murdering Betty Gore (played in the series by Lily Rabe), the wife of her former lover Allan Gore (played by Jesse Plemons), striking her 41 times with an axe. As will be revealed in later episodes when the series revisits the trial, a jury ultimately found her not guilty, after her side argued self-defense and a momentary snap, triggered by childhood trauma. As her attorney points out, they couldn’t find her innocent, but they did find her not guilty.
Since then, Montgomery, who is now in her 70s, has not done public interviews. Her only cooperation into the retellings of the case has been in the book Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs by John Bloom and Jim Atkinson, which is one of the source materials that informed Love & Death. The other source here is the two-part Texas Monthly article “Love and Death in Silicon Prairie,” which is what prompted Glatter and Kelley to license the rights for their TV miniseries.
Montgomery’s years of silence and attempt to start over — the finale, also directed by Glatter, gives an update on her current whereabouts — is why the Love & Death team did not reach out to her when making their series.
“I knew that she didn’t want that,” says Olsen. “And I really have a respect for someone who draws such a hard line after such a national story to have never done an interview after the fact. Besides participating in Evidence of Love, she hasn’t done a single interview since the trial. I can appreciate why someone would want their anonymity and privacy, even though we’re evading it by making the show.”
The first three episodes introduce Candy, a young mother of two, as a well-liked member of her small town and Church community in Wylie, Texas. She should be content. But when she realizes she’s not, she propositions a neighbor and friend’s husband, Allan Gore, to have what Glatter describes as the “most unsexy beginning of any affair ever known.”
“They actually got together at her house and ate lasagna, and wrote a list on butcher paper of the Do’s and Don’t’s to try to be safe in this affair they were doing. We copied it directly in terms of what those Do’s and Don’t’s were. To me, you couldn’t make that up,” Glatter tells THR of Candy and Allan’s documented three-monthlong affair planning process. “I am very interested in when things are not what they appear to be. That you have to look deeper to see what’s really going on. In the late ‘70s, women got married at 20. You had your two kids, you made your meals, you moved to the suburbs, you joined the church, you have a wonderful, supportive community — you did everything right. Why is it that there’s a hole in your heart and psyche and spirit that’s a mile wide?”
Candy (Elizabeth Olsen) and Allan (Jesse Plemons) beginning their affair.
Jake Giles Netter/HBO Max
Other elements of the story were, as the director describes, “stranger than fiction” and also part of the appeal for her and Kelley to take the story on. “The Marriage Encounter really took place at a medieval themed hotel, Dunfey’s Royal Inn, which was on Northwest Highway in Dallas, Texas. I would have never chosen that as a director unless it was true,” she shares of the religious weekend experience to bond couples that both the Montgomerys and the Gores attended. “I thought Marriage Encounter was incredibly moving. If you don’t have therapy, that’s a place that couples can go and really be honest and talk to each other — though Allan wasn’t totally honest.”
Taking the time to set up the Montgomery and Gore marriages, Candy and Allan’s affair, and Candy’s discontent in the backdrop of Wylie was a different approach than the Hulu series, Candy, which starred Jessica Biel in the titular role and Melanie Lynskey as Betty, that released a year prior. In Love & Death, it’s not until the final moments of the third episode that Candy even arrives at Betty’s house that day, with the final shot ending on Betty holding the axe.
Glatter has shared their collective shock at hearing that, two months into filming Love & Death, Hulu was moving ahead with their own version of the Montgomery-Gore story. Though that series filmed after, it finished and released first. Glatter elaborates: “We had licensed all the underlying rights, so we thought that we had covered all our bases, but it’s public domain material so there’s nothing you can do.”
She adds, “For a long time I did not [watch Candy]. We were already on our path, we were doing it the way we chose to do it. There’s a beauty to the world this exists in. We started with all the community building scenes and the way we ordered shooting I thought was critically important to develop the world. This is a world that’s very bucolic and beautiful on the surface, but what’s underneath is quite a bit different. So all the scenes we shot at first were the church scenes, the picnics, the singing. And it bonded the actors and all of us in a really profound way. So I felt like it was watching something else and a different approach, though I respect everyone has their own way of looking at material.”
Another change is the look of the characters. While Biel memorably donned Candy’s short curly wig and large glasses, Glatter’s vision was not to have Olsen and the cast look exactly like the people they were playing. “She didn’t want my hair actually permed because she thought it would be distracting,” says Olsen. “I had a sense of freedom just from that choice that Lesli was making of trying to tell the heart of this story, not so much a documentary version of it.”
Glatter explains, “If she had been playing a character that had been in the public zeitgeist, like Marcia Clark or Jackie Kennedy, everyone knows who those people are and you have to be as realistically real as possible. But Candy, no one really knew. So we decided to do not even a version of it, but something that was appropriate to the time. We did stick very clearly to the courtroom wardrobe — they found this crazy jacket that Candy was photographed in. But that was a choice to not wear a wig and have that be what is focused on.”
Pat (Patrick Fugit) and Candy Montgomery (Elizabeth Olsen, second from left) singing in the church choir with her friend Sherry (Krysten Ritter, second from right) and Allan Gore (Jesse Plemons, right).
Jake Giles Netter/HBO Max
Though the trial became national news, there were no recordings. So Olsen says she spent the most time crafting Candy’s voice. “I would send Lesli so many voice memos saying, ‘What about a thicker change on the A sound? Or, what about a higher-pitched voice?’ Once I got it and we started working, there was something physical my voice was doing that I wasn’t really aware of, and Tricia Sawyer, my longtime makeup artist, was with me one morning and was just like, ‘There she is. Your eyes shift when you get into Candy mode.’ And I never actively thought of that, but there is a version of her in my head that felt so easy to slip into once I figured it out.”
InTHR‘s review of Love & Death, critic Angie Han said of Olsen’s striking portrayal, “Her saucer-like eyes prove to be her most effective weapon. At times, they seem to shine so big and bright it’s almost unnerving; at others, they court sympathy by flooding with tears or dimming completely.”
Olsen also hasn’t seen Candy, having only spoken to Biel about their shared part for the first time weeks ago. But both she and Glatter agree that the unexplainable is why people are so attracted to this story. “I think it would be an interesting exercise as an audience member if you’ve seen that to also see ours, or vice versa,” says Olsen. “It’s not about one person owning a story, it’s about how different people come together and tell a tale or tell a version of a story, and how many ways there are to tell a story that I find endlessly fascinating, which is why you return to the theater and the same plays all the time. To me, it’s not an us vs. them. It’s more like, how does that inform this version of this story?”
Still, all of these years later, many questions remain. And Glatter hopes Love & Death will help to answer them.
Olsen agrees: “Something really tragic happened and we don’t want to excuse or negate that in any way. But I think the exercise we are doing is: How do we tell someone’s story and still understand how their lives led to that moment? And have a bit of understanding behind someone’s choices where we would normally leap to judgment, without having had this experience of the show.”
Love & Death is streaming its first three episodes on Max, with the remaining four dropping weekly on Thursdays.
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There is a direct relationship between the amount of crap you take for the music you love and the depth of your devotion to it. This is why headbangers and punks are the most loyal fans on the planet. Enduring everything from insults to parking lot beatdowns, devotees of extreme music earn their fandom.
This is certainly the case for the three main characters in “Gone to the Wolves,” an outstanding new novel by John Wray set in the world of ’80s heavy metal. Wray is the acclaimed author of five previous novels, ranging from the voice-driven (“Lowboy”) to the historical (“The Right Hand of Sleep”) and the experimental (“The Lost Time Accidents”). In his latest outing, he has nailed his milieu.
Christopher “Kip” Norvald is the proverbial new kid in town, who moves to Venice, Fla., to live with his grandmother and finish high school. His arrival is attended by a raft of rumors about his incarcerated father and drug-addicted mother, as well as his own involuntary stay in a mental health facility. These rumors are bolstered by Kip’s proclivity for slipping into a violent fugue-like state he calls the White Room whenever he’s threatened or stressed.
Kip is indoctrinated into heavy metal by Leslie Aaron Vogler, a.k.a. Leslie Z, “who had three strikes against him already: he was Black, he was bi, and he liked Hanoi Rocks.” Leslie is the scene’s savant and proselytizer. “‘It’s more than just a sound, of course. It’s more than an aesthetic,” he says. “It’s the road less taken, Norvald. It’s the … left-hand path. It’s a complete shadow culture, with its own laws, its own myths, its own scripture.”
The group is rounded out by Kira Carson, who is drawn to the most intense music she can find in a desperate search for truth: “Kira was the genuine article, a metal mujahid, a wild-eyed true believer, and the scorn she felt for music — for anything, really — that was soft or safe or tentative was too ferocious to resist.”
Naturally, Kip falls head over heels in love with her.
(Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
Wray’s story begins in 1987 with the emergence of a band called Death, whose record “Scream Bloody Gore” many consider to be the birth of death metal, a faster and more ferocious style stripped of ornament and played at punishing volumes.
Death was the brainchild of Chuck Shuldiner, who played all the instruments on the record save drums. Because Chuck’s mom goes to church in Venice, these misfits claim him as their own.
Venice was also the winter headquarters of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and Kira is reputedly related to Grady Stiles, who performed under the name Lobster Boy and left behind a legacy of violence that Wray weaves into “Gone to the Wolves.”
After surviving high school, the trio moves to Hollywood, where Leslie and Kira fixate on a terrible glam metal band that keeps changing its name. Leslie’s motives are carnal, but Kira’s are harder for Kip to decipher.
Kip’s musical taste is defined by what he doesn’t like, and as he reinvents himself as a reviewer for a zine called Hair of the Serpent, he discovers plenty to dislike in the druggy lore of the Sunset Strip.
“He couldn’t shake the feeling,” Wray writes, “that all it would take to bring the whole scene crashing down would be for someone, just one random person, to look around and start laughing.” (Though the band isn’t named, that’s the effect Nirvana had when it broke out in 1991 and sent hair metal back to the underground.)
Kip’s takedowns of the pay-to-play fame seekers who cavort about the Whisky a Go Go’s stage on weekday nights to half-empty rooms with glitter cannons and paisley scarves, are scabrous enough to give the likes of Lester Bangs and Kickboy Face pause.
Metal is not a cult or an ideological system but a scene, and a scene is always a cultural backwater of the mainstream. Kip, Leslie, and Kira know how to survive a backwater. That’s one of the more hopeful messages encoded in “Gone to the Wolves”: If you can get through your childhood, you can make it through anything.
By refusing to imbue the shenanigans of the Sunset Strip with the banal glamor of MTV, Wray correctly presents it as a cultural morass even less enlightened than the Youth Center parking lot in Venice, Fla.
In the bathroom of the Rainbow Room, where Kira works, Kip addresses the semi-comatose singer for Mötley Crüe: “Wake up, Vince. This is your conscience speaking.” He proceeds to shred Vince as “an embarrassment to yourself and to your family. You spend more time on your bangs than you do on your songs.” He ends his diatribe by telling Vince “a storm is coming” — but fails to heed his own warning.
Kip embraces Kira’s notion that metal is a tool for excavating truth, and his truth is the White Room, an urge for violence that is part fatal flaw, part transcendental calling. Its repercussions push the trio to Northern Europe, where Kira finds herself in genuine peril and the novel swerves from a coming-of-age story into a freaky-deaky horror show.
To love music is to be on intimate terms with a magical revolving door. Sometimes you enter a piece of music; sometimes it enters you. To enter extreme music is to go to a place beyond melody or rhythm or even narrative, a place that leads to the darkness within the listener. The concept of exorcism is often associated with heavy metal, but ultimately metal is where you go to meet your demons, not purge them. Wray knows his stuff, and he masterfully sets the table, allowing Kira to pursue her own darkness and confront it where it lives.
Wray chooses not to describe the damage at the root of Kira’s trauma. The fact that the horror embedded in songs by bands like Morbid Angel, Deicide and Cannibal Corpse doesn’t come close to what’s at the core of Kira’s truth tells us it’s likely more than we — or anyone — should be asked to bear.
The one album Kip, Leslie and Kira can agree on is Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning,” a monument of thrash that captures the animus of punk and the theatricality of metal without getting too grandiose. While the lyrics to the band’s latest single, “Lux Aeterna,” sound like they were written by an AI chatbot, there’s an epic quality to Leslie quoting the chorus to “Fight Fire With Fire” that headbangers of every age will find thrilling.
Even if you didn’t spend your adolescence puking on your shoes in parking lots, flirting with calamity as distorted riffs thunder out of blown-out speakers or shutting your eyes while driving down the highway as you crank up to “Fade to Black,” “Gone to the Wolves” captures the feeling of loving something so intensely it just might kill you.
Joe Keery, the actor who plays Steve Harrington, expressed his mixed emotions aboutStranger Thingsending during a panel at German Comic Con. Stranger Things has become a cultural phenomenon since it premiered on Netflix in 2016. The show has captivated audiences with its blend of 80s nostalgia, supernatural thrills, and heartfelt character moments. Over the course of four seasons, fans have grown to love the characters of the Hawkins gang, including Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max. These characters have faced incredible challenges together, from battling Demogorgons and Mind Flayers to saving the world from the Upside Down time and time again. Now, as the show enters its fifth and final season, the Hawkins gang comes together for one last fight against Vecna.
During the panel, Keery described the experience as “bittersweet,” expressing his excitement about returning to work but acknowledging that it would also be the start of the last of many things. Keery’s sentiments echoed those of many fans who have grown attached to the show’s characters and world, and who will be sad to see the show come to an end.
“It’s going to be bittersweet, for sure,” Keery said. “I think everybody’s excited to start working again, but it’ll be like the first time of a lot of last things, as well. It’ll be very bittersweet.”
Netflix Announces New Animated and Live-Action Spin-Off for Stranger Things
Netflix
With the fifth season of the flagship show set to be the last, fans have been eager to know what’s next for the Stranger Things universe. Netflix has announced that a new animated series set in the same world is in the works, set to expand the story of the Upside-Down in exciting new ways. While details about the new series are still scarce, the show is set to be based on classic Saturday morning cartoons, promising plenty of running around and incoherent logic, albeit with the intricately plotted and thought-out approach that audiences have come to expect. The Duffer Brothers, creators of Stranger Things, released a statement expressing their excitement about the new animated.
“We’ve always dreamed of an animated Stranger Things in the vein of the Saturday morning cartoons that we grew up loving, and to see this dream realized has been absolutely thrilling. We couldn’t be more blown away by what Eric Robles and his team have come up with — the scripts and artwork are incredible, and we can’t wait to share more with you! The adventure continues…”
The Boroughs, an upcoming Netflix series, is another highly-anticipated project from Matt and Ross Duffer. The show’s premise is set in a picturesque retirement community in the New Mexico desert, where a group of unlikely heroes must band together to stop an otherworldly threat from stealing time. Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews will serve as showrunners for the series, bringing their unique vision to the project. Netflix is hoping that The Boroughs will become the next big hit in the supernatural mystery genre, following the success of Stranger Things. The streaming service has given the show an eight-episode order.
Stranger Things season 5 is expected to premiere on Netflix in 2024.
Hello everyone and welcome to my blog. For those who know me you know about my love for horror films so once a month I’m going to review and discuss a scary flick. We’ll look at the classics, some new films, and I want your suggestions on what I should review. I’ll do my best to cover all the different genres within the genre – slashers, ghosts, monsters, etc.
SPOILER ALERT! – These will be reviews so if you haven’t seen the movie you’ll want to watch it first before you read this. Let’s do this.
THE BEYOND review
…E tu vivrai nel terrore! L’aldilà! Or, for those speaking English – And you will live in terror! The afterlife. Either way, it spells The Beyond! in the second film of Lucio Fulci’s Gates of Hell trilogy! I like putting exclamation points at the end of every sentence!!
Anyway, I have to say I like this film better than City of the Living Dead even though it is certainly not known for its plot. Let’s be honest – if there is one – it isn’t memorable, so we won’t spend a ton of time on it and just get to the gore!! In New Orleans, a man is killed in the basement of a home for painting and practicing black magic. Fast forward to a woman who inherits said mansion/hotel that happens to be wait for it, right on top of a portal to hell!! The owner of the hotel, Liza, has her first odd experience when a house painter sees a scary figure on scaffolding and falls. A doctor named John takes him to the hospital where Liza later visits. She later meets a blind woman named Emily with a guide dog who continually shows up telling her to get rid of the property. She has a plumber come to fix the flooded basement only to re-open the gate. After seeing terrible things, Liza is trapped in a hospital with John. Loving this hospital scene with the patients, or undead, or whatever the heck they are. Anyone else get the Resident Evil vibe from this scene? After finally escaping – and killing an undead little girl – they wind up back in the basement of the hotel and then enter the beyond, only to disappear forever.
Not the most intense synopsis ever but that’s okay. We need to get to the good stuff. There are some seriously nasty death scenes in this film. A woman who visits a morgue is killed by an accident where a bottle of acid is poured on her face. Totally melts her skin away. A woman is plunged into a wall spike in the back of her head, and it pops out the other end through her eye. It’s great because you see the object it the background the whole time while she is fighting with the zombie, and you know exactly what’s coming. In one scene the character Emily has her loyal guide dog attack some zombies/humanoids/whatever they are and then the dog turns on her and rips out her neck and then takes a bite out of her head. What is going on here?! But nothing compares to the spider scene. A man doing research on the house is in a library on top of one of those rolling ladders and loses his balance only to fall and is severely injured but alive. Too bad for him because tarantulas show up and start eating this dude. It’s gross. They bite his face, around his moth, and then his eye. Oh man, they dig on and start stretching and tearing his eyeball out. I’ve seen a lot of movie deaths but this one was tough to watch.
Every review just kills the film because of the plot, but I don’t think people are looking at it in every aspect. The shot composition and lighting are much better in this film than City of the Living Dead. Most of the film was actually shot in New Orleans so we have this great scenery and set pieces. I’ve seen arguments for this being about religion referencing the actual Beyond at the end of the film – which I thought was a really beautiful and very spooky set design – as a form of purgatory. The Book of Eibon comes up in this film which is referenced in a few of H.P. Lovecraft’s works as well. Movies always borrow from other movies or literature. I definitely can’t praise this film for its script but I don’t need to. I like it’s feel and emotion. Right from the first few scenes of old New Orleans with the swamps and old houses I was in. Fulci knows how to make horror and as a horror fan, I appreciate his work. The gates of hell aren’t closed yet though. Next, we dig into The House by the Cemetery!
Two of the biggest questions ahead of the 2023 Met Gala are “will Rihanna be there?” and “what will she wear?” Thanks to her statement looks like the unforgettable yellow Guo Pei gown in 2015 and the time she came as a Margiela-ified pope in 2018, Rihanna is an undeniable fan favorite. We don’t yet know the answer to those questions, but the superstar did emerge in New York City this weekend wearing a look that was bang on-theme.
Instagram/@badgalriri
Instagram/@badgalriri
This year’s Met Gala honors the late designer Karl Lagerfeld. A-listers on the red carpet are being encouraged to dress “in honor of Karl,” and inside, guests will get a first glimpse at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new exhibition, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” exploring his work at fashion houses such as Chanel, Fendi, Chloé, and more. Spotted leaving a restaurant last night, Rihanna just so happened to be wearing pieces from Chanel’s fall 1994 collection, designed by Lagerfeld himself. She wore Chanel’s cropped faux-fur jacket (in black and white, Lagerfeld’s signature combo!) and kitschy “CC” logo sunglasses, which can be yours for over $3,400 on 1stDibs.
Rihanna punctuated the vintage Chanel pieces with a fuzzy white Coperni dress, strappy Amina Muaddi heels, and a custom faux fur hat by Benny Andallo—the kitschy milliner who has designed toppers for FKA Twigs and Rihanna before. But it’s those covetable ’90s Chanel pieces that couldn’t be more Met Gala-ready. Is this her hint that she’ll show up on those iconic Met steps tomorrow? Only time will tell.
Isn’t it boring to binge-watch swoon-worthy romantic storylines all the time? Well, get ready to shake things up with K-dramas that dare to be different. From spine-chilling horror tales to heart-pumping action, these shows prove that there’s more to Korean television than just romance.
Whether one is in the mood for a mind-bending psychological thriller like Mouse or a heartwarming family drama like Reply 1988. These K-dramas will take you on a wild ride that won’t be forgotten soon. Get comfy and prepare to enter a new world of K-drama that is anything but ordinary!
10 Taxi Driver (2021)
SBS TV
Kim Do-gi is a former Special Forces officer who works as a taxi driver for Rainbow Taxi Company. However, the taxi company is not an ordinary taxi service. It also provides a unique service to its clients by avenging the victims of injustices who cannot find just through legal systems. Kim Do-gi is aided by a group of talented individuals, including a hacker, a former police officer, and a lawyer, who help him in his quest to deliver justice to the victims.
Overall, it is a well-crafted and thrilling drama that tackles important themes like justice, revenge, and redemption in an entertaining way. This show is a must-watch for fans of crime dramas or anyone who loves this genre.
9 The World of the Married (2020)
JTBC
This drama revolves around the story of a successful doctor named Ji Sun-woo, who has everything in life, including a happy family and a flourishing career. However, her seemingly perfect life is turned upside down. She discovers that her husband, Lee Tae-ho, is having an affair with another woman.
As Ji Sun-woo uncovers more secrets and lies about her husband, her life starts to spiral out of control, and finds herself fighting to keep her family and her sanity intact. The show also features multidimensional characters, who are flawed and realistic, making them relatable to the viewers. The series is known for its intense storyline, exceptional acting performances, and stunning cinematography. The World of the Married is an emotional rollercoaster that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats with its gripping plot.
8 Move to Heaven (2021)
Netflix
Following the story of a young man named Geu-ru, who has Asperger’s syndrome, a developmental disorder that affects his social interactions and communication skills. Geu-ru’s father, who used to run a trauma cleaning business, passes away, leaving him under the care of his estranged uncle, Sang-gu. Sang-gu, who is a former convict and has a troubled past, reluctantly takes on the responsibility of raising Geu-ru and taking over the family business. It involves cleaning up the homes of people who have passed away and organizing their belonging for their loved ones.
The series sheds light on the often-overlooked work of trauma cleaning and the importance of empathy toward those who have suffered a loss. The heartwarming and touching storyline, tugs at the hearts of the viewers, making them feel all sorts of emotions.
Based on the webtoon of the same name, Sweet Home is a horror thriller series that follows the story of Cha Hyun-su, a high school student. He moves into a rundown apartment complex after the tragic death of his family. Soon, a mysterious virus starts to spread through the complex, causing residents to turn into monsters with supernatural powers. With no way out and no help from the outside world, the remaining survivors band together to fight for their lives and find a way to stop the virus from spreading.
The show features intense action, as the characters fight for survival against monstrous creatures. With season two on the way, the viewers are extremely excited to get on the rollercoaster ride once again.
6 Hospital Playlist (2020)
tvN
Directed by Shin Won-ho, the story follows the lives of five doctors who have been friends since they entered medical school together. The series takes place in a hospital, where the main characters work as doctors and perform surgeries. Throughout the series, focus on the personal and professional lives of the main characters is portrayed, who are all unique in their own ways. Each episode features the daily lives of the doctors, including their interaction with patients, and their personal struggles.
5 Mouse (2021)
tvN
A series of gruesome murders takes place in a small town. Jeong Ba-reum, a kind-hearted police officer, investigates the murders with his fellow officers. With the investigation progressing, Jung Bae-rum starts to realize that the killer might be closer to him than he thought.
As the series unfolds, he discovers a dark secret from his own past. Themes like nature vs nurture, identity, and the consequences of scientific experimentation are explored. The dark and suspenseful atmosphere, with graphic depictions of violence, gets the audience on the edge of their seats.
The Penthouse displays the lives of wealthy families who reside in a luxurious apartment complex called Hera Palace. The plot primarily revolves around three women: Shim Su-ryeon, Cheon Seo-jin, and Oh Yoon-hee. They are all the mothers of students at the prestigious Cheong-ah Arts School.
The intense competition with conflicts as they fight for power and status in society is nail-biting for the viewers. Often resorting to extreme measures to secure their positions, like murder. The drama has gained popularity all over South Korea for its intense plot twists and cliffhangers.
3 The Glory (2022)
Netflix
Starring the award-winning Song Hye-Kyo as Moon Dong-eun, The Glory is a no-kill revenge-thriller that shows a dark side to school bullying and what happens to the victims after. As a result of the torture, Dong-eun drops out of high school and dedicates herself to seeking revenge upon her tormentors, no matter what it takes.
The depiction of bullying and revenge is realistic enough to make the audience shiver in fear. With the gripping, unnerving plot which offers catharsis to its viewers, The Glory jumped up the popularity bar both nationally and internationally.
2 Reply 1988 (2015)
tvN
In the neighborhood of Ssangmun-dong reside five friends whose lives are depicted along with their families. The show is set in the year 1988 and explores the daily struggles, joys, and challenges faced by the characters as they navigate their adolescence to adulthood. Known for its heartwarming storytelling and nostalgic portrayal of life in Korea during that era grabs the undivided attention of the spectators. Shows like this are never tiring to binge-watch, be it for the first time or the second.
1 Kingdom (2019)
Netflix
Set in the Joseon Dynasty era, the story follows the Crown Prince Lee Change, who investigates a mysterious plague that is spreading throughout the country. This plague turns the people into violent and bloodthirsty zombies. The Crown Prince becomes embroiled in a political power struggle with the Haewon Cho clan. They are trying to conceal the spread of the disease and maintain their control over the throne.
The drama features intense action and suspense as the Crown Prince fights to protect his people from the zombies. The stunning visuals and blend of genres make it a must-watch for K-drama fans.
The Tony Awards is moving the first part of the ceremony to the free ad-supported streaming service Pluto.
In recent years, this part of the ceremony, which traditionally features creative awards, has streamed on Paramount+, the paid streaming service under Paramount Global. By moving to the free service, the Tony Awards can potentially reach a wider audience, while promoting Paramount Global’s newer offering, Pluto.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Pluto TV to kick off this year’s Tony Awards celebration,” said Jack Sussman, executive vp, specials, music, live events and alternative programming at CBS. “This cross-company partnership allows us to utilize the breadth of the Paramount Global family to bring the best of Broadway into homes of more viewers than ever before.”
“We’re excited to spotlight this live, exclusive preshow event for Broadway’s biggest night,” said Jeff Grossman, evp of content and business operations for Paramount Streaming. “Our partnership with CBS continues to bring even more programming from across the Paramount ecosystem to Pluto TV audiences for free.”
The Tony Awards: Act One will air from 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. ET/ 3:30-5:00 p.m. PT, with free access on smart TVs, streaming devices, mobile apps or online by going to Pluto TV and clicking on the Pluto TV Celebrity channel. This will be followed by the main awards presentation and ceremony, which is set to air on CBS, from 8 p.m.-11 p.m. ET/5 p.m.- 8 p.m. PT and also stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
The host and exact programming for The Tony Awards: Act One has not yet been named. Last year, this part of the ceremony was hosted by Darren Criss and Julianne Hough.
The televised ceremony was split in two for the first time in fall 2021, when the pandemic-delayed ceremony for the 2019-2020 awards was held. At the time, Audra McDonald and Leslie Odom Jr. split hosting duties for the four-hour event, with the first two hours, streaming on Paramount+, containing the bulk of the awards. The following two hours celebrated the return to Broadway, after theaters had been closed during the pandemic, and presented the biggest awards.
The move to Pluto comes as FAST streaming services gain in popularity and become an important complement to many networks existing paid streaming services. In September, Paramount’s Pluto TV became the first free, ad-supported platform to crack the Nielsen Gauge, reaching 1 percent of all TV viewership in the U.S. for the month. Its competitor, the Fox-owned Tubi, also cracked the gauge in February 2023.
When Queen Elizabeth died in September, Carl Hulme happened to be in England – the perfect spot to scoop up commemorative fine bone china, tea towels and canvas bags to stock his Blimeys British Store and Gift Shop in Essex, Ont.
Most of it sold by the time goods marking King Charles’May 6 coronation were arriving at his shop about 30 kilometres from the Windsor-Detroit border.
But with the new sovereign’s popularity lower than his mother’s and recent royals drama stirring up calls for Commonwealth countries to reject the monarchy, Hulme and others were uncertain there would be much of a market for King Charles memorabilia in Canada.
“With the queen, most of us grew up with her. That’s the only monarch that we ever knew and so with the passing of the queen, it kind of brought an end to an era, so I wasn’t sure,” Hulme said.
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His doubts have since been dashed as Victoria Eggs cups and saucers with a coronation motif and Emma Bridgewater mugs celebrating the King’s reign have sold at a steady clip at Blimeys.
Canadians cool to King Charles III: poll
Elsewhere in Canada and online, one can find Charles- and coronation-themed coins, stamps, Nespresso coffee pods, McVitie’s biscuit tins, Royal Scot Crystal decanters and dresses, pyjamas, pillows, socks, makeup bags and crown-topped teddy bears from Marks & Spencer.
Joanne McNeish, a Toronto Metropolitan University professor specializing in marketing, suspects the array of products will delight Canadian monarchists, royalists, memorabilia collectors and many who just want something to mark a historical moment.
“People love a big event and the closer to the event, the more the idea of having something to remember it will ramp up, so within Canada… I definitely think there’s an appetite,” she said.
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Rita and Carl Hulme stand with King Charles merchandise at Blimeys British Store and Gift Shop in Essex, Ont. on Sunday, April 16, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nicole Osborne.
She suspects most of that interest will come from older shoppers, who have more of an attachment to anything historical, but said Gen Z is becoming increasingly fond of nostalgic items too.
She estimates collectors of memorabilia or people who pick items up now in hopes of selling them for a profit years later will only make up five per cent of buyers.
Between celebrations, memorabilia, books and tourism, the Centre for Retail Research in Norfolk, England estimates more than US$1.4 billion ($2.3 billion) will be spent on the coronation by U.K. consumers.
The centre’s director, Joshua Bamfield, estimated “overseas enthusiasts” will generate US$79 million ($132 million) in sales.
“Most of this will be U.S., of course, but I would have thought that spending by Canadians on coronation merchandise would be around US$8 million ($13 million) naturally,” he wrote in an email to The Canadian Press.
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“Canadians will come as tourists to see and engage in the coronation, but I would not have thought the Canadian delegation would be greater than 2,000 to 3,000.”
The Road to the Coronation
It’s hard for McNeish to predict how strong Canadian sales tied to the King’s coronation will be or how it will compare to interest in memorabilia tied to his mother, Queen Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth took the throne in 1953, many watched the spectacle on newly-purchased televisions and commemorative tchotchkes might have seemed inappropriate.
Since then, television has lost its novelty with the dawn of livestreaming anywhere and on any device and it’s seldom that a big event is not turned into a marketing opportunity that is milked for profit.
But the queen’s death stirred up fond sentiments for many who saw her as a grandmother-like figure.
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“The queen was different in that the queen was finite and there was a coming to an end,” McNeish said.
“When people are going to die or even after their deaths, there tends to be a bigger explosion in acquiring something (linked to them).”
The queen remains the most popular royal with 80 per cent of British respondents to YouGov polling completed in the first quarter of the year having a positive opinion of her.
She is followed by her daughter, Princess Anne, then her grandson William, the Prince of Wales and his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales.
A tale of two stones: From the Koh-i-Noor to the Cullinan diamonds for Camilla’s coronation crown
King Charles is the fifth most popular royal, with 55 per cent of people surveyed saying they have a positive opinion of him.
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The breakdown of his marriage to the late Princess Diana and her assertions that his second wife, Queen Consort Camilla, was to blame spurred much of the public dislike of the King. His son, Prince Harry, who recently departed royal life, levelling mistreatment allegations at his family, did not help the King’s appeal.
However, Hulme said consumers are sympathetic to the King.
“The majority are buying because they feel that Charles has been somewhat put in such a bad light by Harry and (Duchess of Sussex) Meghan. They feel they want to support him in some way.”
While Little Taste of Home, a British and Irish shop near Calgary had yet to receive its order of King Charles spoons, cups, mugs and plates by mid-April, patrons had been asking about when they’d arrive for weeks.
“It’s a lot of people that are from England who want to do what they can at this side of the pond for celebrating his coronation,” said worker Diane Dennis.
“Then, there’s a few people who collect things just because it’s once in a lifetime.”
Asked whether the royal drama was putting off shoppers at the New Horizon Mall store, she added, “Oh, no, no, definitely not.”
In late March, more than 1,000 technology leaders, researchers and other pundits working in and around artificial intelligence signed an open letter warning that A.I. technologies present “profound risks to society and humanity.”
The group, which included Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive and the owner of Twitter, urged A.I. labs to halt development of their most powerful systems for six months so that they could better understand the dangers behind the technology.
“Powerful A.I. systems should be developed only once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable,” the letter said.
The letter, which now has over 27,000 signatures, was brief. Its language was broad. And some of the names behind the letter seemed to have a conflicting relationship with A.I. Mr. Musk, for example, is building his own A.I. start-up, and he is one of the primary donors to the organization that wrote the letter.
But the letter represented a growing concern among A.I. experts that the latest systems, most notably GPT-4, the technology introduced by the San Francisco start-up OpenAI, could cause harm to society. They believed future systems will be even more dangerous.
Some of the risks have arrived. Others will not for months or years. Still others are purely hypothetical.
“Our ability to understand what could go wrong with very powerful A.I. systems is very weak,” said Yoshua Bengio, a professor and A.I. researcher at the University of Montreal. “So we need to be very careful.”
Why Are They Worried?
Dr. Bengio is perhaps the most important person to have signed the letter.
Working with two other academics — Geoffrey Hinton, until recently a researcher at Google, and Yann LeCun, now chief A.I. scientist at Meta, the owner of Facebook — Dr. Bengio spent the past four decades developing the technology that drives systems like GPT-4. In 2018, the researchers received the Turing Award, often called “the Nobel Prize of computing,” for their work on neural networks.
A neural network is a mathematical system that learns skills by analyzing data. About five years ago, companies like Google, Microsoft and OpenAI began building neural networks that learned from huge amounts of digital text called large language models, or L.L.M.s.
By pinpointing patterns in that text, L.L.M.s learn to generate text on their own, including blog posts, poems and computer programs. They can even carry on a conversation.
This technology can help computer programmers, writers and other workers generate ideas and do things more quickly. But Dr. Bengio and other experts also warned that L.L.M.s can learn unwanted and unexpected behaviors.
These systems can generate untruthful, biased and otherwise toxic information. Systems like GPT-4 get facts wrong and make up information, a phenomenon called “hallucination.”
Companies are working on these problems. But experts like Dr. Bengio worry that as researchers make these systems more powerful, they will introduce new risks.
Short-Term Risk: Disinformation
Because these systems deliver information with what seems like complete confidence, it can be a struggle to separate truth from fiction when using them. Experts are concerned that people will rely on these systems for medical advice, emotional support and the raw information they use to make decisions.
“There is no guarantee that these systems will be correct on any task you give them,” said Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor of computer science at Arizona State University.
Experts are also worried that people will misuse these systems to spread disinformation. Because they can converse in humanlike ways, they can be surprisingly persuasive.
“We now have systems that can interact with us through natural language, and we can’t distinguish the real from the fake,” Dr. Bengio said.
Medium-Term Risk: Job Loss
Experts are worried that the new A.I. could be job killers. Right now, technologies like GPT-4 tend to complement human workers. But OpenAI acknowledges that they could replace some workers, including people who moderate content on the internet.
They cannot yet duplicate the work of lawyers, accountants or doctors. But they could replace paralegals, personal assistants and translators.
A paper written by OpenAI researchers estimated that 80 percent of the U.S. work force could have at least 10 percent of their work tasks affected by L.L.M.s and that 19 percent of workers might see at least 50 percent of their tasks impacted.
“There is an indication that rote jobs will go away,” said Oren Etzioni, the founding chief executive of the Allen Institute for AI, a research lab in Seattle.
Long-Term Risk: Loss of Control
Some people who signed the letter also believe artificial intelligence could slip outside our control or destroy humanity. But many experts say that’s wildly overblown.
The letter was written by a group from the Future of Life Institute, an organization dedicated to exploring existential risks to humanity. They warn that because A.I. systems often learn unexpected behavior from the vast amounts of data they analyze, they could pose serious, unexpected problems.
They worry that as companies plug L.L.M.s into other internet services, these systems could gain unanticipated powers because they could write their own computer code. They say developers will create new risks if they allow powerful A.I. systems to run their own code.
“If you look at a straightforward extrapolation of where we are now to three years from now, things are pretty weird,” said Anthony Aguirre, a theoretical cosmologist and physicist at the University of California, Santa Cruz and co-founder of the Future of Life Institute.
“If you take a less probable scenario — where things really take off, where there is no real governance, where these systems turn out to be more powerful than we thought they would be — then things get really, really crazy,” he said.
Dr. Etzioni said talk of existential risk was hypothetical. But he said other risks — most notably disinformation — were no longer speculation.
”Now we have some real problems,” he said. “They are bona fide. They require some responsible reaction. They may require regulation and legislation.”
The Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon-fronted drama series will return for a fourth season on Apple TV+. The early renewal comes ahead of the premiere of season three later this fall.
Deadline understands that although Aniston and Witherspoon’s contracts were up at the end of season three, Apple is in talks with the pair, who also exec produce, and they are expected to sign on as they also work out scheduling. We hear there’s also an option for a season five.
The second season, which aired at the end of 2021, closed with the Covid-19 pandemic ravaging through UBA.
Jon Hamm, Stephen Fry, Tig Notaro and Nicole Beharie are among the new faces joining season three.
The series also stars Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, Bel Powley, Desean Terry, Janina Gavankar, Tom Irwin and Marcia Gay Harden.
The show also has a new showrunner after Pieces of Her exec producer Charlotte Stoudt replaced Kerry Ehrin in that role. It is directed and exec produced by Mimi Leder. Media Res, Hello Sunshine and Echo Films produces with Michael Ellenberg, Kristin Hahn and Lauren Neustadter also exec producing.
Anupam Kher met Kirron Kher when she was already a star.
Anupam Kher had met Kirron Kher for the first time when she was already married to someone.
After Uunchai, Kartikeya 2 and The Kashmir Files, Anupam Kher will be seen in Anurag Basu’s film Metro In Dino, an addition to the film-maker’s critically acclaimed film Life In A Metro. While the shooting for the same has been going on at a steady pace, the actor recalled in a recent interview his meeting with Kirron Kher when the veteran actress was already married to her first husband and was quite popular. On the contrary, Kher was just a simple ‘village boy’.
Retracing his footsteps to the very first meeting, Anupam Kher told ANI, “She was a star already then. She was doing theatres, she was working in movies. She is an MA first class first. I met her in Chandigarh. I was a simple village boy. Apparently, there was no connection between us. She was married then and had Sikandar (Kher).”
He further added, “We used to be best of friends and we did theatres together. Later when she had problems in marriage, I was ditched by the person I was going with, and then things started to change. But we always remain best friends first.”
Kirron was previously married to businessman Gautam Berry. Kirron and Gautam were blessed with a child, Sikandar. Their marriage didn’t last long and they got divorced. Sikandar was four years old when Anupam and Kirron married each other. Anupam greeted him with open arms and treated him as if he were his child. He does, however, miss having his child. Kirron and Anupam attempted to have a child together. They even sought medical assistance, but nothing worked out.
Anupam had earlier discussed this pain of his life. During an interview, he said that his stepson Sikander was only four years old when he came into his life. Anupam said that he has great love and respect for him and is his friend. “What my father was to me, I am to him. But to say that I don’t miss having a child of my own will be a lie because I do and that has nothing to do with him. I do sometimes miss the joy of seeing your child grow up and being your extension,” confessed Anupam Kher.
Kirron Kher told Firstpost in 2013 about her love story with Anupam, and how they began as close friends and were married to different people. She said they both were close friends, and they knew everything about each other, “right down to which girl he planned to ‘patao.’” According to Kirron, it was a friendship that they both shared and there was not any kind of attraction. They continued to be good friends and even acted in plays together.
She went on to say that when she moved to Bombay and married Gautam Berry, the marriage “just wasn’t happening.” Anupam Kher’s marriage with actress Madhumalti Kapoor was also facing problems at the time. She remembered the exact moment when the two of them felt something. It all started when they were travelling to Calcutta for Nadira Babbar’s play. There, one incident happened which Kirron feels was the beginning of their love story.
“He turned to look at me as he was leaving the room, and something happened between us. He knocked on my door a short while later and said, ‘I want to talk to you.’ I think I have fallen in love with you, he continued. The chemistry exploded and there was this enormous, intense change all of a sudden. I wed him after getting a divorce.” Despite having many hurdles, the couple has stuck together for over 3 decades.
Yatamanyu is a multi-disciplinary Journalist & Photographer who dabbles in Films, Poetry, Music, Politics, Pop-Culture and everything in between. …Read More
The Argentina-Chile coproduction “The Punishment,” directed by Matias Bize, was named best feature over the weekend at the close of the Beijing International Film Festival.
Mexico’s Lila Avilés won the Tiantan Award for best director for her film “Totem.” Antonia Zegers and Line Renaud shared the best actress award for “The Punishment” and “Driving Madeleine,” respectively.
The best actor award went to Xin Baiqing for Chinese movie “The Shadowless Tower.” The film, which premiered in February in Berlin, was the numerical winner. With the best screenplay, music, cinematography and artistic contribution awards, it won a total of five prizes.
Chinese actor and director Tian Zhuangzhuang collected the best supporting actor award. Mexican, Montserrat Maranon earned the best supporting actress prize.
The ceremony wrapped up a festival at which organizers claimed to have played 1,488 films. International guests included Israel’s Nadav Lapid, Germany’s Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and Thailand’s Pimpaka Towira. Local celebrities in attendance included Zhou Dongyu, lifetime achievement award-winner Zhang Yimou, and Ge You.
SUPPORT FOR VIETNAM PROJECTS
Bangkok-based film fund Purin Pictures has announced three Asian feature film projects that will each receive $30,000 grants in its Spring 2023 funding round. Additionally, two Asian documentary projects will receive $15,000 each.
Director Duong Dieu Linh’s “Don’t Cry Butterfly,” depicts a woman who has discovered her husband is having an affair and decides to voodoo him back into love, not knowing that her actions may spawn something peculiar at home. Ang Geck Geck’s “Ah Girl” is a story of a seven-year-old girl who must choose between living with her father or her mother when the parents divorce. “Farid,” from Malaysian director Emir Ezwan sees a penniless man befriend a flesh-eating spirit who grants him wealth but makes the man pay a heavy price.
The documentaries are Quang Nong Nhat’s “Baby Jackfruit, Baby Guava” about a conservative mother, a mentally-ill daughter, and a gay son. Thai director Ukrit Sa-nguanhai is preparing “The Itinerant,” a documentary exploring propaganda film operations in Cold War Thailand.
“Vietnam in particular has proved to be a bright spot in the region for cinema. We are in the midst of a Vietnamese New Wave,” said Purin Pictures co-director Aditya Assarat. “Both ‘Don’t Cry Butterfly’ and ‘Baby Jackfruit, Baby Guava’ have a confident personal style that is indicative of the new generation of Vietnamese filmmakers.”
While Kunis admitted to knowing who was cast in the movie, as far as the public knows, there is nothing confirmed as of yet. No official casting announcements have been made, despite the movie being less than two years away, with production expected to begin in early 2024.
Now, a new report suggests one actor has received an offer to be a part of Marvel’s First Family in 2025.
Human Torch Actor Reportedly Revealed
Industry insider Daniel Richtman (DanielRPK) revealed on his Patreon that Marvel Studios reportedly offered the role of Johnny Storm aka Human Torch in 2025’s Fantastic Four to actor Paul Mescal.
Paul Mescal
Known for projects such as Aftersun and Normal People, Mescal is an Oscar and Emmy-nominated actor who would certainly bring star quality to the reboot, especially after his upcoming leading role in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2.
Neither Disney nor Marvel has announced anything officially about Johnny — or any of the team, for that matter — however, so this should be taken as a rumor until more is confirmed.
Marvel
Additionally, Mescal looks young enough to play Johnny — the youngest member of the Fantastic Four. Assuming the movie sticks to the comics, Johnny Storm and Peter Parker are supposed to be the same age, sitting in a middle ground between the Iron Man and Captain America generation of heroes and the Ms. Marvel and America Chavez age group.
Could Official Fantastic 4 News Come Soon?
Marvel
With Mila Kunis confirming she knows who has been cast, Adam Driver rumors continuing to crop up, the movie hitting theaters in less than two years, and now this report about the Human Torch, it feels like some sort of official casting announcement is bound to happen soon.
Perhaps Marvel is waiting until after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 premieres to the general public and gauge reactions to that before deciding when to make an official Fantastic Four reveal?
Or, Marvel could be waiting for a major convention to roll out the casting announcements, as conventions tend to get people’s attention and raise excitement further. This July’s San Diego Comic-Con could be a perfect spot for Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige to drop the news upon attendees.
Ultimately, though, until anything official is revealed, fans can continue to speculate about who will play these inevitably critical roles for the future of the MCU.
Fantastic Four releases in theaters on February 14, 2025.
Great characters don’t need origin stories to make them compelling. If they’re already great we obviously have what we need to be fully invested in them and their journey. That’s why giving extra backstory about a captivating character—whether in the form of flashbacks or prequels—often falls flat or worse. Origin stories often taint the special sauce that went into making a character so interesting in the first place. It’s like a chef ruining an already delicious dish by adding a bunch of extra ingredients no one asked for. But this difficult task is exactly what writer-director James Gunn opted to undertake take in his Marvel swan song, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Rocket’s creation and tragic past serve as the anchor of the franchise’s last film, both in terms of plot and emotional weight.
And it works. It absolutely works. Gunn has taken one of the MCU’s most interesting, most entertaining, most heartbreaking characters and made him even better by showing us why Rocket’s always been so angry and afraid. Itwill change how you view everything you’ve seen previously from the MCU’s foul-mouthed, angry, genetically-engineered raccoon. More importantly, though, Rocket’s origin story helped Gunn deliver a moving, darker, more mature action-packed farewell to the Guardians of the Galaxy, with a film that loves its characters as much as its viewers loves them.
If you know the Guardians you know what you’re getting from this film and you get a lot of everything. There are plenty of big, well-done set pieces. This movie does not lack for action. There are also lots of visually interesting locales. Those who have found Marvel’s recent CGI effects lacking won’t have much of anything to complain about this time.
And there’s also lots of humor, lots of bickering, lots of feeling, and lots of pain. This found family’s members all still carry the scars of their pasts with them. They’re still, and always will be, a group of losers. They’ve all lost stuff, and just as it has since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1, those losses shape who they are and how they interact with one another.
Marvel Studios
Gunn’s script never forgets that, which is a big reason the movie is so successful. There are so many moments of true pathos you never go long without feeling something real and meaningful. Whether it’s Nebula calling out Drax for his obvious shortcomings, or alternate Gamora brutally recognizing why “Quinn” is so broken, this film knows who these characters are at their core. It’s the type of deep recognition you frequently can only explore this late in a story. Gunn recognizes and takes full advantage of that luxury. And he does so because of how much he adores and respects these characters. This movie feels like a love letter to the Guardians as much as it does a farewell.
In the end that love prevents the movie from going to some interesting places it seemed to be heading towards. Gunn pulls some punches he could have thrown, opting instead for body jabs rather than knockout blows. (Minus one choice that feels right even though it might not be what some wanted to see happen.) That doesn’t undo everything that came before it, though. The journey is far greater than the destination, which feels a little rushed and and not entirely earned.
Fortunately the destination is not an entirely unwelcome place. It’s easy to understand why Gunn ends this trilogy+ way the way he does. And on a micro level, even individual moments you absolutely know are coming land because of how the movie (and the franchise as a whole) builds to them. There are a lot of wholly satisfying payoffs.
Marvel Studios
The film isn’t entirely perfect before the ending, either, but its other issues pale in comparison to everything it does well. That includes how its soundtrack doesn’t live up to previous installments. This tracklist isn’t as coherent as its predecessors. Some songs also don’t resonate the way we’ve come to expect from every Guardians needle drop. And yet, there are still some great numbers employed at perfect times, so it is a mixed bag rather than a constant shortcoming.
Another issue is that while Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock is a logical (if surprising) part of the plot, some will think he’s underutilized while others will think he’s entirely superfluous. I’m with the former because I wanted way more of “the Warlock” in this movie. Poulter more than justifies his casting as one of the few remaining major Marvel Comics characters not already in the MCU. His comedic sensibilities make him a perfect choice for this iteration of the character. He answers a question I didn’t know I wanted someone to ask but am now very happy they did: “What if a literal baby was also one of the most powerful figures in the universe?”
Marvel Studios
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is also a little too relentless. It’s not that it has pacing issues. It’s that the movie is high throttle from start to finish and would have benefitted from a few more quiet moments. It needed a chance to breathe every once in awhile. That will likely be less of an issue on repeated viewings, though, just as it has been with repeat viewings of the equally high-tempo Avengers: Endgame.
What you won’t need multiple viewings to appreciate, though, is the main cast. Every member of the Guardians brings their A-game for the team’s final film. Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Sean Gunn, and Pom Klementieff all shine when the spotlight is on them. (Mantis especially continues to be the best.) And if you don’t absolutely fall in love with Maria Bakalova’s Cosmo the Dog, then you should see a doctor. A really good doctor. However, if you don’t love Linda Cardellini’s soft-spoken, warm, loving otter Lylla, Rocket’s first best friend in life, don’t bother speaking with anyone ever again. Not for your sake, but for theirs.
However, even in a movie this well-acted, Thanos’ daughters stand out. Zoe Saldana is incredible as the alternate Gamora who was never a member of the Guardians. You won’t have any problem remembering this is a different version of the character than the one we knew and loved.
You also won’t have any problem remembering why Zoe Saldana is constantly a big part of huge successful movies. She’s simply a powerhouse in the role of an rage-filled Gamora who finds herself literally out of time and being pushed to live someone else’s life.
Marvel Studios
Meanwhile, Karen Gillan’s Nebula gets to complete one of the MCU’s best arcs with scenes that let us see a side of the angry blue cyborg we never have. The violent villain of the first Guardians film is a huge part of the heart and soul of this film, the Guardians, and the MCU. Gillan’s performance makes that possible and authentic. She conveys so much of her character’s pain with sincerity, whether she’s doing so in small or big ways.
You can’t talk about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 without talking about its main character and his ultimate enemy, the duo whose story drives the entire film. Vol. 3 wouldn’t be such an entertaining and moving conclusion to the Guardians story without the tale of Rocket and his creator, the fantastic Chukwudi Iwuji’s High Evolutionary. The monster with a god complex genetically engineered Rocket, both his greatest success and most frustrating failure, as part of his effort to create a “perfect society.”
Marvel Studios
The surgical torture that created Rocket—only hinted in previous films—was merely the start of how the High Evolutionary hurt Rocket, who is truly a special being. The film then slowly reveals the rest of their story to great effect. In doing so it delivers a great villain while making a great character even better.
It also shows why Gunn’s decision to cast handsome leading man Bradley Cooper as the voice of a talking trash panda was one of the best decisions in MCU history. He delivers a performance (alongside Sean Gunn who voices the youngest version of Rocket) that is really special and powerful.
Rocket didn’t need a backstory to be great. But fans of the Guardians of the Galaxy who really love these characters will be happy Vol. 3 gave him one. It’s how James Gunn gave the MCU’s best losers a winning farewell.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
After more than three years of litigation, Apple has quietly dropped its lawsuit against Gerard Williams III, a former chip executive the company accused of poaching employees. After over a decade at the company, in 2019, Williams left Apple to co-found Nuvia, a chip design firm later acquired by Qualcomm in 2021. When the tech giant first sued Williams, it accused him of “secretly” starting Nuvia and recruiting talent for his startup while he was still an Apple employee. Williams disputed Apple’s claims and accused the company of spying on his text messages. The case was dismissed, mired in a lot of legalese and multiple court documents.
Apple requested to dismiss the suit against Williams earlier this week. The request does not state the company’s reason for dropping the case, but in March, Apple wanted the recusal of Judge Sunil Kulkarni, because its legal team added lawyers from a company that Judge Kulkarni had previously worked at. So, conflicts of interest, initiated by Apple recruiting more legal firepower. Apple and Qualcomm, Williams’ current employer, did not immediately respond to Engadget’s request for comment.
– Mat Smith
The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.
On Saturday, a federal appeals court in Brazil lifted the country-wide ban on messaging app Telegram. Brazilian authorities wanted the app suspended after Telegram failed to hand over a full set of data on a pair of neo-Nazi groups on the app accused of inciting violence against schools. According to Reuters, judge Flávio Lucas ruled that a complete suspension of the messaging app was “unreasonable” given that thousands of people in Brazil rely on the platform. At the same time, he upheld the daily $200,000 fine on Telegram for failing to provide local authorities with the data they requested. This isn’t the first time Telegram has been briefly banned in Brazil. In 2022, the country’s highest court suspended the app for failing to freeze accounts accused of spreading disinformation ahead of the country’s recent presidential election. Similarly, that ban was lifted just days later.
On paper, the 2023 edition of Sony’s midrange headphones should continue the company’s reputation for solid headphones – and a viable alternative to the pricey flagship WH-1000XM5. The WH-CH720N has the same V1 chip as the M5, which powers both active noise cancellation (ANC) and overall sound quality. There’s also an updated design and a lower price ($130), following another early cut. The noise cancellation does a decent job, but it’s not the best, and you’ll have to make do without automatic pausing. Still, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option at this price.
What, you don’t remember the 1995 PlayStation game?
After those sweet Super Mario Bros. Movie box office numbers, more companies want a piece. Streaming service Peacock is joining the video game adaptation wars with a live-action comedy based on the PS1-era vehicular warfare simulator Twisted Metal, and it just dropped the first trailer. The franchise arguably reached its pinnacle in 1996 with Twisted Metal 2, but when have clowns and car explosions not been cool?
There wasn’t much plot to the game, but hey, look at ‘Twisted Metal.’
Vampire Survivors
Yes, the addictive hit game Vampire Survivors is getting the animated TV show treatment.. Developer Luca Galante said in a (hopefully) cheeky tone, “The most important thing in Vampire Survivors is the story.” (Note: There really isn’t much of one.) Media company Story Kitchen will partner with Galante (founder of developer poncle), to make the series.
The Razer Blade 16 is one of the most unique laptops we’ve ever seen. It can handle 4K gaming just as well as high-speed 1080p gameplay, thanks to a dual-mode screen. And it’s one of the fastest notebooks around, featuring Intel’s latest CPUs and NVIDIA’s newest GPUs. And notably, it can be configured with an RTX 4090. But it’s noticeably heavier than the Blade 15, and you’ll have to pay at least $3,300 to own one with the dual-mode display. It’s an additional cost that Razer devices didn’t need.
Walmart is using a chatbot from Pactum AI to automatically negotiate some of its supplier deals. The technology saves an average of three percent on contracts and is even preferable to the vendors. Walmart says three out of four suppliers prefer haggling with the AI over a human. Pactum’s system simply asks Walmart to set its budget and requirements, such as discounts and payment terms. It compares a supplier’s demands with trends, commodity values and competitors’ costs. After that, the AI can strike a deal in a matter of days, rather than the weeks or months of conventional talks.
For a movie about a superhero famous for getting to places really fast, The Flashhas had the most circuitous route to the big screen possible, and even now that it’s only a few weeks away it’s still tripping up over its own feet. The marketing for Ezra Miller‘s first solo film as the Scarlet Speedster (plus Michael Keaton’s grand return as Batman) has frequently stumbled as it’s been picked apart by the DC fandom for its reliance on nostalgia and perceived poor CGI.
With the release of a new Japanese trailer, The Flash is doing it all over again, thanks to a curious detail that seemingly spoils the film’s big twist. As pointed out by TheDirect, the following international promo features the same scene contained in the most recent trailer but with one key difference — during a confrontation between the two Barry Allens, the second Barry is shown to have a black tentacle crawling over his shoulder.
The inference is clear, then: Barry #2 is Dark Flash, the mysterious Venom-like villain of the movie who’s only been glimpsed so far in merch. While this is a bit of a huge goof for Warner Bros.’s international marketing team to make, maybe the bigger problem here is that folks are hardly surprised by the spoiler, as many already worked out the twist months ago. As @HailEternal went viral for pointing out:
I mean, it’s not like Keaton’s Bruce Wayne was going to be Dark Flash, right?
John Oliver gleefully mocked Matthew McConaughey’s recent virtual motivational seminar, titled The Art of Livin’, on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight.
McConaughey hosted the free virtual event April 24 that drew a reported 2 million viewers from around the world and featured guests including Tony Robbins, Dean Graziosi, Marie Forleo and Trent Shelton. It turned out to be the launch of a (not-free) “immersive learning experience” dubbed “Roadtrip: The Highway to More” that costs $397 for viewers who tuned in and is now priced at the non-promotional offer of $497.
According to the Austin American-Statesman, the seminar featured, among other things, McConaughey sharing stories from his memoir, Greenlights, and playing a bongo.
“A couple times, McConaughey took to the drum while he read out comments from viewers spilling their secret shames and desires,” the American-Statesman reported. “He paced back and forth toward the camera, often placing himself in extreme Norma Desmond closeup. His hands gesticulated wildly. He cut through his own chicken-fried fortune cookies with that signature smooth-talk snicker. His eyebrows must have logged enough sky-high miles to get their pilot’s license.”
Of course, Oliver couldn’t let this slip past his radar. On Sunday’s Last Week Tonight, the HBO host showed a slip from the seminar, which he noted was five-and-a-half hours long.
In the clip, McConaughey shares a personal story: “In 1999, I’d just had a dream that I was floating down a river naked, wrapped up in anaconda sharks, piranhas and crocodiles. And lined along the ridge of the river, there were thousands of African tribesmen each holding a shield and a spear. And it wasn’t a nightmare. Actually, it was a wet dream.”
Replied Oliver: “Wow! What a twist at the end there.”
Speaking and gesturing as McConaughey did in the video, Oliver continued: “I know my dream might have contained some pretty dicey racial imagery there, but would it help to know that at the end of it, I ejaculated.”
The Last Week Tonight host then summed up his confusion over the whole thing thusly: “I’m not sure what lesson you’re supposed to learn from it other than if you try to do drugs with Matthew McConaughey, you will die.”
Few authors have established as powerful a bond with their fans as Judy Blume. That incredible connection first manifested with the publication of her debut novel for young adults, 1970’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, which shattered taboos by candidly addressing subjects like menstruation and masturbation.
“It was the first time, I think, that an author had written a character that girls could relate to on an internal level, like she was speaking to their internal lives,” said filmmaker Leah Wolchok, co-director and producer of the Prime Video documentary Judy Blume Forever. “She wrote in the first person. And I think readers felt like they were reading their own diary. … Kids just flocked to the book.”
While young readers flocked, some adults swooped – demanding Blume’s books be yanked from shelves. During an appearance at Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted virtual event, Wolchok, fellow director-producer Davina Pardo and producer Sara Bernstein discussed the controversy that has attended Blume’s work for more than 50 years.
“Judy today is almost more relevant than [ever. ]… Her books are banned today as much as they were in the ‘80s,” said Bernstein, president of Imagine Documentaries, the unit of Imagine Entertainment that produced the film. “It’s really important, obviously, that young people and all people are given a chance to decide what they want to read.”
Said Pardo: “I keep thinking about this line [Judy] says in the film — it’s an archival clip where she’s fighting back against the sensors and she says, ‘A book cannot harm a child.’ But we know the opposite is true. A book can help a child, a book can save a child. … What’s been so powerful for me in seeing how connected people are to Judy is how much her books have helped them.”
The documentary follows Blume’s remarkable journey from 1950s housewife and mother to becoming one of the bestselling novelists of all time. Her first husband, the film says, only tolerated her writing habit so long as it didn’t interfere with her raising their kids, and he never read any of her books.
“We’ve always thought of it as a sort of feminist coming-of age-story of Judy and then, sort of alongside that, her readers,” Pardo observed. “One of the things we love about Judy’s story is that the coming of age doesn’t end when you get your period. But throughout her life, she was coming of age.”
I will not be writing about that final scene. Nope. You can’t make me do it. Did it make it laugh? Yes. Did it gross me out? Yes. Was it designed to do both and to make me wish “potty humor” wasn’t, well, so funny to begin with? Also yes. And so while we can celebrate this “new intimacy” between Sam and Joel (Bridget Everett and Jeff Hiller, total pros making toilet phone call comedy work), I am exempting myself from commenting on it and just sailing right past it.
Dwayne Johnson on why “Black Adam” was the movie he had to make
Mostly because “#2” (get it?) gave us plenty else to discuss. And yes, that includes Susan (Jennifer Mudge), Fred’s fiancée!
Fred (Murray Hill) has long been a no-nonsense kind of guy. From the moment he met Sam in episode one he’s been inimitably himself, never cowering under anyone’s gaze. It makes sense he’d just drop a bombshell like “I’m getting married to a woman I’ve been on and off and in love with for decades” with such casual ease that it would derail an entire poker game. You’d think everyone would be joyous about hearing such news, but then, we all have Sams in our lives who can’t truly soak in the romance. Who’d rather sulk or nitpick or bring all their baggage into any celebratory moment lest they be reminded that good things can indeed happen. Thankfully, she’s balanced out by Joel whose squeals of delight are, in turn, a joy to watch.
Sam and Joel’s different reactions to Fred’s engagement speak to the way they each see the world: Sam may be trying oh so hard to be better at letting others in (Susan violates the NNP rule!) but she’s still mostly a world-weary cynic. Meanwhile, Joel is earnest and sincere, so in touch with his feelings he’s happy to cry in public at a sex shop if the mood strikes. The push and pull between the two structures Somebody Somewhere; and so while Sam was keen to poke holes in Fred’s wedding announcement, Joel was just ecstatic about a romantic happy ending to this quarter century-spanning courtship.
But perhaps we should pause before we try to further examine why Sam may be so uncomfortable with this revelation (though the show rightly makes her hilariously self-aware: “You’re gonna be all sweet to me while I’m being a cunt?” she asks Joel) and focus instead on the subtle way in which Fred and Susan’s relationship is so casually established. Not just the way Fred (and the show) merely plant her right into their poker game but how her arrival comes with a coming-out tale that privileges their bond over any transphobia; Susan chose Fred (“It’s always been Fred,” she notes) and her conviction that she wouldn’t let Fred’s gender identity become a problem with her father was sweet, yes, but also as loud a celebration of their love as anything else she could’ve done.
This is what I mean about Somebody Somewhere operating at a low key register. The show will never feel like an after school special or have anything close to a “very special episode.” Instead, its affirmation of Fred and Joel’s fully lived queer lives is what makes a statement at all. You wonder how long Hill and Hiller have been waiting for this kind of break, for this kind of character who gets to move through the world with confidence and pride and a support network who encourages them to be exactly who they’ve always wanted to be.
Is it all a bit too twee and cloying for our dear old Sam? Possibly. Perhaps even for some viewers. But then you get scenes at sex shops or on the toilet and you remember that this HBO gem makes us take in the sweet with the tart.
But the pièce de resistance of this episode was that school recital. And that one performance in particular. Kudos to Will & Grace scene-stealer Tim Bagley who totally annihilated that “why and what is this happening?!” moment that had Joel and Sam in stitches. Bagley has always excelled at bringing to life these awkward gay men of a certain age who are seemingly unable to read social cues around them. Such deadpan humor is a perfect match for Somebody Somewhere.
Moreover, rather than (merely) make him a punchline, the show has his performance serve as an inspiration of sorts for Sam. There is beauty and there is joy in what this committed man is doing with his life. Or, well, with his free time. Here is someone who relishes doing what he loves (singing, presumably) and cares little how the rest of the world (read: folks like Sam and Joel) see him. After all, he has great support in the shape of Darlene (Barbara Robertson), who similarly is overjoyed at hearing that Sam is ready to pick up where they left off when Sam was in school. She just needs to remember to bring a cassette tape (a detail I love). Whether this is a turning corner for Sam or a mere detour into her life as he learns to live and thrive in Manhattan, Kansas, it may be too soon to tell. But if this means we’re getting plenty more Bridget Everett singing, sign me up for that is a recital (and wedding) I do not want to miss.
Stray observations
Please, no one ever actually make St. Louis sushi, I beg of you! Truly sounds like some creation that blends the worst of hokey highway-adjacent restaurants and horrid TikTok food trends. (In case you’ve forgotten already, the recipe calls for ham wrapped around a pickle and cream cheese. Now excuse me while I go throw up some more.)
I would watch an entire YouTube channel where Sam and Joel traipse through sex shops and comment on any and every product there. (Also, I’ll just be over here figuring out the logistics of the Clone-A-Pussy… the, uh, logistics for those Clone-A-Willy ones feel more, ahem, straight forward, no?)
Oh Tricia… you’ve never been more relatable than when angrily scrolling through an ex-friend’s Instagram and then shitposting from an anonymous account.
My favorite bit from Tricia’s bit at the store is how even while wearing a name tag she was still mistaken for Charity.
Speaking of that bit, I love how we’re seeing Tricia, Sam, and Joel all working. It made me think about how the show is emerging as a welcome portrait of a class of people whose jobs are means to an end and yet whose labor is not centered in the way the show tells their stories. This is no family nor hangout nor workplace comedy. Instead, Somebody Somewhere is toying with a blend of them all, capturing the way friendships, work, and family all intersect and interact in one’s life.
Warner Brothers. A behemoth of Hollywood. The studio was founded by actual brothers — Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack — and was considered a minor moviemaking machine until the historical release of The Jazz Singer. The grandson of the youngest Warner, Gregory Orr, writes and directs an exhaustive examination of “Chief” in Jack L. Warner: The Last Mogul. Was critical distance needed to convey this epic true life properly, or does the filmmaker allow audiences to feel close to the subject as well?
Born in 1892, Warner moved with his family to the United States at a very young age. He and his brothers were very enterprising and would eventually start a nickelodeon. Then they made the trek westward to settle in the mecca of the moviemaking industry, Hollywood. As president of the newly formed Warner Brothers, Jack L. Warner was the driving force behind many of their most cherished early titles. However, his hard-nosed approach led him to be feared and/or despised by most employees. This is despite the fact that Warner was always quick with a joke; reportedly, not very good ones, but still. But, of course, nothing lasts forever, and the changing tastes of filmgoers, and society, saw the last movie mogul fall hard.
Jack L. Warner: The Last Mogul is a talking heads documentary peppered with photos and archival footage. While there’s something amusing in the idea that the film about a filmmaking titan is rather baseline, stylistically, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth watching. In fact, Orr jam packs the swiftly paced title with a ton of information, none of it repetitive, so things never get stale.
“…Jack L. Warner was the driving force behind many of [Warner Brothers’] most cherished early titles.”
The impressive line-up of interviewees is the first thing to grab one’s attention. There’s Debbie Reynolds, Shirley Jones, Neal Gabler, and William Orr, to name but a few. Granted, some of these celebrities (and others not named) appear via older interviews or archival footage. Still, their presence here and what they have to say about the man at the center of the narrative is fascinating.
On top of that, the film does an amazing job of drawing parallels. Warner made the likes of James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart stars. The interesting thing is that the actors he gravitated toward all resembled him. Plus, hearing why Warner was so hard on and disliked actors so much adds a complicated layer to the man’s dreams and desires.
If one is a cinephile and adores motion picture history, then Jack L. Warner: The Last Mogul is a must-watch. Yes, the style is that of a typical documentary. But the interviewees are brilliant, and the amount of information gleaned is shockingly high. Moreover, Orr has done a bang-up job at exploring his family’s last legacy through the lens of its most formidable and historical figure.
The hammer-and-sickle still flutters proudly over the park-lined thoroughfares in this capital of a country that doesn’t exist. The top of City Hall bears the Soviet star. And the street names — Strada Karl Marx, Strada Yuri Gagarin — hark back to bygone days of Soviet glory.
When you visit Transnistria, the unrecognized breakaway republic carved out of a strip of land between Ukraine and Moldova, the first impression is of a Soviet Union in the smartphone era, a place where couples take selfies near giant Lenin statues, and paeans to Communist leaders hang near billboards advertising “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.”
It’s one of the reasons why Transnistria, often portrayed as little more than a Soviet time capsule, has become a popular destination among travel bloggers and adventure tourists. But beneath the Communist kitsch lies a real affinity with Russia among the region’s 300,000 or so people, which up to now has been to their advantage.
Families stroll through one of the many parks in Tiraspol, Transnistria.
(Nabih Bulos / Los Angeles Times)
“People here feel Russian,” said Anatoly Dirun, a Transnistrian political scientist in grandly stodgy Tiraspol. “Not just as a nationality, but as a people who love Russia and want to belong to Russian civilization.”
That loyalty comes from Transnistria’s short history. In 1992, Russian troops helped people here beat back nationalists from next-door Moldova and establish the region as a sort of Rhode Island-sized Russia, run by pro-Moscow Russian speakers, defended by a Russia-funded army and security services, and kept afloat economically by a Russia-style currency and dirt-cheap Russian gas — all of this some 400 miles from the nearest Russian border.
The self-declared Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic’s status as a de facto protectorate of Moscow — including its peaceful, if not totally friendly, modus vivendi with Moldova, which officially regards Transnistria as part of its territory — has largely worked for the last 30 years or so.
Up until Feb. 24, 2022, that is, when Russia invaded Ukraine. Suddenly, being so heavily identified with and reliant on its big brother to the east became a lot more complicated for Transnistria, also known as Trans-Dniester. Since then, the territory — which no country, not even Russia, recognizes — has had to adjust to some uncomfortable new realities, such as increased distrust from its neighbors and a greater dependence than ever on Moldova for its economic survival.
When the war began, suspicions immediately fell on Transnistria as another possible staging ground for invading Russian forces, prompting Ukraine to seal off their shared border. Then, when Moldova’s president condemned the invasion, natural gas supplies from Russia — which were delivered virtually free of charge via a pipeline running through Ukraine and which Transnistria used to produce electricity and iron for export — came under threat.
It was a quadruple whammy for Transnistria’s economy. The territory lost its role as a passageway for legal (and illegal) goods in and out of Ukraine, and no longer had a source of cheap gas. Import costs more than doubled. Visitors, alarmed by what was now considered a geopolitical powder keg, stayed away.
“I survived the war in ’92, so people like me aren’t afraid of conflict, but it’s been difficult for businesses,” said Alexander Kalish, 41, who owns the Back in the U.S.S.R. cafe in the border village of Bender. Since the invasion, his restaurant has drawn in half as many customers as usual.
With Ukrainian ports no longer accessible, all Transnistria’s exports now pass through Moldova, its ostensible adversary, with three-quarters of them either remaining there or going on to the European Union. Since Russia cut the gas supply by up to half, Moldova has been giving its supply of Russian gas virtually free of charge to Transnistria, whose power plants then convert it to electricity to sell back to Moldova at a cheaper price than the Moldovan government can get elsewhere.
The cooperativeness is a far cry from initial fears among some Transnistrians that Moldova would use the war in Ukraine as a pretext to retake their region by force and then merge with Romania to the west. (Ethnic Romanians make up the largest proportion of the Moldovan population.)
“Everyone was predicting war between Transnistria and Moldova. But Transnistria and Moldova have never been so close,” said Alexandru Lesanu, an independent researcher focused on post-Soviet quasi-states. “That’s the paradox of the situation.”
Transnistria has managed to avoid embroiling itself in the Ukraine war, despite the billions of dollars in subsidies it receives from Moscow, the 1,500 Russian peacekeeping troops on its soil and the occasional rumblings from the Kremlin that it will mobilize to protect Russian speakers in the region just as it claims to be doing in Ukraine. A Russian ammunition depot on Transnistria’s edge with Ukraine in the village of Cobasna, said to be Eastern Europe’s largest stockpile, remains untouched.
“Tiraspol authorities are not interested in being involved in this conflict,” said Dirun, the political scientist.
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A visit to Tiraspol shows the war to be a distant concern. On a recent weekend, families enjoyed the early spring sun, some stopping to pick toys from street stalls or heading to a nearby market for pickles and preserved fruit. In one of the capital’s many parks, children coerced parents into giving them a push on rusty swings or going on carnival rides that had seen better days. Russian soldiers, young men in fatigues and masks covering half their faces, stood guard in some places, but overall maintained a low profile.
Some see in the increased economic cooperation with Moldova an opportunity to further push Transnistria into a political settlement that would see the two sides unify. But many here are wary of such ideas, insisting that the issues go beyond economics to thorny matters of identity.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the territory — a 1,600-square-mile enclave of mostly ethnic Russians and Ukrainians on the eastern bank of the Dniester River — opposed Moldova’s attempts to merge with Romania and declared itself a Soviet republic in 1990.
Moldova became independent a year later, and a brief but bloody war ensued, with Russia helping Transnistrians win their separatist bid. Despite lacking international recognition, the territory maintains its own border, currency, passports, pension scheme, national anthem and industrial economy, all underpinned by Russian largesse.
“Everyone respects Russia, and itcouldn’t be otherwise. In 1992, only Russia extended a helping hand,” said Kalish, the cafe owner.
A serving of nostalgia is on the menu at the Back in the U.S.S.R. cafe in Bender, Transnistria.
(Nabih Bulos / Los Angeles Times)
His restaurant, on the second floor of a building near Bender’s downtown district, attests to that appreciation. Inside, customers eat under the gaze of busts of Lenin, posters of Soviet-era movie stars and a jovial bear donning Soviet regalia. The menu offers Soviet comfort food, with sausages, potato salad, soups including borscht and sour cream, and dessert with cherry and sour cream dumplings, all shining under a heat lamp.
Kalish opened the restaurant, he said, because the U.S.S.R. signified a pleasant memory for him and others of his generation.
“If you ask them, they say, ‘I had everything I needed in life.’ The U.S.S.R. was stability,” he said.
Though he didn’t consider Moldovans his enemy, the fact remained that they had a mentality more geared toward Romania, he added.
Thirty years ago, integration with Moldova might have been feasible, but “today, it is impossible — we are different people,” Kalish said. “There’s a whole generation who do not know anyone else except Russia.”
The result of that can be seen in the streets. The Russian tricolor is omnipresent, as is the Cyrillic alphabet. Russian is the lingua franca here. You can even spot the occasional “Z” sign, a reference to the marks painted on Russian materiel ahead of the Ukraine invasion.
For the young, the matter is more complicated. Though they weren’t born during the Soviet era, their education system is based on Russia’s, and many take on Russian passports for ease of travel and employment opportunities. But that means they could be drafted for Moscow’s war effort, said 26-year-old Sergei, who declined to give his last name to avoid reprisals.
“I don’t care about Russia or Putin, but there are people here who do. The problem is that it’s someone like me who would be mobilized if something happens, and I don’t want that,” he said, adding that four of his friends had already moved to Russia for work.
Andrei, a 22-year-old photographer from Bender, went the other direction, moving to Chisinau, the Moldovan capital, a few years ago.
He left Transnistria to avoid army service (which was why he didn’t give his last name), and he appreciates the freedoms he has in Chisinau, which aren’t matched at home. His photographic artwork would never be accepted there.
As a result, he feels caught in limbo — like so much about Transnistria, itself literally an in-between place.
“People in Ukraine can now say, ‘We’re Ukrainians,’ and live in Ukraine. People in Russia can say the same. But in Transnistria? We can’t say who we are,” he said.
Seth Meyers got serious during his “Corrections” Late Night segment and talked about the possible writers strike. The late-night talk show host started off by saying that if he was good at one thing it was writing, “I love writing so much.”
“I am deeply proud of the fact that I get to be a professional writer,” he said before mentioning that if the Writers Guild of America doesn’t reach an agreement by midnight on Monday, May 1, members would go on strike. “If a writers’ strike happens that would shut down production on a great many shows.”
Late-night shows would be the first ones impacted if the writers go on strike. Meyers recalled that he experienced “a very long strike” while he was at Saturday Night Live and “it was really miserable.”
“It doesn’t just affect the writers, it affects all the incredible non-writing staff on these shows,” he added. “And it would really be a miserable thing for people to have to go through, especially considering we’re on the heels of that awful pandemic that affected, not just show business, but all of us.”
Meyers continued, “I’m incredibly grateful that there are negotiators for both sides sitting and talking. I’m incredibly hopeful that they can come to an agreement. I also feel very strongly that what the writers are asking for is not unreasonable. As a proud member of the Guild, I’m very grateful that there is an organization that looks out for the best interests of writers.”
“If you don’t see me here next week, know that it is something that is not done lightly and that I will be heartbroken too and miss you all as well. Let’s just keep our you know what’s and see me when you see me,” he ended.
Apple should be showing off watchOS 10 to the world at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 5, and we’ve got some leaked information ahead of time regarding what to expect from the update.
As per the usually reliable Mark Gurman at Bloomberg (opens in new tab), there’s going to be a “new focus on widgets” in watchOS 10, in what’s described as “one of the biggest software updates since the original version” – so it looks like there’s a major revamp on the way.
You may remember that there were once widgets called Glances on the original Apple Watch from 2015, but they were phased out over time. Now it would seem they’re back, and should be in place by the time the Apple Watch 9 arrives later this year.
Information, at a glance
According to Gurman, the new widgets will combine elements of the old Glances with elements of the widgets that were introduced to the iPhone with iOS 14. The idea is that users can quickly see information without having to launch any actual apps.
That information could cover weather forecasts, activity tracking, stock tickers, calendar appointments and so on. The style of these widgets is apparently going to be similar to the Siri watch face currently available in watchOS 9.
The Digital Crown on the Apple Watch may well be used to launch widgets rather than the home screen in future, Gurman says. He also thinks the new widget-heavy interface will be optional. We’ll find out for sure at WWDC 2023 next month.
Analysis: fixing the apps problem
As Mark Gurman points out in his Power On newsletter, apps haven’t really taken off on the Apple Watch. Users don’t open them, and as a result it’s not worth the time it takes for developers to make them – creating a feedback loop that’s hard to break out of.
Gurman highlights recent statistics showing that the iPhone App Store has 101 million monthly users in Europe, whereas the Apple Watch App Store has less than 1 million in the same region. That’s a giant discrepancy and tells you a lot about how we tend to use smartwatches differently to smartphones.
While the Apple Watch is clearly one of the best smartwatches on the market, most of the time it’s the features built into watchOS itself that are being used, rather than third-party apps. In other words, you’re more likely to use the device to tell the time or track your steps than call yourself an Uber.
With widgets, Apple is acknowledging that while also offering a way for developers to put useful data and updates in front of people – a bit like the Dynamic Island introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
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