Diesel has voiced the anthropomorphic tree since the character’s cinematic debut in Guardians of the Galaxy, and has voiced all the differently aged Groots in each of the character’s appearances since — including the character’s brief cameo in Ralph Breaks the Internet.
Though only saying the words “I am Groot,” (or “we are Groot,” on one memorable occasion), Diesel received scripts with each utterance translated into English — scripts also given to those playing characters meant to understand his speech.
While not necessarily as action-packed as some of his Guardians co-stars roles are, Deisel’s role as Groot is still important to the MCU as a whole.
Vin Diesel’s MCU Payday Rumor Debunked
Marvel
A claim posted to Twitter stated that Vin Diesel made a total of $54 million for playing Groot in the MCU was debunked by Guardians franchise director, James Gunn.
Simply responding, “? not true,” Gunn shut down the claim of roughly $13 million per movie going to the actor, who only has said five separate words thus far in his various appearances.
After playing the character from the start, Diesel has voiced various versions of Groot, from Baby Groot to the coming “Alpha Groot” in Guardians 3.
But, with the team likely disbanding as it currently stands — especially given the seemingly ominous fate of Groot’s best friend Rocket — it is very possible that Alpha Groot will be Groot’s goodbye.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on Friday, May 5.
Malik is back on his feet and ready to rumble, as TethAdam confronts his former slaver in this month’s Black Adam #10.
Last issue, Oni Grace promised to bring Ibac to Adam, and in this chapter, she delivers on that promise. She presents Black Adam with a child who bears the curse of crows and is the vessel for Ibac. Meanwhile, the Assyrian gods continue to plot against Adam. Ishtar, the Assyrian goddess of love, possesses Jasmine, Malik’s “not-girlfriend”. Ishtar then attempts to seduce the newly depowered Teth Adam, making Malik jealous.
Positives
Priest does a great job exploring Black Adam’s character in this issue. There’s a fascinating exchange between Malik and Teth, where he asks Adam, “Why do you take the subway”? Teth’s response is fascinating, as he flashes back to a time when he was driving in Washington DC and two racist cops stop him. They pull him out of his car, cuff him, and tell him that “Arabs aren’t welcome in this part of town.” Teth confesses to Malik was scared. Puzzled by this response, Malik presses him to explain. Teth says that immortality is a burden and that sometimes he craves normal human experiences – even negative ones.
Since the 2000s there has been a concerted effort to make Black Adam a more complex character. Once upon a time, he was simply “anti-Captain Marvel”. The classic arch-nemesis who’s simply an evil version of the hero in a color-shifted costume. However, starting with Geoff Johns’s work on the character in JSA, DC has reworked the character into something far more complicated and nuanced. Priest really leans into this complexity of character, as highlighted in this issue.
Negatives
Priest has way too many balls in the air. Between Malik, Oni Grace, Ibac, the protestors, and the Assyrian gods, this title is all over the place. There are two more issues left in the series, and I cannot fathom how Priest is going to resolve all of these storylines. Seriously, reading this title is like drinking from a fire hydrant, it’s simply too much. Had Priest rearranged his narrative structure to focus on each of these storylines in isolation, then maybe he could have made the story flow. However, reading this month-to-month has been a taxing experience. It’s too easy to lose the main plot threads.
Conclusion
As Black Adam enters into its last phase, I can’t help but feel a certain level of anxiety around the last few issues. There’s a lot to love about this series. It’s chock-full of cool ideas and interesting character moments. I’m simply afraid that Priest won’t be able to deliver a satisfying, cohesive ending with only two issues left. Black Adam #10, in many ways, is emblematic of the series: there’s a lot going on, and none of it feels very cohesive as a narrative.
You can now dance dance away with your fingers using some tech wizardry plus crochet. TikTok creator kims_threads (Via Polygon) posted a tutorial explained how they made a functional DDR pad by crocheting yarn, weaving conductive thread in-between the crocheted pattern, and plugging the creation into the open-source software project Arduino. They then shows footage of them playing DDR with their fingers.
As Polygon points out, you could enlarge the project in theory by crocheting granny squares, making a cozy and customizable full-size DDR mat. Such a mat would need some extra work or a base mat to place under it so that it wouldn’t slip around while you are trying to dance.
Kims_threads has yet to upload a pattern for the creation, though they might, as they sell several other patterns on her Etsy shop. However, they used a tutorial from Popular Science as a baseline for their own creation. With some trial, error, and ingenuity, you could make your very own crochet DDR pad.
Fun fact: crochet, unlike knitting, cannot be done by machines (yet). I’ll believe the robot overlords are coming for us when they can crochet a DDR pad of their very own.
Video credit: kims_threads via Tiktok
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
Welcome back to Middle-Earth at your local theater.
The Lord of the Ringshas been a hot commodity since American animator Ralph Bakshi created the first adaptation of the beloved J.R.R. Tolkien books.
Although Bakshi wasn’t the first filmmaker to want to adapt the novels, with John Boorman and The Beatles (teaming up with Stanely Kubrick) pitching their unmade scripts to adapt the project, LOTR has seen a lot and been through even more.
Back in February 2023, Variety reported that Warner Bros. announced that they are revamping The Lord of the Rings film franchise. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav announce that Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, the newly installed studio heads, have made a deal to make multiple films based on the J.R.R. Tolkien books.
While many of us cringe at the thought of a remake of a franchise that came out 20 years ago, this move from Warner Bros. makes sense. We are living in an era of remakes and legacy sequels.
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’Credit: New Line Cinema
With the help of Fathom Events and 1,100 theaters across the U.S., I’m sure that Warner Bros. is giddy with excitement at the possible blockbuster on their hands as Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King grosses $1.1 million Thursday night (according to Box Office Mojo). This places the 20-year-old film, which is showing in theaters in its four-and-a-half hour-long director’s cut with an introduction by Elijah Wood, in the #2 spot right behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
For comparison, Thursday night viewings of Airreported $982,598 for the day in over 3,000 locations, and the horror-comedy Renfieldgrossed $9,000 in previews. This might look frightening for filmmakers who want to create new and original stories, but you have to remember the legacy of LOTR.
It will be hard for anything to outperform a film franchise that is deeply ingrained in film culture and pop culture.
The fascination with the franchise cannot be underscored, which makes us wonder whether or not Warner Bros. cares about the new LOTR films they are creating or if they are just trying to milk the cash cow. We are not alone in our worries.
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’Credit: New Line Cinema
Elijah Wood on the Future of the New LOTR Films
In a recent interview with GQ magazine, Elijah Wood talked about the new films, saying, “I’m surprised—I don’t know why I’m surprised because of course there would be more movies. Obviously, at the core of that, is a desire to make a lot of money. It’s not that a bunch of executives are like, ‘Let’s make really awesome art.’ And again, not begrudging anybody because, of course, it is commerce. But great art can come from commerce. So those two things are not mutually exclusive.”
Unlike some projects that are blatantly made for profit, Wood stressed that Jackson’s trilogy “didn’t come out of that place.”
“It came out of a passion for these books and wanting to see them realized,” Wood said about Jackson’s motivation for creating the trilogy. “And I hope that that is ultimately what will drive everything forward with whatever these subsequent movies are. I just hope that it’s the same motivating factor at its core, whenever they hire a screenwriter and a filmmaker—that it is with reverence for Tolkien’s material and enthusiasm to explore it.”
Everyone who is attached to LOTR projects seems to come from a place of pure passion and enthusiasm to continue the worldbuilding and lore that made these stories so fun to explore. We just hope to see this trend continue and for more great stories from a franchise that we all hold dear to our hearts.
Opera is a sport. Its singers are athletes, and for those of us who love this sport, we often breathe for the singers when they miraculously deliver long stretches of music without taking a breath. I do it all the time in the opera house. I have never done it in the theater while watching a play – until I saw Jodie Comer in Suzie Miller’s solo play “Prima Facie,” which opened Sunday on Broadway at the Golden Theatre after its world premiere in the U.K. in 2019 and a production on the West End last year.
Comer is a superb athlete. “Prima Facie” runs 90 minutes, and in its first 15 minutes, it appears that this actor never takes a breath as she races at breakneck speed through her character’s background as a defense barrister for persons accused of sexual abuse. The extreme alacrity and force of Comer’s delivery is part aggression; she plays a very truculent defense lawyer named Tessa Ensler. It is also part compensation for the character being a woman born in the working-class. At Cambridge University, she had been surrounded by students, most of them male, to the manor born. She defends her fierce grilling of the plaintiff because that is her role as a defense lawyer. Tessa is a real professional.
“There’s blood in the water and I let the witness swim on,” she tells us. “My role is defen[s]e, the prosecutor prosecutes; we each tell a story and the jury decide[s] which story is the one they believe. They take the responsibility.”
Then, one night in her own apartment, Tessa is raped by a man she has been dating and already had sex with at least a couple of times, one of those encounters being a real quickie in the office of that guy, who happens to be a fellow barrister.
Tessa had been in court with cases like this before, and one of the real eye-rolling moments in “Prima Facie” (or, “on first impression”) is the fairly casual way in which this character reports on how much some Brits consume in a single night, mixing hard and soft liquor. The fact that both parties are confused in retelling their story on the witness stand is only part of the problem. With so much booze consumed, it’s a wonder they were ever able to perform the illegal act that put them in court in the first place.
Alcohol is only part of this victim’s dilemma. As Miller’s play lays out in both graphic and legal detail, Tessa’s confusion on the witness stand has nothing to do with how much vodka, gin, scotch, beer and/or wine she put into her body. (She is violently ill before the attack occurs.) Her confusion is the result of trauma, and unlike booze, the after effects of rape don’t dissipate over time.
Tessa tells us that one out of every three women will or has been the victim of sexual abuse. She asks us to look to our left and to our right to see those women. I didn’t have to look. Women all around me in the audience were sobbing audibly.
In other words, “Prima Facie” is the “Waiting for Lefty” of this century. It’s great agit-prop theater, and only time will tell if it has a longer shelf life than Clifford Odets’s play about taxi drivers on strike, first produced in 1935 to great acclaim. Miller falters only when she has Tessa go into a long dissertation into the bias against female defendants in these trials without ever mentioning the words “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
One can’t argue with Justin Martin’s direction of Comer, who recently won the Olivier Award for her performance. In addition to delivering a most logorrheic performance, Comer does it while pushing around two large tables and climbing up and down them to reconfigure Miriam Buether’s conference room set. Comer tackles the obstacle-course assignment with real gusto, although, again, you may find yourself stealing a breath for her.
Martin’s direction of Miller’s play is more questionable. He loads it up with a lot of effects that only distract from Comer. Immediately after the rape, Tessa endures a rain storm with real water falling on stage. Her first police interrogation is put on camera (video by Willie Williams), complete with a close-up of Comer’s face. Occasionally, when the actor impersonates another character, usually male, the amplification takes on an ominous echo (sound design by Ben and Max Ringham). And even in Tessa’s early scenes of ebullient success in the courtroom, a percussive score by Rebecca Lucy Taylor gives emphasis to a performance that needs no extraneous accents. Worst effect is Buether’s blue neon sculpture of Lady Justice with a red blindfold over her eyes. It hangs from the proscenium before the play begins, and would be kitschy looking for a musical version of “Perry Mason.” Here, it is downright gross.
When you have a star athlete performing at the top of her game, production values can sometimes get in the way.
Robert Hofler, TheWrap’s lead theater critic, has worked as an editor at Life, Us Weekly and Variety. His books include “The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson,” “Party Animals,” and “Sexplosion: From Andy Warhol to A Clockwork Orange, How a Generation of Pop Rebels Broke All the Taboos.” His latest book, “Money, Murder, and Dominick Dunne,” is now in paperback.
SPOILER ALERT: This recap contains spoilers for Season 4, Episode 5 of “Succession,” now streaming on HBO Max.
It’s a new era at Waystar Royco, as newly branded co-CEOs Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) convene in their late father’s office to strategize for a meeting with Norwegian tech billionaire Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård).
Wary of their positions post-GoJo merger — and perhaps genuinely concerned about the Roy kids’ ability to execute the deal — Gerri (J. Smith Cameron), Karl (David Rasche) and Frank (Peter Friedman) make their unwanted advice extra available, while Shiv (Sarah Snook) is conspicuously missing from the war room.
Throughout the episode it becomes increasingly clear that Shiv, who agreed to vote in favor of her brothers taking the company reins after they promised to give her equal say, is finding herself on the outside of the inner circle, despite Ken and Rome’s (initially) honest intentions.
But the siblings are never really honest with each other. Even at the start of the season, with the Roy kids teamed against Logan (Brian Cox), Kendall withheld information that Matsson might back out of the deal as Roman privately drifted back into his father’s orbit. Now, Kendall has made a private arrangement with Hugo (Fisher Stevens) to plant negative stories about Logan in the press to bolster his and Roman’s credibility as co-CEOs — a PR strategy that previously made Roman bristle. It seemed like Logan’s shocking death in Episode 3 paved the way for a promising alliance between Kendall, Roman and Shiv, but the wheels of this tricycle are starting to fall off.
When the Roy kids and Waystar senior leadership land in Norway to renegotiate the terms of the GoJo merger, they come face to face with their Nordic counterparts at an ambushed brunch buffet. Sure, they’re younger and fitter, but, as Gerri points out, they’re European and therefore don’t hold a candle to the American capitalism-hardened, raised-by-wolves Waystar warriors. Still, the tension is high when the top brass discusses the low employee retention rate of Matsson’s last acquisition. Blood is in the water.
Matsson arrives and sequesters Kendall and Roman in a conference room overlooking a stunning vista. They get right into it: Ken and Rome think Waystar is worth more than Matsson’s previous offer of $144 per share, but pointing out the stock drop post-Logan’s death, the GoJo CEO contests he went to the checkout lane during a sale but ended up with a higher price. Plus, he wants to rope ATN (Waystar’s Fox News-like TV channel) back into the deal after Logan declared it not for sale. For the whole operation, Matsson is willing to pay $187 per share, a number that the Waystar executive team is quite pleased with. While Roman is uneasy to sell their dad’s prized possession, Shiv suggests that an old sweater would be a “less racist” keepsake.
Everything seems to be OK in Waystarland until Kendall has a wild idea: What if they blew up the deal entirely? Kendall, who has dreamed of leading his dad’s company since Episode 1 of “Succession,” clearly wants his turn to steer the ship — and disagrees with Matsson’s vision for Waystar, which he calls a “parts shop” in an awkward earlier conversation. Roman, on the other hand, can’t let go of the fact that the GoJo chief made him and his siblings fly halfway across the world just two days after their dad’s death.
So Kendall and Roman decide to sabotagethe GoJo deal without consulting Shiv, who is off on a solo mission with Matsson, who lets her in on a creepy little secret. He was sleeping with GoJo’s head of communications, a young woman named Ebba, but he gave her the ick after sending her half a liter of his blood, weekly — first as a joke, then not as a joke, then again as a joke. Shiv advises him to multiply whatever he’s paying her by 10, as once the merger goes through, the American press will be all over him. Matsson says he likes Shiv — she can take a joke, and she’s just like her dad. It’s Buttering Up a Roy Child 101.
But the next day, things go awry between the boys, who are talking shop on a mountaintop. When Matsson realizes Kendall and Roman are “trying to Scooby-Doo” him by screwing the deal, Roman lets his emotions get the best of him and admits the truth: they hate Matsson and they’ll do whatever it takes to prevent him from taking over Waystar, even if it costs them both hundreds of millions of dollars. Realizing he may have just committed an SEC violation, Roman backpedals, calling his disclosure a “negotiating tactic.” But now it’s officially a battle of egos.
On the plane ride home, Matsson calls Frank and ups the offer to $192 per share. Everyone is elated except for Kendall and Roman, of whom Matsson asks Shiv to send him a photo. He wants to see their reactions.
While Shiv thinks her maneuvering helped spike the offer, it’s more likely a result of Matsson’s spite for her brothers. Only now that Kendall and Roman refuse to sell to him, the GoJo CEO is interested in paying a premium price for this “parts shop.” With a hostile takeover looming above, Matsson is flirting with the same move Kendall tried in Season 1 to acquire Waystar.
Drunk on misplaced power, Shiv seems more attracted to Tom than ever, giving him permission to fire ATN boss Cyd (Jeannie Berlin). Full of sexual tension, their interaction comes after a strange fight in Norway in which Tom calls Shiv’s earlobes “thick” and “chewy like barnacle meat,” and Shiv tells Tom he’s narrow-framed like a “spelunker.”
As Waystar’s senior leadership celebrate the offer, the vibe harshens when Gerri obtains a leaked “kill list” of top executives Matsson plans to fire. Gerri, Tom and Karolina (Dagmara Domińczyk) are safe, but Ray (Patch Darragh), Mark (Zack Robidas), Hugo, Frank and Karl are on the chopping block.
Raymond’s plan came into focus when he implemented it on The Blacklist Season 10 Episode 9, wiping his foe from the map and any evidence of his involvement with the Task Force.
It was expected that he had been working on a plan to deal with Wujing, but never in the wildest of dreams could anyone have guessed something like that.
Playing two sides off each other like that? That’s so Raymond.
He is always a couple of steps ahead of everyone else, and even if you know he is ahead of you, you can’t tell what he’s planning unless he lets you in.
When we met him on The Blacklist Season 10 Episode 1, he was looking for a building, and I thought it was a living space, but the size was odd.
The first half of the hour appeared ridiculous to a keen viewer.
Never has there been such a deliberate focus on following the steps, including doing the same thing twice. Usually, the perp arrives at the Post Office blindfolded and is marched into the nearest interrogation room before they can breathe the war room’s air.
The next hint was that Ressler left the file on the table. He has never been that careless, knowing Chang could open it and read the contents.
There was no way Chang would not be suspicious about how things just seemed to be working out for him. The only saving grace was learning later that he was in on it.
No dice. He’s still talking tough. Seems like he knows something that we don’t.
Ressler
He must have had the most fun of all the characters.
A lot came as a surprise, including that Raymond had reached out to Chang and recruited him into his crew.
Sometimes a good dose of humbleness is necessary, and I was much humbled by how the events unfolded.
I had doubted how long Raymond would keep pulling off the same trick, but the trick only needed to work long enough, and work it did.
I was skeptical of Raymond’s decision to minimize Wujing, but he wasn’t. He just didn’t truly consider Wujing a threat worth losing sleep over.
His death almost felt anti-climatic, but too much good stuff was happening; it was not worth thinking about.
You, of all people, know that what you think you see is rarely the full picture. I hope you’re hearing me, Chang.
Raymond
Ultimately, his hate for Reddington was his undoing as he failed to see what was right before him. It should have raised at least a slight suspicion in his mind that a guy escaped an FBI secret site without so much as a broken finger.
As much as pulling off the plan was exhilarating, the fallout will be even bigger.
With Wujing dead, the focus shifts onto other issues and chief among them Raymond.
The Task Force was not just amazed by Raymond’s actions; they were flabbergasted. It was shocking how they could be played off like common criminals by a criminal.
One could see Cooper and Malik grin ear to ear as they set up Chang to escape thinking they knew the game, but they were being played.
What must hurt the most was the embarrassment after learning Raymond had played them. Cooper tried to mask it well, but everyone else did not do a great job.
Despite spending over a decade at Raymond’s side, Dembe was amazed but not surprised.
Raymond: You know this, Dembe. What wins wars. Dembe: Anticipation.
The Task Force had looked over a lot during their time working together all these years. However, after Wujing’s death, it begs the question, did Raymond cross a line?
The Post Office was the one place that was supposed to be safe, and thanks to Raymond, it would never feel like it anymore. Two murders were committed in the middle of the room.
A valuable government system was stolen and used to destroy confidential documents.
For those reasons only, Raymond had done something terrible. The nail in the coffin is the betrayal, which the task force won’t overcome.
These acts triggered a series of events that gave the Task Force no option but to go after Raymond.
This might be the next big thing.
Raymond is a career criminal, and the FBI had been way over their heads thinking he was anything but.
With Liz gone, he had no reason to stick to the original agreement, which the government cannot prove there ever was. Where are the documents?
The only thing that ties Raymond to this world is Agnes.
Like it was a decade ago, the FBI will have no option but to declare Raymond a wanted fugitive again.
Harold: You went too far this time, Raymond. Raymond: Perhaps. Harold: Not, perhaps. We are not just the Reddington Task Force. We are the FBI!
He had become unpredictable, and his unpredictability put influential people in the line of fire in case anything went wrong.
And by influential people, I mean Senator Panabaker. She has the full force of the US government behind her, and it will be in her best interest to preserve that.
We’re about to experience a war between the Task Force and Raymond.
Harold: You’ve finally done it. Turned it all down. Raymond: You’re angry, Harold. Take some time to figure out if we can continue. I’ll do the same.
“The Troll Farmer Part 3” was everything we loved about this show. It was wild.
The writing was genius, with double-edged statements used right front and center. They previewed what was coming.
By this point, we are all used to James Spader knocking it out of the park as Raymond, but there are certain scenes where he outdoes himself; it feels like the first time you saw him as Raymond. The scene at The Post Office with Sven was one.
The series will feel rejuvenated as we enter the final season’s second act.
What did you think of it?
Will the Task Force agree to hunt Raymond when the FBI demands it?
Is Raymond going to leave Agnes behind voluntarily?
Have we seen the last of Wujing loyalists? Hit the comments section and let us know your thoughts.
Denis Kimathi is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on Twitter.
Comedian and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actor Richard Lewis revealed in a social media post video Sunday that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease two years ago.
He began the minute-and-a-half video by sharing that he was just wrapped Season 12 of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” a couple of weeks ago and expressed his gratitude for being a part of that great show. “But,” he said, “the last three and a half years I’ve had sort of a rocky time.”
People have been asking him for the last few years when he’s going to be touring with his standup comedy show again. “Well, here’s really what happened…” he said.
He went on to say that three and a half years ago he was in the middle of his tour when he decided he didn’t want to be on the road anymore. “I said, ‘You know, I’m at the top of my game. After 50 years almost, I’m just going to call it quits.’ And I felt great about that. And then out of the blue, the s—t hit the fan.”
Lewis said that he had back surgery, shoulder surgery, shoulder replacement surgery and hip replacement surgery “back to back to back to back,” adding, “Bad luck, but that’s life.”
“On top of all of that,” he continued, two years ago he started “walking a little stiffly” and “shuffling” his feet. After a trip to a neurologist, who gave him a brain scan, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
“I got it late in life, and they say you progress very slowly if at all,” Lewis said. “I just wanted you to know that that’s where it’s been at. I’m finished with standup, I’m just focusing on writing and acting. I have Parkinson’s disease but I’m under a doctor’s care and everything is cool.
Per the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, “Parkinson’s disease (PD) is movement disorder of the nervous system that gets worse over time. As nerve cells (neurons) in parts of the brain weaken, are damaged, or die, people may begin to notice problems with movement, tremor, stiffness in the limbs or the trunk of the body, or impaired balance.”
Agust D aka Suga‘s D-Day has topped this week’s new music poll.
Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (April 21) on Billboard, choosing the BTS member’s latest project as their favorite new music release of the past week.
D-Day brought in more than 49% of the vote, beating out new music from Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny, The Weeknd and Future and more.
Upon dropping the lead single earlier this month, Sugar told Billboard he was “actually a little bit worried” about the return to his solo moniker. “‘People Pt.2’ was made thinking about how people will receive Agust D’s music, which is why we also featured [his former collaborator] IU. It’s kind of a trial to release this music under the name Agust D,” he said.
Trailing behind D-Day on the poll is Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny’s “un x100to,” with 21% of the vote, and The Weeknd and Future’s “Double Fantasy,” with 17%.
Booked and busy. Reneé Rapp is currently filming the movie adaptation of Broadway’s Mean Girls musical and recording her debut album amid the success of her debut EP, Everything to Everyone.
“It is very hectic,” the Sex Lives of College Girls star, 23, exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of her performance at Cap’n Crunch’s 60th birthday party in Palm Springs earlier this month. “I’m trying to find a work/life balance. I don’t [have one] at present, and I probably won’t for a while. But I’m trying to be an EGOT, so I’m tired — but it’s all good.”
Rapp played Regina George in the Broadway musical at age 19, and she’s reprising the role four years later. She told Us that she immediately lost her script — accidentally — but she knows exactly how she wants to play the part. “It’s just in my body. I know how it feels. I know how to do it in the way that I like to do it,” the North Carolina native said. “I mean, it’s obviously different now cause I’m, I’m 23 as opposed to being 19 and 20, and I think I’m better at my job now than I was when I was a kid. I also have, like, a much a stronger sense of self at the moment than I did when I was 19.”
She’s not the only one that evolved. The “Too Well” songstress said that much like how the 2018 Broadway musical adapted to include the prevalence of social media, which was in its infancy when the movie was released in 2004, the movie musical will also make some updates.
MOVI Inc.
“A lot of it is different. Tina [Fey] is such a creative genius and such a creative freak, and her partner, Jeff Richmond, who does all of the music, is as well. So there’s definitely different things,” Rapp hinted. “There might be different songs. Some songs that are in the musical version might be in the movie or might not be.”
She continued: “But [Fey and Richmond] are so creative, and I really appreciate that they really try to work with young people and people that are of the current culture and what’s happening as opposed to being like, ‘We are going to do exactly what we think we’re gonna do.’ They’re very collaborative and really amazing. So some things are different, some things are the same.”
When she isn’t on set, she’s working on her music. She lists “In the Kitchen” as her favorite song from her February EP. The track is an emotional song about a breakup, and many of her songs pull at the heartstrings. However, she hasn’t heard from anyone who inspired the heartbreak hits — for good reason.
MOVI Inc.
“I have a very amazing mother and father who really, really, really just raised me to, like, be a very strong individual when it comes to, like, if someone doesn’t treat me with respect,” she explained. “It’s no bad blood, but I’m always gonna look out for myself. So I actually don’t really talk to people that hurt my feelings. Not in a mean way. Just in a way of, like, I really like the people in my life and I like the people that respect me and love me and take the time to talk to me and be there for me. And if they do hurt me, then they fix it. So I don’t think anybody who I’ve written songs about really falls under that category, not that they’ve shown me.”
Rapp played a couple of her songs at Cap’n Crunch’s 60th birthday at the Margaritaville Resort in Palm Springs on Saturday, April 15. Attendees also enjoyed an all-vinyl DJ set from DJ Pee .Wee (a.k.a. Anderson .Paak) and scored exclusive merch celebrating the breakfast icon’s milestone.
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The “Colorado” singer described herself as a “ginormous” fan of the cereal and the Cap’n himself. “He raised me and I feel like — being that I’m a boat person — I feel like we really are on the same wave with that. Like, if he pulled up on the ocean and was like, ‘Hey, by the way, would you like to hop on and ride?’ I’d be down. Put me in,” Rapp joked. “[The performance is] really fun because I just feel like it’s very campy, and it’s me and Anderson .Paak and the Cap’n.”
Crossmint, a start-up that provides infrastructure for building blockchain applications, has partnered with Tintinimaginatio, the company which has been set up to protect and promote the work of Hergé, to release the iconic Tintin comic series’ first NFT collection.
In partnership with artèQ, the collection comprises the illustration “The Blue Lotus,” which was created by Hergé in 1936 and auctioned for €2.6 million ($2.8 million) in early 2021. The NFT collection includes two variants of “The Blue Lotus” NFTs, a limited edition print work of which only 777 copies were created and a purely digital NFT that is available in a similarly limited version of 1,777 pieces.
Each NFT has unique features, including geographic coordinates of Tintin’s travel locations and unlocks utilities including early access to new versions of “The Blue Lotus” book prior to publishing and exclusive passes to the Hergé museum. Buyers of “The Blue Lotus” Tintin NFTs will also receive a digital brochure on Hergé’s work, created exclusively by renowned Hergéologist Philippe Goddin. The brochure provides an in-depth look at the creation of the Tintin series and the artistic vision of Hergé.
The “Blue Lotus” NFT collection is available now for purchase through the Digital Tintin website. Payments can be made by credit card. The integration of Crossmint’s credit card checkout solution is aimed at driving the adoption of web3 by non-crypto native users and propelling the technology’s mass adoption.
“We are honored to be able to fuel such a celebrated and historic art series alongside Tintinimaginatio and arteQ, helping bridge the gap from the traditional art world into the Web3 era through an easy-to-use checkout solution,” said Rodri Fernandez Touza, co-founder of Crossmint. “At Crossmint, we are committed to removing the complexities of crypto for both companies and users. We believe that NFTs are the future of art and are very excited to partner with such an iconic brand as TIntin to bring their web3 vision to life and enable NFT ownership to a new consumer.”
artèQ is specialized in the field of blockchain technology, through consultation, tech support and strategic marketing. It has launched several NFT projects including “The Kiss NFT Collection” by Gustav Klimt – Official Museum Edition of the Belvedere.
Farbod Sadeghian, CEO at arteQ, said: “With the help of Crossmint’s cutting-edge technology, we are able to usher in the Web2 consumers and enable them to own a digital asset without the tumultuous onboarding of the traditional Web3 space. This partnership allows fans a unique opportunity to own a rare piece of Tintin history in the form of an NFT. Each NFT comes with its own utilities and is a truly one-of-a-kind collectible.”
After last week’s claustrophobic events in the late Logan Roy’s sepulchral New York apartment, Episode 5 of the final season of “Succession” sends his surviving kids and assorted Waystar executives out to play in the Norwegian wilderness.
A very posh section of it at least, with luxury cabin views of lush forests, fast-flowing streams and snow-capped mountains in all directions. But a feral place nonetheless for Kendall, Roman, Shiv and company to fight tooth-and-nail with Lukas Matsson and his GoJo team over how much the Swedish tech baron will pay to buy Waystar Royco. The episode is called “Kill List” for a reason, and not just because there’s an actual list.
CEBros Gonna Get It Done?
On his first day as co-CEO, Kendall (Jeremy Strong) enters Waystar’s Manhattan HQ and is greeted by P.R. guy Hugo (Fisher Stevens), who introduces him to “additional manpower for the new role.” Ken welcomes them, then says they can f—k off until he needs them, Loganing already. He just wants to check in with the grays and get to the plane.
“Get in early and slip a mickey in Matsson’s meatballs,” Ken says, as the writers room strains to make Swedish stereotyping a thing. Hugo suggests a photoshoot with Roman. “CEBros is the bad version,” he says of the inevitable caption. Ken says let’s not, but sorry; we’re using that term to describe you two for the rest of this recap.
Ken’s greeted by applause on the executive floor. He stares briefly into Logan’s unoccupied office, enters a conference room, hugs Roman (Kieran Culkin), meets a few new faces who liaise with Waystar’s Hollywood studio. Their big, dumb robot movie needs reshoots, its second producer is on leave citing “mental collapse/overload.” The CEBros agree to keep spending on it.
Peter Friedman, J. Smith-Cameron and David Rasche in a still from “Succession” Episode 5.
Rome tells the movie messengers to f—k off, then says “Here we go, march of the emperor penguins” as Karl(David Rasche) and Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron) come in. Karl offers anything they can do to be helpful with the looming GoJo negotiations. Ken tells them he wants to squeeze an extra $3-$4 per share out of Matsson as Shiv (Sarah Snook) walks in. As if on cue, Matsson messages everyone. Frank (Peter Friedman) walks in. The whole executive team is requested in Norway. Matsson sent a list of names. Sinister as f—k. Cultural compatibility check? Early, but smart.
“Or invite everyone so he doesn’t have to just deal with the B-roll Brothers.” Shiv suggests. OK, using that one for Ken and Rome, too.
After Gerri gently shoots down his don’t play ball suggestion, Ken says “Yeah, great. Let’s go get the deal. Let’s bleed the Swede.”
Compression Socks
Greg (Nicholas Braun) and Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) at the airfield. “Why Norway, not Sweden?” Greg asks.
“Annual retreat,” Tom answers. “Anyway, Norway, Sweden, what’s the difference? They’re all descended from the same rapists.”
Greg tells Hugo and his boys he wants to get a feel for Scandinavia. And some hotties, arctic foxes, bit of Norwegian wood. He’s told to calm down. It’s business.
“Musical electric chairs,” Hugo explains. “Find out who they like. Everyone else, welcome to the lime pit. You’re on the other plane, by the way.”
Tom tells Greg he feels safe with the ATN carve-out, but he’s worried about getting whacked by the cast of “Bugsy Malone.” That would be Shiv plus the B-roll CEBros. Tom boards the plane to find Karl and Frank putting on compression socks. They don’t want to contract Flying Logan Syndrome.
In the air, Shiv’s concerned about bad Dad reports all over the internet. Ken, who secretly ordered Hugo to launch the smears, claims he’s more worried about the $225 million already sunk into their movie. “It’s a f—n’ sleeping robot in a cave, how the hell is that a quarter bil?”
Shiv’s eyes widen in horror as she doomscrolls on her phone. “I’m just struck by the number of pieces that knife Dad and imply that his children – particularly his younger sons – have been covering for him for quite some time.”
A shocked Ken orders Hugo to crucify whomever’s doing those briefings. Shiv indicates she knows at least one of the CEBros is behind it. Both B-rollers claim they’re busy now prepping to wrestle with Matsson and his ogres. Her brothers do offer to cut Tom’s throat if she’d like. Noncommittal, Shiv walks into the other cabin, where she sees her estranged husband wearing compression socks.
Karolina (Dagmara Domińczyk) tells Hugo GoJo’s deputy of coms is an ex-Olympic ski jumper. “I mean, Fulbrights coming out of their ass,” she says of the opposing team. “NASDAQ master race.”
Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook and Kieran Culkin in a still from “Succession.”
Let’s Yodel
The contingent takes a scenic Fjordside drive to the retreat, past impressive waterfalls and up winding mountain roads. Waystarers switch to golf carts at the entrance to the retreat grounds, get carted past beautiful woods and streams. The floor-to-ceiling windows of Ken’s cabin look out on God’s bounty. “I’ve already got f—kin’ mud on my sneaks,” he bitches to Roman.
Matsson invites the negotiating team up top while division heads are sent to brunch. In the gondola lift up to the mountain summit, Frank asks the “Malone” cast if they want to go over angles, etc. Roman says they’re good on the plan. Karl starts babbling about hardball and their dad and … Ken writes 144 on a clipboard. An offer below that per share = unhappiness, above = happiness.
Brother Connor (Alan Ruck) calls Roman from the funeral home in New York. He’s upset Marcia wants to bury Logan in a kilt. Ken tells him to work it out. Connor notes that he has a pretty full plate, and had to cancel on a roomful of working class whites in Cleveland for his one-percent-in-the-polls presidential campaign to do this. Ken writes “moron” on the clipboard, holds it up for the rest of the gondola to see, then gives Connor carte blanche to solve the funeral couture situation. Roman says “Don’t send photos! Bye.”
At the brunch, Hugo meets his GoJo counterpart, Andreas, “congratulates” him for nearly getting a Bronze at Sochi.
“That’s almost huge,” the American digs.
What’s really huge is the blonde wood and steel beam chalet where a hoodie-wearing Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) greets the Waystar delegation atop the mountain. He hugs Roman, soul handshakes Ken, tells Shiv “Am I gonna get a lawsuit if I hug you?”
“Maybe. Wanna find out?” she responds, and they do a perfunctory, single-arm embrace. Claiming he’s been out-maneuvered (even though he asked for them all to attend), Matsson joshes “You got scared to come and talk without the village elders?”
The CEBros say no. Matsson says he was just kidding and leads the B-roll away. In another smorgasbord-lined room, Matsson thanks Ken and Rome for coming out to Norway.
“Yeah, well, it’s not like our dad died yesterday. It was a couple of days ago, so …” Roman notes.
“At least you didn’t find him yourself, BMW still running. That s—t can be trau-ma-tic.” Matsson says while pulling off his hoodie. “No sorries for Lukas?” Ken offers sorries as Matsson smiles. “It’s not a competition.”
Rome basically tells him his offer’s too low.
“OK. And your stock dropped 20% on Friday?” Matsson ripostes.
“And regained 10 Monday,” Ken lobs back. He and Roman explain that Waystar’s real assets don’t depend on Logan.
“I still feel like I’m going to the checkout during a sale and getting asked to pay more,” Matsson shrugs, then offers to buy their entire operation for one dollar.
”I’m kidding. Sorry. Your faces!” he cackles, pointing. Then Matsson says he wants ATN, like in the original deal. He’ll pay $187 per share. 50/50 cash/stock for the whole of Waystar, then pokes the younger, less-experienced at this level Roys, “Maybe you want to check in with the boiled eggs out there?”
Ooh, a new group name for the old Waystar execs!
“You like it a little bit, dontcha?” Matsson wants to know, almost squeezing a thumb and forefinger together, from the clearly shocked CEBros.
They decline his offer of bubbles, walk out and tell the eggs what happened.
“Excellent news, Gents.” Big stockholder Karl enthuses. Roman tells him to hide his boner.
“You effectively achieved a bump,” Gerri says, nodding approvingly.
Walking down a path to see Shiv, the Bros discuss the new offer. Roman asserts they want to keep ATN, it’s what Dad would have wanted. Shiv tells them ATN has an open line during editorial meetings to right wing presidential candidate Jeryd Mencken’s campaign team. That’ll blow the network’s credibility if news gets out. Told by her brothers about folding ATN back into the deal, she quickly says, “Sure, get rid of it. It’s a toxic asset.”
“It’s also Dad’s pride and joy he died trying to keep,” Roman says, getting more sentimental about the issue by the minute.
“Well, let’s just keep one of his old sweaters. Less racist,” Shiv retorts.
“We can’t navigate by Dad maps,” Ken points out. “He’s not here.”
“I know he’s not here,” Shiv says. “I have a giant hole in my heart and a 24-hour migraine.”
They’re not the Murdochs. They’re the Hapsburgs!
There’s axe-throwing, archery and drone-flying on the resort lawn. Greg informs Tom he has it on good authority there is a kill list, then moseys over to the “Bugsy” cast and suggests he join them to make a Quad Squad. OK, this is a nickname bridge too far, even for me. Fortunately, Shiv tells him the extent of that should be Greg getting her coffee.
Tom perches over a table of Swedes that includes Lukas and his lieutenant Oskar. France’s future is being discussed. Greg comes over and chimes in that The Economist says don’t bet against “Old Lady France.” “The baguette might be mightier than the bagel.”
“Who are you?” Matsson asks. “I don’t remember you from the list.”
Informed Greg’s a cousin, Lukas and his crew start chuckling and commenting in Swedish about the metastasizing number of Roys there. Words such as “incest” and “Hapsburgs” can be understood.
All others leave when the sibs come over to parley with Matsson. They say they’re running the numbers, but want to explore ATN-keeping options. With half the buyout in stock, Roys are concerned about Matsson’s fit and vision for the network, don’t want to lose their value if he screws it up.
Eili Harboe in a still from “Succession.”
“I’ve seen it,” Matsson says of ATN. “It’s a lot of yellin’. Small men, big veins.”
“Fat wallets,” Rome adds.
“Sure,” Matsson acknowledges, “But long-term, I don’t think news for angry old people works.”
And there, miraculously, you have the week of Fox News-inspired shootings and massive defamation payouts encapsulated in one metaphorical dialog exchange that was written last year. Anyway, he wants to make ATN more Bloombergy, simple, cheap, “IKEA’d to f—k.”
Ken calls Waystar a trusted brand. Matsson tells him it’s a parts shop. “Good parts, yes. Bad brand.”
Ken: “Gotta say, I think fundamentally you’re wrong.”
Matsson: “I don’t care what you think. You’re a tribute band.”
Oskar marches across the lawn shouting “Time for sauna!” Funny visual of uncomfortably sweating Waystar peons follows.
At a reception that evening, Matsson introduces Shiv to his coms director, Ebba (Eili Harboe), then with urgency asks her if they’ve got a deal or not.
“Yeah, potentially,” Shiv Mona Lisa smiles.
On a hill overlooking the disco tent, Ken tells Roman he wants to tank the deal, but in a way that makes Matsson think it was his idea and the old guard won’t know what they’re up to.
“It’s a f—n’ tightrope walk on a straight razor, 500-foot reputational drop,” Ken says with relish.
“Why does that make you smile?” Rome asks, reluctant but nonetheless acquiescent.
Alexander Skarsgård and Sarah Snook in a still from “Succession.”
Shiv and Matsson talk in his cabin. She suggests a meaningful bump if he wants the deal. He thanks her for her top mind advice to just keep offering more money. He wants to know what she thinks of Ebba, asks about her husband situation.
“Oh, well, we’re f—d,” Shiv states. “It’s a disaster. I broke his heart and he broke mine. We lost our footing.”
Matsson admits sending an ex some of his blood after a breakup. Half a liter frozen blood brick. As a joke.
Shiv: “Half a liter? Wow. Well, obviously, first of all, good one!”
“She got a bit weirded when I did that,” Matsson reports. But he kept doing it. Then it became not a joke, but then a joke again. Now it’s apparently not a joke. Oh, and it’s Ebba. He plans to deny it, lawyer it out.
“Well, deniability is difficult given she has so much of your blood,” Shiv advises. “If this deal goes through, U.S. media are going to be all over you. So, if you’re the creepy stalker guy who sits in the dark writing code, dripping into an IV bag and harassing his direct reports, it’s going to have an economic impact.”
She advises him to stop sending people blood and don’t fire Ebba.
Like a little boy, Matsson says “I like you. You’re cool. You’re not judgy. You can take a joke. I like that. Like your dad.”
She sips her drink, half-winks, smiles.
On the hill, Ken hands Greg a burner phone; he’s to tell a journalist the deal vibes are bad.
“It’s Quad Squad type s—t!” Greg spouts, deliriously happy.
Ken tells his assistant to set up a full, three-hour screening of the bad movie for the GoJos in the morning.
Negotiating Tactics
Sun rises. Lots of bored Swedes watching.
Shiv approaches Ken and Greg about a “bad vibes” report on her phone.
“Hear you were getting pretty “close to Lukas last night,” Roman says.
“Yeah,” Shiv confirms. You jealous?”
Waystar elders approach. Ken tells them the pitch is they retain ATN and Matsson buys the rest foe $146, or he takes ATN at a crazy premium.
All good. The Bros “take it to the ridge.” When the rest have gone, Tom talks to Shiv. She tells him his white sneakers are bad fashion, then kicks gravel on them.
“I’m helping you, Tom. This is why people don’t take you seriously.”
He snaps her left ear with a finger. Hard. “Your earlobes are thick. And chewy. Like barnacle meat.”
He steps toward her and she rearfoots warily. He asks about her chat with Lukas. She calls Lukas very conventionally attractive. Broad, unlike Tom. “Compared to him, you’re wiry. You’re like a f—g spelunker.” She walks away.
On the gondola to the ridge, Connor sends Roman the picture of Logan’s corpse he was asked not to.
Outside on the ridge, with surrounding peaks semi-covered in clouds, it’s just the Bros and Matsson. He wants to know if they’re for real; the movie, these f—g press stories. “Are you Scooby-Dooing me here?” Wait. Has someone been nicknamed Scooby-Doo? No, Matsson’s referring to an act. Let’s check the Urban Dictionary to see what he might mean … Oh my.
“I preferred doing this with your dad,” Matsson says. “He was a prick, but at least he knew what he wanted.”
Roman: “Our dad was not a prick, OK?”
Matsson: “Ah, sure. But he was.”
Ken: “This is a long distance run, it’s not a sprint.”
Matsson: “I think he’d be embarrassed if he saw you two now. His two big boys, playing Scooby-Doos.”
He threatens to go around them to the board and the old ones. Silence. He walks between them. After a moment, Rome pulls a face and goes after Matsson, who’s pissing on a rock ledge.
“You really couldn’t push this a week, could you?” Roman, seething, sputters, then details how devastated the siblings are about Logan’s death. “You just drag us out here, you inhuman f—g dogman you. Crazy! You f—g killed him, too. You did. You drained the life out of him, dragged this thing out for six f—g months, and then you bring us out here now.”
Roman declares they’re not selling to him. “I f—g hate you. And if you tell the board any of this I’m just going to say it was a negotiating tactic. And you know what? Maybe it is. But it’s not, so f—k you.”
Matsson whispers to him, “You just f—d yourself. Good.” He grins and chuckles.
“It’s a negotiating tactic,” Roman tells Matsson as he walks away, then hurls a string of expletives. Waiting for the gondola, Ken says to Roman “It wasn’t the plan but maybe it plays.”
“If a deal collapses in the woods and no one hears it, is it an SEC violation?” Roman ponders.
Roys 1, Vikings 0
On the plane heading home, Frank gets a call from Matsson, who doesn’t want to speak to either brother. Frank hangs up and tells them, “Revised offer. 192.”
“Five dollar bump. OK!” Karl, rubbing his palms together. “Hey, it’s a home run, Boys! Hail the conquering heroes.” In the other cabin, Karl tells the troops “We came, we saw, we pillaged, we raided the Vikings!” High fives.
In a quieter part of the plane, Shiv tells Tom about the deal, Matsson taking ATN (where Tom works) and the whole kaboodle. His face is half-shadowed in stark, noirish sidelighting.
“We’re looking at some moves at ATN. I’m not happy, so …” she adds.
“You’re really gonna do this?” a worried Tom says.
“Yeah. Cyd’s getting too close to Menckin. She’s gotta go.”
She then asks Tom if he wants to let Cyd know; it’s her father’s favorite loyalty test. He says sure. “Don’t get an erection, Tom, that’s weird,” Shiv says, then asks her husband, “You want to have dinner when we get back?”
Matsson calls her. Requests she send him a photo of her brothers’ faces. Shiv surreptitiously takes a shot of the B-rollers looking pensive.
A preliminary draft of Gojo’s kill list is sent to Gerri. Hugo and his boys are on it.
Hugo: “That slalom mother—r.”
So are Frank and Karl, who lifts his champagne flute to his expected golden parachute, “Let the good times roll.”
Karolina, Gerri and Tom are not on list. Karl can’t believe that last one.
In their cabin, the “Malone” cast toast themselves. Looks like Roman and Ken really are Logan’s Big Boys. Unless they’re the ones getting Scooby-Dooed.
Kieran Culkin in a still from “Succession.”
Best One-Liner:
As some Waystar junior execs panic on the plane to Norway, Gerri gives them a pep talk that could also double as a list of ATN’s patriotic capitalist talking points.
“Sure, they’re young and they’re fit. But they’re European!” She says of the GoJo team they’re about to face down. “They’re soft, hammocked in their social security safety net. Sick on vacation mania and free health care. They may think they’re Vikings, but we’ve been raised by wolves, exposed to a pathogen that goes by the name Logan Roy. And they have no idea what’s coming to them.”
Stray Observations:
It could be grape juice and we never see the powder going up her nose, but it looks like Shiv is drinking and snorting coke with Matsson in his cabin. Is she not that pregnant, or perhaps not that happy to be carrying Tom’s child? Hard to say, since she hasn’t expressed her feelings on the subject yet.
Roman’s prediction in the last episode that the delayed impact of Logan’s death would hit him hard appears to be coming true. He has the most emotional reactions to every stage of strategizing and negotiations for the Waystar sale, all informed by his feelings for his dad. They’re finally blown out of control by the picture Connor sends of Logan in the funeral home.
Not the best business tactic, but it seemed to work. Throughout the episode, Ken and Roman are out of their depth and often petty when it comes to responding to the more masterful Matsson’s moves. Yet they get more than they expected from him in the end. He clearly has some great need to buy Waystar with ATN, so no matter what the brothers did they probably would have come out on top. But this success should encourage them to go with their feelings and sometimes harebrained strategies. Can’t wait to see how that bites them in the end.
Andrew Jeffrey joined Realscreen in 2021 as its news editor. Here, he helps to oversee assignment, reporting and editing for Realscreen’s daily newsletter. Prior to his work covering documentary and non-fiction film and TV, he worked as a reporter and associate producer for CBC Edmonton, and as a reporter for The Star Calgary, where he covered daily news on beats such as local and provincial politics, health care and harm reduction, sports and education. His work has appeared in other Canadian news outlets such as TVO, the Edmonton Journal and Avenue Magazine.
Varun Dhawan and Kiara Advani featured in Rangi Saari song from the movie JugJugg Jeeyo. (Image: Instagram)
Happy Birthday Varun Dhawan: In addition to his acting skills, Dhawan is also renowned for his groovy dance moves, with several of his dance numbers becoming chartbusters
HAPPY BIRTHDAY VARUN DHAWAN: Varun Dhawan has established himself as a versatile and dynamic actor in Bollywood. He is known for his powerful performances in movies such as Bhediya, Badlapur, Sui Dhaga, and ABCD-2 among others. His films are often a perfect blend of drama, comedy, action, and catchy Bollywood numbers, making him a popular figure among audiences.
Varun Dhawan with his Citadel co-star Samantha Ruth Prabhu in London. (Image: Instagram)
In addition to his impressive acting skills, Dhawan is also renowned for his groovy dance moves, with several of his dance numbers becoming chartbusters and remaining popular among fans long after their release. As the actor celebrates his birthday, let’s take a look at some of his latest and most popular dance numbers that have kept audiences entertained and enthralled.
Thumkeshwari The song from the movie Bhediya features Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon grooving to the upbeat rhythm. The song also includes a special appearance by Shraddha Kapoor, who dances in sync with Dhawan. The lyrics are given by Amitabh Bhattacharya and the music is composed by Sachin Jigar. Dhawan and Kriti Sanon’s energetic performance in the music video is definitely worth watching and adds to the overall charm of the song.
Rangi Saari JugJugg Jeeyo, a 2022 film, features this popular romantic dance number starring Kiara Advani and Varun Dhawan. The song is a cover of the classic thumri Rangi Saari, originally performed by the late classical singer Shobha Gurtu. Kanishk Seth and Kavita Seth lend their voices to the rendition, which has become a refreshing addition to party playlists. The music video showcases Advani and Dhawan grooving to the electrifying beats of the song, making it a favourite among fans.
Nach Punjaban Another hit from the JugJugg Jeeyo album, features Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani, Anil Kapoor, and Neetu Kapoor performing Bhangra to dhol beats. Gippy Grewal, Zahrah S. Khan, Tanishk Bagchi, and Romy all contribute vocals to the song, which also has music and lyrics by Tanishk Bagchi and Abrar Ul Haq.
Chunar The song’s resonant music, heartfelt lyrics, and Arijit Singh’s consistently melodic voice make for a powerful listening experience that can move you to your very core. Varun Dhawan’s performance in the song is impressive, as he incorporates modern dance techniques and floor swirls that enhance the emotional impact of the song. Overall, Chunar is a standout track from ABCD2 that showcases both Varun’s dancing skills and Arijit’s vocal prowess.
Lagdi Lahore Di This dance sequence is from the 2020 dance-musical movie Street Dancer 3D. The music is given by Guru Randhawa and Tulsi Kumar. Varun Dhawan shows off his exemplary dance moves along with Nora Fatehi.
It was bad b— o’clock Friday night in Tennessee when Lizzo protested the state’s anti-drag-show legislation by inviting more than a dozen drag queens to participate in her concert there.
During her Knoxville show at Thompson-Boling Arena, the “Special” artist danced onstage with a number of drag queens dressed in colorful, glittery costumes. Among the featured performers — some of whom were local and several of whom are affiliated with the hit competition program “RuPaul’s Drag Race” — were Aquaria, Kandy Muse, Asia O’Hara and Vanessa Vanjie Mateo.
Lizzo also took a moment during her set to address “current events” unfolding in the state. In February, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed legislation banning “adult cabaret” artists (widely interpreted as code for drag performers) from performing in public and/or in the presence of children.
The law — which opponents have deemed discriminatory and oppressive to the LGBTQ+ community — was temporarily blocked in March by a federal judge who ruled that Tennessee failed to present a compelling case for restricting “adult cabaret” performances in the state.
“In light of recent and tragic events … I was told by people on the internet, ‘Cancel your shows in Tennessee. Don’t go to Tennessee,’” Lizzo told the crowd on Friday.
“We don’t have to boo that person — their reason was valid. But why would I not come to the people who need to hear this message the most, the people who need to feel this release the most?”
On Instagram, multiple drag queens who joined Lizzo onstage Friday thanked the Grammy winner for including them and “uplifting the queens [in] Tennessee.” The “About Damn Time” hitmaker traveled to Knoxville this weekend as part of her Special concert tour, which is coming to Napa, Sacramento and Palm Desert later this year.
“Why would I not create a safe space in Tennessee where we can celebrate Pride entertainers and celebrate our differences and celebrate fat, Black women?” Lizzo continued Friday.
“What people are doing in Tennessee is giving hope, so thank you so much for standing up for your rights, protecting each other and holding the people accountable who should be protecting us.”
But while a blast to the past is great, the big question remains – where will Spider-Man swing into the action in future projects?
Every Confirmed & Rumored Upcoming Spider-Man Appearance
1.) Spider-Man: Freshman Year (Disney+ series)
Marvel Studios
Spider-Man: Freshman Year will give the web-slinger his own animated show produced by Marvel Studios, setting him in his early high school days as he learns how to use his newfound superpowers. The series is also set to bring in a number of iconic Spidey villains like the Green Goblin, Chameleon, Scorpion, and more, although there are plenty of questions surrounding the series.
Due to a number of behind-the-scenes issues in Marvel Studios’ animation department, the series is facing a major delay and won’t release on Disney+ until sometime in 2024. And with reports noting that Season 1’s team was let go before the show moves into Season 2, there are concerns about what the final results will be when the show makes its full arrival.
2.) Spider-Man 4 (Movie)
Sony Pictures
Shortly before Spider-Man: No Way Home hit theaters, Sony and Marvel confirmed that Spider-Man 4 is already in the early stages of development, bringing Tom Holland’s hero back for his fourth solo movie. And after seeing the young hero team up with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s web-slingers against a handful of past villains, he has plenty of opportunity to shine in a world that doesn’t know he exists.
Theories are already being formed for what should be included in the fourth MCU Spidey movie, with multiple big names also hoping to find their MCU characters as part of the next web-slinger story. And while there are only small indications pointing to when it may release, Holland’s friendly neighborhood Spidey still has a long journey ahead of him as the MCU continues to expand.
3.) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Movie)
Sony Pictures
Miles Morales will make his long-awaited return to the big screen in this summer’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the sequel to 2018’s blockbuster animated hit Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Shameik Moore’s young hero will jump headfirst into the deep end of the Multiverse alongside Hailee Steinfeld’sGwen Stacy, with the film’s trailers teasing a vast expansion of other worlds.
Footage released for this movie thus far teased an incredible number of Spidey Variants, including Oscar Isaac’s Spider-Man 2099, as they all prepare for an imminent battle against Jason Schwartzman’s Spot. And with potential drama brewing with Miles’ family as well, Sony hopes to bring an even bigger story in the sequel than what was delivered in the original when it releases on June 2.
Thus far, there isn’t a lot that’s known about Beyond the Spider-Verse‘s story other than the fact that The Spot will be back causing even more mayhem for Miles, Gwen, and their team of heroes. And with this movie originally using the title Across the Spider-Verse Part 2, expect this new entry to tie heavily back to the events laid out in its predecessor when it hits theaters on March 29, 2024.
5.) What If…? Season 2 (Disney+ series)
Marvel Studios
After Spider-Man played a key role in Episode 5 of What If…?, donning Doctor Strange’s Cloak of Levitation and helping to fight a zombie invasion, it’s expected that Peter Parker will be back for more in the series’ second season. Voiceover actor Hudson Thames spoke exclusively with The Direct about the experience being “really special,” and considering Spider-Man’s popularity, an appearance in Season 2 is something many are expecting.
Screen Rant spoke with director/executive producer Bryan Andrews about Spidey’s possible return, with Andrews saying how much they “love Spider-Man” and hoping that he’ll be back in the future. And although he wasn’t confirmed as part of the huge group of characters coming back for the animated series, which had its release date delayed from early 2023, the web-slinger could come in handy for any number of alternate universe storylines.
One rumor goes so far as to note that Tom Holland’s hero will actually lead the Avengers in the next movie, playing a bigger role than ever before as he works his way back into a world that doesn’t know who Peter Parker is. And while plot details are only just being formulated right now, it would be shocking to see Avengers 5 leave the web-slinger out of the action when it premieres on May 2, 2025.
Warner Bros. Discovery will be showcasing their upcoming movie slate at Cinemacon this week, and that includes Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the long-awaited sequel to the 2018 film that will see the return of Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry.
It has not yet been confirmed if a first teaser trailer for the film will be released during the presentation, something that has already been confirmed for other productions such as The Flash. However, fans remain hopeful that they will get their first look at the sequel to the King of the Seven Seas story this next week, as it is still a long way from its December release.
While the expectation of being able to see a teaser for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is out there, Twitter user @Alfiemoviehub shared a look at the official poster that has already been displayed in the place where the convention will take place:
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The poster doesn’t reveal much about the plot, which has in fact been kept under wraps so far, but it’s icy appearance does tie into some concept art director James Wan previously shared featuring a huge monster trapped within the ice. Reportedly, the story will see Curry forging an unlikely alliance, most likely with Patrick Wilson’s Orm, in order to save Atlantis and the whole planet from a dangerous threat.
Another important detail is the return of Yahya Abdul-Mateen’s Black Manta, who was introduced in the first movie and had his own fight against the titular hero, but it’ll be in this film that he will actually become the main villain.
Amber Heard is also set to return as Mera, even with so many rumors about her being cut off the film. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom could also include a Ben Affleck cameo as Batman, since the actor was on set as Momoa showed on his social media.
The Last Days of the DCEU Will be One of the Big Stars at Cinemacon
Warner Bros. Pictures
As most fans already know, The Flash will be screened for CinemaCon attendees, besides releasing a new full trailer. Expectations are off the charts for Andy Muschietti’s film, especially since rumors describing it as one of the most incredible superhero movies of all time have been around for a while now.
Besides Ezra Miller solo adventure as Barry Allen and the Aquaman sequel, the other character that will definitely show up at DC’s presentation is Jaime Reyes. Xolo Mariduena will debut as the titular hero in Blue Beetle, which will hit theaters in August. The Angel Manuel Soto film released its first trailer earlier this month, so fans are definitely hoping to get to see more of the upcoming project this week too.
As for James Gunn’s vision of the DCU, which will start in 2024, there’s been no confirmation of any of those movies in development showing anything at CinemaCon, but there might be some announcement related to it during the event to surprise the fans. Warner Bros. Discovery will make their presentation at CinemaCon on Tuesday April 25.
It just wouldn’t be a Hoyoverse game if it didn’t come with its fair share of leaks. Yup, Honkai: Star Rail has already come out with its first few leaks about the game complete with the story thus far and the types of characters we’ll come to see in the future.
Will Dan Heng be a Five-Star Character later in Honkai: Star Rail?
For now, we’ll only be focusing on the major concern of the next arc; will Dan Heng be receiving an upgrade? Already it looks like in the midst of the story, Dan Heng takes on a different form. His clothing appears completely different as well as his overall appearance just takes on a more ethereal form with longer hair and horns projecting from his head.
According to speculation amongst the leak crowd, he may even have different typings in comparison to what he usually is. In his four-star form, Dan Heng uses the Wind Element and a lance whereas we don’t know the weapon of his Five-Star form but he will be using the Imaginary Element and instead be a Destruction Pathfinder rather than the Hunt.
This can be really confusing for people coming from Genshin Impact since there aren’t many characters that have repeats, but if you are coming from Honkai Impact 3rd, then this may seem so unfamiliar. It is common in Honkai Impact for characters to have repeats or otherwise different forms that will have different abilities and type roles than what is previously handed out.
Normally these come in the form of Herrscher’s, where select characters from Honkai Impact thus transcend humanity to become envoys or omniscient beings that have superior powers and capabilities, unlike their former forms. Many of which have different roles such as Origin, Finality, Reason, etc.
This would be a rather odd occurrence to appear in Honkai: Star Rail, but a fascinating turn of events given Dan Heng’s elusive past. Time will only tell what Hoyoverse plans to do with this character in the future.
Let’s look at one of the oldest characters in horror cinema, Renfield.
When you think of Dracula, your mind doesn’t often wander to the strange and fanatically devoted servant and familiar that helps Dracula execute his plans. No, in fact, most people forget about Renfield and his continuous supply of insects that he consumes in practice for the possibilities of immortality. Renfield is a violent joker amongst the terrors of Dracula and his vampiresses, and his history in film is complicated.
Since the earliest Dracula films, the character has changed and deepened, becoming more and less integral to the story depending on the focus of the filmmakers.
With the release of Chris McKay‘s Renfield, which reimagines Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) as a co-dependent looking to break free of his toxic relationship with Dracula (Nicolas Cage), we should take a look back at the history of Renfields in film, and how Renfield screenwriter Ryan Ridley and McKay transform this misunderstood man into someone worthy of saving the day.
Let’s get into it!
‘Renfield’Credit: Universal Pictures
The Classic Universal Monsters
Cinema’s first introduction to Renfield came in the 1931 Universal classic movie monster, Dracula. In the film, Renfield is morphed from Mary Shelly’s original character, who was a man committed to a mental asylum and ate vermin to absorb their life force, into a Johnathan Harker-like character. Renfield, played by Dwight Frye, is a solicitor traveling to Count Dracula’s (Bela Lugosi) castle in Transylvania, hoping to sell the property. Feeding on his hopes and ambition, Dracula captures Renfield and turns him into a crazed slave.
In this film, Renfield is already reluctant to do Dracula’s bidding, often breaking free of Dracula’s curse to warn the others that he is not a safe person to be around. While he never directly betrays Dracula, Dracula is overcontrolling and manipulative, often pulling the strings of Renfield’s desires and punishing him when things do work out exactly as planned.
Dwight Frye played Renfield with a customary intensity that the actor was known for, and often blurted out iconic improvised lines and comical hysteria (according to Dwight Frye’s Last Laugh). The portrayal of a miserably abused minion established the trope of what a villain’s minion was supposed to look like: cruel, unhinged, and mistreated by the world and the monster men of horror films.
“He was always, to me, by fart he pst psychotic of any character in all those old horror movies,” Alice Cooper writes in Welcome to My Nightmare: The Alice Cooper Story. “He was this little shaky guy… I mean everything he said sent shivers down your spine.”
‘Dracula’Credit: Universal Pictures
Other Renditions of Renfield
In almost every iteration of Dracula, there will always be a Renfield. Whether Renfield has a purpose or not in the main story, it seems that Dracula cannot succeed without Renfield. However, the relationship is not one-sided.
In Francis Ford Coppola’s Braum Stoker’s Dracula, Young Dracula, and Dracula 3D, Renfield is often depicted as a co-dependent who is getting something from his relationship with Dracula. Whether it is the chance to become immortal or to find a connection with another vampire who gives him time and attention, Renfield is confined to being in partnership with someone cruel and deeply selfish.
After 1992, Dracula stories attempted to modernize, as with Dracula 2000 Stephen Somers’ Van Helsing, and The Invitation. These films strayed further and further from the original characters, and Renfield was nowhere to be found. Why was a character so vital to Dracula’s story dominate? What does that say about Renfield in the way we view stories about monsters?
‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’Credit: Columbia Pictures
How is 2023’s Renfield Different
For the first time, Renfield is not a side character on Dracula’s journey. Instead, his problems and wants are put on full display.
The story of how Renfield and Dracula come to be partners is the same, but we get to see why Renfield is devoted to this vampire. Dracula is the last person that Renfield has left in a world that has moved around him for 200 years. Maybe part of Renfiled feels like he owes Dracula something for giving him immortality.
After decades of serving Dracula, Renfield finds himself suddenly struck by his conscience and the sneaking suspicion that his boss might be something of a narcissist.
Renfield gives a character that is meant to be a horrifying cruel human monster a more humane touch as they dress him in pastels from Macy’s and hint at the possibility of falling in love with a human woman.
The film doesn’t let you forget that Renfield’s morality is skewed through Dracula’s reminders of Renfield’s abandonment of his former family, his greed, and his inability to do most tasks correctly and without death. Through all of this, we see that Renfield is trying to be a better person (or at least a less murderous one). Whether Renfield is a good person or not is not the point of the story. Rather, finding the freedom to be independent is the heart of the story.
Renfield is like a coming-of-age story for adults. He is just a guy looking to rent a studio apartment, wear fun sweaters, and bake sugar cookies while finding his independence from his problematic boss.
For a character that has died on screen almost every time he has appeared, it is nice to see that Renfield gets some type of happy ending. How long will that happy ending last? Who knows, but at least we get a funny redemption story for a character that has been sidelined for far too long.
Hoult caught the need for speed from Fassbender during their time shooting “X-Men” movies together.
Nicholas Hoult and Michael Fassbender
Getty Images
When Michael Fassbenderdrove for Porsche at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2022, he carried on a long tradition of movie stars moonlighting as race car drivers that goes back to Paul Newman. Now, it appears that Fassbender is doing his part to mentor the next generation of actors with a need for speed.
Nicholas Hoult has been a semi-regular presence on the auto racing circuit for the past several years, rising through the ranks as a celebrity driver for Ferrari. In a new interview with GQ Spain, the “Succession” star credited Fassbender with inspiring his interest in the sport and helping him get his foot in the door.
“It was through Michael Fassbender,” Hoult said when asked about the origins of his racing career. “We used to go karting while we filmed the ‘X-Men’ movies and then he did the Ferrari Challenge. Afterwards, Ferrari very kindly offered me the opportunity to do its Corso Pilota program. And so I progressed through that program, which prepares you to pilot the 488 Challenge. I already did my first race weekend last year and I hope to do a couple more this year.”
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Hoult explained that he sees acting and racing as natural compliments to each other, as racing offers him the kind of clearly defined rules and success metrics that he can’t find on a movie set.
“It is an adrenaline rush, but it is also very specific and quite meditative in its flow, the state of inflow and outflow. But there are also very clear parameters of when you have done well and when you have not done it and what you need to work on,” he said. “When you act it is quite difficult to get clear parameters because there are many elements involved in doing something great or doing something simply good or doing something bad. There are so many elements that can change… While with the races it is very clear.”
Hail to the king, baby! The Evil Dead franchise is back in theaters with Evil Dead Rise, but the “king” in this case is not Ash Williams (he’s not in this one), but Super Mario. Now in its third week, The Super Mario Bros. Movieis still on top, adding another $58 million to its domestic total (which is now at $434 million). That’s a ways ahead of Evil Dead Rise, which opened with $23 million, and even more of a ways ahead of third place’s Covenant, with the Guy Ritchie war movie opening with $6 million. Finishing out the top five are John Wick: Chapter 4and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, both of which made over $5 million.
Luca’s director on sea monsters, cliques, and gelato vs. ice cream
The bottom half of the top 10 features Air($4.9 million, $41 million after three weeks), The Pope’s Exorcist($3.3 million, $14 million after two weeks), and Renfield($3 million and $13 million after two weeks), with the supremely divisive Beau Is Afraid climbing up to ninth with a gradually expanding rollout and Makoto Shinkai’s delightful Suzumelanding in 10th. Outside of the top 10, Chevalier and Somewhere In Queens make their debuts, and Avatar: The Way Of Water makes an Earth Day return to theaters and soaks up another $600,000. Hey, why are we celebrating Earth Day with an Avatar movie that explicitly does not take place on Earth? Sure it has environmentalist and conservationist themes, but Jake Sully isn’t out there killing whalers on Earth, he’s doing it on Pandora. How To Blow Up A Pipeline is right there, playing on 530 screens, make that the Earth Day movie! Put Jake Sully in it if you need to, just hanging around in the background.
Based on a Cheryl Strayed book of the same name, Tiny Beautiful Things follows Clare, a struggling writer who begins writing an anonymous advice column despite the fact that her own life is falling apart. Through the column, Clare explores her own experiences and memories, showing her readers (and herself) that they are worthy of all the tiny beautiful things in the world. Starring Kathryn Hahn, this eight-episode series is simple, yet breathtaking, and it explores in great depth the intricacies of humanity and relationships. Written by Strayed herself, and Liz Tigelaar (Little Fires Everywhere), Tiny Beautiful Things is a fascinating drama packed with multidimensional and engaging characters.
It’s always fun watching movies that take us to the glitz and glam of a casino. Whether it’s martinis at the roulette wheel, glamorous night clubs, or high-stakes card games we love peeking into this world for a few hours. This list includes some of our favorite Casino themed movies from 2000 onwards all with different stories behind them.
From dark tales of addiction to comedies about winning huge fortunes overnight you can’t go wrong if you decide to watch any one of these fantastic films! So grab your popcorn and jump into this list full of exciting scenes and plots – you won’t regret it!
Ocean’s Eleven (2001): A star-studded cast of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon team up for one of the most iconic heists in movie history.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001) is a thrilling rollercoaster ride of a heist movie, with a star-studded cast that includes the likes of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon. These iconic actors effortlessly bring their game-changing character personalities to life, weaving a tale that is as entertaining as it is captivating.
The plot revolves around a daring heist of 150 million dollars from three of the biggest casinos in Las Vegas. With high octane action, witty dialogue, and intense suspense, this movie continues to capture the imagination of audiences around the world. Whether you’re a fan of heist movies or just popular culture, Ocean’s Eleven is definitely one for the books.
21 (2008): Based on the true story of six MIT students who took Las Vegas for millions.
“21” is not just another gambling movie; it’s a thrilling true story of six MIT students who use their intellect and strategic skills to win big in Las Vegas. The plot follows the group, led by their charismatic professor, as they devise a plan to beat the system in high-stakes blackjack games. The audience is drawn into the excitement as the team’s wins and losses mount, and the risks become greater. With excellent performances and an intriguing storyline, “21” gives viewers a rare glimpse into the world of professional gambling and the human drive to beat the odds.
The Hangover (2009): A wild night out in Las Vegas leads to a series of misadventures and crazy antics that will leave you laughing out loud.
Have you ever had a wild night out with friends that you just can’t remember? That’s exactly what happens to the characters in the hit movie “The Hangover” (2009). Set in Las Vegas, the group of friends embark on an epic adventure that involves everything from stolen police cars to a tiger in their hotel room.
The movie’s outrageous scenarios are enough to make anyone laugh out loud. And as the group retraces their steps to figure out what happened the night before, the audience is taken on a wild ride that will have them hooked from beginning to end. If you’re in need of a good laugh, “The Hangover” is definitely worth a watch.
Casino Royale (2006): Daniel Craig takes on his first role as James Bond and enters a high-stakes poker game with Le Chiffre, the terrorist financier.
In 2006, cinema-goers were introduced to the newest and grittiest incarnation of James Bond yet. Daniel Craig famously stepped into the iconic 007 role for the first time in “Casino Royale,” taking on terrorist financier Le Chiffre in a high-stakes poker game. This film breathed new life into the franchise, delivering pulse-pounding action sequences and a thrilling plot that had audiences on the edge of their seats.
Craig’s performance as Bond was met with critical acclaim, and his portrayal of the secret agent helped cement his status in Hollywood as one of the best action stars of his generation. “Casino Royale” remains as entertaining and engaging today as it was upon its initial release, a testament to the enduring appeal of the Bond franchise.
Rounders (1998): Matt Damon stars as a former poker prodigy trying to make a comeback in this story of friendship and loyalty set in New York’s underground world.
In the gritty underground world of New York City, a former poker prodigy named Matt Damon is trying to make a comeback in Rounders (1998). The movie follows Damon’s character as he navigates the high-stakes world of underground gambling while trying to stay true to his sense of friendship and loyalty.
Rounders is a thrilling tale of second chances and the power of perseverance. With a cast that includes John Malkovich and Edward Norton, this classic movie continues to captivate audiences with its suspenseful story and unforgettable characters. Whether you consider yourself a poker aficionado or just love a good underdog story, Rounders is a must-watch film that is sure to leave you on the edge of your seat.
The next movie is also from the nineties, but despite its age a welcome addition to this list, similar to what´s an online casino bonus is to a player.
Croupier (1998): Clive Owen plays a casino dealer caught up in the criminal underworld of London’s gambling scene.
The 1998 film “Croupier” is a thrilling exploration of the dark underbelly of London’s gambling scene. Clive Owen delivers a captivating performance as Jack Manfred, a struggling writer who takes a job as a croupier to make ends meet. But Jack soon finds himself drawn into the dangerous world of high-stakes gambling and the seedy characters who inhabit it.
As he becomes increasingly involved in their schemes, Jack is forced to confront his own morality and the cost of his actions. With its slick visuals and gripping storyline, “Croupier” is a must-watch for anyone who loves a good thriller.
Las Vegas has been the backdrop for some of the most exciting and thrilling films ever, from the classic Ocean’s Eleven to more recent offerings like Croupier.
However, no matter what, these films all have one thing in common – the captivating excitement and tension created by high stakes gambling. To capture that feeling, it is important to remember that it starts with having respect for the game and its players.
Whether you’re watching a movie or embarking on your own journey at a online casino table, remember to stay focused and play responsibly. Afterall, while a lucky streak can bring amazing rewards – nothing beats walking away from the table knowing that you took part in an incredible experience!
A cache of leaked emails has revealed the luxury lifestyle of Russia’s deputy defence minister and his glamorous ex-wife who set in place a ‘pre-emptive’ divorce ‘to dodge sanctions’.
Investigators from the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), established in 2011 by Alexei Navalny, the imprisoned opposition leader, acquired 8,000 messages sent over 12 years revealing a life of St Tropez villas, yachts and Rolls-Royces enjoyed by Timur Ivanov, 47, and Svetlana Maniovich, 50.
It said her ‘pre-emptive’ divorce from Ivanov last summer allowed her to bypass the EU sanctions that were later put in place for her husband. The emails suggest that there was no actual separation.
The couple got married in 2009, following the socialite’s divorce from the successful businessman Mikhail Maniovich.
Pictured: Svetlana Maniovich sunbathing. The Anti-Corruption Foundation is pushing for Maniovich to be banned from travel in the European Union over Ivanov’s role in the conflict in Ukraine
Pictured: Svetlana Maniovich paddling in the sea. The Anti-Corruption Foundation said the socialite’s ‘pre-emptive’ divorce from Ivanov last summer allowed her to bypass the EU sanctions that were later put in place for her husband. Leaked emails suggest that there was no actual separation
Ivanov was appointed deputy defence minister in 2016 after working for a defence contractor. He is responsible for military construction projects, including the rebuilding of the Ukrainian port of Mariupol.
Maniovich’s family spent €850,000 on villa rentals in St Tropez and €250,000 on yachts between 2013 and 2018, according to her emails.
She also took shopping trips to Geneva and Paris, splashing out €104,000 on a diamond ring and spending €150,000 on earrings.
Her birthday party in Istanbul in 2018 cost €178,000.
Maniovich’s list of purchases also include a Dolce & Gabbana dress for €59,500 and a set of 19th-century furniture for €85,000, bought in Belgium.
President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, and his wife, the former ice skater Tatiana Navka, attended her 2021 birthday party near Moscow.
Ivanov and Maniovich have also allegedly kept a Rolls-Royce Corniche for their trips to the French Riviera.
The FBK said that Maniovich’s bills were covered by other people and corporations. Olimpsitistroy, a contractor for the defence ministry which is involved in building new apartment blocks in Mariupol, was one of these.
On March 17 last year, as Russia sustained its assault on Mariupol, Maniovich picked up diamonds from a jewellery store in Paris.
Maria Pevchikh, head of investigations for FBK, urged the French authorities to ban Maniovich from visiting France, posting a video of her ‘partying in Courchevel,’ a ski resort in France, three weeks ago.
Pevchikh also announced a demonstration on April 23 close to Maniovich’s flat in Paris ‘demanding to sanction their family, freeze their assets and kick them out of Europe’.
According to the FBK, in 2012, Ivanov bought a manor in the center of Moscow for €6.7 million.
The foundation said he also spent about the same amount on the construction of a luxurious country house on the Rublyovskoye Highway.
Pictured: Svetlana Maniovich enjoying a drink on holiday. The couple got married in 2009, following Maniovich’s divorce from the successful businessman Mikhail Maniovich
Pictured: Svetlana Maniovich aboard a boat. Maniovich’s family spent €850,000 on villa rentals in St Tropez and €250,000 on yachts between 2013 and 2018, according to her emails
Pictured: Svetlana Maniovich enjoying a drink. The FBK said in December: ‘Right now, Ivanov’s wife is spending her blood money in Parisian boutiques. Europe imposed sanctions on Ivanov only on October 6, 2022. But a month before that, he and Maniovich had divorced’
Pictured: Timur Ivanov and Svetlana Maniovich drinking on a boat. According to the FBK, in 2012, Ivanov bought a manor in the center of Moscow for €6.7 million
Pictured: Timur Ivanov, 47, and Svetlana Maniovich, 50, on a boat. Ivanov and Maniovich have also allegedly kept a Rolls-Royce Corniche for their trips to the French Riviera
Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin accompanied by Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov and Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church (file photo)
The FBK said in a post on its website in December: ‘The family’s assets are registered to “Russian Federation,” their nannies and chauffeur, as well as contractors of the Ministry of Defense.
‘These contractor companies receive billions in construction contracts from the ministry, and they also paid Maniovich and Ivanov’s bills. The official income of the family is about 25 million rubles a year. There is no way that would allow them to lead such a luxurious lifestyle. All this was bought with money stolen from the Russians.’
It added: ‘Right now, Ivanov’s wife is spending her blood money in Parisian boutiques. Europe imposed sanctions on Ivanov only on October 6, 2022. But a month before that, he and Maniovich had divorced.
‘The divorce was merely a formality, and its only purpose was to allow Ivanov’s family to continue to live and spend money in Europe. This is confirmed by the fact that Svetlana took her husband’s surname shortly before the divorce.
‘Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov makes money on construction in the occupied regions of Ukraine. At the same time he spends millions of euros on vacations, luxury real estate and antiques. His wife uses the corrupt money to live a luxurious lifestyle in Europe. This follows from a new investigation by the Anti-Corruption Foundation.’
Pictured: Svetlana Maniovich on a boat. Her birthday party in Istanbul in 2018 cost €178,000, according to the leaked emails
Pictured: Svetlana Maniovich swimming in the sea on holiday. According to the FBK, in 2012, Ivanov bought a manor in the center of Moscow for €6.7 million
Pictured: Svetlana Maniovich poses beside some octopuses at a coastal resort
Pictured: Svetlana Maniovich on holiday. The FBK said that in 2018, Ivanov’s wife celebrated her birthday in Istanbul, with the event costing her €178,000
Pictured: Svetlana Maniovich taking a stroll beside the water on one of her city visits
Pictured: Timur Ivanov and Svetlana Maniovich on holiday. Prior to his current role, Ivanov served as deputy head of the Moscow region
Pictured: Russian Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov and Svetlana Maniovich joking with one another on holiday
Pictured: Timur Ivanov and Svetlana Maniovich on a walk. Their son Mikhail is a student at Oxford University
Ivanova’s son Mikhail is a student at Oxford Brookes University in England and her daughter lives in France.
Maniovich’s husband is among those sanctioned by Britain, the European Union and the United States due to his proximity to Putin, but she and her children are not under the same restrictions.
Prior to his current role, Ivanov served as deputy head of the Moscow region.
Both Mikhail and Ivanova’s daughter Alexandra are keen Instagram users, despite the platform being banned in Russia.
After the invasion of Ukraine, Alexandra wrote: ‘There should not be hostilities in any country in the world.’ She did not directly criticise the Kremlin.
For further proof that Elon Musk’s approach to verification on Twitter can change on a whim, some top users on the social platform with significant followings — including stars who have died — were re-verified over the weekend with no explanation from the company.
The re-verification comes after Twitter mass removed blue verification check marks from legacy users on April 20, impacting a whole slew of public figures — including Kim Kardashian and The Pope — and journalists without the badge. That same day, however, Musk claimed he was personally paying for three users — LeBron James, Stephen King and William Shatner — to retain their verification.
At the time, a source close to James told The Hollywood Reporter that the NBA star had received an email from Twitter offering a comped subscription, but James had never responded to it to accept the subscription.
By Sunday, the platform appeared to reverse course, adding the blue check badge back to the accounts of users who were previously verified, but now with a badge description denoting that they subscribe to Twitter Blue. Impacted accounts have included living celebrities like Kardashian, James Gunn and Lil Nas X, who now all have a blue check mark, as well as those who have died. That includes Chadwick Boseman, Anthony Bourdain, Norm Macdonald, Michael Jackson and Kobe Bryant, among others.
Some of Twitter’s co-founders also received their verification back but former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey was notably not included. And several users who did receive their verification again weren’t exactly pleased about the change. Users like Patton Oswalt and Chrissy Teigen have recommended that those who want to purposefully remove their verification badges can change their handles on Twitter and change them back, triggering removal of the badge.
Twitter, which has no formal communications team and auto-responds to all emailed press inquiries with a poop emoji, did not respond to a request for clarification.
Michael Phelps was swimming in EDM this weekend — and even though he wasn’t in the water … the dude found a reason to lose his shirt anyway.
The all-time Olympian — who’s got 23 gold medals to his name — was on hand Saturday night at the XS Nightclub within the Wynn Las Vegas resort … and he was in partying mood, which was only facilitated further with Diplo in the DJ booth and a packed crowd.
Mike and Diplo bro’d out behind the turntables … and it looks like MP got so hyped, he ended up going bare-chested amid al the festivities. Maybe he was celebrating a bet on Gervonta Davis — who won a big boxing match against Ryan Garcia earlier in the night.
Speaking of fighters … Mr. Conor McGregor was also in attendance, and Phelps got in a battle pose with the guy. He also smiled for the camera alongside Travis Kelce!
There was even more star power in the crowd … Sabrina Carpenter, Dixie Dameli and Loren Gray — not to mention Michael B. Jordan, Chance Crawford, David Dobrik and others.
Of course, there were even more A-listers who were front and center for the fight itself … these are just a handful of celebs who decided to rage after the fact at this particular club.
Looks like Michael did a lap or two to hobnob with the giddiest of them. In record time too, we imagine.
15 Nepo Kids Who Got Their Start From Their Parents
Nepo babies undeniably have a leg up in Hollywood, whether or not they acknowledge it — and this is never more obvious than when they literally get their start in their parents’ projects.
Even if it’s just a small role, appearing in a high profile project is something many actors never even get close to — most people can’t even get in the audition room for these projects unless they have a great agent and a lot of credits (and don’t even get me started on if they belong to the SAG-AFTRA union or not).
Here are 15 Nepo babies that literally got their start from their parents…basically making them the ultimate Nepo babies.
1.
Judd Apatow cast his daughters Maude and Iris Apatow in three of his films when they were young kids: Knocked Up, Funny People, and This Is 40. Maude was then cast in three episodes of Girls (on which her father was an executive producer).
Her next role was in Other People: she was recommended for the role by casting director Allison Jones. Jones had previously done the casting for Judd Apatow’s Freaks and Geeks, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Talladega Nights, Knocked Up, Superbad, Funny People, and This is 40…and thus had known the Apatows since Maude was two.
This all led to a role in a film by Sam Levinson, himself a nepo baby (more on that later). He then cast her in Euphoria, largely considered her breakout role.
2.
Speaking of Sam Levinson…his father is Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson. His father cast him in his 1992 film Toys (starring Robin Williams) when Levinson was a kid, then later facilitated his breaking in as a writer, asking him to co-write the 2017 drama Wizard of Lies starring Robert De Niro. The elder Levinson told Collider, “I discussed it (the project) with my son, Sam, and he put together 20 pages. I sent that over to Bob and Jane Rosenthal, and we had the meeting and they thought it looked good, so I told them that my son wrote it. Bob has known Sam since he was 10 years old, and he said, ‘All right, good.’ That’s how we proceeded.”
Levinson — who had only a single writer/director credit from an indie film before his father asked him to work on The Wizard of Lies — springboarded off the film to the 2018 dark satire Assassination Nation. Euphoria quickly followed.
3.
Gwyneth Paltrow was born to an actor mom and a director/producer dad…and her godfather is literally Steven Speilberg. Her first role was in a TV pilot (with Zach Braff, btw) called High written and directed by her father. She then made her professional stage debut in 1990 at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts, where her mother had starred in several productions.
After a small role in the John Travolta film Shout, she was cast in her godfather’s film Hook. She then did some smaller projects before having a larger role in Flesh and Bone, and, more memorably, Se7en — her career largely took off after that.
4.
Sofia Coppola, daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, began her career as an actor, appearing in her father’s films The Godfather, The Godfather Part II,The Outsiders, Rumble Fish, The Cotton Club, Peggy Sue Got Married and The Godfather Part III (a performance that was critically panned). Coppola later said it was never her dream to be an actor and that she was just helping her father out.
She would go on to become a writer/director, and got a leg up here too from her father, who asked her to co-write his segment of the anthology film New York Stories — the other segments were directed by Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen. After directing a short film and a few music videos, Sofia readThe Virgin Suicides and decided she had to adapt and direct a film version. The film was critically acclaimed and her career took off.
5.
Bryce Dallas Howard is a nepo baby to the extreme — her mother is a writer, and her father is director Ron Howard. She is the granddaughter of actors, her godfather is Henry Winkler. Her first roles were as extras in her dad’s films, including the Academy Award-winning Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind, plus the box office smash How The Grinch Stole Christmas.
After studying acting in college, most of her first large roles were in theater — she was noticed in As You Like It by M. Night Shyamalan, who cast her in The Village and Lady in the Water —neither of which she had to audition for. After that, her career continued to take off.
6.
Blake Lively’s father is actor Ernie Lively, and her first role was in a film he directed called Sandman. Her mother is a talent manager. Her brother was also an actor, and got his agent* to send Blake on a “couple” auditions one summer — which is when she booked The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (in which her father also appeared in). Of course, her career skyrocketed from there.
7.
Jeff Bridges is the son of actor Lloyd Bridges and actor/writer Dorothy Bridges. Growing up, he appeared on his father’s shows Sea Hunt,The Lloyd Bridges Show, and The Loner. He continued on with a handful of small roles before landing The Last Picture Show, launching his career.
8.
Jessica Capshaw — best known now for starring as Arizona in Grey’s Anatomy — is the daughter of actor/producer Kate Capshaw and the stepdaughter of Steven Spielberg.
Her first role was in a film her mother was starring in, The Locusts. She had a couple other small roles before she was cast in her stepfather’s film Minority Report, which was a hit.
9.
Will Smith’s son Jaden Smith got his start starring alongside his father in The Pursuit of Happyness. After landing a role in the panned The Day the Earth Stood Still, he was cast in The Karate Kid, which his parents produced, and starred again alongside his father in After Earth.
10.
Cooper Hoffman, the son of Philip Seymour Hoffman, had grown up making small films with his father’s collaborator and friend Paul Thomas Anderson and his son. Hoffman wasn’t even interested in acting until Anderson told him about Licorice Pizza and asked him to read the script. Once Hoffman told Anderson he wanted the role, Hoffman went through a number of camera tests with the Haim sisters (which he said he would consider auditions “to see if I could actually do it.”) He was only 17, with no prior acting experience.
11.
Scott Eastwood may have tried to avoid profiting off his surname by initially using his mother’s last name, but I’m not sure he fooled anybody (in fact, one director noted he looked exactly like “his dad 25 years ago”). His first-ever film or TV role was in his father Clint’s film Flags of Our Fathers. He later appeared in his father’s Gran Torino and Invictus, and has had a long, consistent career since then.
12.
Anjelica Huston — daughter of director John Huston and granddaughter of actor Walter Huston — didn’t even want to act, saying she was given roles in her father’s films “without really [her] consent.” Her first substantial role was in her father’s film A Walk with Love and Death, and her performance was not well regarded…but she did continue to have a long career in Hollywood, and she worked with her father again on The Dead.
13.
John David Washington, whose father is Denzel Washington, appeared in two small roles in his father’s projects (including Malcolm X), then co-produced one of his father’s films before beginning to make it on his own.
John David’s breakout role was starring in BlacKkKlansman, a Spike Lee film — Lee was a frequent collaborator with Denzel, and had already directed John David in Malcolm X.
14.
In another example, Ang Lee’s son Mason Lee is set to make his major debut (after a number of small roles, including as a baby in one of his father’s films) in an upcoming Bruce Lee biopic to be directed by his father.
15.
And finally, the three members of Please Don’t Destroy (Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy) were most famous for their comedy TikToks before joining SNL. It seemed like a Cinderella story for them — until it came out that two of them had fathers who were longtime writers and producers on SNL.
To bring this post full circle, after their work on SNL, the trio is working on a film with Judd Apatow. They will write and star in the film, as well as executive produce it.
What do you think — do these nepo babies deserve the starts they got? Let us know in the comments!
This year’s ceremony, which salutes behind-the-scenes talent, was hosted by former “Bake Off” judge Mel Giedroyc.
HBO’s “House of the Dragon” won for make-up and hair design (Amanda Knight, Barrie Gower and Rosalia Culora); sound in fiction (Alastair Sirkett, Doug Cooper, Martin Seeley, Paula Fairfield, Tim Hands, Adele Fletcher) and special, visual and graphic effects (Angus Bickerton, Nikeah Forde, Asa Shoul, Mike Dawson, MPC, Pixomodo).
Elsewhere, BBC’s “This is Going to Hurt” won in three categories, with prizes going to first-time winner Adam Kay for best writer in drama (Kay adapted his best-selling memoir for the TV show); Selina MacArthur, also a first-time winner, for editing in fiction; and Nina Gold and Martin Ware for scripted casting.
Winning two awards was the BBC’s “The State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II” which won for sound in factual (Peter Bridges, Matthew Charles, Conrad Fletcher, Julian Gough, Andy James, Andy Payne) and director for multi-camera.
BAFTA’s Emerging Talent: Fiction award went to writer Pete Jackson for “Somewhere Boy,” while Emerging Talent: Factual saw producer-director Charlie Melville win for “John & Joe Bishop: Life After Deaf.”
Other first-time BAFTA winners were: Felicity Morris, Director: Factual for Netflix documentary “The Tindler Swindler”; William Stefan Smith, Director: Fiction for Netflix drama “Top Boy”; Lisa McGee, Writer: Comedy for Channel 4’s “Derry Girls”; Jane Petrie, Costume Design for Apple TV+ drama “The Essex Serpent”; Jessica Jones, Original Music: Factual for Netflix’s “Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story”; Nicôle Lecky, Bryan Senti, Kwame ‘KZ’ Kwei-Armah JR, Original Music: Fiction for the BBC’s “Mood”; Chas Appeti, Photography & Lighting: Fiction for Prime Video’s “Jungle”; and Becky Sloan and Joe Pelling, Production Design for Channel 4’s “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.”
Editing: Factual was won by Rupert Houseman for “Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes”; Entertainment Craft Team was won by Catherine Land, David Bishop, Patrick Doherty, Richard Sillitto, David Newton and Joe Phillips for “Strictly Come Dancing”; Photography: Factual was won by Marcel Mettelsiefen and Jordan Bryon for “Children of the Taliban”; and Peter Anderson Studio won Titles and Graphic Identity for “Bad Sisters.”
The Television Craft Special Award was presented by Adrian Lester to Alison Barnett in recognition of her pioneering role as one of the first female heads of production in the U.K. television industry. Barnett is the first head of production to receive a BAFTA honorary award.
The BAFTA Television Awards will take place on May 14.
But that’ll only be the beginning of the troubles for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, as they are set to take to screens again in 2026 with Secret Wars. The blockbuster event is expected to be packed with heroes, including some legacy characters.
Avengers 6 Reveals First Big Star (Report)
Marvel
According to a recent report from Variety, not only is Jonathan Majors expected to star as Kang in 2025’s Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, but he is also signed on to reprise his Marvel villain role in 2026’s Avengers: Secret Wars.
Majors has already appeared as many Kang Variants in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Loki, with that trend expected to continue into the next two Avengers movies as the actor returns as countless more conquerors.
With The Kang Dynasty reportedly not set to film until spring 2024, Secret Wars may not get in front of cameras until the same time in 2025. So, story, casting, and character details for Avengers 6 remain scarce at this time.
Will Marvel Abandon Jonathan Majors’ Kang Before Avengers 5 & 6?
Jonathan Majors’ Avengers future hinges on Marvel Studios opting not to recast Kang as the actor continues to be at the center of abuse allegations, an ongoing court case, and viral controversy.
If the actor were to be recast, Marvel Studios is rumored to be eyeing a Damson Idris-type star to replace him. But only time will tell whether Majors will continue to be the MCU’s Kang or if the villain will be recast or abandoned altogether.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty hits theaters on May 2, 2025, and Secret Wars will follow hot on its tail on May 1, 2026.
Jason Mamoa’s upcoming sequel is the last DC Studios release of the year, and it now the only project in the company’s slate to have not begun marketing.
While not much information is revealed about the last DCU movie of the year, and the final one before James Gunn’s big reboot, there have been rumors that the movie isn’t a good one.
Now, it looks like Cinema Con will be bringing a fresh new poster, at the very least, to the upcoming event.
New Poster for Lost Kingdom Revealed
The first teaser poster for Jason Mamoa’s upcoming film, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, has been spotted on the floor at CinemaCon ahead of the Las Vegas convention’s official start on Monday, April 24.
Thanks to Twitter user @Alfiemoviehub, fans can take a peek at the new poster—which is about as exciting as a cracked iceberg can be.
It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the poster isn’t very exciting—and probably wasn’t the best choice given the rumors regarding The Lost Kingdom’s quality.
As for the cracked iceberg, it’s connection to the previous concept art is likely no coincidence. It is also probably connected to a wider environmental message the movie is trying to tell.
Previously, Momoa confirmed that the film’s conflict involves something bad about to happen to this Earth, “and it’s not because of aliens.” It seems global warming, and the changing climate conditions will factor heavily into whatever Aurthur Curry will be dealing with in his sequel.
Fingers crossed that Aquaman can get his message out there to the world without pairing it alongside a terrible movie.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom releases on December 20 later this year.
As film and video professionals from around the world flock to Las Vegas, Nevada, and cram into the bright and busy convention halls of NAB 2023, it’s always great to see how huge this industry really is — and how much it’s continuing to grow year after year.
While NAB is always a great place to check out the newest cameras and tech innovations, it’s also one of the best places to connect with some of your favorite brands and check out their most up-to-date products and offerings.
So, today let’s highlight one of the most consistent and most reliable brands at this year’s NAB Show with this feature on Lexar and their latest array of CFexpress and SD cards, lightning-fast readers, and durable and professional SSD options.
CFexpress and SD Cards
While many film and video professionals might be daydreaming in the clouds as camera-to-cloud technology continues to develop and remote workflows become more streamlined, there’s something to be said about the solid durability of CFexpress and SD cards and the physical trust you can rely on when your WiFi goes out.
That’s why Lexar is back with a new showcase line of CFexpress and SD cards which absolutely every film and video professional of any level should always have in their cameras at all times.
Lexar also has a solid history of designing versatile card readers which are a key part of an efficient production workflow. These readers are rigorously tested and crafted from a compact and durable design which is great for run-and-gun productions and uses.
Readers are great options to bring with you on set as well as they’re far quicker than any camera-to-cloud setup, especially when you start handling your uploading and backing-up processes during production.
Here are two great options featured at NAB 2023 which are worth checking out today.
Finally, for those looking to simply store and access your data, Lexar has one of the better SSD options currently on the market with their SL200 Portable SSD. With speeds up to four times faster than traditional external hard drives, you can really access, move or backup all of your footage and files on the go.
Having a solid portable SSD in your bag either as a backup or as your primary way to save and access your footage can be a lifesaver and another workflow hack that you won’t find with any C2C production.
Quick, someone Google “How do you say ‘congrats’ in French?” (Oh, duh, “bravo.” Yeah, this makes sense.) Anyhow, all expressions of good wishes and happiness are due to the new happy couple, Sofia Richie and Elliot Grainge, who just got hitched at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes on the French Riviera.
Richie, 24, is a model and social media personality, and the daughter of 73-year-old R&B legend Lionel Richie. The British-born Grainge, 29, is the founder of 10K Projects, an L.A.-based record label whose current artists include Ice Spice, Between Friends, Internet Money, and Natalie Jane. Grainge is also the son of Sir Lucian Grainge, current chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group. Grainge the Elder was named Executive of the Decade by Billboard in January 2020.
The nuptials were attended by Richie’s parents, the four-time Grammy-winner Lionel and Diane Alexander, plus sister Nicole Richie and her husband, Good Charlotte lead singer Joel Madden. Additional rice-throwers included friends Paris Hilton and husband Carter Reum, plus Cameron Diaz and her husband Benji Madden, Good Charlotte’s guitarist and twin brother to Joel. (If you came to this affair without a member of Good Charlotte, you were underdressed!)
Sofia Richie’s wedding gown was a custom number designed by Chanel in Paris. Vogue accompanied the bride-to-be during a final fitting, with her then-future-mother-in-law Lady Caroline Grainge and bestie Ali Meller in attendance. As Chanel’s Madame Olivia Douchez, première of haute couture atelier, made last-minute adjustments to the “iridescent white sequins” Richie said that if Elliot “doesn’t cry,” upon seeing her in her gown, “I’ll be very sad.” She also said the dress “definitely is not simple!”
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Matrimony means changes for Sofia Richie. For one, she recently joined TikTok with the handle @sofiarichiegrainge, though has not yet added Grainge to her Instagram, where she has 8.4 million followers to TikTok’s 1.2 million. Additionally, earlier this month, she declared that she had converted to Judaism, aligning herself with her now-husband’s faith. Via Instagram Stories, she thanked Nathan Lam, cantor at Beverly Hills Temple of the Arts, “for helping me along this journey of converting,” and included numerous Star of David emojis. The Temple of the Arts boasts producer Hiam Saban as one of its benefactors and made The Hollywood Reporter’s list of top L.A. power synagogues.
Star Trek: Picard‘s series finale served as a fitting conclusion to a wonderful show, but the episode’s ending and post-credits scene also set the stage for even more adventures with The Next Generation crew and others. Fans have campaigning for a hypothetical Legacy spinoff series and, after the final installment, many seem to want additional details on the characters now more than ever. For example, there’s still the question of whether Jean-Luc Picard ended up in a relationship with Beverly Crusher or went back to his girlfriend, Laris. On that note, showrunner Terry Matalas has provided an explanation.
In one of the final scenes of the show, Jean-Luc and Beverly see off their son, Jack, as he prepares to begin his first Starfleet mission. It’s a sweet scene and one that makes you wonder if the two are a couple. I had a chance to speak to the producer and during our chat, asked about whether those final moments confirm that the two are back together. Terry Matalas confirmed that the ending is meant to be ambiguous, but he still gave his thoughts on where things stand between them by the end of the series:
I think it’s open for interpretation as to how [their relationship turns out.], I think they definitely have become a kind of family. However, you define that as open for interpretation, at least right now. I think there are many kinds of family units. There there are divorced family units. There are separated families… I think they are definitely in each other’s lives on a regular basis now.
So while he didn’t confirm their relationship status, the EP did make it clear that Jean-Luc and Beverly are co-parenting as Jack begins his career in Starfleet. Of course, with Jack being a young adult and away starting his career, his folks are parenting him in the way that adults typically would a child. Despite that, it’s really sweet to see both support him.
It would be an understatement to say that fans have been wanting to see Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher get together since Star Trek: The Next Generation. Keeping that in mind, it’s understandable why many would hope or choose to believe that they’re together by the end of Picard. Yet if that did happen, it would also theoretically signify an abrupt end to the titular character’s relationship with Laris, which carried over from Seasons 2 to 3.
During our interview, Terry Matalas noted that the crew didn’t have time to film Picard returning home to Laris and, even if they had it, Orla Brady (who portrays the latter) would’ve already returned to her home in Ireland by that point. The EP also weighed in on a scene in which Jean-Luc returned to his girlfriend and shared his personal thoughts on the Laris vs. Bev debate:
I think there is a subset of fans who would love to have seen that scene, and I think there’s a big group of fans who would much prefer that he stayed with Beverly. And I think both are valid answers, and I think, you know, the right ending is the one you choose.
At this point, it appears as though we’d need a Picard follow-up to get clear answers regarding where things stand with Jean-Luc Picard, Laris and Beverly Crusher. I’d personally like to think that while Bev and Picard rekindled their friendship after having been estranged for years, they’re wise enough to decide against pursuing another relationship. After all, it seemed like Beverly’s past sentiments on their relationship revealed that it wasn’t as picturesque as some might’ve imagined and that they were better off going their separate ways.
Time will tell if Paramount+ subscription holders are treated to any further adventures with the two beloved characters. Though considering the sheer number of upcoming Star Trek shows and Michelle Yeoh’s newly announced Section 31 movie, it seems like it could be a while before the hypothesized Legacy series could come to fruition. And that’s, of course, assuming that the streamer is even interested in doing such a spinoff. I’m hopeful that it happens, though, so we can get some concrete answers on Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher’s relationship status and other lingering plot points.
Star Trek: Picard is available to stream in its entirety over on Paramount+ (opens in new tab). Now is a great time to subscribe and catch up on all of the modern Trek offerings and prepare for the upcoming premiere of Strange New Worlds Season 2.
Fans of the alternative pop rock band AJR have been eagerly waiting for the band to drop a new single from their much anticipated fifth studio album since first teasing the new song in January 2023. The group unveiled what could be the third pre-album single; it is titled “The Dumb Song” and joins I Won’t and The DJ is Crying for Help as singles assumed to be on their upcoming album. The name of their fifth album has yet to be announced to the public, but fans hungry for info do have the records abbreviation, it is TMM.
As for “The Dumb Song,” let’s break down the single and the tracks music video because oh gosh; it is really good and deserves some hype.
AJR Show Fans Just How Long it Can Take to Write a Song
The day before “The Dumb Song” was released the band shared one final teaser before its midnight release on Thursday, April 20, 2023. In the teaser clip the group shared across social media, it was hinted at the band documented the entire year-and-half-long process of creating this one single song. The trio has been known for their popular tour docs shot and edited by their tour photographer Austin Roa. It was not badly educated guess that the group would be uploading a similar songwriting doc on YouTube.
However, the documentary footage that was captured was the music video itself! This is such a fun, creative, and original idea for a music video. Throughout the entire music video, there are on-screen captions with fun facts. Watching the video felt like watching an extended version of a TikTok, Instagram Reel, or another short-form video. Speaking of short-form videos, there are some parts of the song that are screaming potential viral hits on social media.
Music videos should tell a story, and this did just that in such a modern way. You can watch the video below or visit YouTube on your smart TV for the full experience.
About “The Dumb Song”
This song title is pretty uncommon for AJR because this is one of, if not their first song to not actually say the exact name within the song. Ryan, Jack, and Adam Met did a good job of creating something fresh, but not straying too far from the unique sound fans have come to expect when listening to an AJR song.
In true AJR fashion, they threw in a few completely relatable lyrics, aimed to normalize taboo topics, and of course a bit of politics. After releasing a song like “3 O’clock Things” the group proved they are not afraid to get political with their lyrics.
Another fun part within the song features a highly autotuned voice saying “You should not have done that!” I thought this was a member of the band’s voice. In reality, it was one of their friend seven-year-old’s daughter. Such a fun tidbit, it feels almost a bit unexpected where the part is in the song, which leads me to believe the trio has big plans for a live rendition of “The Dumb Song”, it will undoubtingly be big, probably cut to black, and then some light explosion with smoke.
Overall this song is very fun and gave fans just enough of a taste to continue hyping up the new album and leave the fanbase hungry for more new music. While at the same time, “The Dumb Song” did not give away too much, avoiding spoiling the unknown that a new record provides.
As binary options trading continues to gain popularity among investors, finding the right broker can maximize potential profits. Comprehensive and objective comparisons make it possible to create the most objective rating list of brokers offering binary options. TU experts reveal the essential steps to choosing the best binary options broker and a curated list of top-performing brokers in the industry.
How does binary options work?
Binary options trading is a financial instrument that allows investors to predict whether the price of an asset will rise or fall within a specified time frame. If the prediction is correct, the investor earns a fixed profit, while an incorrect prediction results in the loss of the initial investment. The simplicity and potential for quick returns make binary options appealing to traders.
How to choose the best binary options broker?
To select the ideal binary options broker, TU experts recommend following these steps:
Research the broker’s regulatory status: Ensure a reputable authority regulates the broker for a secure trading environment.
Compare payout rates: Higher payout rates can maximize potential profits, so compare the rates different brokers offer.
Evaluate the trading platform: Choose a user-friendly platform with various tools and features to support your strategy.
Assess customer support: Opt for brokers that offer responsive and knowledgeable customer support to assist with any issues or questions.
Best binary options brokers
According to Traders Union, the top 5 Best binary options brokers include:
IQcent: Known for its user-friendly platform and competitive payout rates, IQcent is popular among binary options traders. With a low minimum deposit requirement, this broker caters to investors with varying budgets.
VideForex: Offering diverse assets, including cryptocurrencies, VideForex is a well-regulated broker with advanced trading tools and 24/7 customer support. This platform is ideal for traders seeking various trading opportunities.
Raceoption: Providing an intuitive platform and a secure trading environment, Raceoption is a reliable choice for binary options traders. The broker is also known for its fast withdrawal processing, ensuring prompt access to funds.
Quotex: As a modern and innovative platform, Quotex offers customizable charting and an extensive range of technical analysis tools. This broker is an excellent choice for traders who require advanced charting capabilities.
Pocket Option: With a diverse range of assets and flexible trading conditions, Pocket Option is suitable for both novice and experienced traders. Its user-friendly platform has earned it a loyal following among binary options enthusiasts.
In the list of 10 best options brokers, Traders Union has also included Binarium. This broker offers a user-friendly platform and a range of educational resources to help traders hone their skills. Binarium also boasts a responsive customer support team, ensuring a positive trading experience.
Follow the professional advice and direction provided on the official website of the Traders Union. You can identify the best binary options broker for your needs and preferences. Utilize the available resources and confidently embark on your binary options trading journey.
Indian police have arrested a separatist leader who has revived calls for an independent Sikh homeland and the secession of India’s northern Punjab state, which has a history of violent insurgency.
Amritpal Singh had been on the run since last month after capturing national attention in February, when hundreds of his supporters stormed a police station in Ajnala, a town in Punjab state, with wooden batons, swords and guns to demand the release of a jailed aide.
Punjab state police tweeted Sunday that Singh was arrested in Moga, a town in the state.
A Sikh religious leader, Jasbir Singh Rodde, said Singh surrendered to police after offering morning prayers at a Sikh shrine in Moga. Police then arrested and took him away, he said.
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Police officer Sukhchain Singh Gill said police had surrounded the local village on intelligence that Singh was in the shrine.
“Relentless pressure built by the police over the past 35 days left Singh with no choice,” Gill told reporters.
He said the police didn’t enter the shrine, implying that Singh was taken into custody after he left. The officer declined to confirm that Singh surrendered to police as claimed by his supporters. The officer said Singh was flown to Dibrugarh in India’s northeast where he will be detained until he is brought to court to face charges.
Punjab suffered a bloody insurgency in the 1980s that led to the killing of India’s then-prime minister, Indira Gandhi, by her Sikh bodyguards at her official residence in New Delhi. Her killing triggered bloody rioting by her Hindu supporters against Sikhs in northern India.
Ashwini Dubey, a lawyer in Punjab state, said Singh’s arrest would help police to dismantle the separatist network and its supporters.
Tavleen Singh, a political commentator and former journalist who covered the Punjab insurgency in the 1980s, said: “The police took this man out, which is good because had they gone into a gurdwara (Sikh shrine), and started shooting you would have had a reaction from the general populous. The Sikhs happen to be very sensitive to gurdwaras being attacked.”
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Sikhs are a religious minority in India and say they are discriminated against by the majority Hindus. More than 3,000 people were killed by extremists during the 1980s insurgency in the prosperous farming state. The insurgency was crushed by Indian forces by 1990.
Punjab borders India-controlled Kashmir and Pakistan. India accuses Pakistan of supporting, training and arming insurgents, a charge Islamabad denies.
Police declared Singh a fugitive. They accused the 30-year-old preacher and his aides of creating discord in the state. Police accused them of spreading disharmony among people, attempted murder, attacking police personnel and obstructing public servants’ lawful discharge of duty.
Authorities have deployed thousands of paramilitary soldiers in the state and arrested nearly 100 of his supporters. Singh’s wife was prevented from leaving India last week.
Very little was known about Singh until he arrived in Punjab state in 2022 and began leading marches calling for the protection of rights for Sikhs, who account for about 1.7 per cent of India’s population.
Singh claims to draw inspiration from Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a Sikh militant leader accused by the Indian government of leading an armed insurgency for Khalistan in the 1980s. Bhindranwale and his supporters were killed in 1984 when the Indian army stormed the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine in the Sikh religion.
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Singh has styled himself after Bhindranwale, with a long, flowing beard. He also dresses like Bhindranwale.
Singh also heads Waris Punjab De, or Punjab’s Heirs, an organization that was part of a massive campaign to mobilize farmers against controversial agriculture reforms being pushed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The legislation triggered a year of protests that began in 2020, as farmers, most of them Sikhs from Punjab state, camped on the outskirts of New Delhi through a harsh winter and devastating coronavirus surge. The protests ended after Modi’s government withdrew the legislation in November 2021.
Waris Punjab De was founded by Deep Sidhu, an Indian actor who died in 2022 in a traffic accident.
Singh’s speeches have become increasingly popular among supporters of the Khalistan movement, which is banned in India. Officials see it and affiliated groups as a national security threat. Even though the movement has waned over the years, it still has some support in Punjab and beyond, including in countries like Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, which are home to a sizeable Sikh diaspora.
Last month, supporters of the movement pulled down the Indian flag at the country’s high commission in London and smashed the building’s windows in a show of anger against the move to arrest Singh. India’s Foreign Ministry denounced the incident and summoned the U.K.’s deputy high commissioner in New Delhi to protest what it called the breach of security at the embassy in London. The supporters of the Khalistan movement also vandalized the Indian Consulate in San Francisco in the United States.
If Samsung sticks to its usual schedule then we could be getting successors to the Galaxy Watch 5 and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro at some point in August – and the new smartwatches may well come with a lot of extra power inside them too.
As per SamMobile (opens in new tab), the Galaxy Watch 6 models are going to be fitted with a new processor, the Exynos W980. This is apparently around 10% faster than the Exynos W920 chip that was inside the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 4 wearables.
According to SamMobile’s sources, the processor may use 5 nanometer architecture – especially producing more power in a smaller space, with less of a power drain. In other words, expect faster watches that have longer battery life.
New names, more refinements
SamMobile can usually be relied upon when it comes to Samsung rumors – and if you add in the fact that the Galaxy Watch 5 used the same processor as the Galaxy Watch 4, it looks very likely that there’s going to be an upgrade in this department this year.
We’ve previously heard that this year’s wearables are going to be called the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic and the Galaxy Watch 6, and that one of these devices – potentially the Classic one – is going to bring back the rotating bezel of Galaxy smartwatches past.
The new watches will also have thinner display bezels and higher capacity batteries than their predecessors, according to SamMobile. These new smartwatches should be launched alongside the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Analysis: a significant upgrade on the way
It seems as though the arrival of the pretty good Google Pixel Watch has pushed Samsung into greater efforts on its own Wear OS smartwatch – and if these rumors are right the Galaxy Watch 6 series is going to be quite the upgrade.
Not only are these devices going to be faster to use, we’ve got some well-judged aesthetic improvements as well it sounds like, plus something for the Galaxy Watch fans: the return of the rotating bezel that helps to define the identity of the range.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 started at £269 / $279.99 / AU$499, while the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro cost $449.99 / £429 / AU$799.99 at launch, so it’ll be interesting to see where the two new smartwatches are positioned in terms of their price.
One rumored feature that may not end up inside the Galaxy Watch 6 is a built-in projector – although we wouldn’t rule out that feature from popping up in some device at some point. Expect more leaks and rumors to emerge between now and August.
The Game of Thrones prequel won in three categories: Amanda Knight, Barrie Gower and Rosalia Culora for Make-Up & Hair Design; Alastair Sirkett, Doug Cooper, Martin Seeley, Paula Fairfield, Tim Hands and Adele Fletcher for Sound: Fiction; and Angus Bickerton, Nikeah Forde, Asa Shoul, Mike Dawson, MPC and Pixomodo for Special, Visual & Graphic Effects.
Medical drama This is Going to Hurt also won in three categories: first-time winner Adam Kay won a BAFTA for Writer: Drama, for the series based upon his memoir as a junior doctor; Selina MacArthur, also a first-time winner, won for Editing Fiction; and Nina Gold and Martin Ware won for Scripted Casting.
The ceremony hosted by Mel Giedroyc featured celebrity guest presenters like Adil Ray, Adrian Lester, Charlene White, Clara Amfo, Cristo Fernandez, Dino Fetscher, George Webster, Kola Bokinni, Lisa Hammond, Lolly Adefope, Melissa Johns, Rachel Parris, Sacha Dhawan, Therica Wilson-Read and Tracy Ifeachor.
The State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II won in two categories: Peter Bridges, Matthew Charles, Conrad Fletcher, Julian Gough, Andy James and Andy Payne for Sound: Factual; and Directing Team for Director: Multi-Camera.
The Emerging Talent: Fiction award went to writer Pete Jackson for Somewhere Boy, and Emerging Talent: Factual saw producer/director Charlie Melville win for John & Joe Bishop: Life After Deaf.
First-time BAFTA winners also included: Felicity Morris, Director: Factual for The Tindler Swindler; William Stefan Smith, Director: Fiction for Top Boy; Lisa McGee, Writer: Comedy for Derry Girls; Jane Petrie, Costume Design for The Essex Serpent; Jessica Jones, Original Music: Factual for Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story; Nicôle Lecky, Bryan Senti, Kwame ‘KZ’ Kwei-Armah JR, Original Music: Fiction for Mood; Chas Appeti, Photography & Lighting: Fiction for Jungle; and Becky Sloan and Joe Pelling, Production Design for Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.
Editing: Factual was won by Rupert Houseman for Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes; Entertainment Craft Team was won by Catherine Land, David Bishop, Patrick Doherty, Richard Sillitto, David Newton and Joe Phillips for Strictly Come Dancing; Photography: Factual was won by Marcel Mettelsiefen and Jordan Bryon for Children of the Taliban and Peter Anderson Studio won Titles and Graphic Identity for Bad Sisters.
The Television Craft Special Award was presented by Adrian Lester to Alison Barnett in recognition of her pioneering role as one of the very first female Heads of Production in the UK television industry. Alison Barnett is the first Head of Production to receive a BAFTA honorary award.
Rohini Hattangadi talks about playing mother’s role
Rohini Hattangadi was known for her role in Richard Attenborough’s biographical film Gandhi.
Rohini Hattangadi is a veteran actress who does not require much introduction. She has been part of many films but it was Kasturba Gandhi’s role in Richard Attenborough’s biographical film Gandhi which gave her immense popularity. However, the actress has recently recalled how she was only getting the mother’s role at one time.
In an interview with Unfiltered By Samdish, the veteran actress said that she had shared her problem with filmmaker Basu Bhattacharya and had told him how everyone only offers her the role of a mother. On this “He told me, ‘So who else will they give it to?’ I told him, ‘What? Why should I play mother roles?’ Then he said, ‘Tum samajti nahi ho. You and Sanjeev Kumar are two actors people can rely on for older roles. Baaki kaun hai old roles karne waala? Nobody dares to look older,” Rohini was quoted saying.
It should be noted that she has played the mother of Jeetendra, Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun, and Shatrughan Sinha. During the interview, the actor revealed that she had decided not to perform mother roles entirely. Her destiny had other plans and Mukul Anand’s Agneepath came her way, in which she played Amitabh Bachchan’s mother.
“Before Agneepath, I had decided that I will not do mother roles. I had refused three-four films. My secretary would tell me, ‘Rohini ji you are saying no to everything, please don’t do this, no one will come to you.’ I was like, at least give me negative roles, why am I always only offered positive parts, where I’d say something like, ‘Beta gajar ka halwa khaa, maine apne haatho se banaya hai,’ the actress added.
However, the veteran actress did mentioned why she accepted the role. “Then when Agneepath’s offer came, I said I will first listen to the story and then take a call. Halfway through the story narration, I said I will do the film. There was another film of Mukul ji before Agneepath that I had turned down, so he asked me, ‘Ok, so now you are ready to play mother on screen?’ I told him the reason why I said yes to the film was because in Amitabh ji’s film, him, the heroine and the villain are prominently seen. But here, everyone is visible, from the commissioner to the pathaan, to the sister,” Rohini said. oner to the pathaan, to the sister,” Rohini said.
After the launch of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Kang actor Jonathan Majors was arrested over a month later on March 25 on “several counts of assault in the third degree, three counts of attempted assault in the third degree, one count of aggravated harassment in the second degree, and one count harassment in the second degree,” according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
The 33-year-old actor is set to appear in court on Monday, May 8, which was scheduled when he was released from jail the night of his arrest.
Two recent reports have contradicted Marvel’s reaction to Majors’ arrest.
Insider Jeff Sneider explained on The Hot Mic podcast that “Marvel hasn’t made any decisions regarding Jonathan Majors but they’ve met with or spoken to his agent to discuss potential options going forward.” Furthermore, Sneider added that “someone like Damson Idris is the type of the person that [Marvel] may look at to replace him.”
Before Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige deals with possibly finding a replacement, Majors’ next run as Kang is set to hit Disney+ this year in Loki Season 2.
A report set the expectations for Majors as Timely/Kang will appear in at least three episodes of the Disney+ series. The post-credits scene appears to be critical to the season, as this is seemingly the first time Loki and Mobius discover a variant of Kang since Slyvie killed He Who Remains at the end of Season 1.
Disney’s Potential Trailer Changes
Marvel Studios
According to insider Grace Randolph, the Loki Season 2 trailer is ready to be released at any time, but could Marvel make adjustments?
The plan has been clearly made that Majors would be playing a massive role in the God of Mischief’s second streaming season and would likely be promoted heavily leading up to the premiere.
However, in light of these recent events, Disney and Marvel Studios could wait until after Majors’ May 8 court date to see the verdict and then proceed from there.
There’s also a chance that the studio makes no adjustments and releases the trailer before May 8, as Majors’ Kang was just heavily featured in a promotion for Quantumania being available to purchase digitally.
Despite no official verdict in the court of law, Major may have already been ruled guilty in the court of public opinion.
Flaunting Majors after his stand-out performances in Creed III and Ant-Man 3 was certainly Marvel’s plan for setting up the next season of Loki. In general, Majors is supposed to be (potentially) the most important actor within the MCU during the rest of the Multiverse Saga.
Suddenly, it may be wise to hold off on any Loki promotional material until Majors is officially found guilty or not guilty on his charges from March 25.
Marketing is one thing, but with a possible late summer or early fall release window, what could this mean for Majors’ role in the series itself?
Could Loki Season 2 Be Significantly Edited?
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios may soon be faced with some difficult decisions. If Majors is found guilty of the aforementioned charges of assault and harassment, a recast would (most likely) become imminent.
The issue with that theoretical direction is that Loki’s second season featuring Majors as Kang/Victor Timely is already filmed. So what options would the studio have for its highly-anticipated Disney+ series?
Controversy is not new for Hollywood; in recent memory, actor Armie Hammer has been accused of abuse, sexual assault, as well as other misconduct. He has exited all upcoming projects since these reports began surfacing. Death on the Nile was Hammer’s latest film released in 2022 but was filmed three years both before hitting theaters and the accusations against him.
Other forms of controversy have gotten actors fired as well. In a galaxy far, far away, The Mandalorian star Gina Carano did not return for a third season after her online posts implied that being a Republican today is almost like being Jewish during the Holocaust.
Similarly, relating back to comic book projects, The CW fired Hartley Sawyer from The Flash TV series in 2020 over tweets from 2014 that were deemed racist and misogynistic.
Speaking of The Flash, its star Ezra Miller (playing Barry Allen) was arrested several times in 2022. The actor has been accused of disorderly conduct, harassment, burglary, and other concerning accusations related to a farm in Vermont. However, Warner Bros. and DC are excited to release The Flash this June and appear confident that it will be a critical and commercial success, despite Miller’s actions behind the scenes.
Will this be a similar strategy for Marvel? Loki is ready for launch and is too late for reshoots without a major delay that would cost the studio at least tens of millions of dollars.
If Majors is ultimately found guilty and becomes essentially canceled in the eyes of Hollywood, Marvel Studios could attempt to reduce his role in the upcoming series. Based on the overarching plot, Loki Season 2 could continue the imminent threat that Kang poses to the Avengers even if his on-screen role gets reduced.
The unfortunate truth is that this kind of decision would likely hurt the quality of the series because it’s being made to reduce backlash and distance itself from an actor, not for the greater good of the show being produced.
Disney and Marvel have been quiet about the Jonathan Majors situation, likely waiting for more concrete decisions to be made, starting when he appears in front of a judge on May 8.
Depending upon how his legal situation unfolds, Majors could be a prominent part of marketing and remain the future of Marvel villainy on the big screen or will be fired, appear in Loki, but quickly recast for future projects such as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
The Walking Dead star Chandler Riggs is reflecting on how he left the show. When the zombie drama first premiered on AMC in 2010, Riggs was one of the show’s main stars with his role as Carl Grimes, son of Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies). Riggs would ultimately leave the show during its eighth season in 2018, a surprise at the time as the Carl character survives in the original comic book series.
In a new interview with ComicBookMovie.com, Riggs opened up about leaving the show almost six years ago. Ultimately, the former child star is happy with how things turned out. His Walking Dead exit may have been a shocker at the time, but it opened the door for other opportunities to come along. That includes voicing Superman in the new animated film Justice League X RWBY, as Riggs explains:
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“It’s crazy to think it was almost six years ago now that I left the show. It was an incredible experience and I’m so lucky to have been on it for so long. I’m so grateful for everything it gave me over the years. I wouldn’t have been playing Superman if it wasn’t for that. It was pretty bittersweet.”
Riggs remains happy and grateful for his time spent in the Walking Dead universe, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t still see lost potential in having his character killed off. The actor goes on to say how he felt there was still more story left to tell with Carl Grimes, but he makes it clear that he’s not “bitter” about his exit whatsoever, having nothing but fond memories and a great appreciation for the show.
“I knew there was a lot more left in Carl’s story that I was not able to tell, but at the same time, it was nice because I could do other projects and films and shows I couldn’t have done on The Walking Dead. I’ve been able to play other characters and really feel like I’m stepping into being an adult actor. It was really cool and I’m not bitter about it at all.”
The Walking Dead ended after an eleven season run on AMC last year, but the franchise lives on with various upcoming spinoffs. Riggs notably had a cameo in the series finale, but as a background character and not Carl Grimes. Even so, that opportunity allowed him to say goodbye to the show as it came to an end, even with his character having been killed off years prior.
Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen, Part One will be released on Digital, 4k Ultra HD, and Blu-ray on April 25.
NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell is leaving Comcast, effective immediately. The telecom giant made the surprise announcement in a terse press release it issued on Sunday. Following an investigation prompted by a complaint of inappropriate behavior, Comcast says it came to a “mutual” decision with Shell that he should resign his position.
“Today is my last day as CEO of NBCUniversal. I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret,” Shell said in a joint statement. “I’m truly sorry I let my Comcast and NBCUniversal colleagues down, they are the most talented people in the business and the opportunity to work with them the last 19 years has been a privilege.”
Comcast has not named a successor to Shell. In a memo obtained by Variety, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and President Mike Cavanagh told employees they were “disappointed” to share the news. “We built this company on a culture of integrity. Nothing is more important than how we treat each other. You should count on your leaders to create a safe and respectful workplace,” they wrote. “When our principles and policies are violated, we will always move quickly to take appropriate action, as we have done here.”
Shell joined Comcast in 2004. He became the CEO of NBCUniversal in 2020. That same year, he oversaw the launch of Peacock. Shell leaves NBCUniversal without having made the streaming service profitable. At the start of the year, Comcast told investors that it had added five million paying subscribers during the final three months of 2022. However, over that same period, the company lost nearly $1 billion operating the service.
