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Image Credit: Jonathan Mailhes/CSM/Shutterstock

  • Angel Reese (b. May 6, 2002) is an American basketball player.
  • She helped the LSU Tigers win the NCAA championship in 2023.
  • Angel came under fire after doing the “You Can’t See Me” taunt to Iowa’s Caitlin Clark.
  • She  also called First Lady Dr. Jill Biden’s suggestion of inviting both teams to the White House ‘A JOKE.’

There have been a lot of words written about a single wave of the hand following the finale of the 2023 Women’s March Madness tournament. Angel Reese and the Louisiana State University Tigers cruised to victory, beating the Iowa Hawkeyes 102-85. Late in the game, Angel waved her hand in her face towards Iowa’s Caitlin Clarke, a recreation of the “You Can’t See Me” hand gesture made famous by WWE Superstar John Cena. Later, she motioned to her ring finger, indicating the national championship ring she was about to receive.

A whole lot of discourse happened, with many people calling the move “classless.” Others pointed out that Caitlin, 21, made the same exact gesture during the tournament and engaged in trash talk. Following the win, Reese even pointed out that Clarke waved off South Carolina freshman guard Raven Johnson during the Final Four showdown. “I don’t take disrespect lightly,” said Reese. “They’re still my SEC girls.”

“Caitlin Clark is a hell of a player, for sure. But … I was in my bag. I was in my moment,” Reese added in the post-game presser. Clark said she was unaware of anything negative about Reese or LSU. “I was just trying to get to the handshake line and shake hands and be grateful that my team was in that position,” Clark said, per ESPN. “All the credit in the world to LSU. They were tremendous. They deserve it. They had a tremendous season.”

(Jonathan Mailhes/CSM/Shutterstock)

With all that said, here’s a look at Angel Reese.

Angel Reese Is a Basketball Player

Born in Maryland, Angel C. Reese attended St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, averaging 18.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in her senior year. She was considered a five-star recruit in the 2020 class by ESPN. She initially committed to the University of Maryland, but in 2022, she transferred to LSU.

Her high profile as the “Bayou Barbie” has earned her several name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. As she’s proven both online and in the wake of the 2023 Championship game, she’s also not afraid to stand up to those who would dim her shine.

“All year, I was critiqued about who I was,” she said in the post-championship press conference. “I don’t fit the narrative. I don’t fit in the box that you all want me to be in. I’m too hood, I’m too ghetto. You told me that all year. But when other people do it, y’all don’t say nothing. So this is for the girls that look like me, that want to speak up on what they believe in. It’s unapologetically you. It was bigger than me tonight. I’m happy. I felt I helped grow women’s basketball.”

“I feel like I’ve helped grow women’s basketball this year. I’m super happy and excited,” Reese added, per ESPN. “I don’t care about anybody else and what they have to say about me. I don’t care to be All-American. I don’t care to be defensive player of the year, player of the year. The biggest goal is to be a national champion, and that’s what I did. That’s what I can just brag on. Twitter can say what Twitter can say. I love reading those comments. I have all the screenshots of what everybody has said about me all season. What are you going to say now?”

“I want to take on that role of being the Black woman that’s going to stand up for the girls that may not have a voice,” she said when appearing on NBA on ESPN. “I don’t care what anybody has to say about me. I love who I am. … I’m authentically me.”

She Wasn’t Fond Of FLOTUS Dr. Jill Biden’s Idea.

Dr. Jill Biden, the First Lady of the United States, was at the championship game. When speaking at an event at the Colorado State Capitol in Denver, Dr. Biden commented on possibly inviting both the LSU Tigers and the Iowa Hawkeyes to the White House.

“So I know we’ll have the champions come to the White House, we always do,” she said, per CNN. “So, we hope LSU will come, but, you know, I’m going to tell Joe [Biden] I think Iowa should come, too, because they played such a good game.”

“A JOKE,” tweeted Reese, along with laughing emojis. Press Secretary to the first lady Vanessa Valdivia later clarified that Dr. Biden’s comments “were intended to applaud the historic game and all women athletes. She looks forward to celebrating the LSU Tigers on their championship win at the White House.”

Who Is Angel Reese’s Brother?

Angel Reese’s brother is Julian Reese. In 2023, he was a sophomore, playing basketball for the University of Maryland. The 6’9″ forward has averaged 11.4 points per game in the 2022-23 season, along with 7.2 rebounds and 1 assist. Sadly, Maryland was eliminated from the Men’s March Madness tournament when they lost 51-73 to Alabama.

(Jonathan Mailhes/CSM/Shutterstock)

Are Jordan Hawkins and Angel Reese related?

Baltimore will have one hell of a party, as the city will welcome two champions: Angel Reese and her cousin, Jordan Hawkins.

Jordan Hawkins got a taste of what Angel Reese was enjoying when he and the rest of the UConn Huskies defeated San Diego State University in the NCAA men’s college championship game on Apr. 3. “This is for all the kids from Gaithersburg, Maryland, that didn’t think they could do it. I did it. Now you can do it, man,” Hawkins said after the win, per CNN. “Me and Angel paved the way. We did it.”

“I wished her luck. I’m going to see her in Maryland soon. The cookout gonna be lit.”

He added, “It’s absolutely amazing, showing that kids that were our age at the time, we were dreaming about the same thing and we saw that it’s possible. We saw that as amazing … that we both get this opportunity, and I mean the family reunion is going to be great, so that’s all I know.”

Is She Dating Anyone?

In late March, Angel had to squash some rumors that she was involved with rapper Never Broke Again YoungBoy. After a gossip site said he was dating Angel, she tweeted, “I’m not this man’s GF. Please stop.”

She also retweeted some lighthearted trolling from her teammate,  freshman phenom Flau’jae Johnson. “You know I’m jamming to that Youngboy,” Johnson said in the clip, which showed the Tigers walking into the locker room, per the New York Post. Angel responded, “Wow @Flaujae,” Reese wrote, adding a series of crying-laughing emojis. “I got sum for you since you wanna play.”

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View gallery Image Credit: Jonathan Mailhes/CSM/Shutterstock Angel Reese (b.

With the prospect of a series so close on the horizon, we thought we’d take a look at some of the storylines that didn’t make it into the movies, but deserve their moment on screen, and we wanna know if you agree!

Editor’s Note: BuzzFeed does not support discriminatory or hateful speech in any form. We stand by the LGBTQ+ community and all fans who found a home in the Harry Potter series and will work to provide a safe space for fans. If you, like us, feel impassioned about trans rights, learn more or donate here.

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Did your “Eras” tour T-shirt fade in the wash? You’re on your own, kid — except in “dramatic” cases, Taylor Swift’s team says.

After fans complained about purchasing allegedly faulty merchandise from Swift’s sold-out “Eras” tour, a “Care Notice” appeared Monday on the singer’s website defending the products and reminding customers to read the label before laundering their shirts.

“Due to the particular ink curing process used on certain Tour Collection products, after washing your merchandise you may see a faint fade on the product print,” the notice reads.

“This slight fade is related to the product’s distressed, vintage look. Please also note it is important to follow product care instructions as listed on the product label when washing and drying your items, to best protect and maintain the product’s look and feel.”

Only those whose shirts suffered a “dramatic loss of pigment” or bleeding ink in the wash are encouraged to contact taylorswift@umgstores.com so Swift’s team can “help address the concern, and provide a replacement if necessary.”

On social media, numerous fans have claimed that the ink on “Eras” tour tees they purchased at Swift’s concerts either faded or bled after a single wash. Some even reported receiving holey or stained shirts.

The popular “Eras” tour T-shirt — which features a colorful collage of 10 different photos representing each of Swift’s studio albums on the front and a list of concert dates on the back — costs $45 on the musician’s website. A handful of people also raised concerns about other items, such as the “Eras” black hoodie.

“Loved this freaking shirt but super duper duper disappointed,” TikTok user @kyliemeagan said. “I stood in line for a very long time to get this. … One wash, and this is what happened. … The images have all super faded. Like, what is this? And this is just the front of it.”

“Mine came with HOLES on it and faded away after the first wash (I washed it inside out, with cold water and air dry it),” @glitterquillpen tweeted.

“ughhh the fade happened to mine even washing on cold and gentle inside out and not drying it,” @michelle_lynn tweeted. “for $45 absolutely not.”

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Did your “Eras” tour T-shirt fade

It’s exciting news from the world of Marvel Entertainment, as tickets have just gone on sale for the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3!

So, there’s only one thing for it! Get on the website for your favorite local theater, and book those seats as soon as you can. It’s going to be a wild ride, and we just know that the big screen is going to be the best way to experience this movie!

Ever since the trailer for this epic movie hit the internet during the LVII Super Bowl in February, we have been excitedly counting down the weeks til viewers can once again join the missions, mischief, and mayhem of Star Lord and his team.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Photo: Disney

Dubbed by Marvel as “one last ride,” there’s a lot of speculation as to what is actually going to go down in this film, including the fates of the characters, future of the franchise, and more. Whatever happens, we just know the atmosphere in the theaters will be electric throughout the movie – so be sure to book your hottest tickets of the summer soon to be sure you don’t miss out!

Photo: Marvel

 

With the highly-anticipated movie set to blast into theaters on May 5th, it kind of feels like we’ve got a whole month of awesome ahead of us as we prepare for the release.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll be re-watching all the previous movies in the franchise, as well as that hilarious Holiday Special (cause why not?).

If you really want to get into the spirit, you could also bling yourself out in Guardians-inspired accessories, get your movie fan merchandise in early, and go for a few spins of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in Epcot for good measure. Plenty to be doing to keep yourself busy while you wait for the 5th to come round!

Photo: Marvel

So, don’t delay, and book those Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 theater tickets today. And mark your diaries for May 5th – it’s going to be good!

Featured Image Credit: Marvel

Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!

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It’s exciting news

Disney’s most successful weapon in the streaming wars is failing miserably, as more than halfway through season three of The Mandalorian, the beloved Star Wars series is still struggling to find its footing, following too many poorly developed plot threads with no apparent overarching goal and no justification for continued existence, leaving viewers increasingly unsatisfied and leading to drastically decreasing viewership as the season continues.


Fans waited years for the return of Mando (Pedro Pascal) and Baby Yoda *ahem* Din Djarin and Grogu – seriously, no one will ever call either of them by their real names no matter what, the internet has made it so – though no one is happy with the favorite duo either. It’s clear that The Mandalorian is suffering immensely due to problems that could’ve easily been avoided and blunders that never should’ve been permitted, posing a bigger threat to Din and Grogu than Moff Gideon ever was. Let’s look at all problems plaguing our heroes in season three and if The Mandalorian has lost The Way.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAYSCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

The Season Is Aimless

Disney Platform Distribution

The clearest sign that The Mandalorian doesn’t know where it’s going is its sheer lack of anything to drive the story forward. The overarching goal of returning Grogu to his kind that gave purpose to Mando’s journeys across the galaxy for the first two seasons has been accomplished, even though that was quickly undone and ended up pointless. Mando spent the first episode doing all these little things like rebuilding IG-11, which didn’t lead to anything, and explained nothing as to why Grogu was still with his space daddy after being inducted into Luke Skywalker’s New Jedi Order.

Mando was set to redeem himself by bathing in the holy Living Waters in the cursed mines of Mandalore, which was presumably the plot of the entire season, but that was achieved within the second episode. The third episode repeated the mistake of The Book of Boba Fett and focused on different characters entirely unrelated to our characters to try redeeming those sequels just a little bit – and still no goal or villain in sight. All the way until over halfway through the season at episode five, we finally have some focus on our characters’ motivations and a dramatic set-up of the return of Mando’s and Grogu’s arch-nemesis. Still, it’s too little, too late. While having Bo-Katan (Katee Sachhoff) set off to untie the scattered Mandalorian tribes is a significant turn for the series, it only sidelines Mando, and the return of Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) isn’t exactly game-changing, as he’s been there since the beginning. Most viewers have already written off the show, and even though Mando and Baby Yoda used to be the talk of the town on the internet and off, The Mandalorian simply isn’t as big a deal anymore.

Related: Star Wars: The Bad Batch Knows How to Tell a Better Story Than the Mandalorian

The Carano Controversy Didn’t Help

cara-dune-mandalorian
Lucasfilm

Before season two had even finished airing, fans knew that the season finale would be the last we would see of the former MMA fighter turned-actress Gina Carano in Star Wars. Playing the Rebellion shock trooper and New Republic ranger Cara Dune, Carano was a fan favorite until she posted a controversial post on her social media, which led to her contract with Lucasfilm being unjustly canceled because she was misrepresented. Regardless of any position on the controversy, Carano’s sudden exit from The Mandalorian only hurt the show, having a very negative impact, especially since Carano was one of the few actors in the show without a helmet over their face constantly, bringing some much visible emotion and a much-needed counter-view to Mando’s whole worldview. Her character was set to have her own show in Rangers of the New Republic, which is, for all intents and purposes canceled and never happening, so fans were treated to season three’s mishandling of the character’s absence, which only left a lot of fans confused and disappointed.

Related: Why Gina Carano Deserves to Return to Star Wars

The Book of Boba Fett Threw Off Everything

Morrison_Book_Boba_Fett_2021_Disney
Lucasfilm Ltd.

The biggest culprit behind The Mandalorian‘s being majorly off-track is last year’s The Book of Boba Fett. The highly-anticipated return of the classic Mandalorian bounty hunter was a massive disappointment for fans who had been waiting over forty years for the comeback of the decade, but unfortunately, one decision ruined both The Book of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian. It included Mando’s and Grogu’s story in Boba’s. Include is a nice way of putting it, really, as Mando’s show was more suddenly and inexplicably shoe-horned into Boba’s show, where two whole episodes out of the seven barely featured the crime-lord and instead focused exclusively on Mando and Grogu, so that The Book of Boba Fett essentially became season 2.5 of The Mandalorian.

And even though fans were delighted to see Mando and Grogu back together again, this backfired majorly for The Mandalorian. Not many watched The Book of Boba Fett in the first place, and returning to The Mandalorian many fans were confused to see the iconic duo reunited without any kind of explanation offered. It reeks of lazy writing, undoing all the progression of the last two seasons, laying bare that the show made the same mistake the sequels made, not having a plan.

There’s still some hope left with the remainder of season three still to be aired, and we can only hope that The Mandalorian and our favorite duo somehow manage to once again find The Way.

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Disney's most successful weapon in the streaming

Now that EA Sports PGA Tour is available through early access, the game’s player roster has come to light–and it contains some major surprises. The roster of playable characters includes numerous golfers who have been banned from the PGA Tour in real life over their decision to leave the PGA Tour and join the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf series.

LIV players featured in EA Sports PGA Tour include Dustin Johnson, Joaquin Niemann, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Harold Varner III, Bubba Watson, Abraham Ancer, and Ian Poulter.

Many might have assumed that these players would not show up in EA Sports PGA Tour due to their affiliation with Greg Norman’s LIV Golf tour, but that is not the case for whatever reason. GameSpot has contacted EA Sports in an attempt to get more details.

The roster includes many non-LIV players, too, including Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, and the Korda sisters, among others.

The PGA Tour and LIV Golf are tangled together in an ongoing lawsuit, with both sides firing shots and making claims about the other over a range of issues.

A number of LIV Golf players are in the field this week at The Masters at Augusta National competing for arguably the most coveted tournament title in all of professional golf. Players like Koepka and DeChambeau are allowed at The Masters because the event is not run by the PGA Tour. The first round of competition begins this Thursday, April 6.

For comparison, 2K’s rival golf game, PGA Tour 2K23, does not include any LIV Golf players on its roster of playable pros.

EA Sports PGA Tour, which is EA’s first new pro golf game since 2015, is available now by way of a 10-hour trial for EA Access and Game Pass Ultimate Members. People can also buy the $85 Deluxe Edition to begin playing today ahead of the game’s public release on April 7.

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.

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Lily Gladstone (Mollie Burkhart) and Leonardo DiCaprio (Ernest Burkhart) in Killers of the Flower Moon © 2023 Apple Studios

Killers of the Flower Moon by Martin Scorsese stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons and Lily Gladstone.

Hailing from Apple Studios, Killers of the Flower Moon was produced alongside Imperative Entertainment, Sikelia Productions and Appian Way. Producers are Martin Scorsese, Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas and Daniel Lupi, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Rick Yorn, Adam Somner, Marianne Bower, Lisa Frechette, John Atwood, Shea Kammer and Niels Juul serving as executive producers.
 

The Apple Original Film Killers of the Flower Moon will first be released exclusively in theaters, in partnership with Paramount Pictures, limited on Friday, October 6 and wide on Friday, October 20, in the United States. The French release is set on October 18, 2023. It will then stream globally on Apple TV+.

The Festival de Cannes confirms that Martin Scorsese will present in world premiere Killers of the Flower Moon, his new feature film. The event will mark the return of the filmmaker to the Official Selection for the first time since the presentation of After Hours in 1986.

“The Festival de Cannes is delighted to welcome Martin Scorsese next May on the Croisette, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion, Tantoo Cardinal, along with additional cast and members of the filmmaking team.”

 

The film will be screened on Saturday, May 20 in the Grand Théâtre Lumière.

 

Based on David Grann’s best-selling book and written for the screen by Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon is set in 1920s Oklahoma and depicts the serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation, a string of brutal crimes that came to be known as the “Reign of Terror”.
 

Director, screenwriter, actor and producer, Martin Scorsese has dedicated his life to cinema and the Festival de Cannes has been at his side on many occasions. He was awarded the Palme d’or in 1976 with Taxi Driver. He subsequently came back to the Official Selection on a regular basis and won the Best Director’s Award for After Hours, 10 years after the success of Taxi Driver.
 

In 1998, he was the President of the Jury that presented the Palme d’or to Greek director Theo Angelopoulos for Eternity and a Day. Four years later, he chaired the Jury for the Cinéfondation and Short Films alongside with the Iranian director, Abbas Kiarostami.

 

Since 1990, Martin Scorsese has directed The Film Foundation, an organization dedicated to protecting and preserving of the world’s motion picture history. In this capacity, he has represented numerous films at Cannes Classics.

 

The Festival de Cannes is looking forward to welcoming Martin Scorsese and the members of the Killers of the Flower Moon team on the red carpet, which already promises to be memorable. 

 

 

 

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Lily Gladstone (Mollie Burkhart) and Leonardo

“Beach reads” is perhaps the most maligned and gendered literary category. We’ve been conned into thinking that candy-colored books with uncomplicated storylines should be reserved for the days when our brains have been so addled by the sun and spiked seltzer that we couldn’t possibly process something more worthwhile—that enjoying a “beach read” is a feminine activity, and thus, kind of dumb. 

It’s time for that to change. 

At this point in the iPhone-based attention economy, if you have a Beach Read rather than a Beach Phone or a Beach Stare Into the Distance Until You Fall Asleep With Your Mouth Open, you are an intellectual and a credit to your community. Books of all genres are an analog form of entertainment, forced to compete with the instant dopamine dispenser that is the internet. They possess an ancient magic, unlike a machine that’s designed to be addictive. If you’re reading at all, you’re defying the—very understandable—easy slide into eternal screen staring. 

A beach read is delightfully unserious—it’s funny, soothing, and illuminating. Which is why we suggest reaching for one any time you need a lighthearted distraction: It could be the antidote to the dread of a dentist office waiting room, provide a calm respite in the parking lot before after-school pick-up, or turn a gloomy Sunday into a cozy Sunday. No matter where you find yourself, the key is: Don’t let anyone shame you. 

Here are 11 any-time-of-year beach reads to proudly enjoy, regardless of your proximity to the beach. 

Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados

“Happy Hour” by Marlowe Granados

It is impossible not to feel chic while reading this novel about 20-somethings Isa and Gala taking New York City one summer, with no currency except for charm. Vaguely European and often drunk, Isa reports on her adventures in the form of pithy diary entries, like newsy texts from your most glamorous friend. This is a book for the girlies: It will make you want to sit alone at a bar drinking French 75s sent over by a stranger. 

Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey 

“Really Good, Actually” by Monica Heisey

Really Good, Actually has the laughs-per-minute rate of the funniest TV comedies, probably because it’s written by Monica Heisey, a TV writer who’s written for Schitt’s Creek. This book is wildly relatable in the way that so many books try to be and fall short of: “The only activity that has ever really interested me is sitting around with my friends in flattering lighting, eating food and talking about our feelings,” says Maggie, our heroine, early on. This is a novel about divorce written with the humor of a standup comic; it’s moving and transporting and portrays single, straight women with refreshing nuance. The heroine cries about once every other page, but you will laugh. 

Joan is Okay by Weike Wang 

“Joan is Okay” by Weike Wang

Joan Is Okay is kind of like Bridget Jones’ Diary, if Bridget Jones was a Chinese-American ICU doctor living in New York City. On second thought, the main characters are nothing alike—Joan is an anti-social, romance-averse scientist—but the books have a similar hilarity and sharp social critique. Wang, who studied public health before becoming a novelist, aims a lot of her dry comedy at the medical industry. “Studying so much had its consequences. It caused me to wonder if I might be a genius,” the narrator reflects. Fair warning, this book has an honest interest in death, but Joan would tell you that just means it’s really interested in life. 

The Pisces by Melissa Broder 

“The Pisces” by Melissa Broder

This book is about damn a male mermaid. It is literary—it was nominated for the Women’s Prize for Fiction—but with a healthy dose of interspecies romance. Broder, the sick genius behind the Twitter account So Sad Today and the novel Milk Fed, invites the reader to a summer of self-loathing and erotics in Venice Beach. This is the consummate 2020s answer to the beach read genre. 

Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby 

“Quietly Hostile” by Samantha Irby

A sensible rule for modern life: You should never leave your house without your phone, keys, wallet, and a Samantha Irby book. Irby is a humorist whose hotly anticipated next collection of essays, Quietly Hostile (May 16), features more of what we love about her: laugh-until-you-choke confessional writing about her porn preferences, her tips on “how to look cool in front of teens,” and memories of March 2020 that will actually help you process what happened. 

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González

“Olga Dies Dreaming” by Xóchitl González

Olga Dies Dreaming is considered literary fiction but manages to be delightfully escapist. (Don’t let the reference to death in the title throw you!) Our protagonist is a super-intelligent, highly motivated wedding planner with a full bench of hookups and a low-key mob connection. This book is part romance, part yearning exploration of immigrant families. Can a book that takes on colonialism be called a beach read? Yes, if you’re open to sex scenes and political debates and wedding tablescape descriptions sharing the space between two book covers. 

I’ll Show Myself Out by Jessi Klein 

I’ll Show Myself Out by Jessi Klein

With the 2016 essay collection You’ll Grow Out Of It, Jessi Klein—head writer for *Inside Amy Schumer—*wrote a laugh-out-loud triumph of a book about awkward girlhood. It was a massive bestseller. How do you top that? With her 2022 follow-up, I’ll Show Myself Out, an equally hilarious, surprisingly transcendent take on motherhood as an epic hero’s journey. Klein argues persuasively that the adventure of motherhood is as fantastic a saga as those of the Greek heroes and the men of Middle Earth. This is in turn funny, poignant, and mournful. “No one wants to know that as she rocked you and sang you the tenth lullaby of the night, she was fantasizing about putting you down, walking out the door, and never coming back,” Klein writes. “A mother’s heroic journey is not about how she leaves, but about how she stays.” 

Made For Love by Alissa Nutting

“Made For Love” by Alissa Nutting

What if you fell in love with a hot, rich tech guy who turned out to be a maniac who had your brain chipped and trapped you in a virtual reality mansion from which you had to escape? Made for Love blends sci-fi and tech satire in a darkly funny, provocative page-turner that will make you want to delete your dating apps. This story treads into the future, but feels chillingly current. There are dolphins, there are scammers, there is absurd comedy and painful tragedy. Made For Love was also made into a TV show by HBO in 2021, starring Cristin Milioti. 

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson 

“Pineapple Street” by Jenny Jackson

There is a particular pleasure to reading about the languid rich: people with names like Poppy and Georgiana, who quake under the pressure of owning too many properties, and whose biggest problems involve accidentally leaving their Cartier bracelet in the BMW of a friend who’s about to leave for Southampton. In her debut novel, Jenny Jackson delivers a very funny domestic drama of a family drowning in their own excess and over-education. You will heartily enjoy judging them. 

Please Don’t Sit On My Bed In Your Outside Clothes by Phoebe Robinson 

“Please Don’t Sit On My Bed In Your Outside Clothes” by Phoebe Robinson

Robinson is a comedian philosopher whose essays can be enjoyed like a bag of pick-and-mix candy. In her latest collection, the former Glamour contributor and beloved podcaster, who has a talent for perfectly capturing everyday absurdity, takes on the importance of Google Calendar to modern relationships, and asks the hard questions, like: Is the excess of Swell water bottles worth the exhaustion of girl-bossery? 

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang 

“The Kiss Quotient” by Helen Hoang

The Kiss Quotient is even more titillating if you read it knowing that Hoang says the story is loosely based on her own experiences. The romance novel follows Stella, the beautiful, brilliant econometrician with autism who decides to take on her sense of social awkwardness  by hiring a sex worker to teach her to get better at sex. Does it surprise you to learn that the sensitive, devastatingly handsome Michael immediately falls for her? This book is a delightful mix of spicy scenes, intrigue, and family drama. 

Jenny Singer is a contributing writer at Glamour. Her work has also been seen in Time Out New York and San Francisco Weekly. She loves skincare, lattes, novels, secrets, crop tops, and wildly rationalizing about why “basic” things are actually manifestations of cutting-edge feminism. 

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“Beach reads” is perhaps the most maligned

Even in the streaming wars era, with programmers gambling on new concepts in order to gain and retain subscribers, schedules aren’t brimming with musicals. That’s because TV musicals are hard. And as a general rule, they rarely stick — even when well executed.

Sure, for every “Galavant” and “Eli Stone” there’s a “Glee,” a “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” or a “Smash,” which was a delightful disaster for two seasons. But even “Glee” had its own set of pacing and storyline problems after the surprising first season. “Smash” failed to catch fire in the ratings despite its cult following, and “Zoey” barely held on during its two-season (and a movie) run. As for Apple TV+’s “Schmigadoon!,” the proof will be in the (corn) pudding as to whether it can sustain its momentum when Season 2 debuts this month.

Part of the problem is that TV musicals are divisive. You don’t have to be a musical theater fan to love when a character breaks scene in order to sing about their inner conflicts. But it isn’t for everyone, either. Then there’s the pacing of it all — both in terms of balancing story and the musical numbers themselves. When you’re pumping out two or three musical numbers per hour-long episode, not all of the songs will be hits. Yet the last thing you want is for viewers to fast-forward parts of your show.

This is all to say that when it came to adapting a “Grease” TV show, the odds were stacked against showrunner Annabel Oakes and her Paramount+ prequel series, “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies.” Not only did the crew face the typical problems that plague all TV musicals, but they also had the pressure of reviving a beloved property that people happen to feel strongly about.

“Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies” takes place four years before Danny and Sandy find their happily ever after. Oakes’ entry point to the show was her curiosity about the real-life high school girl gang of misfits that inspired “Grease” creator Jim Jacobs.

Here, they’re headed up by Jane (Marisa Davila), a newer student who becomes an outcast when her quarterback boyfriend, Buddy (Jason Schmidt), lies about how far they went in the backseat at the drive-in. When Jane announces she’s running for class president against Buddy, she inspires a slew of other Rydell students.

They include fashion-forward Nancy (Tricia Fukuhara), whose besties have just broken up with her for their boyfriends; scene-stealer Cynthia (Ari Notartomaso), whose biggest ambition is to be inducted into the T-Birds; and Olivia (Cheyenne Isabel Wells), a Latina girl who was ostracized last year because of her relationship with the school’s English teacher.

Together, the fab foursome work to reclaim the halls of Rydell by making it “fun for everyone,” despite setbacks from the cheerleaders, jocks and the assistant principal McGee (Jackie Hoffman).

There’s a lot that “Rise of the Pink Ladies” is trying to accomplish, at least in the first five episodes made available to press. In addition to the lavish musical numbers (there are several in each instalment), the show tackles racism, gender division, stereotypes, sexuality and female friendships. While these are all important themes to consider and storylines to explore, they also feel packed in when considering the overall story of the election (which doesn’t actually take place until Episode 5), and those aforementioned musical productions.

As a result, this is a show that feels fast and slow at once. Despite the gorgeous scenery and costumes, these characters also feel out of place. It’s important to remember that the original “Grease” was a high school-set musical made in the 1970s that critiqued an era from the 1950s. Yanking those themes into the present-day and making them relevant for a younger and savvier audience, all while keeping the spirit of the original intact, is a lot.

In trying to accomplish so much, the show doesn’t necessarily excel at any one thing. That’s disappointing in terms of how much potential there actually is here. Take, for example, the Hazel (Shanel Bailey) character introduced in Episode 3. She’s another standout character who represents a marginalized and underserved side of Rydell, yet after a brief introduction, she appears to fade into the background with no real purpose.

Where the show is at its strongest is when it homes in on the four female leads (five, if you include Hazel) and the way they learn to take up space, even when the world seems to be against them. Unlike the original “Grease,” these Pink Ladies aren’t about changing themselves for a guy. In that way, it’s more like “Grease 2,” the 1982 Michelle Pfeiffer-led sequel of the original that flopped, but has arguably aged better than “Grease.” But in “Rise of the Pink Ladies,” the characters are also figuring out where they fit into the world, and what path they should take to get there.

Meanwhile, for as many musical numbers as there are (and true to the TV musical format, not all of the estimated 30 numbers are hits), many of them are magical and purposeful. Songwriter Justin Tranter and his team ensured that each song pushed either the narrative or the characters, which helps to keep viewers engaged even when a number feels like it’s gone on a little too long.

The musical scenes in the diner and in Jane’s bedroom are particularly effective at building those aforementioned friendships, while paying homage to the original’s iconic numbers. (Oakes herself has said she wants to live in that sleepover at Frenchy’s house.) Those nods, and others that are peppered throughout (including a couple of middle school “Grease” cameos that shouldn’t be spoiled), are understated and natural, and, thankfully, never feel forced.

Will “Rise of the Pink Ladies” rise above the TV musical curse? While it has the canon going for it, it’s also a little too chaotic and uneven to particularly stand out. But there are still plenty of colorful scenes and engaging performances to enjoy, not to mention overall potential if this story can just pull back a little and focus.

“Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies” debuts with two episodes on April 6 on Paramount+, with subsequent episodes dropping weekly.

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Great news! “Lion Spy” is available to watch on Netflix UK!

 

Date Added: 4th April 2023

Known expiry dates are shown above as well as on the Last Chance page.

Want to keep forever? Try looking for ‘Lion Spy’ on Amazon (paid link)

 

Description:

A filmmaker poses as a big game photographer to infiltrate the trophy hunting industry that’s pushing Africa’s wild lions to the brink of extinction.

 

Certificate: Suitable for ages 15 and up

Year: 2021

Duration: 1hr 16m

Audio: English [Original]

Subtitles: English

 

Cast and Crew

Director: Rogue Rubin

 

Cast: Rogue Rubin

 

Production & Box Office Details:

“Lion Spy” was originally released on November 24th 2021.

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Watch the trailer for “Lion Spy”

 

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Warner Bros. today celebrates its centennial milestone as April 4, 2023, marks 100 years of its iconic contribution to film and television.

Its rich heritage stretches back to the four brothers, Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner, born to Polish-Jewish immigrants, who founded the studio in 1923 and became mavericks of the film industry. They not only created some of Hollywood’s greatest movies and film stars, but they also were pioneers behind the innovative technology of the Vitaphone that synchronized sound and put them in the forefront as major players in Hollywood. 

RELATED: Warner Bros. Top-Secret Archives: Treasure Trove Of Film Memorabilia From ‘The Matrix’, ‘Batman’, ‘My Fair Lady’ & Dozens More

Sam Warner spearheaded the movement by applying the technology with sound effects and music, but no dialogue, in the 1926 film Don Juan, and then in two scenes from one of the first “talkies,” 1927’s The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson, that featured less than two minutes of dialogue. The use of dialogue changed the face of cinema and became a major breakthrough for Warner Bros, but Sam Warner, who co-created the technology, sadly passed away the day before The Jazz Singer premiere and never was able to experience his contribution to film on the silver screen. The film became a sensation and signaled the beginning of the era of “talking pictures” and the end of silent pictures. Its success allowed the surviving Warner brothers to buy First National, which had the largest theater chain in the country and a studio lot in Burbank. Warner Bros. Pictures would release the first “all talking” film, Lights of New York, in 1928 after the success of Jolson’s The Singing Fool (1928,) firmly establishing the age of the talking film.

As the decades went on, the studio would encounter many historical events and cultural shifts that also set Warner Bros. as the forerunner in social standards. The public outcry over the film I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) forced prison reforms throughout the United States. Warner Bros. also was the first major studio to pull out of Germany in 1934 and went on to produce anti-fascist films such as Black Legion (1937), starring Humphrey Bogart, which resulted in the Ku Klux Klan suing Warner Bros. The Klan claimed the film was made to disparage them but did not win at trial. Confessions of a Nazi Spy followed in 1939 and was among the first studio films to call out the threat of Nazis in the U.S.

The studio would go on to create timeless classics through the 1930s into the ’40s that include The Public Enemy, The Life of Emile Zola, Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, Yankee Doodle Dandy and Mildred Pierce and introduce the lovable animated characters from Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes.

Warner Bros. has released a huge portfolio of diverse films that exceeds 2,500 titles, including such classics as A Streetcar Named Desire, A Star Is Born, Rebel without a Cause, Bonnie & Clyde, Blazing Saddles, A Clockwork Orange, The Exorcist, Malcolm X, and contemporary franchises in The Matrix, Wonder Woman, Harry Potter and Batman. TV shows also have played an important role in Warner Bros’ history since the 1950s, with series including Cheyenne, Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip and Wonder Woman through to Friends and Abbott Elementary.

Take a look back through this curated gallery to celebrate this historic achievement of the studio that introduced us to legendary stars, and unforgettable film moments with rare images from each decade from the Warner Bros. archive that made the studio the iconic landmark that is Hollywood today.

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Warner Bros. today celebrates its centennial milestone

Coachella has agreed to drop its trademark lawsuit against a nearby California business park that called itself “Coachillin,” after the group said it would “cease any and all use” of the name.

The festival’s organizers (owned by AEG and its subsidiary Goldenvoice) filed the case in October against Coachillin Business Park, a planned development site located just a few miles north of the Empire Polo Club. They claimed the project was trying to free-ride on the famous name of the nearby festival.

In settlement papers filed Friday, Coachillin agreed to drop all use of the name on the internet with 45 days, and to stop using it entirely within 90 days. That means not only the name of the overall site, but related names like a “Coachchill Inn” hotel.

Any monetary terms of the settlement were not disclosed in public filings. Neither side’s attorneys immediately returned requests for more information on the terms of the agreement.

The lawsuit was part of an aggressive recent campaign from Coachella to protect its name against would-be imitators. In 2021, the festival sued Live Nation for selling tickets to a nearby event called “Coachella Day One 22,” and last year it filed a similar trademark case against a West African company over an event called “Afrochella.” Then in February, Coachella sued the creator of “Moechella,” a Washington D.C.-based music event centered on go-go music.

On its website, Coachillin described itself as an “Industrial Cultivation & Ancillary Canna-Business Park,” a proposed 160-acre site aimed at businesses in the cannabis industry. In addition to cultivation spaces, the group said the site will also feature a hotel, an amphitheater and other amenities.

In its October lawsuit, Coachella said it had “no objection” with any of that – except for the name, which they say is commonly used on social media as slang term for spending time at the music festival.

“The public has come to associate the phrase ‘Coachillin’ to refer to the Coachella Festival and plaintiffs, not merely to refer to the Coachella Valley—and certainly not Coachillin Holdings or its Coachillin Business Park,” wrote attorneys for the festival. “Defendants must use a distinctive name that does not infringe or trade on the goodwill of plaintiffs’ reputation.”

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Coachella has agreed to drop its trademark

Roch Bozino, the founder and managing director of Paris-based sales company Java Films, has died at the age of 62.

Bozino passed away on March 30 from cancer.

Roch founded Java Films in 2005 after having worked as a producer for many years at VM Group, where he founded the company’s international sales department in 1998 and headed its documentary distribution unit.

He quickly established Java Films as one of Europe’s leading independent distributors. He was respected across the industry for his unwavering support of documentary filmmakers. Roch was known for his keen interest in political and historical documentaries in particular.

He was also a founding member of exporters’ organization TV France Intl., which recently merged with Unifrance.

“It is with great sadness that we learn of the death of Roch Bozino, a great professional in international distribution, an exceptional personality, recognized and esteemed by all,” said Hervé Michel, vice president of Unifrance. “Roch had participated in the creation of TV France Intl. (Unifrance), and remained strongly committed to collective action and the defense of our profession. We will miss him terribly.”

On the Java Films website, the company’s staff wrote: “On Thursday 30 March 2023 our founder, friend and director Roch died. To all of us, he was more than just a boss. He turned Java into a family guided by real values and never compromised his principles.”

The company added on Facebook: “Above all, Roch was a true lover of culture. Enthusiastic about spreading his love for history, travelling, and especially cooking, Roch was a man of many passions and a true citizen of the world. He inspired each and every one of us, and we are so grateful to have known him. He poured so much love into the company, making it the family it is today. He will live forever in our hearts.”

“Tributes have flooded in across social media from filmmakers, broadcasters, professional organizations, and all those who are lucky enough to have worked with Roch,” Java Films added. 

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Roch Bozino, the founder and managing director

Oilsands giant Syncrude Canada Ltd. has been charged in the death of a worker north of Fort McMurray, Alta.

The Alberta government says on June 6, 2021, in Fort McKay a worker was operating an excavator to build a berm when the bank slumped into the water.

It says the cab of the excavator was fully submerged and the worker drowned.

READ MORE: Syncrude employee killed while operating equipment at Aurora site in northern Alberta

Syncrude faces charges under Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act, including failure to ensure the health and safety of a worker.

Other charges include failure to ensure the health and safety of their worker by permitting the worker to operate the excavator on a ramp with an over-steepened slope, failure to comply with Energy Safety Canada safety rules, and other offences.

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The Syncrude Project is a joint venture that includes Suncor Energy Inc., Imperial Oil Resources Ltd., Sinopec Oil Sands Partnership and CNOOC Oil Sands Canada.

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Oilsands giant Syncrude Canada Ltd. has been


Christine McVie
Richard Young/Shutterstock

Christine McVie’s cause of death has reportedly been revealed following her death in November 2022 at age 79.

The former Fleetwood Mac keyboardist died of an ischemic stroke, according to her death certificate obtained by The Blast. An ischemic stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks or narrows an artery leading to the brain. According to the American Stroke Association, it accounts for about 87 percent of all strokes.

The document also noted that McVie had a “metastatic malignancy of unknown primary origin,” meaning that cancer had spread throughout her body but the original tumor site couldn’t be identified. The certificate lists the cancer as the musician’s secondary cause of death.

McVie’s family announced late last year that the rock icon died after an undisclosed illness. “On behalf of Christine McVie’s family, it is with a heavy heart we are informing you of Christine’s death,” a rep said in a November 2022 statement. “She passed away peacefully at hospital this morning, Wednesday, November 30th 2022, following a short illness. She was in the company of her family. We kindly ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this extremely painful time, and we would like everyone to keep Christine in their hearts and remember the life of an incredible human being, and revered musician who was loved universally. RIP Christine McVie.”

The remaining members of Fleetwood Mac later released a statement paying tribute to their friend and colleague, who joined the band in 1970. “There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie,” the group said at the time. “She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure. She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life. We were so lucky to have a life with her. Individually and together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. She will be so very missed.”

Stevie Nicks, for her part, said that she only found out her bandmate was ill days before her death. “A few hours ago I was told that my best friend in the whole world since the first day of 1975, had passed away,” the “Edge of Seventeen” singer, 74, said in a handwritten note shared via Instagram in November 2022. “I didn’t even know she was ill … until late Saturday night.”

The Grammy winner went on to say that she wanted to go to London to visit McVie, but was “told to wait.” Nicks then shared lyrics from the Haim song “Hallelujah,” explaining that she wanted to sing it to her friend if she got to see her. “I always knew I would need these words one day,” the American Horror Story alum added.

Christine joined Fleetwood Mac after marrying bassist John McVie in 1968. The duo split in 1976, and their tumultuous breakup served as partial inspiration for the band’s classic 1977 album, Rumours.

After a lengthy hiatus from the group, Christine rejoined Fleetwood Mac in early 2014 and traveled with them for their On With the Show tour. The tour reunited the group’s most famous lineup: Christine, John, Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham and Nicks.

In June 2022, Christine told Rolling Stone that she wasn’t sure she’d ever go on tour again because of her health. “I don’t feel physically up for it,” she said at the time. “I’m in quite bad health. I’ve got a chronic back problem, which debilitates me. I stand up to play the piano, so I don’t know if I could actually physically do it. What’s that saying? The mind is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

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Christine McVie Richard Young/Shutterstock Christine McVie’s cause

Variety scored four nominations for the 27th annual Webby Awards, including a nod for best entertainment website of the year.

The publication’s nominations are for: entertainment website (in the general websites and mobile sites category); editorial writing (in the features and design category); Variety Power of Women 2022 from Los Angeles (under events and livestreams in the general video category); and Variety’s TikTok explainer video series (in the how-to, explainer and DIY social video category).

The annual awards, presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences (IADAS), recognize excellence on the internet and span video, social media, websites, apps, games, VR and podcasts.

The 2023 Webby Awards nominees include Selena Gomez, Harry Styles, Doja Cat, Lizzo, Lupita Nyong’o, BTS, Bomani Jones, Anderson Cooper, Blackpink, Cristiano Ronaldo, Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion, Serena Williams, Drake and Future, the cast of Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso,” RuPaul and YouTube creator MrBeast. Organizations with the most nominations this year are: Apple (22), MTV (15), National Geographic (14), Netflix (14), Audible (13), CNN (12), HBO (12), the Washington Post (12), Google (11), Meta (11), Amazon (10), Amazon Music (nine), WaitWhat (nine), ESPN (eight), Paramount (eight), Spotify (eight) and Wondery (eight).

All nominees are eligible to win the two top awards: The Webby Award, selected by the members of the Academy, and the Webby People’s Voice Award, based on fan voting at vote.webbyawards.com (through Thursday, April 20 at 11:59 p.m. PT).

Winners for 2023 Webbys will be announced April 25 and will be feted at an in-person award show on May 15 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. Show highlights, including the winners’ hallmark five-word speeches, will be available across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

The Webby nominees are selected by the IADAS, whose members include: Quinta Brunson, writer, director and actor; Questlove, DJ and producer; Tan France, fashion designer, TV personality and author; Natalie Guzman, co-president & CMO, Savage X Fenty; Werner Vogels, CTO, Amazon; Roxanne Gay, host, “The Roxanne Gay Agenda”; Ziwe Fumudoh, comedian and writer; Reshma Saujani, founder, Girls Who Code; LeVar Burton, actor, podcaster and TV host; Andy Slavit, host, “In the Bubble”; artist Takashi Murakami; comedian Samantha Bee; and Tracy Chou, founder and CEO, Block Party.

The Webby Awards received nearly 14,000 entries from all 50 U.S. states and more than 70 countries worldwide this year. KMPG provides vote tabulation consulting for the Webby Awards.

Highlights of the 2023 Webby Awards nominations:

Entertainment (General Websites & Mobile Sites)

  • It Lies Within – McCann Demand
  • “Luck” Movie Homepage Takeover – Apple
  • The Sims: Digital Design System – Elephant
  • Marvel.com – Marvel Entertainment
  • Variety.com – Variety

Events & Livestreams (Video)

  • ABC News Live’s Out Loud: ABC News Celebrates Pride Month – ABC News
  • Black Entrepreneurs Day – Black Entrepreneurs Day
  • 2022 MTV VMA Stan Cam/Stan Mail – MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks
  • Variety Power of Women 2022 – Variety
  • League of Legends: Wild Rift 2nd Anniversary Celebration – We Are Social U.S.

Writing, Editorial (Features & Design)

  • Politico Europe
  • The Sustainability Project – Economist Impact
  • The Great Forgetting – NautilusNext
  • New Lines Magazine
  • Variety.com – Variety

How-To, Explainer & DIY (Social Video)

  • Make With Me – Etsy
  • Levi’s TikTok: How-To Hand-Wash Jeans – IMGN Media
  • Making Interior Design Accessible on TikTok, Annie Elliott Design – Kylee Social
  • Southern Living Magazine’s TikTok – Southern Living
  • Variety TikTok explainer video series – Variety

Web Personality/Host, Performances & Craft (Video)

  • Lizzo’s Watch Out For the Big Grrrls – Amazon Studios
  • Recess Therapy – Doing Things Media
  • Oh Hell No! With Marlon Wayans – Jesse Collins Entertainment
  • Trevor Noah – Between the Scenes – The Daily Show with Trevor Noah – MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks
  • Jimmy Fallon – The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Individual Performance, Performances & Craft (Video)

  • Uprooted – Atmosphere Dance
  • Famous Wedding Show (Full) 2022 – Quick Style – Mantis Management
  • Gretta Ray – One Day Like This (Amazon Original) (Live Version) – Mude
  • Moonlight Sonata by Santa Baby Composer Philip Springer – Tamir Music
  • AirPods – Silhouettes x Harry Styles – TBWA\Media Arts Lab

Events & Livestream, Branded Entertainment (Video)

  • Netflix – Stranger Things meets Bondi Rescue – Jack Nimble
  • Call of Duty: NEXT – OS Studios
  • Soundstorm – productionglue (A TAIT Company)
  • Stranger Things – Music Has the Power to Save Everyone – SC Cohn & Jansen Advertising SRL
  • WMA x Swamp Motel – Prime Video UK ‘Get The V’ Immersive Twitch Stream NSFW – WMA

Music, General Video (Video)

  • Post Malone – Twelve Carat Toothache Listening Experience | Amazon Music – Amazon Music
  • Gap Years – Mercury Studios
  • Romeo Santos: King of Bachata – Sony Music US Latin
  • Spotify RADAR Presents: Ayra Starr – Spotify
  • Sublime – Behind The Cover: 40oz To Freedom – Universal Music Enterprises

Music, Music Video (Video)

  • Disturbed – “Bad Man” – Doomsday Entertainment
  • Future – “Wait For U” ft. Drake – Fela
  • Muse – “Compliance” – Left
  • Hot Chip – “Eleanor” – Partizan Entertainment
  • Christina Aguilera – “Beautiful” (2022 Version) – Sony Music Entertainment

Sports, General Video (Video)

  • The Life of Elite High School Basketball Stars | Team Durant Nike EYBL All Access – Boardroom
  • Correct the Internet: Cristiano Ronaldo vs Christine Sinclair – DDB New Zealand Aotearoa
  • Eli Manning Goes Undercover at Penn State Walk-On Tryouts as “Chad Powers” – Omaha Productions
  • NFL Explained: Evolution of Broadcast Innovations & Technology – NFL Media
  • Chasing Tokyo – Olympic Channel – International Olympic Committee

Sports Video Series & Channels (Video)

  • Enshrine or Decline? – ESPN
  • Today’s Technology, Tomorrow’s Players – LDWW
  • Los Angeles Chargers YouTube Channel – Los Angeles Chargers
  • No Limits: The Story of the Nation’s Premiere Women’s Basketball Team – Overtime
  • Kelly Slater: Lost Tapes – World Surf League

Science & Education, General Video (Video)

  • Five Mysteries About Our Universe – BBC
  • Special Webb Update: The Webb’s First Four (Actually 7) Images Explained – Complexly
  • How Hubble Images Are Made – NASA / Hubble
  • The Unbelievable Story of Earth’s Most Epic Flood – PBS Digital Studios
  • The Lifecycle of SARS-CoV-2 – Phospho Biomedical Animation

Variety, Video Series & Channels (Video)

  • The Daily Show With Trevor Noah – MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks
  • Rolling Stone on Twitch – Rolling Stone
  • Street You Grew Up On – Simpson Street
  • The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on YouTube – The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
  • Letterman YouTube Channel – Worldwide Pants Incorporated

Community Engagement, Features (Social)

  • #Hanguponit – MRM New York
  • Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez – Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez
  • Sing It Right with Spotify Lyrics – TBWA Singapore Pte Ltd
  • Lil Mbappé – Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam
  • My BTS Story – YouTube

Partnership or Collaboration, Features (Social)

  • Lego Masters: Tap to Build Content Series – FOX Entertainment
  • JW Marriott — Lily Kwong x JW Garden – Marriott International
  • I.T. Squad – MediaCom
  • Metallica x Stranger Things – Netflix
  • #PinkVenomChallenge – YouTube Shorts x Blackpink – YouTube

Overall Social Presence, Media/Entertainment (Social)

  • Game of Thrones – HBO
  • HBO Max – HBO Max
  • The Daily Show With Trevor Noah – MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks
  • National Geographic Social Media – National Geographic
  • Sesame Street – Sesame Workshop

Overall Social Presence, Brand (Social)

  • Etsy – Etsy
  • Sephora’s Overall Social Presence – Golin
  • Gucci Vault on Discord – Gucci
  • @instagram Editorial Channel – Instagram
  • NASA Social Media – NASA

Interview/Talk Show, Social Content Series (Social)

  • Amazon Music Live Social Campaign – Amazon Music
  • Anthony Padilla’s “I Spent A Day With…” – Pressalike Productions
  • Songwriter Saturday – Hoff Studios
  • LinkedIn News’ This is Working with Editor-in-Chief Dan Roth – LinkedIn
  • Roller Coaster Interview – Netflix

Arts, Culture & Lifestyle, Social Content Series (Social)

  • AARP TikTok: Gen X ASMR Series – AARP
  • W Hotels: Travel with Me – Farrynheight
  • Shrimpdaddy Shorts for Tech Deck – Hype Club
  • Reddit Social x r/Place – Reddit
  • Travel Diaries – Tastemade

Fashion & Beauty, General Social (Social)

  • InStyle – Dotdash Meredith
  • Gucci Vault on Discord – Gucci
  • Levi’s TikTok Channel – IMGN Media
  • Jacob&Co – Jacob&Co
  • Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez – Rare Beauty

Sports, General Social (Social)

  • Gold Blooded: Golden State Warriors 2022 NBA Champions – Golden State Warriors
  • NBA 2K League Social Channels – National Basketball Association
  • Showtime Basketball – Showtime
  • Lisa Zimouche – Viral Nation Group
  • World Surf League Social Media – World Surf League

Television & Film, Social Video (Social)

  • How Tyler Perry Made a Fortune From Nothing – AARP
  • Negroni Sbagliato – The House of the Dragon – HBO Max
  • Jung Ho-Yeon’s Day in Venice Beach – Instagram Editorial
  • Women’s History Month – “How To Triumph Like A Girl” – MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks
  • I Like to Watch – Netflix

Public Service & Activism, Social Video (Social)

  • Barack Obama x ATTN: – The Power of Your Vote in 2022 – ATTN:
  • Lead From Behind – Colorectal Cancer Alliance
  • March for Our Lives – March Launch Trailer – MENTALiTY
  • The United States of Abortion – The Meteor
  • Ukraine War Diaries – UNFPA

TV, Film & Entertainment, Social Campaign (Social)

  • Generational Anxiety – All Arts
  • The House of the Dragon – HBO
  • The Wilds Season 2 – Laundry Service
  • Adult Swimming – Movement Strategy
  • RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 7 Queen Ruveal – MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Social Campaign (Social)

  • Altogether Different TikTok – 4creative
  • Google – Selma Blair and Andraéa LaVant Partnership
  • Pa’ Mi Gente – Meta
  • Strands for Trans: Transphobe Takedowns – Terri & Sandy
  • You’re Welcome Black History Month Campaign – The Creative Collective NYC

Partnership or Collaboration, Advertising Campaign (Advertising, Media & PR)

  • FIFA 23 x Ted Lasso – Apple
  • Doja Cat x Taco Bell: A “Contractual” Partnership – Deutsch LA
  • High Valyrian Lessons – Duolingo
  • The Coors Light – Mischief @ No Fixed Address
  • Mind Ordering – WorkInProgress

Community Engagement, Advertising Campaigns (Advertising, Media & PR)

  • The Coca-Cola Beatcan Campaign – FCB Africa (Pty) Ltd
  • Token of Love – Verizon
  • Emerging Creative Hubs Index 2022 – WeTransfer
  • Budweiser: Bring Home the Bud – Wieden+Kennedy
  • Lil Mbappé – Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam

Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle, Branded Campaigns (Advertising, Media & PR)

  • Dorm Roomz – Amazon
  • Calvin Klein / Performance – Cut+Run
  • The Beauty of Blackness – Digitas
  • Beauty Of… – McCann New York
  • Be the One No One Saw Coming – Tool

Viral Marketing, Individual (Advertising, Media & PR)

  • Coinbase: Less Talk, More Bitcoin – Accenture Song
  • Land of the Unfree – Anora
  • Cheez-It x Pandora: Aged by Audio – Leo Burnett Chicago
  • Stranger Things – Stranger Heathens – SC Cohn & Jansen Advertising SRL
  • The Liquid Death Blind Taste Test – Station Film

Copywriting, Craft (Advertising, Media & PR)

  • The Problem With Jon Stewart: “How to Watch” – Apple TV+
  • 2022 Sounds Like 1984 – B-Reel
  • Ski for All – Barkley
  • Swap arrrgh for ahhhhhhh! – McCann Demand
  • The Nonstop NBA – Translation

Work & Productivity, General Apps (Apps & Software)

  • iScanner – BP Mobile (AIBY Group)
  • Calendly: The Scheduling Automation Platform Driving Business Growth – Calendly
  • ClickUp
  • monday.com
  • Notion

User Interface, App Features (Apps & Software)

  • Hungry Jack’s Official Mobile App – Adrenalin
  • CNN on Apple TV – CNN
  • Wonderous – Google
  • Headspace – Headspace Studios
  • VERO Desktop App – VERO

Visual Design – Aesthetic, App Features (Apps & Software)

  • Reimagining the Future of Luxury Hospitality: The Other House – DesignStudio
  • Scandinavian Airlines mobile app – Milkinside
  • Winnipeg Jets – Mirego
  • Rebel Girls App – Rebel Girls
  • Brevity – Very Big Things

User Experience, App Features (Apps & Software)

  • Apple Podcasts – Apple
  • Reelgood Streaming Guide – Reelgood
  • How We Feel – The How We Feel Project
  • Universe: The Alternative Custom Site Builder – Universe
  • Masters of Scale Courses App – WaitWhat

Entertainment & Sports, General Apps (Apps & Software)

  • Apple TV app – Apple
  • Star Wars app – Disney
  • 2022 Winter Olympics – NBCUniversal/Peacock
  • Major League Soccer – Phase2
  • Audacy app – Work & Co

Responsible Innovation, Responsible Technology (Websites and Mobile Sites)

  • See My Skin – Edelman
  • #StudentsNotProducts – Human Rights Watch
  • Harassment Manager – Jigsaw
  • Common Voice – Mozilla Foundation
  • Accelerating Disability Inclusion and Innovation – Saffron Brand Consultants

Best Practices, Features & Design (Websites and Mobile Sites)

  • Patagonia – BASIC/DEPT
  • Crafted – BASIC/DEPT
  • TYM 3D World – MBLM
  • Back to Blue – Ocean Acidification – The Economist Group
  • The Washington Post Newsprint – The Washington Post

Shopping & Retail, General Websites and Mobile Sites (Websites and Mobile Sites)

  • MrBeast – basement studio
  • Cartier – BORN Group
  • ComplexLand 3.0 – Media.Monks B.V.
  • Earthfoam – Mitz.Nyc
  • Houseplant – Pattern

Science, General Websites and Mobile Sites (Websites and Mobile Sites)

  • OpenAI Website – AREA 17
  • Pacific Science Center – Forum One
  • NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Website – NASA/JPL-Caltech
  • Virtual Quantum Lab – Quantum Flytrap
  • Wonderlab+ – Science Museum Group

Family, Kids & Education, General Games (Games)

  • A Memoir Blue – Annapurna Interactive
  • Fingerspelling – DEPT
  • Escape Academy – fortyseven communications
  • Lingokids – Lingokids
  • The Monster at the End of This Game – Sesame Workshop

Art Direction, Features (Games)

  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare ll – Activision Publishing
  • Stray – Annapurna Interactive
  • Need for Speed Unbound – Electronic Arts
  • Season: A Letter to the Future – Scavengers Studio
  • God of War Ragnarök – Sony Interactive Entertainment/Santa Monica Studio

Performance, Metaverse & Immersive Features (Metaverse, Immersive & Virtual)

  • AmazeVR Megan Thee Stallion VR Concert – AmazeVR
  • Eli Roth’s Haunted House: Trick-VR-Treat – Crypt TV
  • The Notorious B.I.G. Sky’s The Limit: A VR Concert Experience – Hyperreal
  • Post Malone’s Twelve Carat Toothache: A VR Experience – Media.Monks B.V.
  • Gorillaz Presents – Nexus Studiosxxxx

Technical Achievement, Virtual Video Features (Metaverse, Immersive & Virtual)

  • Never Done Evolving – AKQA
  • RISE UP 2WEI & Edda Hayes – DNABLOCK
  • Karate Combat 37 – Meptik
  • Proto Holoportation – Proto
  • McEnroe vs. McEnroe – Sparks

Food & Drink, General Metaverse Experiences (Metaverse, Immersive & Virtual)

  • Ben & Jerry’s: Woody’s Super Sundae Maker – Adobe 3D & Immersive
  • From (Meta)Farm to Fork: Regen Fries – Gravity Road
  • Froot Loops World on Roblox – Leo Burnett Chicago
  • A.I. Ketchup – Rethink
  • Behind the Dish – Targo

Arts, Fashion & Culture, General Metaverse Experiences (Metaverse, Immersive & Virtual)

  • DMIx – Digital Humans – DMIx
  • Puma Presents: Black Station – FTR
  • Gucci’s Metaverse Open Worlds – Gucci Town in Roblox and Gucci Vault Land in Sandbox – Gucci
  • Adidas Ozworld – Media.Monks B.V.
  • Tommy Play by Tommy Hilfiger – Sawhorse Productions

Branded Podcast or Segment, Features (Podcasts)

  • The Perfect Scam – AARP Studios
  • Radio Headspace – Headspace
  • Spellbound by Sweden – Prime Weber Shandwick
  • Are You Sleeping? – Vox Media
  • SmartLess – Wondery

Host, Features (Podcasts)

  • The Official Queen Sugar Podcast – ARRAY
  • Ologies With Alie Ward – Ologies
  • Radiotopia Presents: My Mother Made Me (Radiotopia from PRX) – PRX
  • The Problem with Jon Stewart (the official podcast) – Smithhouse Strategy
  • The Wire at 20 – Warner Bros. Discovery

Series, Features (Podcasts)

  • All There Is with Anderson Cooper – CNN
  • GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp – GirlTrek
  • Symptomatic: A Medical Mystery Podcast – iHeartMedia
  • Take on Tomorrow – PwC Global Corporate Affairs and Communications
  • Season 5 of Broken Ground: How Memphis Beat the Odds to Stop a Pipeline – The Southern Environmental Law Center

Limited Series, Features (Podcasts)

  • The Forgotten Exodus – American Jewish Committee (AJC)
  • Rep: A Story About the Stories We Tell – At Your Service
  • The Last Outlaws – F+K Media
  • Jordan Klepper Fingers the Conspiracy – Paramount
  • Black Women of Amherst College – WC1 Studios

Entertainment, Limited-Series & Specials (Podcasts)

  • Bars and Nuggets – Amazon Music
  • Let’s Make a Sci-Fi – CBC
  • Insecure Season 5 – InsecuriTEA Podcast – HBO
  • Stealing Superman – iHeartPodcasts
  • Last Movie Ever Made: The Don’t Look Up Podcast – Netflix

Scripted (Fiction), General Series (Podcasts)

  • All Things Undone – Aileron Films
  • The Sandman: Act III – Audible
  • Lake Song – Make-Believe Association
  • Live From Mount Olympus – Onassis Foundation
  • La Cabina Telefónica – Spotify

Technology, General Series (Podcasts)

  • DeepMind: The Podcast – DeepMind
  • IRL: AI in Real Life – Mozilla
  • Chain Reaction – TechCrunch
  • Found – TechCrunch
  • Vergecast – The Verge

Interview/Talk Show, General Series (Podcasts)

  • On Purpose With Jay Shetty – On Purpose with Jay Shetty
  • The Problem With Jon Stewart – Smithhouse Strategy
  • The Nocturnists: Conversations – The Nocturnists
  • On with Kara Swisher – Vox Media Podcast Network
  • SmartLess – Wondery

Television & Film, General Series (Podcasts)

  • Disney for Scores – Disney Music Group
  • Insecure Season 5 – InsecuriTEA Podcast – HBO
  • Keep It – Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis
  • TCM’s The Plot Thickens – Turner Classic Movies
  • The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon – Warner Bros. Discovery

Sports, General Series (Podcasts)

  • The Greatest Sports Stories Never Told – Audible
  • 30 for 30 Podcasts – ESPN
  • The Right Time With Bomani Jones – ESPN
  • The Draymond Green Show – The Volume
  • All the Smoke – Paramount

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Variety scored four nominations for the 27th

Open Road has unveiled a new trailer for its Gerard Butler-led action thriller Kandahar, which is slated for a Memorial Day weekend release on May 26th.

The film reteaming Butler with director Ric Roman Waugh on the heels of their work together on Lionsgate’s 2019 action-thriller Angel Has Fallen and STXfilms’ 2020 action-thriller Greenland finds undercover CIA operative Tom Harris (Butler) stuck deep in hostile territory in Afghanistan. After his mission is exposed, he must fight his way out, alongside his Afghan translator, to an extraction point in Kandahar, all whilst avoiding elite enemy forces and foreign spies tasked with hunting them down.

Mitchell LaFortune and Waugh penned the script for the pic also starring Navid Negahban (The Cleaning Lady), Ali Fazal (Death on the Nile), Travis Fimmel (Raised by Wolves) and Elnaaz Norouzi (Tehran). Producers on the project included Basil Iwanyk, Brendon Boyea, Erica Lee, Butler, Alan Siegel, Christian Mercuri, Ali Jaafar and Scott LaStaiti.

Kandahar‘s competition in its opening weekend at the box office includes Sony’s action-comedy The Machine based on the famed stand-up bit from Bert Kreischer, as well as Lionsgate’s comedy About My Father with Robert De Niro and Sebastian Maniscalco, A24’s dramedy You Hurt My Feelings reteaming filmmaker Nicole Holofcener with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Disney’s new live-action take on The Little Mermaid. Check out the trailer for Open Road’s latest by clicking above.

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Open Road has unveiled a new trailer

Picture: Sony Pictures Classic

Welcome to your first daily recap of the week and the second in the month of April 2023 so far. Netflix has added eight new titles since Sunday and we’ll recap them all, plus look at the top 10 movies and series on Netflix for April 4th, 2023.

It’s been a busy start to the month thus far, with 57 titles hitting Netflix US on April 1st alone, and there’s plenty more to come.

Still to come this week includes highlights like Beef, CHUPA, and Transatlantic.

On the removals front, today is your last chance to watch the 2016 movie, Alien Warfare. This week we’ll also see the removal of Mike Flanagan’s movie Hush.


Best New Movies and Series Added to Netflix for April 4th, 2023

The Raid (2011)

Rating: R
Language: Indonesian
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Director: Gareth Evans
Cast: Iko Uwais, Ananda George, Ray Sahetapy
Writer: Gareth Evans
Runtime: 101 min / 1h 41m
Awards: 9 wins & 22 nominations

Let’s kick off with perhaps one of the best action movies of all time. We’re referring to the all-out assault that is The Raid from 2011 that was doing John Wick before John Wick was cool.

Here’s what you can expect if you’ve never seen the movie (which has streamed on Netflix multiple times in the past):

“Trapped in a tenement building during a raid, a SWAT team must fight its way out against the forces of a drug lord they were trying to assassinate.”

The movie notably comes from director Gareth Evans who, as you may know, is working on an upcoming Netflix movie with Tom Hardy named Havoc.


Surviving R. Kelly Part III: The Final Chapter (Season 1)

Rating: TV-14
Language: English
Genre: Documentary, Crime
Cast: Kathryn Martin, Ebonié Doyle
Runtime: 58 mins

Serving as the dramatic conclusion to the multi-season docuseries that first aired on Lifetime, Surviving R. Kelly Part III looks to close the book on the R. Kelly allegations, which has led to a subsequent conviction.

Consisting of four episodes, this series follows the trial of R. Kelly and features plenty of emotional testimonials from numerous survivors.


War Sailor (Limited Series)

Number of episodes: 3
Rating: TV-MA
Language: English
Genre: Drama, War
Director: Gunnar Vikene
Cast: Kristoffer Joner, Pål Sverre Hagen, Ine Marie Wilmann
Writer: Gunnar Vikene
Runtime: 150 min / 2h 30m

Added to Netflix on Sunday is the wonderful limited series War Sailor which originates out of Norway for Netflix. It debut initially as a film (labeled Krigsseileren) but has been split up into a three-episode series and released on Netflix.

All Your Screens reviewed the series saying the cast is “uniformly excellent” and “well-made,” ultimately concluding, “This is a story that might not an American war story. But it’s one that Americans should know.”


Full List of What’s New on Netflix Since April 2nd, 2023

2 New Movies Added

  • My Name Is Mo’Nique (2023) Netflix Original – TV-MA – English – You think you know Mo’Nique? From staring down a racist teacher to her grandmother’s sex warning, she spills all in this stand-up comedy special.
  • The Raid (2011) – R – Indonesian

6 New TV Series Added

  • Magic Mixies (Season 1) – TV-Y – English – After activating a magical doorway into another world, Sienna embarks on sparkling adventures with colorfully lovable creatures in an enchanted land.
  • Powerpuff Girls (Seasons 1-6) – PG – English – Delightfully sweet sisters Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup have dedicated their lives to saving the world from crime and fighting the forces of evil.
  • Surviving R. Kelly Part III: The Final Chapter (Season 1) – TV-14 – English – The final installment of this docuseries examines R. Kelly’s federal trial in New York as survivors share chilling accounts of abuse on the stand.
  • That Winter, the Wind Blows (Season 1) – TV-MA – Korean – Seeing the chance to enrich himself by deceiving a blind heiress, clever con man Oh Soo just does what comes naturally — but his plans soon change.
  • The Signing (Season 1 – Batch 1) Netflix Original – TV-MA – Spanish – In this competition, young artists must impress Latin music icons like Rauw Alejandro, Nicki Nicole, and Yandel to score the contract of a lifetime.
  • War Sailor (Limited Series) Netflix Original – TV-MA – English – When WWII erupts, two sailors on a Norwegian merchant ship face brutal conditions as they fight to survive a conflict they were never asked to join.

Top 10 Movies and Series on Netflix for April 4th, 2023

# TV Shows Movies
1 The Night Agent Murder Mystery 2
2 Love Is Blind Murder Mystery
3 Unstable The Thing
4 Emergency: NYC Shark Tale
5 Unseen The Bourne Legacy
6 War Sailor Diary of a Mad Black Woman
7 Shadow and Bone Hotel Transylvania
8 Wellmania Over the Hedge
9 You Kill Boksoon
10 Outer Banks I See You

What are you watching on Netflix today? Let us know in the comments down below.

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Picture: Sony Pictures Classic Welcome to your first

Ameesha Patel rocks yet another sexy look in her Instagram post.

Ameesha Patel often heats up Instagram with her sexy photos and videos in bold outfits. Check out her latest sexy photo here

Bollywood actress Ameesha Patel is burning up Instagram with her racy mirror selfie in a sexy outfit. In her latest Instagram post shared on Tuesday evening, Ameesha Patel is seen flaunting her toned upper body in a white strapless top.

The photo shows Ameesha striking a sensuous pose in front of a mirror as her phone covers her face. Her photo is the proof why she is amongst the fittest celebrities in town. Her fans flooded Ameesha’s post with compliments and red heart emojis.

Recently, a video of Ameesha enjoying her time in a pool went viral on social media. The video, shared by Bollywood paparazzo Viral Bhayani on his official Instagram, shows Ameesha posing for the camera sensuously in a printed bikini which she teamed with black goggles. The video garnered a lot of attention on social media.

Earlier, Ameesha Patel, who will next be seen in Gadar 2 with Sunny Deol, made heads turn with her sizzling photos in a yellow bikini.

Meanwhile, Tara Singh and Sakina’s eternal love story will be carried forward on the big screen with the release of Gadar 2: The Katha Continues. The highly anticipated romantic period drama is all set to hit the theatres on August 11, 2023. Helmed by Anil Sharma, the makers released the first poster featuring the lead actors Ameesha Patel and Sunny Deol in March.

Ameesha Patel had earlier shared with Hindustan Times, “It feels wonderful to be back on such a historic film. Actually, it is surreal to get back to play the character of Sakina along with Tara Singh (Sunny Deol)”.

Read all the Latest Movies News, Entertainment News

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Ameesha Patel rocks yet another sexy look

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and 13-Time Grammy winner Pharrell Williams will be honored by the Recording Academy at its annual Grammys on the Hill Awards, taking place on April 26.

The event is intended to bring together congressional leaders and music makers to recognize those who have led the fight for creators’ rights, and the three will be honored for their contributions to support music creators. Special guests and attendees will be announced in the coming weeks. 

“Grammys on the Hill is a celebration like no other, spotlighting music’s unifying power as we bring together our nation’s leaders with some of the most renowned artists in the world,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “It’s a privilege to honor Pharrell alongside Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Senator Cassidy, all of whom have fought tirelessly for pro-music policy that protects the creatives that make up our community.”

“It’s an honor to be recognized at this year’s Grammys on the Hill for Congress’s work to support the recording and performance industry during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Senate Majority Leader Schumer. “I was proud to lead the fight in Congress alongside musicians, venue owners, operators, and employees to pass the Save Our Stages Act bringing critical relief to thousands of workers in the music industry.”

Dr. Cassidy stated, “Music carried the spirits of the students at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music through to freedom. No matter where you are in the world — Kabul or New Orleans — music communicates resilience, passion and culture.”

Williams said, “I’m very grateful to be honored at this year’s Grammys on the Hill among some incredible other honorees who have done tremendous advocacy work for others. It’s important that we show up for each other and support one another to ensure that we can keep creating.”

Schumer and Cassidy are the congressional honorees being recognized for their support of creators. Together, they have championed key policies in support of music people, including co-sponsoring the Save Our Stages Act, which was included in the bipartisan COVID relief package passed in December 2020. As Senate Majority Leader, Schumer ensured essential pandemic relief was available to assist gig workers and small music businesses. Schumer also sponsored the resolution designating Aug. 11, 2021 as “Hip Hop Celebration Day” and the month of November 2021 as “Hip Hop History Month,” while Cassidy served as an original co-sponsor of the measure, which passed unanimously in the Senate. In 2018, Schumer and Cassidy were both co-sponsors of the historic Music Modernization Act. Cassidy, along with Schumer, also played a key role in efforts to help 272 young musicians, faculty and staff from the Afghanistan National Institute of Music escape Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and safely reach Qatar in 2021. Today, many of the institute’s activities have been re-established in Portugal, such as the Zohra Orchestra, Afghanistan’s first all-female orchestra.

Williams has demonstrated a strong commitment to protecting creators’ rights and to philanthropy, founding organizations such as Black Ambition and YELLOW, and working with former Virginia Governor Northam to make Juneteenth a paid state holiday. In addition to his 13 Grammy Awards and two Academy Award nominations, he received an Emmy nomination for his original song “Letter to My Godfather,” for Netflix’s “The Black Godfather” about legendary music executive Clarence Avant. In 2020, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The awards dinner and presentation will take place at the Hamilton Live in Washington, D.C., featuring live performances and special guests. The following day, April 27, the Recording Academy will host the annual Grammys on the Hill Advocacy Day, which brings musicians and music industry representatives to meet with lawmakers to discuss issues facing today’s music creators. This year, music creators will meet with Members of Congress to advance several key issues that the Academy and its members continue to advocate for, including:

•    The HITS Act, which would allow an artist or songwriter to fully expense the cost of new studio recordings on their taxes, up to $150,000.

•    The Restoring Artistic Protection Act, which would limit the use of lyrics and creative expression as evidence in court — a common practice that disproportionately affects the rap community.

•    Reform of the live event ticketing marketplace to better protect artists and fans.

•    The American Music Fairness Act, which establishes a performance right for artists on AM/FM radio.

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U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY),

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse‘s latest trailer featured a major reference to Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire‘s respective live-action web slingers. 

Spider-Verse 2 is set to introduce a plethora of new and returning web-heads on the big screen, but the question remains if notable Spider-Men who appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home will be given the spotlight in the animated film.

Sony Pictures has been teasing the inclusion of Holland, Garfield, and Maguire in the Spider-Verse movies, especially after the studio unveiled a parody poster featuring the trio alongside Miles Morales and the rest of his Spider gang.

Spider-Verse 2 Unveils MCU Connection

Sony Pictures officially released the new international trailer for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. 

The two-minute trailer showcased stunning action sequences, a major Easter egg tied to the MCU’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, and an incredible opening montage featuring Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men.

At the beginning of the trailer, snippets of footage from the live-action portrayals of Spider-Man were included. 

Spider-Man

The trailer began with a voiceover from Maguire’s Peter Parker from Spider-Man 2, with the Marvel hero telling Otto Octavius that doing what’s right sometimes requires us to give up what we want the most: 

“Sometimes to do what’s right, we have to give up the thing that we want the most.” 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man

It was then followed by Garfield’s Spider-Man reflecting on the enemies that he makes as New York’s friendly neighborhood hero: 

“Every day, I wake up knowing that the more people I try to save, the more enemies I will make.”

Tom Holland as Spider-Man
Spider-Man

The last exciting Easter egg was revealed when Tom Holland’s Spider-Man could be heard saying that it is his time to prove himself, which is a line taken from 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming: 

“This is my chance to prove myself.”

Meanwhile, at the 0:57 mark of the trailer, Miles Morales asks Miguel O’Hara (Spider-Man 2099) about potentially joining the “Spider-team.”

Spider-Verse
Miguel O’Hara

However, O’Hara turned him down while referencing the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, acknowledging the existence of Doctor Strange and the “little nerd” on Earth – 1999999.:

Miles: “What’s a guy gotta do to join this Spider-team?

Miguel: “You can never be part of this. And don’t even me get started on Doctor Strange and the little nerd back on Earth 199999.”

Watch the international trailer below:

Will Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield & Tom Holland Show Up in Spider-Verse 2?

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse‘s new reference to the live-action Spider-Men may hint that an appearance from them could finally happen in the upcoming sequel.

While seeing them would be exciting from an audience standpoint, a cameo from the three main Spider-Men could be too soon. 

Moreover, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, which is the third film in the franchise, would be the most appropriate project for Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire to appear in since it’s the trilogy’s capper.

Interestingly, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse producer Chris Miller confirmed an early plan to include cameos from Holland, Garfield, and Maguire in an “ambitious tag” from the first movie, but it didn’t happen. 

It’s possible that the trio could still appear in Across the Spider-Verse, but it could end up happening in its post-credits scene to set up the events of Beyond the Spider-Verse. 

Doing this would allow Miller to achieve his initial plan to bring back the main trio of web-slingers while also teasing what’s next for the Spider-Verse franchise.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is set to premiere in theaters on June 2.

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With Marvel’s Secret Invasion on the horizon later this summer, fans were treated to a new trailer and an even better look at what’s to come in the Disney+ series. The trailer is filled with action, intrigue, and plenty of paranoia, but could it also hint at a major Marvel villain secretly hiding within this Secret Invasion? Dan Casey’s Skrull impersonator dives in to break down this latest theory along with all the easter eggs, hidden details, and everything else you might have missed in the Secret Invasion trailer on today’s episode of Nerdist News! More Marvel News: https://nerdist.com/tags/marvel/Opens in new tab Watch more Nerdist News: http://bit.ly/1qvVVhVOpens in new tab Follow Us:
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With Marvel’s Secret Invasion on the horizon

If you’re a fan of Silent Hill, you likely have some feelings about James Sunderland, the protagonist of Silent Hill 2. And if those feelings are positive, you might want to grab a limited release statue of him before he’s gone forever.

For a Limited Time You Can Have Your Own Miniature James Sunderland

Few characters in Silent Hill are as iconic as James Sunderland, the wife-killer whose guilty consciousness gave birth to Pyramid Head. And for a limited time, he’s available as a 1/6 scale statue. That makes him 310 mm or 12.2 inches, for all you imperial users.

This statue is rendered in loving, hyper-realistic detail, which means you can really see the trauma in James’ eyes. James is also wielding the Wooden Plank, the first weapon he picks up at the start of the game, and there are plenty of Health Drinks at his feet.

For fans who prefer a more lethal weapon, James also has the option of wielding a Steel Pipe and a Revolver. It’s a shame they couldn’t add a pillow into the rotation, too.

Related: New Horror Game Post Trauma Could Give Silent Hill a Run for its Money

While many statues can be hit or miss, it’s hard not to admire the intense amount of detail that went into this one. The shadows and wrinkles of the clothing, the writing on the Health Drinks, and even the skin texture are all excellent.

And this quality is reflected in the price tag, which lists the statue (which can currently only be pre-ordered) at 42,000.00 Yen. In US Dollars, that’s $317.71. You can place your order here.

If you like the quality and Silent Hill 2 but would prefer a different character to display, Maria will be coming soon. Both James and Maria will fit together, so you can recreate their scene in Rosewater Park where they first met.

Fortunately, the James Sunderland statue seems to be having a much better launch than the Silent Hill vinyl that went on sale earlier this year. To read about that debacle, check out our article here: Konami’s Silent Hill Soundtrack Sale Has Nightmare Launch.

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If you’re a fan of Silent Hill,

UPDATED with addition of John Ratzenberger: The world premiere of FX’s Justified: City Primeval is among the events scheduled for Opening Night of Season 12 of the ATX TV Festival, which runs June 1-4 in Austin.

From showrunners/executive producers Dave Andron and Michael Dinner based on the novel City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit, the eight-part limited series picks up 15 years after U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) left the hollers of Kentucky in FX’s Justified. A conversation with creatives and cast will follow the screening.

Also slated for the fest’s opener are a Dawson’s Creek 25th Anniversary Screening and Conversation presented by Sony Pictures Television Studios. Confirmed panelists include Liz Tigelaar (Tiny Beautiful Things, Little Fires Everywhere), Rina Mimoun (Mistresses, Everwood), Gina Fattore (Dare Me, Parenthood), Anna Fricke (Walker, Being Human), Maggie Friedman (Firefly Lane, Witches of East End), and moderator Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries, The Originals), with additional panelists to be announced soon.

In celebration of “World Outlander Day” on June 1, Opening Day will feature a conversation with the cast & creatives of Outlander, including an exclusive first look Season 7, which returns to Starz on June 16. Confirmed panelists will be announced soon.

The line-up also includes a conversation with Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen and a panel with the women of The Good Doctor with co-showrunner/executive producer Liz Friedman, executive producer Erin Gunn, and cast members Christina Chang, Fiona Gubelmann, and Bria Samoné Henderson.

Also on tap: a screening for Amazon Freevee’s original comedy Primo and inside look at the streamer’s Jury Duty.

Additionally, Universal Studio Group returns to the fest with a panel conversation for Funny AF, with creator/showrunner/executive producer Shea Serrano (Primo), actor Joel Kim Booster (Loot), actor Jerrie Johnson (Harlem), and co-creator/showrunner/writer/executive producer Sam Means (Mulligan).  The festival will also feature the World Premiere of Season 2 of Everyone Is Doing Great, followed by a conversation with the creatives and cast. 

The festival’s Cheers 30th Anniversary Panel has also added John Ratzenberger, who will join fellow cast members Ted Danson and George Wendt, as well as co-creators James Burrows, Les Charles, and Glen Charles for the event. The retrospective conversation will reflect on the series’ decade-long run, its definitive place in TV history, and provide an insider look into the beloved show.

More information on programming and registration can be found here.

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UPDATED with addition of John Ratzenberger: The

Ariel is heading to China. 

Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid has locked down a release date in China on May 26, day-and-date with the film’s North American launch. 

Directed by Rob Marshall, The Little Mermaid stars Halle Bailey as Ariel and Melissa McCarthy as the villainous Ursula. Javier Bardem, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay and Jonah Hauer-King co-star in the film, which retells the 1989 animated classic’s tale of a mermaid who longs to join the human world. Oscar-winner Alan Menken returns to update his score and pen a new song featuring lyrics from Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Disney’s live-action remakes have tended to perform well in China, but they’ve been on a gradual downward trajectory in recent years. The Jungle Book earned $150 million in 2016, followed by Beauty and the Beast with $85.7 million in 2017, The Lion King (2019) with $120 million, Alladin (2019) with $53 million, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019) at $48.8 million, Mulan (2020) with $40 million and Cruella (2021) with $24 million. 

Upcoming Disney animated remakes include Snow White, starring Rachel Zegler and due out in March of 2024. Others in the works include Lilo & Stitch, as well as a Lion King prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King, from director Barry Jenkins.

Bailey, known as half of the R&B duo Chloe x Halle, was cast as The Little Mermaid‘s star in July 2019, with the film marking her biggest role to date after work including a part on Grown-ish. She will also be seen in the upcoming The Color Purple musical. In the U.S., the first full trailer promoting The Little Mermaid generated more than 108 million global views in its first 24 hours, making it one of the most watched trailers for any title in Disney’s stable of live-action reimaginings.

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Ariel is heading to China.  Disney’s live-action The

If you’re known to beg people to watch Perry Mason, “get to episode five” will become a frequent refrain. “Chapter Thirteen” is a leveling-up moment for the show, one that combines its disparate parts into a coherent, entertaining, and satisfying whole. Moreover, from the romances to the cross-examinations, “Chapter Thirteen” has a swagger about it, confidently moving from beat to beat with a sure-footedness honed over the last season. As Terence Blanchard’s thumping score send Perry, Della, and Paul from heaven to hell and back again, Perry Mason finally feels like itself, and it did it all in less than 58 minutes.

The episode opens with an intense and tightly shot prologue of the Gallardos breaking into the McCutcheon Stadium construction. Mateo, Rafael, and Sophia gaze upon the massive crater in wonder and horror: This used to be their home. The episode’s prologue recalls Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, particularly the scenes set around the construction of Lincoln Center and those salt houses, with cinematographer Janusz Kamiński pulling deep blacks and cool blues from the rubble. It’s an apt comparison thematically, too. Like West Side Story, Perry Mason sets in issues of gentrification and housing violence against a very human (and American) love affair that begins with wanting a better life. As they tour the ruins of their old life, Mateo proposes to Sophia, promising her, “We’ll have good memories again.”

The scene calls to mind what Ginny said last week, “No one tells you what was, only what can be.” It’s a turn of phrase encapsulated in the sign for McCutcheon Stadium: “Our future together. Our Los Angeles.” Brooks didn’t sell people on the racist displacement the Gallardos endured; he sold them on “tomorrow” via an empty stadium. Now, this bittersweet memory is Mateo’s only comfort as he turns over in his bed, the electricity that powered Sophia and Mateo’s love replaced by a dimly lit jail cell.

Nevertheless, romance is in the air this week. Perry awakens from a passionate night with Ginny Aimes on his disgusting apartment floor. Perry’s the happiest he’s been all season, free of the WWI PTSD, Dodson aftershocks, and, we guess, whatever’s going on with his son. (People have it hard on Perry Mason, but being Mason’s son is a ruthless and thankless job. In fact, at the risk of sounding hyperbolic, Perry’s paternal instincts are wrong.) But, right now, Perry’s in a good place. And to think, it’s only been 24 hours since that sex worker propositioned him for a 25-cent blowjob he paid 50 cents not to happen. But, of course, he also has to be at work in an hour and has no idea how to defend two brothers he knows are guilty. But what if—and stay with us, Perry—it’s a little more complicated than that.

Matthew Rhys, Peter Mendoza, and Fabrizio Guido

Matthew Rhys, Peter Mendoza, and Fabrizio Guido
Photo: Merrick Morton (HBO)

Della, who spent another night with Anita in much more cozy and sanitary digs, is finally stepping out of her boss’ shadow and becoming who she is. More importantly, we’re allowed to see her as a human being instead of a plot driver. Despite being divorced from its procedural roots, HBO’s Perry Mason doesn’t get much breathing room. The first season pushed additional shading to the edges of the show—unless, of course, it directly explained one of Perry’s many personality faults. However, the last five episodes have dolled character beats out judiciously, especially with Della and Anita. We’ve tracked their growth from the powder room to the boxing ring to Palm Springs as their relationship deepens. This episode gives them time to enjoy each other and fall in love. Proving that Della’s sexuality is more than lip service, episode writer Niko Gutierrez-Kovner takes us to a lesbian nightclub, where the couple can dance, feel free, and live their dang lives.

Unfortunately, despite the fresh start vibe of the episode, Perry’s first day in court is a quasi-disaster. Set to the dulcet tones of Fighting Frank Finnerty (John DiMaggio ), a conservative charlatan spewing his racist bile over the airwaves, the show settles into Mason’s big, impossible dive into a small pool of water—like the horse! But McCutcheon’s media war is already winning, with witnesses parroting Finerty and Lydell’s insults from the stand. In trying to plant seeds of doubt, Perry overplays his hand and irritates the bus driver who fingered the Gallardos. But Perry is getting wiser and more confident too. He knows “Mr. Maggot” isn’t a dig at the clients. It’s a dig at him. As long as they’re not attacking the characters of his clients, Perry is willing to be the town’s punching bag again.

Mark O’Brien

Mark O’Brien
Photo: Merick Morton

But they won’t get anywhere unless the Gallardos start telling the whole truth. Sophia reveals that the boys had a good reason for mowing down Brooks: money and revenge. Honestly, that’s the motivation for about 95-percent of television murders, but hey, it’s still as good a reason as any. At the prison, Rafael tells Perry how the police set fire to his home, killing his sister, and sending them to the shanty. Brooks or, more likely, Noreen Lawson’s brother leveraged the cops into breaking up the neighborhood to make room for the stadium. Perry seems to immediately understand why the Gallardos did what they did, holding his head in shame for even considering dropping the case. The Gallardos aren’t going to spill tears over Brooks McCutcheon, that’s for sure, and they deserve their day in court.

Paul is also trying to make amends with someone he didn’t mean to hurt: Perkins (Christopher Carrington), the loanshark Paul unwittingly put away by playing a useful idiot for Pete Strickland. But let’s take a moment to call out how great Chris Chalk is. Always a sturdy presence in the scene, Chalk gets a range of different modes this week. From arguing with his brother-in-law (Jon Chaffin) to finally facing Perkins, Chalk handles them with a smooth and steady disposition, never backing down when the conversation gets tense. All the while, he has Clara at home to even him out. Still, before Paul finds him in another blurred line between truth and justice, he has to meet with Noreen’s brother, Councilman Taylor, who drops several intriguing hints. He insists that his sister ended up in the home after a “car accident,” but she also used to work for Brooks, and the stadium is in his district. As fun as it was watching him put the heat on Taylor, it’s when he meets with Perkins that he gets in over his head. Like Perry with the bus driver, Paul gets too cocky and scares Perkins off in an attempt to cut a deal.

While the revelations come in fast and frequently, there’s still room for discovery in “Chapter Thirteen.” In particular, Perry walking us through the fingerprint discrepancy went a long way in pulling the audience back onto Perry’s side, reveling in his abilities. Stealing some moves from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Perry notices that the numbers on the photo negatives of Mateo’s fingerprints are backward. In court, he lays the evidence out so carefully and cogently that—more than with Perry’s first cross-examination, even—we’re hooked, on board, and ready for him to get what he’s driving at. Kudos to episode director Marialy Rivas, who trusts us to follow along without going so slow it feels pandering. Hamilton Burger is right: Mason’s craftier than you think.

Matthew Rhys

Matthew Rhys
Photo: Merrick Morton

Paul’s dealing with Perkins a few weeks back returns as he learns that the disgraced crime boss knows Ozzie Jackson (Terrence Hardy), who paid the Gallardos to take out Brooks. If Paul finds him, he can start working his way back to Brooks, but first, he has to make right with Perkins, who gives Paul an ultimatum: Beat the information out of Ozzie, or Perkins will cut Paul’s hand off. Like the Gallardos, Paul doesn’t have a choice. It’s more or less self-preservation at this point.

After returning home with Ozzie’s blood staining his hand, Paul crawls into bed with Clara and asks, “Am I good?” It’s a question these characters seem to be asking themselves constantly. Della, too, makes dubious decisions when Hazel (‘memba her?) reappears. Della’s been sneaking behind Hazel’s back and can’t even offer her the dignity of the truth. Perry’s rubbing off on her. Even Pete Strickland is put in a morally questionable situation, meeting with Milligan to give dirt on Perry. The episode ends on an ominous note. Perry comes home to discover his son’s train set running around a lit cigarette. Someone was just in his apartment. It probably wasn’t Ginny—and it definitely wasn’t his poor forgotten son. Perry’s making someone very powerful more nervous than ever.

Stray observations

  • Title Card Corner: This week’s titles were brought to us from Mateo Gallardo’s prison cell, with the letters remaining essentially behind bars. Not all of the letters, though. Some hope breaks through.
  • I can’t help but think that Ginny’s comment that Perry Mason has 58 minutes to solve the case is a joke about the Raymond Burr show. It’s a cute line that works more effectively than “No one ever confesses on the stand.”
  • When Mason turned the deal down, Justin Kirk’s face was pure dread. “He passed the bar after a night’s studying.” I cannot wait for Mason to nail Milligan’s ass.
  • The show’s interest in stadiums is very pointed, especially in Los Angeles, where the construction of Dodgers Stadium displaced thousands in the 1940s. Before the city built the stadium, the Mexican American communities of Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop, collectively called Chavez Ravine, thrived. In 1948, thanks to racist “urban renewal” initiatives, Chavez Ravine was dubbed the first “blighted” area in L.A. to be rebuilt. These were not slums but one of the few places in the city where non-white people could own homes. In 2021, Vox released a video about the displacement, explaining how the stadium ended up in Chavez Ravine. In one moment that feels particularly relevant to the episode, historian Priscilla Leiva describes the groundbreaking of the stadium “as though that ground had never been broken before.” Ginny’s philosophy also reflects the racist wrongdoings of Los Angeles.
  • One thing I loved about the fingerprint scene is that Perry isn’t terribly flashy with his questioning. He’s unassuming and so is the direction. As much as I loved Stephen Root’s full-throated, simple-country lawyering last season, this is a perfect example of how compelling presenting evidence can be. When the scene comes together with the numbers, it felt like watching a magic trick.
  • Part of me wishes that they had done more with Hazel this season. Honestly, before she showed up, I assumed they explained her away weeks ago, and I just missed it. Her absence and sudden dismissal signal they simply didn’t have space for her within the story, or maybe a hand model that always wears gloves was a little too quirky for this particular Mason. Plus, Anita St. Perre is such a good name.
  • Here’s a lesson for aspiring gumshoes: Your next clue is at the bottom of your drinking glass.
  • I know they spell their names differently, but Ozzie Jackson’s name is a reference to the Ozzy Osbourne song “Perry Mason.” No, we will not be taking questions at this time.

OZZY OSBOURNE – “Perry Mason” (Official Video)

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soft and quiet coming to netflix may 2023

Soft & Quiet – Picture: Blumhouse

One of 2022’s best-reviewed horror movies from Blumhouse will be on Netflix US from May 2023.

Written and directed by Beth de Araújo, the movie stars Stefanie Estes, Olivia Luccardi, Eleaonore Pienta, and Dana Millican.

Here’s the official synopsis for the movie:

“Taking place in real time, elementary school teacher Emily organizes a mixer of like-minded women, but an altercation between a woman from Emily’s past and the group leads to a volatile chain of events.”

The movie first debuted at SXSW back in March 2022 and was later released by Momentum Pictures (a subsidiary of Entertainment One) on November 4th, 2022. Until now, the movie has been primarily available on VOD platforms, but its Netflix debut, scheduled for May 1st, 2023, marks the first time it will be available on an SVOD service.

Only Netflix US is currently expected to receive Soft & Quiet in May 2023 but keep an eye on your Netflix app to see if it’s headed to Netflix in your country.

The movie received rave reviews from critics back at SXSW and ever since with the movie notably carrying a Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

DreadCentral gave the movie a 4.5 out of 5, concluding that from the “incredible performances to the tense long take that builds to an explosive finale, Soft & Quiet is a contender for the scariest movie of not just 2022, but of the 21st century.”


Blumhouse has worked with Netflix on several projects in the past but primarily works with ITV America on the unscripted side and Universal Pictures on the movie side but also released movies and series with a number of distributors and streaming platforms.

Netflix’s Blumhouse output in the past has included Hush (2016), Mr. Harrigan’s Phone (2022), and Family Blood (2018).

For more on what’s coming to Netflix in May 2023, keep it locked here on What’s on Netflix.

Will you check out Soft & Quiet when it arrives on Netflix US in May 2023? Let us know in the comments down below.

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Soft & Quiet – Picture: Blumhouse One of

AMC Theatres has reached a settlement on a shareholder lawsuit that sought to block a reverse stock split, clearing the way to convert the company’s preferred “APE” shares to common shares in an effort to boost capital.

In an SEC filing published Monday, AMC says that it will issue 6.9 million shares, or 4.4% of the company’s stock, to the plaintiff shareholders in exchange for the lawsuit being dropped. The number of shares was calculated based on a formula of one share of equity issued for every 7.5 shares held by the plaintiffs.

On March 14 in a special shareholder meeting, AMC received approval to convert the AMC Preferred Equity shares, or APE share, into common shares, resulting in those shares seeing a bump in their price while AMC’s stock took a hit, dropping to just over $4 per share.

Through the conversion, the number of common shares in AMC will rise from 526 million to 550 million, diluting the value of current investors’ holdings. It comes as AMC, which saw wild swings in its share price as it became a meme stock in 2021, is still dealing with nearly $6 billion in debt. Wedbush Securites projects that AMC’s revenue will increase as the box office continues to recover but does not foresee the theater chain turning a quarterly profit until 2024.

The news of the settlement has sent AMC’s stock down and the APE price up in after-hours trading, with the AMC shares dropping from $5.11 at the market’s close to $3.79 by later afternoon. APE shares rose from $1.48 at close to $1.80.

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‘The Voice’: Kelly Clarkson Teases Niall Horan About One Direction Not Winning ‘The X Factor’ | Entertainment Tonight
































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Want to learn film theory for video marketing?

You have landed on the right page.

The importance of video marketing in online business cannot be overemphasized.

Statistics are clear. A whopping 96% of marketers agree that video marketing helps to increase user understanding of their products and 87% say video helps them to drive more sales.

Image via Wyzowl

Further, 91% of marketers say video marketing helps them drive website traffic:

Image via Wyzowl

What’s more, 49% of marketers say video helps to boost audience engagement thus increasing website dwell time.

What’s more?

According to a survey report by Wave.video, 72% of small business owners say video marketing helps them increase brand awareness.

Image via Wave.video

This explains why top companies are investing in AI-text video-generators to create original and eye-catching videos.

But here is what you need to know about filming videos for marketing.

Video marketing isn’t a cut-and-dry.

To nail your video marketing, you need to get multiple elements right. 

Thus, it’s important to familiarize yourself with some film theory basics.

If you’re interested in understanding the film theory for video marketing, here are the essential elements that can enhance your visual experience.

1. Set Design

The set design is a vital element in the video production process.

The overall appearance of the set including the style, tone, and personality helps your audience understand the concept.

What’s more?

It also gives your viewers a good first impression of your brand.

Thus, whether you’re creating promotional, educational, or explainer videos, make your set distraction-free. Better yet, ensure the set design represents exactly what you want to achieve.

So, it’s good to consider what you want your audience to think of when they think of your brand.

Pro tip: To produce high-quality videos, we recommend using the best online video makers or maybe think about hiring a video editor.

2. Lighting 

Lighting should speak for your brand. Without good lighting, you cannot produce high-quality footage.

Granted, most devices can shoot a video. However, you need to backlight the subject. This will help to differentiate between the subject and its background.

Without proper lighting, your videos will be grainy and blurry, leading to poor-quality videos that aren’t engaging.

It will hinder you from achieving your video marketing goals.

Proper backlighting of the subject can help to set the mood and tone as well. In fact, most international movie producers leverage lighting to make their movies soft and romantic.

Here are a few things to get your lighting right:

  • Make the key light your primary source of light that illuminates directly on the subject.
  • Use the fill light as the secondary source of light to balance the key light.
  • Use the backlight as the background source of light.

There are many lighting equipment on the internet. You can also use the existing light sources you have to create a three-point lighting system.

Pro tip: You shouldn’t rely on overhead lights that you cannot dim or move. Use portable lights.

3. Space

This is the third and yet another essential element in film theory for video marketing. 

Here, you need to determine the main focus.

As your audience views your videos, where do you want them to focus their attention?

In this case, you need to establish what is called depth of field or focus. Case in point: When a B2B company Phonexa decided to create its ‘The Telephone’ commercial, the ad took place in a busy 19th-Century street as the company wanted to use humor to highlight the revolutionary way of communicating.

Depth of focus helps to demonstrate your space and makes the scene more interesting to your viewers.

4. Shot Composition

The way you frame the shot can make or break your video marketing goals. You need to determine what you want your viewers to see and where you want them to see it.

Here, you need to be guided by two main rules namely the Rule of Thirds and the 180-Degree Rule.

What is the Rule of Thirds for video?

The Rule of Thirds is a gold guideline that determines how you frame the elements in your film to make the final product more visually captivating.

It states that when filming, you should divide the frame into nine even pieces and three main thirds using a vertical and horizontal line.

The idea is to make the video more balanced rather than centered.

Typically, the Rule of Thirds helps to:

  • Leverage composition techniques that align with pleasing your viewers’ eyes.
  • Creatively use negative space.
  • Have a balance between the subject and background.

For instance, if you’re filming an educational video, the Rule of Thirds can give you room for any overlays you want to include in the main shot.

In this case, you can put your subject in either the right, center, or left frame.

Similarly, if you’re creating a video where you’re interviewing an industry expert, then ensure both of your close-ups are in opposite thirds.

This makes it easier for your viewers to follow when the camera switches back and forth and establishes a realistic eye line between you and the person you’re interviewing.

What is the 180 Degree Rule?

It’s the principle that dictates the space that should be between two people in a frame.

Image via Wikipedia

Here, you can create an invisible line that stands between two people. This could be you and the person you’re talking to or interviewing.

Under this rule, you can switch the camera between both of you but it shouldn’t get past the imaginary line or axis.

Videos that follow the 180 Degree Rule make it easy for viewers to follow the conversation without getting lost.

Ideally, this rule helps to maintain continuity to avoid distracting the viewer.

Conclusion

With more brands leveraging videos in their digital marketing campaigns and more customers preferring video to text-based content, there is no doubt, video marketing is the future of digital marketing.

Nonetheless, it’s essential to understand the film theory for video marketing to ensure you are nailing the visual components that determine how your brand is perceived by your target audience.

Utilizing all the elements mentioned above will help you produce high-quality videos, showcase your brand, and distinguish yourself from the competition.

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Want to learn film theory for video

Bloomberg — Dogecoin rose as much as 31% after Twitter users noticed their home buttons changed into the dog meme after which the cryptocurrency is named.

Some Twitter users began to find the home button in the top left corner of their web browsers — usually the company’s solid blue bird logo — replaced with a cartoon of the Shiba Inu that’s the face of the Doge meme at around 1:45 p.m. New York time.

Dogecoin rose to as high as 10.2 cents from around 7.7 cents after the change. Doge also began to trend on Twitter. The token gave up some gains to trade 8.6% higher at 11 a.m. in London.

The shift comes days after Twitter began making changes to its verification system. Some accounts with so-called legacy verification, like the New York Times, saw their check marks removed. Others have kept their checks with a note they were either Blue subscribers or legacy verified accounts.

Twitter didn’t respond to a question about the home button change. At 3:44 p.m. in New York, Twitter owner Elon Musk posted a photo of an earlier exchange in which a Twitter user urged him to change the bird logo to a doge. Musk tweeted: “As promised.”

Reuters reported on March 31 that Musk had asked a US judge to throw out a $258 billion racketeering lawsuit accusing him of running a pyramid scheme to support Dogecoin, citing a filing with Manhattan federal court.

— With assistance from Aisha Counts and Aysha Diallo.

More Must-Reads From TIME


Contact us at letters@time.com.

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Streaming video platform Roku is set to undergo another round of layoffs, the company disclosed in a securities filing Thursday morning.

Roku says that it will cut another 200 jobs, or about 6 percent of its workforce, in the coming days and weeks. These would be the second round of layoffs at Roku in about four months, with the company previously having cut about 200 jobs last November, citing economic conditions.

The company expects to take a $30 to $35 million charge associated with the layoffs, mostly tied to severance payments and related costs. Roku also says that it will “exit and sublease, or cease use of, certain office facilities that the Company does not currently occupy.”

It is not clear what offices that refers to; however, the company last year signed a significant deal to take over eight floors in a Times Square office tower, and also inked expansion deals in California and Chicago.

Roku says that the new cuts are meant “to lower the Company’s year-over-year operating expense growth and prioritize projects that the Company believes will have a higher return on investment.”

The cuts also come as the video advertising market remains challenged, with essentially all major tech and TV companies reporting slower ad spend, although a few have been hopeful that the ad market has hit bottom. Earlier this week Magna released its forecast, projecting 3.4 percent ad growth in 2023, lowering its previous forecast, but still expecting some growth this year.

Roku reported better than expected Q4 earnings last month, though its losses ballooned thanks to the slowing economy.

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Streaming video platform Roku is set to

AMC Theatres has reached a settlement on a shareholder lawsuit that sought to block a reverse stock split, clearing the way to convert the company’s preferred “APE” shares to common shares in an effort to boost capital.

In an SEC filing published Monday, AMC says that it will issue 6.9 million shares, or 4.4% of the company’s stock, to the plaintiff shareholders in exchange for the lawsuit being dropped. The number of shares was calculated based on a formula of one share of equity issued for every 7.5 shares held by the plaintiffs.

On March 14 in a special shareholder meeting, AMC received approval to convert the AMC Preferred Equity shares, or APE share, into common shares, resulting in those shares seeing a bump in their price while AMC’s stock took a hit, dropping to just over $4 per share.

Through the conversion, the number of common shares in AMC will rise from 526 million to 550 million, diluting the value of current investors’ holdings. It comes as AMC, which saw wild swings in its share price as it became a meme stock in 2021, is still dealing with nearly $6 billion in debt. Wedbush Securites projects that AMC’s revenue will increase as the box office continues to recover but does not foresee the theater chain turning a quarterly profit until 2024.

The news of the settlement has sent AMC’s stock down and the APE price up in after-hours trading, with the AMC shares dropping from $5.11 at the market’s close to $3.79 by later afternoon. APE shares rose from $1.48 at close to $1.80.

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Amy Schumer looked stunning at the SAG Screening of her comedy series Inside Amy Schumer in New York City on Monday.

The 41-year-old actress arrived at the event wearing a long black dress before she took the stage alongside entertainment writer Kevin Fallon to talk more about her show.

She opted for a long-sleeve dress with small multi-colored flowers covering it that cut off at her ankles and had a low V neckline.

The Trainwreck actress went for a unique statement piece for shoes and paired her dress with beige loafers that had chickens printed on them.

The beauty wore her blonde locks in a side part and was blown out to look straight with a slight wave at the end.

Screening time: Amy Schumer looked stunning at the SAG Screening of her comedy series Inside Amy Schumer

Screening time: Amy Schumer looked stunning at the SAG Screening of her comedy series Inside Amy Schumer

She also went with a natural makeup look that was complete with blush, black eyeliner, and light lipgloss.

Amy was joined at the event by Kevin Fallon, who is the editor of The Daily Beast’s Obsessed.

He is also co-president of the TV branch of the Critics Choice Association and a member of the Television Critics Association.

The writer posed next to the Life and Beth actress to take pictures, dressed in nice yet comfortable attire.

Kevin opted for a black v-neck shirt underneath an unbuttoned grey blazer and a pair of brown pants. He also had on grey sneakers.

The event, which took place at the Crosby Hotel, featured the Golden Globe-nominated actress on stage talking about her show.

Kevin also joined her for the conversation, which consisted of the pair sitting around a table and talking to the audience.

Amy’s show, Inside Amy Schumer, first premiered in 2013 and currently has made five seasons.

Beauty: The 41-year-old actress arrived at the event wearing a long black dress

Beauty: The 41-year-old actress arrived at the event wearing a long black dress

Pop of color: The Trainwreck star went for a unique statement piece for shoes and paired her dress with beige loafers that had chickens printed on them

Pop of color: The Trainwreck star went for a unique statement piece for shoes and paired her dress with beige loafers that had chickens printed on them

Soft smile: She opted for a long-sleeve dress with small multi-colored flowers covering it

Soft smile: She opted for a long-sleeve dress with small multi-colored flowers covering it

Pals: Amy was joined at the event by Kevin Fallon, who is the editor of The Daily Beast's Obsessed

Pals: Amy was joined at the event by Kevin Fallon, who is the editor of The Daily Beast’s Obsessed

Hanging out: Kevin opted for a black v-neck shirt underneath an unbuttoned grey blazer and a pair of brown pants

Hanging out: Kevin opted for a black v-neck shirt underneath an unbuttoned grey blazer and a pair of brown pants

Chatting: The beauty took to the stage to talk about her show

Chatting: The beauty took to the stage to talk about her show

On stage: She was joined by Kevin as they sat around a table in front of the audience

On stage: She was joined by Kevin as they sat around a table in front of the audience

According to the show’s page, it features ‘a mix of sketch and stand-up’ and ‘comedian Amy Schumer shares her sharp and funny insights on feminism, entertainment and modern life.’

From 2013 until 2016, the episodes were released on Comedy Central, but in 2022, when season five started airing, it moved to the streaming service Paramount+.

The show has won three Primetime Emmy Awards and has been nominated for 12.

It won twice in 2015 for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series and Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics and again in 2016 for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series.

Last month Amy made an appearance at the 75th Annual Writers Guild Awards, where she won the award for Comedy/Variety Sketch Series for Inside Amy Schumer.

The mother-of-one donned a sleek green pantsuit and was joined by her husband, Chris Fischer.

In October, the star opened up to People about being away from her three-year-old son Gene, who she shares with Chris, for work while promoting the new season of Inside.

‘I just want to be with him as much as I can,’ she explained to the outlet while at the NYC premiere of her sketch comedy series in 2022.

Star: Inside Amy Schumer first premiered in 2013 and currently has made five seasons

Star: Inside Amy Schumer first premiered in 2013 and currently has made five seasons

The look: Amy flashed a look out into the audience while she was talking

The look: Amy flashed a look out into the audience while she was talking 

Talking about the show: The show features 'a mix of sketch and stand-up' and 'comedian Amy Schumer shares her sharp and funny insights on feminism, entertainment and modern life'

Talking about the show: The show features ‘a mix of sketch and stand-up’ and ‘comedian Amy Schumer shares her sharp and funny insights on feminism, entertainment and modern life’

Good stuff: The show has won three Primetime Emmy Awards and has been nominated for 12

Good stuff: The show has won three Primetime Emmy Awards and has been nominated for 12

Emerald Queen: Last month Amy made an appearance at the 75th Annual Writers Guild Awards

Emerald Queen: Last month Amy made an appearance at the 75th Annual Writers Guild Awards

Winner: She won the award for Comedy/Variety Sketch Series for Inside Amy Schumer

Winner: She won the award for Comedy/Variety Sketch Series for Inside Amy Schumer

The blonde entertainer went on, ‘I’m very grateful to be able to work and have time for myself also. But it’s brutal. It hurts. I mean, like, there’s no way. It’s a painful thing.’

Schumer became a first-time mother with the birth of her son on May 5, 2019.

She originally named her baby boy Gene Attell Fischer, later swapping out his middle name with David.

‘I don’t worry about him being taken care of,’ she emphasized. ‘I just miss him. You just wanna physically be there. I really do think it’s harder for me than him.’

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Amy Schumer looked stunning at the SAG

11 Famous Women Filming Sex Scenes

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11 Famous Women Filming Sex Scenes

Star-Lord actor Chris Pratt just warmed MCU fans’ hearts with his comments on former co-star Aubrey Plaza‘s casting with Marvel Studios.

Last fall, Marvel Studios turned heads when Aubrey Plaza was announced for a role in the upcoming Disney+ series Agatha: Coven of Chaos.

While Plaza’s role is still a mystery, the actress expressed her utter joy at the opportunity to join the MCU, largely due to the fact that she gets to play alongside WandaVision‘s Kathryn Hahn.

Hahn herself has celebrated Agatha’s introduction while hyping up her own new solo series, but she’s far from the only MCU mainstay that has a pulse on Coven of Chaos.

Chris Pratt Addresses Aubrey Plaza’s MCU Debut

Aubrey Plaza, Agatha Coven of Chaos
Marvel

Speaking with Rolling Stone magazine, MCU veteran Chris Pratt celebrated Aubrey Plaza’s casting in the upcoming Disney+ series Agatha: Coven of Chaos.

Pratt and Plaza have a deep history with one another after portraying married couple Andy Dwyer and April Ludgate on NBC’s Parks & Recreation.

With those ties to Parks & Rec, Pratt called Plaza’s casting a “full circle” moment, highlighting how “unique and talented and special” Plaza is. He also looked back to her run on the Emmy-winning The White Lotus, teasing that she’ll show how well she fits into the MCU with her new role:

“That is full circle. I love that! She’s having such an amazing moment right now, which makes me really thrilled…She’s so unique and talented and special. It’s just great that the the rest of the world is waking up to that. She was awesome in ‘White Lotus,’ and ‘Emily the Criminal’ was great. And I think she’ll show that it’s perfect for her to be playing a witch in a coven for Marvel.”

Old Friends Reunited Under MCU Umbrella

With Chris Pratt now approaching a decade of experience in the MCU as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 looms on the horizon, it’s simply heartwarming to see him show this kind of support for someone he worked so closely with for six years.

Starring in almost every episode of Parks & Rec together, Pratt and Plaza developed a close bond with each other, with Pratt’s comments dialing up excitement for Coven of Chaos even further.

Marvel Studios stars are known to show out for other projects across the franchise, although this goes to a deeper level with Pratt and Plaza’s history on Parks & Rec.

And with plenty of mystery still in place about who Plaza is playing upon her MCU debut, seeing comments like this from Pratt should only reassure fans that Marvel made the right decision in casting the veteran comedy star.

Agatha: Coven of Chaos is currently filming, although its release date is currently unconfirmed. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will debut in theaters on May 5.

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Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman cameo in The Flash movie being cut is worse now than when it was first reported, as new details from the scene have come to light, and sounded excellent. Gadot’s role as Wonder Woman going forward is unclear. The actress originally was set to complete her trilogy as Diana Prince in a planned Wonder Woman 3; however, the movie fell apart as franchise director Patty Jenkins’ vision did not mesh well with that of the new DC management. Jenkins reportedly walked away after being asked to make changes to the story, and the movie was shelved.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAYSCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

The new DC management in question is the creative duo of James Gunn and Peter Safran. The two became the co-CEOs of the recently founded DC Studios, and are actively planning a reboot of the franchise. As most actors from the past DCEU currently await further instructions about whether they will continue to play their roles in the new DC Universe, Gadot’s DC future as Wonder Woman received a negative update. The actress’ cameo as the heroine in this year’s The Flash was reportedly cut, and new details from her scene have come to light, making the situation even worse than it already was.


Wonder Woman’s The Flash Movie Cameo Sounds Like A Key Batman Scene

Wonder Woman and Batman

New details from Wonder Woman’s The Flash cameo were recently revealed by DCEU Batman actor Ben Affleck. After having previously said that he had retired from playing Bruce Wayne, Affleck decided to return as the Dark Knight for a role in The Flash, and the actor revealed that he shot an interesting scene with Gadot’s Wonder Woman in the movie. According to Affleck, Wonder Woman was to save Batman using her Lasso of Truth, and the scene brought forward Affleck’s best performance as the character, as he believes.

The reason for why Affleck thought the Wonder Woman scene on The Flash was his best work as Batman comes from the magical properties of the Lasso of Truth. As the name suggests, the Lasso of Truth compels whoever is touching it to reveal their heart’s content, and for someone as closed off as Batman, that is bound to be a big moment. Affleck revealed that in the scene, “Batman divulges some of his real feelings about his life and his work,” and the moment made Affleck finally understand the character. If Gadot’s Wonder Woman cameo on The Flash gets cut, this important Affleck Batman moment will never be seen.

Wonder Woman’s Shazam! 2 Cameo Makes Her The Flash Absence Worse

Wonder Woman walking away from Billy and the Shazam family in Shazam Fury of the Gods

Gadot recently appeared as Wonder Woman is DC’s latest movie, Shazam! Fury of the Gods. The character had a dual role in the movie, first appearing without Gadot, with Billy Batson dreaming that he is on a date with Wonder Woman, only for the Wizard to project himself onto Wonder Woman’s face to warn the young hero of impending danger. The scene was hilarious, and it set up the moment Gadot would arrive as Diana later on in the film. Wonder Woman had an important role, reviving Shazam, and restoring the magic of the Wizard’s staff, plus a fun reference to Billy’s imaginary date.

Gadot’s Wonder Woman cameo in Shazam! Fury of the Gods was great, but it effectively makes her The Flash absence worse. The new movie brought Gadot back as Wonder Woman, giving her a big scene that teased a potential other meeting with Shazam in the future. Gadot returning as Wonder Woman in the Ezra Miller-led film would have continued that streak, as The Flash is the next DC movie to be released following Shazam! Fury of the Gods. However, with Wonder Woman’s cameo on The Flash reportedly being cut, Gadot’s scene as the character in the Shazam! sequel feels more like a waste, as it should go nowhere.

Wonder Woman’s The Flash Movie Cameo Might Have Been Gadot’s Last DC Appearance

The DCEU flashpoint movie wont affect Wonder Woman 3

With no clear future at DC, Gadot’s Wonder Woman cameo on The Flash might have been her last appearance as the character. If Wonder Woman is indeed absent from the movie, then Gadot’s last turn as the amazon will have been on Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which is less than optimal. The Shazam! sequel bombed at the box office. Gadot could have ended her time as Wonder Woman interacting with Affleck’s Batman on The Flash, a movie that is said to be among the best superhero offerings, but Gadot ending her Wonder Woman tenure on Shazam! Fury of the Gods, with not many people seeing it, would be tragic.

Key Release Dates

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Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman cameo in The

For our “Deals of the Week,” we found the tools you need to get your podcast off the ground.

Talk radio never died. It just evolved into the podcast.

But now, you don’t need a professional studio and expensive airtime to be heard. For better or for worse, everyone can do a podcast. That means we can hear the voices of everyday people all around the world. The bad news, we can hear the voices of everyday people all around the world.

If you’re one of those people, we found some essential tools you’ll need to get started. 

First off, you’ll need at least two microphones. The RØDE PodMic 2-Person Podcasting Microphone Kit is designed to be a cost-effective audio-capturing solution for podcasting, broadcasting, and content creation with two participants. It includes two RØDE PodMic dynamic podcasting microphones, two telescoping desktop stands, and two 10′ XLR cables to connect the mics to an audio interface or mixer.

These microphones are tailor-made for use with the RØDECaster Pro podcast production studio, which brings us to our next pick…

The RØDECaster Pro II was recently released, so the original version is on sale! The RØDECaster Pro integrates a mixer, sound effects player, phone tap for taking phone calls, recorder, and more in one box. This saves you the time and money of setting up the components independently. It also offers an internal recorder and a host of other podcast-friendly features, letting you produce and mix podcasts on the fly with up to four microphones, music, prerecorded segments, and remote guests on calls all going on at once.

The unit offers mix-minus functions over the TRRS, Bluetooth, and USB connections facilitating echo-free interviews via phone or app calls. 

However, if you want something a bit more versatile when connecting your mics to your computer, the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB Audio Interface is a solid choice. Not only can you use it to connect your microphones together, but it’s also suitable for voiceover work, music, and vocals. 

Being bus powered via USB Type-C connectivity, it can be used in any room or even remote locations, with your preferred DAW on a Mac/Windows computer or using an iPad Pro equipped with USB Type-C and a music-making app such as Garageband, Cubasis 2, Auria Pro, Ampify Launchpad, Ampify Groovebox, or Ampify Blocs Wave.

If you’re taking your pod on the go, this is a lightweight solution that won’t get in your way when traveling. 

Are they the right fit for you? Let us know what you think about these podcasting tools.     

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For our "Deals of the Week," we

EXCLUSIVE: It’s been nearly three decades since Michael Mann’s crime classic Heat hit theaters via Warner Bros, and it now feels like Mann and the studio are finally feeling more heat around the corner for a sequel. While rumors have been swirling for weeks, Deadline is hearing that Warner Bros is now in negotiations to come on to develop Heat 2, a sequel to the 1995 classic that Mann recently turned into a novel. The book, published in August, became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller.

On top of Warner Bros in talks to return, insiders add that Adam Driver, who recently starred in Mann’s Ferrari, is in discussions with Mann to play young Neil McCauley in the movie.

Warner Bros and reps for Mann had no comment.

Sources say WB is in negotiations to fund the development of the project, and that as of now no partner is involved. Arnon Milchan’s New Regency co-financed the first film and insiders add if and when the project is in a good place to move forward, they would be given an opportunity to co-finance. As of now, Mann is the guiding force moving this project forward and things are headed in the right direction for it to find a home.

Heat 2 was penned by Mann and Meg Gardiner and is not a novelization of Mann’s film, rather it tells the story of everything that happens before and after to the principal characters. The book jumps between two time periods, the first following Chris Shiherlis as he tries to evade the LAPD and Detective Vincent Hanna following the bank robbery gone bad and moves forward into new territory in the tri-border zone and Southeast Asia. The second storyline takes readers back to Chicago in 1988 when McCauley, Shiherlis and their high-line crew are taking scores on the West Coast, the U.S.-Mexico border, and in Chicago. At the same time, Hanna is cutting his teeth as a rising star in the Chicago police department chasing an ultraviolent gang of home invaders.

The fallout from McCauley’s scores and Hanna’s pursuit cause unexpected repercussions in a parallel narrative.

Since its publication in August when it became one of the year’s biggest publications, Mann hinted he ultimately wanted to adapt the novel into a theatrical movie. At the time, however, he was starting production on Ferrari with Driver and all of his focus was on that pic. Even though he is still deep into post-production on Ferrari, things started taking shape at the top the year for Heat 2 to be Mann’s next feature film, one he has been passionate about making for nearly three decades.

Since the top of the year, rumors have been swirling over what talent would either return or which new actors would take on younger version of these roles that have since become iconic. From Al Pacino returning to play Hanna in present times to Ana de Armas playing McCauley’s love interest in the 1988 timeline, there are many hoping to join, but Driver is the one we hear is firmly attached.

The original 1995 pic starred Pacino, Robert De Niro as McCauley and Val Kilmer as Shiherlis. While it was a solid hit, it has since become a revered crime classic with a global following, and this development is sure to get fans excited.

Mann is repped by CAA, and the book deal was brokered by The Story Factory.

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EXCLUSIVE: It’s been nearly three decades since

Raquel Leviss’ ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Fling Oliver Saunders Defends Her Over Tom Sandoval Affair | Entertainment Tonight
































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(Photo by: TBS)

Stan and his clan are back for more in the 18th season of the American Dad! TV show on TBS. As we all know, Nielsen ratings typically play a big role in determining whether a TV show like American Dad! is cancelled or renewed for season 19. Unfortunately, most of us do not live in Nielsen households. Because many viewers feel frustrated when their viewing habits and opinions aren’t considered, we invite you to rate all of the 18th season episodes of American Dad! here.

A TBS animated comedy series, the American Dad! TV show stars the voices of Seth MacFarlane, Wendy Schaal, Scott Grimes, Rachael MacFarlane, Jeff Fischer, Dee Bradley Baker, and Patrick Stewart. The story centers around super-patriotic CIA weapons expert Stan Smith (Seth MacFarlane) and his unorthodox family and housemates — blissfully unaware wife Francine (Schaal), geeky son Steve (Grimes), activist daughter Hayley (Rachael MacFarlane), son-in-law Jeff (Fischer), sassy space alien Roger (MacFarlane), and Klaus (Baker), an attention-starved goldfish with the brain of a German Olympic skier. Guests include Pete Davidson, Anjelica Houston, Jason Alexander, Jaleel White, Chris Sullivan, Ann Dowd, Amy Sedaris, Alan Tudyk, Alyson Hannigan, and Simon Helberg.

What do you think? Which season 18 episodes of the American Dad! series do you rate as excellent, terrible, or somewhere between? Are you glad the American Dad! series has already been renewed for a 19th season on TBS? Don’t forget to vote, and share your thoughts below.

Check out our status sheets to track new TV series pickups, renewals, and cancellations. You can find lists of cancelled shows here.

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(Photo by: TBS) Stan and his clan are

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is nearly here, and in case you weren’t excited already, this brand-new trailer should do the trick. Watch it above, wall crawlers.

As the team behind 2018’s Oscar-winning “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” have promised, this is going to be even crazier than that movie, featuring all new Spider-people (among them: Oscar Isaac’s Spider-Man 2099, Issa Rae’s Spider-Woman, Daniel Kaluuya’s Spider-Punk and Karan Soni’s Spider-Man India) and even more intricately imagined worlds. One of the coolest new aspects of this movie is the villain, The Spot (voiced by Jason Schwartzman), a character whose body is covered in inter-dimensional portals, which could seem very harmful (or potentially helpful) to characters traversing the vast and unique spider-verse.

Characters returning from the original film include Miles Morales (voiced again by Shameik Moore), Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson), with new characters like the Vulture (Jorma Taccone) and Gwen Stacy’s dad George Stacy (Shea Whigham). Plus, we are sure that we can expect plenty of surprises, with characters old and new entering the adventure.

The latest entry in the Spider-Verse franchise was directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson and “Soul” co-director Kemp Powers, and was written by David Callaham and Christopher Miller & Phil Lord (who also returned to produce). Animation for the sequel was handled by Sony Pictures Animation and their teammates at Sony Pictures Imageworks.

Initially, the sequel was dubbed “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Part One” (and you can still see a lot of pre-release merchandise that bears this title) but the “Part One” was quickly lobbed off and the third film, due next spring, was given a new title: “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.” (This also coincided with the film getting pushed back, it was initially scheduled for spring and then fall of 2022 before finally landing in summer 2023.)

There are several other projects in the Spider-Verse being developed, including an animated streaming series and a movie based around the female characters from the movies.

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is in theaters on June 2, 2023.

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“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is nearly here,

Harry Potter books
Photo: Alex Wong/Newsmakers

Warner Bros. Discovery spent last year erasing shows and movies from existence in a bid to somehow save money on taxes, but nobody should take that as some kind of indication that the company is completely creatively bankrupt and actively hates art. After all, according to Bloomberg, Warner Bros. Discovery is nearing a deal to make a “new online TV series based on Harry Potter”—as in adaptations of the books, not spin-off stories like Fantastic Beasts—for HBO Max. Nope, there’s absolutely nothing creatively bankrupt about that!

Variety adds that these talks are in a “preliminary state,” but Warner Bros. Discovery is planning to hold an event on April 12 to explain its plans for the future of HBO Max and Discovery+. Revealing the existence of a new Harry Potter adaptation would certainly be a Big Deal for something like that, especially if the company wants to assure investors that it has something in the works other than putting existing shows and movies in the garbage (this is also probably why that second Game Of Thrones prequel might happen).

The pitch for this new show would be that each season would cover one of the Harry Potter books, giving WBD years of content that nobody really has to think about or worry about. Why make a new show that you have to promote and develop and invest in when you can just do a thing that already worked once before? It’s almost a surprise that Warner Bros. Discovery hasn’t done this already.

The Variety story says that J.K. Rowling would “maintain a degree of creative involvement” with the new Harry Potter show, but “she would not serve as primary creator or showrunner.” So that’s the same sort of bullshit all of this Harry Potter stuff pulls, allowing her to continue making money off of it while everyone involved pretends to have their hands clean because she’s not literally in charge or running things day-to-day. (She does apparently need the money.) It’s gross and craven and insulting, which really does sum it up as the perfect Warner Bros. Discovery product.

None of this has been confirmed or acknowledged in any way by HBO Max or WBD, for the record, so it might not happen, but try to act surprised when it does.

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Harry Potter booksPhoto: Alex Wong/NewsmakersWarner Bros. Discovery

Ever since D.W. Griffith’s 1916 silent epic Intolerance, the silver screen has long held an obsession with ancient civilizations. As audiences, we love seeing history brought to life in front of our eyes, and the announcements of sequels to Ridley Scott’s 2000 epic Gladiator and the long-running Indiana Jones franchise show that this appetite is as strong as ever. What makes us so fascinated with centuries-old cultures and why is film such a fitting medium for telling these stories?

The Allure of Mythology and Religion in Ancient Cultures

Of course, this genre isn’t limited to film. Countless books have been written about ancient civilizations, from Robert Graves’ 1934 novel I, Claudius to the Asterix comics by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Many online games are also inspired by ancient civilizations, like the Fireblaze jackpot slot games by Paddy Power. Games like Pharoah’s Daughter invite the player to unlock the secrets of Ancient Egypt. These historical settings are likely a reason so many gamers love to play fireblaze games online. It would seem then that this fascination is an ingrained part of human culture, and is reflected in all art forms including cinema. Stories of ancient civilizations appeal to us for a number of reasons, one being our love of mythology.

Myths and legends can be found in every human culture, past and present. The “sword and sandal” subgenre of historical and/or mythological epics that flourished in the 1950s and 1960s was particularly influential on modern cinema.

Don Chaffey’s 1963 epic Jason and the Argonauts, for example, brought the Ancient Greek legend to life with groundbreaking special effects like the iconic skeleton warriors designed by stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen. With ancient mythology featuring fantastical creatures like dragons, minotaurs, and hydras, the visual aspect of the cinematic medium can make these stories particularly awe-inspiring.

Like mythology, religion is also a theme that has always been popular onscreen. Movies like Ben-Hur, Noah, The Passion of the Christ, and The Last Temptation of Christ have transfixed modern audiences by depicting the ancient origins of belief systems that many hold close to their hearts. Whether they treat their source material with reverence, new perspectives, or even humor (such as in Monty Python’s Life of Brian), movies exploring these themes usually make an impact.

Ancient vs. Modern Cultural Values Onscreen

Another area in which ancient civilizations are of interest is that of cultural values, and how they may differ from or closely resemble our own modern values. Movies like 300, Hero, and Gladiator explore ancient codes of honor, particularly for warriors and soldiers. In many ways, these diverge from our own cultural codes, and in other ways, we can see the origins of modern values in the civilizations depicted. Movies like Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, The Mummy, and Uncharted even show contemporary characters coming face-to-face with ancient cultures, and often unwittingly awakening centuries-old curses or creatures that threaten our modern way of life.

Our cultural fascinations with history, mythology, and our place in the world all contribute to the immense popularity of depicting ancient civilizations onscreen. The visual aspect of the cinematic medium also makes it ideal for bringing them to life.

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Ever since D.W. Griffith’s 1916 silent epic

At least one person was killed and 30 injured, many seriously, when a high-speed passenger train today ploughed into heavy construction equipment and derailed in the Netherlands.

Rescue teams were seen ferrying away the injured in pre-dawn darkness at the scene of the accident at Voorschoten, a village near The Hague. The accident happened around 3:25 a.m. (0125 GMT), the emergency services said.

The double-decker train was travelling between Amsterdam and The Hague and was carrying some 60 people when it derailed. 

At least 19 people with serious injuries were taken to hospital in a fleet of ambulances while others were treated on the spot, a fire department spokesperson said, adding that 11 injured people were being looked after at the homes of nearby residents. 

‘One person has died and at least 30 people have been injured. The seriously injured are being taken to hospital, while 11 are at homes of nearby residents,’ Hollands Midden emergency services said. ‘Specialists are working to secure the train.’

At least one person was killed and 30 injured, many seriously, when a high-speed passenger train today ploughed into heavy construction equipment and derailed in the Netherlands

Emergency services work on the site of a derailed train in Voorschoten, on April 4

Emergency services work on the site of a derailed train in Voorschoten, on April 4

The double decker train was travelling between Amsterdam and The Hague and was carrying some 60 people when it derailed

The double decker train was travelling between Amsterdam and The Hague and was carrying some 60 people when it derailed

Rescue teams were seen ferrying away the injured in pre-dawn darkness at the scene of the accident at Voorschoten, a village near The Hague

Rescue teams were seen ferrying away the injured in pre-dawn darkness at the scene of the accident at Voorschoten, a village near The Hague

The front carriage of the night train from Leiden city to The Hague derailed and ploughed into a field after the accident, while a second carriage flipped on its side.

One carriage was suspended over a small ditch with water and a third carriage remained upright, while a fourth caught fire, the ANP news agency said.

Several ambulances and a helicopter were deployed to take seriously injured passengers to hospital.

‘We heard a loud bang and suddenly the lights went out,’ an unidentified witness told the local Omroep West television news.

‘We couldn’t initially get out of the train because there was no electricity,’ said the man, who appeared in a state of shock.

‘Eventually we got after what felt like hours,’ the man added.

The cause of the accident was not immediately clear. Dutch media reported that there was a small construction crane on the tracks, but authorities did not immediately confirm that. 

The front carriage of the night train from Leiden city to The Hague derailed and ploughed into a field after the accident, while a second carriage flipped on its side

The front carriage of the night train from Leiden city to The Hague derailed and ploughed into a field after the accident, while a second carriage flipped on its side

One carriage was suspended over a small ditch with water and a third carriage remained upright, while a fourth caught fire, the ANP news agency said

One carriage was suspended over a small ditch with water and a third carriage remained upright, while a fourth caught fire, the ANP news agency said

A general view shows rescue operations underway following the derailment of a passenger train after it hit construction equipment on the track, in Voorschoten, Netherlands, on Tuesday

A general view shows rescue operations underway following the derailment of a passenger train after it hit construction equipment on the track, in Voorschoten, Netherlands, on Tuesday

Several ambulances and a helicopter were deployed to take seriously injured passengers to hospital

Several ambulances and a helicopter were deployed to take seriously injured passengers to hospital

Emergency services work on the site of a derailed train in Voorschoten, on April 4

Emergency services work on the site of a derailed train in Voorschoten, on April 4

A rescue team can be seen by the tracks after the train derailed in the early hours of the morning

A rescue team can be seen by the tracks after the train derailed in the early hours of the morning

Voorschoten Mayor Nadine Stemerdink described the shocking incident as 'an incredibly tragic incident'

Voorschoten Mayor Nadine Stemerdink described the shocking incident as ‘an incredibly tragic incident’

John Voppen, CEO of the rail network company Pro Rail, called the accident 'a black day for Dutch railways'

John Voppen, CEO of the rail network company Pro Rail, called the accident ‘a black day for Dutch railways’

Services on the busy link, used by trains running from Amsterdam to Brussels and Paris have been halted and will not resume until the afternoon, rail officials said.

‘This is an incredibly tragic accident,’ Voorschoten Mayor Nadine Stemerdink said. ‘We regret there was also a fatality. My thoughts go out to all the family and friends of those involved.’

John Voppen, CEO of the rail network company Pro Rail, called the accident ‘a black day for Dutch railways and said the cause was under investigation. 

The Netherland’s worst train disaster happened on January 8, 1962, when two passenger trains crashed at Harmelen, near the central city of Utrecht, killing 93 people and injuring 52 others.

That accident occurred in thick fog when a train driver missed a warning signal and the two trains hit head-on.

One person was killed and six others were injured when a train collided with a hydraulic crane in central Netherlands in 2016.

Another person died and 117 others were injured in a collision near Amsterdam in April 2012 with reports later saying a driver failed to respect a stop sign.

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At least one person was killed and

Industry analyst and notable iPhone leaker Ross Young suggests Apple is going to be holding back its LTPO display technology from several upcoming models for the next two years. 

You probably know LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) by its more user-friendly name ProMotion, which was first seen on the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.

All you need to about ProMotion is that it enables a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and can dynamically turn that rate down to 10Hz to save battery life. The feature found its way onto the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, both of which extended the refresh range down to 1Hz. You’ll notice the base models for the two lines don’t support ProMotion. We were hoping things would change with the iPhone 15; although looking at Young’s recent Tweet (opens in new tab), that may not be the case.

According to the post, the rumored iPhone 15 and subsequent iPhone 16 will continue to have LTPS (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) displays, which is the same type of OLED screen present on the iPhone 14. Basically, the screen quality will remain stagnant for base models until 2025 when the base and rumored iPhone 17 launches with ProMotion allowing it to catch up to five-year-old hardware. Additionally, every standard iPhone afterward will have the same tech. 

Display redesign

Aside from the screen, Young’s Tweet does reveal some pretty interesting tidbits. The long-awaited Under Panel Face ID is set to launch on the rumored iPhone 17 Pro complete with a small pin-sized hole for the selfie camera. Recently, Ross Young stated development for Under Panel Face ID hit a roadblock due to some sensor issues and it wouldn’t launch until 2025. Beyond that, the rumored iPhone 19 Pro in 2027 may have an “under panel camera” meaning there will no visible selfie lens.

The iPhone 15 may also be the first standard model to ditch the camera notch, according to Young’s information, instead opting for the Dynamic Island’s pill-like design. All the way in 2027, the base iPhone 19 is slated to have the same Under Panel Face ID tech mentioned earlier with the tiny lens.

Room for improvement

Be mindful that this is all leaked information and should be taken with a grain of salt. Things could always change at the last minute. There’s a chance the iPhone 15 will have ProMotion. 

However, assuming Young is correct (given his track record, he probably is), this is really disappointing news. The standard iPhone 14 certainly has a nice screen with decent power behind it, but there’s room for improvement. It’s not very good at running video games. The iPhone 14 display is, as our Senior Mobile Editor Alex Walker-Todd put it, “just too slow; both for relaying user inputs and [tracking] moving threats or goal on-screen”. With the Pro models, it’s a different story, but then you’ll have to spend nearly $1000 on a phone.

Speaking of video games, be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of the best gaming phones for 2023. Spoiler alert: the iPhone 14 Pro Max is on there. 

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Industry analyst and notable iPhone leaker Ross