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Did Joel Make the Right Choice? | THE LAST OF US Finale Breakdown

The first season of The Last of Us came to a bloody and heartbreaking end as Joel and Ellie finally reach the Firefly base. However, things aren’t as they seem as Joel is forced to make a difficult choice that will effect not only his relationship with Ellie, but the fate of humanity. Hector heads out of the QZ one last time to break down The Last of Us season finale and Joel’s shocking decision on today’s episode of Nerdist News! More Last of Us News: https://nerdist.com/topic/television/Opens in new tab Watch more Nerdist News: http://bit.ly/1qvVVhVOpens in new tab Follow Us:
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March 14, 2023

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The first season of The Last of

Comics

An NHL Broadcast Will Look Like A Video Game Tonight, And A Chicken Will Drop The Puck

The March 14 match-up between the NHL’s Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers will be broadcast in a new way that’s never been seen before in the history of the NHL, and it’ll look like a video game. ESPN, Disney, and the NHL have partnered for a new type of broadcast, which is a real hockey game but recreated inside a virtual stadium with 3D animated characters based on the Disney animated series Big City Greens.

How does it work? Player- and puck-tracking data will beam from the site of the game, Madison Square Garden, to create this new type of broadcast that aims to help grow the appeal of the NHL. Check out the video below to get a sneak peek at what the broadcast will look like, including a 3D chicken as a referee.

In addition to actual players like Alexander Ovechkin of the Capitals and Patrick Kane of the Rangers getting turned into 3D animated player models, the ice will be populated with Big City Greens characters. Gramma Alice and her son Bill will play the goalies, while Cricket Green will become a player on the Rangers and Tilly Green will play a Capitals skater.

ESPN’s real human commentators Drew Carter and Kevin Weekes will wear motion-capture suits, with their avatars appearing during the broadcast as 3D characters. The referee will be a chicken. He will drop the puck, fly away, and then magically appear for the next faceoff.

The Big City Greens Classic, as it’s called, will air March 14 at 7 PM ET on ESPN+, Disney Channel, Disney XD, and Disney+. If this all sounds too weird and overwhelming, the traditional broadcast will air normally on ESPN and ESPN+.

Check out ESPN’s in-depth story about the Big City Greens Classic to see how it all came together.

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
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March 14, 2023

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Festivals

‘Plastic Killer’ Director Jose Pozo to Shoot ‘Unusual Cowboys’ in U.S.

Jose Pozo, director of the celebrated Spanish short “Plastic Killer,” is traveling to the Western U.S. for his next feature film, “Unusual Cowboys,” which he plans to shoot this year.

The story follows Milton, a peaceful rancher and occasional musician who loses his daughter in a traffic accident. Her death has a further tragic impact on Milton’s life, leading him to sell his ranch and travel to Montana in search of Caleb, the man who failed to help his daughter in the accident.

It’s a film about two men who in other circumstances could have been good friends. Although separated by terrible circumstances, they share a common passion: Music.

Pozo is set to shoot the film later this year in Lockhart, Texas, and Butte, Montana, with additional sequences planned in Colorado and Wyoming.

The project garnered recognition in the 2020 Big Break Screenwriting Contest, where it landed in the top five in the drama category.

Producing the film are Roger Corbi and Yan Fisher-Romanovsky of FishCorb Films and David Ortiz of Arlong Productions along with Pozo, who is associate producing via his Andorra-based Imminent Produccions.

The feature follows his award-winning short “Plastic Killer,” a black comedy about a troubled woman in Madrid, which premiered last year at the Medina Film Festival in Spain and went on to screen in Malaga. It was one of four Spanish works shortlisted for this year’s live-action short film Oscar.

The film stars Laura Gómez-Lacueva as Amparo, who lives in an abandoned haberdashery with Carmela, a plastic bag that she believes to be her daughter. When a neighbor suffers a mysterious mishap, Amparo becomes a suspect. José Mota and Elisabet Terri also star.

For Pozo, who wrote and directed the film based on an idea by Rafael De Mateo, making “Plastic Killer” was a welcomed return to the director’s chair.

“I have spent most of the last few years as a producer, basically for other directors’ projects,” Pozo told Variety. “I had the need to shoot as an auteur, and although I had previously directed four feature films, I wanted to shoot something powerful, different from everything I had done before.”

Pozo came across the story idea and found inspiration in the concept itself. “I immediately imagined the universe that could be created through it: The woman living alone with the plastic bag, a true reflection of the loneliness in which many people are forced to survive without affection; the hypocritical ecologist who makes her life impossible for going shopping with a polyethylene bag, but then uses all kinds of plastic accessories; the inspector with rare diseases, which hinder his insight.

“All this told in the key of black comedy, where the situations are the ones that generate humor, but the interpretations are solid and dramatic. For me, this is the key to its success.”

In skewering the hypocrisy of some environmentalists, Pozo is also holding up a mirror to society.

“I believe that in this matter we humans act with hypocrisy in general. Most of us try to be at peace with this otherwise very necessary environmental movement. We recycle whenever we can, and we don’t throw anything on the ground that could end up in our rivers or our seas. But for some reason millions of metric tons end up littering them, and plastics don’t walk on their own; it takes human interaction.

“This is the message of ‘Plastic Killer.’ The problem is not the generation of plastics, it’s the misuse by humans.”

“Plastic Killer” was produced by Imminent Produccions and Arlong Productions.

Having also directed animated features, such as the Goya-winning “El Cid: La Leyenda” (2003) and “Donkey Xote” (2007), Pozo has another animated project in the works but is currently focusing on live-action.

Working on narrative features, he added, is much more personal than animation: it offers “tangible contact with actors and film crews, where you can transmit and interact more effectively. I feel more comfortable with this.”

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March 14, 2023

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Jose Pozo, director of the celebrated Spanish

Film

Watch Clip From ‘Vintersaga,’ Documentary Premiering at CPH:DOX. – Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: Maybe it’s the cold. Or the relatively few hours of daylight in wintertime. Or perhaps a genetic predisposition. Whatever the case, Sweden and melancholia have become synonymous over time, a national trait explored so memorably in cinema by Ingmar Bergman and in other artforms, like sculpture. Marie-Louise Ekman’s 1,300-pound iron statue called “The Swedish Melancholy,” on display in the city of Linköping, depicts a man in sweater and cap crying actual tears (well, rivulets supplied through internal water pipes).

Sweden’s essential melancholy is explored anew in the artform of documentary film, in Vintersaga, which makes its world premiere this Sunday at the CPH:DOX festival in Copenhagen, Denmark. Carl Olsson directed the documentary, which features dozens of characters who embody, in one way or another, the Swedish soul. We have your first look at the film in the clip above.

“Capturing contemporary Sweden in its diversity and its contradictions,” the film’s logline states, “Vintersaga uses 24 meticulously framed scenes from the country’s walks of life to create a bitter-sweet and richly detailed panorama of the country’s melancholy soul, organized around the verses of Swedish musician and artist Ted Ström’s eponymous song from 1984.”

Ginestra Film

Vintersaga is produced by Ginestra Film/Antonio Russo Merenda in co-production with Film iVäst/Kristina Börjeson & Jenny Luukkonen, Filmpool Nord/Katja Härkönen, Final Cut forReal/Anne Köhncke.

“Apart from being a somewhat self-defining part of Scandinavian mentality, melancholy is a multifaceted term as it embraces feelings that are in fact contradictory,” Olsson notes in a director’s statement. “There is sadness, but also a kind of romantic beauty. A memory of a deceased friend can be painful, but at the same time we do not want to let it go. Melancholy as a concept has complexity enough to generate diverse interpretations, which makes it interesting to work with in an artistic context.”

Olsson continues, “Even though Vintersaga is portraying parts of the lives of its 55 participants, it is to me a very personal film. The scenes and situations of the film are inspired by my own experience growing up in Sweden. Just like the characters in the film, I have also been freezing on rainy football fields, had deep conversations on the balcony at home parties or, in lack of places to go, hung out in underpasses in the suburbs. So with the help of their own lives, the participants have been helping me to create my personal and subjective portrait of my home country.”

Vintersaga is an acquisition title out of CPH:DOX, with international sales being handled by CAT&Docs. The film is directed by Olsson directs and produced by Antonio Russo Merenda. Cinematography is by Mathias Døcker; the editor is Sofie Steenberger. The original score is by Ted Ström (composer of the 1984 title song), Albin Ström & Johan Ström. The film’s poster image comes from a painting by Ted Ström.

In the exclusive clip above, a couple of bakery workers take a break outside their workplace. One of them says quietly, “Nobody cares about me and I don’t care about them. I’ve explained and explained, but no one tries to understand.” How’s that for melancholy?

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March 14, 2023

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EXCLUSIVE: Maybe it’s the cold. Or the

NEW GIRL: L-R: Zooey Deschanel and Jake Johnson in "The Curse of the Pirate Bride," the first part of the special one-hour series finale episode of NEW GIRL airing Tuesday, May 15 (9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2018 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Ray Mickshaw/FOX

Jake Johnson: ‘New Girl’ Couple Nick and Jess Are Still Together

“I don’t think Nick or Jess would ever fall out of the commitment to do this thing together,” Johnson said during 2023 SXSW.

Jake Johnson is vowing that there is no new unexpected ending to “New Girl.”

The heartwarming finale that saw Johnson’s Nick end up with Jess, played by Zooey Deschanel, would still stand if there was ever a reunion or revival, Johnson said during a 2023 SXSW panel. The “Self Reliance” director noted that Nick and Jess would not break up since fans last saw the characters in 2018.

“I think they would definitely make it work. I don’t think they would break up,” Johnson said. “They have a kid, they’re jumping around on that bed, you guys know it way more than me. I don’t think Nick or Jess would ever fall out of the commitment to do this thing together.”

He continued, “Liz Merriweather has created a very optimistic show, it’s people who are sweet to each other. So if it’s real and they’re alive, they’re all still together. They’re just a little fatter, besides Schmidt, the hair is a little thinner besides Schmidt…If we did a reunion, Schmidt needs to be in a toupee.”

Schmidt was portrayed by Max Greenfield on the FOX sitcom that co-starred Lamorne Morris and Hannah Simone. The series was nominated for five Emmy Awards between 2011 and 2018, and was streaming on Netflix from 2013 to 2023. “New Girl” will be moving to Hulu and Peacock starting April 17.

Johnson elsewhere in his SXSW keynote discussion Monday said that he was thrilled and surprised to see that new generations of audiences have discovered “New Girl” on streaming well after it aired, mentioning that while loads of people watched the show’s pilot and followed it for its first two seasons, many audiences fell off as it continued. Yet Johnson pointed out that viewers who are only age 19 are responding even stronger to a show that’s now been off the air for five years.

But he also joked that part of the reason he wanted to make his directorial debut “Self Reliance,” a movie rather than a show, is because he wanted to truly engage audiences rather than have it just be something they watch and consume in the background.

“‘Hey, I love “New Girl,” I go, ‘Thanks,’” Johnson said of interacting with fans. “‘Yeah, it’s the best, I can do my laundry, I have you on in the background,’” he sarcastically added of audiences describing binging the series in the background. “‘You’re just a voice in our house in the background, always.’ ‘Thanks, nice to see you guys.’”

While Jess and Nick are a beloved rom-com couple that have gotten a happy ending, they’re apparently one of the few.

“The Devil Wears Prada” screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna revealed that if the film were to have a follow-up, Anne Hathaway’s iconic character Andy Sachs would “definitely not” still be dating Adrian Grenier’s unsupportive chef Nate.

“Andy and Nate are definitely not together,” Brosh McKenna said earlier this year. “That much I can tell you.”

The “Your Place or Mine” director noted that the “27 Dresses” couple portrayed by James Marsden and Katherine Heigl would most likely go their separate ways as well.

“I, controversially, am not sure that Jane and Kevin from ’27 Dresses’ are still married. Just a thought,” she told Variety. “I mean, there was a lot of romantic idealization — I don’t really feel like they got the chance to know each other. That was a big ass wedding. I’m concerned.”

Reporting by Brian Welk.

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March 14, 2023

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"I don’t think Nick or Jess would

What to Watch

Is ‘Bert Kreischer: Razzle Dazzle’ on Netflix UK? Where to Watch the Documentary

Great news! “Bert Kreischer: Razzle Dazzle” is available to watch on Netflix UK!

Date Added: 14th March 2023

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

Want to keep forever? Try looking for ‘Bert Kreischer: Razzle Dazzle’ on Amazon (paid link)

Description:

Shameless — and shirtless — as ever, Bert spills on bodily emissions, being bullied by his kids and the explosive end to his family’s escape room outing.

Certificate: Suitable for ages 15 and up

Year: 2023

Duration: 1hr 1m

Audio: English – Audio Description, English [Original]

Subtitles: Arabic, English, French, Polish, Ukrainian, Traditional Chinese

English Audio Description Available – English Audio Description

Cast and Crew

Director: Jeff Tomsic

Cast: Bert Kreischer

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March 14, 2023

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Awards

2023 Oscars Diversity: First Asian Best Actress is Marginal Progress

With historic wins like Best Actress, Asian film artists made a lot of progress at the 2023 Oscars, but there is still much work to do to keep the Academy Awards more inclusive.

To have a film centered on a Chinese American family, and more specifically the conflict between an immigrant mother and her queer daughter, win the Oscar for Best Picture is undeniably a sign of progress in the movement to get the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize more art that comes from people from marginalized backgrounds.

On Sunday night, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” made Academy Awards history on multiple fronts, most of all with lead Michelle Yeoh becoming the first Asian woman to ever win Best Actress. Her victory ended a 21 year streak of all white winners since African American actress Halle Berry became the first woman of color to win the award in 2002. Similarly, her co-star Ke Huy Quan became the second Asian man to win Best Supporting Actor, nearly 40 years after “The Killing Fields” star Haing S. Ngor became the first.

It is important to highlight the huge gaps of time between those wins, because it helps illustrate why “Everything Everywhere All at Once” co-director Dan Kwan and producer Jonathan Wang’s Best Picture win are notable in juxtaposition. Receiving the Oscar alongside their creative partner Daniel Scheinert (who also won Best Director and Best Original Screenplay Oscars with Kwan) made them the third set of Asian producers to ever win the Oscar. The first were Bong Joon-ho and Kwak Sin-ae winning for “Parasite” three years ago. The second was Chloé Zhao in 2021.

Those pushing for more diversity at the Oscars are not infatuated by all the firsts in the major categories. 95 years into an awards show it should not be a novelty for a group of people that encompass nearly 12 percent of the population in Los Angeles to win on Hollywood’s biggest night. The actual result that critics of the Academy are after is a world where people from marginalized backgrounds are given equitable consideration in every category, and that those particular nominees would not have to feel the odds so strongly stacked against them winning. Those achievements in quick succession provide some hope that minority producers will be firmly in the mix for the biggest award of the night for many more Oscars to come, rather than be excluded for decades at a time.

Adding to what was a banner night for Asian talent is “The Elephant Whisperers” winning Best Documentary Short, making the director Kartiki Gonsalves and producer Guneet Monga the first Indian filmmakers to ever receive a competitive Oscar. Their fellow countrymen M. M. Keeravani and Chandrabose also became the second-ever Indian winners for Best Original Song, for “Naatu Naatu” from Tollywood phenomenon “RRR.”

Elsewhere, the fact that Ruth E. Carter, the first Black person to win the Oscar for Best Costume Design, became the first Black woman to win two Oscars (both for her work on the “Black Panther” films) come as a surprise when one thinks of stars like Whoopi Goldberg and Viola Davis, who have become staples at the Oscars.

Overall, there is still so much more room for the Oscars to grow into a more inclusive awards show. For example, a Latina still has never won Best Actress. But the last win to highlight, that shows how talent from marginalized backgrounds still have room to make Oscar history not tied to their identity, is Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro receiving an Oscar for his 2022 stop-motion animated musical “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” and therefore becoming the first person ever to win Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Animated Feature.

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March 14, 2023

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With historic wins like Best Actress, Asian

Docs

7 Secrets to Smart Location Scouting

Everyone knows writing and acting are two significant parts of success when producing a movie. However, the sets and locations can make all the difference for a viewer.

How do filmmakers pick their sites? They send scouts to locations worldwide and gauge where the best places are for their films. Use this guide for seven secrets in smart location scouting.

1. Consider the Film

The first step in location scouting is to consider the type of film you’re producing. Use the script to determine the right filming sites. Plots based on past centuries will be much harder to plan for, especially when going back several decades or centuries.

For example, finding architecture that authentically resembles the Renaissance can get quite tricky. Often, location scouts have to get creative when searching for film locations.

2. Be Logical

Whatever location you need, you’ll want to be logical with your choice. For example, scouts should choose rural areas relatively close to a city for the convenience of the cast and crew. Establish a central hub for everybody working on the set and keep all filming sites near this location for everybody’s ease.

Plus, making a film can be unpredictable. A cast member may have an injury or you miss the limited time available for filming. Pick sites that are logical for filming. The cast and crew are already working long days — you don’t want to work them any harder than necessary. Filmmakers should also account for transporting actors and equipment to and from filming locations.

3. Research the Area

Once you’ve decided on a location, it’s time to research. Scouts should leave no stone unturned when researching — it may be necessary to exhaust multiple options in the surrounding area. You don’t have to stick with the first location you find. Providing several choices is wise to ensure the crew gets the best shots possible.

For example, say you need a garden scene, and you select Philadelphia as the location. The City of Brotherly Love has numerous gardens throughout the metropolitan area. Bartram’s Garden would be an excellent filming location, but other sites like the Nemours Mansion and Longwood Gardens may make more sense for the movie.

4. Visit the Location

Research is vital for film scouting, but someone will need to visit the location to gauge the land accurately. Pictures can help you see the landscape, but the photographs may be old. Seeing the site in person provides a 3D view and sparks ideas for filming. Sometimes, the preferred location isn’t what you thought it would be, requiring the team to use a backup plan.

When a scout visits the location, they should take detailed notes of everything. In movies, the tiny details are significant, so be vigilant of every nook and cranny in a building and outdoor setting. It’s also wise to check out the filming site throughout the day. It may look adequate with the morning light, but how does that change when it’s the afternoon and closer to sunset? The lighting can positively or negatively affect the scenes filmed in this location.

5. Utilize Public Records

After finding the best locations for a movie, filmmakers need to acquire permission from the property owner before they can set up shop and start filming. You’ll also likely need a permit from the city or state you’re filming in. To figure out the permit process or who the crew needs to contact to get permission, look to public records.

In the U.S., many states have databases to show who owns what properties. The details can be complicated, with different companies holding various buildings in an area. Filmmakers can use the internet to find the information they need. For example, Miami-Dade County in Florida allows you to research properties, see ownership and assessments and more.

6. Scout for Other Movies

When scouting for a movie, your mind is likely laser-focused on the film you’re producing. Scouted locations might not work out for this film, but don’t disregard them forever. Keep every contact you acquire in a file because you never know when you’ll need it later.

Even if it’s a business card from a bar, keep it handy for future films. You or a friend in the industry may need the location later.

7. Remember, Less Is More

Independent films often have a tight budget, meaning every dollar matters regarding production. Filmmakers may have ideas for numerous scenes shot in various locations, but it can be significantly easier to select one site to shoot most of your settings.

Remember that less is more in the film industry. The best option for your budget is to film all the scenes in one location, especially if your movie requires international travel for the crew.

Scouting Locations for an Independent Film

The scenery can make or break a movie. Films like “Lawrence of Arabia” and “The Lord of the Rings” are renowned for their beautiful location shots.

If you’re producing an independent film, location scouting is one of the most critical parts of developing the movie. You’ll need to be creative and logical to consider the needs of your film, cast and crew.

Oscar Collins is the editor-in-chief at Modded. He’s passionate about films, filming techniques and the finer details of filmmaking. Follow him on Twitter @TModded for frequent updates on his work!

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March 14, 2023

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Everyone knows writing and acting are two

Global

Canadians uninterested in King Charles’ coronation, British monarchy, survey suggests

New polling results suggest Canadians are largely indifferent to King Charles, and more than half believe his May 6 coronation is the right time for the country to reconsider its ties with the monarchy.

The web survey of 1,544 adults released Tuesday by market research firm Leger indicates many Canadians are greeting the ascension of Charles to the throne with a shrug.

Only 12 per cent of respondents said it was good news that Charles is now King, compared to 14 per cent who said it was bad news and 67 per cent who were indifferent.

Only 13 per cent of those surveyed said they felt a personal attachment to the monarchy, compared with 81 per cent who didn’t.

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The survey found the level of attachment to the monarchy has dropped since the days immediately following Queen Elizabeth’s death last September, when 19 per cent said they felt an attachment and 77 per cent said they didn’t. Indifference to Charles has also risen in the same period.

A majority of respondents said it’s the right time for Canada to reconsider its ties with the monarchy, with 56 per cent in favour and 44 against.

Anti-monarchy sentiment was strongest in Quebec, where 71 per cent said it was time to reconsider ties.

Indifference to Charles’ ascension to the throne spanned all age groups and regions of the country, although the new monarch was viewed more favourably in Manitoba and Saskatchewan and among Canadians aged 55 and older. Once again, the lowest level of positive reviews was in Quebec, where only seven per cent agreed it was a good thing that Charles is King.

King Charles’ coronation will take place May 6 at Westminster Abbey and will be marked by a procession, a concert at Windsor Castle and other events.

While 44 per cent of respondents said they were aware of the event, 73 per cent said they weren’t interested. Twenty-seven per cent of respondents expressed interest, but only six per cent said they were very interested.

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Sixty per cent of respondents said they were not going to watch television or video coverage, compared to 17 per cent who said they would and 23 per cent who weren’t sure.

Polling was done between March 10 and March 12. A margin of error can’t be assigned to the survey because it was conducted online and not at random, but Leger says the margin of error for a comparable random, or probability, sampling would be 2.49 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Click to play video: 'King Charles marks Commonwealth Day for 1st time as monarch, ‘draws great strength’ from late queen'

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King Charles marks Commonwealth Day for 1st time as monarch, ‘draws great strength’ from late queen

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March 14, 2023

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New polling results suggest Canadians are largely

Tech

We may know everything about the Google Pixel 7a before it’s even been announced

The Google Pixel 7a might have been fully leaked, several weeks before Google is expected to officially announce the phone.

While the company has yet to confirm that it’s working on a follow-up to the Google Pixel 6a and continue its Pixel a line of phones – a line that’s more budget-friendly and less technically impressive than the flagship Google Pixel line – multiple signs suggest that it’s working on a Pixel 7a. Specs for the rumored phone were teased back in November last year, with more details and images leaking a few days ago.

Now, more leaks have surfaced, with an individual claiming to have got their hands on a developer unit of the Pixel 7a (via Zing News (opens in new tab)). Based on these leaks the device appears to be a fusion of the Pixel 6a and Pixel 7. The Pixel 7’s iconic metal camera bar makes a return, but the cameras themselves are different, with the 50MP main camera replaced by a 12MP one. The leaked phone also appears to have a 6.1-inch 90Hz display and lacks a headphone jack.

Most of these details track with what others have claimed are details of the device, except for the dual 12MP camera setup – previous leaks had suggested we’d see the 50MP camera upgraded to a 64MP snapper, though admittedly that seemed unlikely; budget-friendly handsets typically don’t surpass the same brand’s flagships, especially not their cameras.

An image said to show the Google Pixel 7a shared by Zing News (Image credit: Zing News)

Leakier than a sieve

We should always take leaks with a pinch of salt – and as convincing as the leaks here look there’s always a chance they’re part of an elaborate hoax – but leaks of this nature are nothing new for the Google Pixel line of phones.

The Google Pixel 7 had its specs leaked well ahead of its launch, and Google Pixel 6a promo images gave us a great look at the device’s upcoming hardware and software before it hit shelves too. The Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 5 were both spoiled by leaks, and the Google Pixel 4 was spotted in the wild before it could be announced too.

As such, it wouldn’t be surprising if this Google Pixel 7a leak turns out to be completely real, it would certainly be par for the course. As always we’ll have to wait and see what Google unveils for the phone, with an announcement expected for Google I/O 2023 in May based on the timing of previous Pixel announcements.

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March 14, 2023

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The Google Pixel 7a might have been

Video

‘The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster’ – SXSW Studio – Deadline

THE ANGRY BLACK GIRL AND HER MONSTER

Section: Visions

Director: Bomani J. Story

Screenwriter: Bomani J. Story

Logline: Vicaria is a brilliant teenager who believes death is a disease that can be cured. After the brutal and sudden murder of her brother, she embarks on a dangerous journey to bring him back to life. Inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster thematically challenges our ideas of life and death. Bomani J. Story, the film’s writer and director, crafts a thrilling tale about a family that, despite the terrors of systemic pressure, will survive and be reborn again.

Sales Agent: CAA

Panelists: Bomani J. Story, Laya DeLeon Hayes, Chad L. Coleman, Denzel Whitaker

Premiered: March 11, 2023

Key Quote: Hayes: “To be a 17-year-old Black actress, at the time I was 17, you don’t get many characters that are as layered as [Vicaria] is. I mean, we don’t even see Frankenstein from the eyes and perspective of a young Black girl. The first time I read the breakdown for the character, I was already excited.”

The Deadline Studio at SXSW runs March 10-13, where the cast and creatives behind the best and buzziest titles in this year’s lineup sit down with Deadline’s festival team to discuss their movies and the paths they took to get to Austin, Texas.

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March 14, 2023

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THE ANGRY BLACK GIRL AND HER MONSTER Section: Visions Director: Bomani

Entertaintment

How an Experiential Stunt in Finland Challenged Lobbying Norms and Sparked National Debate

Lobbying typically gets a bad rap, conjuring images of backdoor deals corrupting politicians with money. But over in Finland, a creative agency challenged these norms with an unusual lobbying campaign using experiential marketing.

Unlike many lobbing efforts that happen behind closed doors, the campaign for Finnish retail giant S Group garnered national media attention and galvanized supporters and critics across the country. It was created by United Imaginations, an agency founded last year by three former TBWA\Helsinki executives.

The context is this: Finland’s pharmacy market is one of the strictest and monopolized in the European Union. Medicines, including cold medicines or painkillers, are only allowed to be sold at privately-owned community pharmacies.

S-Group, Finland’s largest retail chain, is lobbying for a system akin to other European countries, where medicines could be sold in retail chains, supermarkets and via online pharmacies (while still under the supervision of professional pharmacists). The retailer said in a statement that it “wants Finnish consumers to benefit from more affordable medicines, better opening hours and new pharmacy services.”

Using experiential techniques

To challenge the status quo, S Group enlisted United Imaginations, which decided to bring this debate to the public. The agency built a model pharmacy in the heart of Finnish capital Helsinki.

In the prototype pharmacy, people can browse the shelves and experience first-hand a different way of accessing medicines–thus drawing their own conclusions about whether to change the system.

“S Group wanted to rethink what lobbying could be in a modern society open to debate and new perspectives,” said Jyrki Poutanen, creative director and founding member of United Imaginations. “No hiding behind gimmicky messages, no hush-hush about their purpose. They wanted to be completely open about their role in the conversation.”

Visitors could browse the prototype pharmacy and decide for themselves whether the country needed itUnited Imaginations

The campaign took a turn when a critic noticed a typo on a package of fake vitamin D, which used the incorrect unit of micrograms instead of milligrams. The error sparked a debate in Finnish media, with the opposition arguing that supermarkets had no right to sell any type of medicine.

But that mistake, which was then fixed, ended up bringing more visibility to the campaign. The model pharmacy became headline news in Finland and started a national conversation about having a more open and competitive pharmacy market.

March 14, 2023

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Lobbying typically gets a bad rap, conjuring

Movies

Even Tiger Shroff’s Gravity-defying Stunts Couldn’t Save the Film

Last Updated: March 07, 2020, 13:16 IST

Baaghi 3

Cast: Tiger Shroff, Shraddha Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh

Director: Ahmed Khan

Ahmed Khan is back with Baaghi 3, an action drama with two brothers Ronnie (Tiger Shroff) and Vikram (Riteish Deshmukh) in the mix. As it turns out, Ronnie, the younger one is a tough guy while the elder brother Vikram, a bit of a wimpy kid. Fittingly they are sons to an upright cop (Jackie Shroff), who dies while in action in the line of duty. No surprise then that Ronnie is the one entrusted with the task of looking after Vikram by their father. In a clever twist, the Vikram joins the police force with a little help from his brother Ronnie. Their escapades together of mostly roughing up the baddies gets Vikram the honours for a while but eventually lands him in hot water.

Baaghi 3 is an adaptation of Tamil film Vettai starring R. Madhavan and Arya. The story is a hark back to old- fashioned style Hindi cinema, but Khan and producer Sajid Nadiadwala pack it with twists that attempt bringing a hint of freshness into the tried and tested format.

However, a foreign locale, bone-crunching scenes one after another, and piling up choppers instead of cars do not make an entertaining film. Farhad Samji’s script lacks the balance of emotion and action required in an overarching formula that the film rests on. Outlandish feats that sometimes delight, do not come to the rescue in this one. That Ronnie is a one-man army who even in Syria–where he has never set foot before until he reaches there to rescue his brother– can accomplish what America, Russia, and Israel have failed to do, feels over the top! After a point the one-sided antics of our hero beating an army of terrorists lead by their mastermind Abu Jalal (Jameel Khoury), prove tedious and tiring.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjRgIQNpVGE/default.jpg

Tiger Shroff, as always is sincere and terrific when it comes to the action scenes, but now after a number of hits under his belt, he needs to raise the bar a few notches on the histrionics as well. Riteish Deshmukh lands the smaller part and clearly, one, which is vastly underwritten. Given his comic flair, giving Deshmukh a meatier role would have certainly made the film a lot more enjoyable. War, Tiger Shroff’s most recent outing in which he teamed up with Hrithik Roshan is a good example of combining two actors effectively in an action story. Baaghi 3, despite its entertaining source material, fails to do that.

Sharddha Kapoor and Ankita Lokhande too have precious little to do besides playing cheerleaders and assistants to the men in question. Jaideep Ahlawat and Vijay Varma in the supporting cast suffer the same fate.

Director Ahmed Khan obviously has a talent for helming big actioners, but Baaghi 3 certainly does not qualify as his best. That being said, this is a film obviously aimed at the single screen audience and given Tiger Shroff’s loyal following, it may just work the box-office numbers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjRgIQNpVGE/default.jpg

It’s a pity that despite its gravity-defying stunts and impressive firepower, Baaghi 3, the third edition of a successful franchise ends not in a bang but a whimper.

Rating: 2/5

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March 14, 2023

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Last Updated: March 07, 2020, 13:16 ISTBaaghi

Pauly Shore is ready for his own Hollywood comeback

The Weasel is ready for his own Hollywood comeback.

This year’s Oscars was marked by being the year of the comeback. Brendan Fraser won the lead actor category for his role in “The Whale” after years away from the spotlight. And Ke Huy Quan, who was a child star, returned to Hollywood after a 20-year hiatus, winning the Oscar for his supporting role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

The two acted alongside each other in the 1992 comedy “Encino Man,” and Jimmy Kimmel pointed out that fun Hollywood fact in his opening monologue at the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday night.

“Two actors from ‘Encino Man’ are nominated for Oscars,” Kimmel said. “What an incredible night this must be for the two of you, and what a difficult night it must be for Pauly Shore.”

Well, Pauly Shore, who also starred in “Encino Man,” was watching — the stand-up comedian had been publicly rooting for his old co-stars in the week leading up to the big event — and he had a few things to say about being the butt of an Oscars joke.

“We love to hate people when they’re on top. People wanted to smash me down and they did,” Shore, 55, told Page Six. “I was always nice to everyone, always cool, I put my heart into all my films.

“You’re buying and selling a human being,” he added of working in the entertainment industry. “Human beings have feelings, it’s not like selling real estate.”

Before the ceremony, Shore posted old shots of Fraser and Quan on Instagram with encouraging captions, “So very proud of Brendan Fraser and @KeHuyQuan Truly truly happy. Must be an amazing feeling to be knighted with @TheAcademy pixie dust. I’ll be rooting for both of you guys big time. Your old buddy, Stoney Brown from Encino Man, Pauly Shore,” he wrote. “Love you both, and knock ‘em dead this Sunday night.”

The ’90s comedy star best known for “Jury Duty,” “Bio-Dome” and, of course, “Encino Man,” told Page Six that he was happy for his old buddies. But he also opened up about how sitting on the sidelines can be bittersweet.

“I do truly miss acting and I miss being on set … hopefully it happens. … [I]t’s about just dreaming and hoping,” he said. “People are always like, ‘We want you back!’”

Shore is hoping for his chance to surprise audiences with something they haven’t seen from him. And waiting for the call that will allow him to do so.

“The directors and producers are the ones with the vision. Someone out there will say, ‘You know what, we’re going to do something you wouldn’t expect — we’ll put Pauly in this role that no one would expect,’” Shore said. “That’s where my heart is.

“I am not going to stop,” he continued. “I’m going to keep going. I know I’m going to get that call, and get that opportunity. That’s what’s it about.”

On Monday, Shore posted a video clip of Kimmel’s monolgue on Instagram with the caption, “I don’t know if you guys saw the Oscars last night, but @jimmykimmel poked fun at me in the monologue. If you haven’t checked it out, watch this clip. Very funny — I really loved it. But what I REALLY loved is that my old buddies from back in the day, Brendan Fraser and @KeHuyQuan, took home the Oscars. What a story. I mean really guys, what a f— story.

“If we can all learn something from this, never quit on your dreams. Keep dreaming, work hard, and put in the time, and if your stars line up and you’re in the entertainment business, one day Hollywood will hit you in the head with the pixie dust like it did for Brendan and Ke.”

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March 14, 2023

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The Weasel is ready for his own

MCU

Maintenance on March 27th, 2021 completed – Feedly Blog

Hello everyone,

We are planning a scheduled downtime Saturday (March 27th) at 10:00am.

We are polishing the infrastructure for an important new beta launch in April.

You can follow live updates on Twitter: https://twitter.com/feedly

The maintenance was successfully completed at 5:00pm.

Thank you for your patience.

Update Log:

Update at 10:15am: The maintenance started.

Update at 12:15pm: The team has made good progress. All the components we want to upgrade/reboot have been upgraded. We need a bit more time to finalize our network tests before we can restore the service. Thank you for your patience. We should be able to give you an ETA in 30min.

Update at 12:45pm: The team needs a bit more time to replicate some data. Thank you for your patience. We should be able to give you an ETA in 60min.

Update at 2:45pm: The data has been replicated. The team is running some tests to make sure that all the content is consistent. As soon as this operation is complete, we should have an ETA. Next update in 60-90min. Thanks for your patience.

Update at 4:15pm: Thanks for your patience everyone! We are making sure that everything is working correctly before we get the app back online. We have done 90% of the tests. One of them is taking longer than we expected but the team is making good progress. More very soon.

Update at 4:45pm: Thanks again for your patience. The service is back online. A big thank you to the DevOps team for pulling off this major upgrade. Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy reading!

-Seb, Oliv, Kireet, David, and Edwin

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March 14, 2023

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Hello everyone, We are planning a scheduled

DCU

Gotham Knights Breaks The Oldest Batman Rule With The Joker

Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for the Gotham Knights premiere.The pilot episode of Gotham Knights confirms that the Batman of this reality broke his classic rule and killed The Joker. This continues a trend in recent Batman adaptations, where the Dark Knight’s use of lethal force is meant to set it apart from more traditional interpretations. In the case of Gotham Knights, however, it also serves to increase the tension between two of its lead characters.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

The Gotham Knights show is set on an Earth quite different from the classic Gotham City, where Bruce Wayne adopted a boy named Turner Hayes after the violent deaths of Turner’s parents. Turner is shocked by the revelation that Bruce Wayne was Batman, after his father is found dead wearing Batman’s cowl. Despite this, Turner is accused of masterminding the crime after the GCPD discover his bank account was used to pay the accused killers. This leads to Turner being arrested and confined with the teenagers accused of Bruce Wayne’s murder, and his discovery that one of them might have a motive for killing Batman beyond money.

Batman Killed The Joker In Gotham Knights

One of Batman’s accused killers is Duela Doe, who is believed to be The Joker’s daughter. Born in Arkham Asylum, Duela was said to have been in and out of juvenile court throughout her young life. District Attorney Harvey Dent quickly seized upon the idea that Duela might have gone after Bruce Wayne to avenge her father, suggesting that The Joker was killed in a confrontation with Batman. Duela later confirmed that Batman killed the Joker in a conversation with Turner Hayes, but laughed off the idea that she’d try to avenge him, claiming that “Papa J ditched me and my mom in Arkham before my first tooth came in.”

Why So Many Adaptations Have Batman Kill Joker

Batman almost kills Joker in the comics.

Gotham Knights is not the first live-action Batman adaptation to have Batman kill The Joker. Luke Fox explained how the Arrowverse Batman killed Joker to Kate Kane in the Batwoman season 1 episode 17,”A Narrow Escape,” noting that the GCPD pretended he was still imprisoned in Arkham Asylum. Batman also killed Joker in Titans’ season 3 premiere, in response to the Clown Prince of Crime murdering Jason Todd’s Robin. The reason for this repetition is that Batman is so famous for his code against killing in the comics that showing him break his one rule is a quick (if lazy) way to raise the stakes in any Batman adaptation.

Confirming that Batman killed The Joker is also a good way to eliminate any possibility of the character showing up later. While this is unlikely to happen in Gotham Knights given the character rights are tied up in the upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux, the question of if The Joker would show up in Batwoman or Titans arose repeatedly until the series shut down the idea. This is for the best, as there seems little point in bringing out the Clown Prince of Crime without a Dark Knight to oppose him.

Gotham Knights airs Tuesdays on The CW.

More: Gotham Knight’s Riskiest Batman Plot Actually Copies The Dark Knight Rises

Key Release Dates

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March 14, 2023

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Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for the

How to Get and Use Carrot Seeds in Valheim

Comics

Valheim Patch 0.214.2 Patch Notes – March 13th 2023

Valheim just got a new update and Prima Games is here to deliver information on what’s new for all of our readers who love to play Valheim.

Time for another patch with a chunky assortment of fixes! Several bugs have been corrected (both coding bugs and Seeker behaviors) and some Quality of Life improvements have been made, along with some performance optimizations. We have also added a “save” button, so you no longer have to worry about when your last autosave might have been.

Full Patch Notes for Valheim 0.214.2

Without further ado, here’s the official release from the Valheim developer team.

Abbreviated Patch Notes:

Various fixes for the Mistlands
Various menu and UI improvements
Added manual save button
Various performance optimizations
Localisation improvements

Detailed Patch Notes:

Gameplay & Balance:

Mistlands giant helmet and the sword will now properly drop both iron and copper scrap as intended
Seeker soldier and ticks should now respawn correctly in dungeons, and ticks starred ticks chance increased from 10% to 20% as intended.

Fixes & Improvements:

Added Munin to Ribcage locations in Mistlands
Added saving icon to HUD and delayed the “bad connection icon” when saving
All game texts have been optimized for better clarity and performance
Reworked button prompts to a new visual style, added some missing buttons, etc.
Key hints are now displayed in a horizontal line rather than a vertical list and visible in all needed contexts
Kicked players get a proper message
Menu selection markers should now be displayed correctly in all languages
Fixed several focus loss scenarios when using a gamepad
Haldor’s lines are now translated correctly
The build menu has been widened to avoid overlapping other interface items
D-Pad should now be usable in all menus
Controller and keyboard usage of menus improved
Skills menu should now work correctly with a gamepad and show tooltips correctly
Mistlands boss should no longer escape her room during rare occasions (changes have been made to how ownership of objects work when transferred to another player; specifically checking the positions)
Fixed a bug that caused projectiles to sometimes miss even though it obviously should have connected
The durability bar on items in the inventory and action bar is now only visible if the item has been damaged
Fixed a visual bug that showed servers that were being pinged as offline
Thatch roof i-corner 45o can now support itself and will protect underlying beams from rain properly
Thatch & dark wood rooftop 26o middle beam point fixed

Quality of Life:

Added alternative controller layout and changed the layout to be more readable. Build snapping is a toggle in the alternative layout, and has an icon when active
Added manual save button to the pause menu that displays last save time
Crafting menus and quick-use bar now have cycling navigation when using the gamepad
You can now use the sticks to move to and from a container inventory from the player inventory directly rather than changing the menu focus
Crafting station is now focused when opening a crafting station
Language can now be changed without restarting the game
If a server is unjoinable for version mismatch or other restrictions this will be shown when attempting to join a game from the server list immediately rather than having to wait for the game to load

Performance:

The performance of distant mountain shadows greatly increased and added a setting to turn off distant shadows completely. (This may increase performance significantly for players with older graphic cards)
Performance increased while in dungeons
Performance improved when using many map pins
Performance improved while using the inventory with many items
Network stability and performance improvements for crossplay
Improved cloud save performance on the Microsoft Store version.
Memory optimizations for textures and fonts

See you soon at Prima Games! Feel free to explore our Valheim tag for more guides about the game. Check out our Valheim Food Tier List!

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March 14, 2023

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Valheim just got a new update and

Festivals

Score Big Savings with These 3 Camera, Audio, and Lighting Bundles

Buying just one piece of gear is only the first step. For our “Deals of the Week,” we found three bundles to get you running instead of walking.

Finding a good bundle on sale can be the difference between getting a camera and being ready to shoot a full production. But finding the right collection of gear can be a challenge.

For our “Deals of the Week,” we found three options from the trifecta: image, audio, and lighting. These bundles will cover everything a production will need. We also have a really cool honorable mention from the Pacific Northwest.

The BMPCC 6K Pro is one of the best cameras on the market. Not because it has the best image of them all, but because of how affordable it is for what you get. You get BRAW, internal NDs, gyro data, and a 6K Super 35 sensor.

This kit pairs the BMPCC 6K Pro with a Sigma 18-35mm zoom lens, the BMPCC battery grip, the BMPCC 6K EVF, a mini-shotgun mic, a 500GB Angelbird AtomX SSDmini, a USB 3.1 to 2.5″ SATA III adapter cable, a 512GB CFast 2.0 card, a total of three L-Series type batteries, a dual charger, and a doctor’s-style bag to carry everything.

There’s also an external monitor for when you really need to rig things out.

Your image is only as good as your audio. What’s the rule of thumb? Good audio can save bad video, but no amount of good video can save bad audio. This is where Audio-Technica comes in with the Location Recording Kit. Put this in the hands of an experienced boom operator, and you’ll get amazing audio to sweeten in post-production.

This kit is designed as a complete microphone setup for location recording in budget film work and broadcasting, electronic news gathering (ENG), and field production applications.

It features the Audio-Technica AT875R short shotgun microphone, a furry windshield, a universal shoe/pole shock mount, a pistol grip, an aluminum cabled boom pole, a boom pole bag, and short and long right-angled XLR cables to provide everything necessary for capturing crisp audio.

Finally, the one thing we need to complete our trifecta is lighting. For this week’s deals, we chose a tube light set. Tube lights are great because of their versatility. They can be used as practical lights in your composition, or as tools to light your scene.

The kit contains two Nanlite PavoTube II 30X tube lights with AC adapters, mounting clips, and a bag for storage and transport.

Each tube light outputs up to 746 lux at 3.3′ (5600K) and offers professional color, control, and power features to make it a valuable asset for anyone. It has an expansive CCT color range of 2700 to 12,000K to handle any ambient light situation or match other fixtures and full spectrum RGB that gives you access to millions of colors and hues to fit your requirements.

For our honorable mention, we return back to cameras for this Ultimate Bundle from Moment. This kit is minimalist but gives you all the tools you’ll need to get shooting portraiture, wildlife, or street videography. Perfect for content creators on the go, this kit comes with the incredible Fujifilm X-H2s, and a choice between the XF 70-300mm F4-5.6 R LM OIS WR Lens or the XF 56mm F1.2 R Lens. All this is paired with the Moment CineBloom Diffusion Filter in the strength of your choice, a solid camera bag, and a new camera strap. We had the chance to test the X-H2s when it was first announced, and the combination of the sensor, internal ProRes, and Fuji’s signature film emulations, made this camera an absolute dream for hybrid shooters.

Which these bundles do you want as part of your kit? Maybe you want all four? Let us know in the comments!

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March 14, 2023

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Buying just one piece of gear is