MultiChoice, NBCUniversal and Sky have set a new partnership to bring content and technology to streaming customers across MultiChoice’s 50-market footprint in sub-Saharan Africa. MultiChoice launched Showmax as the first African streaming service in 2015 and via the deal announced today, the new Showmax group, which will be 70% owned by MultiChoice and 30% by NBCU, will build on Showmax’s success to date and aim to create the leading streaming service in Africa. It will be powered by Peacock’s technology and combine MultiChoice’s accelerating investment in local productions with international content licensed from NBCU and Sky, as well as third party content from HBO, Warner Bros International, Sony and others, and include live English Premier League football. Launch details about the new Showmax service will be announced at a later date.
Marcelo Ebrard/Twitter
The federal government of Mexico has struck a deal with the major Hollywood studios to form a working group focused on growing the film industry in the country, promoting new investment and jobs. A key objective is to attract more productions to Mexico. Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard along with 50 mayors and 17 economic development secretaries from 22 Mexican states met with representatives of Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros and the MPA in Los Angeles on Monday and agreed to launch a working group to translate the interest of the studios into the production of new films and series in Mexico. “This means more than a million jobs, more or less, in Mexico,” said Ebrard. It was also agreed to add film industry-related issues to the High-level Economic Dialogue agenda between Mexico and the U.S., which will facilitate coordination between the two countries in terms of promoting expansion in the audiovisual sector. The creative industries currently contribute 54B pesos ($3B) directly and 42B pesos ($2.3B) indirectly to the Mexican economy on an annual basis.
Integramos Grupo de Trabajo con Netflix,Paramount,HBO, Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros, NBC Universal y la Motion Picture Association con 50 alcaldes,17 Estados de la República y SRE . Más producciones, más empleos y bienestar en México. Gracias !! pic.twitter.com/UMMQbeHfmW
Journalists at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation are due to stage a walkout next week, the first protected industrial action in 17 years, according toThe Guardian. This is the first step in a series of actions aiming to improve pay and conditions. Though it’s due to last just 40-minutes, it has been timed to make it difficult to cover a breaking news story – the Reserve Bank Australia board meeting and official cash rate announcement on March 7. It comes in the wake of news that BBC staff will stage their first 24-hour strike from 11AM on March 15, which has been timed to coincide with the UK’s government’s Budget while King Charles’ Coronation and Eurovision are also targets for industrial action.
“The Elephant Whisperers,” the Indian film nominated in the Oscars’ documentary short film category, has received an outpouring of love globally with young fans sending their fan art and appreciation in hundreds of emails to the filmmakers.
The film follows a couple, Bomman and Bellie, who devote their lives to caring for an orphaned baby elephant named Raghu.
Director Kartiki Gonsalves and producer Guneet Monga, along with the film’s team in India and the U.S., have been receiving fan art depicting their love for the orphaned babies and the caring couple from the film. They have also received testimonials from many parents and some fans who sent video clips of their own animal companions watching the film at home.
Monga told Variety: “We always knew the film was special, but to see it have such immense impact, especially on young minds makes this whole experience even more meaningful. To see kids as young as two watch this as their first film, and thousands submitting their fan art to us, has really moved us as a team.”
Gonsalves added: “Seeing these beautiful tributes means to me that the film did what I always hoped – that we are reaching people about the sacred bond between ourselves and the natural world, and a new generation is falling in love with these endangered animals.”
Documentarian Doug Blush, who serves as the film’s co-executive producer and co-editor, said: “I’ve been a part of over two hundred non-fiction films and series – and this is the first one ever to get actual fan art.”
The film also received appreciation from the parent of an autistic boy via an Instagram post.
Only one player can be the sole survivor in the 44th season of the Survivor TV show on CBS. As we all know, Nielsen ratings typically play a significant role in determining whether a TV show like Survivor is cancelled or renewed for season 45 (in this case, we already know the show’s been renewed). 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 44th season episodes of Survivor here.
A CBS competition series, the Survivor TV show is hosted (as always) by Jeff Probst. In this 44th edition, 18 new players are relocated to the beautiful islands of Fiji. They must form a society and adapt to their physical and social surroundings, forcing players to choose between personal risk and reward, while navigating the complex social game and attempting to forge alliances to last another day. The castaways are initially split into three tribes of six — Ratu, Soka, and Tika. In the Ratu Tribe, there’s Maddy Pomilla, Brandon Cottom, Kane Fritzler, Matthew Grinstead-Mayle, Lauren Harpe, and Jaime Lynn Ruiz. Soka Tribe is made up of Matt Blankinship, Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt, Frannie Marin, Danny Massa, Claire Rafson, and Josh Wilder. The Tita Tribe members are Bruce Perreault, Yamil “Yam Yam” Arocho, Carson Garrett, Helen Li, Sarah Wade, and Carolyn Wiger. In the end, only one will remain to claim the title of Sole Survivor and win a $1 million prize.
What do you think? Which season 44 episodes of the Survivor TV series do you rate as excellent, terrible, or somewhere between? Are you happy to know that Survivor has already been renewed for a 45th season on CBS?
Check out our CBS status sheet to track the Tiffany network’s new series pickups, renewals, and cancellations. You can find lists of cancelled shows here.
The screenwriters working on “Gone With the Wind” went to “war” over the depiction of slavery – with more disturbing and violent elements eventually being cut from the 1939 blockbuster, according to a historian who discovered the scenes in an extremely rare original shooting script.
David Vincent Kimel, a history PhD student at Yale, wrote in The Ankler on Wednesday that he paid $15,000 for a shooting script that belonged to casting director Fred Schuessler. He says several writers pushed for a more realistic depiction of slavery and race relations during the Civil War and Reconstruction, but the scenes they wrote were ultimately cut.
“Gone With the Wind” has been criticized for decades over its sanitized version of slavery in the Antebellum South. HBO Max added a disclaimer to the film in 2020, saying it ignores “the horrors of slavery, as well as its legacies of racial inequality.”
“Gone With the Wind” was adapted from the 1936 epic novel, set in pre- and post-war Georgia and centering on belle Scarlett O’Hara, that sold nearly 30 million copies. Starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, the film was a colossal hit, becoming the highest-earning film ever – a record it still holds when adjusted for inflation. It also won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actress for Hattie McDaniel, the first-ever African American to win an Academy Award, and Best Picture.
Kimel says he acquired the extremely rare shooting script in 2020 and, while going through its 301 pages, discovered several cut scenes. He also found many notes and revisions, including fierce debates between writers about how to approach the slavery scenes.
“Much of the excised material was a harsh portrayal of the mistreatment of the enslaved workers on Scarlett’s plantation, including references to beatings, threats to throw ‘Mammy’ [McDaniel] out of the plantation for not working hard enough, and other depictions of physical and emotional violence,” Kimel wrote.
Kimel says the screenplay was a miracle find, given that “Gone With the Wind” producer David O. Selznick ordered all scripts to be destroyed. He wrote that perhaps a handful – worked on by around a dozen writers, including F. Scott Fitzgerald – are still in existence.
Rival groups of writers soon formed, Kimel writes: “‘Romantics’ and ‘Realists’ who amped up scenes of mistreatment to highlight the brutality of Scarlett’s character and even condemn the institution of slavery itself.” (For his part, Fitzgerald was a “romantic” who wanted to see a montage of slaves singing, “toiling” and “the most beautiful pre-war shots imaginable.”)
The “Realists,” however, were creating material that “was so often so gritty and uncompromising that some of it was cut in drafts even before the creation of the script in my possession,” Kimel wrote. In one such scene, Scarlett hits a house slave with a rod, yelling: “Sit up, you fool, before I wear this out on you!”
Film historians have known for years about Selznick negotiating with Black cast members and advocacy groups like the NAACP over things like the inclusion of racial slurs and the KKK (which didn’t make the cut either). But Kimel’s account is believed to be the first to shed light on the producer’s struggle over whether to include harsh depictions of slavery – and his eventual decision to cut them.
Motion graphics is when the pieces of animation, digital footage, and graphic design are combined to form a digital film. The main benefit of the motion graphic is that it conveys ideas to the viewers easily and effectively. These graphics are presented through thaumatrope, stroboscope, phenakistoscope, zeotrope, etc. It differs from the common animation, meaning it is not strictly based on character-driven animation but often represents animated shapes, texts, and logos.
The history of motion graphics is related to computer graphics. As the development of computer graphics increased, it automatically resulted in the wider use of motion graphics. The common use of motion graphics is to create movie titles, ads, information sharing, etc. The main content of these graphics is text, and motion graphics are created by giving animation and adding audio to the text.
Effects of Motion Graphics
Though motion graphics has been a great invention, it does have affected the cinema industry in certain ways. Some of how motion graphics have affected the cinema are mentioned below:
TV Identities
Before TV identities were introduced, motion graphics, advertisements, serials, movies, etc., were less effective. Later, when television incorporated motion graphics into their identity and shows, the TV channels had two distinct groups.
The first one is the one that works on the brand of the channel itself, which is more restrictive and selective as they have certain rules that guide any other visual material created. And the one who works on each show, specifically the type of graphic, is more dynamic and open.
These types of TV identities are developed in a way where all the visual packages are seen on the screen related to the channel itself, such as the show’sshow’s schedule and lower thirds, line breaks, TV logos appearing on the screen, and end titles for some shows.
Most TV channels are continuously working on new shows for their schedules; thus, they develop motion graphic structures for those shows, similar to what you do for the channel. Being demanding, the work becomes more dynamic. However, it usually has less impact and has a constant demand.
Intros are also something that TV series have a great status. Some of them are simple edits of the scene of the shows, but the rest are beautifully designed and animated pieces such as Daredevil, Game of Thrones, etc.
Movie Titles
When motion graphic was introduced, it was in the opening titles of moves, and the intros we see in most of the movies contain the name of the staff behind their production. Earlier, these names were almost static, but once the motion graphics were introduced, we saw the titles were doing more than just presenting the names or cast of the movie. Nowadays, these intros introduce the story and build a good atmosphere where the connection with the viewers is deeper.
Nowadays, there are different varieties of titles shown in different movies. Especially in superhero movies – as it is about a superhero, it is hard not to have animated titles there. And this is becoming more and more popular, and there are plenty of designers who are dedicating their careers to this field.
Besides the titles, some of the motion graphics are also used in the movie itself. It is usually displayed as a visual interaction with an actor to represent texting or video appearing on a TV in the background. Sometimes, it is even the animations that interact with the characters.
Information Sharing
Before the motion graphics were introduced, sharing information with the audience was static and boring. But now, when motion graphic is there while sharing information with the audience, you can convert your idea into animation by adding suitable audio and other features so that the result of the content will be more acceptable and understandable for the audience.
Logo Graphics
With the help of motion graphics, your company’s logos, websites, etc., can be more attractive by adding animations. This helps in creating amazing visuals and interacting with the audience in a better way.
Social Media Post
Social Media is something that people are depended on for everything, like information, entertainment, news, online courses, etc. Adding motion graphics to the content you display on your social media can attract more people to the posts.
What are the 3 types of motion graphics?
There are three types of motion graphics, as mentioned below:
Promotional Videos: These types of motion graphics are used to help in sealing a product or service.
Explainer Videos: These motion graphics define a concept, product, or service, so the audience can easily understand this.
Emotive Videos: These motion graphics make your audience feel something.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Motion graphics
Motion graphics has greatly impacted the cinema industry to make their content more appealing to the audience, but everything has its advantages and disadvantages. In this section, we will learn the pros and cons of motion graphics.
Pros:
Perhaps the reason to go with motion graphics is that it doesn’t require physical space. With traditional video, you need to schedule a time to film, Rehearse lines, and find a suitable place to shoot. But since motion graphics was introduced, any need for these things has been eliminated. Because of this motion, graphics has been really helpful in COVID-19 restrictions.
One of the other advantages is that it requires less work from the client. Once the goals are discussed, no more effort is needed from the client’s end. The rest is on the professionals to produce the content per your specifications.
Motion graphics are used in movie titles, advertisements, information exchange, etc.
With the help of motion graphics, communication is easy and more effective.
Cons:
One of the disadvantages of motion graphics is that they can be impersonal. The benefit of the traditional video was that viewers get to see the place they will be visiting or the face they will be meeting. A motion graphic video is nothing more than an animated brochure if done improperly. That’s why using some live footage, photography, or voice-over is suggested to make it more appealing to the audience.
Takeaway
The quality of the channel establishes the relationship between what is good and bad in Motion graphics and creates a relationship between what is perceived as bad and good. Suppose the custom eLearning content development with motion graphics in TV identity is well designed. In that case, it will help you reach the right audience and define a quality among other channels. Whereas, in movies or series, the quality of the introductions and titles can be the building factor as it is the first thing that comes in contact with the viewer.
That is why it is important for those mediums. Motion graphics directly influence the audience’s perception of their movie piece or brand. Of course, if this is a long time goal, then the show’s quality also matters, but building a connection beforehand helps. Fan doesn’tdoesn’t get excited seeing those texts rising until the infinite space at the beginning of star wars.
I’m an e-learning specialist. I have been a professional e-learning and training consultant for more than 7 years. In the past, I have worked for a variety of well-known companies in the UK and the USA. I’m an expert in the field of instructional design and e-learning solutions development.
West Kelowna, B.C., is currently the home to nearly 40,000 people and the city expects that number to grow substantially over the next two decades.
Staff are outlining how they can improve the housing supply to meet demand.
“We’re looking at somewhere in the neighbourhood of about 300 homes per year,” said Brent Magnan director of development approvals for the City of West Kelowna.
That is how many houses are needed to accommodate the growing population in West Kelowna, according to the official community plan.
The city is seeing an influx of people moving here, mainly from the Lower Mainland.
“We’re looking at somewhere between 14,000 people in the next 20 years to maybe even upwards of 18,000 people that we’re going to welcome into the community. We’re really just trying to provide the necessary growth and housing,” said Magnan.
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The OCP is West Kelowna’s blueprint for how it should evolve its urban centres and neighbourhoods over the next two decades.
“Between 2021 and 2040, West Kelowna is projected to experience demand for approximately 5,383 additional dwelling units, or 299 new units per year,” read the report.
One of the challenges is having that property available for builders.
“We’ve tried to build some buffering in the plans, so that we just don’t assume that all properties will develop independently and on their own. So that we provide enough opportunity for development and that should some properties not develop, we still have enough properties that will,” Magnan said.
Another step in the OCP is identifying the city’s two urban centres, Westbank and Boucherie. To accommodate growth and demand for services, additional height allowances will be permitted for new developments.
“We’re going to be looking at additional density and heights that we haven’t seen in Westbank Centre before. On the periphery of the centre, probably somewhere in the neighbourhood of six-plus storeys. Getting into the heart of Westbank centre, 12 or even more,” added Magnan.
The OCP is in draft form and staff will conduct initial bylaw readings with city council in the coming weeks.
“What council’s asked us to do is embark on a housing strategy and that will sort of give us the information we need to identify how we’re going to fill the gaps in housing,” he said.
Although the public input sessions are over, public hearings will be held in the future where residents can provide feedback.
If you’re already a Wordle addict then Quordle could be your next must-play game. This spin-off takes the familiar Wordle format and makes it harder by giving you four puzzles to solve simultaneously.
As you might imagine, it’s hard! So if you already find yourself searching for Wordle clues, you’ll probably need some for Quordle too.
I’m a Quordle and Wordle addict who’s been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #402 and bookmark this page so you can easily return tomorrow.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.
Your Quordle expert
Your Quordle expert
Marc McLaren
Marc is TechRadar’s UK Editor in Chief and has been playing Wordle and Quordle for more than a year. He’s authored dozens of articles on the game for TechRadar and its sister site Tom’s Guide, including a detailed analysis of the most common letters in every position. His Wordle streak recently reached the 400 mark and he’ll be inconsolable if he loses it. Yes, he takes it all too seriously.
Quordle today (game #402) – hint #1 – Vowels
How many different vowels are in Quordle today?
• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.
* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).
Quordle today (game #402) – hint #2 – total vowels
What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?
• The total number of vowels across today’s Quordle answers is 5.
Quordle today (game #402) – hint #3 – repeated letters
Do any of today’s Quordle answers contain repeated letters?
• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.
Quordle today (game #402) – hint #4 – total letters
How many different letters are used in Quordle today?
• The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 10.
Quordle today (game #402) – hint #5 – uncommon letters
Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?
• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today’s Quordle answers.
What letters do today’s Quordle answers start with?
• F
• H
• F
• R
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
Quordle today (game #402) – the answers
(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)
The answers to today’s Quordle, game #402, are…
Quordle today might have caused you a few problems. None of the words are too obscure, but it’s very light on vowels, with the Y instead standing in for one in three of the four answers. It also has a couple of repeated letters: LL in RALLY and EE in FREED. That said, two answers start with an F, and two end in LY – and that will have made the task a little easier for most people.
Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar.
As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you’re competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.
The website also includes a practice mode – which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! – and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements – specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.
Oh, and it’s difficult. Really difficult.
What are the Quordle rules?
The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.
1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.
2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow.
3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…
4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two.
5. Answers are never plural.
6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.
7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle’s dictionary. You can’t guess ABCDE, for instance.
8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle’s Hard mode.
9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.
10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.
What is a good Quordle strategy?
Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can’t blindly throw letters at it and expect to win – you’ll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.
That’s the case in Wordle too, of course, but it’s even more important in Quordle.
There are two key things to remember.
1. Use several starting words
Firstly, you won’t want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words.
The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.
For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options – you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe – but something like that should do the trick.
If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!
2. Narrow things down
Secondly, if you’re faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options – for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH – you’ll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options.
In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It’s risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it’s the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure – you simply don’t have enough guesses.
In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.
Watch the Billboard Women in Music Awards right now honoring woman of the year honoree SZA.
Hosted by Quinta Brunson, the star-studded event will spotlight some of the creators and game changers in the music industry. The honorees include: Ivy Queen (who is receiving the Icon Award), Kim Petras (Chartbreaker Award), Latto (Powerhouse Award), Lainey Wilson (Rulebreaker Award), Lana Del Rey (Visionary Award), Rosalía (Producer of the Year Award) and TWICE (Breakthrough Award).
The event is streaming live from the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Los Angeles, Calif. Watch the livestream above.
EXCLUSIVE: StudioCanal has confirmed that it is back in the UK acquisitions game by taking a “significant” stake in a production outfit founded byThe Last Kingdomproducer Phil Temple.
The French production group has acquired an undisclosed holding in Birdie Pictures, which was established by former Kudos executive producer Temple in late 2022.
Birdie Pictures is already developing the Sunday Times bestseller, The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, into a television series.
Janice Hallett’s book centers on true-crime writer Amanda Bailey’s quest to interview a teenager who was deemed to be the anti-Christ by a dangerous cult, known as the Alperton Angels.
Temple’s most recent project for Kudos was This Town, the BBC1 ska music drama created by Steven Knight and starring Downton Abbey‘s Michelle Dockery.
His previous credits include Sky comedy-drama Code 404, Stan Lee’s Lucky Man, and The Last Kingdom, the Netflix Viking drama.
Temple, who will serve as Birdie’s CEO, said: “Birdie will be a home where writers feel listened to, empowered and supported. We will make quality drama and comedy that audiences will fall in love with, and we also want to have fun doing it.”
Francoise Guyonnet, StudioCanal’s Executive Managing Director of TV Series, said: “Phil has worked with all the UK broadcasters throughout his rich career and has excellent relationships with writers and talent. Phil shares StudioCanal’s global ambition for projects and we know he is going to bring a strong line-up of relatable English language programming to StudioCanal.”
Deadline revealed in January that StudioCanal had returned to the investment trail after it backed Strong Film & Television, co-founded by BAFTA-winning Vigil director James Strong and Matt Tombs, a former BBC and Paramount executive.
The Birdie and Strong investments are StudioCanal’s first notable television deals in the UK for years. In 2016, the Canal+ Group company took stakes in Urban Myth Films, producer of Fox’s War of the Worlds, and SunnyMarch, co-founded by Benedict Cumberbatch.
StudioCanal has not been inactive in the acquisitions space but has focused on cementing its positions in existing partners, taking full control of Urban Myth and Tandem Productions in the past three years.
Been wondering why it’s been a little quieter on the Marvel Comics Guide, lately? That’s because it’s migrating to a new site. The OMNIVERSE COMICS GUIDE will feature more character chronologies and event guides, along with reading orders for characters and events from other comics universes!
There’ll also be more features, more podcasts and more we’re not quite ready to reveal, yet! (Yes, “we”! I’ll no longer be doing this on my own!)
While I’ll still update some of the older posts on here from time to time, all new material will appear on the Omniverse Comics Guide site. Entries from this site will also move across over time, making for one huge coherent source.
There’ll be more news to follow when the new site goes live, so stay tuned!
Tesla’s production capacities are in store for a significant growth spurt, CEO Elon Musk told the crowd assembled at the company’s Austin, Texas Gigafactory for Investor Day 2023 — and AI will apparently be the magic bullet that gets them there. It’s all part of what Musk is calling Master Plan part 3.
This is indeed Musk’s third such Master Plan, the first two coming in 2006 and 2016, respectively. These have served as a roadmap for the company’s growth and development over the past 17 years as Tesla has grown from neophyte startup to the world’s leading EV automaker. “There is a clear path to a sustainable energy Earth by 2050 and it does not require destroying natural habitats,” Musk said during the keynote address.
“You could support a civilization much bigger than Earth [currently does]. Much more than the 8 billion humans could actually be supported sustainably on Earth and I’m just often shocked and surprised by how few people realize this,” he continued. He promised that the company would release a “detailed whitepaper with calculations & assumptions,” via Twitter during the event.
Main Tesla subjects will be scaling to extreme size, which is needed to shift humanity away from fossil fuels, and AI.
But I will also Include sections about SpaceX, Tesla and The Boring Company.
The Master Plan aims to establish a sustainable energy economy by developing 240 terraWatt hours (TWH) of energy storage and 30 TWH of renewable power generation, which would require an estimated $10 trillion investment, roughly 10 percent of the global GDP. Musk notes, however, that figure is less than half of what we spend currently on internal combustion economy. In all, he anticipates we’d need less than 0.2 percent of the world’s land area to create the necessary solar and wind generation capacity.
“All cars will go to fully electric and autonomous,” Musk declared, arguing once again that ICE vehicles will soon be viewed in the same disdain as the horse and buggy. He also teased potential plans to electrify aircraft and ships. “As we improve the energy density of batteries, you’ll see all transportation go fully electric, with the exception of rockets,” he said. No further details as to when or how that might be accomplished were shared.
“A sustainable energy economy is within reach and we should accelerate it,” Drew Baglino, Tesla’s SVP of Powertrain and Energy Engineering, added.
Following Musk’s opening statement, Tesla executives Lars Moravy and Franz von Holzhausen took the stage to discuss the company’s “production hell” and the challenges of building the Cybertruck out of stainless steel. However, the lessons learned from that, Moravy argued will help Tesla build its Gen 3 vehicles more efficiently, and do so within a far smaller factory footprint. von Holzhausen announced to a rousing round of applause that the Cybertruck will arrive later this year, a significantly closer date than Musk’s previous public estimate that production wouldn’t begin until next year.
Unfortunately, there will be no new vehicle reveal at this event, von Holzhausen said. That announce will happen “at a later date.”
The company did tease a new video featuring the Tesla Robot walking independently and without the aide of a support frame though there was no live demonstration of the same. Despite difficulties finding suitable off-the-shelf actuators and motors for the humanoid robot platform, “we should bring and actual produce to market at scale that is useful far faster than anyone else,” Musk said.
He further expects the company’s robots to become so successful that we may soon see a day where they outnumber humans. “I think we might exceed a one-to-one ratio of robots to humans,” he added. “It’s not even clear what an economy means at that point.”
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Brolin will take home the festival’s Vision Award, which is annually bestowed to industry gamechangers whose work has irrefutably shaped the entertainment sphere. The honor will be presented to Brolin during an April 1 ceremony, followed by a conversation on his career.
Most recently, Brolin starred in and executive produced the Prime Video series “Outer Range.” The actor scored an Academy Award nomination in 2008 for his performance in Gus Van Sant’s “Milk,” and has held key roles in other acclaimed films including “No Country for Old Men,” “American Gangster,” “Sicario” and “Oldboy.” The “Avengers” franchise star will join an elite group of past honorees such as Geena Davis, Clint Eastwood, Gal Gadot, Ethan Hawke and Amy Poehler.
Thatcher will take home the Rising Star Award on March 30 in recognition of her burgeoning success as a young performer. The 22-year-old actor received critical acclaim for her role in “Yellowjackets,” an Emmy-nominated survival drama from Showtime set to debut its second season March 24. Thatcher has also made appearances on shows including “The Book of Boba Fett” and “Chicago Med.” Her latest project, a film adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Boogeyman,” hits theaters June 2.
“We are so excited for this year’s Sun Valley Film Festival, honoring the very best in film, and those who are trailblazers in our industry,” said fest founder Teddy Grennan. “We can’t wait to showcase this amazing slate of films to this year’s guests and patrons, and we’re excited to welcome Josh Brolin and Sophie Thatcher as our honorees this year.”
Nineteen narrative and documentary features are scheduled to screen at the festival, including director Anthony Mandler’s “Surrounded” to cap off the five-day event. Other highlights include screenings of Eva Longoria’s “Flamin’ Hot,” “Joyland” and “Deep Rising.”
The fest will also host Variety’s 10 Producers to Watch, who will be announced March 15, and will participate in a March 31 panel. The event will also see Variety bestowing its Creative Impact in Producing Award to BAFTA-nominated producer Nina Yang Bongiovi. A screening of Erica Tremblay’s “Fancy Dance,” which Bongiovi produced, will open the festival.
The 2023 Sun Valley Film Festival will be held March 29-April 2. Additional honorees and programming titles will be released in the coming weeks on the festival website.
Will Smith returned to awards season festivities Wednesday evening, taking the stage to accept the Beacon Award at the African American Film Critics Association Awards. The speech marked Smith’s first in-person speech at an awards ceremony since his controversy at the 2022 Oscars, in which the actor slapped Chris Rock onstage.
Smith’s “Emancipation” costar Charmaine Bingwa and AAFCA cofounder Gil L. Robertson introduced Smith and Antoine Fuqua, the historical drama’s director, early in the evening’s ceremony. After Fuqua’s minute-long thanks to AAFCA, Apple TV+ and the film’s cast and crew, Smith took the microphone to recount the production of the film.
“‘Emancipation’ was the individual most difficult film of my entire career. It was all outdoors, that is true,” Smith joked, earning laughs from the crowd.
“It was the second day of shooting and 110 degrees… I was in a scene with one of the white actors. The actor decided to ad lib. So we’re doing the scene. I did my line. He did his line. And then — ad lib — he spit in the middle of my chest,” Smith said as the crowd groaned. “Rhe actor felt that the ad lib had gone well. So we do take two. I do my line. He does his line — and spits in the middle of my chest again… In the distance, I hear a voice. And Antoine says, ‘Hey, let’s do a take without the spit.’ And in that moment, I knew that God was real.”
“I want to thank Gil and AAFCA. I want to thank all of you in this room for doing what you do, keeping our stories alive. I want to thank Apple, because the budget was one thing. And then the budget was another thing. And then the budget was another thing. And Apple never flinched,” Smith said. “It was the first time I had heard from a studio that the story was more important than how much it costs to get it done… They make iPhones. They can do it.”
AAFCA is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, honoring films such as “The Woman King,” “The Inspection,” “Nanny” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Other special honorees Wednesday evening included “Till,” for the Impact Award; “Nope” composer Michael Abels for the Innovator Award; “Wakanda Forever” production designer Hannah Beachler, for the Building Change Award presented by Lowes; and “Wakanda Forever” producer Nate Moore, for the Ashley Boone Award.
A couple of years back, we reported that Donnie Yen—one of the greatest action stars of all time, and a legend in the world of Hong Kong filmmaking—was signing on for a role in the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4. Now, a recent interview Yen gave to GQrevealed that the Ip Man star had a couple of conditions for his appearance opposite Keanu Reeves, including alterations to the name and look of his character, now called Caine.
“The name was Shang or Chang,” Yen says. “Why does he always have to be called Shang or Chang? Why can’t he have a normal name? Why do you have to be so generic? Then the wardrobe again—oh, mandarin collars. Why is everything so generic? This is a John Wick movie. Everybody’s supposed to be cool and fashionable. Why can’t he look cool and fashionable?” Yen (who raised similar objections during his brief sojourn in the Star Wars universe with Rogue One) brought his issues to director Chad Stahelski, who, he says, was totally receptive to his concerns. “I had a very respectful experience working on John Wick,” Yen says in the interview. “Overall, I enjoyed making the film.”
Elsewhere in the profile, Yen talks about his own feelings about a Hollywood moment that finally seems to be catching up to the greatness of Asian performers. Unsurprisingly, he has positive things to say about his old friend and occasional co-star, Michelle Yeoh, currently up for Best Actress for Everything Everywhere All At Once: “There will always be more people like Michelle. People who continue to keep thinking and to go forward no matter what the negativity or setback.”
John Wick: Chapter 4 arrives in theaters on March 24; Yen appears in the film as an old friend of Reeves’ Wick, who is, of course, also an assassin, because everyone in the John Wick universe is some kind of assassin.
Well it looks like my email situation has been resolved. Like I mentioned, I don’t understand much on the technical side of things, and hearing terms like DNS and MX means absolutely nothing to me. But considering I received a bunch of emails yesterday at steve@realitysteve.com after getting none on Monday, it’s mostly back and working. But I was told by @bachelordata that it takes 24-48 hours for all the DNS to reset. So while someone’s emails got through, it doesn’t mean every email got through. So it is possible some of you may have had an email to me bounce back to you. Hopefully it didn’t though. Monday was really weird. I mean lets face it, a lot of my job revolves around receiving emails, whether it’s for my site, my podcast, business related stuff, etc. I’ve had this email address for over 15 years. To go a whole day where nothing comes through was bizarre. I’ve had times where the Yahoo app on my phone went down, but I could still get emails if I go to my desktop. Monday any email sent to me was getting returned to the sender. Oh well, it was a 24 mishap and seems to have been mostly corrected and all DNS should be reset by today and the latest tomorrow.
(SPOILERS) Today’s Daily Roundup covers the finale spoiler getting photo confirmation, email back up and running, Kat takes to social media, Week 7 date analysis by @Bachelordata, and the Traitors reunion show.
So the biggest news yesterday was the fact that my spoiler I posted on Feb. 6th was confirmed with photographic evidence. For the most part, when I give you the finale spoiler, I can’t provide any proof without giving up sources. And that’s just not gonna happen. Outside of the Nick plane video, pretty much you just have to take my word for it that my sources provided me correct info. Yesterday, the IG account @bachelorsherlock (private) posted a photo of Zach and Kaity on final rose ceremony day clearly after he had chosen her. This is what I wrote back on Feb. 6th:
So I’ll say here what I said on today’s podcast: I hope you all bet on me as well. Will I take digs here and there on occasion? Of course. All in good fun. If you post a spoiler saying you have “sources” that all told you Gabi won and that spoiler ends up being wrong, just like I get criticized when I’m wrong, they should expect it too. If they can’t handle it, don’t post things you think are spoilers. And not to mention for 2 months, I had to hear from trolls who chose to believe someone who’d never spoiled the show’s ending before versus someone who’s been doing it for 14 years. So naturally, it ALWAYS feels good when trolls have to eat their words. So that pic posted by @bachelorsherlock just made doubters not have to wait until March 27th to believe my spoiler. This should be all the evidence they need. Don’t know how they got the pic, nor does it matter. It’s clear as day who Zach is with.
Jess’s conversation and elimination from Monday’s episode was definitely a major talking point from the episode. Jess seemingly was aware that once she didn’t get a 1-on-1 in episode 6, she saw the writing on the wall and she was going home any minute. If it wasn’t in Estonia, it would’ve been in Budapest next week. @Bachelordata lays out how it’s gone for women who never received a 1-on-1 heading into week 7 like Jess and, well, the numbers speak for themselves. Bottom line: If you don’t get a 1-on-1 by episode 7, you’re not even getting to the final 2, let alone winning:
I heard a little more about the WTA yesterday, and it seems like things got pretty contentious with Christina and Anastasia. I’m still trying to get more info on what happened, but those two did not go well. And something I’d heard regarding Anastasia was brought to the forefront by one of the other women at the taping. I’ll get into it more later and share what I’d gotten. Nothing we haven’t seen before but it was never brought up on the show, just at the taping.
You can watch the show live (above); the ceremony starts at 7 p.m. PT.
Quinta Brunson is set to host the 2023 show, which honors artists, creators, producers and executives for their contributions to the industry and community.
Brunton, the star and creator of Abbott Elementary, and her castmates won a SAG Award for best TV comedy ensemble on Sunday night, adding to her previous Golden Globe and Emmy wins.
The Billboard Women in Music Awards will take place at the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Los Angeles. SZA is set to receive the Woman of the Year honor.
This year’s honorees also include Becky G, who will receive the Impact Award presented by American Express; rapper Doechii, who will receive the Rising Star Award presented by Honda; reggaeton pioneer Ivy Queen, who will receive the Icon Award; singer-songwriter Kim Petras, who will receive the Chartbreaker Award; Grammy-nominated rapper Latto, who will receive the Powerhouse Award; country singer-songwriter-actress Lainey Wilson, who will receive the Rulebreaker Award; Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey, who will receive the Visionary Award; Rosalía, who has been named Producer of the Year Award; and South Korean K-pop girl group Twice, who will receive the Breakthrough Award.
A review of the finest casino streaming channels for 2023. Click here to discover a list of the world’s greatest casino live-streaming channels and uncover the reasons justifying their popularity in 2023.
If you are here looking for the choicest casino live-streaming channels, you must be aware of the basics. However, to brush up on your knowledge of them, let’s begin from scratch.
Casino live streaming implies an interactive broadcast of games on online platforms such as YouTube or Twitch. Here, the streamer spins the reels or rolls the dice live while е
beginners watch them play their favorite games. With innumerable options available at popular gaming destinations like gg bet casino, gamblers are always on the lookout for motivation from experienced players. Casino streams are that exact source of encouragement as they involve streamers in action, sharing tips on winning with all. They also offer betting strategies and provide advice on online slots and live casino games.
Coming back to the finest casino live-streaming channels, we understand how challenging it can get to discover a channel that is all three: knowledgeable, popular, and reputable. Therefore, we have done the leg work on your behalf. Read on to go through a compiled list of the best ones in the world.
Top 6 Casino Live Streaming Channels in the World
Let’s go through each of them and explore why they are so popular.
1. Roshtein
Roshtein, a casino philosopher as he calls himself, is the most-watched casino streamer on Twitch. He is well-liked for possessing the unique ability to outplay video slots, irrespective of their complicacy. His favorite casino is Lucky Block, and the highest he has withdrawn till now is $8,967,600 from Wanted Dead or a Wild. No wonder he has amassed a follower count of 1.1 million!
2. CasinoDaddy
It is one of the largest channels for casino streams and is headed by a team of hosts who call themselves ‘the bros.’ So, players can expect plenty of content here, where streaming stretches for around 14 hours daily. Operating from Sweden, they offer viewers handsome giveaways worth $10,000 on Twitch. They may not place the largest bets online but somehow manage to gather impressive payouts.
If you are in the hunt for a channel that deals with a wide variety of games, this one is worth checking out. However, their favorites are all slots, four of which are San Quentin, Mad Cars, Jammin’ Jars, and Wild Falls.
3. DeuceAce
Recognised for streaming the hottest slots in online casinos, the channel promises the highest level of gambling entertainment. Led by Jay and Adam, it is backed up by a whopping follower count of 250,000 on Twitch. Again operating from Sweden, the two streamers are friendly rivals who often make fun of each other and keep viewers engaged with their thrilling content.
Of the two streaming partners, Jay is a smooth gamer. He is methodical and has a strong background in finance. Probably, this is what provides him with an edge over his rivals. He may be affiliated with plenty of casinos, but the two gambling sites you will watch him playing are KingBilly and SlotV.
4. Trainswreckstv
Operating from Arizona in the USA, Trainswreckstv is a versatile gambling streamer. With over 2.1 million followers, he is frequently seen on Twitch and has a remarkable taste in gambling. Probably, this is what justifies his whopping followers. He may not be consistent on his streaming channel but do appear every week on Twitch.
Since his favorite game type is a slot, you will watch him playing Wanted Dead or a Wild and The Dog House more often than usual. Till now, he has won a lump sum jackpot of $13,950,000. However, if there is anything else that defines him well, it is the string of controversies that follow as he shares his thoughts without holding back.
5. AngelMelly
You guessed it right if you predicted AngelMelly to be a channel run by a female streamer. Named Melissa, she is the first one of her kind and hails from New Zealand. She is a fun-loving and multitalented streamer on Twitch with her presence going beyond that and including YouTube. Her affinities are anything casino, and her follower count has reached a healthy figure of 267K.
6. xQc
If you are looking for a streamer who covers a large variety of casino games and not just slots, xQc is the best you can come across. Operating from Canada, he made it to the top as an Overwatch pro player in 2016. In 2018, he switched to a full-time streamer, and today covers almost everything, including the latest video games and the newest online slots. However, it’s evident from this track record that his most-loved titles are Razor Shark, Double Rainbow, Joker Troupe, and Phoenix Reborn.
Speaking of follower count, it is somewhat around 11.1 million, all on Twitch. He is one of those daring players who enjoys placing big bets of over $50,000 per spin. This is probably why he attracts more than 100,000 viewers on every stream. His fascination is not only limited to slots but live casino games too.
These are just a few casino live-streaming channels. You can explore more at your convenience. The key to uncovering the top ones are factors such as follower count, game variety, schedule that matches yours, and available stakes. However, you can always go beyond the established standards and provide streamers with a chance by catching them live on YouTube and Twitch.
A Russian-born Swiss doctor died four days before she was unveiled this week as the medic who helped deliver Putin’s ‘secret children’.
Dr Natalia Thiebaud Kondratieva, 63, was named as the head of the medical team who attended the birth of Putin’s children with reported ‘gymnast lover’ Alina Kabaeva, 39.
She died in Switzerland on 24 February, the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The cause of death was not announced but it is known she had been in the care of cancer specialists. A death notice indicated she was cremated the day after her death.
On Tuesday she was named by Proekt independent media as the obstetrician who had been with Kabaeva for the birth of at least two Putin children in 2015 and 2019.
The Kremlin leader has not revealed the existence of any children with Kabaeva to the Russian people.
Natalia Thiebaud, the Soviet-born midwife who died on the anniversary of the invasion
Putin awards Alina Kabaeva with ‘For Merit to the Fatherland’ order in 2005 in Moscow
Natalia Thiebaud pictured in scrubs and a face mask in an undated photo
A picture on Red Square dated 9 May 2019 shows Thiebaud with two other Swiss medics who flew to assist at the birth of one Kabaeva child around this time.
Those seen with the medic are neonatologist Petra Caterina Maria Donati-Genet and nurse Stella Ghizelu.
All are from Clinica Sant’Anna in Lugano where Kabaeva was reported to have earlier had another child, in 2015.
But it was Thiebaud who ultimately confirmed Putin’s alleged lover was in Lugano giving birth.
The Proekt report said: ‘How did Swiss doctors, who came to Moscow for several days, end up in the VIP-stand closed to all outsiders?
‘The answer to this question is quite simple.
‘These Swiss women had important and secret merits before the Russian leadership.
‘They were Kabaeva’s personal midwives and doctors who assisted in the birth of her children.
‘It was Thiebaud and other staff at Clinica Sant’Anna who helped Kabaeva give birth in Lugano in 2015.’
And it was Thiebaud who alleged the baby belonged to Vladimir Putin.
Still, there are rumours Putin and Kabaeva have at least one more child.
Image shows nurse Natalia Thiebaud near the clock tower in Red Square, Moscow
Natalia Thiebaud looked to confirm the rumours that Putin and Kabaeva shared children
Proekt’s report looked into the Russian leader’s personal life and lavish residences.
It also introduced the ‘gymnast’ whose affairs with Putin have been rumoured since 2008.
And it connected the dots, revealing how Putin and Kabaeva live in luxury with their children at a ‘royal residence’ in Valdai, between Moscow and St Petersburg.
The slap heard round the world is about to get its first complete take from Chris Rock, who will finally talk about the infamous Oscars incident with Will Smith.
“Chris Rock: Selective Outrage” will stream live on Netflix at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday from the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore.
While media has discussed the Oscars attack ad nauseum, and Will Smith has tried to explain himself in various ways, Rock has kept his opinions mostly to himself. He has shared short quips during his performances, but has not talked at length about the moment.
He reportedly turned down overtures to host the Oscars and appear in a Super Bowl commercial with Smith, and has stated that he’s saving his thoughts on what happened in one big reveal.
So far, he has workshopped a few bits that may or may not appear in the special.
During an arena show held in Charleston, South Carolina in January on a bill with Dave Chappelle, he gave one of his longest takes.
“The thing people wanna know … did it hurt? Hell yeah it hurt. He played Muhammad Ali! I played Pookie (in ‘New Jack City’). Even in animated movies I’m a zebra, he’s a f—ing shark. I got hit so hard, I heard ‘Summertime’ ringing in my ears,” Rock joked, a source told the Wall Street Journal.
At the same show, Rock also talked about the size difference between himself and Smith.
“Will Smith is a big dude. I am not,” Rock said. “Will Smith is shirtless in his movies. If you see me in a movie getting open heart surgery, I’m gonna have a sweater on.”
“I rooted for Will Smith my whole life,” he recently told the audience at a theater show. But Rock said he’s hate-watching Smith’s latest movie.
“The other day, I watched ‘Emancipation’ just so I could watch him getting whipped.”
According to a Deadline report, Rock previously joked about their size difference at London’s O2 Arena with Dave Chappelle, “He played Ali! I can’t even play Floyd Mayweather.” Ali was a heavyweight, Mayweather a light middleweight.
Rock also called Smith “Suge Smith,” a reference to the hulking rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight.
Smith’s attempts to reach out have been rebuffed by Rock. “I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is he’s not ready to talk, and when he is, he will reach out,” Smith said in a widely circulated social media video.
At the O2 Arena, Rock responded. “F–k your hostage video,” he said.
TV enthusiasts already know that “Abbott Elementary,” ABC’s mockumentary-style half-hour comedy from Quinta Brunson, is best in class. But there’s more to the Emmy-winning sitcom than meets the eye as it delves deeper into its setting within a Philadelphia public school system. In Season 2, “Abbott” has touched on topics from the issue of charter schools to a city-specific mural arts program (explored in Wednesday’s episode), and showrunners Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker previewed that there’s more to come as the series heads into its junior installment.
“We’re going into Season 3 with some ideas of an aspect — that I won’t spoil — of the school system that we want to explore a little bit more,” executive producer Schumacker told TheWrap. He added, laughing, “I think we’re approaching it like ‘The Wire’ — different facets of this ecosystem.”
With five more episodes to go in Season 2, the show’s co-developers teased one more remaining guest star and promised eager fans that the Janine-Gregory romantic arc will make headway following the duo’s kiss at the PECSA conference. Read on for an edited conversation between TheWrap and the EPs, which includes discussion of this week’s episode and how that running joke featuring Ava’s secret bathroom might shape out.
TheWrap: You got the full-season order a bit ago. Did that changed things up for the writers’ room in terms of the season’s arc and how things developed narratively?
JH: We had the blessing of knowing that we were on good footing from the beginning, so I think I would have been shocked had we not gotten that backorder of episodes. We were able to build the season out from the start. The way we do it is we build in a lot of pre-production so Quinta can be there for as much time as possible before production starts, because once production starts, she’s shooting. We have a couple of hiatuses placed in different places where we can sit and talk with her like, “Hey, what are you thinking for the last nine?” And we’ll talk about what we think and just are able to really have her in the room discussing the arc of all the characters. So I think it didn’t really change anything, which is nice.
You’ve gotten the Season 3 renewal, and while Season 2 is airing its latter half, what can you say about Janine and Gregory’s will-they-won’t-they arc and the teachers’ evolving dynamics as a whole?
PS: We have six episodes left to air in Season 2 [now five, after “Mural Arts”], so obviously there’s gonna be some fallout from what happened in the PECSA conference, so I think people will get some answers as to the will-they-won’t-they in the next handful of episodes. As to Season 3, we definitely had an opportunity, because we were ahead a little bit even at the end of the year, that we were able to start talking about bigger picture ideas before we wrapped the writers’ room. Obviously [we] can’t get into any details there, but I can say that when we started Season 2, we were like, “OK, one of the new things that we’re going to do is tackle this idea of charter schools with Legendary Charter.” We’re going into Season 3 with some ideas of an aspect — that I won’t spoil — of the school system that we want to explore a little bit more. I think we’re approaching it like “The Wire” — different facets of this ecosystem.
“Abbott Elementary” / ABC/Gilles Mingasson
JH: To the will-they-won’t-they part of it, we look at it and Quinta looks at it as, “What are the arcs of each individual character first?” These are all people in their 20s trying to figure s— out, they’re at different places in their lives, both emotionally and financially. We first focus on each individual character and then we’ll constantly be looking at, “OK, well, what would actually happen if they were in this position at this point in the season?” So we don’t look at it as, “When are we going to get these two together or not get them together?” We look at it as, “Hey, let’s really pay attention to the characters and grow the characters,” so that when we make whatever decision we make, you as an audience believe it and feel like it’s real. These are people in their 20s, like, that s—‘s messy.
With the charter school element, could you talk about the research that went into that, in addition to Quinta drawing from her background as an attendee of the Philadelphia public school system and her mother’s role as kindergarten teacher?
PS: From the beginning, we felt it was really important to research. We did more research on this show than we probably ever have going into a half-hour comedy, but it was important for everybody to make sure we were as authentic as possible. The show got picked up in Season 1, and we’re like, “OK, let’s just talk to as many people from as many facets of the public school system as we can, from all over the country.” We talked to teachers, principals. We talked to someone who was the chief operating officer of a school, which directly led to the penultimate episode of Season 1 when Ava has to present to the school board for more money, which we learned was a thing; that immediately is a story we wanted to tell.
Because of the response testing the pilot, we had a lot of teachers watch the show, and they all felt really seen and it felt authentic to them. At the beginning of the season, we will try to Zoom or meet in person with people who are in it, in the trenches, and that always leads to really great ideas. I hope that we can keep that tradition going. And as the show gains in popularity, those volunteers start coming out of the woodwork, they want to be a part of the show, they want to engage with the writers.
Speaking of the show’s popularity, there are great guest stars — this season with Vince Staples and Leslie Odom Jr. Do people now call up Quinta and ask to be on the show, and how do you field those requests?
JH: Yes. She probably gets requests that she doesn’t even tell us about. One of the many great things about Quinta is that she thinks about what’s the best fit for the show first. A lot of times, we’ve turned down big celebrity pushes to be on the show because it can take you out of a mockumentary to see this giant superstar in your show. It’s like if all of a sudden Jennifer Aniston was playing a character — she didn’t ask to be on the show — you’d be like, “What the f—? This is an inner-city school in Philadelphia.” We do have one more guest star coming this season that is pretty f—ing awesome that I’m very, very excited about, but that was somebody who Quinta was like, “This person would be so good to play this.” That was why we chose them, not because we were like, “Oh, let’s get this celebrity to be in the show.”
With these characters, Season 2 has really explored their individuality, especially as the teachers leave the school, from PECSA to the field trips and the hookah lounge. Are there any other types of settings you’d like to see them in, or is it more that the story comes first and the setting is built around it?
PS: It’s a little bit of both. Our finale of Season 2, I think there are little breadcrumbs — if you’ve been watching the show, maybe you know where we’re going with it.
JH: Towards the end of the season, we like field trips.
PS: Quinta — obviously Philadelphian, born and raised. So when we do the field trip episodes, there are landmarks that she really wants to get in there. There’s places that are really meaningful to her having grown up there that we’ll try to get to. We have the Mural Arts program, which is a huge, huge thing in Philly. Not only regional landmarks, but also cultural touchstones. So sometimes those lead to stories and then sometimes the story ends up begetting some interesting place that we haven’t seen before.
JH: Quinta loves Philly; she genuinely loves the city so much, she’s so deeply tied to it. We love that. The specificity she adds to everything that’s in the show, it’s down to what’s in the vending machines.
With the “Mural Arts” episode, there’s a spotlight on Jacob and the challenges he has as a teacher trying to engage the students, especially being hyper-aware of his privilege and being Type-A. What went behind crafting this storyline?
JH: That one came about because we were talking about how it’s really difficult as a teacher and just a parent to respect the fact that kids live in the moment, but also know that you have to prepare them for the future because you just have a lot more experience than they do and you know where some of these paths lead. That felt like something that Barbara had already learned how to grapple with, Melissa had already learned and Janine lives such in the moment with her kids and her kids are a little younger, so it didn’t feel as prevalent. But it felt right for Jacob because it’s this guy who’s constantly thinking about where-I-am-in-the-zeitgeist and where-I-am-in-this-moment-in-time. Like, where do I fit and where is it going? And so it felt like that was just a really fun conflict to have for him. Jacob’s a really fun character to write because he always wants to do the right thing and he sometimes does not see the forest through the trees.
At the very end of this episode, there’s an offhand mention of Ava’s secret bathroom. Is there a plan for where that running joke is going? Is Mr. Johnson going to stumble upon it and let everyone know?
PS: I don’t think we have an endgame. I’m sure we will. I’d like to think that Mr. Johnson probably knows about it. And again, we have not discussed this in the room, but in my head canon, Mr. Johnson knows all the secrets of the school. He’s a cool guy. He knows not to narc on Ava. He knows where his bread’s buttered, so he’s not going to cross Ava.
JH: Mr. Johnson knows all. I remember when we were first pitching the show, Quinta told us this story about how I think she said the janitor at one of her schools had been a Golden Gloves boxing champion and nobody knew. She was talking about [how] nobody knows anything about the janitor. The janitor is mysteriously here [and] knows everything because they’re cleaning everything.
PS: He’s been at the school possibly the longest of anyone. He has more tenure than Barbara.
JH: The writing staff has really run with that.
The latest episode of “Abbott Elementary” Season 2, “Mural Arts,” will be available for streaming on Hulu beginning Thursday.
Neal Mohan, the new head of YouTube, outlined his key priorities and teased some upcoming features for the media platform in his first address to the community since stepping up to the role last month. In his letter, Mohan opens by saying that he’ll “continue to put [creators] first” and recapping some of the recent features the platform has added. He also teased one particularly interesting new one: YouTube is developing generative AI tools for content creators.
“Creators will be able to expand their storytelling and raise their production value, from virtually swapping outfits to creating a fantastical film setting through AI’s generative capabilities,” said Mohan in a letter published today. “We’re taking the time to develop these features with thoughtful guardrails.”
Details are slim, but the new generative AI tools are expected “in the coming months”
YouTube hasn’t provided any specific details regarding how these generative AI tools will work, but Mohan said we can expect them to roll out to creators “in the coming months,” alongside undisclosed protections to ensure the technology is being used responsibly.
Mohan also promised a big new addition to YouTube Shorts. Later this year, YouTube will roll out a creation feature that allows users to record a Short in a side-by-side layout beside an existing YouTube video or Short, similar to TikTok’s Duet feature. TikTok’s Duets have become one of the platform’s most recognizable formats since its release in 2018, so much so that Instagram rolled out its own variant for Reels in 2021, dubbed “Reels Remix.”
YouTube TV will soon allow users to watch multiple games simultaneously
There’s also one big new feature coming that’s more focused on YouTube’s traditional TV efforts. YouTube announced back in December that it will soon exclusively distribute the NFL Sunday Ticket out-of-market sports package in the US via YouTube TV, starting with the 2023 NFL season. Mohan also revealed a new YouTube TV feature will roll out later this year that allows viewers to watch multiple games at once.
Following his predecessor Susan Wojcicki, who stepped down as YouTube CEO after nine years in the role, Mohan is taking the reins at a tumultuous time. Alphabet, YouTube’s parent company, reported that ad revenue for the platform plummeted by 8 percent year on year during the holiday quarter. YouTube has also been criticized for its crackdown on swearing in recent weeks, with creators expressing that the new profanity and content guidelines are too vague and harshly applied.
But dealing with that push and pull between creators and advertisers is perhaps the defining task of whoever’s running YouTube, and Mohan clearly knows what’s in store. “In its earliest start up days, I saw YouTube’s potential,” said Mohan. “Now, I’m incredibly excited to lead it into the future.”
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees released a survey Wednesday finding that visual effects workers lack access to portable health insurance and retirement plans.
The survey found that among visual effects workers who work on the “client side” of the business, only 12% have a health insurance plan that they can take from job to job. Another 45% get healthcare only for the duration of their project, while 43% do not have health insurance at all.
The union released the results as it wages a campaign to organize VFX workers, who have not had labor representation. The survey also highlighted the lack of other benefits that come with union jobs, including employer-sponsored retirement plans, breaks and rest periods, and overtime pay. The survey found that some workers on the lower end of the pay scale barely make minimum wage, when unpaid overtime is factored in.
The survey differentiated between “client-side” VFX workers, who work for the production companies, and “vendor-side” workers, who work for effects houses. The benefits for vendor-side workers are somewhat better, with 25% having access to portable health plans and 47% having retirement plans that employers contribute to.
On the client side, only 15% have employers who contribute to their retirement, the survey found.
In a virtual news conference held Wednesday, IATSE leaders and a handful of vfx industry veterans detailed the tough working conditions in many shops and underscored the need for collective bargaining.
“When I made the transition (from animation) into visual effects, I had zero benefits offered to me,” said vfx veteran Maggie Kraisamutr, noting that she had employer-provided health care when working in animation. “Most visual effects workers I know can barely survive five years in the industry.”
Gabrielle Levesque, who works as a vfx data wrangler, said she has had many jobs where she was expected to work 10 hours straight before getting her first meal break. “These are the structural challenges vfx workers face,” she said.
IATSE leaders noted that vfx and many aspects of post-production work in film and TV are the last areas of the production community that are not unionized. There have been organizing drives in the past that struggled to gain traction in a sector that is composed of many small and medium-sized employers. Vfx work has also become far-flung around the world as the digital nature of the job means it can be done from almost anywhere, thanks to high-speed data networks.
Mark Patch, a motion graphics and 3D animation expert, noted that vfx artists increasingly face dangerous working conditions for a number of reasons, and they’re often tasked with continuously having to take time to train less-experienced colleagues. The lack of uniform standards across the industry in software tools, production formats and producer expectations only complications the situation.
“Lack of standardization across our industry means these workers must become experts essentially overnight,” Patch said.
Ben Speight, an organizer with the IATSE-affiliated Animation Guild, said the broader cultural environment at present offers a more hospitable climate for organizing than in years past. “The previous efforts were done as more of an advocacy/activist kind of model,” Speight said. “We’re moving from protests to power.”
Research and data such as the wage survey will help build goodwill and bring urgency to the need for union representation, Speight asserted. IATSE is conferring with labor organizations such as BECTU in the U.K. and elsewhere to build a global movement, and guard against employers taking their business overseas to blunt union drives in the U.S.
“This presents are historic opportunity to build a global vfx movement. We deserve democracy in the workplace,” he said.
Patch pointed to recent successes by the Animation Guild as a sign that the post-production community is ready to embrace organized labor. Animation and visual effects “are the growth industries of 21st century entertainment,” Patch said. “This is vital for the future of entertainment work.”
Cast: Neeraj Kabi, Jaideep Ahlawat, Abhishek Banerjee
Creator: Sudip Sharma
Crime thriller genre has really caught up with the showrunners on the Indian OTT platforms, and Amazon Prime Video’s latest show Pataal Lok has just made it a better choice. Established in the bylanes of Delhi and explored in the ravines of Bundelkhand, Pataal Lok dissects the world of heinous crimes with surgical precision. You don’t know whether to hate these criminals or give them the benefit of doubt as they casually go about their victims.
While shows like Sacred Games and Mirzapur relied on sudden chills, Paatal Lok is more about going inside the criminal’s mind without attributing superhuman qualities to them. Though Sacred Games was also from a cop’s perspective, Paatal Lok’s Hathiram Chaudhary (Jaideep Ahlawat) is different in a way that he doesn’t have resources like Sartaj, and unlike Sartaj, he is not at all clued in about the larger conspiracy he has unknowingly been a part of. To be honest, the only driving force Chaudhary has is his curiosity, which the makers cheekily equates with a cat’s.
There is a top news anchor Sanjeev Mehra (Neeraj Kabi) hobnobbing with the corrupt and shady with a weird conviction of being righteous. Kabi, in his usual nuanced ways, makes you confused about his real character. The self-obsessed newsman is in for a shock when he discovers that he is the target of some assassins.
While seizing the opportunity for more TRPs, he slowly starts getting a hang of the situation, and what he finds out, simply robs him of sleep.
Creator Sudip Sharma’s show is unlike other Indian shows that make us happy with expected twists and usual progression. Paatal Lok goes beyond the obvious, and that’s where it shines.
Directed by Avinash Arun (Killa) and Prosit Roy (Pari), Paatal Lok’s strength lies in its detailing. ‘Jamna Paar’ area in Delhi, where it begins, has many layers of crimes and corruption. There’s a huge disparity between the Lutyens’ zone and trance Yamuna, and the show brings out many aspects of it through Ahlawat’s typical Delhi cop, down but not dusted.
Paatal Lok comes to its own with the backstories of its criminals. Abhishek Bannerjee’s Hathaura Tyagi (as hammer is his weapon of choice) could find a reflection in thousands of misguided youth who never knew any better. Though Bannerjee has played negative characters in shows such as Mirzapur and Typewriter, but his terrifying intensity and odd beliefs make this one to watch out for. It’s definitely a ground breaking role for him.
The writers have consciously kept Delhi mostly as a city of migrants from smaller towns in the Hindi belt. When harsh surroundings get better of them, they turn to crime for survival, and all this seems neutral and natural. For example, the two kids who meet on a train and remain there for each other through thick and thin, is a case study in itself. The casual attitude with which they see through sexual and mental abuses breaks heart.
Then there’s a Dalit boy from Punjab who would see Delhi’s underworld as an escape from his lived reality. What worse could happen!
It keeps getting darker and more vocal with an almost failed cop struggling to quench his thirst for more. It may also remind you of Navdeep Singh’s terrific Manorama Six Feet Under, where it kept getting bigger and more local. The show doesn’t look outside to seek answers, but tracks the footprints of its characters through an inward journey.
Even not so prominent characters like Swastika Mukherjee’s Dolly and Gul Panag’s Renu leave significant impact on the story. They keep adding new dimensions to Hathiram Chaudhary’s evolution. In fact, Panag’s excellent understanding of human behaviour comes to the fore when she confronts her brother for using her. No extra drama, but painfully penetrating.
Coming back to Jaideep Ahlawat, this is the role of a lifetime for him. His expressions don’t drop for a second even if he is chasing a goon with a duffle bag on his shoulders. He is the binding force to assemble all the clues and cues at one place. He takes the center stage only after the fifth episode, but once he does it, he absolutely nails it. It’s difficult to think anybody else in the character after Ahlawat. Top notch.
Paatal Lok is a reminder of the futility of our existence and that makes me sad, but as the coronavirus is teaching us, we might have to live within the bubble as it seems safe, at least for the time being. Binge Paatal Lok, it will help you survive.
For years, Netflix executives have been the biggest cheerleaders of TV bingeing.
The Los Gatos streamer pioneered releasing all episodes of a show all at once, causing people to sit in front of their screens for hours to consume full seasons in a single weekend.
But on March 4, the Hollywood disruptor begins its foray into a format as old as TV broadcasting itself — live programming — with a highly anticipated comedy special from Chris Rock.
Rock will become the first artist to perform a live comedy special on Netflix with his show, titled “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage.” The roughly hourlong special could draw large audiences to the streaming service, as fans anticipate he’ll discuss Will Smith slapping him at the Academy Awards last year. There will also be a pre-show and after-show featuring other entertainers, including Ronny Chieng, David Spade and Dana Carvey.
Netflix’s binge-and-burn model helped make it the biggest subscription streaming service, with about 231 million paying members globally.
But now that the market has become flooded with rival streamers, simply having a large library of shows and a slate of popular original programming available on-demand is no longer enough. Netflix is looking for ways to turn its shows into must-see events.
Under pressure to control costs while still growing their businesses, Netflix and other streaming services have canceled shows and laid off workers. At the same time, Netflix has tried out new kinds of content (including games) and borrowed from some of the old ways of the TV business, such as advertising.
Getting into live shows — an effort to encourage old-school appointment viewing — is part of that effort to fend off competition and boost viewership.
“Netflix is looking for ways to be competitive and to show consumers why they need to stay subscribed to Netflix, because now there’s so many choices,” said Brett Sappington, vice president at Culver City-based market research firm Interpret, which advises companies in media, tech and entertainment. “Netflix now has to prove every month why it’s still valuable.”
Netflix declined to comment.
By dipping its toe into the live TV space, Netflix is discovering what traditional broadcasters and cable have understood for generations. Events like the Super Bowl or World Series are popular among viewers because it’s an experience everyone can talk about in real time.
And though ratings for awards shows like the Oscars have fallen over the years, they still draw millions of viewers and spark conversations in the culture because, as last year’s awards show proved, anything can happen in a live setting. That could similarly draw people to tune in to the Chris Rock special, which is happening nearly a year after the notorious Oscars slap incident.
“Live is able to draw consumers in a way that on-demand just doesn’t in volume,” Sappington said. “If you can only see it on Netflix, then everyone who saw it has to go to Netflix to make sure that they are part of it. They don’t want to miss out.”
Last year, Netflix hosted an in-person comedy festival with 336 comedians performing in Los Angeles, selling more than 260,000 tickets. During one of the performances, comedian Dave Chappelle was tackled by a man carrying a replica handgun at the Hollywood Bowl. Rock later joked onstage, “Was that Will Smith?” Netflix has also signed a deal to stream the annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Netflix starting in 2024.
“There’s nothing particularly novel about live television, but we are dabbling in it, starting with our Chris Rock live concert, to try to create the excitement around live for those things that are uniquely more exciting to be live,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-CEO, in an earnings discussion in January.
Other streaming services have already bet on live events. Paramount+ simulcast the Grammys with CBS in February, while Disney+ aired a live Elton John concert from Dodger Stadium last year.
One major area of interest for streamers is sports, long seen as the final frontier for online video — and one of the last things keeping the traditional cable bundle intact.
Amazon pays $1 billion annually to stream 15 Thursday-night NFL football games, while Apple TV+ has agreements with Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer to carry games.
Netflix has resisted the urge to dive into live sports, a business that comes with astronomical costs because of the license fees popular leagues are able to extract for broadcast and streaming rights.
“We’ve not been able to figure out how to deliver profits in renting big league sports in our subscription model,” Sarandos said in January.
Instead, Netflix is going through its tried-and-true route of stand-up comedy, a category it has long invested in and promoted.
Netflix’s comedy specials have sometimes spurred controversy, including within the company. Netflix employees walked out in protest over how the company handled their concerns over transphobic speech in Chappelle’s “The Closer” special. Ricky Gervais’ comedy special “SuperNature” was criticized by GLAAD for “graphic, dangerous, anti-trans rants masquerading as jokes.”
But people still tuned in — “The Closer” ranked in the top 10 Netflix shows in four countries for at least one week, while “SuperNature” reached that level in 13 countries, according to Netflix data. The company updated its culture memo last year to say its library may include content that runs counter to some employees’ personal values. “If you’d find it hard to support our content breadth, Netflix may not be the best place for you,” the memo said.
Saturday’s event is Netflix’s latest evolution in the stand-up comedy space, known to be a personal passion for Sarandos. It’s Rock’s second comedy special on Netflix, coming after 2018’s “Chris Rock: Tamborine.” Netflix paid Rock $40 million for the two specials, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Netflix declined to confirm the cost of the deal.
Michael Pachter, a managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities, questioned whether viewership for Rock’s special will justify the cost.
“There’s no way they are getting a $20-million return on an hour of comedy,” Pachter said.
Over the last couple years, Netflix has been building out its technology for live programming but “hadn’t really tested it out,” Sarandos said at an investors conference in December. Sarandos has suggested that this could lead to livestreams of other Netflix events, such as episodes revealing the winners of a competition show or a cast reunion from a reality program.
Disney achieved a significant box office victory this week, but it doesn’t involve any single movie. I’ll explain in the latest MarvelBlog News!
The MCU Returns to China
Source: Marvel Studios
The United States and China have experienced frigidity in their political relationship during the pandemic.
As part of the fallout from this unpleasantness, American companies have struggled to maintain their business relationships in China.
While that’s a trivial concern in the greater scheme, the problem has impacted the bottom line of several businesses.
Source: Marvel Studios
The Walt Disney Company has definitely suffered due to the icy political climate.
One specific problem stems from international box office woes. Disney has already struggled with theatrical releases in the Middle East.
Simultaneously, the company had no choice but to cut ties with all Russian business enterprises.
Source: Marvel Studios
Even worse, China refused to exhibit many Hollywood films during the past two years. This practice cost Disney countless box office ticket sales.
On more than one occasion, Disney’s most recent CEO suggested that the company’s movie division would have remained steady if not for this imbalance.
Photo: Marvel Studios
Well, the tide has finally turned for Disney. Next month, two different Marvel Cinematic Universe releases will screen in China.
More than three months after its release, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will play in Beijing on February 7th.
Soon afterward, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will screen day-and-date in China, which is what Disney wanted all along.
Source: Marvel Studios
So, after going more than three years without a Chinese release, the MCU will receive two in a matter of 10 days!
Folks, this is a big deal. The last MCU movie that played in China was Avengers: Endgame!
Importantly, China never confirmed the de facto ban, nor did officials there explain what Disney did wrong.
Source: Marvel Studios
Speculation centered on some of Disney’s characters not fitting China’s political landscape. However, it’s just as likely that Eternals director Chloe Zhao’s comments on her home country played a factor.
No matter the reason, the ban has ended!
About Marvel’s Next Two Movies
Source: Marvel Studios
The international box office news bodes well for Marvel’s next two releases, Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Both films have assigned cast members on press junkets this week. So, we learned a lot more about the titles.
For example, here’s the Ant-Man cast speaking about the ascension of the Kang Dynasty:
You’ve purchased your tickets, right? If not, you need to do that now. We bought ours on day one, and most of the good seats had already sold out.
Fans of The Good Place should also take note. Our beloved Chidi Anagonye, William Jackson Harper, has finally revealed his Quantumania character.
Remember how surprised everyone was when they found out that Chidi/Harper was super-jacked? Yeah, he’s looking super-intense here.
Source: Marvel Studios
All we know about the character thus far is that he’s a Quantum Realm telepath named Quaz.
However, I know that Marvel’s team loves The Good Place every bit as much as I do. As such, I fully expect this character to prove essential to the MCU.
Source: Marvel Studios
Meanwhile, James Gunn and the Guardians cast have also spoken up about what to expect.
For starters, Gunn stated that no matter what you know of Adam Warlock, he is “definitely not a good guy” in Vol. 3.
Since Warlock was genetically built to take revenge on the Guardians, you can safely expect him to terrorize a LOT of people.
Source: Marvel
Speaking of Gunn, he strongly hinted that various members of the Guardians team will pop up in DC Comics films in the future.
Now that Gunn is calling the shots at DC, he wants to assign his close friends some prime roles in the DCU.
Given Dave Bautista’s recent comments about the MCU, I suspect he’s first in line for the transition.
A Surreal Blast from the Past
Source: Jessie Grant/ Disney/ Getty Images
In many ways, Marvel fans owe the existence of the MCU to Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter, the former CEO and current Chairman of Marvel Entertainment.
Perlmutter acted aggressively to secure a stake in Marvel as the company battled bankruptcy in the 1990s.
Alas, Marvel fans mostly despise him because he famously undercut Kevin Feige at every turn.
Source: everyeye.it
The billionaire and his creative lead bumped heads so many times that Disney CEO Bob Iger had to step in.
Iger reorganized Disney specifically to prevent Feige from reporting to Perlmutter. If not for that, Feige likely would have left Marvel.
At the time, everyone hailed Feige as the victor, the rare common man to battle a billionaire and win.
Source: @MCU_Direct
Alas, Perlmutter took that defeat hard. Like Baron Zemo, he has apparently plotted revenge.
This past week, we learned that Perlmutter has pushed another billionaire, Nelson Peltz, to join Disney’s Board of Directors.
Iger has strongly opposed this move, recognizing that Perlmutter seeks retribution.
Source: Marvel Comics/ Sideshow Collectibles
So, if you hear that there’s an activist investor trying to force his way onto Disney’s Board, you know why. It’s because Feige wanted to make Black Panther and Captain Marvel.
Imagine being someone upset because those two films turned into mega-blockbusters. What a sad life.
Marvel Miscellany
Source: Marvel
We’ve got a few production items of note this week. For starters, Production Weekly indicates that Wonder Man will begin filming in March.
So, that MCU project is a LOT closer to happening than anybody had anticipated.
Production Weekly also shows that the long-awaited Blade reboot will enter principal photography this summer.
Source: Marvel
As a reminder, this project almost fell apart entirely during the second half of 2022. Marvel would feel fortunate if it could pick up the pieces that quickly.
Ordinarily, once films enter turnaround by losing their director, they end up in limbo for years.
Marvel obviously feels good about the Mahershala Ali casting and has pushed forward despite the recent setbacks.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Variety/Shutterstock (10341985al) Mahershala Ali Marvel Studios panel, Comic-Con International, San Diego, USA – 20 Jul 2019
The summer will prove busy at Marvel’s various production locations. Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus confirmed that Thunderbolts films in June.
Also, the former Veep/Seinfeld star emphasized that she gets into a few donnybrooks. “I really want to fight.” I bet she’s got a mean right cross.
Photo: Marvel Studios
We’ve also got one confirmed casting tidbit this week. The long-rumored appearance of Nikki M. James in Daredevil: Born Again is now set in stone.
The Tony Award-winning actress most recently appeared in the Apple TV+ series, Severance.
James Devaney / GC IMAGES GETTY IMAGES
Finally, I’ve got some excellent news to share with you! Actor Jeremy Renner has returned to his home, where he will continue to convalesce!
The man we know as Hawkeye confirmed that he broke 30 (!) bones when a snowplow pinned him. So, it’s a genuine miracle he’s out of the hospital so soon.
Photo: Marvel
Renner stated the following about the latest episode of his TV series, Mayor of Kingstown: “Outside my brain fog in recovery, I was very excited to watch episode 201 with my family at home.”
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Jamie Dornan becomes James Gunn’s Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman, in The Brave and The Bold fan-made trailer for the upcoming Dark Knight reboot.
Jamie Dornan becomes James Gunn’s Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman, in The Brave and The Bold fan-made trailer. A new DC Universe is on its way. In late January of this year, Gunn and Peter Safran revealed the first half of what they are calling Chapter 1. Titled “Gods and Monsters,” several movies and TV shows that will interconnect were revealed to the world. One of them is the upcoming Batman reboot, titled The Brave and The Bold. With the Caped Crusader getting reimagined once again for the big screen, fans are already speculating who will don the iconic cape and cowl.
As the DC movies and TV slate were only revealed last month, The Brave and The Bold are at least a few years away from hitting theaters. While announced a few weeks ago, DC Studios never revealed a targeted release date for the Batman reboot.
Screen Culture recently released a new fan-made trailer for The Brave and The Bold, where they imagined Dornan as the latest live-action Batman. The Umbrella Academy star Aidan Gallagher is also part of the trailer as he gets fan-cast as Robin, a.k.a. Damian Wayne. The Netflix star has been fan-cast numerous times as the fourth version of the Boy Wonder.
How James Gunn’s Batman Will Be Different From Past Live-Action Versions
While Ben Affleck nor Robert Pattinson will be playing Batman in the DC Universe, Gunn’s version is already finding ways to stand out from past live-action incarnations. Over the last few decades, pretty much every Batman franchise has had Bruce Wayne be a solo hero. Looking outside Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, the idea of sidekicks or a larger Bat-Family has been left outside past continuities. In the DCEU, Affleck’s Batman had a Robin at one point before he was murdered by The Joker.
But with Gunn’s DC Universe, they are setting up the idea of Bruce discovering the existence of his biological son, Damian Wayne. Not only is it Damian’s first time being featured in a live-action project, but it indicates that other allies have come along the way. Gunn and Safran talked about how the Bat-Family will be depicted throughout The Brave and The Bold, which may suggest that iconic players will pop up. Whether they are Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, or Barbara Gordon, this helps the DC Universe set itself apart from other Batman versions.
Since it will be at least a few years before The Brave and The Bold, time will tell when they will actually have cast someone as the new Batman. Gunn has hinted that there will be some major casting announcements this year, but whether or not Batman is part of that or not remains to be seen. But hopefully, as DC Studios get rolling with the new DC Universe, The Brave and The Bold will find its leading hero sooner rather than later.
It continues the story of Cal Kestis, one of the last surviving Jedi Knights, and director Stig Asmussen has said he’d like to see the protagonist’s journey stretch to a third game.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor – Official Reveal Trailer
“I always wanted to see this as a trilogy,” he told IGN. “How can we take Cal and the crew to new places beyond what we were doing in the first game?
“We had a pretty decent idea of timeframe where we wanted Survivor to take place, what the stakes were going to be, what the tone of the game was going to be, what Cal was going to be up against, and how the crew was going to factor into that. And there’s ideas of what we could do beyond that as well.”
Asmussen also said it was likely that a third game in the series would see Respawn switch from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal 5 for development. “I think it’s a pretty safe assumption.”
In December, publisher EA announced that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor would be released for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on March 17, 2023. But the following month, it delayed the release of the third person, narrative-driven action-adventure title by a month and a half.
“For the last three years, the Jedi team here at Respawn has poured its collective heart and soul into Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and we are proud to say the next chapter in the tale of Cal Kestis is content complete,” Respawn said in a statement announcing the delay.
“We are now focused entirely on the final stage: bug fixes to enhance performance, stability, polish, and most importantly, the player experience.”
It added: “In order for the team to hit the Respawn quality bar, provide the team the time they need, and achieve the level of polish our fans deserve, we have added six crucial weeks to our release schedule – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will now launch globally on April 28th.”
Along with some new amaran tube lights, Aputure has launched the new Infinibar series for the seamless creation of a wide variety of shapes or panels.
Aputure has just dropped new lighting units with a key feature that folks have been hoping for for a while—seamless connection. The new Aputure Infinibar PB3 and PB6 (1-foot and 2-foot) pixel bars can be connected next to each other without a seam between them, creating the effect of a long, interrupted line or block of light.
But what new opportunities do these lights afford creatives, and how do they fit into your workflow? Let’s dive a bit deeper into the features you get and see what you can create.
The new Aputure InfinibarCredit: Aputure
K’NEX For Lighting
The new fixtures open up a whole host of creative possibilities when building lighting into your set, where the seamless interaction can be used to spell out words, letters, or otherwise visually delineate space without seams (and remind the audience that there are lighting tubes back there). Remember K’NEX? Maybe that will show your age if you do, but the same principle applies. Connect rods together and build yourself whatever you want. But with this setup, you can light your scenes with interesting creative lighting fixtures.
Those light bars are actually many units pushed up against each otherCredit: Aputure
Beyond that, you could use the bars to create a seamless panel of light that will be useful in applications like building very specific lighting cues (perhaps driven by a video signal) or building specific reflection shapes into shiny objects like eyes.
Credit: Aputure
The key to all of this is a very simple design that is built with seamlessness in mind. The light element runs right up to the edge and underneath, with space for specially designed mounting clips that offer power passthrough and structural support. This means you don’t need to run power to every light in the assembly since power passes along the lineup from light to light. It’s quite ingenious.
Power goes through the middle whole while the four around it allow for structural rigidityCredit: Aputure
Control is available through LumenRadio CRMX, traditional DMX over USB, or Sidus Link, the Bluetooth mesh network app that has seen rapid development by the Aputure team over recent years. The units are designed to take special advance of Sidus’s capabilities when grouping them together as a unit. For instance, a typical pattern is to run a chase of a certain color or pattern along a light bar, and those patterns will be very smooth here with 24 pixels per foot.
But Sidus Link also lets you group together as many units as you want into a line. You can then run a chase or pattern along the whole line in a seamless, smooth system. While DMX remains the industry standard, as lighting units get more sophisticated, we’re increasingly seeing the need for new methods of thinking about programming lights.
The Aputure PT1 & PT2 Tube Lights
On top of all that, Aputure has also rolled out the new PT1c and PT2c (1-foot and 2-foot) pixel tubes. These are built on similar technology but have strategically removed a few features to come in at a more affordable price point. For instance, as compared to the 24 pixels per foot you get from the PB3 and MT-One units that Aputure also has, you get only 8 pixels per foot. The other big feature you lose is the built-in LumenRadio CRMX.
Are these dealbreakers? It all depends on your application, and for many applications, you won’t notice those features are missing. If you are going to be doing an indie feature with loads of setups a day and using the tubes as a more traditional fixture, you will never think about having only 8 pixels per foot. That is still a ton of lighting control.
Credit: Aputure
The lack of CRMX isn’t a big deal, as you can run it all via Sidus Link app control or traditional cabled DMX if you need it. We got to spend a few hours with these new fixtures, and they are more than capable lights with a ton of utility in a lightweight, affordable package.
Credit: Aputure
Sometimes it’s good not to have to pay for a feature if you aren’t going to use it, and there are a lot of productions that don’t go to the effort of setting up a full DMX system on every lighting setup. The productions that will want those features happen to be bigger shows doing more complicated lighting designs.
A Litte Niche, A Little Versatile
If you are building lighting units into sets, doing video-driven lighting, or doing massive rigs, you will want the fine-tuning of the Aputure Infinibar PB3 and PB6. But if you aren’t, and you don’t need the seamless feature, the PT1 and PT2 units sit at a great price/benefit point for a lot of filmmakers.
It’s great to see Aputure putting out some unique lighting solutions. The days of single-bulb fixtures seem to be related to the annals of history, but with the versatility, we’re getting with the new lights, that’s a welcome change to the lighting landscape.
The Aputure PB3, PB6, PT1, and PT2 units are all available now, so get out your wallets if you’ve been wanting to upgrade your lighting setup. If you are, let us know in the comments how you’ll use these new lights in your setup!
The basic premise of The Blackening, the new horror comedy from Barbershopdirector Tim Story, is right there in the tagline: “We Can’t All Die First.” The film (written by Harlem creator Tracy Oliver and Brooklyn Nine-Nine writer Dewayne Perkins), centers on a group of Black friends who find themselves drawn into one of those elaborate murder games that people are always wandering into in movies, complete with evil board games, complicated death traps, and a challenge to vote amongst themselves as to who the “blackest” is—so that they can die first.
The Blackening (2023) Official Trailer – Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg, X Mayo
The film stars Perkins, Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls, Grace Byers, X Mayo, Melvin Gregg, Yvonne Orij, Jay Pharaoah, and Jermaine Fowler—the latter of whom goes to some pretty extreme lengths, in the trailer, to convince his friends he’s not as Black as the rest of them.
Comedies can always be hard to judge from trailers—it’s not especially hard to find every line that got a laugh in test screenings and throw it into a trailer, depriving the movie itself of any fresh jokes—but The Blackening seems to be pretty smart and pretty cutting about the material it’s tackling. (Including some fairly straight riffs on slasher parody material, with everyone audibly groaning when someone suggest they all split up, and one very good Rosa Parks joke.)
Story, for his part, has bounced all over the place over his last 20 years in Hollywood; in addition to 2002’s Barbershop, his previous comedies include everything from Taxi and Ride Along 2 to the recent Tom & Jerry movie. (He also directed both of the 2000s-era Fantastic Four movies; Tim Story has had a fascinating career, actually.) The Blackening lands in theaters on June 16, 2023, just ahead of the Juneteenth holiday on June 19th.
Busy Philipps is not a regular mom, she’s a cool mom.
The Cougar Town and Girls5eva actress has been cast in Paramount+’s Mean Girls musical movie as the “hip” mom of ultimate mean girl Regina George (played by Reneé Rapp, The Sex Lives of College Girls), our sister site Deadline reports. The role was portrayed by Amy Poehler in the 2004 original movie.
Philipps joins previously announced cast members Angourie Rice (Mare of Easttown), Tina Fey (30 Rock), Tim Meadows (The Goldbergs), Christopher Briney (The Summer I Turned Pretty) and Jenna Fischer (The Office).
Ready for some more recent newsy nuggets? Well…
* Justina Machado (One Day at a Time) is set to guest-star in an upcoming episode of NBC’s Lopez vs Lopez, our sister site Variety reports. Danielle Fishel (Boy Meets World) will direct the episode (airing March 24), in which Machado will play Beatrice “Bunny” Perez, the woman that ruined the marriage between George (George Lopez) and Rosie (Selenis Leyva, Orange Is the New Black). Machado’s mom on One Day at a Time, Rita Moreno, previously guest-starred as George’s late grandmother.
* Netflix has set a Friday, April 7 premiere for the movie Chupa, in which a teenager (newcomer Evan Whitten), while visiting family in Mexico, gains an unlikely companion when he discovers a young, mythical chupacabra hiding in his grandpa’s shed. Demián Bichir and Christian Slater costar.
* BET’s Saturday-night telecast of the 54th NAACP Image Awards — which was simulcast across 13 Paramount Global networks — amassed 2.9 million viewers, up 72 percent from last year.
* Hulu is the new streaming home for the animated Kulipari franchise based on the popular children’s books. The third season, entitled “A King Rises,” will debut on Hulu in late 2023.
* Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, a documentary about “actor, model and icon Brooke Shields as she transforms from a sexualized young girl to a woman discovering her power,” will premiere Monday, April 3 on Hulu; watch a teaser:
* Showtime has released a trailer for the limited series Waco: The Aftermath, premiering Sunday, April 16 at 10/9c:
Which of today’s TVLine Items pique your interest?
The 54th annual NAACP Image Awards seem to have benefitted from returning to CBS this year.
The ceremony, which was held Saturday at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, grew its audience by 72% compared to last year, drawing 2.9 million total viewers in its simulcast. The telecast aired across BET and CBS, as well as several other Paramount Global networks (including BET Her, CMT, Comedy Central, Logo, MTV, MTV2, Paramount Network, Pop TV, Smithsonian, TV Land, and VH1).
The awards show was back on CBS for a second time, after first airing on the broadcaster in 2021. This year, the ceremony garnered 1.5 million viewers on the broadcast network alone.
On social media, the Image Awards generated more than 10.4M social interactions, up 1,658% year-over-year, according to BET.
Angela Bassett won big at Saturday’s ceremony. The actress took home three trophies: for Outstanding Actress in a drama series for 9-1-1, Supporting Actress for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and the biggest award of the night, Entertainer of the Year.
One of the big surprises of the night was Will Smith winning the Outstanding Actor award for Emancipation. The actor was not in attendance and category presenter Janelle Monáe accepted the trophy on his behalf.
Perhaps history’s greatest advocate for rocking and rolling all nite, even KISS is finally ready for a moment’s rest. The band will kick off its final tour this October and just announced that it will close out the series of dates with two farewell squares at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, only a few blocks from where the group was first formed back in 1973.
“New York City has been a part of our ethos and storyline for more than four decades, so we felt it fitting to culminate our career on stage at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN,” the band shares in a statement accompanying the announcement. “KISS was born in New York City. On 23rd Street. Half a century ago. It will be a privilege and honor to finish touring at Madison Square Garden, 10 blocks and 50 years from where we first started!”
Aptly titled “The End Of The Road Tour,” Kiss’ exodus from touring has been a minute in the making. The band’s current line-up includes founding members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Eric Singer on drums, and Tommy Thayer on guitar. Founding guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss stopped performing with Kiss in 2002 and 2003, respectively.
For a full list of Kiss’ final North American tour dates, see below. Tickets will be available for presale holders starting March 6 at 10 a.m. local time:
2023 NORTH AMERICA TOUR
October 29, 2023 —Austin, TX — Moody Center
November 1, 2023—Palm Springs, CA—Acrisure Arena
November 3, 2023—Los Angeles, CA—Hollywood Bowl
November 6, 2023—Seattle, WA—Climate Pledge Arena
November 8, 2023—Vancouver, BC—Rogers Arena
November 10, 2023—Edmonton, AB—Rogers Place
November 12, 2023—Calgary, AB—Scotiabank Saddledome
November 13, 2023—Saskatoon, SK— SaskTel Centre
November 15, 2023—Winnipeg, MB—Canada Life Centre
November 18, 2023—Montreal, QC—Centre Bell
November 19, 2023—Quebec, QC—Videotron Centre
November 21, 2023—Ottawa, ON—Canadian Tire Centre
November 22, 2023—Toronto, ON—Scotiabank Arena
November 24, 2023—Knoxville, TN—Thompson-Boling Arena
November 25, 2023—Indianapolis. IN— Gainbridge Fieldhouse
November 27, 2023—Rosemont, IL—Allstate Arena
November 29, 2023—Baltimore, MD—CFG Bank Arena
December 1, 2023—New York, NY—Madison Square Garden
December 2, 2023—New York, NY— Madison Square Garden
“It’s not gonna feel like your average Live Read,” warns Film Independent President Josh Welsh, as he introduces Ruben Östlund to begin Film Independent Presents‘ February 27 staging of the filmmaker’s Academy Award-nominated screenplay for his Palm d’Or winning 2022 capitalism-and-sociology satire, Triangle of Sadness.
A previous Film Independent Spirit Award nominee for 2015’s Force Majeure, Östlund’s unconventional Live Read “guest director” gig is an exercise in anarchy, with the stage direction rich in commentary, resets and digressions–often to the befuddlement of his own performers–ably bringing the spirit of the critically acclaimed film to life.
Ruben Östlund demonstrates the delicate art of film direction (Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)
This Live Reading of NEON’s Triangle of Sadness took place on Monday, February 27 at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Film Independent’s first Live Read of 2023. The star-studded stage performed to a sold-out audience–all of whom were game to play along with Östlund’s unique vision for the evening.
Don’t let the panel-style stage setup fool you. If you hadn’t seen the movie, you might be curious (concerned?) about the themed barf bags on each seat and the couple in the row ahead of you explaining that they would need to get up partway through the performance.
“Interior casting agency, day,” Östlund begins. “About 50 half-naked men waiting in line.” The screen behind the actors reflects this image to set the scene, and hey, look what else is happening–the audience laughs and claps as they notice it. A parade of shirtless men walking through the auditorium to the stage, where they pose with Lewis Taylor (played by Jordan Firstman, Rotting in the Sun) to demonstrate the difference between grumpy, expensive brands and happy, cheap brands.
Jordan Firstman and a few model employees (Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)
And this is how the scene reads. And each scene following–among the cast of 10, no more than five remain seated throughout the night. Östlund directs in real time, sometimes removing himself for a better flow of dialogue, other times interrupting to instruct the actors (and the audience), even replaying a scene here and there (see below, under: “levels of drunkenness”).
Music and light cues usher in the next scene, and our lead couple moves to a table that mysteriously appears upstage. As Carl and Yaya (Nicholas Braun, Succession and Ayo Edebiri, The Bear) introduce the role of money in the power struggle of their relationship, Fred Armisen (Portlandia) makes everyone laugh with his acting choices as the waiter in this upscale restaurant. Östlund explains his real-life inspiration for this part of the story between escalating barbs from the actors reading the scene.
It’s an electric, engaging, one-of-a-kind environment that is half theater and half a peek behind the scenes of a director at work.
The dude imbibes: Brett Goldstein’s Captain takes a drink (Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)
Östlund exuberantly guides his ensemble social satire, as our celebrity model couple proceed to their luxury cruise for the uber-rich, helmed by an unhinged boat captain (Ted Lasso’s Brett Goldstein). The cast of shirtless models reappear as uniformed cruise staff, serving the actors on stage and the audience with ginger candy and pretzels. The Chief Stewardess, Paula (hilariously rendered by Alison Brie, Somebody I Used to Know) peps them all up while badgering Goldstein’s captain to recover from his “illness” and choose a night to host dinner.
But the star scene of the evening emerges as a very drunk captain resists Paula’s remonstrance to get out of his quarters and attend his dinner. This scene is replayed twice, as Östlund urges Goldstein to “increase the drunkenness” from five glasses of vodka to a whole bottle, then two bottles. Each time Goldstein complies, leaning into a sloppy, cocky delivery with hilarious effect.
The laughter is cacophonous by the time we get to the dinner scene. This is where that couple sitting in front of you does their thing. Retching on stage and off, as people pretend (?) to vomit into their bags while running through the auditorium. Is this really happening? The stage direction is infused with fun facts, like did you know that seasickness is worse on an empty stomach? “It’s very interesting that I write like this,” Östlund interrupts himself to comment.
Under the influencer: Ayo Edebiri and Nicholas Braun (Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)
So many memorable moments from Tia Carrere’s Vera (Easter Sunday) who adorns Armisen’s Dmitry (“I am the king of shit!”) and the cruise ship’s below-decks staff step into leadership roles–specifically Simona Tabasco (The White Lotus) as the formidable Abigail, supported by Aparna Nancherla (The Great North).
The Film Independent Live Read tradition began in 2011, with the idea to ask a working director to choose a script they love – be it a classic, cult or personal favorite – and to reinterpret it on stage with actors of their choosing. Past directors have included Marlee Matlin (Sunset Boulevard), Quentin Tarantino (The Hateful Eight), Jason Reitman (Ghostbusters) and Marvin Lemus (L.A. Story), among others.
“Normally when we do these, the director is choosing a script that is not their own film that they made,” Welsh explains before Östlund’s unique brand of immersive experience goes down. With thanks to the Wallis, NEON, the HFPA, and the Film Independent team (namely Film Independent Programming and Events Director Rachel Bleemer and Associates Kate Mason and Terry Chi), this live reading of an Academy nominated script is an evening to remember.
NEON’s Triangle of Sadness is Oscar-nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Triangle of Sadness is now playing in select theaters and available on VOD, and will be streaming on Hulu March 3.
Film Independent promotes unique independent voices by helping filmmakers create and advance new work. To become a Member of Film Independent, just click here. To support us with a donation, click here.
Josh is a former NFL athlete and boxing instructor.
He reportedly trains one of Madonna’s kids.
Madonnareportedly has a new boyfriend, just days after it was reported that she split from her prior boyfriend Andrew Darnell. The Queen of Pop, 64, has started seeing boxing instructor Josh Popper, 29 after the split, according to DailyMail. The singer even posed with the hunky fighter after one of his matches on February 12. She cozied up to him in an all-black outfit as he sported a white tanktop. “I wanna thank my coaches, my team, and my Bredwinners family for pushing me to be my best in and out of the ring. I got some good people by my side,” he wrote in the caption of his Instagram post. Find out everything you need to know about Josh here!
1. Josh is a New York-based boxing instructor
While Josh hops in the ring from time to time, he also helps other people learn the art of boxing. He began sharing photos of himself showing off his boxing skills back in 2019. It’s not clear when exactly he began coaching himself, but he often shares photos and videos of himself teaching others some of his skills.
2. He founded the Bredwinner’s boxing studio
Besides being a teacher, Josh is also a business owner. He launched Bredwinner in February 2021, and the gym had its grand opening that November, according to its Instagram. The business offers boxing lessons to people of all sorts of skill levels and also hosts events like watch parties.
3. He reportedly trains one of Madonna’s kids
Madonna has reportedly been dating the boxer for a few weeks. (David Fisher/Shutterstock)
While it’s not clear exactly when Josh’s reported romance with the “Like A Virgin” singer began, the report from DailyMail does shed some light on to how the two met. Apparently, one of Josh’s students is one of Madonna’s children. It wasn’t revealed which of Madge’s kids is an aspiring boxer.
4. He used to play football
Prior to pursuing his career as a boxing instructor and a fighter, Josh played another very physical sport: football. He was an even an NFL athlete, playing in camps for teams like the Cardinals and the Colts. It doesn’t appear that he played in any games, but he did pursue an NFL career before switching to boxing. Besides his athletics, he also briefly worked as an insurance salesman for New York Life Insurance, per his LinkedIn.
5. He went to Rowan University
Before setting out to begin his career as an NFL football player, Josh was a student at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, according to his LinkedIn. While he didn’t specify what his major was or divulge many other details, he did say that he attended from 2011 to 205.
TikTok announced Wednesday that many teenage users will now be limited to 60 minutes of screentime — that is, until they enter a passcode to bypass the feature and continue scrolling.
The social media company said that app users who have identified themselves as younger than 18 will start getting an automatic message when they hit an hour of daily scrolling. They’ll have to enter a passcode to dismiss the message.
The plan will not limit kids to a strict period of screentime — besides entering the passcode, users on social media have been known to alter their ages to avoid features meant for kids.
Still, TikTok said similar reminders have been shown to spur users to try to take control of their screentime.
“So we’re also prompting teens to set a daily screen time limit if they opt out of the 60-minute default and spend more than 100 minutes on TikTok in a day,” the company said.
The move comes as TikTok has been under significant political pressure in the United States as lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns about its security and ties to China — TikTok is owned by Chinese parent company ByteDance. Lawmakers have expressed concern that the app could pose a national security concern, suggesting that TikTok’s ownership leaves the app open to surveillance and censorship.
TikTok has said such concerns are based on “misrepresentations,” and it has launched a charm offensive in Washington in an attempt to persuade lawmakers it is trustworthy.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew told The Washington Post in an exclusive interview last month that the Chinese government has never asked for U.S. user data and that, “even if they did, we believe we don’t have to give it to them because U.S. user data is subject to U.S. law.”
Chew is slated to testify in the House on March 23, the first time the company’s CEO will appear on Capitol Hill, where a growing number of lawmakers have been pushing to ban the app entirely in the U.S.
Screentime has for years been a focus of lawmakers and advocacy groups who are concerned about the hold social media has on users, and especially on kids. Social media companies have tried for years to quell these concerns by adding screentime management features and reminders, but many experts say they don’t go far enough.
Some experts say that the impact of social media on kids’ mental health isn’t fully understood, but others say it has demonstrable effects.
Last month, big tech critic Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced a bill to require companies to verify all users are over 16 before letting them use the sites.
In Wednesday’s announcement, TikTok said parents or guardians would have to set a passcode to bypass the screentime limit for users on the app who are under 13. Those accounts already have limited features and cannot comment on other’s videos or send messages.
Cristiano Lima and Tatum Hunter contributed to this report.
Robert De Niro will star and executive produce in his first TV series in Netflix’s “Zero Day,” the streamer announced Wednesday.
The six-episode limited drama series, which functions as a conspiracy thriller, is created by Eric Newman and Noah Oppenheim, who will both serve as executive producers, with Newman executive producing under his Grand Electric Productions deal with Netflix.
The official logline is as follows: “‘Zero Day’ asks the question on everyone’s mind — how do we find truth in a world in crisis, one seemingly being torn apart by forces outside our control? And in an era rife with conspiracy theory and subterfuge, how much of those forces are products of our own doing, perhaps even of our own imagining?”
Michael S. Schmidt will also serve as a creator and executive producer alongside executive producer Jonathan Glickman. Lesli Linka Glatter, who also serves as an executive producer, will direct all episodes.
“I am a lifelong fan of Robert De Niro. To have him as a producing partner and star in this show is beyond my wildest dreams,” Newman said in a statement. “And Lesli Linka Glatter has directed so many of my favorite episodes of television; she was our clear first choice to direct this show. I am grateful to Netflix for their continued faith and support and thrilled to be in business with the amazing creative team of Noah, Lesli, and Jonathan on this timely (and terrifying) series.”
Oppenheim shared his excitement to work with Schmidt on the project as the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist wrote “the stories that kept him up at night.” “To see this ripped-from-reality thriller come to life, starring the legendary Robert De Niro, is more than we could have hoped,” Oppenheim said.
“’Zero Day’ is a shrewd, heart-pounding conspiracy thriller that will keep audiences at the edge of their seat,” Vice President of Scripted Series for US and Canada Peter Friedlander said. What an honor to have this A-list caliber of talent assembled, led by the iconic Robert De Niro and brought to life by the unrivaled talents of Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim, Lesli Linka Glatter and Michael S. Schmidt.”
She joins Matthew McConaughey who is set to voice the role of Elvis Presley, her late husband. Kaitlin Olson, Johnny Knoxville, Niecy Nash, Tom Kenny and Don Cheadle will also lend their voices to the animated series created by Priscilla Presley and John Eddie.
Ordered to series in August 2019, Agent Elvis follows Presley as he trades in his jumpsuit for a jet pack when he is covertly inducted into a secret government spy program to battle the dark forces that threaten the country he loves — all while holding down his day job as the King of Rock ’n’ Roll.
Netflix will debut Agent Elvis on March 17, with the guest list for the show including Ed Helms, Jason Mantzoukas, Christina Hendricks, Kieran Culkin, Chris Elliot, Simon Pegg and Tara Strong.
Agent Elvis comes from Sony Pictures Animation, Sony Pictures TV and Authentic Brands Group. Priscilla Presley and Eddie will also serve as executive producers, and Archer veteran Mike Arnold will write and serve as showrunner and head writer.
Eddie serves as co-showrunner and writer. McConaughey will exec produce alongside Kevin Noel, Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, Antonio Canobbio, Ben Kalina, Jamie Salter, Corey Salter and Marc Rosen. Fletcher Moules is co-executive producer.
The series is the first adult animated show to hail from Sony Pictures Animation, the studio behind Into the Spider-Verse. It’s produced by Authentic Brands Group and Titmouse.
Video of Naga Shaurya getting angry at a man goes viral, Ram Charan ready to dance to Naatu Naatu at Oscars.
Angry Naga Shaurya was seen asking a man to apologise to his girlfriend after he slapped her in public. Meanwhile, Ram Charan talks about Naatu Naatu at the Oscars.
Telugu actor Naga Shaurya was fuming and asked a man to apologise after the actor saw him slap his girlfriend. In the video that has surfaced online, Shaurya confronted the man in question in the middle of a busy road in Hyderabad for slapping his girlfriend. The man, who was also angry in the video, defended his abusive action by stating that she is his girlfriend while the girl tried to calm the man and cool the situation down. Shaurya refused to let go of the man until he apologises for slapping the woman.
Actor Kartik Aaryan announces Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. Sharing an eerie video on Instagram, Kartik revealed that he will be reprising the role for the second time. He also confirmed that the film has locked the Diwali 2024 release date. Kartik announced Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 shortly after Shehzada failed to work its magic at the box office.
Allu Arjun has turned down the offer to star in Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming film Jawan, a new report has claimed. Pinkvilla reported that Allu Arjun rejected the offer due to numerous reasons, one of which is Pushpa 2. “Allu Arjun couldn’t say yes to the film due to his choco block schedule. AA has been training rigorously to get into the skin of his character for Pushpa: The Rule and for the next few months, he is only going to focus on it. Pushpa-2 shoot is underway at a fast pace with two major schedules wrapped in Vizag and Hyderabad,” a source told the publication.
An unidentified person reportedly called the Nagpur Police control room on Tuesday and claimed that bombs have been planted near Amitabh Bachchan’s bungalow and Dharmendra’s residence in Mumbai. Following this, cops in the city have been alerted. As reported by India.com, the caller also claimed that 25 armed men also reached Dadar in Mumbai to carry out the terror attack. The news portal also reported that cops in Juhu, Vile Parle, and Gamdevi, under whose jurisdiction falls the residence of the two actors have also been alerted.
With RRR heading to the Oscars, eyeing the lone nomination of Best Original Song for Naatu Naatu, everyone is hoping Ram Charan and Jr NTR will recreate the magic of the song on stage. Ram Charan confessed he is ready to bring Naatu Naatu to the Oscar stage. However, there is one small problem. Speaking with Letterboxd, Ram explained, “We would love to do ‘Naatu Naatu’ anywhere that we are being appreciated, but not every place accommodates us to perform. But if we’re at the Oscars and there’s a request, and there’s time, why not? We’ll be more than happy to entertain our audience, who have given us so much.”
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When Darren Aronofsky brought his debut feature “Pi” to Sundance Film Festival in 1998, he negotiated for the rights to eventually revert back to himself. Now, 25 years later as the owner of the numbers-inspired psychological thriller, he’s sold the film to A24.
As part of the acqusition, A24 has remastered “Pi” (stylized as π) and plans to release the film in theaters and on digital platforms this year. The 8K and Atmos restoration version will play on the big screen on Pi Day, which is March 14, to commemorate its 25th anniversary.
“25 years ago, when we were just kids at Sundance, I was inspired by my hero Jim Jarmusch to fight for the rights of the film to return to the filmmakers,” Aronofsky said. “It took almost a quarter of a century, but time flies. In anticipation of this moment, we went back to the original black and white reversal 16mm film and scanned it at 8K. We also turned our original stereo mix into an Atmos experience. Everyone thought we were a little crazy but the film has never looked or sounded better. I am excited to team up with A24 and release this on Pi Day in Imax. I look forward to seeing everyone back in the theater soon.”
The one-day only screening, titled “Pi: The 25th Anniversary Imax Live Pi Day Experience,” will include a live Q&A with Aronofsky, cinematographer Matthew Libatique, composer Clint Mansell, actor Sean Gullette and other special guests live from Los Angeles, followed by a screening of the restored film.
Audiences will be able to see (and hear) “Pi” in the best possible quality. The movie is formatted through Imax’s proprietary digital remastering process (DMR) and remastered for Imax sound.
A surrealist psychological thriller, “Pi” follows a mathematician who becomes obsessed with searching for patterns in the universe as past of a quest for meaning. Aronofsky’s first film earned him the director’s award at Sundance and the Independent Spirit Award for best screenplay. He went on to direct a range of mind-bending thrillers and dark dramas, including “Requiem for a Dream,” “The Wrestler,” “Black Swan,” and “Mother!”
A24 produced his most recent film, “The Whale,” a drama about a college professor who suffers from severe obesity. It’s been nominated for three Oscars, including Brendan Fraser’s lead performance as Charlie and Hong Chau’s supporting turn as his caretaker Liz.
Imax and A24 have previously collaborated on Joel Coen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth” and this year’s Academy Awards darling “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” The two companies plan to work together in the future on both new and repertory releases.
Watch a trailer for “Pi’s” 25th anniversary screening:
Just announced at Entertainment Weekly, two of the comic book industry’s most innovative and exciting creators are teaming up to reshape the Marvel Universe as you know it! This June, join writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Bryan Hitch in ULTIMATE INVASION, a revolutionary four-issue saga that presents a surprising new chapter for Ultimate Comics and bold new strides for Marvel’s iconic heroes.
Launched over twenty years ago, the Ultimate Universe provided a contemporary take on classic Marvel characters and storylines. Known for its edginess and explosive action, the Ultimate Universe was home to some of Marvel’s most talked about and thought-provoking series of the 21st century. The Ultimate Universe reached its cataclysmic end in 2015’s SECRET WARS, but nothing stays buried in Marvel Comics for long. Is it time for the Ultimate Universe to make its grand return? The Maker seems to think so, and the Illuminati must form once again to stop him from his plans to destroy—or perhaps rebuild—the universe, with Miles Morales at the center of it all!
Hitch’s work on THE ULTIMATES helped redefine Super Hero comics for the 2000s, and Jonathan Hickman has successfully invigorated the Fantastic Four, Avengers, and X-Men in the last decade. Wait until you see what these two powerhouse talents have in store next! The debut issue will include new data pages by Jonathan Hickman—plus exclusive behind-the-scenes material on the world-building that has gone into this project!
“[Revisiting the idea of Ultimate Comics] couldn’t be replicating or revisiting what Bryan did in the original ULTIMATES—creating a streamlined, modernized version that would eventually become the spine of the MCU, and it certainly couldn’t be what I did, which was a final chapter of a pre-existing universe,” Hickman explained to Entertainment Weekly. “We also thought the very idea of Ultimate Comics needed to be inverted from what the original universe was—we wanted this to be something that could really only exist in the comic space: a new way of thinking about, and enjoying, a new version of the Marvel Universe. I’m pretty happy to say that it feels like we’ve accomplished those things and we’re very excited for everyone to get to read it.”
“It’s been more than 20 years since I started work on THE ULTIMATES, a project that would have a big impact on my own career and beyond, so when Marvel came to me with the idea of revisiting the Ultimate Universe with the man who so brilliantly and spectacularly destroyed the last one, I was both feet in!” Hitch said. “Jonathan is a terrific writer of big, sprawling epics, and we’ve talked about working together more than once so for this new Ultimate Universe adventure to unite us is very exciting. I get to bring two decades of new experience as an artist and storyteller to this. It’s new, different and familiar. It’s big budget, high-concept, widescreen storytelling. I feel right at home.”
On the DCN Podcast #167, the crew take you on a journey through this week’s DC news, including the announcement that The Batman: Part II will begin filming later this year, a new WWE WrestleMania promo starring Seth Rollins as The Joker, and much more!
Be sure to also subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play, and if you like what you hear, please give us a 5-star rating and review!
Mortal Kombat 12 is set to release this year, making 2023 an absolute juggernaut of a year for fighting games. After reports that all three major platform holders were skipping E3, Nintendo has confirmed to IGN that it will indeed be missing the event slated for June. Presented by The Consultant, Premiering February 24th, only on Prime.
