Taylor Swift, 33, is taking her Eras Tourto Argentina and her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, 34, is reportedly joining her! The Kansas City Chiefs football star is set to jet off and see the Grammy winner live in South America over the weekend, a source confirmed to Page Sixon November 8. Taylor is set to perform in Buenos Aires from November 9 through November 11.
Taylor Swift arriving in Argentina for the Eras Tour.
Despite making time to see his leading lady perform, Travis is committed to his NFL duties. “He has to be back on Sunday for practice on Monday,” the insider explained. The 34-year-old’s trip to South America fits in perfectly with his schedule, as he is not set to play again until November 20. Just before the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. Travis will face off against his brother, Jason Kelce’s team, the Philadelphia Eagles.
The same day, Travis seemingly hinted that he would be traveling soon during his New Heightspodcast. “My skin’s getting real pale. I gotta go somewhere sunny,” he told his brother during the episode. “Somewhere south … Closer to the equator.” Although he didn’t specify where he would be, Taylor’s tour will be taking place in South America from November 9 through November 26.
Elsewhere that day, Swifties spotted what appeared to be the “Anti-Hero” songstress arriving in Argentina via a private plane. In a video shared via X (Twitter), Taylor seemingly stepped out of the plane in an all-black outfit and sneakers. She took cover with a black umbrella and dodged the cameras before she stepped into her vehicle. It’s unclear if her beau was with her upon her arrival, however, due to Travis’ comments it could be likely.
Hannah Waddingham is fully in the holiday spirit in the trailer for her first Christmas special.
The Ted Lasso star and multiple Emmy and Olivier Award nominee sings “What Christmas Means to Me” in the trailer for Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas, which is set to premiere Nov. 22 on Apple TV+. The clip promises an old-fashioned kind of special filled with music, dancing and a bunch of special guests.
Waddingham’s Ted Lasso co-star Phil Dunster is also set to appear in the special, as are Luke Evans, Leslie Odom Jr. and singer Sam Ryder. Juno Temple also (literally) pops up momentarily in the trailer, exclaiming “I’m your Christmas miracle!” as Waddingham screams.
The show will also feature the English National Opera, the London Gay Men’s Chorus, The Fabulous Lounge Swingers and an 18-piece band. Apple will also make the special’s soundtrack available on Nov. 22.
Done + Dusted (Apple’s Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special, ABC’s Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration) is producing Home for Christmas; Hamish Hamilton directed the special, filmed at London’s Coliseum Theatre. Waddingham executive produces with Katy Mullan, Moira Ross, Raj Kapoor and Nick Todisco.
“Past Lives,” might have one of the most emotional endings this year. Cinematographer Shabier Kirchner expressed that he and writer-director Celine Song wanted to “capture that feeling of time” and its “fleetingness” through the cinematography.
“I’m a big fan of the power of, and the beauty of, a combination of images as opposed to a single image. And so trying to build the language of the film through camera movement, and light and direction of camera movement, and repetition of character against architecture and space, was something that we did quite a lot,” said Kirchner. “All to say that it needed to build up to that final scene … we really, hopefully, on the subconscious level [wanted] the screen direction and the length of the screen direction [to] really be sort of indicative of what the characters were going through and where they’ve been and where they’re going.”
Kirchner was speaking as part of Variety’s “10 Artisans to Watch.” Alongside Kirchner, honorees this year at SCAD 10 Artisans to Watch included Dominique Dawson, costume designer for Ava DuVernay’s “Origin;” Melissa Forney, “Rustin” hair department head; Nick Houy, editor of “Barbie;” James Price, “Poor Things” production designer; Carol Rasheed, makeup department head for “The Color Purple;” James Shirley, sound editor-designer for “Moonage Daydream;” Anthony Willis, “Saltburn” composer; Kaitlyn Yang, VFX supervisor of “American Born Chinese;” and Matt Yocum, sound-editor designer for “American Fiction.”
Variety Senior Artisans Editor Jazz Tangcay discussed their respective projects.
Rasheed spoke about the depiction of time in the generational storyline of the upcoming “The Color Purple” based on the Tony-Award winning musical.
“[‘The Color Purple’] spans about 40 years … one of the things that [director Blitz Bazawule] stressed is that he wanted to show us how we really age, in terms of people of color, throughout the process,” Rasheed said. “Being able to create another life in the adaptation of the musical was something that was quite incredible in terms of trying to make sure everybody had their own look, their own feeling and also gradually aging them as time went on.”
With large shifts across time may come drastic shifts in tone. Speaking about the combination of both in editing, Houy joked about the whiplash he got from editing “Barbie,” a genre-blending film.
“Cutting those scenes was a real challenge. You’d have a scene that was a real hilarious, Tati-esque, Marx Brothers chase with Will Ferrell and then you’d have to have a pretty serious scene about mortality and then you’d have to go back to a scene that was a crazy car chase,” said Houy.
Research was central to everyone’s creative process, as both Dawson and Forney noted for “Origin” and “Rustin,” respectively.
“The main thing was a deep dive into research. I was in costume libraries, in online libraries, and any place I could get any visuals or insight. I created a big, huge 300-page deck. We called it the Deep Dive. And that was really our bible for everything,” recounted Dawson.
In addition to costumes, hair is a large aspect of how the character looks on screen, and it often needs to take into account the actors themselves — something that Forney, as hair department head for “Rustin,” was very familiar with.
“We just did research on everybody that was a part of [‘Rustin’],” Forney reflected. “Jeffrey Wright, he wore a wig also. [Colman Domingo’s] companion in the movie that played the priest, he was bald. We had to put a wig on him.”
There’s designing the visual appearances of the talent, but there’s also designing the sets. Price explained the intricate production design behind Yorgos Lanthimos’ bold “Poor Things:” “We did miniatures and a lot of small techniques, viewpoints, where we did real-size sets. Then beyond that we did scale models and single cutouts after, so there was a spectrum [of practices].”
Also based on carefully thinking through visuals, the fourth episode of “American Born Chinese” features Chinese folkloric characters who attend a Met Gala-esque banquet. Yang defined visual effects as the “icing” on top of everything else that goes on behind the scenes of a production.
“What I think of visual effects is adding the cherry on top: the most luscious, buttercream icing right on top of amazing production design, dreamy costumes, the hair and makeup,” Yang said. “It was just all so ornate and elaborate, and it really played into the fantasy of what would be a Met Gala in heaven … we hand-painted a lot of the clouds just to give that eighties, 2D, 2-and-a-half-D, not really computer-generated, not really a simulation [look], and kind of play along with really the rhythm of the dialogue.”
“Rhythm” might be an aspect of dialogue, but there’s no bigger part it plays than in music, which was brought up in the conversation as another major factor in storytelling.
Shirley described his music work on 2023’s live-action “The Little Mermaid,” saying, “From a musical perspective, all these people are shooting using the music as a guide … People on set are listening to the dialogue and listening to the music and timing all their movements.”
Written, directed and produced by Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”), “Saltburn” follows Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan), as he enters Oxford and becomes immersed in the world of the wealthy when he goes to Saltburn, the estate of aristocratic schoolmate Felix Carton (Jacob Elordi).
“The idea was classical music is the root of opulence,” Willis said about his thought process in composing the score for the film. “Throughout the film and the score, there’s a lot of classical language like that that Oliver is trying to control.”
“For a movie like ‘American Fiction,’ it’s a drama, it’s a comedy, there’s so much emotion there,” said Yocum of designing the sound for satirical drama-comedy “American Fiction.” “My job as the sound designer on a film like this is all in the subtle details and about crafting the world … in this case, it’s building the city of Boston and what does the Boston train sound like? Because it’s not the same as the Chicago ‘L’ train or a subway in New York. What does a northeastern beach house town sound like? So building that New England environment.”
Tangcay then transitioned to a discussion of advice about dealing with rejection in an industry full of it. Throughout it all, a common, shared sentiment was the idea of building from others, both intellectually and emotionally.
“What I always say is, I think my mom told me, ‘always aim to be the stupidest person in the room. And then you’ll end up doing well because you’re always learning,” Houy said. “And if you’re ever the smartest person in the room, then there’s no room to grow.”
Kirchner characterized his friendships as his support system: “I’m fortunate enough to have worked with a lot of my friends for most of my career, and that was just really encouraging when I got a lot of nos. So it was really important to have that community around.”
“You have to have a team. You can’t do it by yourself,” Forney added. “And that’s where I am today.”
EXCLUSIVE: Jingle Jangle and Almost Christmas director/writer/producer David E. Talbert is launching HBCU Next, a fellowship program that will bring aspiring filmmakers from Historically Black Colleges and Universities to the USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) Summer Program.
Talbert conceived and funded HBCU Next alongside his wife and producing partner Lyn Sisson-Talbert as an opportunity to enrich the educational experience for students of Color. Within this program, participants will gain essential career insights and the creative skills required to develop more authentic portrayals of Black experiences and culture within screenwriting, filmmaking, and the evolving media landscape.
Talbert says, “Our overall objective is to foster an environment for students from HBCUs and USC to engage in cultural exchange, learning from one another’s experiences and backgrounds, and to provide access to an education conducive to giving Black storytellers a pipeline to the entertainment industry.”
“The industry gets to benefit from the uniqueness and authenticity of stories that that they might not be privy to,” adds the filmmaker.
He adds, “Having graduated from an HBCU, and working in the business for over 30 years, I understand it’s never the artistry or intellect, but the access, that keeps people of Color from finding their way in. HBCU Next was created to bridge that gap. Our Next is now.”
As part of the program, Talbert be will be mentoring students in directing and screenwriting. Students will have access to courses in advanced screenwriting, advanced directing, animation, producing editing and gaming.
Talbert is also planning on a roster of HBCU graduates to speak at HBCU Next including but not limited to Forest Whitaker, Tim Story, Ruth Carter, J.B. Smoove and Anika Noni Rose.
Added Elizabeth Daley, Dean of USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA), “As we embark on this transformative journey, guided by the expertise of our esteemed SCA faculty and Mr. Talbert, we are committed to fostering and amplifying the diverse voices and rich cultural narratives these talented HBCU students will bring to USC, and eventually to the industry. Without a doubt, they are the next generation of trailblazers.”
The program’s first two participants, Directing/Producing Fellow Sha-Shonna Rogers and Screenwriting Fellow Imani Mullings, are current students at Morgan State University, Talbert’s alma mater. Both fellows received round-trip airfare, full tuition, and housing, to attend the 2023 Summer Program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts campus in Los Angeles.
As the Directing/Producing Fellow, Rogers enrolled in Filmmaking Intensive which introduces students to the basic technical and aesthetic concepts underlying motion picture production. In this course, students collaborate with their fellow filmmakers in various core roles (director, producer, and cinematographer) on three digital short films.
Mullings took Advanced Screenwriting: Writing the First Draft Feature Screenplay, a class where students work with their instructors and peers in a “writers’ room” setting to complete the first draft of a three-act, full-length feature screenplay in under six weeks.
“HBCU Next was a once in a lifetime opportunity that gave us HBCU students a chance to shine,” says Mullings. “It enabled me to hone my skills as a writer, express myself through my storytelling, and made me feel even more excited for my future as a Black storyteller!”
Said David Weitzner, Director of the SCA Summer Program: “Programs like this can help us find the future leaders that will impact our industry. Sha-Shonna and Imani are model examples of the remarkably talented storytellers that are waiting to be discovered at HBCUs. The work they created this summer was simply extraordinary. We are so grateful to David and Lyn for their vision and generosity in establishing the HBCU Next program. We hope other industry partners will join us in awarding HBCU Next fellowships in the years to come.”
Talbert’s feature filmmaking credits also include First Sunday starring Ice Cube, Katt Williams and Tracy Morgan, and Baggage Claim starring Paula Patton, Taye Diggs, Jill Scott and Djimon Hounsou.
Zara Patel is the original woman in Rashmika Mandanna’s deepfake video. Sam Bahadur released on December 1.
A day after Rashmika Mandanna’s deepfake video went viral, the woman from the original video reacted to the morphed clip. For the unversed, the woman in the original video is Zara Patel. She is a British influencer. The original video, which was later morphed with Rashmika Mandanna’s face, was shared on October 9. Reacting to the deepfake video, Zara said she is disturbed by the turn of events and urged everyone to not believe everything they see on the internet.
Vicky Kaushal is all set to take on the role of India’s first Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw In Meghna Gulzar’s Sam Bahadur. The teaser was launched in a grand event in Mumbai on Friday, October 13. And now, the team took over the national capital, Delhi, for the trailer launch, presided over by the Chief of Army Staff, Manoj Pande, at the prestigious Manekshaw Centre.
Who is Orry? Everyone on the internet has been asking this question for months now. Orry, formally known as Orhan Awatramani, is everywhere. And we mean every single Bollywood spot. From Shah Rukh Khan’s birthday bash to Manish Malhotra’s Diwali party, Orry treats the internet with inside photos and videos from Bollywood’s biggest events. But no one truly knows who he is and what does he do. But Sara Ali Khan has finally shared details about it.
Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif starrer Tiger 3 has received a phenomenal response from the audiences with over 60,000 tickets sold on the first day of the advance booking, according to exhibitors and trade experts. The Yash Raj Films project, directed by Maneesh Sharma, is a sequel to the 2017 film Tiger Zinda Hai and releases on November 12, the day of Diwali. The advance booking for Tiger 3 opened on Sunday.
YouTuber and Bigg Boss OTT 2 winner Elvish Yadav has been making headlines in connection to the snake venom case. It all started after politician and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi accused the YouTuber of supplying snake venom to rave parties in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Amid all this, it has now been reported that the popular YouTuber is likely to be summoned by cops once again.
According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Ellingson was found dead in the bedroom of a Fontana residence at about 11:30 a.m. Sunday.
San Bernardino police said there were no obvious signs of foul play. A cause of death has not yet been determined, and an autopsy was scheduled for Monday. An investigation by law enforcement is ongoing.
According to TMZ, which first reported the news, Ellingson’s father said the former child star had battled substance abuse disorder and died in the sober living home where he was staying. His father told the outlet that Ellingson had been doing much better and that his death came as a shock to the family.
Born July 1, 1988, Ellingson grew up in La Verne with his three brothers. He was discovered at 10 years old at a skate park and invited to skate for the Vans PeeWee team and star in a commercial for the shoe company. Ellingson then landed guest spots on “Mad TV” and went on to work in television. He was a series regular on the 2000 Fox sitcom “Titus” and, in 2004, portrayed Kyle Savage in the ABC sitcom “Complete Savages” alongside Keith Carradine and Erik von Detten.
In 2007, he starred as Josh Bauer in “24” alongside Kiefer Sutherland, and from 2007 to 2010 he played Kyle Harmon, the son of David Caruso’s character, Lt. Horatio “H” Caine, on “CSI: Miami.”
In 2009, Ellingson starred alongside Cameron Diaz, Alec Baldwin and Abigail Breslin in the dramatic film “My Sister’s Keeper.” In 2005, he was nominated for a Young Artist Award for best performance in a TV series for “Complete Savages.” He had 20 acting credits but hadn’t appeared onscreen for more than 10 years.
In 2021, the former actor found refuge at the River’s Edge Ranch, where he sought recovery for substance abuse. “Life before the drugs was kinda just fun. I’ve always been kind of a [people] person,” he said in a testimonial posted to the ranch’s YouTube. “I would say around 19 is when I got into the heavy drugs.
“My rock bottom was when I was 19. My older brother Austin, he died from a heroin overdose, and when he died … it sent me over the edge,” the former actor continued.
“Once my brother passed away, I just kind of realized that there was much more to life, and how important people were. I would have given everything that I had to be able to get my brother back, and I knew I couldn’t. And so it sent me on this downhill spiral where everything just got really dark and scary and things weren’t fun anymore. … It became more of a deep bondage that I couldn’t get out of.
“There’s a lot of things that God has shown me since I’ve been here at the ranch. I’m starting to see why things were happening the way they were and what God was doing. … God has restored my mind. I have peace now again, I have hope. … I’m super excited about life. I know that there’s hope for me, and now I just want to let other people know that there’s hope.”
Let’s talk about Loki episode 2-5, the one after everyone died.
TVA Code 1229
Image: Marvel
You gotta hand it to Loki’s producers. They hid their intentions in plain sight.
During the promotional phase of Loki season two, Marvel emphasized the visual gag of Loki “Time Slipping” around the TVA.
With the benefit of hindsight, that wasn’t a joke. It was a spoiler.
Image: Marvel
Yes, at the end of episode four, everyone on Loki ostensibly died due to the collapse of the Time Variance Authority and Sacred Timeline.
How, then, can Loki remain? And that answer comes from Time Slipping.
Image: Marvel
We start this episode with Loki crying a single tear as all timelines collapse.
Perhaps Loki’s fate is that he will always fail…but maybe not.
Image: Marvel
In the blink of an eye, Loki discovers that he remains at the TVA in the same place where the multiverse had just exploded.
Now, the Time Loom appears okay. Something has happened to reset the order of things.
Perhaps Loki has time traveled, or maybe someone like He Who Remains had accounted for everything that happened.
Image: Marvel
We don’t get the answer yet.
Instead, we watch a dazed and confused Loki roam through the empty TVA, even entering the Automat briefly since Key Lime Pie Is Life this season.
Image: Marvel
A female automated voice, perhaps a precursor to Miss Minutes, suggests that TVA code 1229 has been activated.
According to the disembodied voice, “Fail Safe Mode” has been initiated. Also, the voice thanks the TVA employees (or Loki directly) for their service.
Time Still Keeps on Slipping
Image: Marvel
We then skip straight to the Doctor Who timey-wimey stuff when Loki notices himself reading on the other side of a familiar room.
Loki says hello to his more literate self before he Time Slips. At this point, he finds himself in the same room, which is now empty.
Loki approaches a console and proceeds to read a copy of the TVA Handbook. At this point, he realizes he’s not alone.
Image: Marvel
The Loki he’d been a moment ago says hello to him. Then, Loki notices a spaghetti effect that consumes the room.
That’s a connection I’d failed to make in the aftermath of last week’s events.
Image: Marvel
The spaghettification of Victor Timely looks unmistakably similar to the spread of the threads of the Sacred Timeline as they spin out of control.
Folks, I hate to break it to you, but the entire multiverse is in danger of Archer’s worst fear, spaghettification.
We’re barely five minutes into this episode, and Marvel has already blown my mind.
We’re all Victor Timely unless someone like, say, Loki or Sylvie saves the day.
Image: Marvel
Speaking of Loki, we cut to a prison cell. No, Loki isn’t in it for a change.
Instead, someone who looks like Casey is making a Shawshank Redemption-esque escape.
The year turns out to be 1962, and the setting is Alcatraz. The trio of escapees are doing extraordinarily well until the impossible happens.
Image: Marvel
Loki Time Slips into Casey’s vicinity and addresses him by name. This confuses the three prisoners, as the guy’s name isn’t Casey. He’s Frank.
Get used to this, as it’s about to happen a lot.
Through force of will or science or fiction or whatever, Loki keeps Time Slipping to his friends.
Loki Gets the Band Back Together
Image: Marvel
Throughout the episode, Loki struggles to control the Time Slipping, which we later learn is at least theoretically possible.
The God of Mischief unwillingly teleports to Piranha Powersports and a 1982 McDonald’s before landing in a TVA Time Theater (#25 if you’re keeping score – I have no idea what’s significant at this point).
Image: Marvel
The one connection I notice is that each time Loki Time Slips, he lands in a year ending in a 2, except with O.B., who is a 4, which is two squared.
Image: Marvel
Does that mean anything? Again, I have no idea, but I’m putting it out there in case it gets your synapses firing.
Loki encounters a lovely variant of Hunter B-15 in New York City in 2012.
She’s demonstrating exemplary bedside manner as she treats a child with a broken arm.
Image: Marvel
B-15 had previously indicated that she’d seen herself in the Sacred Timeline and that she’d looked happy. We see why now. This person is wonderful.
Loki cannot even speak to her before he Time Slips, though. She watches in confusion as she watches him spaghetti-fy in front of her.
That’s also what Time Slipping looks like. In hindsight, I missed some obvious visual clues in the earlier episodes.
Image: Marvel
Each Loki character resides on the “Branched Timeline.” We find Mobius in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2022. He’s a single father who sells jet skis.
Loki engages with Mobius but Time Slips before they can advance the conversation.
The Wisdom of Ouroboros
Image: Marvel
Finally, we meet the most significant character for this episode, Ouroboros. He’s a struggling science-fiction writer in 1994.
Also, O.B. is a theoretical physics professor Cal Tech. You can guess which of these skills is more valuable at the moment. Oddly, both kinda help, though.
As a bored Sci-fi writer, O.B. is open to ideas. As a theoretical physicist, he understands at least some of the underlying temporal mechanics.
Image: Marvel
Notably, O.B. remains consistent with the concept of the snake devouring its own tail as well.
The author sneaks his own books on the shelves of a local bookstore. Then, he tries to buy them.
An author buying their own books is a metaphor for the ouroboros. It’s a self-defeating practice…and I say that as someone who has done it. (Don’t judge! It was a gift for mom!)
Image: Marvel
O.B. has thoughts on how time travel works as well as what Loki has experienced.
Specifically, Loki has traveled to a place that doesn’t exist, which is impossible. Now, he wants to return, which is also impossible.
Image: Marvel
The concluding thought is, “Therefore, it’s something you might be able to do.”
I suspect this logic would only make sense if I were at Burning Man.
Image: Marvel
Anyway, the two remaining members of the TVA – I’m ceding Loki honorary status – determine a tactic.
Loki will attempt to reunite the other members who were present when the world ended.
Image: Marvel
A theme in this episode involves Loki’s motivation in attempting to save the TVA, a point that O.B. and Sylvie drive home.
As part of the process, Loki attempts to control his Time Slipping. Not coincidentally, the first person he encounters is Mobius.
Friends of Loki
Image: Marvel
After some failed attempts, Loki teleports to Cleveland at a location conveniently beside Mobius’ backyard.
Loki explains who he is and the plight he faces. Mobius is perfectly willing to call the cops…until Ouroboros exits from a time portal.
Mobius had asked O.B. to build a TemPad in 1994. Even with a copy of the TVA Handbook, it apparently took the physicist 18 or 19 months.
Image: Marvel
Also, O.B.’s wife left him. I’m gonna tell myself this is an Everything Everywhere All at Once reference. I don’t care whether it’s true or not.
Anyway, Mobius cannot argue the point once he watches someone use a time portal. So, the former TVA agent (eventually) agrees to follow Loki.
Soon afterward, Hunter B-15 and Casey join Loki, although the latter gentleman appears to have an ulterior motive. He is an escaped convict, after all.
Image: Marvel
Loki realizes that he has compiled a nearly complete set of his friends.
So, he teleports to 1982 Oklahoma and plans to explain everything to Sylvie.
Nobody else has any idea what’s going on…but Sylvie is a Loki variant. She has a total recollection of the Sacred Timeline explanation.
Image: Marvel
Sylvie recognizes from the Time Slipping that Loki is having a bit of a day. She takes him to a bar and buys him a drink.
Once again, the two debate their natures, with Sylvie pressing Loki on why he needs the TVA to return.
Image: Marvel
Ultimately, Loki realizes it’s as simple as wanting his friends back. But Sylvie doesn’t need friends. At least, that’s what she says.
The two go their separate ways, with Loki believing he has failed.
Have You Watched Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation?
Image: Marvel
For her part, Sylvie heads to what’s apparently her favorite hangout when she’s not at McDonald’s. It’s a local record store.
The kindly shop owner recommends an album for her, which she proceeds to play.
As a Mission Impossible superfan, I quickly deduce what’s about to happen.
Image: Marvel
In Rogue Nation, the protagonist watches helplessly as a record store employee dies.
Sure enough, the spaghettification of all timelines chooses this moment to come to Sylvie’s beloved 1982 Oklahoma.
Image: Marvel
To the record store owner’s credit, his only thought as he recognizes their peril is to run to and hopefully save Sylvie. He doesn’t make it.
Still, no matter what she says, Sylvie has made at least two friends in Oklahoma.
Image: Marvel
She’s just like Loki in that she has a need for personal connections.
I really love how deftly the show handles this particular subplot. It’s wholly understated and moving.
That dude playing the record store owner is on the show for like 90 seconds, but he makes an impact.
Image: Marvel
After her friend turns to Chef-Boyardee, Sylvie watches the spaghetti in amazement as her universe fades to black.
Then, the Loki variant calmly triggers her TemPad and exits via a portal.
Moments later, the TVA band is back together.
Every New Beginning Comes from Some Other Beginning’s End
Image: Marvel
Two new problems arise, though. First, Loki is missing the TemPad he needs to reset the TVA and the Sacred Timeline.
All eyes glare at Casey, who denies he’s the thief. And that brings us to Problem #2. Casey turns to spaghetti.
So do O.B., Hunter B-15, and Mobius. As a reminder, Loki is at its core a show about two variants.
Image: Marvel
In this moment, we’re watching a variant on the ending of Avengers: Infinity War. Rather than turning to dust, they become spaghetti.
Only Sylvie and Loki remain. No, wait. Sylvie winds up in a Chef Boyardee can, too.
We hear voices that call back to previous moments of dialogue from the season.
Image: Marvel
O.B. says, “It was a fiction problem,” which were also his dying words.
Sylvie ponders, “Do you think what makes a Loki a Loki is the fact that we’re destined to lose?”
Image: Marvel
That’s a brutal assessment at this moment because Loki is losing in the most horrifying way imaginable.
He’s just realized the importance of his friends and then immediately watched them die horribly.
The Beginning of the End
Image: Marvel
As Loki screams in frustration, he accidentally unlocks the key to his Time Slipping power.
First, he rewinds to just before Sylvie died. Then, he cycles backward to when Sylvie joined them moments earlier.
Finally, Loki identifies the key to fixing everything. He confidently states, “I can rewrite the story.”
Image: Marvel
Then, Loki willingly Time Slips to the TVA at a moment before the Sacred Timeline had collapsed. He’s standing beside O.B. when the episode ends.
I dunno what’s gonna happen next, but the dude who once called human beings ants is now willing to sacrifice everything to save all humanity.
Image: Marvel
Next week, we’ll find out what that entails, and it’ll presumably tie directly into The Marvels, which debuts in theaters the following day.
This season of Loki has been spectacular, and while I found some of the O.B./Loki discussion in episode five a bit ridiculous, it provided brilliant storytelling.
PS: Mobius finally got to sit on a jet ski. That’s reason enough to love episode five.
Thanks for visiting MarvelBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below, and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond-Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!
Writer: Dan Slott Artists: Christopher Jones & Matthew Dow Smith, Mike Collins Color Artists: Charlie Kirchoff & Mariane Gusmão Letterer: Richard Starkings / Comicraft
Doctor Who: Once Upon A Timelord was originally announced as a fall release for 2022. While the year-long wait has been agonizing, after reading it I’m glad that Titan Comics waited until the Doctor’s 60th Anniversary month and year to release it. Why? The answers are many and varied.
Positives
The decision to release this comic at a time when David Tennant’s returning to our TV screens, as the new 14th Doctor, is a stroke of genius. Not only is he one of the most beloved actors to play the character, there can be no denying that his adventures, and the entire Doctor Who era under the stewardship of Russell T. Davies, re-invigorated the franchise and, as such, is now seen as one of the greatest DW runs of all time.
Now I have to talk about about Dan Slott. While fandom remains divided about his 10-plus-year run on Spider-Man (and he’s back, folks) I’ve been a huge fan of his work since Batman Adventures Vol. 2 (2003-2004), and Batman: Arkham Asylum: Living Hell (2003). Slott is the writer whose work brought me back to the web-slinger (after the pointless and completely unnecessary horrors Marvel inflicted upon Peter and Mary Jane). Yes, I actually stopped reading the adventures of my second favorite comic book character (after Batman/the Bat Family) until Dan took over as writer.
Reading interviews with Mr. Slott, leading up to this fantastic comic, it turns out that he fell in love with Doctor Who at the same time (and with the same Doctor and companions) as I did; Tom Baker, Lis Sladen, and Ian Marter (the fourth Doctor, Sarah-Jane Smith, and Harry Sullivan). His love for the Doctor Who universe (Whoniverse?) shines from every line in this story.
Like the wonderful Jody Houser, Slott has an ear for dialogue and the beats of how a character speaks, which really resonates. His Martha Jones, Rose Tyler, Ninth and Tenth Doctors, to me, “sound” exactly like Freema Agyeman, Billie Piper, Christopher Eccleston, and David Tennant. That’s not an easy thing to do, and many other writers haven’t been able manage it.
I’m a lifelong Doctor Who super-fan, I own DVDs of all the existing episodes (right back to 1963) all the ones that have been recreated in animation, and all of “NuWho”, too. This show’s in my DNA and I love it completely and unapologetically. Doctor Who: Once Upon A Timelord reads like the Tenth Doctor’s greatest hits, and feels like a 60th-anniversary special all of its own.
The truth is, this comic features a ton of characters from the RTD/10th Doctor era, including a few surprise ones used in clever and unexpected ways. The second story, “Rhyme Or Reason”, even brings back some Fifth Doctor villains! This comic is thrilling, funny, scary, clever, and super entertaining… just like the TV show it’s inspired by. Dan Slott loves Doctor Who, and this wonderful comic proves it.
Christopher Jones is one of those artists whose work I’ll buy whenever I see his name on the cover. He’s working with Matthew Dow on the first story in the book, “Firelight”. The tale begins and ends in the “Real World”, in the vintage, clean, sharp, gorgeous Jones style, while the central story, Martha’s tale, is edgy, scratchy, and mysterious. The overall effect really works. As always, Jones is also a master at capturing actors’ likenesses, smiles, and quirks. The different visuals used to tell Martha’s story to the new (and absolutely awesome) villains, the Pyromeths, really sets the two sides of the tale apart. This book looks fabulous.
Color artists, Charlie Kirchoff and Mariane Gusmão, also deliver the goods. The effects surrounding the ever-burning villains are very effective, and the space and story time colors are cosmic and ethereal, while the real world parts of the tale are grounded and feel very natural. Great work, team!
The second offering in the issue, “Rhyme Or Reason”, gives us a previously untold story featuring the Ninth Doctor and Rose. It’s drawn by Doctor Who (and comics in general, if we’re being honest) veteran, Mike Collins. I love Mike’s art, and own a veritable ton of it; going all the way back to his work in Marvel UK’s Captain Britain and his earliest strips for Doctor Who Magazine. When it comes to the Doctor (whatever he/she/they look like this year) and all his companions, Mike can do no wrong (in my humble opinion).
Finally, we come to the reigning King of Letterers, (as well as an amazing writer and editor in his own right) and his unparalleled studio, Comicraft. Richard Starkings is the maestro, a legend, and in a league of his own. Plus, he’s one of the nicest people on this planet or any other. If you buy any comic or graphic novel that has his name on it or is lettered by him, or any of the fine talents at Comicraft, you can be 100% certain that you’re picking up an item of true quality.
Negatives
I’ve been waiting a year for this… but it was SO worth it.
Verdict
Doctor Who: Once Upon A Timelord deserves its place on every Whovians bookshelf. It’s a fast-paced powerhouse of a tale that’s beautifully illustrated and incredibly well written. The twists and turns, Slott’s love of the English language (and his ability to poke fun at it), his brilliant takes on the TARDIS’ translation circuits, the clever twist at the end of “Firelight” and the way he even clearly tells readers where this comic fits in the Doctor Who timeline, are all impeccably handled.
Not only will I be buying a physical copy when this book comes out, but I may have to get all three covers. Yes indeed, this comic’s a winner.
Warning: This article has some slight spoilers for the later portions of Alan Wake 2, although we tried to keep them to a minimum. It also contains spoilers for Quantum Break and Control.
If you google the term “multiverse fatigue,” you’ll find a whole slate of articles, social media posts, and forum discussions in which people complain about how much the idea of a “multiverse” has permeated popular culture. With superhero stories and their cinematic universes dominating movies and spreading to TV, the once-fringe, science fictional idea of multiple connected universes and alternate dimensions has become mainstream, and with its ubiquity, kind of dull.
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Now Playing: Alan Wake 2 And The 13 Year Journey To Make It
It’s into this climate that Remedy Entertainment has released Alan Wake 2, the studio’s second game since it started talking about its “Remedy Connected Universe” and narratively linked the Alan Wake games to 2019’s Control. And the RCU isn’t just bringing Remedy’s current and future games into the same world so they can overlap with one another like TV show crossover events. Control is largely about the idea of a multiverse as something to be explored, studies, and defended against, and makes a lot of gestures in the direction that Remedy’s past games could be among those additional dimensions.
If you were already annoyed with the prevalence of sprawling multi-story universes and strange multiverses, you might find yourself even more frustrated with Remedy and Alan Wake 2, which goes beyond Control’s Easter eggs to make text from the subtext.
But Remedy’s approach to the multiverse manages to stand apart from that of other media, because for Remedy, the multiverse isn’t just a way to cash in on well-liked characters or to draw fanbases together. In the RCU, the multiverse is an oppressive force that now looms over all these stories. It spawns dark forces and corrupts and twists people, or pulls them out of their lives and traps them in nightmarish new realities. For Remedy, the multiverse isn’t a setting or a gimmick–it’s a villain.
Though Alan himself is trying to fight his way out of a dark alternate dimension in all the Alan Wake games, there’s another character who perfectly personifies a growing sense of the uncanny in Remedy’s games: Warlin Door. First mentioned in dialogue and notes in Control, Door shows up a lot in Alan Wake 2, mostly serving a comedic role in Alan’s dream-like trips through the reality-bending alternate dimension, the Dark Place. Door plays a talk show host when you first encounter him, and he seems more a goofy personification of the weirder effects of the Dark Place than an actual character.
That all changes when, as you explore the Dark Place, you come across another person seemingly stranded in Alan’s nightmare. Sheriff Tim Breaker was just a regular guy in Bright Falls, someone who met with the game’s other playable character, FBI Agent Saga Anderson, early in the game–and then he suddenly vanished in the middle of a conversation with Anderson. When playing as Alan, it’s possible to come across Tim, stranded in the Dark Place, trying to find his own way out.
Talking with Tim adds a different sense of dread to Alan Wake 2. He tells you about searching for Door, who Tim believes transported him to the Dark Place to start with, although he doesn’t know why. Tim also talks about strange feelings he has, as if he’s been here before but forgotten; about things and people he sees in dreams; about a sense of being someone else and knowing people almost from another life.
What it appears Tim is referring to is a multiversal tie to time-travel story Quantum Break, another Remedy game. Tim is portrayed by actor Shawn Ashmore, who played protagonist Jack Joyce in Quantum Break. Some of the things Tim talks about and writes on the white board he uses to track his memories and investigation of Door sound like references to Jack’s life in Quantum Break. He also mentions a “red-haired woman” he keeps seeing and feels like he knows. In Quantum Break, Jack meets and works with Beth Wilder, a red-haired woman, who’s played by actor Courtney Hope–who plays protagonist Jesse Faden in Control. Even Tim’s name sounds like a Quantum Break reference, since Tim Breaker is remarkably close to “time breaker,” which describes Jack Joyce in Quantum Break.
It’s less important that Alan Wake 2 is implied to have ties to Quantum Break than it is to look at how this conception of the multiverse is affecting the story’s characters. Tim isn’t just a guy traversing through the multiverse, he’s someone who’s afflicted by it. He’s been attacked by some unknown power, altogether different from the Dark Presence that Alan is battling. The multiverse is pressing in on him, invading his dreams and altering his perception. He has lost control of his very existence, the fundamental elements of his identity, and he has no idea why.
Later, Alan has an interaction with Door in which the mask is dropped. Door tells Alan that he’s been content to play a part in Alan’s story and to help him, but that Alan’s meddling through the Dark Place is potentially affecting Door’s agenda.
Control provides even more context about Door. The brother of protagonist Jesse Faden, Dylan, talks about seeing a “Mr. Door” in his dreams, who explains the multiverse to Dylan and says that he exists in all the worlds, “endlessly shifting between them.” Door doesn’t seem like a malevolent entity from Dylan’s description–Door pointedly doesn’t help him spread the Hiss, Control’s Dark Presence-like antagonistic force, to other dimensions–but there’s clearly more going on with him than we know.
It’s worth noting that Quantum Break also has a semi-villainous character who, by the end, seems to be manipulating events to help Jack, but for his own ends. That character’s name is Martin Hatch–and side by side, Warlin Door look suspiciously like the Wario-ization of that name. Of course, Remedy doesn’t own the rights to Quantum Break, so these connections are left ambiguous.
But again, it’s not the connections themselves that are important. It’s the way Remedy is using these connections to do more than drop some fan service. Alan Wake 2 and Control suggest not only a larger landscape of stories, but influences between them, forces traversing them, and agendas executed through them. Who and what the hell is Warlin Door, and what does he want? For that matter, who or what the hell is Ahti, the janitor who appears repeatedly in Alan Wake 2 to help out the protagonists, and plays the same role in Control?
And that’s to say nothing of the focus of either Alan Wake 2 itself, which is about a dark alternate dimension and a viciously powerful creature released from within it. The Dark Place and the Dark Presence are nightmares that don’t belong in Alan’s world and yet are loosed within it, rewriting the rules of reality.
Remedy isn’t just creating a scary tale about a story that comes to life in Alan Wake 2–it’s seeding the tendrils of a growing cosmic horror story that spreads throughout all its games. There are unknowable intelligences at play in these worlds, they are unseen but constantly present, and they are after something. They corrupt, manipulate, and kill the people in their paths. They are engaged in some sort of struggle beyond our understanding.
In the RCU, the multiverse is less a series of parallel dimensions and more a bunch of self-contained bubbles slamming together, combining, overlapping, and consuming one another. And the very nature of these overlapping stories isn’t just bringing characters together, it may well be driving them mad. The universe itself can get into your mind in the RCU. It can invade you and change you, alter your very essence, and make you question who you are.
If you’re looking for a better way to do multiverse stories, Remedy has a pretty good idea. Don’t just set your stories in a multiverse: Make the multiverse something to contend with. The multiverse itself is something terrifying in Alan Wake 2, and that approach is turning the RCU into something much more than a bunch of games that happen to mention each other.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
Filmmakers have many remarkable superpowers. The ability to create kaleidoscope fractals of terrifying credit card debt. The ability to turn any friendship into a stark transactional binary. The ability to blot out the very sun itself with the G&E crew’s interlocking vape exhalations.
Mostimpressively, filmmakers have the ability to take some abstract, internal element of the human experience and physicalize it into something photographable and dramatic. Sure: sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. But sometimes in movies, a cigar is actually the memory of your dead father, a metaphor for America’s self-immolation, or—occasionally—a penis.
Of course, a reliable way to transmute emotions and anxieties into something tangible, visible and narratively propulsive is to lean on metaphysics and the supernatural. Just look at the prestige horror boom of the last 15 years, which has turned grief and despair into ghosts and haunted houses so often it’s become cliche. But the three projects below—out November 2023 Fiscal Spotlight picks—are anything but cliche.
Each project features a female protagonist from an ethnic or mixed-race background struggling with their identity, those struggles represented through surreal cinematic tropes.
These three projects are all currently being supported by Film Independent’s Fiscal Sponsorship program, which enables filmmakers to solicit tax-deductible donations and organizational grants in partnership with Film Independent. Here’s how:
This month’s Fiscal Spotlight projects are No Escape, Chatter and Lucia & The Invisible Wife. Learn more about each project—and how to lend them your support—below:
NO ESCAPE
Project type: Fiction Short
Project status: Post Production
Writer/Director/Producer/Lead: Leena Kurishingal
Producer: Timothy Farrell
About the project: Nisha and Jim brave the spookiness of the woods and harrowing storm to finally enjoy the highlight of their new relationship—a weekend away together in an awesome cabin. But one omen after the next makes Nisha worry something weird this way comes… Between trying to get it on with Jim and intense paranoia, Nisha discovers that her worst nightmare has followed her into the wilderness (complete with whacking ladle and sensible shoes). The couple tries to evade this cultural specter. In the end, Nisha must face her fate all—well, not quite alone. No Escape uses classic film noir imagery and campy horror tropes, reimagined to include a new audience in the conversation. In what has typically been a white male-dominated genre, we center on Indian-American Nisha, who is at odds with her identity(ies). Chaos ensues with her conflicted Caucasian boyfriend, conservative monster mother, ghost dad and elderly AirBnB owner who just wants to make sure they have enough TP. This project is an expansion of a staged sketch celebrating India’s Independence Day in 2019, exploring the concept of what it means to be Indian, in all its varied history and embodiments.
Meet the filmmaker: To learn more about No Escape including how to support the project, click here. Leena is a SAG-AFTRA performer of 17 years appearing on stage, screen and more, with a film degree from Columbia College Chicago. She crossed into writing thanks to a diversity scholarship from the Upright Citizens Brigade LA, where she studied improv, sketch and characters. This led to collaboration with the all-WOC sketch group, Soul Sista Comedy. She also wrote, directed and produced a one-hour sketch variety show pondering Indian identity for stage called “India & You: And Me. And Everybody.” She has since received the UCLA Phyllis Gebauer Scholarship for TV Writing, pitched short form content for Bite-Size Horror under FOX Digital, and become a WAVE Grant recipient for emerging female directors.
CHATTER
Project type: Fiction Short
Project status: Development
Writer/Director: Jessica Sherif
Producer: Jessica Carlson
About the project: Sparks fly when Samia meets Charlie. But their anxieties—who are somehow able to communicate with each other—aren’t sold on this coupling just yet. Unemployed photojournalist Samia is in a bit of a rut. Like all of us, her inner monologue won’t fail to remind that she doesn’t feel so great about herself. To complicate matters, Samia is an Arab-American who grew up in France, which means that her inner chatter is split between her blue-eyed blonde all-American anxiety (Phoebe), her poised French logic (Victoire) and her compassionate Arabic courage (Yumma). When she meets Charlie, his straightforwardness and humor lights a genuine and immediate spark in her. Phoebe, however, isn’t as taken by Charlie. She’s even more shocked to discover that Charlie’s inner voices Thomas, Brody and Ning, can hear and see her, Victoire and Yumma. As these two attractive, earnest and loquacious millennials wander around Central Park, they flirt, joke, bicker and confess their way into a startling yet tender romantic epiphany.
Meet the filmmaker: To learn more about Chatter including how to support the project, click here. Jessica Sherif is an Algerian and French-Canadian writer/director who was born and raised in Spain and who channels her multi-cultural background to tell engaging and impactful character-based stories that resonate across different perspectives and cultures. Jessica’s latest project, the Netflix documentary series about the Women’s World Cup—which she co-created and executive produced—will premiere in November. Before that, she co-created, directed and executive produced the A&E Network documentary series Right to Offend. Jessica’s narrative feature screenplay Third Culture Kids was also selected to be a part of the Tribeca Creators Market. She has directed many short films that have screened at over forty film festivals combined, and won awards at Hollyshorts, Tallgrass and more.
LUCIA & THE INVISIBLE WIFE
Project type: Fiction Short
Project status: Development
Writer/Director: Karine Benzaria
Producers: Julia Kennelly
About the project: Lucia & The Invisible Wife is a quirky dark comedy that explores what happens to a woman (Isabel) and her family when she inexplicably becomes invisible. Overwhelmed by grief and trapped by the emotional limitations to express it, her husband (Tonio) resorts to replacing her with a new bride (Lucia). What no one foresees is that the woman brought in to replace his missing wife is the only person who can see her. The film explores how Isabel and Lucia connect, differ and evolve. Tonally, it aims to explore the oft sacred and complicated relationships between women, using magical surrealism and dark humor. Influential films include Like Water for Chocolates, Volver and The Lobster.
Meet the filmmaker: To learn more about Lucia & The Invisible Wife including how to support the project, click here. Filmmaker Karine Benzaria’s production experience includes Apple TV’s Hello Tomorrow, Amazon’s Jack Ryan and Netflix’s The OA. As a producer, most recently the 2023 SXSW-nominated film “Breaking Fast” with a Coca-Cola and 2022 SXSW nominee, Clare. In 2017, she co-founded production company Dream City with Julia Kennelly and Daisy Zhou. There, she produced Marcy Learns Something New, the winner of 2020’s Vimeo Staff Pick’s “Best of the Year” Award. She is a 2023 Film Independent Project InvolveProducing Fellow and recently won a 2023 Wavelength Grant.
Learn more about Fiscal Sponsorship, including its benefits and eligibility requirements, by visiting our website. Check out our Sponsored Projects page to see the projects that are currently being supported.
Celebrating 30 years, Film Independent Artist Development promotes unique independent voices by helping filmmakers create and advance new work. Become a Member of Film Independent today. Support us with a donation here.
“The Real Housewives of Potomac” ladies are back for Season 8, and while there’s a new housewife in Nneka Ihim, Karen Huger maintains there’s still only one Grande Dame.
The ladies of Potomac will kick everything off for an eighth time on Sunday, bringing back the full cast Karen Huger, Wendy Osefo, Robyn Dixon, Candiace Dillard Bassett, Gizelle Bryant, Mia Thornton, Ashley Darby and new housewife Nneka Ihim.
In the Season 8 opener, fans will see Bryant’s new bae, “Winter House” star Jason Cameron, an update on Thornton’s The Joint business meltdown, Ashley Darby’s new home and the aftermath of Dixon’s husband Juan’s cheating scandal. In an interview with TheWrap, Huger and Bryant shared what fans can anticipate this the season.
Gizelle Bryant supported Robyn Dixon during Juan Dixon’s cheating scandal, but said there were moments she felt she wasn’t being a “good friend”to Dixon
Robyn Dixon, Juan Dixon (Photo credit: Getty Images)
During Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon’s podcast “Reasonably Shady,” Dixon addressed the infidelity rumors surrounding her husband Juan Dixon, and admitted he “was an idiot” for communicating inappropriately with another woman online. Afterward, Dixon was met with criticism for withholding the details from airing on the show, and ultimately dealt with people’s opinions about the her marriage. Bryant shared she wanted Dixon to put herself first amid the drama. The Season 8 premiere features a moment with the couple discussing the controversy.
“There was nothing in me that felt like I needed to give [Robyn Dixon] space,” Bryant told TheWrap. “Robyn and I, we have “Potomac,” we have [our podcast] ‘Reasonably Shady,’ I’m with her all the time. I see Juan all the time. I’m at their house. That’s where we record ‘Reasonably Shady,’ so we’re going to talk this through. I need to make sure my girl is okay. There were there were days where I’m just like, ‘Do you want me just come over, we can just hang out.’ I was feeling overwhelmed by it, so I can only imagine it was probably 100 times worse for her because this is actually her life and her husband. It wasn’t good times. It was some dark, dark days.”
She continued: “I don’t want to say it’s like this now, but in the moment, I felt like [Robyn] wasn’t putting herself first. She was just putting [Juan] first, and as women, we have a tendency to do that sometimes. I’m the queen of ‘I put me first’ all day long, and if you don’t understand it, then get to steppin’. So I just needed for her to have a little bit of that. As a friend, I’ve got to support my girl. So if all she needs is for me to support her, then that is what I’m going to do, regardless of whether or not I agree with it. It is not my life. It’s hers. So I was just here to support her. And I felt there were some days where I wasn’t a good friend. I wasn’t being supportive. I was just kind of being an a–hole and kind of being like, ‘You know, let’s cut and run.’ But I had to check myself. It really it was like a Gizelle self realization: this is not my life. This is hers, and all I want for her to do is to live her best life.”
Karen Huger “really” likes new housewife Nneka Ihim, but maintains there’s only one Grande Dame
Karen Huger, Nneka Ihim (Bravo)
In the Season 8 trailer of “The Real Housewives of Potomac” Gizelle Bryant is seen crowning new housewife Nneka Ihim as the “new Grande Dame of Potomac.” Huger said that there are specific requirements one must attain and a curriculum one must undergo in order to be given the title.
“The Grande Dame title can’t be taken, I have to give it. Stayed tuned, darling, Season 8. Don’t let the teaser trick you,” Huger said with a smile while giving Ihim her flowers. “I really like Nneka. Nneka’s a great addition to the show. She’s very ambitious, obviously. I will open a school for those who would like to be the Grande Dame. They have to enroll in a class, but I have a daughter that’s in line for my title. I’m honored that [Nneka] would like to do that, but she’s got to pay her dues, and we’ll see if she has what it takes. Stay tuned.”
As far as what it takes to be a Grande Dame…
“First of all, you have to be tough as nails. You have to have an internal switch to know when to turn it on and when to turn it off. You have to be grounded at all times, and you have to have wisdom. That takes time. And that means, triple 20. The right person is the Grande Dame, for now,” Huger said.
Gizelle Bryant welcomes new boo Jason Cameron from “Winter House” onto Season 8 of “RHOP”
Jason Cameron, Gizelle Bryant (Photo credit: Bravo)
In the Season 8 premiere of “The Real Housewives of Potomac” Gizelle Bryant shows off her new guy Jason Cameron, who is also a star on Bravo’s “Winter house.”
“He’s somebody that’s in my life. We started dating. We’ve been great. I’m super happy he’s in my life. I feel like he’s just a breath of fresh air, and we have fun. He makes me laugh, and my kids love him,” Bryant said.
When it came to having him on the show, Bryant said Cameron isn’t camera-shy, and that he understands her life as a TV personality because he’s a reality star as well.
“He gets it, he gets it, and he’s not afraid of the cameras. There’s no intimidation factor there. He understands it. Of course, that would make it a lot easier,” Bryant said, mentioning that he was totally fine coming onto the show is she was comfortable having him.
“He was like, ‘I’ll do whatever you want. If you want me to be on if I can. He totally took my lead, but I didn’t have an expectation. As I started dating him, I wasn’t like, ‘Oh, I expect you to be on my show. Absolutely not. But it was nice to have him around for sure.”
Gizelle Bryant and Karen Huger address the colorism conversation that took place at the Season 7 reunion.
“The Real Housewives of Potomac” Season 7 (Photo credit: Bravo)
During the Season 7 reunion for “The Real Housewives of Potomac” the cast opened up about the issue of colorism after viewers expressed they felt housewives Wendy Osefo and Cadiace Dillard Bassett were were treated unfairly and/or received discriminatory treatment because of their darker complexions. The colorism conversation, in general, is an issue that even “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kenya Moore has highlighted, and one that Karen Huger addressed as a “real problem.”
“Colorism is a real topic. It’s a real problem. Of course [the cast] talk[s] about it, and we work on it daily. We are a work in progress. I’m so proud of the work we’re doing on ‘RHOP’ to address it,” Huger said. “One day at a time. We will dismantle it. Where we are now is, working. We’re all working toward the good and the betterment, better understanding of colorism and the damage that it can do to a Black woman, a Black man, a Black baby. It’s not okay. So certainly we are hoping for the absolute best.
Gizelle Bryant, Robyn Dixon and Ashley Darby have previously addressed the topic, and Bryant said she believes colorism exists, but doesn’t feel it’s an issue within the group.
“There’s been no conversations with me beyond the reunion. There are no colorists amongst the ladies. Does colorism exist? Abso-freaking-lutely. Am I colorist? Absolutely not,” Bryant said. “Do I feel like if it’s not happening within the show, is this conversation that we should continue to talk about over and over again. No, because I think at some point, we’re not CNN. We’re not a news show. We’re not to fix colorism in America. We are a reality show, and we’re entertainment.”
Bryant continued: “I was happy to hear that no one felt like there was colorism in this show because that would be very bothersome. The whole situation has been bad. It’s unfortunate I’ve had to live live through death threats, I had to live through things that my cast mates have put out in social media that aren’t true which has caused there to be attacks against me, attacks against Rob [Robyn Dixon] and attacks against Ashley [Darby] that are not warranted. So that has been unfortunate. And it’s really things that are hard to get past, to be honest with you.”
Karen Huger and Gizelle Bryant are in a ‘good place’ this season, despite their on-again, off-again relationship
Karen Huger and Gizelle Bryant (Photo credit: Getty Images)
Despite the two’s hot and cold relationship over the past years, both Karen Huger and Gizelle Bryant confirmed they are in a better place this season.
“Let me tell you something. We were hanging out last night (Oct. 23). We were in this restaurant last night. We shut that thing down. Okay, that’s No. 1., No. 2. is, she’s crazy. She is certified crazy. Anybody that walks by, she’s just like, ‘Oh, Gizelle, so what do you think about them?’ I’m like, ‘The waiter? I don’t think anything about the waiter, like, what are you talking about? Like it? We had a ball.”
From Huger’s end…
“We’re in a good place right now, and I’m grateful for that. No one knows better than I and Gizelle that our relationship is on again off again. So when it’s on, we truly, truly enjoy each other. Yes, we had a wonderful, fun girl dinner. No cameras, no pictures were taken. We didn’t share a moment with anyone but us. I had [my husband Raymond Huger] Ray Ray come, join us later, and it was a good thing. It was a good feeling. We hadn’t done it in years so. It’s a good place right now.
“The Real Housewives of Potomac” heads back to Bravo screens on Nov. 5, with new episodes set to run every Sunday.
The Washington Post has named William Lewis as its new CEO and Publisher, effective Jan. 2. It’s a move that comes as the Jeff Bezos-owned company seeks to turn around steep revenue and subscription declines over the last couple of years.
Post owner Jeff Bezos announced the appointment in a memo to the staff:
“Ten years ago, I made a commitment to the future of The Washington Post, inspired by its ambitious and consequential journalism,” said Bezos. “Today, I stand confident in that future knowing it is in the hands of Will, an exceptional, tenacious industry executive whose background in fierce, award-winning journalism makes him the right leader at the right time. I also want to thank Patty Stonesifer for stepping in to lead The Post so ably over the past several months.”
He added:
“As I’ve gotten to know Will, I’ve been drawn to his love of journalism and passion for driving financial success. Will embodies the tenacity, energy and vision needed for this role. He believes that together we will build the right future for The Post. I agree.”
Lewis replaces interim CEO Patty Stonesifer, who in June of this year replaced Fred Ryan, the longtime publisher and CEO.
Last month the newspaper eliminated 240 people, nearly 10% of its workforce; Post reporter Paul Farhi revealed the next day that the cuts were in response to a 30% drop in digital ads and 15% drop in subscriptions, among other serious losses.
In a memo to employees explaining the cuts, Stonesifer said this week that the company was “overly optimistic” about projections it made for traffic, subscription and advertising during the period from 2021 to the present. “We have work going on across the organization to develop a strong plan for 2024 — and make no mistake — we remain bullish about the future of The Washington Post,” she said in part.
Lewis is currently the Founder, CEO and Publisher of The News Movement, a social-first media business providing nonpartisan news to Gen Z. He was the CEO of Dow Jones and publisher of the Wall Street Journal from 2014 to 2020.
He had a stint at the Daily Telegraph and in 2010 joined the Murdoch-owned News Corp. where he helped run a committee that dealt with the news corporations’s phone-hacking and police bribery scandals.
Hulu has renewed Futurama for another two seasons, spanning twenty new episodes, bringing the series into its 13th and 14th seasons.
The original Futurama cast will be returning. John DiMaggio, Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr, and David Herman reprise their fan-favorite roles as a dysfunctional Planet Express delivery crew, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The renewal caps off a remarkable comeback for a show that refuses to stay canceled or retired. Futurama has famously ended multiple times – and seemingly always comes back.
Last May, Hulu signed on to bring Futurama out of cryptogenic sleep. Fans have long kept the series coming back despite network changes, cast contract disputes, and more than a few cancellations. The Planet Express crew returned to the spotlight on July 24, streaming ten new episodes that landed on Nielsen’s list of top 10 original streaming series six times during season 11’s run.
The streaming platform is sitting on ten remaining episodes from its previous revival deal in February 2022, when it picked up the series for two revival seasons after a decade-long break. The 12th season is expected to be available sometime in 2024, along with a King of the Hill revival series, though Hulu hasn’t revealed a release date for either project yet.
This marks the second return since Futurama debuted on Fox in 1999, where it ran for four seasons before being canceled and retiring to reruns land on Adult Swim. Show creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen returned in 2007 to create four direct-to-video films that were turned into a fifth season that aired on Comedy Central, which renewed Futurama for an additional 52 episodes spanning four seasons that debuted in 2010 and ran through 2013. The seasons were eventually broken into four 13-episode seasons, making counting the entire show’s run a bit wonky.
In the last few months, chef and philanthropist José Andrés’ nonprofit rapid-response group World Central Kitchen has continued its mission of delivering fresh meals to people in crisis zones all over the world, including in Acapulco, Mexico, following Hurricane Otis making landfall there on Oct. 25.
“The World Central Kitchen teams have been in Maui after the wildfires, the earthquakes in Morocco and now Afghanistan, aiding refugees in Armenia, and we continue to provide meals in hard-to-reach parts of Ukraine,” Andrés tells The Hollywood Reporter, adding that, “In each of these times of hardship, destruction and disaster what you also find is that the best of humanity shows up. I see this simple truth time and time again. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you believe, where you come from, in these moments of grief and great loss there is at the same time profound strength.”
To help support the mission of World Central Kitchen (WCK), the chef — who has two restaurants in Los Angeles, San Laurel and Agua Viva — is now putting on a dinner series called Feeding Hope L.A. that will take place across the city Nov. 5 through Nov. 9.
The series kicks off on Nov. 5 with a free event at Smorgasburg L.A. (10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at ROW DTLA, 777 S. Alameda St.), where visitors can enjoy bites, learn stories about people who the nonprofit has helped around the world and check out the new World Central Kitchen Cookbook. The book includes recipes inspired by the many places around the world where WCK has cooked, plus recipes shared by Michelle Obama, Meghan Markle, Ayesha Curry, Guy Fieri and more; author proceeds from sales benefit WCK’S emergency relief efforts.
The Feeding Hope L.A. series continues with three special dinners cooked by an all-star roster of chefs — all of whom are members of WCK’s Chef Corps — including Evan Funke, Giada De Laurentiis, Michael Voltaggio, Stephanie Izard, Nyesha Arrington, Ruffo Ibarra and Reem Assil. Tickets for the dinners — which will be held at Citizen News (Nov. 7), NeueHouse Venice Beach (Nov. 8) and The Line L.A. (Nov. 9) — cost $350.
Each dinner will feature a menu that highlights flavors and ingredients from places where WCK has responded in times of crisis. “So many of the amazing friends of our WCK Chef Corps will be cooking foods from places where we have responded, opening their kitchens to celebrate the power food has to unite us,” says Andrés.
Since its founding in 2010, WCK has served more than 300 million meals around the globe, working with local restaurants and food trucks and prioritizing purchasing local ingredients. But Andrés says his message is that anyone can help make the world a better place: “You don’t need to start with a giant, impossible idea, then sometimes you end up doing nothing at all. You start with what you know. That is how I got started, by cooking. If you are a writer, write. If you make movies, make a movie. We each have our ways, but if we share one thing, it is empathy. If we share this vision for how to make the world a better place — and tell the story of helping others — then you can inspire your community to come along with you!”
San Laurel restaurant, located at Conrad Los Angeles, across from Disney Concert Hall.
ThinkFoodGroup
Andrés opened his restaurant San Laurel and Agua Viva last year; both are located at the Conrad Los Angeles hotel in downtown Los Angeles. He plans to open a third spot, Bazaar Meat, there next year as well.
“Our restaurants are literally in the shadow of Frank Gehry’s beautiful concert hall, with the backdrop of the mountains on the other side,” says Andrés. “Los Angeles is an incredibly diverse city with so many options – I love L.A.! The farmers markets here are spectacular, with fresh produce coming from the Central Coast down to San Diego. I had an amazing dinner at Anajak Thai recently in Sherman Oaks, and was so impressed by Justin Pichetrungsi.”
He also tells THR that he believes Los Angeles and the U.S. as a whole can bring about major change when it comes to hunger and food insecurity — if people will come together in a shared vision.
“What I’ve learned over the years, in my home of Washington D.C., around L.A. in the 15 years since I opened my first restaurant here, and in my work with World Central Kitchen — it’s that chefs like me can feed the few, but we have all the skills to feed the many,” he says. “We need to invest more in social enterprises and nonprofits that embrace the true power of food to empower people and heal our communities. This city — and our country — has all the resources and technology to put an end to hunger, but first we must have the political will to prioritize food as part of the solution.”
Missy Elliott closed out the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Friday night, accepting her award after performing a medley that included “Get Ur Freak On,” “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” “Work It,” “Pass That Dutch,” and “Lose Control.” A few dozen dancers clad in gold joined her during the spectacle, which Elliott later revealed was her first performance ever viewed live by her mother. Watch it below.
Queen Latifah inducted the Virginia-born rapper into the Rock Hall, which Elliott earned on her first year of eligibility. The two shared the stage together earlier this year as part of a sprawling 50th anniversary tribute to hip-hop at the Grammys. Last year, Elliott was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a street named for her in her home town of Portsmouth, Virginia.
X content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL 2023 REVIEW! It’s definitely not the typical work week at Good Lake Cruises, a luxury lake cruise line, especially when outgoing, eccentric CEO Bruce (Ed Begley Jr.) upends Susan (Patty Guggenheim), the competitive CEO in waiting and Good Lake Cruises’ top-seller for eight years plans for her corporate control. Bruce’s last-minute before-retirement new hire, Larry (Kiel Kennedy), a bizarre and odd out-of-nowhere choice, sends Susan into a tailspin, enlisting her coworker Patrick (Kenneth Mosley) in a cover-up scheme that sets in motion a chain of events and comedy based around a simple but deadly lie for not inviting Larry to the Bruce’s rooftop retirement party.
Don’t Tell Larry is a well-crafted indie comedy caper that plays upon the most basic of office work life and connects to anyone who has ever worked in an office. Loaded with laughs, gasps, and cringes, directors Greg Porper and John Schimke spare nothing, building drama to the brink of getting caught along with unavoidable situations to hide the truth, including drinking urine and the ousting behaviors of a blind-sniffing Nana. Porper and Schimke also seamlessly direct Larry, who exists at the film’s every corner and turns in his yellow Members Only jacket, donning a hat of what appears to be Bruce’s beloved cat, Pumpkin—adding to the constant theme of the weirder, the better.
“…Susan, the competitive CEO in waiting…plans for her corporate control.”
After Susan tells a white lie to her truth-obsessed new coworker Larry to secure her CEO promotion, she finds herself over her head and out of her league when tragedy strikes, and all signs point to Larry as responsible. Everything Susan does backfires, leading to a tense workweek culminating in an outrageous offsite meeting in the forest and a rescue, where the truth is finally unleashed in more ways than one.
As a dark comedy, Don’t Tell Larry is a murder caper where the lead female character takes charge with an abundance of failures and possesses will without fail. It pairs unlikely duos while adding an odd and comical spark to what otherwise is the seemingly dull and typical cubical office, providing a new twist to the classic supply closet scene, coveted parking space obsession, and the overall competitive and rule-based workplace that makes us all want to be freelancers.
The timing and character engagement of the entire Don’t Tell Larry cast make the film a blast of fresh-air comedy, much like the satirical Office Space and 9 to 5 office comedies of the past. Don’t Tell Larry is a 2023 version of workplace shenanigans incorporating and embracing an LGBTQ-inspired and talented cast who do not miss a beat with funny quips such as “first-basing with the pee guy” and Patrick’s obsession with a television show character Kid Justice—it’s a constant ride with attention to detail hysterics through the credits. Hilarious bizarreness ensues until the end, but is it really over?
Amber was slammed for sharing a video of her wrapping her legs around her teen sonCredit: Instagram
3
Amber has recreated the controversial photo with a pal, wearing an even raunchier outfitCredit: INSTAGRAM
In the footage, Amber is seen being carried by her son following the end of a high school football game.
The mum from Utah then locks him into the embrace by wrapping her legs around his waist.
She nestles her face into her son’s neck for several seconds as he strokes her back.
Amber posted the video on Instagram with the caption: “This boy will forever and always have my entire heart.
“When I walked up to hug my baby boy after his game, he immediately picked me up and just held me.
“It may have been 20 seconds, 30 seconds, a minute, I have no idea. But in this moment, time stood completely still.
“I honestly don’t know what I did to deserve you @brix_wright but I am thankful every second of every single day for you.”
Since posting the video, Amber said that trolls have harassed her.
Most viewers deemed her behaviour “inappropriate” or “attention-seeking”, and some even labelled her an unhealthy parent.
One Instagram user commented: “It would’ve been cute if it was his girlfriend, but not a mother.”
Another said: “I’m a single mom and very close to my sons. I hug them in public without hesitation – but straddling them in high heels would cross a line neither of us would be comfortable with.”
And a third added: “A bit much there Mom… keep your feet on the ground, things will be fine.”
Now, Amber has taken to Instagram to troll back.
Dressed in a short black skirt, cropped referee top, fishnet tights and knee-high boots, the mum can be seen straddling her pal Brett Nielsen – who is dressed in a football kit for Halloween.
Reminding her followers of the scandalous video she posted of her son, Amber chose to use the caption “Oops… did it again ??♀️”
She quickly received hundreds of comments, many of which were from outraged users.
One wrote: “AND THIS PICTURE IS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHY IT WAS SO WRONG TO BE DOING THIS TO YOUR SON… ?♂️??♂️”
Another added: “Definition of a narcissist”
A third went as far as to say: “Bro imagine people thinking you have sex with your son and that’s is the highlight of your life!!”
Although some users did defend her.
One comment read: “That’s so funny to me cuz if you go back to the picture with your son you’re hugging him in such a different way. People really don’t have shit to do lol.”
At the time, Amber defended the controversial cuddle and claimed that it was just a “cute” moment she wanted to share.
Speaking to Today, she said: “I was a proud mom hugging her kid.
“I never expected it to turn into something where people are like: ‘You’re sexually abusing him! You’re grooming him! I’m calling child protective services!’
“I come from a very affectionate family. I hug my dad every time I see him. What you saw on the football field is just how we are.
“Brix will pick me up and squeeze me and then put me back down.”
Amber explained that emotions had been heightened on the day because it was the first time that Brixton had worn his new jersey – a tribute to his father who passed away on April 4.
“He was feeling emotional, and I think as his mom, I’m his safe space,” she added.
Brixton rushed to his mum’s defence in the comment section of the post, telling people to “leave his mom alone”.
He responded: “She’s never abused me done anything sexual with me or my friends or groomed me.
“She’s my mom she is my hero the vid of us hugging was a HUG. Go bother someone else and maybe hug your own kids. You all need Jesus damn.”
Amber had also responded to commenters, branding her haters “disturbed” people who “have their minds in the gutter”.
She wrote: “1. My son PICKED ME UP and this video was captured toward the end; I did not jump on him.
“2. He and I do have a close and HEALTHY relationship. If you were lose your father to suicide due to alcoholism at the young age of 15, I would hope you would have a mother to be close with.
“3. My son is a 4.0 student, an athlete, doesn’t drink, doesn’t do drugs and has never been in trouble.
“Just try to get on my level as a completely single mother, I dare you.
“4. If you see something wrong with a boy wanting to pick up and hold his mom after a rather intense football game, maybe ask yourself what in the hell is wrong with you that your mind goes there.”
Other posts on Amber’s Instagram show her trying on his football helmet for a picture while draping her arm over Brixton adoringly.
She captioned the post on August 23: “Us VS Them. We searched Google and still couldn’t find any competition.”
3
She hit back at trolls, saying that she was just being a loving motherCredit: Instagram
Vanessa Marcil is honoring ex-fiancé — and former costar — Tyler Christopher after his death.
Marcil, 55, took to social media on Thursday, November 2, to share a series of images of herself and Christopher over the years. The actress uploaded various magazine articles, red carpet photos and personal pictures via her Instagram Story, with one post captioned, “Tyler Christopher Baker: 1972 – 2023.”
She also reposted Amber Tamblyn’sThreads post, where she honored Christopher and praised him as an actor, writing, “This is crushing news. Tyler Christopher was a generous scene partner who was always respectful and wonderful on screen and off.” (Tamblyn, 40, played Emily Quartermaine on the ABC series from 1998 to 2000.)
Marcil and Christoper dated in the late 1990s after meeting on the set of General Hospital where they portrayed Brenda Barrett and Nikolas Cassadine, respectively. They were briefly engaged before calling it quits in 1999. While Marcil exited the show in 1998, Christopher remained in his role until 2016, earning four Daytime Emmy nominations throughout his run.
After losing beloved stars including Barbara Walters, Kirstie Alley and Stephen “tWitch” Boss in the final days of 2022, the entertainment industry continued to deal with loss in 2023. Hollywood was dealt a devastating blow with three significant losses in April: Jerry Springer, Harry Belafonte and Dancing With the Stars judge Len Goodman all died […]
Following her romance with Christopher, Marcil was married to Corey Feldman from 1989 to 1993 before moving on with Beverly Hills, 90210costar Brian Austin Green. The pair were together for four years and welcomed son Kassius Lijah Marcil-Green in 2002. After their 2003 split, Marcil tied the knot with Carmine Giovinazzo in 2010, but they called it quits three years later.
Christopher, meanwhile, went on to wed Eva Longoria in 2002. They were married for two years but split in 2004. He later tied the knot with Brienne Pedigo in 2008 and the duo share two kids: Greysun, 14, and Boheme, 8. They divorced in 2021.
Love on — and off — screen. Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, Vincent Van Patten and Eileen Davidson and more celebrity couples fell in love on the set of soap operas. “I auditioned him,” Ripa recalled during a SiriusXM interview in August 2018 about meeting her now-husband. “They’d been looking for this character for some […]
“It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Tyler Christopher,” Bernard, 60, wrote via an Instagram statement at the time. “[He] relished bringing joy to his loyal fans through his acting. Tyler was a sweet soul and wonderful friend to all of those who knew him.”
Bernard noted Christopher’s advocacy for “better mental health” and “substance use treatment,” sharing that he “openly spoke about his struggle with bipolar depression and alcohol.” He concluded by writing, “We are beyond devastated by the loss of our dear friend and pray for his children and his father.”
Thank You!
You have successfully subscribed.
General Hospital EP Frank Valentini also shared his condolences in a statement to Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday, saying, “I am heartbroken over the news of Tyler Christopher’s passing. He was kind, an incredible actor, and dear friend, who was beloved by our GH family and fans of Nikolas Cassadine. On behalf of everyone at General Hospital, our heartfelt sympathies go out to his loved ones during this difficult time.”
In addition to his time on GH, Christoper starred as Stefan DiMera on Days of Our Lives from 2001 to 2019, nabbing another Daytime Emmy nomination for the role. The late actor’s other credits include playing Dan Whitehorse on The Lying Game and starring in Moon Crash, Thor: God of Thunder and 2023’s Ice Storm.
There comes a moment in the development of a new technology when the hype is so common it passes for common sense. Lawyers, accountants and regulators are nowhere to be found. Investors insist entrepreneurs take their money. The world trembles on the brink of change.
For dot-coms, the moment was 1999. For artificial intelligence, it was just over nine months ago. For cryptocurrency, it was 2017.
Six years ago, Sam Bankman-Fried knew little about alternative currencies. But he correctly bet there were huge opportunities in grabbing a tiny piece of millions of crypto trades. In the blink of an eye, he was lauded as being worth $23 billion. Only Mark Zuckerberg had accumulated so much wealth so young.
The Facebook co-founder has his critics, but he looks like Thomas Edison next to Mr. Bankman-Fried. After a speedy trial in Manhattan federal court, the onetime crypto king, now 31, was convicted on Thursday of seven counts of fraud and conspiracy involving his companies FTX and Alameda Research.
Mr. Bankman-Fried once partied with stars and big shots, doled out fortunes in looted funds to politicians and himself, was acclaimed as the next Warren Buffett, employed his friends and made them rich for a while, was courted by the news media that printed his most banal comments. For a time, everyone loved Sam Bankman-Fried — with the apparent exception of Sam Bankman-Fried.
“I am, and for most of my adult life have been, sad.” That plaintive statement appears at the end of testimony Mr. Bankman-Fried had hoped to give Congress last winter before his arrest scuttled his plans. He was onto something.
In photographs from his heyday, Mr. Bankman-Fried always looked awkward, embarrassed and as if he would rather be playing a video game, even when Gisele Bündchen had an arm around him. Everyone kept insisting he was off-the-charts brilliant, the entrepreneur who would create the future. Maybe he knew better.
As journalists — and now prosecutors — have made clear, FTX and Alameda were run by a group of hapless young people who did not have the required skills, maturity or patience. Those who actually had a moral compass and sensed something was wrong soon peeled off, leaving a core crew who drifted — or perhaps dived — into trouble.
“When I started working at Alameda, I don’t think I would have believed you if you told me I would be sending false balance sheets to our lenders or taking customer money, but over time it was something I became more comfortable with,” Caroline Ellison, Mr. Bankman-Fried’s colleague and sometime girlfriend, testified during the trial.
When Ms. Ellison started working at Alameda, something called the blockchain was going to transform everything, somehow. Silicon Valley poured billions into crypto, seeking out those like Mr. Bankman-Fried who got in early and appeared smart.
Sequoia Capital, a top venture firm that has funded Apple, Airbnb, Instagram and WhatsApp, all but begged Mr. Bankman-Fried to take its money during the mad rush when crypto was shiny and new. The FTX founder did. Sequoia then commissioned a very long celebration of Mr. Bankman-Fried by Adam Fisher, a longtime Silicon Valley writer who fell hard for the man whose fans called him S.B.F.
“After my interview with S.B.F., I was convinced: I was talking to a future trillionaire,” Mr. Fisher wrote. He added: “The FTX competitive advantage? Ethical behavior.”
Less than two months after the interview was published, FTX collapsed. Sequoia put a note at the top of the story saying this was an “unexpected turn of events.” It later took the story down and wrote off its $214 million investment in the exchange. Sequoia and Mr. Fisher declined to comment.
The central myth of Silicon Valley is that techies are here to save the world. If they get insanely rich in the process, well, that only proves how great their idea was in the first place.
This was the appeal of Elizabeth Holmes and her blood-testing company, Theranos. She was young, female and attractive, which looked good on the covers of magazines. But the notion that really propelled her to fame and fortune was that she was a sort of high-tech Florence Nightingale, working all night to refine medical technology that would improve people’s health. (The truth was that her technology didn’t work and placed customers at risk by giving them unreliable results.)
FTX allowed people to bet on cryptocurrencies. It was, in essence, a casino. It is difficult for even the most sympathetic journalist to portray a casino as a savior of humanity, so the focus of the stories was always on Mr. Bankman-Fried himself.
He calculated the odds on everything — he thought there was a 5 percent chance he would become president of the United States. He figured he would help humanity by making a fortune and then giving it all away, a philosophy known as effective altruism. The details didn’t matter. As a fawning Forbes profile put it in 2021: “He’s a mercenary, dedicated to making as much money as possible (he doesn’t really care how) solely so he can give it away (he doesn’t really know to whom, or when).”
During the trial, it emerged that Mr. Bankman-Fried had spent $15 million on private plane travel. He never did much to disguise the fact that he lived with some of his FTX pals in a $35 million penthouse. The question of whether these young people should be sleeping on the beach instead of living the high life if they were truly following the doctrine of effective altruism never seemed to get asked.
Mr. Bankman-Fried was happiest when playing video games, which he did as often as he could. Even as he talked to Sequoia over Zoom about his grand plans to make a financial super-app inside FTX and therefore obliterate every bank in the world, he was playing League of Legends.
Again and again, he conveyed his contempt for what he was doing, and he seemed to implore the authorities to take a closer look at his companies. Take, for instance, this statement he made in August 2021 in one of his many interviews: “If there’s anything we’re doing that a regulator doesn’t want, you don’t have to sue us. Just reach out and tell us what you want.”
The magic of starting a company just as a boom is beginning is that the bar is low. When Sequoia was looking for a crypto exchange to invest in, FTX was “Goldilocks-perfect,” according to its profile. One big reason: “There was no concerted effort to skirt the law.” Hard to find a bar much lower than that.
Mr. Bankman-Fried tried to warn everyone.
“By number of Ponzi schemes, there are way more in crypto, kinda per capita, than in other places,” he told The Financial Times in May 2022.
It didn’t matter. Investors, customers, journalists all saw the genius they were told was there. And if they had the slightest doubt, Mr. Bankman-Fried had an ace: His parents were Stanford law professors.
“He has two parents that are compliance lawyers,” said the “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary, who was both a promotional spokesman for FTX and an investor in it. “If there is ever a place I can be and I am not going to get in trouble, it is going to be at FTX.”
Mr. O’Leary may not have known that Joseph Bankman, a tax law specialist and clinical psychologist, and Barbara Fried, a professor emeritus at Stanford Law School, had their attention elsewhere. According to a lawsuit filed by the bankrupt FTX, their son gave them, through FTX, a $16 million home in the Bahamas, $10 million in cash and many other things. Lawyers for the couple called the claims “completely false.”
In that glowing Sequoia profile, Mr. Bankman-Fried said: “I’m very skeptical of books. I don’t want to say no book is ever worth reading, but I actually do believe something pretty close to that.” He didn’t like movies, either.
It’s impossible to read the sad saga of Mr. Bankman-Fried without thinking he, and many of those around him, would have been better off if they had spent less time at math camp and more time in English class. Sometimes in books, the characters find their moral compass; in the best books, the reader does, too.
As I read about Mr. Bankman-Fried, the historical drama “A Man for All Seasons,” once a staple for high school students, kept coming to mind. It’s about a man who knows right from wrong and a man who doesn’t. Richard Rich is a little like Mr. Bankman-Fried: a young man with huge ambitions and no scruples. He begs Thomas More for a place at court. More tells Rich he would be a good teacher.
Who would know if I were a good teacher? Rich asks scornfully.
“You, your pupils, your friends, God,” More replies. “Not a bad public, that.”
Rich rejects the quiet life, betrays More and is rewarded with a post in Wales. Viewers are given to understand that he loses his soul. Mr. Bankman-Fried rejected the quiet life, betrayed nearly everyone he knew — and ended up with neither wealth nor Wales.
“Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project” co-director Joe Brewster spent seven years bringing his unique take on the radical poet’s life to the big screen. But when it was time to watch the finished product, he was still surprised by his emotional reaction to the opening scenes.
After a screening of “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project” at IndieWire’s inaugural Art of the Doc series presented by National Geographic at the Landmark Westwood in Los Angeles, Brewster and producer Tommy Oliver sat down with IndieWire editor at large Anne Thompson to discuss the documentary (sign up for other screenings in the Art of the Doc series here). While the film focuses on Giovanni’s artistry and activism, Brewster said that he was most moved by an early scene where he makes an appearance. To him, it was evidence of how far his quest to improve diversity in film has come.
“It just dawned on me, ‘This is where I grew up,’” Brewster said. “I grew up in Tinseltown, and I just felt I was never part of the equation. I never saw myself in films, and I love movies. So I just decided at 11, I was gonna put Black people in movies. Over the years I realized how important diversity of character and agency was. So I kind of teared up because this is what my wife and I do. And I think it has a powerful impact on the next generation. If we don’t see ourselves, we don’t exist. And if we don’t see ourselves, we can’t advocate for a better future.”
The film takes an expansive, stylized approach to Giovanni’s life, documenting they myriad ways that her literary and oratorical skills turned her into a beloved cultural figure that never shied away from the injustices of her time. But while her poetry and politics were well-known, Brewster said that working on the film prompted him to discover even more of Giovanni’s talents — including her knack for biting humor.
“We didn’t know she was a stand-up comic. And that was a benefit because we didn’t need as many tools, there were layers upon layers,” Brewster said. “We knew she was important, we loved her work, we thought we would be able to do multiple things in terms of using the poetry, the symbolism, the Transatlantic slave trade, Afrofuturism. But the humor is a certain kind of humor where you have to think twice about what you’re talking about and what it means. She’s hitting you hard all the time.”
But Oliver, who helped finance “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project” through his company Confluential Films, said that he sees the film’s lengthy development process as proof that the nonfiction film industry has a long way to go.
“I should’ve never had the ability to join this film,” Oliver said, explaining that he believes larger financiers who viewed the project before him should have been able to spot its potential. “It to this day blows my damn mind that any version of this film — an early version, middle version, any of it — could go through something like that and people would not see the value in it. It makes no sense… It also speaks to the bigger issue around the number of doc financiers that look like us. Good luck getting to one hand with that number.”
Brewster, who directed “Going to Mars” alongside his wife Michèle Stephenson, echoed Oliver’s sentiments — but he’s certainly glad Oliver had a chance to produce the film. He explained that Oliver’s trust allowed them to follow their authentic visions without being expected to conform to mainstream tastes.
“You can’t underestimate the power of being seen by the producer. That’s what we want, we want to be seen and understood,” Brewster said. “This is a problem in the industry where we are forced to tell stories that make white people comfortable and minimize Black love. So Tommy allows us to maximize Black love, and I would make the point that you’re more comfortable seeing me and my family and Nikki in their complexity, and that is a beautiful thing.”
Watch the entire conversation with Joe Brewster and Jesse Moss at IndieWire’s Art of the Doc screening above.
Adam Driver, star of Michael Mann’s “Ferrari,” will travel to Camerimage, the cinematography-oriented film festival, to accept Special EnergaCamerimage Award for an Actor. He will also introduce the film, one of the entries in the Camerimage Main Competition and a prominent awards contender this season.
The fest will run in Toruń. Poland, from Nov. 11-18.
Driver has been called a a versatile actor who brings quiet intensity and emotional understanding to the plethora of characters he has inhabited over his career. His impressive filmography consists of collaborations with many of the industry’s most prominent and respected filmmakers, including J.J. Abrams, Noah Baumbach, Leos Carax, Joel and Ethan Coen, Francis Ford Coppola, Lena Dunham, Clint Eastwood, Jim Jarmusch, Rian Johnson, Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg and Steven Soderbergh.
In the Michael Mann biopic, Driver stars as legendary racer and automobile entrepreneur Enzo Ferrari.
Driver is known for the unpredictability of his acting choices and the way he works in unison with filmmakers to deploy the visual language of film in the interest of immersive storytelling.
Variety chief film critic Owen Gleiberman called “Ferrari” an “intricately dark, raptly absorbing” film, where the racing scenes are haunted by the specter of death.
It is based on the 1991 biography “Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine,” written by motorsports journalist Brock Yates. Tracing one man’s personal journey, “Ferrrari” delves into his personal and professional struggles during the eventful summer of 1957. Other actors portraying characters in the turbulent story include Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Sarah Gadon, Gabriel Leone, Jack O’Connell and Patrick Dempsey.
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.
Following the success of Nintendo’s “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe,” “Team Sonic Racing” and “Disney Speedstorm,” developer Bamtang Games and publisher GameMill Entertainment wanted to give the kart-racer treatment to DreamWorks Animation characters.
Now ready for pre-order for $39.99 at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart and Target, “DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing” features 20 characters across DreamWorks Animation, such as Shrek, Princess Fiona, Donkey, Po, Tigress, Boss Baby, Puss in Boots, Hiccup, Astrid, Megamind, Lord Farquaad and more, in a high-speed kart racer with local and online multi-player.
The kart-racing game features 20 different DreamWorks-themed tracks, including Shrek’s Swamp, The Kingdom of Far Far Away, Bergen Town from “Trolls,” The Boss Baby’s Baby Corp., New York City Zoo from “Madagascar,” Isle of Berk from “How To Train Your Dragon” and others.
In addition, “DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing” has 20 different kart racers to go along with each character in the game. However, you can mix and match kart parts and — like chassis, engines, wheels, spoilers and more — for hundreds of variations and combinations that could give you the edge for crossing the finish line in first place.
Meanwhile, Trolls Poppy, Branch, Barb, Cooper and many others are not only the host for each race, but they can also help you with power-ups, shortcuts, special surprises and much more. In fact, there are even magical switches that you can hit to uncover hidden paths to victory.
And while nearly a dozen villains were utilized in some form or another throughout this story, the web-slingers still have plenty of challenges moving forward.
Yuri Lowenthal on Spider-Man 3 PS5 Villains
Yuri Lowenthal, the voice actor for Peter Parker in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, teased new villains that could be on the way in Spider-Man 3.
Speaking with Collider, Lowenthal avoided spoiling anything for fans just diving into Spider-Man 2 on the PS5, only praising the titular hero for having arguably “the greatest rogues gallery villains” outside of DC’sBatman:
“It’s tough, and I certainly don’t wanna spoil things for people who are just getting started playing this game or who haven’t played it yet. I will just comment by saying that, second to maybe Batman or maybe on par with Batman, Spider-Man has the greatest rogues gallery villains.”
Commenting on Venom being the main villain in Spider-Man 2, Lowenthal also noted how much the Symbiotic antagonist has “dominated the spotlight for the last 25 years.”
Looking forward, he asked whether the game will turn to “not as well-known villains,” even joking about characters such as Tarantula and Big Wheel coming into play:
“By putting Venom in this game, which is certainly no spoiler at this point, but all 19 inches of Venom, it’s sort of taken out the villain that has dominated the spotlight for the last 25 years or something like that. So where do you go next? I mean, do you go to smaller, not as well-known villains and turn them into something else? Do you go way back to, like, Tarantula and be like, ‘Okay, he’s not as goofy as you think if we told this story about him,’ or, you know, Big Wheel? [Laughs]”
The leading voice actor got a laugh out of the idea of Big Wheel being the main villain for Spider-Man 3, exclaiming that it “would be awesome is what it would be.”
For reference, Big Wheel from Marvel Comics is a character first known as Jackson Weele, an embezzling businessman who had the Tinkerer fashion him a weaponized Big Wheel – one of the wildest villains from Spider-Man’s rogues gallery.
Marvel Comics
As for the other villain mentioned, Tarantula, he’s known as Anton Miguel Rodriquez, a South American revolutionary who was expelled from his country for murder before becoming a powerful mercenary.
Marvel Comics
To close, Lowenthal gave Insomniac credit for “taking something we’ve seen before and spinning it” into something fresh and new while also teasing villains that were snuck into Spider-Man 2 as surprises.
“So I don’t know. Again, Insomniac is really good about taking something we’ve seen before and spinning it so that you get something new, and so you could almost go with anyone. But I can’t wait for people to see some of the the villains that we’ve snuck into this game without you knowing. I can’t wait to see some surprised looks on many faces.”
Who Will Be Spider-Man 3’s Main Villain?
Warning – the rest of this article contains spoilers for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Looking at the ending moments of Spider-Man 2, this game’s follow-up effort has a few options for who could be the next big villain after the Sinister Six, Doc Ock, Venom, and Kraven.
PlayStation
At the top of that list is Norman Osborn, who went into a rampage in his penthouse mansion after seeing his son Harry lying in a hospital bed seemingly comatose.
The New York City mayor even made an ominous phone call demanding the other party to “get the G-serum ready,” teasing a turn into the Green Goblin. However, it could end up being Harry who becomes the villain if Norman uses the serum to save his son.
PlayStation
The ending also teased a possible comeback for Otto Octavius, who was shown to be locked up in the Raft after the first game as Norman asks him who the two Spider-Men are.
He noted that he was writing “the final chapter” in his notebook, which could hint that he’s finding a way to come back from the brink of death for revenge against Peter.
Finally, the Venom storyline in Spider-Man 2 got another branch thanks to a side villain known as the Flame, who was later revealed to have used the alias “Cletus Kasady,” well-known to fans as Carnage.
Although this character is now in the wind after fighting Spidey and Wraith, he escaped with a variant of the Venom symbiote that will likely keep that theme going into the next game.
No matter who takes the spotlight next time around, after more than a dozen antagonists were utilized in the first two games, it’s clear that Insomniac has plenty more tricks and mayhem up its sleeves for the PS5 web-slingers.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is now available to play on the PlayStation 5.
David Corenswet’s portrayal of Superman in the upcoming film Superman: Legacy is seen as iconic and marks a significant moment for the DC Universe.
The inclusion of talented actors like Rachel Brosnahan and the depiction of various DC characters suggests a revitalization and expansion of the franchise.
The production of Superman: Legacy has faced challenges with strikes, but the decision to delay and fine-tune the script may result in a film that sets the tone for the entire DC cinematic universe.
David Corenswet‘s entry as the latest actor to don the cape and crest of Superman marks a pivotal moment for the DC Universe. In an exquisite piece of fan art circulating on social media, Corenswet’s transformation into the Man of Steel is nothing short of iconic. The artwork (via X), replete with the vibrancy of Superman’s classic suit and the character’s signature hair curl, promises a visual feast for fans awaiting the debut of Superman: Legacy.
The film Superman: Legacy represents a pivotal moment for the DCU, a bold initiative that begins with the saga of its most legendary hero. Corenswet, best known for his role in The Politician, fills the boots of Clark Kent following Henry Cavill’s memorable tenure. But it isn’t just the suit that has DC enthusiasts buzzing; it’s the potential revitalization of a franchise.
Joining Corenswet is a constellation of talent assembled to bring this fresh vision to life. Rachel Brosnahan of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel fame will portray Lois Lane, promising to inject tenacity and charm into the role of Superman’s confidant and love interest. A slew of DC’s finest will also feature, from Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, the Green Lantern, to Isabela Merced’s depiction of Hawkgirl. The inclusion of these characters suggests a rich tapestry for the DCU, extending beyond the city limits of Metropolis.
The wrap-up of the Writers Guild strike, coupled with the persistent SAG-AFTRA strike, leaves audiences in suspense for the casting reveal of Jimmy Olsen and Lex Luthor. These casting decisions are more than just filling out a roster; they’re integral pieces in the larger narrative that Superman: Legacy aims to weave.
A New Epoch for the DC Universe: Corenswet Rises in Superman: Legacy
@bobby_art
The DCU is determined to craft a world that feels established, where Superman has soared the skies for some time before viewers join him on-screen. James Gunn keeps a veil of secrecy over the plot, suggesting a focus on the lead’s connection with Lois Lane and his early days at the Daily Planet.
The strategic decision to pivot production from a chilly January start to the more temperate spring of 2024 may be a blessing in disguise. This window allows for the settling of industry unrest and, perhaps, the fine-tuning of a script that carries the hefty expectation of setting the tone for an entire cinematic universe.
The snapshot of Corenswet as Superman, as imagined by a fan, captures a look that resonates with those who grew up with the comic strips, the iconic curl a nostalgic nod to a bygone era. It’s a promising glimpse that has admirers hopeful that when Corenswet takes flight in the full regalia, he will indeed bring the beloved superhero to life in a manner that honors the legacy while charting a new course for the DCU.
What lies ahead for Superman: Legacy and its chosen son, Corenswet, is a story in the making. Audiences are eager for a vision of the DC Universe where the heroic ideals of Superman once again soar high, inspiring awe and admiration in a world eager for heroes.
Jagex has today released a new player survey intended to gather feedback on how players are generally feeling about the state of the game and its’ content in general.
This comes off the back of the ill-received implementation and removal of Hero Pass and a Halloween event that felt predatory despite the company stating that they would learn from the universally disliked microtransaction-heavy feature.
“We’re always keen to hear your feedback, and regular surveys help us to gauge how the community is feeling – and where we should be headed next.”
Jagex, October 30, 2023
The latest survey dives deeper into individual players’ demographics, as well as how long they’ve played RuneScape overall and their total level. It then asks questions regarding RuneScape content players are familiar with. As well as what should be Jagex’s priority when it comes to RuneScape, and yes, building back the trust of the player base is included.
Image via Jagex
The survey states that it takes roughly 15 minutes to complete. Whether or not it will take you this long entirely depends on what you want to include. Most of the questions are multiple-choice, but there are a few questions that have boxes that allow you to input your thoughts. The survey asks you to input your in-game name, too, but again, that is optional, and if you do not wish to attach your account to your angry responses, you do not have to do so!
The survey is live as of today, and it will run until Sunday, November 5th at 11:59 PM BST. You can access the survey here. That gives players a brief period to get their answers in. It’s something that one should consider doing, especially if you’re upset with the current trajectory of RuneScape. Who knows if there will be significant changes post-survey, but all the player base can do is try.
About the Author
Priscilla Wells
Priscilla is both the weekend editor and a freelance writer at Prima Games. She began working at Prima Games in early 2023. Prior to this, she spent nine years writing for both her own personal gaming blog, and other related websites. Priscilla has grown up playing video games, and most often plays her PS5 and Nintendo Switch consoles. You can find her playing Final Fantasy XIV, RuneScape, Pokemon GO, or lost in the latest RPG to release.
She is an Australian living in the United States with her American husband, three children, and her Basset Hound. Before moving to the United States, Priscilla obtained a Bachelors of Secondary Education majoring in English and Japanese Language. This allowed her to teach English and Japanese in a high school setting.
You can follow her on Twitter/X at @Cilllah
The rumors are true! After much speculation from the tech world, Apple unveiled its newest generation of Silicon chips on a live stream presentation that was shot on the new iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Apple’s “Scray Fast” event showed off some brand-new Macs that come with the company’s latest version of its in-house chips.
Let’s check out the roundup of the major announcements from the event.
A Powerful Line Up of M3 Chips
Again, no one was surprised to hear that there is a new generation of Silicon chips (again).
The new lineup includes the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips, which Apple says marks the “first personal computer chips” that are made using a 3-nanometer process to increase your computer’s performance.
Offering a “faster and more efficient CPU,” the trio of chips gets an updated GUP that supports Ray Tracing, mesh shading, and Dynamic Caching (a new feature that optimizes the needed amount of memory the device uses during tasks).
The most powerful Silicon chip, M3 Max, comes with up to 92 billion transistors, a 40-core GPU, and a 16-core CPU, making it a beast that is perfect for filmmakers working in post-production.
Credit: Apple
M3 Boost the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros
Apple also announced a new pair of 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with either the M3 Pro chip or the higher-end M3 Max. The new chips will give these personal laptops the boost needed to get all of your heavy processing work done with ease.
Both laptops feature a Mini LED display, a 1080p camera, a six-speaker sound system, 22 hours of battery life, and up to 128GB of RAM. They are also available in a new space black finish that is supposed to help reduce fingerprints.
While the 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro chip starts at $1,999, the 16-inch M3 Pro model starts at $2,499. You can preorder these MacBook Pro models today or wait until November 7 to purchase your new laptop.
But our question is, how are the thermals?
Credit: Apple
Upgrading the iMac
The 24-inch iMac is getting the M3 boost to offer a two-times faster performance than its M1-equipped predecessor. With the new chip, the iMac will provide faster rending speeds for all of your favorite workspaces while providing you with 24GB of unified memory.
Along with the new chip, the refreshed iMac features a 4.5K Retina display with more than 1 billion colors, support for Wi-Fi 6E, and a 1080p webcam. If all of this wasn’t enough, Apple is offering up seven new colors for the iMac: green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver. There are also color-matched accessories that come with the iMac, but they still feature Lightning connectors.
The 24-inch iMac costs $1,299 with an eight-core CPU or $1,499 with a 10-core chip. You can preorder it starting today, with availability starting on November 7.
Credit: Apple
While the event focused on animation and gaming, the new generation of M3 chips can really change the at-home workflow for filmmakers in post or for anyone who wants to dabble in the world of Unreal Engine or other AI tools.
But are the M3 chips worthy of updating your entire system months after the announcement of the M2 chips? We’ll keep digging to find out.
In a joint statement released Monday to People, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer spoke about feeling “utterly devastated” over the loss of Perry. The five actors starred with Perry in the hit NBC ensemble sitcom “Friends,” which ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004. The six actors appeared in every one of the show’s 236 episodes.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” the statement reads. “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss. In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”
Perry was found dead at his Los Angeles home late at night on October 28. The sitcom actor, whose other roles outside of “Friends” include “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” and the 2017 reboot of “The Odd Couple,” was found unresponsive in his hot tub, in what is believed to have been a drowning incident. The official cause of death has yet to be determined.
On “Friends,” Perry played the witty, sarcastic, and lovable Chandler, and his work netted him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2002. He received four other Emmy nominations over the course of his career: two for guest starring in “The West Wing,” one for his performance in the 2007 TV film “The Ron Clark Story,” and one for producing the 2021 “Friends” reunion special.
Since Perry’s death was first reported, many of the star’s former collaborators have paid tribute. In a joint statement, “Friends” co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane and executive producer Kevin Bright called the former Chandler Bing “a brilliant talent.”
“We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing. It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives. He was a brilliant talent,” the three wrote in their statement. “It’s a cliche to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words. From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us. We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment — not just to his work, but in life as well. He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart.”
“Black God, White Devil” is so not what you’d expect from a director who’d write a manifesto titled “The Aesthetics of Hunger.” That treatise, published shortly after this film was released in 1964, was the 25-year-old Brazilian Glauber Rocha’s plea for a new type of filmmaking that the “Third World” should adopt to expose the exploitation of their countries by the global north. It’s a staple of film studies classes to this day.
“Black God, White Devil,” however, is far from homework. The Brazilian film is a pulsing, anarchic vision that makes it feel like a progenitor to the then-just-nascent Spaghetti Western movement in Italy. This is a different kind of manifesto, one that feels written in bullets, a shoot-’em-up that marries a propulsive plot and extremely memorable characters to its revolutionary politics.
Janus Films has given a 4K restoration to this masterwork, that’ll premiere at Film Forum in New York City on November 17. You can watch the trailer for the restoration above. And check out the poster at the bottom of the article.
Set in the 1940s, the plot concerns Manoel (Geraldo del Rey), who works as a ranch hand in the Brazilian sertão. After he kills his boss, who was trying to cheat him out of his wages, Manoel and his wife Rosa (Yoná Magalhães) go on the run, Bonnie and Clyde-style. Eventually, they meet up with a violent cult leader (Lidio Silva) who preaches violence against Brazil‘s wealthy landowners, and invokes supernatural forces by slaying an infant with a knife. The actual infanticide takes place (just) offscreen, but the mere suggestion of it was enough to elicit palpable gasps from the audience during one of the last times “Black God, White Devil” was screened for a New York City audience, at MoMA in late 2013. This is why it made IndieWire’s list of the most disturbing foreign films.
It’s shocking stuff, and intended to shock you so that its radical politics stick in your brain that much more. The cult leader is in no way presented as a good person in the film, of course, and eventually a bounty hunter enters the frame to stop him: Antonio das Mortes, a burly, quippy gunslinger with his own unique moral code. The wealthy landowners who hire him are vile in their own right, and he draws the line when they ask him to do something particularly heinous, saying that the price they’re offering “isn’t high enough for a ticket to hell.”
The Antonio das Mortes character is so instantly electrifying he headlined his own spinoff film, Rocha’s later “Antonio das Mortes” (1969). Clint Eastwood’s Man with No Name was being developed for “A Fistful of Dollars” right around the same moment as “Black God, White Devil,” so there was something in the air in the mid-60s that called for terse, morally ambiguous gunslingers who mete out their own form of justice. “Black God, White Devil” is similarly non-didactic in its politics: it seems more concerned with shaking you out of the habitual, of presenting something so totally new — and via legitimate entertainment value — that you might come to some new conclusions about power structures on your own.
That separates it from some other Cinema Novo classics, such as Nelson Pereira Dos Santos’s “Vidas Secas” (1963), which feels more squarely of the Italian Neorealist tradition of exposing poverty as an end unto itself. Rocha’s work, as a whole, was of a kinship to Godard’s in that the filmmaking is so unique, the storytelling so singular, that when it comes to the politics you have to make up your own damn mind.
And indeed Rocha’s politics were eventually all over the place: his last film before his death at 40, “The Age of the Earth,” made IndieWire’s list of the best films of the 1980s, and it is certainly that, even if he received funding from Brazil’s right-wing military junta to make it, and it received a boycott by many parties when it debuted at the Venice Film Festival that year as a result. It can hardly be the film that the dictatorship hoped he would make, however.
Watch the trailer for “Black God, White Devil” above.
Warning! The following contains spoilers for the 90 Day Fiancé Season 10 episode “Of These Two Lovers.” Read at your own risk!
The first ultimatum of 90 Day Fiancé Season 10 has arrived. Nikki Sanders was willing to meet Justin halfway and go to live with him in Moldova, but the trip might end way quicker than previously expected. The couple is suffering from intimacy issues, and if that doesn’t improve soon, she is taking the first plane possible back to the United States.
Justin claimed that he wasn’t quite ready for physical intimacy and needed to feel connected to Nikki’s soul more before that part came along. The American cast member struggled with whether or not that was the case, or if he was making an excuse to buy time. Ultimately, fans were left in the dark on what the actual answer is, perhaps to heighten the tension of a potential breakup so early on.
Leaving Moldova is quite a threat, and given the severity of it and the fact that Nikki and Justin broke up before, 90 Day Fiancé viewers may want to know if they’re still together. CinemaBlend did a bit of digging, and here’s what we uncovered about what’s going on with them as of late.
Nikki Hinted At Her Status With Justin In An Instagram Post
When the casting announcement for 90 Day Fiancé Season 10 first came out, Nikki was quick to address her sizable Instagram following about the casting. While reminding her 1.4 million followers they can watch this season on TLC or with a Max subscription, the castmember also talked a bit about the relationship:
I’m so excited to finally share my love?story with all of you in real-time, and not just what you’ve seen in my photos & videos on my social media, As I said before, relationships are sometimes complicated and ALOT of work, especially coming from 2 different worlds, cultures, language barriers, and many other obstacles, like in my situation dating a heterosexual man from a small country like Moldova ?? as a Trans ?️⚧️ person is beyonddd complicated ..?Communication, respect, trust, love and commitment are the biggest components in a DISTANCED RELATIONSHIP.. But ☝? when two people LOVE ❤️ each other, anything is possible ? you fight for it, and you BOTH do your BEST to make it work.
The bit at the end would suggest that Nikki and Justin put in the work to get through all their problems, including intimacy. Perhaps this means another racy sex scene is on the way, which is admittedly my least favorite trend from 90 Day Fiancé, but I can let it slide this time given it’s relevant to the plot.
While I have my opinion, I could also see someone reading that caption, as the relationship would’ve worked out if both did their best to make it work. Fortunately, there’s a little more evidence than this to lean on that Nikki and Justin are still together.
Nikki And Justin Have A Joint Instagram Account
Nikki mentioned on 90 Day Fiancé that Justin doesn’t have pictures of them on his Instagram account, and that’s true. What wasn’t mentioned, however, was that the couple has a shared Instagram account that promotes the relationship and both of their main accounts. Here’s a recent post from it from the first week of October:
It would seem that Nikki and Justin are still together if they’re continuing to update the shared profile. I was also interested to see that the very first post on this page, dated July of 2022, mentioned their engagement as well as plans for a wedding in 2024:
Is the 2024 wedding date set in stone, or was it just a tentative plan? I’m sure many 90 Day Fiancé fans are curious about that and eager to see a trans couple succeed after Cleo from Before The 90 Days Season 6 confirmed her relationship with Christian Allgood is over. We’ll see what ultimately happens and see if Nikki follows through on the threat to leave Moldova.
90 Day Fiancé airs on TLC on Sundays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Season 10 is rolling right along, but there’s still plenty of time to catch up via on-demand services, on Max, or Discovery+.
We are still awaiting a cause of death for Matthew Perry. An autopsy has been completed on the Friends‘ actor, but it is inconclusive pending toxicology tests, according to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Perry, one of the stars of the long-running television hit Friends, died Oct. 28 from an apparent drowning in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home in the Pacific Palisades. He was 54.
Friends ran from 1994 to 2004, co-starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow. Perry played Chandler Bing on the show, which was one of the most-watched shows on U.S. primetime.
Perry had a well-documented history of abusing alcohol and prescription drugs, but it has been reported that no drugs were found at the scene and foul play is not suspected. He detailed that struggle in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, for which he did extensive interviews
“Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead,” Perry wrote in the opening of the book.
Following Friends, Perry went on to star in three short-lived network television shows: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Mr. Sunshine and Go On.
He also logged guest appearances or recurring roles in other hit TV shows, including The West Wing, Ally McBeal, Scrubs and Beverly Hills, 90210. His motion picture credits included Fools Rush In, The Whole Nine Yards, Almost Heroes and Three to Tango.
When I say we will never forget Matthew Perry, I mean it.
Beloved Emmy and golden Globe nominated “Friends” star Matthew Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing passed away on October 28th , the world, the entertainment industry, and most importantly his friends and family were devastated and shocked to their core.
Perry touched the lives of many with his charming personality, his sense of humor and his kind heart. The characters he played always emulated that aspect of himself.
I am me, and that should be enough, it always has been enough. I was the one who didn’t get that, and now I do. I’m an actor, I’m a writer, I’m a person, and a good one at that. – Matthew Perry
While it’s hard to think of him agone, join me for a few minutes while I remember him and take a trip through his journey onscreen and off in some of his most memorable projects.
Friends (1994 – 2004)
Courtesy of NBC
Of course first up we have the show that made Matthew L. Perry, THE Matthew Perry. Perry first got the role of the beloved sarcastic Chandler Bing when he was 24, he was one of the 6 main cast members of the show starring alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer. His character is notable for his sarcasm and witty sense of humor. Perry’s comedic timing, one liners and all in all lovable personality on and off the camera made him and his character a favourite amongst fans. The show ran which was about 6 friends living in new york and going through life’s joys, sorrows and heartbreaks together ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004, it was an instant hit and still remains to this day one of the most popular TV shows of all time.
In his Memoir ‘Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing’, he wrote “When I read the script for “Friends Like Us”, it was as if somone had followed me arround for a year… I was Chandler.” Perry also spoke about the effect the fame of the show had on him in the 2004 book ‘Friends … ‘Til the End’, “At first you have the wave of ‘I’m famous, and this is exactly what I’ve wanted my whole life.’ But then you go through the whole recluse stage where you think, ‘I wish everybody would stop staring at me.’ And then you eventually, hopefully, get through all that. You find things in your life that are grounding, like your family and good friends.”
Studio 60 on the Sunet Strip (2006 – 2007)
Courtesy of NBC
Despite only having run for 1 season, Matthew Perry was very proud to have been a part of “Studio 60”. The series takes place behind the scenes of a live sketch comedy show (also called Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip or Studio 60) on the fictional television network NBS (National Broadcasting System), whose format is similar to NBC’s Saturday Night Live. Matthew Perry starred as Matt Albie, a former writer for Studio 60 who takes over production along with long-time friend Danny Tripp, as executive producer and head writer. “Studio 60” aired for 22 episodes from 2006 to 2007.
Perry told USA Today of the Aaron Sorkin project “Studio 60 taught me that even if a show has this insane amount of power behind it, you never know what’s going to happen, I was really proud of being part of that, because that pilot was just as good as anything I’ve seen on television. I can’t believe I was in it.”
The Whole Nine Yards and The Whole Ten Yards (2000 and 2004)
Courtesy of Warner Bros
Aside from his many roles on different TV shows, Perry appeared in a variety of different films over the years. His most notable films were in the late 90s andearly 2000s. “The Whole Nine Yards” and its sequel “The Whole Ten Yards” saw Perry starring alongside Bruce Willis in this hilarious crime comedy. What starts out as a man’s life turning upside down when a gangster moves in next door, ends up being a series of unfortunate events and eventually eveolves into a story of friendship between a most unlikely pair. A dentist and a contract killer.
In his memoir ‘Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing’ Perry wrote about the first movie saying “Bruce hadn’t been sure the film would work at all, and I’d bet him it would — if he lost, he had to do a guest spot on Friends, (he’s in three episodes of season six).”
Boys Will Be Boys (1987 – 1988)
In his first starring role in a TV show, Matthew Perry played the hilarious Chazz Russell in “Boys Will Be Boys”. A character almost like a younger version of Chandler Bing. In this series, the first season included a supernatural element which included a ghost returning to the present to guide his younger self. However that was scrapped from the show, The show then went on to focus on three high school teens looking for independence who become roommates in an apartment over a local garage. The show revolves solely around the antics of Chazz, Booch and Eugene.
Fools Rush In (1997)
Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
In one of his best film roles we saw Matthew Perry star alongside Salma Hayek in a sweet and entertaining rom com that solidified Perry as a leading man. In this film a one night stand leads to an unexpected pregnancy, so Alex (Perry) and Isabel (Hayek) decide to get married. However, along with the marriage comes compromise of cultural traditions. The two delivered incredible performances in this film, straying away from rom com cliches and making a movie that was one of its kind of its time.
In his memoir ‘Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing’, he wrote that Hayek had an unorthodox method to try and get him out of his comfort zone on the set of “Fools Rush In” “She came into my trailer at the start of the shoot and said, ‘Let’s just spoon a little bit,'” He goes on to say she “tried her best” to help him “tap into real feelings and to be more of a leading man than a funny sitcom actor.”
Three to Tango (1999)
Courtesy of Warner Bros
In this unique rom com that stars a trio of talented actors, Matthew Perry, Neve Cambell (Scream) and Dylan McDermott (American Horror Story) we see a rich businessman named Charles ask his new colleague Oscar who he assumes is gay to keep an eye on his mistress, Amy. However, the man, who is very straight, begins to fall for the woman himself. Leading to a very complicated set of events. Perry got to flex his dramatic acting skills in this movie. This is yet another film he was very proud of.
“I was attracted to this film because of the very interesting dynamic of the character” Said Perry in a Three to Tango press release, “He’s had intimacy issue with women petty much his whole life. Now, by having to pretend his gay, it’s finally safe for him to get to really know a women and ultimately to fall in love with her.” Perry said “I was proud of the dramatic stuff in Three to Tango.”
Despite only being in this film for a few scenes, Matthew Perry made an impact, both hilariously and emotionally on this movie. Playing the grown up version of Mike O’Donnell, with the younger version played by Zac Effron. He also starred alongside Leslie Mann in this coming of age comedy in which we see Mike who after peaking in high school is now a loser in life, miraculously transform into a teenager (Efron). On a journey to try to fix his past and save his future.
Go On (2012)
Courtesy of NBC
In this sitcom, Matthew Perry co-executive produces “Go On” and stars as a sports talk radio host who is trying to deal with the death of his wife. His version of coping is simply pushing his feelings down and geting back to work. This leads Ryan’s boss, to insist he get counseling refusing to let him back on air until he does. When Ryan joins a support group, his lack of interest not only makes therapy interesting but also serves as the breath of fresh air needed to get his group members back on track.
Mr Sunshine (2011 – 2012)
Courtesy of ABC
This series was co created by Matthew Perry, who also starts in the show as Ben Donovan, the operations manager for the Sunshine Center, a second-tier arena in San Diego. Perry starred alongside Allison Janney who played his unpredictable boss who would constantly have unusual demands.
“When you meet Ben, he’s just pretty much been thinking about himself his entire life, and he’s sort of whistling in the dark and thinks he’s a happy guy,” Said Perry “And he learns rather quickly that the sort of secret to being happy and maybe gaining some inner peace is to care about your fellow man, to care about others.”
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir
You can’t list Matthew Perry’s most memorable projects without one of his most iconic works. In this truly honest and raw memoir, ‘Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing’, Perry takes us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame, behind the scenes, to his struggles with addiction, his near death experience and much more. Perry was hesitant to share his experiences in a book at first, however he explained how thinking of the people it would help would keep him going.
In her forward for the memoir Lisa Kudrow wrote “Matthew Perry, who is whip smart … charming, sweet, sensitive, very reasonable and rational. That guy, with everything he was battling, was still there. The same Matthew who, from the beginning, could lift us all up during a grueling night shoot for the opening titles inside that fountain.” Despite everything he was going through in his personal life, Matthew Perry never failed to bring joy to the lives of those around him, especially to the lives of his fans.
Matthew Perry has made a lasting impact on the entertainment industry, with his talent and in the world with the kind of person he was. Despite his many struggles in life, during Friends and after, he kept rising above them and continously making himself better. An example we should all take from him. He used his fame and his platform to help and reach out to those who were struggling with addiction as well. In an interview last year he mentioned that he wanted to be remembered for more than just “Friends”, but instead for the things he did “to try to help other people.” It’s upto us to make sure his legacy lives on.
“There are two ways to go when you hit that crossroads in your life: There is the bad way, when you sort of give up, and then there is the really hard way, when you fight back. I went the hard way and came out of it okay. Now, I’m sitting here and doing great.” – Matthew Perry
As an entertainment writer it pains me to write this, but Matthew Perry, thank you for a lifetime of laughter. He truly had a unique ability to light up every movie and show he was on the same way he lit up a room, no matter what, with every character he played and with every person he cared about. It’s heartbreaking to think we’ll never see that light again. Oh but wait, yes you will, everytime you turn on one of his shows or movies, Matthew Perry’s light, will be right there. So never let the laughter stop.
Courtesy of NBC
Tell me what your favorite Matthew Perry role is in the comments.
Manuel Turizo plays Fishing for Answers with Billboard backstage at Billboard’s Latin Music Week 2023.
Manuel Turizo
Hey, my people, I’m Manuel Turizo and I’ll be Fishing for Answers with Billboard.
Manuel Turizo
Do I prefer recording or touring?
Manuel Turizo
I don’t know; I feel that someday in my life, maybe as years go by, I’ll get tired of touring and I won’t want to tour as frequently, but recording, well, I want to do that all my life.
Manuel Turizo
Have you ever met someone who left you starstruck? Who was it?
Manuel Turizo
Yes, I feel that, I don’t know…it’s like every time I meet someone I admire or respect a lot. You get a bit shocked. Yes, of course it makes you a little nervous.
Manuel Turizo
What was your most embarrassing moment onstage?
Manuel Turizo
Once, it was like a 360-degree stage with another one above it, I was singing and…I went up and with the foot I had up, I slipped and fell backward on stage, and everyone in the stadium where we were performing. Everyone was laughing their asses off even I couldn’t stop laughing, but I think that’s the only one.
Manuel Turizo
Who would I love to collaborate with on my next album?
Manuel Turizo
I don’t know many, with Yandel again.
Manuel Turizo
Who is my style icon and why?
Manuel Turizo
I don’t know; I really liked what Virgil Abloh did in the last years before he died.
Wykorzystaj szansę na korzystanie z oferty bez konieczności wpłaty środków, co jest atrakcyjną alternatywą dla nowych użytkowników. Dzięki temu możesz rozpocząć swoją przygodę w grze, nie obciążając swojego portfela, a także zyskać cenne doświadczenia w ulubionych grach. Upewnij się, że spełniasz wszystkie wymagania, aby bezproblemowo aktywować dostępne oferty.
Przeglądając dostępne opcje, warto zwrócić uwagę na promocje, które łączą bonusowe środki z innymi korzyściami. Możesz spotkać różnorodne warunki, więc zawsze warto dokładnie zapoznać się z regulaminem ofert, zanim zdecydujesz się na ich aktywację. Aby nie przegapić najlepszych okazji, regularnie odwiedzaj strony związane z promocjami.
Nie zapomnij również o korzystaniu z linków, które mogą prowadzić do aktualnych ofert. Na przykład, przeszukując informacje o vavada casino kod promocyjny, na pewno znajdziesz coś atrakcyjnego, co ułatwi debiut w świecie gier online. Odpowiednie przygotowanie to klucz do sukcesu!
Jak uzyskać kod bonusu bez depozytu w Vavadzie w 2026 roku?
Aby uzyskać dostęp do wyjątkowej oferty promocyjnej, warto zwrócić uwagę na akcje marketingowe platformy. Regularne sprawdzanie strony głównej oraz sekcji aktualności zapewni najnowsze informacje na temat ofert, które mogą obejmować ekskluzywne oferty bez konieczności wpłacania środków.
Polecane jest również zarejestrowanie się w newsletterze. Otrzymasz wtedy powiadomienia o dostępnych promocjach oraz specjalnych ofertach, które są czasowo ograniczone. Dzięki temu nie ominiesz żadnej okazji na zdobycie atrakcyjnych nagród.
Warto przejrzeć fora dyskusyjne oraz grupy społecznościowe związane z hazardem. Użytkownicy często dzielą się swoimi doświadczeniami i mogą wskazać, jak najlepiej wykorzystać dostępne promocje czy podzielić się informacjami o aktualnych bonusach dostępnych na platformie.
Innym sposobem jest aktywne uczestnictwo w grach i konkursach organizowanych przez kasyno. Wiele z nich oferuje dodatkowe nagrody, które można uzyskać bez konieczności dokonywania wpłat. Często są to ciekawe wyzwania, które angażują graczy i dają szansę na wygranie atrakcyjnych bonusów.
Zanotuj również, że po utworzeniu konta warto zapoznać się z warunkami promocji. Wiele ofert wiąże się z określonymi zasadami, które trzeba spełnić, aby móc skorzystać z dodatkowych środków czy spinów. Dobrze przemyślana strategia i świadome decyzje przyczynią się do sukcesu w czerpaniu korzyści z promocji.
Warunki i ograniczenia korzystania z bonusa bez depozytu w Vavadzie
Każdy użytkownik powinien zwrócić uwagę na wymagania obrotu, które mogą wynosić od 30 do 50 razy przyznanej kwoty. Oznacza to, że aby móc wypłacić ewentualne wygrane, gracz musi postawić określoną sumę, kilkukrotnie przekraczając wartość bonusu.
Dodatkowo, czas na spełnienie warunków jest ograniczony. Zazwyczaj gracze mają 7 do 30 dni na wykorzystanie oferty. Warto śledzić czas, aby uniknąć utraty środków, które mogłyby być przyznane na start.
Należy pamiętać o limitach na maksymalną kwotę wygranej. Często maksymalna suma, którą można zgarnąć dzięki promocji, nie przekracza 100 zł lub równowartości tej kwoty w innej walucie. Jest to kluczowy aspekt, który powinien być wzięty pod uwagę przed rozpoczęciem gry.
Gracze powinni również być świadomi, że w niektórych przypadkach promocja może być dostępna tylko dla nowych kont. Osoby, które już posiadają profil, mogą nie mieć możliwości skorzystania z podobnej oferty. Dlatego warto sprawdzić, czy ofertę można uzyskać jedynie na nowo założonym koncie.
Również istotne jest to, że niektóre gry mogą nie kwalifikować się do obrotu bonusem. Na przykład automaty mogą mieć inny procent wkładu do wymagań obrotu. Zwykle sloty przynoszą więcej, podczas gdy gry stołowe mają ograniczony wpływ na ukończenie wymagań.
Na koniec, gracz powinien zapoznać się z regulaminem promocji, który dokładnie określa zasady jej stosowania. Często znaleźć tam można klauzule dotyczące nadużyć, które mogą prowadzić do zablokowania konta. Wszelkie nieprawidłowości związane z wykorzystywaniem promocji mogą skutkować poważnymi konsekwencjami.
Najlepsze strategie wykorzystania kodu bonusu bez depozytu w grach Vavada
Wybierając odpowiednie automaty, skorzystaj z tych, które oferują wyższy wskaźnik zwrotu dla gracza (RTP). Zazwyczaj RTP powyżej 96% daje większe szanse na sukces przy wykorzystaniu promocji. Zrób rozeznanie, które gry są najbardziej korzystne przed rozpoczęciem rozgrywki.
Obserwuj warunki promocji
Dokładne zapoznanie się z regulaminem promocji ma kluczowe znaczenie. Zwracaj uwagę na wymagania dotyczące zakładów oraz na ograniczenia czasowe. Możesz w ten sposób zoptymalizować swoje szanse na wygraną. Niektóre oferty mogą mieć niskie limity wypłat, co zmusza do strategii długoterminowej.
Opisuj aktualne promocje i ich warunki.
Sprawdzaj daty ważności ofert.
Uważaj na limity wypłat.
Omijaj mniej popularne tytuły w poszukiwaniu szybszych zwrotów. Gry z mniejszą ilością graczy często oferują większe wygrane, ponieważ rywalizacja jest mniejsza. Dobre znajomości strategii gry mogą znacząco zwiększyć Twoje szanse na wygraną.
Ustal budżet i trzymaj się go
Ustalając konkretny budżet, unikniesz impulsywnych decyzji. Przydziel rozmijane środki, aby nie stracić wszystkich swoich możliwości w krótkim czasie. Dyscyplina finansowa jest kluczem do sukcesu oraz długotrwałego cieszenia się grami.
Ustal maksymalną kwotę na sesję gry.
Nie przekraczaj ustalonego limitu.
Patrz na zyski jako bonus, a nie na sposób na zarobek.
Eksperymentowanie z różnymi grami i strategami staje się bardziej efektywne, jeśli wybierzesz kilka tytułów, które najlepiej Ci odpowiadają. W ten sposób możesz skupić się na doskonaleniu umiejętności bez zbytniego ryzykowania. Ucz się na błędach, aby unikać tych samych pułapek w przyszłości.
Sure, irradiated zombies and bloodthirsty apocalypse bikers can be pretty scary. Draculas and Frankensteins? Scary. Cthulhus… Mothmen… Graboids? The absolute worst. But for indie content creators, no boogeyman or cryptid is quite as hair-raising as the many great and monstrous leviathans ritualistically summoned by the occult and alchemical ritual known as filmmaking. Look: there’s Shaky Financing dragging itself out of the swamp, eyes burning blood red! And there: Collapsing Theatrical Market, unfurling its batwings in the rafters of the old abbey! And so on and so on.
But! As the Cryptkeeper, Vaultkeeper and Old Witch have have reminded us many times before, misery loves company. So rather than hanging on the edge of your seat anxiously peering through ragged knuckles at the current (but only temporary!) dumpster-fire state of your latest film project, instead console yourself with the fact that many of your Halloweentime horror favorites have had their own very bumpy rides.
With Halloween weekend looming, we decided to dig into the streaming era’s bevy of behind-the-scenes horror-movie making-of’s—plus a couple critical surveys looking at how some marginalized communities have been served (or not!) by the genre over time. So carve those pumpkins, affix your plastic fangs and enjoy.
SCREAM, QUEEN! (2019)
Directors: Roman Chimienti, Tyler Jensen
Producers: Roman Chimienti, Mark Patton
Where to Watch: Tubi, Pluto TV, Screambox
Why it’s scary: After the surprise success of Wes Craven’s original A Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984, its follow-up—1985’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge—landed with a bit of a dull plop. There were many reasons for this that generally boil down to “it wasn’t very good,” but perhaps the most unfairly maligned was the perceived effeteness of the film’s teen protagonist, played by actor Mark Patton. As a young, closeted performer trying to launch himself in Hollywood at the dawning of the AIDS era, Patton’s implication in Revenge’sfailure was disastrous, both personally and professionally. Patton’s continued reckoning with his experience on the film and its aftermath is the subject of Chimienti and Jensen’s crowdfunded documentary, appropriately subtitled My Nightmare on Elm Street. A deeply personal examination of the intersection between commerce, expression and identity, Scream, Queen! follows Patton as he tries to understand just what the hell went wrong—and just who to blame, confronting Freddy’s Revenge screenwriter in one centerpiece sequence.
PENNYWISE: THE STORY OF IT (2021)
Directors: John Campopiano, Christopher Griffiths
Producers: Eastwood Allen, John Campopiano, Christopher Griffiths, Michael Perez, Gary Smart, Hank Starrs
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime, Hoopla, Vudu, Tubi, Redbox
Why it’s scary: As the shape-shifting corporeal embodiment of fear and evil, the ancient and mysterious entity known as “Pennywise” has been terrorizing the children Derry, ME ever since the 1986 publication of Stephen King’s 1,138-page opus It. But John Campopiano and Christopher Griffiths’ Indiegogo-funded doc isn’t about the King novel or its successful 2010 feature film adaptation—nor is it about the SoCal punk band Pennywise, of 1990s gang vocal staple “Bro Hymn Tribute” fame. No. The film’s subject is the two-part It TV miniseries, which aired in 1990 on ABC. Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace and co-adapted by Wallace and Lawrence D. Cohen, It was a cultural phenomenon, imprinting Tim Curry’s uncanny portrayal of Pennywise on the easily-traumatized imaginations of an entire generation of Reagan babies (I’m speaking from experience here). The Story of It explores how this unlikely literary adaptation found its way to the network development desks, assembled its all-star cast (John Ritter! Harry Anderson! Seth Green! Jonathan Brandis!) and executed a tricky production en route to becoming a double-VHS classic that still continues to creep out audiences today.
QUEER FOR FEAR (2022)
Creator: Sam Wineman
Directors: Bryan Fuller, Tom Maroney, Sam Wineman
Where to Watch: Shudder
Why it’s scary: Subtitled The History of Queer Horror, Sam Wineman’s four-installment Shudder original definitively encapsulates—for anyone who was doubtful—just how inextricable the horror genre is from the Queer experience. With blood-red loveseat interviews from a who’s-who of LGBTQ+ horror filmmakers, stars and aficionados, topics explored include the baked-in gayness of horror’s DNA as descended from the sexual fluidity of genre pioneers Oscar Wilde and Mary Shelley, to the lingering stylistic and thematic influence of 1930s and ‘40s Universal Monsters auteur James Whale, to the metaphorical value of monster archetypes for Queer artists and critics. Our favorite episode? A deconstruction of the “killer lesbian” narrative trope as expressed in titles ranging from Dracula’s Daughter (1936) to Bound (1996). Full of fun clips and first-person insight from the folks who were there both onscreen and in the audience, Queer for Fear will send you on a streaming spree to add hundreds of new titles to your watchlist. (And yes, Nightmare on Elm Street 2 pops up here, as well.)
NEVER SLEEP AGAIN (2010)
Director: Daniel Farrads, Andrew Kasch
Producer: Daniel Farads, Thommy Hutson
Where to Watch: Tube
Why we love it: Should PBS docuseries majordomo Ken Burns ever apply his exacting eye for historical detail to the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, the results would be… well, redundant. Why? Because filmmakers Daniel Farads and Andrew Kasch have already been there, with their exhaustive blow-by-blow about the rise, fall, semi-rise, semi-fall, second rise and overall cultural endurance of the disreputablevenerable horror series. Featuring over 100 interviews from major franchise players ranging from legendary New Line exec Bob Shay to Dream Warriors soundtrack kings Dokken, no stone goes un-terrorized, as Farrad and Kasch chart the evolution of the Nightmare series from gothic Wes Craven sleep paralysis metaphor to kitschy, kid-friendly cartoon fare. The controversies of Nightmare on Elm Street 2 are again explored here, as are the property’s highest-high (New Nightmare) and lowest lows (Roseanne Barr… in 3-D?!?!). The result is a totemic chronicle of the unglamorous Hollywood manufacture-and-marketing model of the 1980s and early ‘90s.
CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES (2013)
Director: Daniel Farrands
Producer: Thommy Hutson
Where to Watch: AMC+, Hoopla
Why it’s scary: A few years after the success of Never Sleep Again, Farrands took that film’s exhaustive formula and applied it to that other iconic ‘80 slasher franchise. You know—that one with the guy in the hockey mask? Despite an even bumpier journey through the desultory architecture of studio franchise management, the Friday the 13th series nevertheless dominated the teenage box office throughout the Reagan era. Does the famously publicity-hungry Kane Hodder appear to talk about his role as Jason? You better believe it, despite the fact that the man behind the goalie mask changed throughout the Friday films nearly as often as the drummers in Spinal Tap. What begins as an unspectacular attempt to rip off John Carpenter and Debra Hill’s Halloween soon turns into a focal point for powerful critics like Roger Ebert to decry the state of cinema while meanwhile, Jason takes his machete to oodles of Crystal Lake Campers (including names like Kevin Bacon, Crispin Glover and Corey Feldman), takes Manhattan, goes to space and beyond. Warning: sleepaway camp may never be the same.
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.
Human Rights Watch says Gaza information blackout risks ‘providing cover for mass atrocities’
Deborah Brown, a senior technology and human rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the near-total communication blackout in the Gaza Strip is preventing people from ‘communicating with loved ones and accessing life-saving medical and other essential services.’
She added: ‘This information blackout risks providing cover for mass atrocities and contributing to impunity for human rights violations.’
New photos reveal moment of impact of Israeli bombardment campaign against Gaza Strip
More protests calling for Israel-Hamas ceasefire seen across the world
Parisians join New Yorkers and Istanbul natives in protests calling for an immediate ceasefire in the deadliest conflict between Israel and Hamas in decades.
Protesters were seen lighting candles in a vigil held at Place de la Republique in Paris tonight.
Last three weeks of Israel-Hamas war deadliest for journalists since 1992, advocacy group says
The last three weeks of the Israel-Hamas war has been the deadliest period for journalists covering conflict since 1992, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.
At least 29 reporters have been killed in the region since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.
At least 24 were Palestinian, four were Israeli and one was Lebanese, the CPJ said.
It added that it was ‘highly alarmed’ by the communications blackout in Gaza, caused by Israel’s bombardment campaign.
Gaza residents post reality of life on Snapchat as Israel bomb city
Videos shared publicly to Snapchat reveal the reality of living in Gaza in 2023.
Bright flashes of orange light can be seen as Israeli bombs drop on the enclave.
Israel wants to ‘keep world blinded on what’s happening’ in Gaza, says former UN special rapporteur
Michael Lynk, the former UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, told Al Jazeera that Israel’s decision to destroy telecommunication infrastructure in Gaza will make it harder for the outside world to hold it accountable.
‘Cutting off all kinds of communication is going to [make] that much harder to be able to do if power is dwindling and there’s no internet or access to the outside world,’ he said.
‘Keeping the world blinded on what’s happening I’m sure is one purpose.
‘I’m aghast that international political opinion from the West – from Europe and North America – hasn’t turned more decisively against Israel, even before this land invasion’, he added.
Protesters call for Israel-Hamas ceasefire across the world
Protest groups across the world have demanded that Israel and Hamas agree to a ceasefire.
New York City’s Grand Central Station was overrun with protestors who disrupted the evening rush hour to show solidarity with the people of Gaza.
Over in Turkey, meanwhile, flares were lit and Palestinian flags flew as protesters took to the streets of Istanbul to show their support for Gaza.
Israel declines to say if tonight’s bombardment campaign was the start of Gaza ground offensive
Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy refused to confirm whether the IDF’s long-awaited ground invasion has already begun.
He told the BBC: ‘Israel has expanded ground operation in the Gaza Strip, but beyond that, I’m not going to comment on operational matters.’
IDF confirms its troops are currently fighting in Gaza Strip
An IDF spokesperson told the New York Times that Israeli troops are currently fighting in the Gaza Strip
‘Our troops and tanks are inside the Gaza Strip. They’re shooting and they’re operating,’ said Nir Dinar, a military spokesman.
‘But our troops and tanks were inside Gaza yesterday as well,’ he added.
It comes after Hamas revealed it was engaged in fighting in Beit Hanoun and the east of Bureij, in the north of the Gaza Strip.
New photos of Israeli bombardment campaign emerge
Pentagon refuses to ‘speculate’ on growing Israeli operations in Gaza
Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder told Al Jazeera that he didn’t want to ‘speculate or get into hypotheticals’ when asked about the wider implications of Israel’s increased bombardment campaign.
We fully understand Israel’s right to defend itself from terrorism. Importantly, in our conversations, we are also making sure that there’s an understanding of the importance of the laws of war and protecting innocent civilians,’ he told the publication.
UNICEF says it has lost contact with Gaza staff
The executive director of the UN’s children’s fund says th agency has lost contact with its staff in Gaza.
Catherine Russell said in a post on X, formerly Twitter: ‘We have lost touch with our colleagues in Gaza.
‘I’m extremely concerned about their safety and another night of unspeakable horror for one million children in Gaza.
‘All humanitarians and the children and families they serve MUST be protected.’
Hamas welcomes UN General Assembly’s call for Gaza truce
Both Hamas and the rival Palestinian Authority welcomed a UN General Assembly resolution Friday calling for a humanitarian truce in Gaza, as Israel increased strikes on the territory over the October 7 attacks.
‘We demand its immediate application to allow the entry of fuel and humanitarian aid for civilians,’ read a Hamas statement.
The Palestinian Authority’s foreign ministry said that as Israel’s campaign ‘reaches a new peak of brutality’, there was ‘a solid international position rejecting Israel’s unhinged aggression’.
Hamas says it is ‘foiled’ Israeli forces in northern Gaza
Hamas’ military wing, the Al Qassam Brigades, says it managed to foil an Israeli ground force in the north of the Gaza Strip.
It claims to have ‘foiled an Israeli ground incursion into Beit Hanoun and the east of Bureij’, adding that ‘violent clashes’ are now taking place.
MailOnline has not been able to verify these claims.
Israel’s envoy to UN says General Assembly’s vote calling for ‘humanitarian truce’ shows world’s support of ‘Nazi terrorists’
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s envoy to the UN, lashed out at the international community following a vote at the United Nations today, accusing the body of supporting ‘Nazi terrorists’, referring to Hamas.
He said the international body had no legitimacy or relevance, and added that the only way to destroy Hamas was to ‘root them out of their tunnels and destroy their subterranean city of terror.’
He added: ‘This is a dark day for the UN and for mankind.’
Erdan vowed his country would use ‘every means’ in fighting Hamas.
‘Today is a day that will go down as infamy. We have all witnessed that the UN no longer holds even one ounce of legitimacy or relevance.’
Human Rights Watch condemns Israel’s position on Gaza hospitals
Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch, condemned Israel’s current position on the rights afforded to Gaza hospitals under international law.
He said: ‘The Israeli army statement on Gaza hospitals raises grave concerns for the safety of patients and medical workers.
‘If accurate, the use of medical facilities by Palestinian armed groups for military operations is alarming and violates the laws of war.
‘But hospitals have special protections that they only lose if being used to “commit acts harmful to the enemy,” and after due warning. Doctors, nurses, and ambulances have to be permitted to do their work and be protected in all circumstances.’
Breaking: UN calls for humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas
The UN General Assembly has overwhelmingly called for a humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas, amid the deadliest conflict between the two in decades.
The Palestinian death toll passed 7,300 as Israel launched waves of airstrikes in response to the bloody Hamas rampage in southern Israel earlier this month.
Meanwhile, more than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians slain during the initial Hamas attack.
New photos of Hamas’ rockets ‘salvo’ fired towards Israel
Israel ‘starting payback’ against Hamas, warns top Netanyahu advisor
Hamas will pay for its crimes against humanity and Israel is starting its payback, Mark Regev, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told MSNBC in an interview on Friday.
Lib Dems’ foreign affairs spokesperson says: ‘Fresh hell looks to be unleashed tonight’
Layla Moran, MP for Oxford West & Abingdon, and the Liberal Democrats’ spokesperson for FCDO & Science, Tech and Innovation, said in a post to X, formerly Twitter: ‘Fresh hell looks to be unleashed tonight.
‘We need to create an international movement for a lasting peace as remote as it may feel. These scenes must never be repeated.’
The MP said in a previous post minutes before: ‘Every night I go to sleep afraid of what new heart-wrenching developments I am going to wake up to. But tonight, I may not be able to sleep at all. Please let me be wrong.’
UK’s Foreign Secretary says top priority is safety of Brits still in Gaza
James Cleverly, the Uk’s Foreign Secretary, said in a post to X, formerly Twitter, tha the ‘UK’s top priority remains the safety of British nationals in Gaza and the region.
‘We support Israel’s right to self defense, in line with [international human rights law], and continue to push for the protection of Palestinian children.’
FCDO appears to expand no-travel zones in Israel
The UK’s Foreign Office has seemingly expanded its no-travel warnings in Israel, and advised British nationals against all travel from the Gaza Strip, all the way down to the Israeli border crossing with Egypt near Be’er Milka.
Breaking: Top Israeli political adviser warns ‘Gaza will be very different’ when conflict is over
Mark Regev, an adviser to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Friday that the Gaza Strip would look ‘very different’ after ‘this is over.’
He told Fox News tonight: ‘We are beefing up the pressure on Hamas. We’re increasing the pressure that they’re under. Our military operations are underway.
‘They will continue to be on the receiving end of our military blows until we have dismantled their military machine and dissolve their political structure in Gaza. When this is over, Gaza will be very different.’
Colonel Phillip Ingram claims if Israel invades it will be a long and brutal battle
He said Israel is displaying the ‘classic playbook’ of invasion tactics as it cuts off Gaza’s communications and launches aerial attacks
The Hamas government said Israel ‘cut communications and most of the internet’ across the Gaza Strip
Breaking: Former head of British Army says IDF’s escalating bombardment of Gaza is ‘increasingly worrying’
The former head of the British Army General Lord Richard Dannatt said that he is ‘increasingly worried’ by the IDF’s stepped-up bombardment campaign against Gaza.
He told Sky News tonight: ‘It would seem that they’re going to deliver on their word that making some further ground incursion. whether this is the major ground intervention or whether it will be a more limited incursion I think only time will tell.
‘But I think we should be in no doubt at all, that the potential for escalation, the potential for this whole situation in the Middle East to get out of hand, is increasingly worrying.’
Gaza citizens facing ‘total darkness’, warns Palestine Red Crescent chief
The director of the Palestine Red Crescent, Marwan Jilani, told Al Jazeera that it lost contact with its Gazan team two hours ago.
‘We’re extremely worried and concerned for our colleagues,’ he said.
‘Apart from the humanitarian catastrophe that has been happening before the world’s eyes the last few days, we are now facing a total darkness. We don’t know what’s happening.
‘We’re really scared and we’re shaken to the core.’
Jordan’s foreign ministry says outcome of Israel’s ground war will have consequences of ‘epic proportions’
Jordan’s foreign minister accused Israel of launching its long-anticipated ground war against Gaza, adding that the consequence of this will be a ‘humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions.’
US ‘supports pause’ on humanitarian aid to Gaza
The United States supports a pause in Israeli military operations in Gaza to get humanitarian aid, fuel and electricity to civilians there, White House spokesman John Kirby said on Friday.
Kirby also said that if getting hostages out of Gaza requires a localized temporary pause, then the United States is in support of that.
Oxfam ‘deeply concerned’ by Israel’s increased bombardment campaign against Gaza
International charity Oxfam says it is ‘deeply concerned’ with tonight’s developments in Gaza, ‘especially the total loss of communication’ in the Strip.
The NGO called for a ceasefire ‘to protect innocent lives.’
Top NGO says it has lost contact with Gaza colleagues
ActionAid, an NGO that works to alleviate poverty across the world, says it is gravely concerned that it has lost contact with its team in Gaza.
The charity said in a statement: ‘We are gravely concerned for their safety and that of all the people of Gaza as signs grow of a major land escalation following almost three weeks of bombardment.
‘We urgently call for the restoration of communication channels, as this is not only a matter of principle but also one of practical necessity.’
Israel claims missiles that hit Egypt today were launched by Yemen rebels
Israel’s foreign ministry has blamed a missile and drone attack that hit Egypt earlier today on Houthi rebels from Yemen.
The attack hit two towns near the Red Sea, and left six injured.
‘Israel condemns the harm caused to Egypt’s security forces by the missiles and drones launched by the Houthi terrorist organization with the intention of harming Israel,’ a ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
The ministry has not yet provided any evidence for these claims.
Palestinian Red Crescent says it has lost contact with Gaza first responders
The Palestine Red Crescent Society has revealed that it has lost contact with its operations room in the Gaza Strip.
It said in a statement: ‘We are deeply concerned about the ability of our teams to continue providing their emergency medical services, especially since this disruption affects the central emergency number ‘101’ and hinders the arrival of ambulance vehicles to the wounded and injured.’
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf condemn’s Israel’s increased bombing campaign
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf wrote today in a post to X, formerly Twitter:
‘Gaza is under intense bombing.
‘Telecommunications have been cut.
‘We can’t get through to our family who have been trapped in this war zone for almost 3 weeks.
‘We can only pray they survive the night.
‘How many more children have to die before the world says enough?’
It comes after he revealed his parents-in-law are currently trapped in Gaza, and have long ‘lost hope.’
Exclusive: Top former British intelligence officer says IDF’s increased bombardment ‘could be start of larger operation’
Coloner Philip Ingram, a former officer in military intelligence, exclusively told MailOnline that the IDF cutting off Gaza’s telecommunications may be a sign that a larger ground operation is on the horizon.
He said: ‘I fully expected them to cut off communications, including the internet, whenever they start their ground invasion. The last couple of nights there have been small incursions, where the Israelis have been probing the Hamas defenses.’
‘Tomorrow is only three weeks after the terrorist attacks by Hamas into Israel. It takes quite a long time to build your ground forces up and get them ready.’
‘It could be the start of the much larger Israeli ground offensive operation.’
Hamas call on international community to stop Israel’s increased bombardment campaign
Hamas called on the world to ‘act immediately’ on Friday to stop Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, as intense strikes pounded the Palestinian territory.
‘We call on the Arab and Muslim countries and the international community to take responsibility and act immediately to stop the crimes and series of massacres against our people,’ Hamas said in a statement.
IDF dismisses rumours of possible deal with Hamas to release over 200 hostages held in Gaza
When asked about a possible deal to release the over 200 hostages being held in Gaza, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari told reporters to ‘disregard rumors,’ claiming Hamas is using psychological terror to win the conflict.
Israeli air force ‘widely attacking’ underground targets
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said: ‘In recent hours we have increased the attacks in Gaza. The air force widely attacks underground targets and terrorist infrastructure, very significantly.
‘In continuation of the offensive activity we carried out in the last few days, the ground forces are expanding the ground activity this evening.’
He added that the IDF was ‘working powerfully in all dimensions’ to achieve its military goals.
Israel says it is expanding military operations ‘tonight’
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the military’s ground forces are ‘expanding their operations tonight.’
It comes short after several large explosions rocked Gaza City.
Hagari said that the IDF had increased its strikes on the region ‘in a very significant way.’
‘We will continue to strike in Gaza City and around.’
He warned citizens of Gaza city to move south as soon as possible.
IDF says Israel is prepared to fight on all fronts
Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said at a press conference: ‘We are prepared to fight on all fronts to preserve Israel’s security.’
‘Our ground forces are expanding their ground operations. The IDF is operating at all dimensions.’
Discussing the al-Shifa hospital, which Israel has insisted Hamas is using as its headquarters, he said: ‘We’ve exposed the underground sphere.’
‘We will continue to attack in Gaza and its surroundings,’ he adds, telling citizens they will find ‘better conditions’ further south.
Gaza’s main emergency service ‘cut off’ by heavy bombardment
The Palestinian Red Crescent, the main emergency service in Gaza, said it was cut off from its operations room in the strip because of the internet blackout.
It comes after several Palestinian telecoms companies said that internet service has been cut off, following heavy bombing of the Gaza Strip.
Hamas says it fired ‘salvo’ of rockets at Israel
Hamas said it has fired a ‘salvo’ of rockets at Israel, following intense bombing of the Gaza Strip.
‘Salvos of rockets in the direction of the occupied territories (Israel) in answer to the massacre of civilians,’ Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said on its Telegram channel.
Internet and communications cut across Gaza
The Hamas-run government of Palestine said that Israel has ‘cut communications and most of the internet’ across the Gaza Strip.
The government’s media office accused Israel of taking the measure ‘to perpetrate massacres with bloody retaliatory strikes from the air, land and sea,’ as heavy strikes hit northern Gaza.
Internet monitoring firm Netblocks seemingly confirmed the news on X, formerly Twitter, saying that there has been a ‘collapse in connectivity’ in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian telecoms company Jawwal added in a Facebook post that mobile phone service and internet in the Gaza Strip has been cut off due to heavy bombardment.
UN Chief says Gazans facing ‘avalanche of human suffering’
The United Nations secretary general warned on Friday that Gaza faces ‘an unprecedented avalanche of human suffering’ due to lack of food, water and power during Israeli bombing in response to the Hamas attack.
‘I repeat my call for a humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and the delivery of life-saving supplies,’ Antonio Guterres said in a statement.
‘Misery is growing by the minute. Without a fundamental change, the people of Gaza will face an unprecedented avalanche of human suffering.’
Explosions seen over Gaza City
Explosions have been seen over Gaza City. The Israeli military told the AFP news agency it is ‘continuously striking in the Gaza Strip.’
It is not currently known what has been hit.
IDF warns that Gaza hospitals could ‘lose their protections
The IDF has warned that Gaza hospitals that are being used ‘terror facilities’ by Hamas may soon lose rights afforded to them under international law.
IDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner told Sky News: ‘We’ve been telling people to leave the north of the Gaza Strip, and we’ve made several calls to the al Shifa hospital.
‘Those calls have not been responded to and are not being adhered to.
‘Now we understand why – because Hamas is preventing people from moving, Hamas is limiting their capability.
‘If these actions continue from hospitals under certain conditions, indeed hospitals could lose their protections that they’re entitled to.
Good evening, here are the key updates so far today
The US Ambassador to the United Nations has declared that the world has reached a ‘perilous moment’ in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The Israeli Defence Forces have claimed that Hamas is using Gaza’s largest hospital ‘as a shield for its underground terror complex’.
Hamas rejected the claims and accused Israel of making the allegations to ‘pave the way for a new massacre to be committed against our people’.
The United Nations has suggested that war crimes may be being committed by both sides in the war.
The death toll in Gaza has risen to over 7,300, including over 3,000 children, the Hamas-run health ministry has said.
Gaza’s healthcare system is facing ‘total collapse’ and infectious diseases ‘are increasing at an alarming rate’, charities have warned.
VIDEO: Tel Aviv faces heavy rocket barrage from Hamas with a residential building being hit injuring several people
PICTURED: Protesters clash with Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank following a solidarity demonstration for besieged Palestinians in Gaza
US says a ‘perilous moment’ has been reached in the Israel-Hamas war
The US Ambassador to the United Nations has declared that the world has reached a ‘perilous moment’ in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Addressing the UN General Assembly, Linda Thomas-Greenfield stressed: ‘The United States has made clear, in both public and private conversations, that as Israel exercises its right… to defend its people against a terrorist group, it must do so in line with the rules of war.’
Hamas rejects Israel’s claims that it is using hospitals as operation centres
Hamas has hit back at the IDF’s claims that it has turned hospitals into ‘operation centres’ to carry out attacks on Israel.
A senior member of the Hamas political bureau, Izzat al-Rishq, said: ‘There’s no basis in truth in what the spokesman of the enemy army stated.’
He accused Israel of making the allegations to ‘pave the way for a new massacre to be committed against our people’.
Israel is expecting ground invasion ‘will take a long time’, defence minister says
Israel’s defence minister has said a ground invasion of Gaza would include large forces, backed by airstrikes, and ‘will take a long time.’
Yoav Gallant said it would be followed by a third phase of lower-intensity fighting, as Israel destroys ‘pockets of resistance’.
He spoke after fighter jets and drones carried out a second ground raid into Gaza in as many days, striking the outskirts of Gaza City.
Chief Rabbi says level of fear among British Jews has not been felt since the end of WWII
Britain’s Chief Rabbi has said that the level fear in the Jewish community now has not been felt since the end of World War II.
Speaking to ITV News, Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said ‘many thousands on the streets openly supporting Hamas terrorists’ has caused ‘a lot of anxiety’.
Watch his interview here:
IDF shares video and audio that it claims is evidence Hamas has an operational base beneath Gaza City’s Shifa hospital
Note: The materials shared by the IDF have not been independently verified.
Meta denies censoring pro-Palestine accounts
Meta has denied censoring a pro-Palestine Instagram and Facebook page which shares pictures and videos from Gaza.
The @eye.on.palestine account, which had more than six million followers, became unavailable to view earlier this week.
A spokesperson said: ‘We did not disable these accounts because of any content they were sharing.’
They said Meta had been in touch with the account owners and that they were allowed to reactivate, Sky reports.
However, the accounts are still not active.
Six more aid trucks and medical staff cross into Gaza, the Red Cross says
UN and Human Rights Watch say Gaza death toll published by Hamas is ‘credible’ and ‘reliable’ after Biden cast doubt on figures
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has been publishing death tolls regularly since Israel began its retaliatory strikes following the October 7 incursion.
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said that the tolls had proved to be ‘credible’ in previous conflicts.
Human Rights Watch, which says it has done its own independent verification of Israeli strikes, called the numbers ‘reliable’.
US President Joe Biden faced backlash after he said on Wednesday he has ‘no confidence’ in figures.
Germany’s foreign ministry said via a spokesman today: ‘We cannot independently verify Hamas information, which is why a certain degree of caution is needed.’
Omar Shakir from Human Rights Watch told Al Jazeera in response:
All this time we’re debating death counts and death tolls the bodies continue to pile up, and the focus for leaders really needs to be on preventing further mass atrocities – not quibbling over numbers
PICTURED: Entire neighbourhoods destroyed by Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip
Breaking: IDF claims Hamas’s main base of operations is under Shifa Hospital in Gaza City
The Israeli Defence Forces have claimed that Hamas is using Gaza’s largest hospital ‘as a shield for its underground terror complex’.
Spokesman Daniel Hagari says the IDF has ‘concrete evidence’ to suggest Shifa hospital in Gaza City is a Hamas base of operations.
At a press conference he said ‘hundreds of terrorists flooded in there after their attack on October 7’.
He said it is ‘one of many’ hospitals being used by the terror group and that they chose it to ‘exploit innocent Gazan civilians as human shields’.
‘Hamas’s use of hospitals is systematic. Precisely because they know Israel distinguishes between civilians and terrorists.’
He said Hamas is committing a war crime by using hospitals and that ‘Israel is putting this red flag to the world’.
He reiterated Israel’s call for Gazan civilians to move south in the enclave ‘for their own safety’.
‘For over two weeks, the IDF has called and continued calling the civilians of northern Gaza and Gaza City to move south to Wadi Gaza.’
PICTURED: Smoke towers over wrecked buildings on the Gaza Strip as Israeli airstrikes continue to batter the enclave
Breaking: Negotiations for hostage release are advancing, sources tell Qatari media
Qatari-mediated negotiations for the release of over 220 hostages taken by Hamas are advancing, sources have told Al Jazeera.
VIDEO: Heartbroken Palestinians mourn for their children and loved ones killed in an Israeli airstrike on a Gaza apartment
Gaza healthcare system is facing ‘total collapse’ and infectious diseases ‘are increasing at an alarming rate’, NGO says
Medical Aid for Palestinians has warned that the healthcare system in the Gaza Strip is ‘facing total collapse’.
In an update this afternoon, the non-governmental organisation said:
Hospitals are facing ‘dire shortages of vital resources’ like water, fuel, personnel and medicine, forcing 12 to close.
101 medical professionals have been killed and many more displaced from their homes.
Shortages of food mean children and pregnant women are at risk of malnutrition.
Outbreaks of infectious diseases such as chickenpox, skin diseases and bronchial infections are increasing ‘at an alarming rate’ due to the unavailability of clean water and overcrowding in shelters and hospitals.
PICTURED: Dozens of children and their parents place teddy bears outside the UK foreign office to protest deaths of Gazans and call for a ceasefire
Gaza death toll rises to over 7,300, the Hamas-run health ministry says
At least 7,326 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes, the Hamas-run health ministry reports.
This figure includes 3,083 children who have lost their lives since October 7, it said.
PICTURED: Tel Aviv apartment building hit by rocket from Gaza
Rockets hit Tel Aviv this afternoon, with a residential building taking a direct hit.
Hamas’s Al-Qasam Brigades have taken responsibility for the rocket barrage.
Three people were injured, medical services said, including a 20-year-old man who suffered a moderately serious head injury.
IDF naval commandos carry out raid from the sea on the southern Gaza Strip
The IDF has shared footage of a dramatic raid on southern Gaza which it says successfully destroyed Hamas infrastructure.
UN reveals concern that war crimes are being committed by both Israel and Hamas
The United Nations has suggested that war crimes may be being committed by both sides in the war.
Ravina Shamdasani, the spokeswoman for the UN’s human rights office, said:
We are concerned that war crimes are being committed. We are concerned about the collective punishment of Gazans in response to the atrocious attacks by Hamas, which also amounted to war crimes.
She added that it was for an independent court of law to qualify whether war crimes had been committed.
VIDEO: Desperate Gazans try to force their way into a water station to fill dried-up tanks
Iran’s deputy foreign minister met Hamas representatives in Moscow, Russian state media says
Iran’s deputy foreign minister for political affairs met Hamas representatives in Moscow, Russian state news agency Tass said Friday.
Iran discussed a ceasefire and providing humanitarian support to Gaza at the meeting, Tass reports.
Israel’s foreign ministry slammed Russia’s decision to invite Hamas representatives to Moscow as ‘an act of support of terrorism.’
The Kremlin responded by saying that Moscow believes it is necessary to maintain contact with all parties.
PICTURED: Palestinians dig through the wreckage of homes destroyed during Israel’s relentless bombing of the Gaza Strip
US sanctions Hamas and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
The US has issued a second round of sanctions on Hamas and assets that help to fund the terror group.
An official in Iran and members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are among those being targeted.
A Gaza-based entity that Treasury said has served as a conduit for illicit Iranian funds to Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group was also targeted.
Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said:
Today’s action underscores the United States’ commitment to dismantling Hamas’s funding networks by deploying our counterterrorism sanctions authorities and working with our global partners to deny Hamas the ability to exploit the international financial system.
IDF releases disturbing audio clip it claims is of Hamas fighters talking during October 7 terror rampage: ‘Children want to say goodbye to their parents’
PICTURED: Israeli tanks line the border in southern Israel as drones and jets operate in the skies overhead
Convoy of 10 aid trucks expected to enter Gaza along with 10 doctors
A convoy of 10 aid trucks containing food, water and medicines is reported to have entered Gaza today.
This would bring the total number of trucks that have entered the enclave since the war began to 84.
A medical delegation of ten doctors has also made their way into the Palestinian territory, Al Jazeera reports.
World Health Organisation estimates more than 1,000 bodies are under the rubble in Gaza
More than 1,000 bodies are thought to be trapped under the rubble in Gaza.
The estimate was given by World Health Organisation representative Richard Peeperkorn, who said those beneath buildings struck by Israeli airstrikes had not been identified.
The figure is not included in the death toll of over 7,000 – which has been provided by the Hamas-run health ministry.
VIDEO: Southern Israeli city of Sderot is deserted three weeks after Hamas stormed nearby festival
UN agency says ‘soon many more will die’ from Gaza siege
The United Nations warned Friday that ‘many more will die’ as a result of Israel’s ongoing siege of the Gaza Strip.
In his speech this morning, commissioner general for UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini said:
As we speak people in Gaza are dying, they are not only dying from bombs and strikes, soon many more will die from the consequences of (the) siege imposed on the Gaza Strip. Basic services are crumbling, medicine is running out, food and water are running out, the streets of Gaza have started overflowing with sewage.
VIDEO: IDF shares video of strikes on Hamas targets as it says it killed another terrorist commander who took part in sniping attacks
The IDF says it has taken out Midhat Mabasher, the commander of the West Khan Yunis Battalion of Hamas.
He had been involved in sniping attacks against IDF forces and Israeli settlements, the military said.
It struck some 250 Hamas targets in the last 24 hours, including a ‘terrorist tunnel network in Gaza that detonated the secondary explosions.’
IDF shares more information about its ground raid in Gaza
The IDF has shared more information about its ground raid in Gaza overnight.
‘The raid began yesterday in broad daylight, and all the forces I mentioned participated in it as combat forces, and it ended successfully in the hours of this morning,’ a spokesperson said.
PICTURED: Palestinians mourn those killed in Israeli airstrikes on the southern city of Khan Younis – with medics paying their respects to those they weren’t able to save
PICTURED: Aid is delivered to southern Lebanon to help people impacted by cross-border fighting between Hezbollah and Israel
Israel claims missile that hit Egypt was ‘aerial threat’ in Red Sea
The IDF said that an ‘aerial threat’ had been spotted in the Red Sea region and linked it to a projectile that landed on Egyptian coastal territory.
Egypt’s army spokesperson said that an unidentified drone crashed this morning near a hospital building in the town of Taba, near the Sinai Peninsula border with Israel, injuring six people.
Shortly after, reports emerged via Egyptian media that an ‘unidentified body’ fell near an electricity plant in the resort town of Nuweiba on the Sinai Peninsula – about an hour south of Taba.
Eight more aid trucks are expected to arrive in Gaza today
A small convoy of around eight aid trucks is expected to enter the Gaza Strip later today, according to the UN agency for Palestine.
‘We have gotten in approximately 74 trucks. We’re expecting another eight or so today,’ Lynn Hastings said.
It comes shortly after the head of UNRWA said that the ‘handful’ of trucks that had passed through the Rafah crossing from Egypt ‘will not reverse the fact that Gaza is being strangled.’
PICTURED: Towers of smoke rise above border areas in Lebanon as Israel continues to trade fire with Hezbollah
57 UN agency workers killed in Gaza bombardment, chief says
The head of UNRWA, the UN agency operating in Gaza, said 57 of his colleagues have been killed since the war began.
Philippe Lazzarini said that 15 of the agency’s workers had been killed in one day.
‘One of our colleagues two days ago died while he was going to the bakery to get bread. He left six children behind, six displaced children in shelter.’
PICTURED: Moving display shows Israelis believed to have been kidnapped during Hamas’s October 7 attack – as confirmed hostage number rises
Hamas says it needs time to find all the hostages it abducted from Israel
Hamas needs to locate where all the hostages it kidnapped from Israel are, according to an official.
During a trip to Russia, Abu Hamid told the Kommersant newspaper that the group has always been willing to release civilians, but ‘needs time to find them.’
He said that hostages are being held by various groups in the enclave and that it needs a ceasefire to retrieve and release them.
Breaking: Number of hostages confirmed taken by Hamas rises to 229, Israel says
UNRWA: Aid trucks are a ‘distraction’ and ‘will not make a difference’ to the two million people in Gaza
The chief of the UN agency operating in Gaza has said the small amount of aid being allowed into the enclave is insufficient.
Philippe Lazzarini said that while the trucks being allowed through had initially given a ‘glimmer of hope’, they are now a ‘distraction’.
He said they will not make a difference to the roughly 2 million people in need and that it is ‘not true that the siege is lifted’.
So far, just 74 trucks have been received by the Palestinian Red Crescent via the Rafah border.
‘This will not reverse the fact that Gaza is being strangled,’ Mr Lazzarini said.
More than 480 people killed by Israeli airstrikes on Gaza overnight, Hamas-run health ministry says
At least 481 people have been killed in Gaza by Israel airstrikes, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
A total of 7,028 Palestinians have been killed in just three weeks, the authority has said.
A list of 6,747 of the victims, including their names, ages and gender, has been released.
It came after Joe Biden sparked outrage by casting doubt on the figures, saying he had ‘no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using.’
PICTURED: Fires rage and buildings are razed to the ground by Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City
Israel’s Defence Forces carry out second overnight ground raid on Hamas targets in Gaza
The IDF gave an operational update this morning, revealing it had conducted its second ground incursion on Gaza in as many days.
The military said its ground troops, fighter jets and UAVs struck anti-tank missile launch sites, command and control centres and Hamas terrorist operatives.
‘The troops exited the area and no injuries were reported,’ it said.
Watch footage of the ground raid and aerial strikes here:
Good morning and welcome to today’s live blog
Follow along for live updates as the Israel-Palestine war enters its 21st day.
Here is what happened yesterday and overnight:
Israel’s army says its ground forces backed by fighter jets and drones carried out a ‘targeted raid’ in Gaza.
A Hamas spokesman stormed out of a BBC interview after being asked how the terrorists justified the killing of Israeli families on October 7.
Two Iranian-controlled sites in eastern Syria were hit by US airstrikes in retaliation for attacks on American bases in Syria and Iraq.
Iran’s Foreign Minister said at the UN that if Israel’s offensive against Hamas does not end it will ‘not be spared from this fire’.
EU leaders have demanded ‘humanitarian corridors and pauses’ as Israel continues to bombard Gaza with airstrikes.
Key Updates
Gaza death toll rises to over 7,300, the Hamas-run health ministry says
UN reveals concern that war crimes are being committed by both Israel and Hamas
Hamas says it needs time to find all the hostages it abducted from Israel
Number of hostages confirmed taken by Hamas rises to 229, Israel says
More than 480 people killed by Israeli airstrikes on Gaza overnight, Hamas-run health ministry says
Israel’s Defence Forces carry out second overnight ground raid on Hamas targets in Gaza
Share or comment on this article:
Israel-Hamas war LIVE: ‘Unprecedented’ Israeli airstrikes rock Gaza, as communications are ‘cut’, IDF calls on civilians to flee south and Hamas demand Palestinians ‘mobilise’
Daniel Radcliffe is loving life as a dad. The 34-year-old actor appeared on Today With Hoda and Jenna to discuss the first six months of life with his and girlfriend Erin Darke’s son.
“It’s awesome. I think a lot of people said, like, ‘Just get through the first six months, then after that it gets better,’ but I’ve kind of really enjoyed the first six months,” Radcliffe said, before noting of fatherhood, “I don’t know what I imagined, honestly, but it’s great. He’s incredible and I’m just, like, in awe.”
Back in March, a rep for the 34-year-old Harry Potter star confirmed to ET that Darke, a 39-year-old actress, was pregnant. The couple welcomed their child the next month.
In a July interview with ET, Radcliffe revealed that his first child was a baby boy.
“It’s great. It’s crazy and intense, but he’s wonderful and Erin is amazing — it’s a real privilege also to have this time with him,” Radcliffe said . “I was always going to take some time off, which not everyone is able to do, and so I’m able to kind of just be here with him a lot, which is lovely. We’re having a great time.”
Radcliffe additionally noted that his baby will factor into the roles he takes going forward.
“I really like spending time with him, and I think I’m gonna miss him when I go back to work later in the year,” he said. “… I think I’ll probably work a little bit less for the next few years.”
It’s never too late in the year for tech surprises – and that’s what we got this week when Apple announced a final launch event of the year with the tantalizing tagline ‘Scary Fast’.
The rest of our week involved second-guessing exactly what Apple has in store at that event on October 30. New M3 MacBooks? A 24-inch iMac refresh? Tim Cook taking his acting skills to the next level with a Dracula remake?
No-one is exactly sure, but Apple didn’t completely enshroud the rest of this week’s news with its mysterious cape. We also saw the DJI Pocket 3 arrive and charm us once again with its video tricks, while Google Maps edged closer to becoming a photo-realistic clone of the real world with a big AI update.
Oh, and if you’re already thinking about Christmas shopping (we apologize in advance) we also announced all of our favorite tech of 2023 in the TechRadar Choice Awards. So if you need a quick catch up on this week’s and this year’s tech news, you’ve come to the right place…
(Image credit: Future)
Wow, that went fast – another year of tech is coming to a close. But on the plus side, that means it’s time for the TechRadar Choice Awards 2023, where we run through the completely definitive, indisputable list of the best tech of the year, as chosen by you.
We had more categories than ever this year, including Streaming service of the year (spoiler: it’s Max) and a Sustainability award (deservedly picked up by the Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition). Our Reader’s Choice Award, which was 100% voted for by you, was also handed out to a familiar but fully deserving recipient.
So whether you’re looking to buy a smart kettle or a soundbar, check out our full list of winners at the link below.
(Image credit: SOPA Images)
If you were hoping that Apple TV Plus would continue to be the last bastion for cheap, non-ad supported subscriptions, think again. That’s right, Apple TV Plus has just got more expensive, and we’re struggling to contain our frustration at this major price hike.
For US readers, that means you’ll have to pay an extra $3 a month (or $30 per year) to watch the best Apple TV Plus shows and best Apple TV Plus movies. Apple didn’t respond to our request for comment about price increases in the UK and Australia, but you should expect them there, too. Sad faces all round.
(Image credit: Netflix)
With the world’s best streaming services continuing to vie for your attention, the streaming wars are showing no signs of abating. What does that mean for you? A never-ending *ahem* stream of films and shows to watch, including plenty of reality TV-based projects.
Ordinarily, the term ‘reality TV’ would have us running for the hills (sorry, we’re not fans of The Kardashians. Or Love Is Blind. Or any other piecemeal reality-based TV series). Soon, though, a head-to-head reality game show contest between Netflix and Prime Video might make us re-evaluate our stance.
Indeed, next month (that’s November, for those wondering), Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge takes on Prime Video’s James Bond-inspired 007: Road to a Million in a showdown for the ages. Who’ll win this engrossing showdown? That’s up to you, dear reader.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
Sometimes you have to fly all the way to Hawaii to see the really cool stuff. Seriously, it was the only way to see up-close Qualcomm’s exciting Snapdragon AR2 smart glasses at this year’s Snapdragon Summit.
Sure, it was a reference design and Qualcomm refused to let us wear them, but we think we finally understand Qualcomm’s endgame when it comes to wearable AR technology.
As Qualcomm sees it, such wearable technology won’t look like the bulky mixed reality headgear we’re used to. Instead, it will look very much like regular glasses but with tons of smarts to sense and see your world and give you real-time information and feedback about it.
Perhaps most interesting is Qualcomm is finally opening up on why it’s taking so long for us to see these as consumer products and, surprisingly, battery life is not the big holdup.
(Image credit: Future)
Google Maps is so comfortably familiar that most of us can use it in our sleep, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t quietly getting some big AI upgrades – and this week saw some of the biggest new features so far.
The long-awaited Immersive View for Routes, first announced back in May, is finally rolling out from this week in 15 cities on Android and iOS. That means photo-real flyovers of routes you have planned in supported cities (including San Francisco, London and New York), complete with information like the weather and traffic.
Google is also bringing its machine learning algorithms to Maps in a few other ways, including making ‘Lens in Maps’ more widely available and letting electric car owners know when chargers on their route were last used. Yes, chatbots are fun, but we’re liking the boost that AI is giving to the likes of Google Maps…
(Image credit: Qualcomm )
Bluetooth’s improved a lot over the years, but one thing that still holds it back (quite literally) is its limited range. Fortunately, Qualcomm has a potential answer with its new S7 and S7 Pro Gen 1 sound platforms. Their trick? Letting headphones switch from Bluetooth to your Wi-Fi network when you’re at home, so you can be released from the latter’s usual 10 meter (30ft) limit.
With the chips also promising boosts to active noise cancellation, battery life and AI-powered sound personalization, they could take headphones up a notch or two when they arrive. We’ll definitely be keeping our eyes peeled for headphones with the S7 Pro Gen 1 badge when they arrive in 2024.
(Image credit: DJI )
It’s been a long three-year wait, but the DJI Pocket 3 has finally landed – and it’s now our favorite little camera for shooting social media videos.
What’s so good about the Pocket series? Unusually, they’re compact cameras that have three-axis gimbals, which means they’re great for shooting super-smooth videos and also pulling off creative camera moves that aren’t possible on your smartphone.
And now, with the Pocket 3, the series finally has the modern tech to fix our frustrations with its predecessor, including a new 1-inch sensor, larger 2-inch screen and support for 4K/120p video. If you shoot a lot of TikTok videos, it’s one to put on your Christmas list.
(Image credit: Apple)
This week Apple announced its next product showcase, which will take place on October 30, and has the strapline of “Scary fast”. Not only is that an unsubtle reference to Halloween taking place on the day after, we also think it’s a hint that we’ll see the launch of the rumored Apple M3 chip.
And as Apple has been pushing more into gaming lately, we’d not be surprised if we see a bit of a gaming thrust to show off the power of its chip and next-gen computers. For a detailed look at what to expect check out our Apple event hub.
Meta is rolling out a software update that lets Quest 3 users eke out more battery life at the expense of graphics quality.
In addition to this new Battery Saver mode, the v59 update also gives VR streamers a way to keep track of YouTube Live Chat within the headset, includes more reactions and stickers in a chat, adds legs to your avatar in Horizon Home, and enhances the Activities tab to easily find friend recommendations and drop in to play. Another note says that the Remote Display app from the Quest Pro “will become available for Quest 3 and Quest 2 over time,” allowing wearers to project their own computer screen into a VR environment.
It’s unclear what battery performance improvement Meta Quest 3’s Battery Saver mode brings, but any extra time could please users who don’t want to buy a $130 battery strap or weren’t impressed by the extra time it added. On other portable devices like the Steam Deck, more granular settings offer even more control, like per-game settings and frame rate limits.
You can activate Battery Saver by going to System Settings > Power.
The extra battery life could help VR streamers who are increasingly active online using the Meta Quest 3. And now, some streamers can get early access to view and interact with YouTube Live Chat so they don’t have to leave the experience to acknowledge their audience. This feature will first be handed out to YouTube creators who sign up through an early access interest form.
For those who just want to chill with friends in VR, a new Activities tab shows you pending invitations to games and apps so you can quickly jump in with others. It also lets you easily view and join an active group call. The chat experience gets a boost, too, with the ability to use avatar stickers, add reactions, and send images (in included regions).
Meta is also rolling out an updated parental controls feature called Family Center, where you can manage daily time limits for kids, enforce break periods, and more within the Meta Quest mobile app. For this and other features in Meta Quest version 59, you’ll have to wait until Meta completes the rollout, which is happening now.
1989 (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift the fourth of six (Taylor’s Version) projects, that include Fearless (2021), Red (2021) and Speak Now (2023) was released on October 27, exactly nine years after the release of the original album in 2014.
Taylor described 1989 as her first “official pop album”, “I look at this album,” she said at the time to Billboard, “as me starting over.” The album was an instant sucess with hit singles like “Blank Space”, “Shake It Off” and “Bad Blood” topping Billboard’s hot 100 at the time. With “Style” and “Wildest” dreams making it to the top 10.
The re recorded version includes a total of 21 songs. This includes the 13 songs from the original 1989 album.
1. “Welcome to New York”
2. “Blank Space”
3. “Style”
4. “Out of the Woods”
5. “All You Had to Do Was Stay”
6. “Shake It Off”
7. “I Wish You Would”
8. “Bad Blood”
9. “Wildest Dreams”
10. “How You Get the Girl”
11. “This Love”
12. “I Know Places”
13. “Clean”
“1989” was a gamechanging album in Swift’s career and the music industry, in the way it cemented her as a country and pop queen and as somone who made her own music on her own terms.
The three bonus tracks from the deluxe edition of “1989” are also included in (Taylor’s Version).
14. “Wonderland”
15. “You Are in Love”
16. “New Romantics”
This album also includes five never before heard, vaulted tracks, written by Taylor herself but scrapped from the original 2014 version. Taylor’s version of “1989” features
17. “Is It Over Now?”
18. “Now That We Don’t Talk”
19. “Say Don’t Go”
20. “Suburban Legends”
21. “Slut”
Considering each time Taylor has released her own re recorded version of one of her albums it has not failed to reach massive numbers in streaming and album sales. Now the only question is What kind of an impact will 1989 have, especially at a time when Taylor Swift is at the peak of her career.
With her record breaking Eras tour selling out domestically and internationally, Taylor officially entering her billionaire era with a net worth of $1.1 Billion, Cruel Summer having reached number one on the billboard charts 4 years after its release, the newly released ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ and of course on a personal note, Taylor and Travis Kelce being the talk of the town, we truly are in THE Taylor Swift Era.
Paramount+ has released a first-look clip of the event special “South Park: Joining the Panderverse.”
The opening of the clip (which can be seen below) sees Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny being played by a group of diverse women. As it turns out, the whole sequence is a nightmare of Cartman’s. His mother tries to comfort him, but he insists she check under the bed to make sure “there’s no Disney executives under there,” namely Kathleen Kennedy.
“Joining the Panderverse” is available now on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Canada. It will premiere on Oct. 28 in the U.K. and Australia and other international markets afterwards. The official logline states, “Cartman’s deeply disturbing dreams portend the end of the life he knows and loves. The adults in South Park are also wrestling with their own life decisions as the advent of AI is turning their world upside down.”
“Joining the Panderverse” is now the fifth such “South Park” special event on Paramount+. The others are: “South Park: Post Covid,” “South Park: Post Covid: The Return of Covid,” “South Park: The Streaming Wars,” and “South Park: The Streaming Wars: Part 2.”
“South Park” celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2022. Comedy Central has already renewed the show through 2027, which will mark its 30th season on the air. The series is co-created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The pair also serve as executive producers along with Anne Garefino and Frank C. Agnone II. Eric Stough, Adrien Beard, Bruce Howell and Vernon Chatman are producers. Christopher Brion is the Creative Director of South Park Digital Studios.
An adaptation of:Dracula by Bram Stoker, but also of the first Nosferatu film from 1922, directed by F.W. Murnau
Synopsis: Like its 1920s predecessor, this isn’t a direct adaptation of the original novel (in fact, the 1920s one was famously a well-done but illegal ripoff). It consolidates the main cast of characters into basically just Jonathan, his wife (who is Lucy in this version, not Mina), and Dracula himself.
Following Jonathan’s visit to Transylvania, Dracula travels to Jonathan’s own hometown of Wismar, Germany with the intent of seducing his wife, Lucy. He brings with him on his ghost ship the plague, as well as about a trillion rats. (If you get the chance to learn about the making of this movie, do it.) Lucy discovers that something other than the plague is afflicting the town, but nobody believes her.
Julia’s take: I love, love, love this movie. (Writing about it is making me want to rewatch it tonight!) It’s definitely a more artsy and European adaptation than other movies on this list, so if that’s the kind of movie you like, I definitely recommend viewing. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and stars the formidable Klaus Kinski as Dracula and the beautiful, ethereal, incredible, show-stopping Isabelle Adjani as Lucy.
Where to watch it: Watch it for free on Tubi or Peacock!
While any new entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is met with excitement by fans, the upcoming arrival of the Fantastic Four feels different.
The first family of Marvel is set to formally enter the MCU and anticipation is through the roof.
Photo: Complete Set
In a year that has seen a series of ups and downs for Marvel, the arrival of the Fantastic Four, and eventually, the X-Men, remains the studio’s silver bullet.
Marvel Drama Has Not Affected ‘Fantastic Four’
In a recent interview with The Playlist’s The Discourse Podcast, Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman reassured fans that any behind-the-scenes drama at Marvel Studios has not impacted the upcoming Fantastic Four film.
Photo: Deadline
“It hasn’t,” Shakman, who also directed WandaVision, confirmed. “I mean, we’ve been on our process consistently. I’ve been on the project for a little over a year and working away hard at it the way we’d work on any film at Marvel, and certainly, the way we worked on WandaVision, which is starting with, you know, what is the story we want to tell? What is the theme of the story? Why are we telling this story?”
Fantastic Four Credit: Marvel
“And just developing then the best possible version of that story. And how do we want to bring these characters to life? So, you know, in terms of outside influence or conversations, it hasn’t really been a factor. It’s always high stakes. You always have to get it right.”
A New Writer Joins the Project
The biggest question surrounding Fantastic Four is who will play the titular heroes. While Shakman knows who the film’s stars will be, that information will kept under wraps until the end of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.
Source: Marvel
Shakman did reveal, however, that WandaVision writer Cameron Squires has been brought on to work on the draft for the movie’s screenplay. He will be joining screenwriter Josh Friedman on the project.
In addition to working with Squires on WandaVision, Shakman worked with Friedman on Star Trek 4 before leaving the project.
“I came on [to Star Trek 4] and worked with Josh Friedman, who I’m working with on Fantastic Four now, and Cam Squires, who I’d worked with on WandaVision, and we worked on a draft together, which was tremendous fun,” Shakman said.
When Will ‘Fantastic Four’ Be Released?
Fantastic Four is currently set to be released on May 2, 2025. As of now, there is no indication that the release date will change due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Image: Marvel.com
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond-Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon! Also, thanks for reading!
Heard’s place in Aquaman 2 has been a major talking point amongst fans following the highly-publicized defamation trial against her ex-husband, Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp.
Wan and other Warner Bros. executives shared messages welcoming Heard back to this film’s cast, although public opinion surrounding the actress is causing concern for Aquaman 2‘s potential success in theaters.
Aquaman 2 Director Defends Amber Heard’s Smaller Role
DC
Speaking in the latest edition of Empire Magazine, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom director James Wan defended the decision for Amber Heard’s Mera to have a reduced role in the sequel as compared to her significant supporting role in the first movie.
During Heard’s defamation trial against Johnny Depp, she claimed that Warner Bros. cut some of her scenes in Aquaman 2, blatantly telling the courtroom that the studio “didn’t want to include [her] in the film.”
Wan admitted that this was a fair statement, noting that “she wasn’t in [his] head” while developing the film, which was always planned as “an outright buddy comedy” centered on Jason Momoa’sArthur Curry and his brother, Patrick Wilson’s Orm:
“It’s fair that [Heard] said that [about the character being pared down], because she wasn’t in my head as I was working on this movie. Actors don’t necessarily know what we [directors] behind the scenes are thinking about. But this was always my plan. From the start, I pitched that the first film would be a ‘Romancing The Stone’-type thing — an action-adventure romantic comedy — while the second would be an outright buddy comedy. I wanted to do ‘Tango & Cash!'”
How Will Amber Heard Be Used in Aquaman 2?
Fans got only a quick glimpse at Amber Heard’s Mera in the first trailer for Aquaman 2, with reports about her lessened role in the sequel seemingly proving to be true.
Although this appears to be more due to the story being told rather than Heard’s status in the public eye after her trial, there’s no question that her presence will be a talking point considering all the circumstances.
Cities: Skylines owes its existence to a close call. Publisher Paradox and developer Colossal Order, known for the Cities in Motion series, were initially hesitant to proceed with the project. The fear of the revived SimCity’s dominance in the market nearly led to the cancellation of Cities: Skylines. However, history had different plans. The troubled launch of SimCity (2013) paved the way for a newer, fresher challenger, so with player feedback from that disaster in mind, Skylines was released in 2015 and quickly sold over a million copies in its first month.
Officially launching at AFM, Darkly will produce and distribute theatrical theatrical and “darker elevated dramatic” content.
Kicking off its debut slate are holiday crime drama Holiday Hold-Up and disaster-action film Super Icyclone.
Holiday Hold-Up, which is currently in post-production, stars Jeremy Holm (House of Cards, Mr. Robot), John Pirruccello (Barry, Twin Peaks) and Agnes Albright (True Detective), and follows a team of disgruntled restaurant employees who take revenge on their thieving mobster boss.
Four directors — Michael Moreci (Star Wars, Stranger Things), Michele B. McGraw, Robert Patrick Stern and Kyko Claudio — have contributed their visions. Comic book author Moreci also wrote the screenplay. Producers include Sarah Sharp, Jen Shelby and Kevin McGrail and Nicely CEO Vanessa Shapiro and Scott Kirkpatrick, EVP Distribution and Co-Productions, are executive producers.
Super Icyclone, a co-production with Defiant Entertainment Distribution and Good-Soldier Films in Canada, follows climatologist Jill Sanders, who receives weather data indicating the formation of an unimaginably powerful storm system. As tragic storm-related deaths start mounting in real time, she realizes her small town is about to be ground zero for a massively destructive ice-hurling tornado.
Andrew Cymek (Baby Stealer) directs from a screenplay by Jake Helgren and Brigette Kingsley, who also stars alongside Landy Cannon and Cory Lee. Nicely’s Shapiro and Kirkpatrick serve as executive producers.
Alongside the productions, Darkly has acquired international distribution rights to three titles.
Exile is a psychological horror film starring Adam Beach that launched on-demand earlier this month. The film premiered at the Whistler Film Festival, while Lace is a 14-part TV series for AMC Networks’ streaming service AllBlk. It stars Lacey McCullough (Maryam Basir) a successful and highly connected lawyer, whose influence sometimes leads her down a very dark path. Season two launched in June 2023.
How to Rob is a crime film starring Chinaza Uche, Caitlin Zoz, and Eli Powers about two stick-up men who rob criminals from Boston to Cape Cod. Ut was revealed in the U.S. in January.
“Since we launched Nicely Entertainment in 2020, we’ve become recognized as the feel-good movie expert with our popular romantic comedies and holiday movies airing on leading broadcast and streaming outlets around the globe,” said Shapiro, the former President of Worldwide TV Distribution & Co-Productions at Gaumont.
“As our business grows, we want to respond to our clients’ needs for alternative and dramatic content for theatrical and digital distribution — that’s how Darkly was born. Darkly Entertainment will focus on films and series that explore the complexities of human nature, taking viewers on exhilarating and emotionally charged journeys. Launching the banner during AFM is the natural and perfect venue.”
Halloween is a special time for those who love to decorate and thankfully, you can grab some decorations at Home Depot featuring your favorite Nightmare Before Christmas characters.
Of course, we’re all privy to the long-time debate on whether Nightmare Before Christmas is a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie. Everyone has thoughts but if you’re looking for some Halloween decorations, these are worth looking into.
Created by Gemmy, you have your choice of delightful Halloween decorations to put up before the season ends. While the brand features some bigger items, you can always grab something smaller to keep in the house.
Some Halloween fans want to go big while others just want to add a few little touches of Halloween so no matter where you fall, Gemmy and Home Depot have you covered for the Halloween season.
Gemmy shares new Nightmare Before Christmas decorations at Home Depot.
Halloween Decorations Inspired by Beloved Disney Tim Burton Movie: The Nightmare Before Christmas. Image Courtesy of Gemmy.
Let’s break down the products Gemmy shared with us and give you a look at how spookified your home can look. First up is the Airblown Inflatable Archway which features Oogie Boogie and it is 13 feet by 10 feet. In addition, there is a Jack Skellington in a sleigh shaped like a coffin which is a fun mix of the two holidays.
Lastly for inflatables, Gemmy has some of the Nightmare Before Christmas characters including Jack Skellington, Oogie Boogie, Sally, and Zero. Given how beloved this movie is, I can see a lot of people grabbing these or at least, wanting them for next year. It’s especially cool if you’re doing a different theme every year.
If you’re looking for something to add some pizzazz to your house, you could either grab a Jack Skellington plush which dances to a version of “This is Halloween,” or an Oogie Boogie that dances to “Oogie Boogie’s Song.” Last but not least, you can complete the look with some Jack Skellington string lights that sing along with your choice of battery-powered lights in the styles of Jack and Oogie.
As mentioned, you can grab all of these exclusively in Home Depot stores and online. Of course with Halloween vastly approaching, it’s time to grab those decorations, costumes, and everything you need.
What do you think of these Halloween inflatables? Will you be grabbing some for 2023 and beyond?
There comes a time when reading critically acclaimed works of highbrow literary fiction–you know the type–where you close the book in exasperation, thinking to yourself, “How much more suffering must I be forced to read this person endure? Haven’t they been through enough?”
On Tuesday, I had that same experience, the feeling of sadness mixed with horror and disgust. But the book I was reading was Britney Spears’ memoir.
Far from a typical, juicy tell-all of a mega pop icon, Spears’ much-anticipated The Woman in Me reads more like a Gothic horror novel, full of endless pain, suffering, and trauma. By the end Spears emerges as a resilient heroine, but it’s by no means an uplifting story and it’s hard to find an inspirational message from its pages.
“Tragedy runs in my family,” Spears writes in some of the book’s first pages, going on to describe how her namesake, her father’s mother, Jean, died by suicide in her 30s after enduring a loveless marriage to an abusive husband, Spears’ grandfather. But it’s clear that what runs through the Spears lineage is more like generational trauma, a never-ending cycle of hurt people hurting people that has left Spears, at 41, picking up the ashes of what was once a celebrated life and career.
“I feel like I’ve been underwater for so long, only rarely swimming up to the surface to gasp for air and a little food,” she writes, “…I’ve been taking it a day at a time and trying to be thankful for the little things.”
Spears wrote the book, she says, so that her fans and the world will understand her life story, as she sees it, in her own words. Thus, her memoir is less of the victory lap typical of other celebrity memoirs and more of a confession, of someone attempting to set the record straight about what they experienced.
For so long, the public has been fed one story of Spears. When she first came on the scene, we were told she was a virginal, fun-loving teenager. Her family was loving (did anyone else obsess over her 2000 memoir written with her mother about their perfect relationship, or just me?), and her joy and zest for life was infectious. For young millennial girls, she was the slightly rebellious role model who made us feel bold enough to show a little skin, knowing full well that we were good girls at heart.
We’re just days away from the big-screen adaptation of Five Nights at Freddy’s, the popular video game that inspired a legion of YouTubers to make videos in which they overreact to scary, funny, or shocking things.
Created by Scott Cawthon in 2014, Freddy’s is a relatively simple concept. Gamers control a security guard tasked with monitoring a rundown Chuck E. Cheese-like establishment filled with deadly robots. Players remain situated inside a security room for an entire evening and must utilize surveillance equipment to survive a series of attacks from said robots. Oh, and your power is limited. Rinse and repeat five times.
Good luck.
Freddy’s was so popular it inspired a slew of sequels, spinoffs, books, and now a major motion picture. Not too shabby for a game born out of failure. Cawthon started his career making Christian-based games and found little success. After critics poked fun at one of his characters for looking like a demented animatronic, Cawthon decided to try his hand at horror and created Five Nights at Freddy’s.
Now, we have an entire universe to study, packed with bizarre characters, an abundance of murder, and a surprisingly hefty amount of tragedy. So, in case you haven’t played the games but are eager to see the movie this weekend, I present a broad overview that should help you figure out what the hell is happening.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
As stated, the original game is relatively straightforward but littered with tiny details that hint at a much larger story. Gamers work inside a local known as Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza and take direction from a mysterious “phone guy” who warns of the strange occurrences inside the restaurant.
Apparently, the animatronics inside the locale, namely Freddy Fazbear, Chica the Chicken, Foxy the Pirate, and Bonnie the Bunny, awaken at night and murder anyone dumb enough to linger in the wee hours. Initially, we are led to believe they mistake people for an endoskeleton — or an animatronic without its skin — and promptly try to fit them inside a suit with deadly results.
However, the lore goes much deeper and darker.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
In the sequel, players again assume command of a security post — this time as a man named Jeremy — and take on a group of nasty animatronics across five intense nights. However, a series of 8-bit mini-games sheds more light on the backstory.
Players meet a mysterious Purple Man in these games who murdered a bunch of kids at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza in the 80s. An ongoing police investigation sheds light on an event known as the “Bite of ’87,” in which Freddy (the main animatronic) bit a child’s head. Players also learn that Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 takes place in November of 1987, before the original game’s events. Plot twist!
Five Nights at Freddy’s 3
Jumping some 30 years in the future, Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 reveals that the Purple Man is William Afton, a serial killer who uses his restaurant chain to capture and murder children. He would stuff their bodies inside animatronic suits, a tactic that prevented his arrest. However, the children’s spirits possessed the animatronics and now spend their nights searching for their murderer, often mistaking security guards and other adults for Afton.
Additional mini-games show that the spirits eventually trapped Afton and forced him inside a suit, where the faulty spring trap mechanisms eventually killed him. His corpse lingered inside the suit until it was discovered 30 years later and relocated to a horror-themed attraction known as Fazbear’s Fright.
Springtrap roams the grounds with a whole new slew of baddies and attacks the player, much like in the previous two games. A pair of endings hint that Fazbear’s Fright burned down, and the animatronic’s spirits were set free.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 4
This is where it gets really weird. In the third sequel, we follow a small boy who experiences weird occurrences inside his bedroom. Through a series of mini-games, we learn about an event known as “the party,” where a group of kids lifted the young boy inside Freddy’s mouth. His tears caused Freddy to malfunction, and his mouth clamped down on the boy’s head. His experiences inside his home are meant to reflect the final moments before his death. Clues tease that he’s actually at a hospital, receiving visits from his father and brother, the latter of which was among the boy’s tormentors.
Fans have tossed around some wild ideas about the older brother, naming him Michael Afton, son of William Afton, and connect the events of Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 to the infamous “Bite of ’87,” even though “The Party” is set in 1983. Some gamers even believe Michael might be the same guy as Mike Schmidt from the first game, but Cawthon hasn’t confirmed these theories.
Spin-offs
Following the fourth game, Cawthon released Sister Location, Pizzeria Simulator, and Security Breach. Each adds to the lore in a unique way. Still, the only thing you need to know is that Michael Afton teams up with Henry Emily (co-owner of Freddy’s restaurant chain) and burns down Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, essentially killing the soul of William Afton and freeing the spirits of the trapped children. Further adventures see William return via a video game, but the franchise ends in the fire for me.
Many more details exist in the franchise, all worth exploring. The film will likely feature an abundance of Easter Eggs, which are always fun to discover. That said, the gist of the story is that a crazy man launched a restaurant chain and secretly murdered a bunch of children who then possessed some animatronics and sought revenge. Eventually, everyone dies, and that’s it.
Honestly, I’ve done my best to avoid spoilers, so I have no idea what the film is about. A direct adaptation? A sequel? A remake? We’ll find out this weekend, but hopefully, you’re a little more prepared for the film!
