The Expendables franchise seems to be over as the fourth film will limp its way to the top of the charts with a potential single digit opening
Numbers have begun rolling in for this second to last weekend of September 2023 and to be brutally honest: they are pretty terrible. Expend4bles is looking to come in severely under where even the most modest of tracking had it with what is looking like an $8-$10 million opening. In our Thursday predictions I saw that the fourthquel was tracking to a mid teens opening and thought it could get to around $17 million. It seems audiences decided to go the other way with this one and let it die a quiet death, the way many members of the Expendable team seem to have, as the film only features a handful of returning stars.
In his 5/10 review for the film, our Editor in Chief Chris Bumbray said that the film was neither as bad as most critics had written, yet still not very good. I would say I agree with that assessment, although I think I may have liked it better than his 5/10. Perhaps going into the movie after reading a lot of those negative reviews tempered my expectations and when it ended I was able to say that it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had read. Although the reports of this movie having some horrible CGI/ Green Screen are not exaggerated. There is one scene in particular that I won’t spoil here that is embarrassingly bad for all involved. With a reported $100 million budget, I have to assume that money went to catering and not the VFX crew.
We will see where final estimates end up tomorrow, but it appears Expend4bles is a massive box office bomb. The good news is that even with that horrendous opening, the film will still more than likely lay claim to the top spot at the box office.
Coming in second place and proving to have some solid staying power is The Nun II with what is looking like a $7-$8 million third week take. By the end of the weekend the supernatural tale should have nearly $70 million in domestic receipts with worldwide grosses pushing this one to around $180 million. Not too shabby for a movie budgeted in the $30 million range.
Third place will go to Hercule Poirot as Academy Award Winner Kenneth Branagh’s third Agatha Christie inspired tale, A Haunting in Venice looks to drop nearly 60% of his audience with a $5-$6 million second weekend take. According to producer James Prichard, there could potentially be more Hercule Poirot adventures in the future, although I’m not sure the box office returns on Haunting in Venice are giving the studio much enthusiasm to pursue such projects.
Coming in fourth place is the Denzel Washington franchise finale The Equalizer 3 with what is looking to be a $4-$5 million weekend as the film begins to even out in its fourth week of release while the IMAX release of Barbie helped propel the blockbuster film to a tenth straight weekend in the top five with an estimated $3-$4 million weekend.
What do you make of Expend4bles dismal opening? Is the franchise DOA or can international numbers save it? Let us know in the comments your thoughts and don’t forget to check back tomorrow when we have a full rundown on this weekends box office numbers.
When you’re Zendaya, even a totally innocuous ‘fit pic can send the internet screaming, crying, and spiraling into oblivion. And that’s exactly what happened this week when the Euphoria star tried to show off this breezy boots-and-boxers look on Instagram. On Thursday the actor accidentally stoked persistent rumors that she may be engaged to boyfriend and Spiderman costar Tom Holland with a mirror selfie that prominently featured a big pearl ring. Naturally, it didn’t take long for fans to notice and begin theorizing about the ring’s significance.
The speculation was seemingly so intense that it led Zendaya to delete the image, only to return later with an important clarification. Apparently, the Oakland, California, native wasn’t announcing anything with the post except her love for the Golden State Warriors, her hometown basketball team.
“I can’t post anything you guys,” she faux-complained in a clip subsequently shared to her Instagram Stories. “I posted it for my hat! Like, not for the ring on my right finger you guys! Seriously, you think that’s how I would drop the news? You think, like, what?!”
The actor even reposted the selfie with a new onscreen caption to further quell the rumors. “Let me just put the full body back so ya’ll can relax lmao,” she wrote atop the photo as her final word on the matter…for now, at least. Zendaya and Tom Holland have been dating for approximately two years.
Zendaya and Holland were recently spotted attending Beyoncé’s Renaissance world tour together in true power couple fashion. She wore a sparkling silver crop top and skirt set along with an oversized jacket and silver hoops. Holland, meanwhile, opted for black leather jacket and a Renaissance T-shirt.
Director Brian Duffield discusses the possibility of a sequel to his small-scale sci-fi movie No One Will Save You.
Duffield jokes about doing a sequel every seven years, but reveals he is not a big fan of sequels.
If enough people watch the movie on Hulu and there is demand for a sequel, Duffield is open to discussing it, but there is no franchise plan in place yet.
No One Will Save Youdirector Brian Duffield has discussed the possibility of a sequel. The small-scale sci-fi movie, which was also written by Duffield, follows Brynn (Katilyn Dever), a grief-stricken young woman in an isolated home that turns out to be at the center of an invasion of murderous aliens. The movie premiered on Hulu on September 22.
Slash Film recently sat down with Duffield for an interview. During their conversation, he was asked if there could be a sequel following the No One Will Save You ending. While he joked about doing a new movie every seven years like the Before Sunrise trilogy, he revealed that he is “not the biggest sequel guy,” but if “everyone’s begging for it, we’ll talk.” Read his full quote below:
I am not the biggest sequel guy. I joked with Kaitlyn, maybe it’s every seven years, we’ll do our “Before Sunset” and we’ll save you. I could do a sequel. I have no plans to do a sequel. If enough people watched it on Hulu and everyone’s begging for it, we’ll talk. There’s not a franchise super plan in my head yet. It would take a lot of work then I’d be so stressed out that I have to come up with something.
Could No One Will Save You 2 Happen?
Kaitlyn Dever in No One Will Save You
So far, there isn’t a huge precedent set for the possibility of a sequel. For one thing, despite his interest in continuing to work with No One Will Save You star Kaitlyn Dever, Duffield is right that he isn’t a sequel guy. While he has only directed one other movie (the dark teen comedy Spontaneous), of the seven screenplays he’s written, only two have received sequels.
His movie The Babysitter was followed by The Babysitter: Killer Queen, though Duffield didn’t write it. The same was the case for his screenplay for The Divergent Series: Insurgent, though that movie was itself a sequel to Divergent. While that fact doesn’t work in favor of a No One Will Save You sequel, neither does Hulu’s history with successful genre movies.
Since Hulu began releasing original movies in 2019, only one – the comedy Vacation Friends – has received a sequel in all that time. This is true in spite of the fact that the streamer had two franchise horror hits in 2022 with Hellraiser and Prey. Neither of those movies has had a sequel confirmed, but perhaps the fact that the No One Will Save You aliens are not already licensed IP characters (and are thus less expensive) will encourage Hulu to greenlight a sequel.
If the more rough and ready, lived-in haircuts of the moment – think rockstar shags or mussed-up curtain bangs – simply aren’t for you, then perhaps an executive bob will tempt you? Set to be the style for fall, and already popular with the street-style set, the executive look lends polish and finesse to the bob, which in its most traditional form is all one length.
Ask any stylish woman and she’ll tell you she has established a “uniform” to make getting dressed each day a straightforward affair. The executive bob is the beauty equivalent of this approach for hair. It is sleek, minimal, flyaway-free and speaks for itself. Understated, but with undeniable impact, this is a cut that means business.
“Bobs, generally, are an uncomplicated cut and they lend themselves to different characters, moods and styles,” says hairstylist Luke Hersheson, who explains that the executive bob isn’t necessarily defined by its shape, but by its overall mood and finish. Cut with precision (but not too much) and without fuss, you won’t find layers or face-framing pieces with this cut, but you will find healthy shine, movement and a certain level of polish.
“What’s really important for a haircut like this is the color,” says Hersheson. “It’s all about all-over block color, to achieve a sense of uniformity. If you throw in balayage or highlights, it starts to feel too done. Instead, it’s a great cut to try to enhance an all-over color look.” This also makes it lower maintenance and easier to keep looking fresh.
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On September 23, 2003, an all-new teen drama premiered on The WB, one that was focused on two half-brothers, Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan Scott (James Lafferty), and their very different lives in the small town of Tree Hill, N.C.
“One Tree Hill” evolved quite a bit from that storyline over the course of the first season, homing in more on the show’s love triangles, both within Nathan and Lucas’ high school, and among the adult characters. Through the years, those lines blurred, with multiple former students dating or marrying their friends’ parents.
That’s just one example of how the series, which aired for nine seasons before wrapping in 2012, went a bit off the rails. Never was it afraid to lean into unrealistic and downright wacky storylines. There were very mysterious things that happened in that small North Carolina town — like, each person who left town becoming extremely successful the moment they graduated from high school.
Below, Variety has ranked the wildest “One Tree Hill” storylines, from a high-school wedding to a dog eating Dan’s donor heart.
Nathan and Haley get married
“One Tree Hill” didn’t waste anytime diving into absurd storytelling; by the end of Season 1, teenage Haley (Bethany Joy Lenz) and Nathan had decided to get married after having dated for a few months. The way it was revealed was also bizarre, with Lucas seeing her half-dressed in the morning and berating her for not waiting until marriage to have sex. She then tells him, “We did wait. We got married last night.”
Jake literally kidnaps his child
Image Credit: Hulu
Jake Jagielski (Bryan Greenberg) was a teen father in Tree Hill with an ex who was fighting him for custody of their daughter. While she isn’t equipped to be a mother, Jake avoids going to court and instead leaves town with baby Jenny, thanks to help from Peyton (Hilarie Burton). Side note of crazy: Peyton later casually proposes to Jake while they’re still in high school, living in different states.
Pete Wentz plays Pete Wentz
Amid some of the series’ heaviest storylines in Season 3, “One Tree Hill” brought in Pete Wentz … as himself. He met Peyton when she somehow secured Fall Out Boy to play at her club, Tric — and they casually started dating. Underlining this: Pete Wentz, a grown man playing himself, dated Peyton while she was a high school student.
Keith’s murder
Lucas’ Uncle Keith (Craig Sheffer) was written off “One Tree Hill” in one of the most shocking ways. During the traumatic school-shooting episode, he heads into the school to try and convince shooter Jimmy Edwards (Colin Fickes) not to take his own life. After he fails to do so, Keith’s brother Dan (Paul Johansson) — the father of Lucas and Nathan — enters the school and shoots Keith, angry his brother slept with his wife. Keith’s murder was never investigated, since everyone just believed Dan when he said that Jimmy killed him.
The way that the truth came out was equally strange, with Lucas talking to Keith in a dream, and later hunting down the random girl in the school who witnessed it all. (After committing this cold-blooded murder, Dan was out of prison a few years later.)
Nathan gets involved with a loan shark… played by Rick Fox
While his wife, Haley, was pregnant, Nathan was struggling with finances in Season 4. So, as a high school senior, he got involved with Daunte, a loan shark (Rick Fox!). After he won the state championship, when he was told to lose, Daunte hit pregnant Haley with his car. Later in the season, Nathan ultimately loses his scholarship for the point shaving.
Lindsay realizing Lucas still loved Peyton while at the altar
Lindsay (Michaela McManus) and Lucas’ relationship was rough from the start, as they met while she edited his book, “The Comet,” which was clearly about Peyton. However, instead of realizing that fact while she was editing the book — or while seeing Peyton driving her car, a Comet, around town for months, Lindsay somehow thought of it while at the altar. Ultimately, she left Lucas standing there alone and broke his heart.
Skills dates Deb
At the end of Season 5, Nathan’s mom, Deb (Barbara Alyn Woods) began dating Skills (Antwon Tanner), one of his best friends who went to high school with him. They hid the romance for a bit until coming out as a couple. Ultimately, they broke up when she found out he wants kids.
Clay (Robert Buckley) joined the show as Nathan’s agent in Season 7. He quickly got into a relationship with Haley’s sister Quinn (Shantel VanSanten) but was being haunted by his late wife Sara (Amanda Schull). Later, Clay was stalked by a woman named Katie Ryan, who looked just like his former wife (also played by Amanda Schull); eventually, she shot both Clay and Quinn, but it was never fully explained why.
Later, he started struggling with sleepwalking and checked into a rehab center. While there, he learned he has a 6-year-old son and the doctors have been aware, but he’s been blocking out the memory all these years.
Dan and Rachel get married
Rachel (Danneel Ackles) — who’d gone to Tree Hill High with Lucas, Peyton and Brooke (Sophia Bush) — returned in Season 7, and was, in quite a shocking reveal, married to Dan. Apparently, they’d met when she was working as a stripper and prostitute, and they decided to get together to launch a self-help talk show, “Scott Free Redemption.” (Spoiler alert: they ultimately divorce.)
Peyton’s two brothers
First, Peyton found out she had a long-lost brother, and audiences met Derek (Matt Barr), a man whose girlfriend had died so he began stalking Peyton because she looked like her. After she found out he wasn’t who he said he was, he attacked her — twice. During the second attack, Brooke came to her rescue and they were able to knock him out with their “eighth grade cheer camp” routine. Meanwhile, Peyton’s real long-lost brother Derek (Ernest Waddell) was introduced, a Marine who is actually very normal!
Everything Nanny Carrie does
In Season 5, Nanny Carrie (Torrey DeVitto) became obsessed with Nathan, and tried to seduce him multiple times, nearly ruining his marriage to Haley. Then, after being fired as Nathan and Haley’s nanny for their son Jamie (Jackson Brundage), she kidnapped Jamie and took him to a creepy motel room. Luckily, Dan caught her and saved Jamie.
She returned in Season 6 as a fake nurse, this time holding Dan captive in a house in the middle of nowhere. When Haley had an inkling that something was wrong with Dan, she went (with Jamie in tow, for some reason) to see what’s going on, and the two of them ended up being chased through a corn field by Carrie. Ultimately, Deb stepped in and smashed a bottle in her face. Dan followed up by shooting her.
Brooke gets attacked and has the worst cover-up ever
In Season 6, Brooke was attacked by a man who we later found out is the older brother of Jack Daniels (Evan Peters’ character, don’t ask) while closing her store. While this storyline was haunting, what followed was even stranger — she told everyone that she’d fallen down the stairs and they believed her, despite it being very clear something else happened. Xavier (Devin McGee), her attacker, eventually goes to jail — not for murdering Tree Hill basketball star Quentin (Robbie Jones), which he also did during a gas station robbery, but for keeping Jack and Sam, Brooke’s foster daughter (Ashley Rickards), hostage. He’s later let out.
He returned in Season 9, stalking and attacking Brooke again. She got away, and he’s eventually sent back to jail.
Nathan gets kidnapped
In the final season of the show, it’s now Nathan who got kidnapped for attempting to sign a Russian basketball player. (He was working as an agent by this point?) Not only did Dan come up with an entire plan to get him back, but he enlisted Julian (Austin Nichols), Chris Keller (Tyler Hilton) and Clay to help. The episode was oddly filled with comedy — until it’s not. In the end, Dan saved Nathan’s life, and seemingly was redeemed for the awful crimes he’d committed over the course of the series.
But, he got shot in the process and soon after, died.
A dog eats Dan’s heart
Long before Dan died, though, during Season 6, he was at the center of one of the most infamous scenes from “One Tree Hill.”
Dan was set to get a heart transplant, and while he was in the waiting room, a staff member carrying said heart tripped on a dog leash and dropped the freezer it’s in. The heart rolled out onto the floor, and a random golden retriever ate it, while Dan watched.
(On top of everything else, apparently, while prepping for heart surgery, patients are just wandering through the waiting room in their hospital gowns.)
A Louisiana man who was on the run for more than 30 years chuckled as he was handcuffed by police.
Greg Lawson, 63, was found guilty of second degree attempted murder in 1991, but fled during his trial.
The FBI shared this video, saying the fugitive had been located in Huatulco, Mexico, on 19 September, following a tip off, and was now in jail in Louisiana.
Danielle Maltby and Michael Allio have called it quits. Earlier this week, Michael announced his split from the woman he met and fell in love with on season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise. Days later, Danielle spoke out about the breakup, claiming on her podcast, The WoMed, that her former beau ended things with her one day after she went through an egg retrieval procedure.
This all happened just over two months ago, when she and Michael traveled to New York for her egg retrieval.
“The retrieval and everything was so easy. Michael came with me. He gave me my retrieval shot. We were just having so much fun. Everything was so sweet,” she said, before noting that, when she woke up from the procedure, she learned that “everything went great.”
“Michael was waiting there with a matcha latte for me,” she recalled. “… What’s hard in talking about this really isn’t the procedure itself, it’s what came after. I just need to get it out there, so that people can stop asking questions and I can just move forward. But the day after Michael and I got home from freezing my eggs he broke up with me.”
Danielle said she was “very, very blindsided” by the breakup, and noted that she is “still very emotional and hurt and confused.” Earlier this year, Danielle made the move from Nashville, Tennessee, to Cleveland, Ohio, where Michael lives with his young son, James.
“I still don’t really have any answers,” Danielle said. “I’m grieving the loss of him. I’m grieving the loss of the future that I really believed in and I’m grieving the loss of James. I’m grieving the loss of safety that I felt with him for the first time. He was the first person that ever made me feel safe in a relationship, that made me feel like I was enough, and then that was taken away.”
Danielle said that her egg retrieval weekend is “really hard” to think back on in retrospect, “because it was a really beautiful trip.”
“I was so proud of myself. Michael took great care of me. It was a very, very love-filled weekend,” she said. “… It was really difficult to come down off of this experience that I was so excited for and then to have to come down off of the hormones while being in complete shock, like, complete physical shock. I was just completely blindsided.”
Michael said on his Instagram Story that he “wanted to support” Danielle during her egg retrieval trip, but claimed that he had told her beforehand that he didn’t foresee more kids in his future.
Stewart Cook/ABC via Getty Images
Danielle’s breakup story differs from Michael’s, telling the Trading Secrets podcast that he blamed the “incredibly fresh split” on a lack of compatibility.
“We’re not together anymore. It’s not what we planned. We both threw a lot into this relationship, and it’s really awful when it doesn’t work out,” he said. “… When you realize that love is there, but you’re not necessarily compatible, you mourn the loss, not of just that person and that friend in your life, but also the future that you had envisioned.”
Michael added that “it’s to no fault” of Danielle’s that they didn’t work, admitting that “she poured everything into this” and saying that he has “so much admiration” for his ex.
“We’re still working through some things and trying to stay close,” he said. “… The last couple months have been really tough.”
As for where he goes from here, Michael, who previously lost James’ mom to cancer, admitted that “starting over again, it is always frightening.”
“I know that time will heal because I’ve felt that before,” he said, “but it doesn’t make it any less difficult.”
ABC/Craig Sjodin
In response to Michael’s podcast interview, Danielle took to her Instagram Story to refute his version of events, and to note that she was “shocked to find out my breakup would be announced” on a podcast. Michael admitted on his Instagram Story that she didn’t know he was going to speak out, but said that he waited to do so until she began taking photos of them down on Instagram.
“This breakup was not a mutual decision arriving at some perception of incompatibilities,” she wrote. “However, I do hope the best for Michael and I will always have James in my heart as we move forward separately.”
She went on to address the fan love for her relationship, noting, “I know so many people were rooting for Michael and I, and I appreciate your support so much.”
“I don’t regret the love I gave for a second,” she wrote. “While these last couple months have been extremely difficult and painful for me, I am succeeding in finding moments of joy in building a new life in this city, regardless of how I came to it. I have been extremely invested in my job, which I love and I feel hopeful again to discover what the future holds for me.”
Additionally, on her podcast episode, Danielle revealed that she was able to freeze eight of her eggs, something she’s “just incredibly, incredibly grateful for, as I am now alone.”
“At least of got eight little healthy eggs on ice,” she said. “That takes a lot of pressure off, because the future is extremely uncertain right now.”
Uncertain as it may be, Danielle said she’s “definitely starting to find myself again.”
“It’s day by day, right? I was not expecting to still be so emotional even talking about this and how I’m doing right now. My therapist has been putting in work, but I honestly am doing so much better,” she said. “I’ve shown myself a lot of strength and a lot of grace and just how resilient I am.”
“I’ve just been taking a lot of time with my feelings and processing them and figuring out my life,” Danielle added. “You think it’s going to go one way and then you just never know what’s going to happen. Starting fresh again has been very difficult, very painful, to say the least, but I am doing it. Every day does get a little bit better, so I’m very grateful for that.”
Watch the video below for more Bachelor Nation news.
New details have emerged of two so-called smart monitors from LG that will go on sale on September 29 in Japan; the larger of the two is the 31.5-inch 32SR50F-W which is a variant of the 32SQ730S-W and the 32SQ780S-W.
Like its predecessors, it integrates a full fledged operating system (LG’s proprietary WebOS) that allows it to view and edit document files (Powerpoint, Excel etc) without the need to connect to another computer. Use cases include the ability to remote connect to Windows 365, Chrome Remote Desktop and Azure Virtual.
In essence, this is a business PC replacement or a thin client without the price tag, great if businesses want their employees to work from home and remotely access virtual desktops. Shame though that LG decided to opt for a full HD resolution rather than 4K. The current Ultra HD model sells for around $400.
We don’t know yet whether the monitor will be available with a height-adjustable Ergo Stand – which allows the display to be positioned close to the edge of a desk (check it in action in our review of the LG DualUp monitor) – or if it will offer PIP or KVM features.
What we do know though is that there will be a smaller 27-inch version and both have a new stand with a hole in it for better cable management. Pictures also show a USB hub with four ports while a video of the two monitors reveal a remote control, a VESA mount, Bluetooth capabilities, IPS technology and a pair of 5W speakers.
Previous models include HDMI in and out as well as a LAN port. No built-in webcam though and that’s a bit of a bummer which would have transformed it into a potent all-in-one (AIO) PC. LG claims that the previous models sold very well which may explain why the company decided to introduce new models with a lower entry point.
For those looking for a much bigger experience (albeit at a higher price point), LG has the 43SQ700S-W which is a 43-inch 4K monitor with more connections, 65W power delivery (great to charge your laptop), better sound but no VESA mounts.
Archrival Samsung also unveiled its own smart monitor, the M8, last year. Like its LG counterpart, we found that it promised basically to do everything.
Inspired by Cage and by European musicians making similar investigations, such as Stockhausen, composers like Takemitsu, Toshiro Mayuzumi and Yuji Takahashi had begun to work with chance; graphic scores, rather than traditional Western notation; and Cagean instruments like the “prepared” piano, adjusted with objects that affected the sounding of its strings. A contemporary music festival in Osaka in 1961, which included works by Cage, brought his brand of indeterminate, malleable music to Japanese audiences for the first time. (The response was decidedly mixed.)
This all laid the groundwork for Takemitsu, Mayuzumi and Toshi Ichiyanagi, a composer who had studied with Cage in New York, to invite Cage to visit Japan, under the auspices of the Sogetsu Art Center in Tokyo, a nexus of experimental performance in the 1960s. He and Tudor spent six weeks there: In addition to their trip to Tokei-ji, they toured widely, including Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Sapporo; had the rare honor of viewing a geisha banquet; spent the night at a monastery; and even used a chance procedure to choose the color of a necktie to buy.
In Kyoto, they were shown the Zen temple Ryoanji, renowned for a rock garden with 15 stones arranged in a geometric pattern. Cage’s drawings based on the stones, made 20 years after the trip, inspired his highly mutable ensemble piece “Ryoanji,” which will be performed at the Japan Society on Oct. 21 — with some of the performers streaming live from Japan.
Cage and Tudor’s concerts during their visit had a galvanizing effect. Performing Cage’s “Music Walk” in Tokyo, Tudor lay under the piano; Yoko Ono, already an important artist and musician who was married to Ichiyanagi at the time, put her body on top on the piano strings. In “Theater Piece,” Tudor cooked rice and stir-fried, with contact microphones attached to objects around the stage: the cookware, a piano, toys.
For the premiere of “0’00,” a follow-up silence exercise to “4’33,” Cage sat at a desk and wrote a sentence: “In a situation provided with maximum amplification (no feedback), perform a disciplined action.” Contact microphones had been attached to his pen and glasses, so, as the Cage scholar James Pritchett writes, his action “was both the creation of the score and its first performance.”
Christine Yoo’s documentary “26.2 to Life” tells the story of a unique race: the San Quentin Prison Marathon, run by inmates of the maximum-security facility in California within the walls of its heavily guarded yard.
As the film makes clear, with its deliberate, observational style, the mental fortitude required to endure this marathon is extraordinary: The competitors must trace the same tedious loop around a makeshift track more than 100 times to complete the 26.2-mile distance, with only their fellow inmates and a handful of volunteers to cheer them on. It’s not a setting that inspires a meditative state of mind.
Many of these men are facing life sentences with little hope of parole, and training for the marathon enables them to derive some meaning from their time inside. “It allows you to feel like you’re doing something normal,” one runner describes. “Like you’re doing something that’s not prison.”
Yoo was granted exceptional access to San Quentin, and when she depicts the mundane qualities of life there — inmates working odd jobs, writing letters, passing the time alone in their cells — the movie gains some of the penetrating clarity of one of Frederick Wiseman’s films. The in-prison material also has a lo-fi look that’s a refreshing change from the glossy style of many recent docs, and the various off-site interviews with family members of the inmates expand the scope of their stories in an enriching way.
When the movie concentrates on the race, it verges on sentimental, trotting out heartfelt speeches and cloying musical cues — not entirely unjustified, considering the inmates’ tragic back stories and inspiring achievements. But it compromises an already compelling event.
26.2 to Life Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes. In theaters.
“Squid Game,” the class-conscious 2021 Netflix sensation, asked viewers a cynical question: How far would you go, or how much would you endure, for a large sum of money?
Now, viewers can get a glimpse of people asking themselves the same thing in real life in the upcoming reality competition show “Squid Game: The Challenge,” which dropped its first teaser trailer Friday. The reality show, which streams starting Nov. 22, will feature 456 people competing against each other for $4.56 million. Players are expected to go through a series of challenges, some inspired by the show, along with new games, Netflix said in a statement.
Netflix claims the multimillion-dollar sum is the “biggest cash prize in reality show history.” For comparison, a winner on CBS’ ”Survivor” earns a $1-million cash prize. The same goes for NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” and CBS’ “The Amazing Race,” where the pot can be split among team members. The MTV show “The Challenge” saw winners earn a little over $1 million each in recent seasons. And legendary “Jeopardy!” contestant Ken Jennings, who now hosts the show, has won more than $4 million, rivaling “Squid Game: The Challenge,” but that amount has been cumulative over multiple seasons of play.
Similarities between the expensive “Squid Game” spinoff and the original are uncanny in the new teaser trailer. Contestants are dressed in the drama’s iconic green-and-white jumpsuits. Framed in the drama’s memorable overhead shot, competitors march up and down colorful flights of stairs. A glass orb filled with bundles of cash hangs above their bunk beds.
“People do a whole lot more for a whole lot less,” one person says, while contestants are seen scrambling toward the finish line of the notoriously brutal Red Light, Green Light game, complete with the giant singing doll that was featured in the drama’s first episode.
The reality show, which was filmed in England, made headlines earlier this year when reports alleged that the Red Light, Green Light competition resulted in medical emergencies amid below-freezing temperatures.
During the shoot at Bedford’s Cardington Studios, located in a hangar on a former Royal Air Force base north of London, players began to feel unwell during takes while others crawled to a finish in 26-degree Fahrenheit weather (minus-3-degree Celsius) during a devastating U.K. cold snap, according to Variety and the Sun.
“Even if hypothermia kicked in, then people were willing to stay for as long as possible because a lot of money was on the line,” one contestant told the Sun. “Too many were determined not to move so they stood there for far too long.”
Netflix and its production partners, Studio Lambert and the Garden, downplayed the harrowing conditions described by the contestants.
“We care deeply about the health and safety of our cast and crew, and invested in all the appropriate safety procedures. While it was very cold on set — and participants were prepared for that — any claims of serious injury are untrue,” they said in a joint statement to The Times.
In the fictional 2021 “Squid Game,” created by Hwang Dong-hyuk and inspired by his own struggles under capitalism in South Korea, contestants went through much worse, facing off in games with lethal consequences, such as falling to your death or getting shot. Their prize money, however, was much larger: $45.6 billion South Korean won, or roughly $38 million. Lee Jung-jae starred in the show as Seong Gi-hun, a man with a gambling addiction who joins the deadly games to win the cash prize as a means to win custody of his daughter before she moves to the U.S. with her mother and stepfather.
Netflix’s most-watched series made award-show history in 2022, becoming the first Korean series, and the first TV series not in English, to win a major Primetime Emmy. Hwang won for drama series directing. Lee won for lead dramatic performance. Both were the first Asians and native Koreans to take home either prize.
“Squid Game” was renewed for a second season in June 2022 and, before the actors’ and writers’ strikes, was expected to begin filming this year.
Times staff writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report.
Traditional money matters a great deal in the world of John Wick. It’s how assassins get paid and criminal empires get rich. But normal currency is not the underground enterprise’s only kind. Those who serve under the High Table also trade in special gold coins. Those signature tokens are not replacements for regular cash or goods. They’re not even equivalent to them. They represent something much more important than money. In the first episode of The Continental, Frankie’s theft put the High Table on high alert, because without its special coin press, this John Wick organization that has endured for millennia could collapse in an instant.
Peacock
The Continental‘s first episode expanded High Table lore far beyond what we previously knew about the criminal organization. The masked Adjudicator revealed the High Table existed before the Roman Empire. That set its origins back more than 2,000 years. Previous speculation “only” placed the High Table’s founding to the Aztec Empire in the 12th century.
How could that possibly be true? How could the High Table operate continuously for that long, while also expanding around the world, as countless nations and empires fell over the centuries? The answer is “rules and consequences.” The entire High Table universe might consists of lawbreakers, but it maintains order by ensuring those who serve it are bound by very strict rules and very strict consequences. And those gold coins are the tangible form of that structure.
Peacock
In John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum Keanu Reeves’ assassin visited Jerome Flynn’s Berrada at his facility that manufactures High Table gold coins in Morocco. During their meeting Berrada showed off the first coin ever made there before explaining the real value of those special tokens.
Now this coin, of course, it does not represent monetary value. It represents the commerce of relationships. A social contract in which you agree to partake. Order and rules.
Lionsgate
John Wick‘s coins are the manifestation of favors and trust. They’re more valuable than regular money— which anyone can use—because they show you are part of this underground world. It’s why John stored so many under his concrete basement floor rather than actual cash. They make it possible to get favors and services normal money can’t buy possible, because those coins reveal you are part of that world. It’s why a ’70s cop can’t walk into the Continental and buy a drink without one. The coins also reveal you can follow the rules and are a participant in the commerce of the relationships, which are the very foundation of the High Table’s world. Those relationships make rules possible, and the rules keep the High Table going.
Frankie’s theft of the machine that makes those coins represented an existential crisis for the High Table. (Fitting it was housed in a lock with a skull on it.) Because if someone can start making countless, unauthorized coins, the entire organization collapses immediately. If no one can trust those coins and who made them no one can trust anyone who hands them one. The coins previously immeasurable intrinsic value suddenly becomes very quantifiable—they become worthless.
That’s why the coins themselves are minted with the phrases Ex Unitae Veres (“Out of unity, comes strength”) on one side and Ens Causa Sui (“Something generated within itself”) on the other.
Lionsgate
Of all the things someone could steal from the High Table their coin press is the most worrisome for the group. If it falls into the wrong hands it would mean the commerce of relationships collapses. That means the order of rules and consequences collapses, next. And that means the High Table, after 2,000 years, collapses forever.
We know that won’t happen on The Continental, because 40 years later John Wick will find himself back in the mix of High Table happenings. But what we don’t yet know is exactly how that coin press will lead to Winston serving the High Table.
We can guess, though. Returning the press that makes those ever-important coins would be a great way to build a relationship.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
The squad-based third-person shooter Helldivers II is set to launch for PS5 and PC on February 8, 2024. Like the original Helldivers, the sequel sees teams of up to three players taking on hordes of deadly aliens in missions that take you across the galaxy.
With the release date just a few months away, Arrowhead Games recently unveiled Helldivers II’s $40 standard edition and $60 digital-only “Super Citizen” edition that features tons of extra content. Both versions of the game are available for preorder on PS5 and Steam and come with bonus in-game items if you purchase the game before release.
Helldivers II Preorder Bonus
All Helldivers II preorders include three exclusive in-game armor sets:
Helldivers 2 Standard edition preorders come with the base game plus the preorder bonus armor sets. Physical preorders are available for $40 at Best Buy, or you can purchase the digital version at the PlayStation Store or Steam.
Helldivers II Super Citizen Edition is a digital-only special edition that includes the base game, the preorder bonus armor sets, and several additional in-game items and cosmetics, including:
“DP-53 Savior of the Free” armor set
“Will of the People” cape
MP-98 Knigh in-game weapon
Super Citizen Status
Strategem Hero Ship in-game bonus arcade game
The Super Citizen Edition also includes the Steeled Veterans Premium Warbond, which packs even more unlockable armor sets, weapons, emotes, and more.
Helldivers II Super Citizen Edition is available for $60 at the PlayStation Store and Steam.
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.
OK, all jokes aside, you don’t actually have to launch your long-put-off vlogging career today, or any time soon for that matter. It’s likely that if you haven’t already, it’s not the gear that’s holding you back.
That being said, if for whatever reason you did feel like you were on the verge of trying out vlog-style content (who knows, maybe it’s for a contract job or as a well to shoot some behind-the-scenes footage for your indie short film), there are some new vlog kit options out there which aim to bring premium camera support and broadcast-level audio performance.
Thanks to their latest partnership with Wavo microphones, JOBY has unveiled a new line of vlog kits which range in price point and professional needs from a Pro option to an essential kit. Plus you can watch Casey Neistat and crew take these new kits out on the streets, if you’re into that sort of thing of course.
The New JOBY Vlogger Kits
Moving on from all of the disclaimers, let’s actually talk a bit about these different vlog kits and what they offer.
JOBY has long been known for its solid line of GorillaPods which has been an actually very cool innovation as a hybrid camera mount and stand. Designed as a tripod with flexibility, it’s ball-structure design lets users use it as a sort of gimbal tripod and it’s been quite successful for a wide array of content creator types.
To take things further, JOBY has developed a partnership with Wavo microphones to now add some pretty high-quality audio performance to their GorillaPods, which has now created a de facto “vlogging kit” setup perfect for amateurs to pro creators looking to record on the run.
As you’ll see below, with the help of Casey Neistat and a small gang of creators, JOBY has unleashed a whole new range of kits that vary (slightly) in sophistication and price point. Let’s take a look at the lineup to see which might be right for you and your vlogging needs.
JOBY Vlogger PRO Kit
This is the top-of-the-line option in JOBY’s new kit lineup. Designed around a GorillaPod 5K, this Pro option should include the best specs and quality that JOBY can muster. With up to 60 hours of battery life and plenty of additional add-on options, if you are interested in pro-level vlogging, this will be your best bet.
Catering to the seasoned pro and those who want to emulate them, the Vlogger PRO Kit from JOBY features the Wavo PRO and GorillaPod 5K tripod. Nothing short of broadcast-quality sound is supported by the Wavo PRO, with its exceptional directivity, Active Noise Reduction (ANR), configurable DSP, and durable metal housing.
A step down from the “Pro” option will be your “Skilled” selection, which drops the GorillaPod 5K for the 3K model and sacrifices some design quality and payload support. However, the basic tenets of this kit should remain the same as the audio and flexibility should all be close to the same, yet the package will be $100 cheaper than the Pro kit.
The next option is a “Real Time” vlogger kit which is centered around the same GorillaPod 3K but with a bit of a drop-off with the Wavo PLUS Mic as opposed to the Wavo PRO or Pro DS options included in the kits above it.
Still, at another $100 price decrease, you’re not sacrificing much except battery life (30 hours compared to 60) and perhaps some audio quality here.
Finally, to round out the new lineup we have the “Essential” vlogger kit. With a price tag of just under $100, this is by far the most affordable kit one could buy if they wanted to launch into on-the-run vlogging today. The GorillaPod 1K is, of course, smaller and less quality than its bigger counterparts, but if you’re looking for the lightest and easiest kit to get started with, this might actually be the best low-investment option.
Horror can be classy, adaptations of novels can be fantastic, and gore can be artistic. Hannibalcovers all of these, andis frankly one of the best novel-to-screen adaptations of all time. The cinematography, combined with fantastic acting, a dynamic cast and enough gore to give you chills; it’s a wonder if there will ever be another season. It has come to the point where the fandom is starting to ask Netflix and other streaming platforms to take on the revival. The passion they have for the series is not without reason, and this list will cover some of the major reasons the show deserves a comeback.
Mads Mikkelsen’s Performance
NBC
Mads Mikkelsen is the quintessential character in Hannibal, as he plays the cannibalistic therapist with an artistic flare. We all, of course, loved Anthony Hopkins in the iconic role, but Mads Mikkelsen has the book personality down pat. The way his Hannibal has an air of calm around his personality makes his portrayal iconic, terrifying, yet charming.
The world needs more Mads Mikkelsen as the famous fictional serial killer, as his performance is top-tier fantastic. He looks, breathes, and is Hannibal Lecter, arguably more so than Anthony Hopkins. Television could use more classy characters, even if this one eats people but only if he finds them rude.
Hannibal and Will’s Relationship
Sony Pictures Television
The romance, or, rather, the obsession between Hannibal and Will Graham, is something that needs to go further. It is clear that Hannibal is in love with Will, and it deserves its own on-screen admission. Bryan Fuller, the director of Hannibal, has confirmed that Dr. Lector is pansexual, however, it should be confidently confirmed in the series on screen.
Often, the confirmation of romances, character sexualities, or even mental diagnoses is made outside the main series. Hannibal has already confirmed that Will Graham is on the autism spectrum, which is fantastic and one of those things we only get confirmed outside the actual series. It would make for an interesting change in dynamics if Will realizes the obsession Hannibal has for him goes beyond a friendship.
Life in Cuba
NBC
It is said that at the end of season three, Will and Hannibal escape to Cuba, or that is the theory that the fandom has. In the novel by the same name, Hannibal, Clarice and Hannibal escape to Cuba to become lovers. The overall hope is that Will takes on the role of Clarice, and they live their lives in another country. It would be fascinating to see how they dodge authority in another place and, if Hannibal will continue his strange diet, how this will impact their lives in a new place.
This would also fall back on the other point in question, and that is how Will and Hannibal are together. Does Will want to be with Hannibal in that manner? There are a lot of questions that need answered that were left hanging in the balance. Cuba is a great setting, and gives us an opportunity for a finale with a proper resting place.
This storyline may have some tangling in copyright, but it would make for a great season of Hannibal. It would be curious to see how Hannibal would shift his persona if Clarice was brought into the world of Hannibal. It would test his obsession with Will and give us a new dynamic to witness. Buffalo Bill is also one of the well-known characters, as The Silence of the Lambs is a classic movie.
It would be fascinating to see how Bryan Fuller would interpret the famous characters from the books and movie. The only problem is that the rights to the characters in the movie are currently owned by MGM. But, in an ideal world, and with Bryan Fuller at the helm, it would be a great addition to Hannibal with Buffalo Bill as the big bad.
At first glance, this might seem like an irrelevant point. It is a completely different show with an entirely different personality, with the only similarities being they are semi-dark crime dramas. However, Lucifersuffered a similar fate of being canceled too soon, and with the begging of the fandom, the show was swooped up by Netflix. It was wildly successful, and the fandom even saved the series twice from cancellation.
Lucifer and Hannibal both have dedicated fan bases, with a story that can go far in the realm of darkness. It would have the same amount of success if Netflix or if another service decided to take on the world’s favorite cannibal. With that, a return to screens through a streaming platform would mean the series can truly reach its peak grotesqueness. Hannibal pushes boundaries, and its place on a streaming platform would give it the ability to push even more.
The Death of Will Graham
Dino de Laurentiis
It would make for some fantastic dramatics if Hannibal lost his beloved Will Graham for good. Bravery in killing main characters is often associated with series like Game of Thrones, however, it should be used more often. Especially in a series like Hannibal. Will Graham is Hannibal’s passion, romantic or not, so if he were to die, Hannibal might just descend all the way into madness.
Alternatively, Will doesn’t necessarily have to die, and could even have something happen to him that would make Hannibal lose his interest. In the novel, Will’s life is ruined by the Red Dragon, and that forces him into alcoholism, which in the series, might just be enough to change Hannibal’s obsession. If Will is no longer interesting, Clarice is given the opportunity to make her appearance in Hannibal’s life in a way that wouldn’t have a psychotic love triangle.
Chilton Returns
NBC
This could potentially be a difficult task, as we saw in the last episode of the series that Chilton had a fairly final ending. However, there are always ways to bring back characters over and over in ways that are both logical, yet equally frustrating. Chilton is the ultimate character to bring back. He has been abused since his introduction to the series, and he is a man who would want revenge.
That, of course, leaves the question of, “What would his revenge?” This would make for a fantastic main storyline to pull the series to its end, if season four is it. Though he is one of the many characters who has every right to become a killer, it would make the man more interesting if he did not. Chilton straying from Hannibal’s ability to turn anyone into a killer would be a refreshing take and give the doctor something new to focus on. Alternatively, Chilton might make for a new take on Buffalo Bill, as his lack of skin would give motivation to steal other’s.
Freddie Getting What She Deserves
NBC
Freddie is everyone’s favorite character to hate. Her personality is grating, and her constant need for attention just rubs everyone the wrong way. This is including the characters in the show, not just the fandom. Her poor ethics surrounding journalism are entirely cringe-worthy. Her end is inevitable, as she is arguably one of the rudest people in the series. She is a driven individual and has her good sides, but some of the things she has done are highly questionable. She values the price of gossip over the ethics of good journalism.
Her end is necessary to the series and would show loyalty to the original novels. The end of her book counterpart is instead placed upon Chilton. Freddie has earned her ending, and it would make a great episode for the new series. The satisfaction of her death, or at the very least, her end in any way, would be praised throughout the fans of the show.
Hannibal’s Capture
NBC
Another end that is inevitable is the capture of the Chesapeake Ripper. Hannibal’s arrest is going to be another important part of the series we won’t get to see. Of course, that is if the trip to Cuba does not happen, and he stays in the United States. There’s also a chance that his capture and escape would make for a heart-pounding close. As much as the audience loves Hannibal’s character, he is a serial killer and a cannibalistic monster. Justice should, at the very least, come for our beloved therapist.
A More Satisfying Ending
NBC
It has happened many times. A series is canceled before there is a solid end to the story. Plots left unfinished and questions still left in the balance simply because the show isn’t making enough profit. It is a sad ending to a series that leaves everyone unsatisfied. Simply put, a fourth season of Hannibal would give the producers and the writers ample opportunity to wrap up all the stories. It would be the last hoo-rah.
Instead of being left with questions, a final season could be used to wrap everything up in a nice bow before letting us finally put the artistic series to rest. The macabre beauty of the series deserves a proper ending and a grand finale that is finally worthy of its magnetism.
The Alchemist may hail from Beverly Hills, but the prolific producer’s moody and cinematic beats have helped define significant swaths of the New York rap scene, from Mobb Deep, Nas, and Dilated Peoples to Armand Hammer, Action Bronson, and Roc Marciano. For his latest album, he links with MIKE and Wiki, two of the New York underground’s sharpest talents, grizzled veterans despite having yet to graduate from their twenties. Twinkling piano keys and sweeping strings make for a vibe complementary to MIKE’s emotional intelligence and Wiki’s battle-earned wisdom, sure to appease each artist’s fan bases.
Loraine James was envisioning the album she would have made as a teenager when she cut her latest release, Gentle Confrontation. With song titles like, “I DM U,” “One Way Ticket to the Midwest (Emo),” and “2003,” you can glimpse a bit of the musician and producer’s inspiration. The 16-song LP features guest spots from the likes of Marina Herlop, KeiyaA, Ritchie, Contour, Corey Mastrangelo, and others. James accents her subdued vocals—and those of her contributors—with bracing beats and glimmering washes of synthesizer.
Allergy sufferers, grab your tissues as fall gets underway in Canada, stirring up the spread of pollen and mould into the air.
Overall pollen counts have been increasing year over year nationally, but most parts of the country will likely see lower than normal levels in the fall during the weed season, said Daniel Coates, director of Aerobiology Research Laboratories.
In August, when ragweed season typically starts, pollen levels in Canada were the lowest they have been since 2016, said Coates, whose lab in Ottawa monitors pollen and spores across the country and predicts what the allergy season may look like.
“For the most part, we are going to see lower than typical pollen levels for the fall season,” he told Global News in an interview.
As the weather gets cooler and wetter and leaves start to fall, mould is another nuisance that can trigger some people’s allergy symptoms.
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“This is the time of year when a lot of people do experience mould-induced symptoms, particularly late in the fall,” said Dr. Anne Ellis, president of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Western Canada in particular is seeing “moderate to high levels” of mould spores, which is more than usual for this time of the year, Coates said.
Stuffy or runny nose? Don’t bother using popular nasal decongestant: U.S. FDA
Seasonal allergies happen all year round, but respiratory viruses, like flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), that surge in the fall and winter can cause confusion this time of the year due to overlapping symptoms, Ellis said.
“I think it’s just important for people to realize that allergies or hay fever can seem like it’s just a nuisance, but for some patients, they really do suffer,” she told Global News in an interview.
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Symptoms like sneezing, nasal congestion and runny nose are common to both respiratory infections and allergies, Ellis said.
While itchy, watery eyes and nasal itching are more pronounced during allergies, things like sore throat, muscle aches and pains, fatigue and fever are more common for respiratory infections.
Besides pollen and mould spores, dust mites are another allergen to watch out for throughout the year.
These microscopic spiders can live in people’s bedding and can be hard to avoid, Ellis said.
Dust allergies present the same symptoms as pollen, like runny nose or nasal congestion, she added.
Common cold vs. seasonal allergies: How to spot the difference
To keep outdoor allergens from entering your homes and cars, keep the windows closed, Ellis and Coates advised.
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Using air conditioning when it’s still warm enough can help reduce the amount of pollen exposure inside the house, Ellis added.
It’s not a good idea to air-dry clothes outside because it might allow the pollen to settle on them, she cautioned.
Wearing masks and sunglasses is also a good measure to minimize the exposure to pollen and spores, Coates said. Drinking plenty of water helps flush out the system, he added.
Coping with allergies & heat
For dust mites, Ellis suggested purchasing impermeable covers to put on mattresses and pillows, where these pesky bugs tend to live and hide.
For people suffering from allergy symptoms, Ellis recommended the daily use of non-drowsy antihistamines, which she said are more effective than the sedating ones. They can be bought over the counter or taken by prescription. Nasal steroids are also highly effective, she said.
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But for those who want to avoid taking any medication, rinsing your mouth with salt water can help relieve some of the symptoms as well, Ellis said.
If you do suffer symptoms each year, don’t be afraid to consult an allergist who can offer immunotherapy, which can change your immune system so that you’re no longer having allergic symptoms, she said.
It looks like Pete Davidson has already moved on from his relationship with “Bodies Bodies Bodies” co-star Chase Sui Wonders.
Davidson, 29, is reportedly dating “Outer Banks” star Madelyn Cline, 25, according to Us Weekly.
A source told the outlet, “Pete and Madelyn are dating. They spent the night together at the Beverly Hills Hotel and then had breakfast together there the next morning. They were really low-key and kept things casual, wearing baseball hats.”
Last month, a source claimed that there was “no bad blood or any hard feelings” between Pete and Chase after their breakup.
The insider insisted, “Their relationship had simply run its course and they decided they just wanted different things.”
Earlier this year, Pete shared his thoughts on the public’s interest in his love life.
During an appearance on the “Real Ones with Jon Bernthal” podcast, he said, “I’m in my 20s and I’ve dated people. And for some reason, that’s very crazy and interesting to people. I don’t think it’s interesting. I’ve been in show business for, like, half my life almost — for 14 or 15 years and on a national TV show. In 12 years, I’ve dated 10 people. I don’t think that’s that crazy, but to some people, that’s very interesting. That became all anyone would talk about.”
Madelyn also shared her take on dating in the public eye during an appearance on “Today” in February.
She said, “Some people can [discuss their personal life] — I can’t. If you give everything, like, 100 percent of your energy, away, where’s the rest for yourself? You finally understand why people in the public eye keep their circles small. I realized there are parts of my life that only me or one other person are entitled to. I prefer it that way. It also just makes things more special. That’s usually how relationships are.”
Cline recently dated Jackson Guthy, but she unfollowed him on social media in July.
Amid the dating rumors, Pete is currently on a stand-up tour. His next show will be in Las Vegas at The Cosmopolitan on Saturday, September 23.
This coming week, as the network fall television season gets underway, ABC will begin airing “The Golden Bachelor,” a spinoff of “The Bachelor” that centers on an offbeat twist: The main contestant is a 72-year-old man, and the 22 women vying for his affection range in age from 60 to 75.
On Sunday nights, the network will carve out three hours for “The Wonderful World of Disney,” a television tradition that dates back to the 1950s. On Tuesdays, there’s “Dancing With the Stars.” On Wednesdays, there will be special prime-time episodes of decades-old standbys like “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!”
It’s no secret that network television ratings have plummeted in recent years as viewers have fled prime-time lineups in favor of stream-at-your-leisure outlets like Netflix and Hulu.
But there’s one notable exception, a segment of the audience that has effectively become the broadcast networks’ core constituency: people over 60.
The median age of viewers at ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox has ballooned in recent years. That has left executives looking for ways to acknowledge and nurture an audience that still reliably flips on the television and watches in prime time, the old-fashioned way.
“Boomers are keeping it afloat,” Kevin Reilly, a veteran programming executive who held top jobs at Fox and NBC, said of network TV.The generation, he said, “grew up with organizing their worldview around it — the TV was the center of the living room, and we watched day-and-date.”
This is a critical time for the networks. They are a shell of what they used to be, and no longer the reliable hit factories and cultural forces of yesteryear.
Hollywood’s writers’ and actors’ strikes have only made matters worse. The strikes have grounded production for months, forcing the networks to program a piecemeal lineup of reality series, sports, games shows and repeats for the next several months.
Entertainment executives are privately fretting about a ratings collapse — not to mention further migration to streaming — without the vital aid of new scripted original programs.
Just nine years ago, the median age of most top-rated network entertainment shows ranged from the mid-40s to early 50s — it was 45 for the sitcom “How I Met Your Mother” and 52 for “The Big Bang Theory,” according to Nielsen. Some shows, like “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” had a median viewer as young as 39.
But in the most recent network television season, which ended in May, the median viewer was older than 60 for most entertainment shows, including “The Voice” (64.8), “The Masked Singer” (60.6), “Grey’s Anatomy” (64.1) and “Young Sheldon” (“65+,” the highest range that Nielsen provides).
Local television stations have seen similar trends.
“There is a quite distinct generational divide for local broadcast viewing at the age of 45,” according to a recent report from TVREV, a research group. “Generation X and boomers (those 45+) still cling to TV habits they developed as kids, while their kids largely reject local linear broadcast.”
Executives said in interviews that the median age for many of these series was younger when their viewership was measured on the networks’ affiliated streaming services like Hulu, Peacock and Paramount+. Some shows have median ages that are 20 or 25 years younger than they are on broadcast, they said. The ABC hit “Abbott Elementary,” which has a viewer median age of 60.5 on broadcast, is also popular with younger viewers when it is streamed on Hulu.
Some executives also point out that younger viewers are not adequately measured by existing viewership tools.
“Anyone we’re not capturing on a linear device we are capturing on streaming,” said Radha Subramanyam, the chief research officer for CBS.
Still, she added: “At CBS, we love older viewers. They watch a lot of television. And advertisers love them because they have tons and tons of spending power.”
Even so, advertisers still value television audiences under the age of 50. David Zaslav, the Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive, said this month that as much as 75 percent of the audience of his cable networks was over 54 and that, as a result, the company was not making as much as it could from advertising.
Dick Wolf, a leading purveyor of procedurals, one of television’s classic genres, is a big presence for CBS’s usual lineup (“FBI,” “FBI: Most Wanted,” “FBI: International”) as well as NBC’s (“Law & Order: SVU,” “Chicago Med,” “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago P.D.”). Last year, NBC brought the original “Law & Order” back to life, starring the 82-year-old Sam Waterston.
Other scripted series also come from an earlier time, including NBC’s “Quantum Leap” and “Magnum, P.I.” — which, unlike most of the network’s competitors, will have new episodes this season because they were taped before the strikes. CBS is resurrecting “Matlock,” a show that “The Simpsons” used to lampoon for its older fan base. (The new version of “Matlock” will star Kathy Bates and appear after “60 Minutes,” sometime after the strikes are resolved.)
Last year, NBC found a surprise hit in “Night Court,” the sitcom that debuted nearly four decades ago. (“Night Court” and “Quantum Leap” first appeared on the same night on NBC’s schedule in 1989.) A producer for “Night Court” said this year that the courtroom for the new show was “not filled with tons of computer screens or modern trappings of life — we really intentionally wanted ‘Night Court’ to feel like a place a bit frozen in time.”
At ABC, executives decided to move “The Golden Bachelor” to an 8 p.m. slot on Thursdays, after the network had originally slotted it for Mondays at 10 p.m. One of the reasons: broad enthusiasm for the show as well as a strong lead-in from “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!”
“We have an affiliate lead-in that has a median age around 67 or 68, which is smack dab in the middle of that traditional sort of definition of what a baby boomer is,” said Ari Goldman, the senior vice president of content strategy and scheduling at ABC Entertainment. “We’re going to be leaning into that abundance of audience that we have going into prime time.”
And, of course, “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!” will have their own night to shine, with special prime-time celebrity editions on Wednesdays.
“These are shows that have been staples for the older audience for four or five decades — I think ‘Jeopardy!’ is even going to be hitting 60 years old in some form or another this coming year,” Mr. Goldman said. “These are shows that our audience has grown up with, and they’re comforting and sort of throwback programming for that audience.”
Two of the UK’s leading presenters have engaged in a public spat over the fading fortunes of one of the country’s most established sports shows.
The BBC’s – a studio show inviting football pundits to analyse the day’s games following the final whistle on Saturday afternoons – has been running for 49 years, but was revealed this week to have lost more than a third of its viewing audience in the space of four years.
That dip coincided with the departure of presenter Dan Walker, who left the show in 2021 after 11 years as host, whereupon he was replaced by former women’s England team player Alex Scott.
He wrote on social media platform X on Saturday:
“It’s hard to see Football Focus struggling. I loved it growing up and it was an honour to present it and I still miss it. We poured everything into that show every week and worked hard to keep it relevant. I hope it stays part of the TV landscape.”
Scott responded to the message with a GIF, which said simply “Interesting.”
Walker replied: “I’m not saying you haven’t Alex. It’s a saturated market and it’s hard work every week. I hope you have a good show today.”
Scott subsequently added: “We have big interviews with Ange Postecoglou and Arsenal captain Martin Odegarard coming up on the ‘Award’ winning Football Focus tomorrow.
“Make that a headline.”
The Daily Mail reports that weekly average viewing figures for August fell from 849,000 in 2019 to just 564,000 in 2023.
While there is understood to be no immediate threat to the show’s existence, commentators have raised concern about the future of a show in a landscape where football fans can quickly catch up with all the results and analysis via a realm of platforms, club websites and other personalised viewing choices.
Sure, kissing a gorgeous Hollywood actor ~sounds~ like a great time, but for personal, religious, and, well, bacterial reasons, it turns out that smooching on set can be a lot more challenging than you’d think.
So, we thought we’d share the actors who hated their on-screen kisses — and some who flat-out refused to canoodle their co-stars altogether!
3.
Reese Witherspoon didn’t want to kiss Robert Pattinson in Water For Elephants — for good reason.
4.
Thandiwe Newton said “no, thanks” to kissing Gerard Butler for RocknRolla for more or less the same reason.
It’s okay, people! They have smooched since!
5.
Kristen Stewart had a hard time kissing Taylor Lautner on Twilight.
6.
Orlando Bloom and Zoe Saldaña both hated kissing each other in Haven.
7.
Millie Bobby Brown called her Stranger Things kiss with Finn Wolfhard “the most awkward thing in the world”.
8.
Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried didn’t want to kiss each other in Jennifer’s Body.
9.
Denzel Washington didn’t kiss Julia Roberts in Pelican Brief for lots of reasons.
10.
Colin Farrell had conflicted feelings about kissing Kate Beckindale, his director’s wife, on the set of Total Recall.
11.
Will Smith regrets not kissing Anthony Michael Hall in Six Degrees of Separation.
12.
Ashley Tisdale said that kissing Zac Efron on The Suite Life Of Zach and Cody felt like “brother”.
13.
Lindsay Lohan didn’t kiss Charlie Sheen in Scary Movie 5 due to his party-loving reputation.
14.
Brad Pitt didn’t kiss Cate Blanchett at all in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button.
15.
Neal McDonough won’t kiss anyone on screen, at all.
16.
Sandra Bullock allegedly complained about Ben Affleck’s bad breath after filming Forces of Nature with him.
17.
Penn Badgley said that he had his “worst” kiss with Blake Lively on Gossip Girl.
Do you think we missed any big examples? Let us know in the comments below!
Batman Forever could have had Robin Williams as the Riddler, and fan art imagines what that casting could have looked like.
Williams was initially offered the role of the Joker in 1989’s Batman, but Jack Nicholson took the part, leaving Williams frustrated.
Williams later became attached to play the Riddler in Batman Forever, but ultimately left the project due to a disagreement with director Joel Schumacher.
Batman Forever almost featured Robin Williams as the Riddler, and a new fan art series shows what that lost DC Universe casting could have looked like. One of Batman’s movie villains in the Burton-Schumacher movies, the Riddler was played by Jim Carrey in Batman Forever, but the role could have gone to Williams. Following Riddler’s return to live-action Batman movies with Paul Dano as Edward Nashton in The Batman, a series of fan portraits imagines DC’s lost casting.
On Instagram, @buffy2ville shared a series of fan art depicting what Williams could have looked like as the Riddler.
Due to his comedic expertise and ability to balance it with unexpected emotional moments, Williams would have been a fantastic pick to play the Riddler, which is why he was chosen for the role, with Batman Forever almost being very different, only it didn’t work out.
Why Robin Williams Left Batman Forever And Didn’t Play The Riddler
Before the Riddler and Williams’ paths got intertwined, the comedy legend tried to get cast as the Joker opposite Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne in 1989’s Batman. Reportedly, Williams was even offered the part by Warner Bros. after Jack Nicholson, the studio’s first choice, initially passed on the role. However, upon hearing of the studio’s offer to Williams, Nicholson decided to play the Joker, leaving Williams frustrated.
The actor would then become attached to play another Batman villain, the Riddler, this time opposite Val Kilmer’s Bruce Wayne in director Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever. That also ended up not working out despite the movie’s writer, Akiva Goldsman, revealing that he went to the actor’s home to brainstorm ideas for Williams’ portrayal of Riddler in Batman Forever, calling the day of work productive and Williams “so kind.”
Goldsman also revealed why Williams left the Riddler behind despite being a perfect fit for the Batman villain. According to the Batman Forever writer, “Ultimately, he and Joel didn’t see eye to eye.” Sadly, Williams and Schumacher’s disagreement led to one of the most exciting comic book movie castings getting lost, with fans only left to imagine what could have been if Williams had continued as the Riddler in Batman Forever.
Ever since the introduction of the Steam Deck, many different companies have created alternative portable PCs to compete with the handheld. With this much competition, it’d be natural to think that Valve would introduce a new Deck version to the market. However, it doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards for the company, as recent statements show.
In a talk with CNBC, Valve coder Pierre-Loup Griffais recently talked about how the Steam Deck isn’t going to receive a new iteration just yet. He explained that “changing the performance level” of Steam Deck isn’t something Valve is taking lightly. Added to this is the fact that Valve is currently “working with developers on future releases, and we’re monitoring the feedback there, but so far, I think it has been pretty good on the horsepower front.”
This sentiment was expanded upon in a later talk with The Verge. In it, it was heavily hinted that the sequel to the gaming PC might be a long time away from now because Valve is waiting for a more significant leap in terms of performance. “[We] don’t want more performance to come at a significant cost to power efficiency and battery life. I don’t anticipate such a leap to be possible in the next couple of years, but we’re still closely monitoring innovations in architectures and fabrication processes to see where things are going there.”
With recent changes in the landscape of mobile technology, it certainly isn’t strange to see Valve waiting to have a beefier mobile processor for the next iteration of the Steam Deck. After all, the gaming industry was hit with the shock reveal of an iPhone capable of playing Resident Evil 4 Remake. So, seeing a Steam Deck sequel capable of running some of the latest and high-demanding games in 2026 or beyond would be a dream for many players.
About the Author
Ule Lopez
A journalist from Mexico obsessed with Shiny Eevees, he wears his profession with pride as he researches current-day stories and plays JRPGs and horror games.
In the old days of NLEs, it seemed like update releases were pretty boring. A bug fix here, a bug fix there–that’d pretty much be it. However, these days it seems like every update coming to some of our favorite video editing apps like Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve (or Adobe’s Premiere Pro for that matter) is jam-packed with tons of new tools and features.
Just as we saw with the DaVinci Resolve 18.5 update, this new 18.6 update has quite a bit to explore and be excited about. From a new Proxy Generator to a host of updated camera-to-cloud workflow features, let’s take a look at everything that’s changed in DaVinci Resolve with this latest update.
DaVinci Resolve’s New Proxy Generator
Probably the biggest headline here is the release of Blackmagic’s new stand-alone application called “Proxy Generator,” which is coming to DaVinci Resolve Studio (as well as a “Lite” variation for the free version of the DaVinci app which also provides some proxy support).
This new automatic Proxy Generation tool is designed to upload directly to Blackmagic Cloud Storage. In DaVinci Resolve 18.6, users will now be able to automatically generate and upload proxy files to cloud storage whenever they create a new project.
This Proxy app also will allow users to generate proxy files for your projects outside of your DaVinci Resolve system. Plus, the free Lite version of this new Proxy Generator app will still allow users to generate proxy files for their projects, but they will not include all of the same features as the main application.
Overall, this should make it much easier to work on projects even when your original media files are not available. Also, for those perhaps a bit unfamiliar with proxy editing, you should absolutely look into this editing workflow if you’d like to streamline your overall video editing process, especially if you’re shooting 4K+ or working with older computers or systems.
DaVinci Resolve 18.6 Updates
Along with this new Proxy Generator feature, there’s a whole host of other updates coming to DaVinci Resolve 18.6, with some of the most exciting leaning into Blackmagic’s camera-to-cloud workflow with capture-to-cloud capabilities unlocked and new synced media options with cloud storage.
Here’s everything this 18.6 update is bringing to Resolve:
New Blackmagic Camera cloud workflow syncs capture to cloud projects: This new workflow allows users to capture footage directly to the cloud, where it can be synced with a DaVinci Resolve cloud project in real time. This makes it easy to collaborate on projects with other users around the world.
Support for Blackmagic Cloud Storage with synced project media and files: DaVinci Resolve 18.6 now supports Blackmagic Cloud Storage, a new cloud storage service that is optimized for DaVinci Resolve projects. Blackmagic Cloud Storage provides users with a secure and reliable way to store and share their projects with others.
Support for outer text strokes in titles and subtitles: DaVinci Resolve 18.6 now supports outer text strokes in titles and subtitles. This new feature gives users more creative control over the appearance of their text.
Ability to assign and apply favorite keywords to clips and markers: DaVinci Resolve 18.6 now allows users to assign and apply favorite keywords to clips and markers. This makes it easy to organize and find clips and markers for large projects.
Support for Fusion USD scenes with materials and volumes: DaVinci Resolve 18.6 now supports Fusion USD scenes with materials and volumes. This new feature allows users to import and work with Fusion scenes directly in DaVinci Resolve.
Import multiple mono audio files with suffixes as a multichannel clip: DaVinci Resolve 18.6 can now import multiple mono audio files with suffixes as a multichannel clip. This makes it easy to import audio from multitrack recorders and other sources.
Support for target audio loudness standards by Disney and YouTube with target audio loudness standards on renders: This new feature makes it easy to create renders that comply with specific loudness standards, such as those used for broadcast and streaming. These standards control loudness with a new meter effect, render settings, audio normalization, and other functions in Resolve. This makes it easy to create content that meets the loudness requirements of these platforms.
More Updates for Fusion, Color and Fairlight
On top of the proxy generator feature and the listed updates coming to DaVinci Resolve, Blackmagic has also rolled out several new tools and features coming to their other programs like Fusion, Color, and Fairlight, including a new Polygon Shape tool, a cool new Warp Color feature and Vector Keyframing for automation curves.
Here are some of the highlights from the rest of this 18.6 update:
Fusion
The new Polygon Shape tool allows users to create and edit polygon shapes directly in the Fusion node graph.
The ability to turn polygons and vector graphics into shapes makes it easy to create complex shapes from simple 2D graphics.
The ability to extrude shapes into 3D makes it easy to create 3D objects from 2D shapes.
New ResolveFX for Fusion Studio includes a number of new effects, such as the Relight FX and the MaterialX System.
Color
Per Timeline Color Management allows users to set different color management settings for different timelines in a project. This is useful for users who need to work with different color spaces in the same project.
A new Color Warper tool allows users to warp colors in a clip without affecting the brightness or contrast.
A new HSL Qualifier tool allows users to select and qualify colors based on their hue, saturation, and lightness.
A new Magic Mask tool automatically creates masks based on the colors in a clip.
Fairlight
Fairlight Track Groups allows users to group related audio tracks or mixer channels together. This makes it easier to manage and mix large numbers of audio tracks.
AI Audio Classification allows DaVinci Resolve to automatically identify and classify different types of audio, such as dialogue, music, and sound effects. This can be useful for users who need to quickly organize and edit large audio libraries.
Vector Keyframing for Automation Curves allows users to create smooth and precise automation curves using Bézier curves.
Grid Editing to Timecode or Musical Tempo allows users to position clips on a grid for precise timing.
Fix Bus allows users to quickly and easily fix audio problems such as clipping and distortion.
Automatic Binaural Rendering allows users to create binaural audio renders that can be played back on headphones for a more immersive listening experience.
How to Download
As with all DaVinci Resolve updates, now that 18.6 is out of beta, it is available now and free to download for any current DaVinci Resolve users.
On Truth & Movies this week, we take a look at stranger-than-fiction tale of Reddit vs Wall Street in Dumb Money and spoke to it’s director Craig Gillespie. We also review Pedro Almodovar’s highly anticipated short film Strange Way Of Life starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal former lovers in the wild west. And for film club it is more cowboys and forbidden love in Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain.
Joining host Leila Latif are Little White Lies Editor David Jenkins and film critic Kyle Turner.
Truth & Movies is the podcast from the film experts at Little White Lies, where along with selected colleagues and friends, they discuss the latest movie releases. Truth & Movies has all your film needs covered, reviewing the latest releases big and small, talking to some of the most exciting filmmakers, keeping you across important industry news, and reassessing great films from days gone by with the Truth & Movies Film Club.
“The Machine” was produced by Shaken, Not Stirred Productions, Balkanic Media, Legendary Pictures, Uh Hundred Percent and Levity Productions and was originally released on May 25th 2023.
“Squid Game: The Challenge” is ready for the green light.
The Netflix reality series, which pits 456 real players in competition over a $4.56 million reward, is based on the harrowing Emmy-winning fictional show created by Hwang Dong-hyuk. The series makes history as the largest cash prize for a reality competition.
Per the official “The Challenge” synopsis, as players compete through a series of games inspired by the original show — plus surprising new additions — their strategies, alliances, and character will be put to the test while competitors are eliminated around them.
Medics were called to the reality competition series set in January 2023 as contestants were filming in freezing weather conditions, playing a game of “Red Light, Green Light,” also known as “Statues,” in minus 3 degrees Celsius weather, roughly 26 degrees Fahrenheit. Only 288 contestants moved forward after the competition.
In February 2023, former contestants told Rolling Stone that they believed the series had unsafe working conditions and a rigged reward. A group of former “The Challenge” players said they were looking into filing a lawsuit against the co-production studios, Studio Lambert and The Garden, for workplace safety violations, negligence, and false pretenses.
A spokesperson for Netflix told IndieWire at the time, “We care deeply about the health of our cast and crew, and the quality of this show. Any suggestion that the competition is rigged or claims of serious harm to players are simply untrue. We’ve taken all the appropriate safety precautions, including after care for contestants — and an independent adjudicator is overseeing each game to ensure it’s fair to everyone.”
“Squid Game: The Challenge” is executive produced by Nicola Brown (The Garden), Tim Harcourt (Studio Lambert), John Hay (The Garden), Toni Ireland (Studio Lambert), Anna Kidd, Stephen Lambert (Studio Lambert), Louise Peet, Nia Yemoh (Studio Lambert), and Stephen Yemoh (Studio Lambert).
Production companies Studio Lambert and The Garden are behind the series, which began production in January.
“Squid Game” creator Hwang said of the reality show twist on his fictional series, “I think that even though our show does carry quite a heavy message — and I know that there are some concerns of taking that message and creating it into a reality show with a cash prize. However, I feel like when you take things too seriously, that’s really not the best way to go for the entertainment industry. It doesn’t really set a great precedent.”
“Squid Game: The Challenge” premieres November 22 on Netflix. Check out the teaser below.
Noah Kahan opens up to Billboard‘s Lyndsey Havens about how his life has changed since the release of his album Stick Season, working with Post Malone, his mental health initiative The BusyHead Project and more!
Noah Kahan: Holding a pencil for five minutes makes me tired. She did three hours of like dancing and singing and like …
Lyndsey Havens: Intense cardio.
Noah Kahan: Like that and like — all that kind of stuff.
Lyndsey Havens: Thank you for the preview of your own choreography there. A sneak peak.
Noah Kahan: Yeah, that’s something I’m working on. Cut that out. I don’t want people seeing that. I want it to be a surprise.
Lyndsey Havens: It’s not ready yet.
Noah Kahan: Yeah, it’s not ready.
Hi, I’m Noah Kahan, and this is Billboard News.
Lyndsey Havens: Hey, I’m Lyndsey Havens for Billboard News, and we are here with the incredible singer-songwriter Noah Kahan.
Did I get that last name, right? I’ve heard a lot of different ways.
Noah Kahan: Yeah, you are one of the first. There’s only one way to say it, by the way. It’s Kahan. You did a great job. Thank you very much.
Lyndsey Havens: People overcomplicate it!
Noah Kahan: People … well, it’s like there’s two As. I say, “One of the As is silent and you get to pick which one.”
Lyndsey Havens: If you could describe your last 12 months, I think it’s nuts, because obviously, you’ve been making music for a really long time, and you had success. But then suddenly, everything changed and it hit a next level.
Noah Kahan: It’s been an unbelievable few months, like a year and a half basically now of just, like, whirlwind of attention and this wonderful, like, outpouring of love from fans. A lot of, like, a lot more commitments that I’m in, which has been, like, the big challenge for me has just been balancing, like, trying to have my life, trying to write music and be creative and be inspired by the world, but also being really busy, being on the road all the time.
Lyndsey Havens: Yeah.
Noah Kahan: I’m kind of navigating it. It has been really challenging, but really cool, and it’s an opportunity and an experience that not all artists get. And so I’m very aware of the privilege of this year for me.
Joan Didion was a bit of a goth. Beginning with her first short story about death in the desert, she was drawn to dark subjects: cannibals, bikers, Jim Morrison, Dick Cheney. Her favorite house was the old governor’s mansion in Sacramento, a towering compendium of gothic arches and Victorian cupolas. As a teen, and for years afterward, she would drive to the outskirts of Sacramento, park next to the Matthew Kilgore Cemetery, sit on the fender of her car, and read a book. In these three acres of white marble gravestones, her connections to the land ran deep. Her great-great-great grandparents, Matthew and Massa Kilgore, and their children and grandchildren are buried in the cemetery’s southeast corner. The Kilgores tried to build a ranch in this area east of Sutter’s Fort, but the deluges defeated them, so they moved closer to the Sacramento River, where earthen levees were being built. The obelisk that marks the final resting places of the Ohio-born patriarch and matriarch remains. Its inscription marks the precise ages of Matthew (81 years and two days) and Massa (77 years, four months, and 29 days) on their deaths in 1882 and 1876.
Decades later their pensive descendent regularly drove to this still-quiet refuge to read in the company of dead souls. Then one day, as Joan pulled up to park, a rattlesnake slithered from behind a broken stone only to disappear in the grass. “I never again got out of the car,” she wrote in Where I Was From.
Joan Didion had an obsession with snakes. They are almost comically prevalent in her writing—or rather, fear of their presence is everywhere.
Snakes make their first appearance in the third paragraph of her first book, set in Sacramento, Run River. Everett, the husband of the central character, Lily, has a .38 with which he once shot a snake, a foreshadowing of worse violence to come. In chapter six, Lily recalls being afraid of possible snakes in an irrigation ditch and Everett picking her up and holding her to soothe her. In Didion’s famous “love song” to John Wayne, “There had been ahuehuete trees in Durango; a waterfall, rattlesnakes.” Snakes are so central to Play It As It Lays that the original cover features a coiled serpent; Quintana called it “the snake book.” In her essay “Los Angeles Notebook,” Didion’s neighbor hears a rattlesnake. In Blue Nights the house cleaner yells “Vibora!” to rattle a nosy social worker. Joan recalls running over a black snake in “On Keeping a Notebook.” In “California Notes” she writes of “rattlers in the dry grass” and of the California novelist Gertrude Atherton “cutting snakes in two with an axe.” (Here was a feminist role model Didion could embrace!) Writing for Vogue in 1961, she references the superstition that “self-respect is a kind of charm against snakes.” In 1965, she is in Death Valley and she imagines she hears a rattle-snake, “but my husband says that it is a faucet, a paper rustling, the wind.” Also that year, writing about her childhood in “Notes from a Native Daughter,” she admits, “I was a nervous child, afraid of sinkholes and afraid of snakes, and perhaps that was the beginning of my error.”
In the documentary The Center Will Not Hold, the director, her nephew Griffin Dunne, asks Didion about her reptilian obsession. “They were always on my mind,” she says. “You had to avoid them.”
Then she turns the tables on her questioner: “Do you have snakes?” she asks, grimacing.
“I just take a rake and kill them,” Dunne attempts to reassure her.
“Killing a snake is the same as having a snake,” she says, not mollified.
Snakes are an extremely common literary motif, of course, playing the main villain in the Book of Genesis itself, and in her youth, Didion bought into pastoralism. In a 1962 review of Evelyn Waugh for the National Review, she wrote, “the banishment from Eden is our one great tale,” adding that “hardness of mind”—the moral clarity whose rarity she lamented—is “almost invariably held at arm’s length, the way Eve should have held that snake.”
Courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers
The obviousness of the serpent metaphor may seem beneath the rhetorical talents of the queen of literary journalism. But for Didion, the fear was real, not merely symbolic. She grew up in a landscape where snakes were plentiful. California has almost 50 species, including seven types of venomous rattlers. Snakes were more than a literary device for Joan: They embodied a very real but also primal, even ancestral, fear.
It was Joan’s grandfather—Herman Jerrett, a miner and writer—who taught Joan the “code of the West” when it came to rattlesnakes: If you see one, kill it. If that meant getting out of the car and going into the brush after it, so be it. That was your duty to the next person who might come across this vermin and not have the luxury of a car or a shotgun or an axe.
Joan Didion relentlessly hunted snakes in human form, even as she spread the fruit of knowledge. You could say it was her prime objective: to expose corruption, lies, cruelty, hypocrisy, and the abuses of power.
Because she hosted Hollywood parties where authors, politicians, artists, and stars mingled, then carried on this tradition on New York’s Upper East Side, and because she wrote about LA, and New York, and Miami so memorably, we tend to think of Joan Didion as an urbane, urban figure. But it is fundamental to her identity that she grew up in a natural environment. At one point she wanted to be an oceanographer, and in a world where STEM is encouraged for girls, maybe she would have been. A love of nature—particularly flowers, ocean, and sky—as well as a fear of nature—fires, floods, and snakes—animate her writing and are central to the core of who Joan Didion was. “Don’t you think that sometimes people are formed by the landscape they grow up in?” she said in a 1971 interview. “There’s a picture of the valley there, that particular look of absolutely flat land and that sense of things growing, it formed everything I ever think of or ever do or am.”
A close reading of Didion’s work reveals that a prime agenda was to expose the moral bankruptcy of the myth of the golden land and the entire rhetoric of westward expansionism. Her subject was the American empire. It took her years to fully grasp and articulate this, in part because she resisted it, especially as long as her parents were alive. “I didn’t want to figure out California because whatever I figured out would be different from the California my mother and father had told me about,” she said in 2006. There are topics—the fate of the Miwok Indians, the exploitation of Mexican immigrants in the fields that her family owned, for instance—that she never did publicly address. But in incremental pieces—speeches, essays, notes—that were then gathered together in 2003, after her parents’ deaths, as Where I Was From, she clearly and overtly reveals and removes her blinders on her own past. She deconstructs the fallacies of her own first novel, Run River, and its perpetuation of frontier myths. She interrogates California narratives written by authors from Josiah Royce to Frank Norris to William Faulkner to Joan Didion. She documents exclusionary institutions from the Bohemian Club to the Spur Posse.
Released from her loyalty to her mother, Eudene Didion—the woman who gave her the tools and instructions to start writing at age five, and to whom she was so deeply bound that she interred Eduene’s remains in the same columbarium as her husband John Gregory Dunne, her daughter Quintana Roo, and finally, herself—Joan Didion lets it all go: “All of it . . . the dream of America, the entire enchantment under which I had lived my life.” Like her foremothers, she breaks clean with everyone and everything she knew.
Herman Jerrett taught his children to kill rattlesnakes on sight. Years later, when Joan Didion saw the rattler at Kilgore Cemetery, she never even got out of the car. The Didion women violated the code of the West.
There are other ways to handle phobias, ways to kill your fears not their subjects. As a child, Didion may have seemed scared, weak, nervous. But beneath that external frailty, she developed a core of iron. She eventually learned not to try to run from or annihilate her terrors. She faced them. She stared them down.
Image Credit: Matt Baron/Evan Agostini/Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Pete Davidson has had a long string of relationships with famous and gorgeous women.
He dated Kim Kardashian in a high-profile romance.
He’s best known as a Saturday Night Live alum but is also a respected actor.
He’s now reportedly dating Madelyn Cline.
Pete Davidsonrose to fame as the young, millennial cast member of Saturday Night Live. Over the years, he’s broken the internet with comedy specials, SNL sketches and received well-earned praise for his work in films like The King of Staten Island. But with all this success comes a lot of scrutiny — especially concerning Pete’s love life. From his short-lived engagement with Ariana Grande to his high-profile romance with Kim Kardashian to his brief but intense flings with Kate Beckinsale, Kaia Gerber,Phoebe Dynevor, and Emily Ratajkowski, Pete has earned a reputation for being one of the most desired bachelors.
At the start of 2023, Pete began dating Chase Sui Wonders, his co-star in the 2022 horror-comedy Bodies Bodies Bodies. Their romance heated up along with the weather, with the love lasting through the winter and into the spring. However, an August 24, 2023 report claims the relationship is over after less than a year of dating.
On September 22, a new report emerged that he’s dating Outer Banks bombshell Madelyn Cline, just weeks after news of his defunct relationship with Chase.
Over the years, Pete’s relationships have been reported on countless times. But his relationships extend far beyond his recent whirlwind romances. Take a look at the guide below to learn more about the women Pete has dated throughout his career.
Carly Aquilino
Pete Davidson and Carly Aquilino dated in 2015 (AP)
Pete’s first high-profile relationship came in 2015 when he began dating fellow comedian Carly Aquilino of MTV’s Girl Code. 2015 was a pretty big year for Pete, who was enjoying his second season on SNL. The pair didn’t really make headlines for anything that occurred in their relationship or their subsequent breakup later in the year. The two seem to have quite an amicable, friendly relationship since their split. Carly co-starred in the 2020 film The King of Staten Island, which Pete leads. She even took to Instagram on June 11 to thank Pete and director Judd Apatow for the opportunity to be a part of the project.
Cazzie David
Pete Davidson and Cazzie David were together for roughly two years (AP)
Following his split from Carly, Pete had a nearly two-year relationship with Cazzie David. Cazzie is the daughter of comedian Larry David, who’s appeared on SNL several times. The two began dating in roughly May of 2016. In a recently published interview with The Los Angeles Times, Cazzie explained that the former couple was “infatuated” with one another. However, Cazzie confessed that she “struggled to convince him that she really loved him.”
The pair split in early 2018, but Cazzie admitted that she immediately regretted the decision. The writer revealed that she tried to get in touch with Pete, and when he finally responded, he shared with her that he was “happier than he’d ever been” and split from her for good over text. Pete quickly moved on to his next relationship, which will be explained in more detail below. But the high-profile nature of his next romance was something Cazzie really struggled with.
“It was a really pivotal moment in my life. And writing about it has caused me a ton of anxiety, especially because I talk so much about hating the attention it brought me. Why would I bring more attention to myself by writing about it? But there’s nothing that’s gonna be worse than what I already experienced with that,” she explained.
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson out in NYC on August 18, 2018 (MEGA)
In May 2018, Ariana Grande and Pete took their romance public. The two had known each other for a number of years, as Ari appeared on SNL as the musical guest in 2016, during Pete’s early seasons on the variety sketch show. They got engaged in June 2018 after just a few weeks of dating. On Ari’s album Sweetener, she wrote a song dedicated to Pete called “Pete Davidson.” The two also made a number of appearances on red carpets, and Pete was by Ari’s side to support her at various awards shows.
By October 2018, Pete and Ari called off their engagement. The relationship ended roughly one month after the death of Ari’s former boyfriend, Mac Miller, putting even more scrutiny on the young pop star. Ari, however, took the shocking split and used her art to get through the breakup. Her 2019 album Thank U, Next made a number of references to Pete.
In the title song and single “Thank U, Next,” Ari sings, “Even almost got married/ And for Pete I’m so thankful,” referencing the SNL cast member. For his part, Pete only had kind sentiments for his ex-fiancée. He even used time during SNL’s “Weekend Update” segment to wish her well. “She’s a wonderful, strong person, and I genuinely wish her all the happiness in the world,” he said during the November 2018 episode.
Kate Beckinsale
Kate Beckinsale and Pete Davidson hold hands leaving the Motley Crue Show at The Whiskey A Go Go (BACKGRID)
Pete began 2019 with a new relationship. He started dating actress Kate Beckinsale, who is roughly 20 years Pete’s senior. The pair were spotted out and about at various events, including a basketball game where a photo of the two making out next to Queer Eye’sAntoni Porowski went viral and even got the meme treatment. During their time together, Kate also referenced their relationship in an interview with The Los Angeles Times.
“I’ve never been in this position before — never dated anybody who comes with their own bag of mischief,” she shared in March 2019. “It’s all quite shocking and something to get used to. I think if you liked the person less, you would bow out of it. If that were the main thrust of the relationship, there would be a problem. But it’s not.” The two split one month later, in April 2019.
Margaret Qualley
Margaret Qualley spotted with Pete Davidson hand in hand in the streets of Venice on September 2, 2019 (MEGA)
Near the end of the 2019 summer, Pete began datingOnce Upon A Time…In Hollywood actress Margaret Qualley. In September, the two were spotted out and about during a date night in Venice. The romance was pretty short-lived, though. Margaret and Pete dated for only two months, splitting in October 2019.
Kaia Gerber
Pete Davidson and girlfriend Kaia Gerber attended a friend’s wedding in Miami on November 23, 2019 (Mega)
One month after splitting from Margaret, Pete started dating model Kaia Gerber. The former couple was first spotted on a few low-key outings before they became more comfortable showing affection for one another in public spaces. The relationship, however, didn’t last very long. The two went their separate ways by January 2020. The comedian, though, had nothing but kind thoughts regarding Kaia.
During a February interview with Charlamagne tha God, Pete confessed that prior to their breakup, he was “going through a lot.” Pete also said of Kaia that she is “beautiful, smarter than me…If anyone was worried that I was too smart or advanced for her, they do not have to worry at all. She was way, way smarter than I was.”
Phoebe Dynevor
Pete Davidson, left, at the March 2020 New York premiere of ‘Big Time Adolescence’ / Phoebe Dynevor, right, at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards in Feb. 2020 (Shutterstock)
In early 2021, Pete Davidson was once again the subject of romance rumors. The SNL funnyman was “spending time” with Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor in her hometown of Altrincham, Greater Manchester, on March 21. Pete was spotted out and about in the UK town and took pictures with fans. A month earlier, Phoebe reportedly spent time with Pete in Brooklyn while she was shooting for TVLand’s Younger.
The two didn’t immediately respond to the speculations, but a teenage British schoolgirl claimed she saw Pete and Phoebe “holding hands, hugging, and [acting] like they were a couple.” She also claimed they “looked like they were in a relationship and seemed happy together… I hadn’t seen anything written about Pete being in a relationship with Phoebe, but once I saw them together, I thought, ‘Maybe they are?’… I ran up the road to catch up with them and asked him if he was Pete Davidson, and he answered in an English accent and joked he was trying to trick everyone that he’s English. He seemed quite happy and didn’t mind me taking a picture with him.”
In July, they were also seen kissing and cuddling in the stands at a Wimbledon match, but they split soon after in August 2021. An insider told The Sun, “Pete and Phoebe’s romance was a real whirlwind and from the start, they were both totally committed. But as time has passed, it’s become increasingly obvious it is going to be difficult to make this work. It was wild while it lasted, and they both really care for each other. But the distance has put a strain on them. Their mates think they make a great couple, but the distance has made it completely unworkable. They had fun and will remain close but unless something drastic changes their relationship won’t recover.”
Kim Kardashian
Pete Davidson as Scott Carlin in ‘The King Of Staten Island’/ Kim Kardashian is seen heading to an event in New York City on Nov. 1 after being photographed holding hands with Pete Davidson. (Mary Cybulski/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock/Elder Ordonez / SplashNews)
Kim Kardashian and Pete made headlines when their romance took flight. Speculation of something bettween them first started back in the fall of 2021, after they were pictured holding hands on a rollercoaster during a trip to Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. They worked together when she hosted Saturday Night Live that October, and they seemed to enjoy their double date with Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker at the amusement park.
Pete later treated Kim to a private rooftop dinner in Staten Island on Nov. 2, 2021, sources told Page Six. “Pete arranged a dinner on the rooftop privately,” a restaurant insider told the outlet. “It was just the two of them.”
In the months following the amusement park outing, the two seemed inseparable, enjoying vacations together and packing a lot of PDA. However, the romance didn’t last long as the pair called it quits after nine months of dating. The split occurred on the week of Aug. 5, a source close to Kim confirmed to HollywoodLife.
Emily Ratajkowski
Pete Davidson and Emily Ratajkowski (Kristina Bumphrey/StarPix/Shutterstock / Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock)
Only months after Pete parted ways with the SKIMS founder, a report emerged in November 2022 that Pete is dating Emily Ratajkowski. “Pete and Emily have been talking for a couple [of] months now,” an insider reportedly told Us Weekly on November 14. They continued, explaining that the duo is “in the very early stages, but both really like each other.” Pete’s sense of humor apparently played a part in the emerging attraction. “Pete makes Emily laugh, and he loves how intelligent she is,” the source reportedly said.
At the end of January, they ditched the wintery NYC weather for a holiday in Hawaii. While Pete and his new love were on vacation, paparazzi captured them passionately kissing., which all but confirmed the romance. In a second set of photos, Pete got a handful of Chase’s buns while they made out during a tropical hike.
Pete got Martha Stewart’s approval in April when he and Chase Sui Wonders visited her. “They were out looking at our beautiful town of Bedford,” Martha captioned the photo of them together. “I showed them around the farm and inside the winter house where the Easter Bunnies were getting ready for Sunday. Very cute couple!!!!”
During this romance with Chase Sui Wonders, Pete spoke about how having his personal life in the public eye took a toll on him. “I’m in my 20s, and I’ve dated people,” he said on the Real Ones With Jon Berthnal podcast. “And for some reason, that’s very crazy and interesting to people. I don’t think it’s interesting.”
He also said how having his dating life mocked on Saturday Night Life hit hard. “When it’s your own show, and I’ll be sitting in the back watching the cold open, and it’s topical political humor or whatever in the culture, and they’re making fun of you…and then you gotta walk out and do a sketch next and hit your mark…” he said. “The show just made fun of you, so why are they going to laugh at you? They just dogged you!”
Pete clarified that he loved the people he worked with, but the atmosphere could be confusing and often played with his head. “It was a really difficult thing to do,” Pete shared. “You feel insecure. You feel like a small person.”
In August of 2023, two months after Pete reportedly entered rehab for PTSD, a report claimed he and Chase had gone their separate ways after less than a year together. “He’s single again,” a source told PEOPLE for the Aug. 24 report. “He’s out and about and doing really well.”
Madelyn Cline
Shutterstock
On September 22, 2023, just weeks after news of his split from Chase, Us Weekly reported that Pete has embarked on a romance with Outer Banks beauty Madelyn Cline. “Pete and Madelyn are dating,” an insider told the outlet. “They spent the night together at the Beverly Hills Hotel and then had breakfast together there the next morning,” The insider shared additional details, adding that, “They were really low-key and kept things casual, wearing baseball hats.”
On September 12, Apple introduced a quartet of new iPhones to the world. While the standard models inherited a few extras from the previous year’s Pros, this year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max stood out in front of the smaller iPhone 15 Pro with a unique camera setup that surpasses any previous entry in the series.
As you’ll now know if you’ve read our full iPhone 15 Pro Max review, we absolutely loved the new phone’s cameras, describing it as offering ” fantastic image quality, which should make any smartphone owner envious.”
Despite sitting in a class of its own, however, and setting the bar by which the Samsung Galaxy S24 series and every other competing flagship phone will be measured for the next year, there were still shortcomings that Apple could have addressed and perhaps should address with next year’s top iPhone. That will, presumably, be the iPhone 16 Pro Max – assuming Apple doesn’t follow through on rumors that will render it the ‘iPhone 16 Ultra’ instead.
Before we get to the wishlist for the company’s next uber-flagship, however, there are a few tidbits of information on Apple’s 2024 smartphones already out in the wild. We’ve collated them here and will continue to add to them as more rumors, leaks and official information emerges over the course of the next year.
Cut to the chase
What is it? The larger-screened/batteried version of the iPhone 16 Pro
When is it out? Probably September 2024
How much will it cost? Likely from $1,199 / £1,399 / AU$2,099
iPhone 16 Pro Max: Expected release date and price
Likely to launch in the first half of September 2024
Shipping date will probably be a week or so later
Probably priced around the same as the current iPhone 15 Pro Max
Apple has a habit of launching iPhones on a Tuesday or Wednesday in the first or second week of September, usually placing the phones on sale the following Friday.
For reference, the iPhone 15 Pro Max was unveiled on September 12 at Apple’s September event, hitting pre-order on September 15 and going on sale on September 22, priced from $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,199 for the base 256GB version. It also has a 512GB build in the middle of the range and a 1TB model costing $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,899 at the top. We expect the pricing and availability of the iPhone 16 Pro Max to mirror this availability pretty closely (along with the rest of the iPhone 16 lineup).
iPhone 15 Pro Max or Ultra?
In the run-up to the iPhone 15 series’ release, there was rampant speculation about whether 2023 would be the year that Apple introduced an ‘Ultra’ entry into the lineup; a suffix that companies like Samsung, Motorola and Xiaomi already employ across their rival phone lines.
With the company’s ‘Wonderlust’ event having now been and gone without so much as a whisper of an iPhone 15 Ultra, it stands to reason that talk of an Ultra iPhone entry must instead apply to Apple’s iPhone 16 lineup, expected in late 2024.
At present, there’s ambiguity around whether the Ultra will replace the Pro Max or launch or launch alongside it. However, if Apple pursues the latter option, it’ll raise the ceiling for the iPhone portfolio, allowing the company to charge even more for its best and brightest iPhone of the moment.
iPhone 16 Pro Max: Expected design and display
The 15 Pro Max’s ProMotion 6.7-inch display (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Rumored larger 6.9-inch 120Hz ‘ProMotion’ screen
Possible under-display Face ID system
Probably a titanium frame, like the 15 Pro Max
While we’re nowhere near anything like a complete spec sheet at this early stage, some talk around the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s design has already surfaced.
Speaking of the screen, Apple managed to make the bezels thinner across both iPhone 15 Pro models, but a key analyst at Display Supply Chain Consultants expects the entire panel to grow in size next year. If true, this would mean the iPhone 16 Pro Max would clock in with a 6.9-inch screen, compared to the 15 Pro Max’s current 6.7-inch offering, and making it the largest iPhone yet. DSCC’s key analyst Ross Young also suggests that Apple might finally deviate from the 19.5:9 aspect ratio sported by the last few iPhones, opting instead for a 19.6:9 ratio. This would make the iPhone 16 Pro range fractionally taller and narrower than the 15 Pros.
One final rumor (again, from The Elec) suggests that the already-bright displays that Apple places into its iPhones will be surpassed in grand fashion by a new ‘Multi-Lens Array” (MLA) AMOLED panel. Thought to be exclusive to the Pro (and possibly Ultra) members of 2024’s iPhone family, MLA tech reportedly helped LG make its TV panels 60% brighter and Samsung is already apparently using MLA AMOLED screens on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
The trade-offs with MLA technology are that viewing angles can be reduced and that the panels are more expensive, which could have a knock-on effect on the final price of the 16 Pro Max, if Apple decides to go down this route.
There are also some educated guesses we can make about the rest of the 16 Pro Max’s design. Firstly, the Action button – which replaces the long-standing silent/ring switch – on the side of the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max – will almost certainly be retained for next year’s model. But there’s more: solid-state buttons, which were originally expected on 2023’s Pro iPhones, will now presumably make their debut on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max (and Ultra, if it arrives as a standalone device).
Meanwhile, the USB-C port introduced this year and the new lightweight titanium frame will all also undoubtedly make another appearance. Here’s hoping Apple serves up more interesting colors on next year’s Pro Max, though, as this year’s lineup looks a little… bland.
iPhone 16 Pro Max: Expected cameras
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Talk of a ‘super telephoto’ periscope camera
One report mentions a 48MP ultra-wide too
Rumors of a stacked sensor that could improve low-light performance
The camera hardware across the last two generations of iPhones has represented significant progression for the line, with the iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max embracing a new 48MP main sensor (up from 12MP previously) that added lossless 2x zoom by way of sensor cropping, along with a few other new photographic tricks.
Fast-forward to this year’s iPhone line and, along with an enhanced 48MP main sensor, the iPhone 15 Pro Max also benefits from Apple’s first periscope telephoto lens, which zooms up to 5x. Some sources suggest its successor will go further, however.
According to popular tipster Digital Chat Station, the iPhone 16 Pro Max camera might finally challenge Samsung in one key area – namely that next year’s model could boast a “super telephoto” camera. That implies a snapper with a focal range that meets or exceeds 300mm, which would surpass the zoom range of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, its current key rival in this department.
Depending on Apple’s approach, the sensor could use either an extended prism design (like Samsung’s Ultra phones) or a folded prism (like the tetraprism found on the 15 Pro Max’s 5x telephoto snapper) for a lower-profile camera module. Alternatively, the company could pair its existing prism and sensor-cropping tech together to achieve this impressive target zoom range.
Assuming the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s primary sensor maintains the current 24mm focal length of the 15 Pro/Pro Max, a 6x telephoto camera (sporting a 150mm focal range), paired with a larger sensor (the Pro Max currently sports a 12MP telephoto sensor) that allows for a 2x zoom sensor crop could be used to reach the magic 300mm figure.
As already touched on, it remains unclear whether this super telephoto camera will come to the iPhone 16 Pro Max or the iPhone 16 Ultra, or if they are one and the same. But either way, we’re crossing our fingers on 2024 being the year we see this tech make its way to the iPhone.
The cameras on the iPhone 14 Pro Max (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Beyond the headline long-range snapper, Apple’s use of Sony camera hardware may also extend to the stacked Exmor T for Mobile sensor technology currently found in the Xperia 1 V and Xperia 5 V. By rearranging the layout of the sensor’s internals, Sony has been able to build a smartphone camera that can suck in more light at the same resolution; seasoned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, for one, claims the iPhone 16 Pro models will also get this camera sensor upgrade.
For all the leaks surrounding the iPhone 16 Pro line’s design and camera tech, details around the rest of the internals absent from the rumor mill right now, leaving us fill in the blanks with informed speculation, based on Apple’s past practices.
On the day of the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s launch, Apple also released the Xcode 15 Release Candidate, which revealed that the phone sports 8GB RAM – up from 6GB on previous generations. As such, it’s assumed that the 16 Pro Max will continue this trend, supporting the assumed successor to the latest Apple-made A17 Pro chipset which debuts in the 15 Pro Max – presumably the A18 Pro SoC.
As far as the model’s new-found USB-C connectivity goes, Apple seems unlikely to change charging or data speeds only one year after making the switch, but we can dream.
iPhone 16 Pro Max: what we want to see
Speaking of dreams, as mentioned up top, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max is an undeniably impressive piece of kit, Apple certainly left room for its successor to up the ante, based on what else the market has to offer.
Here’s what we’d like to see from the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
1. Better colors
(Image credit: 9to5Mac)
This year’s titanium-clad 15 Pro and Pro Max arrive in a quartet of colorways, with white, black, blue and ‘natural’ titanium to choose between.
While talk of a nano-coating and the 14-hour process required to achieve the final look all sounded very impressive during the reveal keynote, the end result of these premium finishes is fine, if a little unexciting.
The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max felt as though they stepped out of Apple’s comfort zone a little bit, with the introduction of the Deep Purple hue, however, no such deviation persisted one year on. And that was despite rumors of an exciting new Deep Red colorway potentially being on the cards.
Our hope with the iPhone 16 Pro Max is that this additional Deep Red colorway does finally make an appearance, or Apple at least takes a few more risks with the finishes on its 2024 Pro iPhones.
2. Faster charging
USB-C on the iPhone 15 Pro Max (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Apple doesn’t appear to have made any attempt to speed up the charging on this year’s iPhone series and while fractionally larger batteries and a more efficient chip should extend efficiency, a slight bump to the recharging speeds wouldn’t go amiss either.
3. Faster data transfer over USB
One of the first iPhones with a USB-C port (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
European regulators may have forced Apple’s hand with the adoption of USB-C on the iPhone 15 line, but while the company did the standard and Plus models dirty by leaving data speeds practically untouched compared to the previous generation’s Lightning port, it did at least see fit to dress the 15 Pro and Pro Max with USB 3.0 data transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps.
Whether by chance or misfortunate, however, on the same day of the 15 series’ launch, Intel revealed its latest Thunderbolt 5 standard, which can reach theoretical transfer speeds of up to 120Gbps – that’s 12 times faster than the ports on the 15 Pro and Pro Max.
With computers expected to start arriving with Thunderbolt 5 ports in 2024 and Apple already embracing the Thunderbolt standard on Mac and its displays, the only thing stopping Apple from putting an even quicker port on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, is Apple.
4. Under-display camera
The Dynamic Island was introduced on the iPhone 14 Pro & Pro Max (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
While rumors already suggest the Face ID components will make their way under the display on next year’s Pro models, if anyone could crack the conundrum of under-display cameras it’d be Apple.
Sure, the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Red Magic 8S Pro both serve up under-display camera technology, the sheer physics of it all means picture quality is consistently sub-bar.
If Apple’s willing to pour as much time and energy into this as it did into the Dynamic Island, there’s little doubt in our minds that it could do wonders for under-display camera tech on a future iPhone model.
It seems another chapter in the rollercoaster career of Meghan Markle has closed, with the Daily Mail reporting that the former actress has withdrawn applications to trademark the Archetypes podcast name.
Markle had previously released one series of the podcast on the Spotify platform – billed as an attempt to “examine and subject the labels that seek to limit women” and including interviews with guests including Serena Williams, Paris Hilton and Mariah Carey – as part of a reported $29-37million deal signed with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex back in 2020.
The deal was officially terminated this June, when a spokesman for the couple’s production company announced that Markle “was continuing to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform,” and indeed applications were lodged with the US Patent and Trademark Office to protect the podcast’s name at that time.
It seems this plan has now been abandoned, with this application withdrawn according to the Daily Mail.
Although the decision to terminate the relationship with Spotify was described in June as “mutual”, the platform’s boss Bill Simmons went on to publicly slam the pair’s efforts, calling them both “f***ing grifters” on a podcast, and telling listeners: “I have got to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories … F**k them.”
The actress expressed her bold opinions about sex education and prostitution in India.
Oiviya Helen believes that due to less availability of sex, people are unaware of the rights and wrongs in this sector.
Tamil actress Oviya Helen is a well-known name in the entertainment industry. She rose to fame from the Bigg Boss Tamil Season 1. The actress is famous for her bold interviews and social media posts. Oviya Helen recently squashed all the rumours against her sexuality in an interview and said that she is not a lesbian. The actress is again grabbing the headlines with her recent interview with Galatta Pink – a media portal. In the interview, the actress said that prostitution should become legal in India as it will help in decreasing rape cases in India. The interview has now gone viral.
In the latest interview, Kalavani movie fame actress Oviya Helen expressed some of her bold opinions about sex education and prostitution in India. During the interaction with the reporter of the Galatta Pink, a media portal, the actress said that Sex is about practical knowledge. Everyone has desires and sexual hormones. She says that if people practice sexual activities practically then they can learn more about it than from theories or books. She later calls it a natural thing.
Oviya Helen believes that due to less availability of sex, people are unaware of the rights and wrongs in this sector. Hence, she asks for the legality of prostitution. It will educate people about sex and quench their sexual hormones. The actress also believes that it will reduce rape cases in India and will make it a better place for people.
During the interview, the actress also said she is not thinking about marriage and is currently content with her life. She also quashed the rumours of her being lesbian in this interview.
Oviya Started her career with several supporting roles. She made her on-screen debut with the Malayalam film Kangaroo which was released in 2007. She made her Tamil debut with the movie Naalai Namathe in 2009. The breakthrough movie for the actress came with the movie Kalavani in 2010. She played the lead character in the movie. The film was written and directed by A Sarkunam. Later the movie was remade in Kannada language titled, Kirataka with Oviya Helen reprising her role.
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Jamie McElrath needs to find a roommate before the end of the month.
A scenic artist who has painted sets for popular shows such as Netflix series “You” and FX’s “What We Do in the Shadows,” McElrath, 38, has been out of workfor about five months amid the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strikes.
Her old roommate moved out on Sept. 1 to seek a more affordable life outside of California. His empty room in her Glendale apartment worries her, along with $2,300 in rent. Not to mention the $15,000 in credit card debt that continues to balloon as she struggles to pay for internet, car bills and gas.
“It’s very weird to go from a place where you’re used to making $1,600 to $2,000 a week, and changing your habits of how you buy things, how you eat and how much [gas] you put in your car,” McElrath said. “It almost feels like money is helpless in this moment right now.”
Below-the-line workers include camera operators, light technicians, makeup artists, costume designers, boom mic operators, drivers and other studio laborers.
This week, the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers resumed negotiations. People close to the talks described the tone of the meeting as positive. Despite the optimism, the strike has passed its 140th day and crew members have expressed frustration over the slow pace of negotiations. Much of their anger is directed toward the AMPTP.
Jamie McElrath has $15,000 in credit card debt that continues to balloon as she struggles to pay for internet, car bills and gas.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
While they aren’t on strike themselves, crew members have been among the hardest hit by shutdowns caused by the twin strikes (actors joined writers on the picket lines in mid-July).
Their reserves were largely depleted during the previous industry shutdowns amid COVID-19, and many have had to dip into their savings, struggling to pay for essentials such as rent, mortgages, food and other costs related to family and children.
While crew members struggle to find work, their healthcare, provided by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the Teamsters union, is beginning to expire. Some are facing eviction.
IATSE spokesperson Jonas Loeb could not immediately comment Friday afternoon when asked about the frustrations and financial burdens of the union’s membership. He instead referred to an oft-repeated quote from an anonymous studio executive who told Deadline in July, “The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses.”
The AMPTP said last week that every member of the alliance is committed to “working together with the WGA to end the strike.”
Bodie Hyman, a key grip, and his wife, a yoga instructor, have spent about $40,000 of their savings, mostly to pay for food and the mortgage on their Woodland Hills home, where they are raising their two children.
He said there is work around town, shooting commercials and music videos, which are allowed amid the strikes. But those jobs are rare. Two of his friends, who are also Hollywood workers, have already moved out of Southern California — one moved to Nashville to pursue construction work, while another moved to Pennsylvania where his mom lives.
“The perception is that why would they stay here when there’s no work and their livelihood has turned its back on them?” said Hyman, 48. “It’s a very expensive town to not work in and live in.”
The nature of work for crew members differs from the rest of Hollywood.
Even before the strike, writers and actors were more accustomed to going long periods between projects, filling the gaps in employment with jobs outside the industry, whether bartending, teaching or driving for ride-share and delivery services. Jobs for crew members, however, tend to be more consistent. Yet when the industry shuts down, they are left to start from scratch.
“We don’t have a lot of opportunities for side hustles and … our skills are very focused,” said Ray Milazzo, an industry veteran who works as a first assistant camera person.
He described the industry like the military, with everyone contributing a specialty to their individual job. “A lot of our skills aren’t transferable.”
Milazzo, 51, lives in a double-union household — his wife, LaVerne Caracuzzi, is a makeup artist and member of Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild (IATSE Local 706). She’s been without work since January when “All American: Homecoming” finished shooting. Afterward, talk of a writers’ walkout loomed and projects began to halt. Her unemployment has run out.
Although Milazzo, who lives in Thousand Oaks, has recently found occasional work on commercials, a single paycheck is hardly enough for their family to get by. The couple have had to dip into their savings to cover their mortgage, car bills, college tuition for one of their two kids and other expenses.
Long-standing industry foundations have stepped in to assist struggling Hollywood workers.
The Motion Picture & Television Fund, which receives donations from local unions, individual donors, studios and streamers, has been giving out $1,500 grants, prioritizing below-the line workers. Since the start of the writers’ strike, the fund says it has assisted roughly 1,400 workers, distributing more than $1.5 million. That number is expected to rise by another half-million dollars in the next several weeks.
Last month, Bob Beitcher, the fund’s president and chief executive, wrote an open letter to the industry, blasting it and the media for overlooking crew workers, whom he referred to as “the backbone of the industry” and “forgotten casualties during these strikes.”
“We needed to raise the flag to the industry and the larger entertainment community. … They need to remember the crew, who are the lowest paid workers … we need to support them as well,” Beitcher said of his letter in a recent interview.
He said his foundation receives 150 to 200 calls each day and prioritizes people who have less than $10,000 in liquid assets. He’s heard workers report that they’ve moved back in with their families, many leaving California. Some have given up their dream of working in the industry altogether. Others have lost their homes due to evictions, along with their cars and health insurance. Several applicants are living in Southern California unhoused.
Keith McNutt, who is the Western region director of the Entertainment Community Fund, another foundation set up to assist entertainment industry workers, said that over the last month they have seen a dramatic increase in people who are facing three-day eviction notices, mortgage foreclosures and utility shutoffs.
His fund has distributed more than $7.1 million in aid to Hollywood workers since the start of the writers’ strike, giving out $400,000 to $500,000 each week.
Major donors within the industry have been pouring funds into the organization, among them showrunners and celebrities such as Seth MacFarlane, who this week donated $5 million. IATSE has already given $4 million to foundations such as the MPTF and the Entertainment Community Fund to help its members. The size of checks to applicants vary depending on need. At times, the fund has been able to stave off eviction for some individuals.
“We hope that what we do puts a plug in the dam for a little bit while they get back on their feet and come up with a plan or a strategy for what to do next month,” McNutt said.
As the strikes continues, he said he’s noticed the severity of people’s needs growing worse.
“The level of economic distress is escalating as time goes on, and that of course brings a parallel process of all of the emotional distress,” McNutt said, adding that his organization offers seminars on financial and mental health support.
Greg Gilday, an IATSE prop maker, is selling off some of his vintage Star Wars collectibles to pay the rent.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Others in the industry have turned to more unconventional means of survival. Greg Gilday has spent the last five years as an IATSE prop maker. He’s built space ships in galactic worlds featured on “Star Wars” series including “Ahsoka” on Disney+. Now, he spends part of his time rummaging through his garage looking for “Star Wars” memorabilia he can part with so he can pay his rent.
Gilday, 49, co-organized a flea market in Burbank last month for crew members like himself who were willing to sell vintage clothing, movie props, collectibles and other belongings. Actors and prop houses also joined in the sale, held in the parking lot of Heritage Props, which did not charge a booth fee. Another sale is scheduled at the same location on Oct. 15, with more than 50 vendors already signed up.
At his booth, Gilday sold a stormtrooper action figure — still in its box — for around $10. A 1968 Harley jacket sold for $75. A butterscotch leather trench coat from the 1970s that fit one buyer perfectly sold for $100. In total, Gilday estimates he made almost $1,200 the day of the flea market.
“Trust me, it went directly to the rent,” said Gilday, who lives in a bungalow in Eagle Rock.
McElrath, who is an executive board member for Motion Picture Set and Painters and Sign Writers (IATSE Local 729) and a member of the Art Directors Guild Local 800, will be a vendor at Gilday’s event next month. She recently sold hand-poured candles for $5, offered card readings and sold other merchandise and made about $250.
McElrath applied last month for a grant through the Motion Picture and Television Fund, hoping the money will help pay for rent; she’s still waiting for that first check. She’s also planning to apply for the Entertainment Community Fund. And recently, she’s had to ask her father for a loan, a first since moving to California from New York as a 17-year-old for college. He gave her $1,400.
“Don’t stress the money and don’t worry about paying me back,” McElrath recalled him saying.
Striking writers and actors have enjoyed a high degree of support from other Hollywood unions, including the Teamsters and IATSE, whose members also nearly went on strike in 2021 seeking better pay and improved working conditions on sets.
Still, frustrations have bubbled up among some crew members.
One member struggling with unemployment and angered by the strike in August reportedly wrote a death threat to IATSE Local 80, forcing the union to cancel an event and close its Burbank office.
“It’s completely out of your hands — we all of course support the writers, we support the actors, but at the cost of our own livelihoods,” said Hyman, the key grip. “That’s kind of a tough pill to swallow, and I don’t think anybody saw this going on this long.”
Though much of the anger is directed at the AMPTP, which represents major studios like Walt Disney Co., Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix, some crew members have mixed feelings about the writers’ and actors’ strikes since they won’t benefit directly from the eventual deal with studios.
“We’re the collateral damage,” Milazzo said.
He and other below-the-line workers worry that the financial strain from the strikes could hurt their chances heading into bargaining for their own contract next year. Their agreement with AMPTP is set to expire July 31. And if members are worn out and unwilling to strike, that could make for less pressure and leverage to push studios to hammer out a deal favorable for workers.
Nonetheless, crew members recognize the writers’ and actors’ fight is intertwined with their own in ways that could be beneficial.
James Goldman, a longtime camera operator who worked on blockbusters “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and “Godzilla vs. Kong,” said IATSE members’ pensions are tied to the amount of residuals they make from projects. If the WGA and SAG-AFTRA could win a favorable deal over residuals, it could fuel IATSE’s contract talks over the issue. “Their fight affects all of us,” he said.
Hollywood makeup artist Geneva Nash-Morgan agreed, and said, “People don’t recognize it because we don’t negotiate at the same time, but if they can get that done, we will have a good chance of getting done what we need to get done.”
Crew members also are quick to acknowledge that actors and writers have been struggling amid the largely stagnant talks. Striking workers don’t qualify for unemployment, leaving them with few options for relief. However, state lawmakers passed a bill this month that, if signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, would allow striking workers to qualify for such benefits.
Separately, some writers and actors have been unable to pay their monthly health insurance premiums, and their guild healthcare is running out. Many are struggling to put food on the table.
Writers and actors who face such food insecurity have been able to shop at World Harvest Food Bank, where guild members are allowed to fill their shopping carts with produce and other food items for free. On a given weekday, more than 130 SAG-AFTRA and WGA members will stream through the Arlington Heights food bank, said owner Glen Curado. And it’s common for guild members to break down in tears as they share their experiences with Curado.
“They’re on the floor, they’re crying, and I’m a crier, and I give ’em a hug,” said Curado. “These people legitimately give up everything they’re doing and come from all across the United States, and leave their home in Wisconsin, or Maryland, or Florida, to come here and make it big on the big screen, and so most of them are single here.”
Screenwriter Joelle Garfinkel, a WGA strike captain, has fielded similar conversations with Hollywood workers. In June, the second month of striking, Garfinkel received a green envelope in the mail, the typical color residual checks arrive in. However, unlike the typical paltry check, the residuals from this particular project were enough to cover her bills for the month.
While walking the Radford Studios picket line later that month, Garfinkel offered to Venmo a struggling friend $100 to help with groceries. Affected by her friend’s gratitude, she then sent a tweet, raffling off another $100 Venmo payment to another WGA member. Soon after, other members reached out, offering to sponsor other people with their own residual earnings. Within weeks, the operation grew and Garfinkel started the mutual aid fund Green Envelope Grocery Aid.
Since then, the grassroots fund has sent out nearly 1,750 separate $100 grants. Among the recipients are IATSE members and other below-the-line workers, who Garfinkel, who is also a member of IATSE as a script coordinator, recognizes are giving up a lot on behalf of the writers and actors.
“So to be able to give back, because there is a lot of sacrifice that’s being made right now, feels really good,” she said.
Deadpool 3 production has been affected by the ongoing strikes in Hollywood, but once they are over, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are eager to resume work on the highly anticipated Marvel Studios film.
Shawn Levy, the director of Deadpool 3, shared an image on Instagram showing Reynolds, Jackman, and himself waiting to shoot again, highlighting their eagerness to get back to what they love.
Levy reassures fans that Deadpool 3 will not completely abandon the Fox universe that launched the Deadpool and X-Men franchises, as it holds significant history and storytelling potential for the movie. The film’s release date is currently set for May 2024.
Deadpool 3 is so tantalizingly close that you can almost smell the chaos Ryan Reynolds’ anti-hero is going to bring to the relatively sanitized MCU landscape. However, for now the movie has been caught up in something bigger than anything even the Merc with a Mouth can talk his way around – the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that have been slowly closing down the Tinseltown machine one production at a time. It seems, though, that the moment the strikes are over Reynolds and his buddy Hugh Jackman will be getting straight back to work on the highly anticipated release from Marvel Studios.
In a new image shared by Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy, it seems that even superheroes need to sometimes just sit around and chill over breakfast when waiting for their time to shine. As Levy put it in a caption on his Instagram story post, “Three amigos waiting to shoot again…”
It has been clear since Deadpool 3 was forced to shut down its production that, just like many in Hollywood right now, the trio are desperate to get cameras rolling again and get back to doing the thing they love. Exactly when that will happen is something that is still unclear, but recent reports have suggested that strikes could be movie towards a resolution. Naturally, this something of a “pinch of salt” scenario, as just like the old saying goes, it ain’t over, ‘til it’s over.
Shawn Levy Has Teased Big Things Coming in Deadpool 3.
Marvel Studios 20th Century Fox
Fan expectation is often one of the biggest challenges that Marvel Studios has to navigate when releasing any movie or TV show. As has been seen many times in the last decade, there are some projects that are instantly lauded as the greatest thing ever to grace screens, while others are Hulk-smashed into the ground before they even air.
With this in mind, Deadpool 3 is one of those movies that comes with the great burden of matching what came before, while expanding into the new world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As far as Levy is concerned, the movie will certainly not be completely abandoning the Fox universe that launched the Deadpool and X-Men franchises. He recently said:
“Deadpool and Wolverine are iconic Marvel characters; more specifically, iconic Marvel-of-the-Fox-era characters. We’re not going to pretend: ‘Oh, we snap our fingers, and suddenly that Fox legacy doesn’t exist, and it shaped a lot of what we now know as the MCU.’ Fox also shaped Ryan’s career, Hugh’s career and my career. So there’s a lot of history there, and there’s a lot of Marvel history at Fox. And certainly that’s a part of our storytelling.”
Right now, there are probably more rumors floating around for who will and won’t show up in Deadpool 3 than any other Marvel project of the last four years. We all know that this kind of fan-theory-thinking is not always a good thing, and can lead to the kind of disappointment that movies such as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness have caused when they don’t deliver exactly what fans have conjured in their minds. So far, it seems that Deadpool 3 could well be more Spider-Man: No Way Home than She-Hulk: Attorney at Law when it finally hits screens, currently, in May 2024.
“Starbreeze and Deep Silver are today very happy and excited to announce that their ultimate co-op heist shooter fantasy “PAYDAY 3″, is now available for PC (via Steam) and consoles (the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S) via digital stores.” – Starbreeze and Deep Silver.
Veteran actor Michael Caine has questioned the need for intimacy coordinators on film and TV production sets, saying they have only recently become a thing.
“Really? Seriously? What are they? We never had that in my day. Thank God I’m 90 and don’t play lovers anymore is all I can say. In my day you just did the love scene and got on with it without anyone interfering. It’s all changed.”
And he reflected on other challenges of modern-day life, reflecting: It’s dull. Not being able to speak your mind and not being able to call anyone ‘darling.’ It’s hard. I like to learn from friends who are younger than me.”
Caine’s upcoming movie, The Great Escaper, sees him star as the real-life Bernard Jordan, a war veteran who left his care home on the British south coast, without telling his wife or careers, to attend the 70th anniversary of D-Day commemorations on the Normandy coast. He co-stars with the late Glenda Jackson, who died soon after completing the film.
Caine has an extraordinary 176 IMDB acting credits to his name, totted up in a career running more than 77 years since his very first appearance, as uncredited teaboy, in the 1946 TV movie Morning Departure. He has two Oscars for Best Supporting Actor, for Hannah and her Sisters (1987) and The Cider House Rules (2000). He credits his big break to the epic war film Zulu (1964).
He told TheMail: “They were looking for a cockney corporal and they thought I’d be great, but when I got there for the audition the director said, ‘Sorry, Michael, it’s been cast.’ I was used to being rejected, but it was a long walk to the door, let me tell you.
“’Can you do posh?’ he asked me on my way out. ‘Of course I can do posh!’ So, I got the job playing a posh officer and it made my career. When I started out, I never thought about being in competition with other actors. All I cared about was being as good as I possibly could be.”
Juno Temple is cooking up some deadly secrets in the latest installment of FX anthology series “Fargo.”
Season 5 of the hit show centers on Dorothy “Dot” Lyon (Temple), who has landed in hot water with the authorities after a string of unexpected criminal activity. Per the official logline, this seemingly typical Midwestern housewife is suddenly plunged back into a life she thought she had left behind.
The new season is set in Minnesota and North Dakota in 2019. Dot’s husband Wayne (David Rysdahl) and mother-in-law Lorraine (Jennifer Jason Leigh) have no idea about her past, and Lorraine’s thriving position as the CEO of the country’s largest debt collection agency complicates matters as a slew of police are on Dot’s tail. Lorraine calls in her legal counsel (Dave Foley) to help Dot evade law enforcement, regardless of the crimes she’s committed.
Jon Hamm plays a local North Dakota sheriff who, along with his son (Joe Keery) and drifter (Sam Spruell), is determined to corner Dot. Meanwhile, a Minnesota Police Deputy (Richa Moorjani) and North Dakota Deputy (Lamorne Morris) are also seeking out Dot.
“Fargo” showrunner/writer/director Noah Hawley leads the creative team with his production company 26 Keys. Warren Littlefield and his production company, The Littlefield Company, also serve as executive producer along with Steve Stark, Kim Todd, and “Fargo” film writer-directors Joel and Ethan Coen.
The series is produced by MGM Television and FX Productions, with MGM Television serving as the lead studio. The series is internationally distributed by Amazon and MGM Studios Distribution.
Past iterations of “Fargo” have starred Chris Rock, Kristen Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Ben Whishaw, Jessie Buckley, and Timothy Olyphant. The IndieWire review for Season 4 called the series the “bleakest” installment yet, with the show “emphasizing the burden placed on future generations to fix the mistakes of the past, while acknowledging that such an ask may be impossible to fulfill…Some are tempted by the darkness, others are too innocent to protect themselves from a painful world, and still more are just in the wrong place at the wrong time, unable to avoid the merciless wood-chipper tearing through America’s heart(land).”
“Fargo” Season 5 premieres November 21 on FX. Check out the trailer below.
Tupac Shakur’s one-time video director and now biographer has explained why he made a docuseries about the late rapper, despite being previously beaten up by him.
Shakur had been cast in the film, but the pair disagreed over his character’s backstory, and Shakur walked off the production. A few months later, Hughes was beaten by the rapper’s entourage, with Shakur convicted of assault and sentenced to 15 days in jail.
Hughes told The Guardian: “Before I would’ve said [it was] just Tupac, but now I’d say both sides … But with my own brother, I have that problem!”
“We saw a lot of the same things in the same way … It just was p*** and vinegar at the time. We were all 20 years old, y’know?”
Hughes met Shakur in the early 1990s and developed a close friendship. He co-directed three of the rapper’s music videos – Trapped, Brenda’s Got a Baby and If My Homie Calls.
His docuseries follows previous explorations of Shakur’s life on film, Nick Broomfield’s 2017 documentary Biggie & Tupac, and the 2003 Tupac: Resurrection. Hughes’s series concentrates on Shakur’s relationship with his mother, activist and former Black Panther Afeni Shakur. Tupac Shakur died in 1996.
Hughes said: “I wanted answers to a lot of the mysteries and question marks I had with Tupac, and I felt I could find him through his mother.”
No matter how you look at it, Manitoba’s Oct. 3 election will be historic.
Either Heather Stefanson — the first woman to serve as Manitoba premier — will be re-elected, or NDP leader Wab Kinew will become the first premier of First Nations descent and the first premier with Indigenous heritage in almost 150 years.
…and that’s not forgetting Dougald Lamont and the Manitoba Liberals, who, if they pull out an underdog victory at the polls, would form government for the first time in a century (excluding two Liberal-Progressive coalitions in the 1940s).
The ongoing debate around whether Manitoba founder Louis Riel should be considered the province’s first premier aside, the province has had a number of colourful characters serving as premier, government leader, or other titles dating back to 1870.
Manitoba PC leader and Premier Heather Stefanson announces the start of the provincial election process with supporters and candidates in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Tuesday, September 5, 2023.
THE CANADIAN PRESS / John Woods
The first woman to hold Manitoba’s highest office, Heather Stefanson, 53, has served as the province’s 24th premier since Nov. 2, 2021.
A longtime MLA for the upscale Tuxedo riding, Stefanson was first elected in a 2000 byelection, following the retirement of MLA Gary Filmon, himself a former premier. She was re-elected by a significant margin in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2016, and 2019.
Heather Stefanson sworn-in as Manitoba’s 24th premier
During her time in office, Stefanson has served as Attorney General of Manitoba, and as a cabinet minister with portfolios including justice, families, health, and seniors care.
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She was elected as leader of the Progressive Conservatives after Brian Pallister announced his retirement in 2021.
Throughout her entire tenure as premier, Stefanson has ranked at the bottom of quarterly provincial leaders’ approval polls, although her highest approval rating to date came a month prior to October’s election.
Premier Kelvin Goertzen speaks to the media during his first day in office as the premier of Manitoba at the Legislative Building in Winnipeg, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski
Serving as premier for only two months in 2021, current justice minister Kelvin Goertzen filled an interim role between the retirement of Brian Pallister and the appointment of Heather Stefanson.
Representing his home riding, the staunchly conservative southern Manitoba district of Steinbach, since 2003, Goertzen has been re-elected handily four times, including taking a whopping 89 per cent of the vote in 2016.
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Kelvin Goertzen named Manitoba interim premier
Goertzen, 54, has served in cabinet as minister of health, seniors and active living, education, justice (and Attorney General), and intergovernmental affairs.
Brian Pallister (2016-2021) Progressive Conservative
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister makes an announcement in front of the Dome Building in Brandon, Man., Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski
A familiar name and face in Manitoba politics, 22nd premier Brian Pallister served as premier from May 2016 to his retirement from politics in September of 2021.
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Pallister, 69, first represented the Portage la Prairie riding provincially after winning a 1992 by-election as a member of then-premier Gary Filmon’s PC government. He was re-elected in 1995, but resigned his seat two years later to run unsuccessfully as a Progressive Conservative on the federal level.
After a failed bid to win the federal PC leadership, Pallister was elected to the House of Commons as a Canadian Alliance candidate in 2000. After the Alliance and Conservative Party of Canada merged, Pallister was re-elected in 2004 as a Conservative MP and again in 2006.
Legacy of Brian Pallister with premier set to step down Wednesday
After announcing he wouldn’t run for re-election federally in 2008, Pallister returned to the provincial arena as Progressive Conservative leader and MLA for Fort Whyte in 2012. He was elected premier in 2016, defeating incumbent Greg Selinger and ending almost 17 years of NDP government in Manitoba. Pallister was re-elected in 2019 to a second majority.
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Prior to his 2021 retirement, Pallister faced criticism for his government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as controversial comments about Indigenous people and residential schools.
Greg Selinger (2009-2016) NDP
Manitoba premier Greg Selinger votes in the 2016 provincial election.
File
Best-known — prior to becoming premier — as Manitoba’s finance minister in the government of his predecessor, 72-year-old Greg Selinger served as MLA for the St. Boniface riding for almost two decades.
The Saskatchewan-born Selinger first served at the municipal level, being elected to Winnipeg city council in 1989. He later ran for mayor of Winnipeg in 1992, finishing second to Susan Thompson in a field of 17 candidates.
After a short political hiatus, Selinger was first elected to the Manitoba Legislature as an NDP candidate in 1999, serving as finance minister under premier Gary Doer for the next 10 years. He was re-elected handily in 2003 and 2007, before running for NDP leader in 2009.
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‘It gives everybody a chance to move on’: Greg Selinger stepping down
Selinger won the party’s leadership race and was sworn in as premier in October of that year. He led the NDP to a fourth-straight majority government two years later in the 2011 election.
The premier’s broken promise about an increase to the PST in 2013 led to dissent in his NDP caucus, and the resignation of five cabinet ministers amid calls for Selinger to step down. In the 2016 election, Selinger’s government was badly beaten by Brian Pallister and the Progressive Conservatives, causing him to resign as leader and ultimately retire from politics in 2018.
Gary Doer (1999-2009) NDP
Canadian Ambassador to the United States Gary Doer seen here addressing the Vancouver Board of Trade in Vancouver in 2012.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Currently making headlines for his public support of Wab Kinew’s campaign in the 2023 election, Gary Doer served as premier for a decade, later becoming Canada’s ambassador to the United States.
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Winnipeg-born Doer, 75, first ran for provincial office in the 1986 election, winning the Concordia seat in the NDP government of premier Howard Pawley. He was elected leader of the beleagured party two years later following Pawley’s defeat and resignation.
Doer was re-elected as Concordia MLA in 1988, 1990, and 1995, and with his party’s win in the 1999 election, became premier. He received strong public support for much of his tenure, being rated as Canada’s most popular premier in four consecutive polls from 2003-2006.
Early NDP election strategy reminiscent of Doer: political scientist
Seen by some as more centrist than many of his NDP colleagues may have contributed to Doer’s working relationship with Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper. A day after announcing, in August 2008, that he wouldn’t run for re-election, Doer was appointed by Harper to the U.S. ambassadorship, a position he held until 2016.
His former constituency assistant, Matt Wiebe, currently holds Doer’s former Concordia seat in the Manitoba Legislature.
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Gary Filmon (1988-1999) Progressive Conservative
Premiers ham it up following the conclusion of the Canada Round of constitutional negotiations in Ottawa Aug. 22, 1992. (L to R) Gary Filmon of Manitoba, Clyde Wells of Newfoundland, Don Getty of Alberta, Frank McKenna of New Brunswick, Tony Penikett of NWT, and Roy Romanow of Saskatchewan. (CP PHOTO/ Bill Grimshaw).
CP PHOTO/ Bill Grimshaw
Premier for 11 years and leader of Manitoba’s Progressive Conservatives for almost two decades, Gary Filmon, 81, was Manitoba’s final PC premier of the 20th Century.
First elected to Winnipeg City Council in 1975, Filmon ran provincially in a 1979 by-election and was elected MLA for River Heights. He became minister of consumer and corporate affairs and minister of the environment under premier Sterling Lyon.
Filmon — representing the new riding of Tuxedo — succeeded Lyon as party leader in 1983, narrowly losing a provincial election three years later. He became premier in 1988 when Howard Pawley’s government fell due to a confidence vote.
Former Manitoba premier shares story from during Flood of the Century
Filmon held onto the premiership with majority governments in both 1990 and and 1995, and his government was in power during Manitoba’s historic “flood of the century” in 1997.
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In the late ’90s, a vote-rigging scandal involving some members of his party contributed to a decline in his popularity, and the Progressive Conservatives were defeated by Gary Doer’s NDP in 1999.
Filmon resigned as party leader and MLA in 2000. His wife, Janice Filmon, served as Manitoba’s Lieutenant-Governor from 2015-2022.
Howard Pawley (1981-1988) NDP
Then-Manitoba Premier Howard Pawley is shown in this 1984 file photo.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chuck Stoody
Howard Pawley, who died in 2015 at age 81, began his political career with the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) — the predecessor to the NDP — becoming its youngest-ever president in 1957.
After a number of unsuccessful attempts at running both federally and provincially in rural Manitoba ridings, Pawley was elected as MLA for Selkirk — a job he ended up holding for the NDP for almost two decades.
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Pawley served in a number of ministerial roles in the government of premier Ed Schreyer — including public works and urban affairs, and as Attorney General. Most notably, he chaired a committee that brought government-run auto insurance to Manitoba, and served as the first minister responsible for Manitoba Public Insurance.
He replaced Schreyer as NDP leader in 1979, becoming premier in 1981. Re-elected in 1986, struggles over issues like expanding French-language rights, as well as a spike in auto insurance premiums, caused Pawley to dip in popularity, and a 1988 vote against the budget by fellow NDP MLA Jim Walding toppled the government and led to Pawley’s resignation.
After a final unsuccessful bid for a federal seat, Pawley returned to his home province of Ontario and became a political science prof at the University of Windsor until his retirement.
Born in Ontario but raised in Portage la Prairie, Man., Sterling Lyon was Manitoba’s first — and, to date, only — single-term premier.
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First elected as Progressive Conservative MLA for Fort Garry in 1958, he served in various ministerial roles in premier Duff Roblin’s government, as well as Attorney General — a role he held for almost a decade.
Choosing not to seek re-election in 1969, Lyon ventured into the federal arena in 1974, finishing second to Liberal James A. Richardson in the race for Winnipeg South.
He returned to provincial politics in 1975, becoming Progressive Conservative leader and winning a 1976 by-election in the Souris-Killarney riding. In 1977, moving to the Charleswood riding, Lyon’s PCs defeated NDP incumbent Ed Schreyer to form government.
As premier, Lyon is perhaps best-known for his efforts to include the notwithstanding clause in Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
After one term, his government was defeated, and he stepped down as Tory leader in 1983, to be replaced by future premier Gary Filmon. Post-politics, Lyon was appointed to the Manitoba Court of Appeal and served there until his 2002 retirement. He died in 2010 at age 83. Winnipeg’s Sterling Lyon Parkway is named in his honour.
Ed Schreyer (1969-1977) NDP
Former Manitoba premier Ed Schreyer.
Manitoba Historical Society
Manitoba’s first NDP premier, Edward Schreyer is currently the oldest living former leader of the province at 87 years old, and perhaps the most decorated, as he also served as Governor General of Canada from 1979-1984.
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Born in Beausejour, Man., his political career began in 1958 when he was elected as MLA for Brokenhead — setting a record for the time as the youngest person ever elected to the Manitoba legislature at 22.
Schreyer represented the Canadian Commonwealth Federation (CCF), the predecessor to the NDP, and served in the legislature until 1965, when he made the jump to federal politics as Member of Parliament for the riding of Springfield, which was later dissolved into the Selkirk constituency, which he represented until 1969.
Upon returning to the provincial arena, Schreyer was chosen as leader of the Manitoba NDP, elected in the Winnipeg riding of Rossmere. After his party’s victory in the 1969 provincial election, he was sworn in as premier, also winning re-election in 1973. Schreyer’s premiership made significant movement toward the implementation of Pharmacare, the use of hydroelectricity, and public auto insurance.
In 1977, he was defeated by Sterling Lyon and the Progressive Conservatives, but he stayed on to lead the opposition NDP until he was tapped by prime minister Pierre Trudeau to become the country’s Governor General two years later.
After completing his vice-regal duties, Schreyer took a diplomatic post as High Commissioner to Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, before returning to Manitoba and eventually becoming chancellor of Brandon University.
As recently as 2006, Schreyer remained politically active, running unsuccessfully for the federal seat of Selkirk-Interlake — a first for a former Governor General.
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Walter Weir (1967-1969) Progressive Conservative
Former Manitoba premier Walter Weir.
Manitoba Historical Society
With an unlikely pre-politics career as an undertaker in Saskatchewan, later owning a funeral home in Minnedosa, Man., Walter Weir initially served on the Minnedosa town council before seeking the Progressive Conservative nomination for the 1958 provincial election — something he didn’t receive until 1959, when he was elected as Minnedosa’s MLA.
Weir served as municipal affairs, public works, and highways minister in Duff Roblin’s government, being re-elected in 1962 and 1966. After Roblin stepped down in pursuit of a federal seat, Weir defeated two other candidates — including future premier Sterling Lyon — to lead the party and become premier.
Opposed to official bilingualism — a topic on which he clashed with prime minister Pierre Trudeau — Weir, emboldened by a series of successful 1969 by-elections, apparently misjudged the public reaction to his views and called an early provincial election later that year. He was defeated by Ed Schreyer and the New Democrats, which led to his 1971 departure from politics and from Manitoba, although he returned to Minnedosa after a five-year stay in Ontario.
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Weir died at his Minnedosa home in 1985 at age 55.
Duff Roblin (1958-1967) Progressive Conservative
Former Manitoba premier Duff Roblin.
University of Winnipeg
Dufferin Roblin, grandson of Manitoba’s ninth premier, Rodmond Roblin, is a familiar name among many Manitobans today due to his lasting legacy, the Red River Floodway around Winnipeg, colloquially known as “Duff’s Ditch”.
A car dealer and air force wing commander to prior to pursuing politics, Roblin was first elected in the Winnipeg South riding in 1949, as an ‘Independent Progressive Conservative’ in opposition to the coalition government of premier Douglas Lloyd Campbell. Re-elected in 1953, he became premier and MLA for the then-new Winnipeg riding of Wolseley in 1958.
His government was responsible for a number of progressive reforms, including reintroducing French in Manitoba schools, making significant improvements to hospitals, and working to consolidate the municipalities around Winnipeg into a single city.
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The floodway, which began under Roblin’s watch in 1962 and was completed the year after he left provincial politics, is estimated to have saved the province tens of billions of dollars in cumulative flood damage.
In 1967, Roblin stepped down from provincial politics to run for leadership of the federal Progressive Conservatives, finishing second, and was soundly defeated in the 1968 federal election in his bid for the Winnipeg South Centre seat. He made a final attempt at election to the House of Commons in 1974 — this time vying for the vote in a Peterborough, Ont. riding — and lost again.
In 1978, prime minister Pierre Trudeau appointed Roblin to Canada’s senate, a role he would serve for the next 14 years. He became leader of the government in the senate with the 1984 election of prime minister Brian Mulroney, and retired at the mandatory age of 75 in 1992.
Roblin died in May 2010 at 92 and is buried in the Elmwood Cemetery. His name lives on in Duff Roblin Provincial Park, and at the University of Manitoba’s Duff Roblin Building.
Douglas Lloyd Campbell (1948-1958) Liberal-Progressive
Former Manitoba premier Douglas Lloyd Campbell.
Wikipedia
The longest-tenured MLA in Manitoba history, serving a whopping 47 years in the legislature, Douglas Lloyd Campbell served as premier for almost a decade.
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Born in Portage la Prairie, Campbell worked as a farmer and a teacher prior to becoming involved in politics in 1922, when he was elected in the Lakeside riding as a United Farmers of Manitoba candidate. The rurally-focused party governed as the Progressive Party of Canada, and in 1932, merged with the Liberal Party to become Liberal-Progressives.
Campbell was agriculture minister in premier John Bracken’s government, which formed an all-party coalition in 1940. When Bracken, as well as his successor Stuart Garson, made the jump to federal politics, Campbell became only the second premier to have been born in the province of Manitoba when he was sworn into office in 1948.
As premier, Cambpell continued some of Garson’s policies regarding rural electrification and expansion, but was criticized for his “small government” views, which led to the end of the coalition government in 1950. After a hung parliament in 1958 and failed attempts at allying with the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, Campbell resigned.
Post-premiership, Campbell received a number of awards and honours, and died at 99 in 1995.
Stuart Garson (1943-1948) Liberal-Progressive
Former Manitoba premier Stuart Garson.
Manitoba Historical Society
Stuart Garson, who moved from Ontario to Manitoba as a young child at the turn of the 20th Century, was a lawyer in Ashern, Man., prior to his entry into provincial politics.
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Initially elected in 1928 as a Progressive in the Fairford riding, Garson was a founding member of Manitoba’s Liberal-Progressive coalition in the early 1930s, which led to his being sworn in as premier in 1936.
Leading the province during World War II and in its aftermath, Garson — who also served as provincial treasurer — is remembered for his focus on rural areas of the province, particularly with regard to electrification and highway construction.
Garson followed in his predecessor John Bracken’s footsteps and left the legislature in pursuit of a federal seat. He was elected as MP for Marquette in a 1948 by-election and had a prominent role in prime minister Louis St. Laurent’s government — serving as justice minister, Attorney General, and Solicitor General at various points during his tenure in Parliament.
He was defeated in 1957 and retired from politics to resume his legal practice. Garson died in 1977 and is buried in Winnipeg’s Elmwood Cemetery.
John Bracken (1922-1943) Progressive
John Bracken was Manitoba’s 11th premier.
Archives of Manitoba
Manitoba’s longest-serving premier, John Bracken wasn’t chosen as leader until after his party, the United Farmers of Manitoba, were surprise winners of the 1922 provincial election.
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The party, which changed its name to the Progressive Party of Manitoba, hadn’t chosen a leader, nor had they fielded a full slate of candidates, as they weren’t expecting to win the election. Bracken, an agricultural professor, was selected as leader and sworn in as premier after winning a deferred election in The Pas.
Bracken’s government focused heavily on rural concerns, but also created the Liquor Control Board after alcohol prohibition was ended, as well as a censorship board for motion pictures. He also introduced a pension for all Manitobans over 70 in 1928, and created Manitoba’s provincial income tax.
He was re-elected or acclaimed in 1927, 1932, 1936, and 1941, and created various coalitions and alliances with other parties in his time as premier.
Bracken left provincial politics in 1943, and took on the leadership of the federal Conservative Party — with the caveat that they add the word “Progressive” to their name. Although he was party leader, he didn’t run for a federal seat until 1945, winning in Neepawa. He stepped down from leadership in 1948, and lost re-election in 1949 after his riding merged with Brandon.
Tobias Norris (1915-1922) Liberal
Former Manitoba premier Tobias Norris.
Province of Manitoba
After his predecessor Rodmond Roblin’s retirement due to a corruption scandal, Tobias Norris took over as premier in May 1915, and was re-elected with a majority government later that year.
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A farmer near Griswold, Man., who later became an auctioneer, Norris’s political debut came in 1896, when he was elected MLA for Lansdowne. He was re-elected in 1896, but narrowly edged out — by fewer than 20 votes — in the provincial election of 1903. Returning to the legislature in 1907, he remained there for the next 20 years, serving as premier for seven.
Norris’ progressive premiership extended voting rights to women and introduced new initiatives like workers’ compensation, minimum wage, a public nursing system, and post-World War I projects like a mother’s allowance for widows.
During the labour unrest 1919 Winnipeg General Strike, Norris and his government mostly stood aside, preferring negotiation with the strikers over the suppression tactics of the federal and municipal governments.
He remained in power until 1922, when a confidence vote led to his government being defeated by the farmer-led Progressive Party of Manitoba.
Norris stayed on as MLA until 1925, briefly leaving to run unsuccessfully in the federal Winnipeg South riding, and returning to the Manitoba legislature before retiring from politics in 1928.
He died in Toronto in 1936 at 75.
Rodmond Roblin (1900-1915) Conservative
Former Manitoba premier Rodmond Roblin.
Province of Manitoba
Eventually serving as Manitoba’s premier under the reign of three different monarchs (Victoria, Edward VII, and George V), Rodmond Roblin first moved to Manitoba from Ontario in 1877, setting up shop in Winnipeg as owner of a general store and later as a grain merchant. He served as reeve of the Dufferin municipality for five years, and moved into provincial politics by 1886, running unsuccessfully as a Liberal candidate.
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Two years later, Roblin won a by-election as an independent and was re-elected by acclamation in the next provincial election. An opponent of Liberal premier Thomas Greenway, Roblin left the Liberals in 1889 to caucus with the Conservative Party. He was defeated in the 1892 election, but rallied to return to the legislature in 1896, representing Woodlands.
When then-premier Hugh John Macdonald resigned in 1900, Roblin took over the role of premier, and was re-elected four times — in 1903, 1907, 1910, and 1914.
During his premiership, the former ‘postage-stamp province’ doubled in geographic size, and Manitoba’s first Crown corporations were created, including the first government-owned telephone system anywhere in North America.
He’s also remembered, negatively, for his opposition to women’s suffrage — particularly clashing with Nellie McClung — and for his resistance to worker protections.
Roblin resigned in 1915 amid a corruption scandal involving the construction of the Manitoba Legislative Building, in which his government was accused of misappropriation of funds.
After leaving politics, he and his sons started an auto dealership. He died in Hot Springs, Ark., in 1937 at age 84.
Roblin is the namesake of Roblin Boulevard, as well as the town and Rural Municipality that bear his name. His grandson, Duff Roblin, became premier in 1958.
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Hugh John Macdonald (January-October 1900) Conservative
Former Manitoba premier Hugh John Macdonald.
Province of Manitoba
Premier for less than a year, Hugh John Macdonald remains one of the best-known Manitoba leaders of the early 20th Century in part because of his family’s legacy. The only surviving son of Canada’s first prime minister, Ontario-raised Macdonald notably spent time on the prairies while serving with the Canadian armed forces opposing Louis Riel’s Red River and Northwest Rebellions.
He later moved to Winnipeg in 1882 to set up a law practice, first elected federally in 1891 as Conservative MP for the Winnipeg City riding. His father died in office later that year, and Macdonald had returned to Winnipeg by 1893. Despite a brief re-entry into federal politics, by 1897 he was approached to lead the Manitoba Conservative Party, despite not yet having a seat in the provincial legislature.
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After his win in Winnipeg South in a by-election, Macdonald was sworn in as premier in January of 1900. During his short tenure, he introduced a prohibition law, the Macdonald Act.
Dalnavert Museum offering virtual tours online
Macdonald resigned as premier in October 1900 to pursue another federal seat, this time in Brandon, although he lost to Liberal cabinet minister Clifford Sifton.
Post-retirement, Macdonald served as a Winnipeg police magistrate, including during the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike, and was president of both the Manitoba Club and the St. Andrew’s Society, among other positions.
He died in 1929 at age 79 and is buried in Winnipeg’s St. John’s Cathedral cemetery. His former home on Carlton Street is now a National Historic Site of Canada, and operates as the Dalnavert Museum.
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Thomas Greenway (1888-1900) Liberal
Former Manitoba premier Thomas Greenway.
Province of Manitoba
The third-longest serving premier in Manitoba history, Thomas Greenway is perhaps best known today for his role in the Manitoba Schools Question of the 1890s, a political crisis involving French-language rights and denominational schools.
Greenway, born in England, was first elected federally in Ontario in 1874, before moving to Manitoba in 1879. He’s considered to be the founder of Crystal City, a small community just north of the Canada/U.S. border.
Greenway opposed the John Norquay government in 1883 election, leading the Provincial Rights Party. When Norquay resigned and his successor, David Howard Harrison, was unable to maintain a hold on the legislature, Harrison, by then having been consolidated into the Liberal party, was asked to form government by the lieutenant-governor.
Like his predecessors, Greenway’s early administration focused on railway development, but by 1890, his reforms of the Manitoba school system — which included doing away with French-language and Catholic education in public schools — precipitated a national crisis around bilingualism.
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In 1896, he was re-elected in a landslide, reducing the opposition Conservatives to only six seats, but by the 1899 election, he was defeated by Hugh John Macdonald, son of Canada’s first prime minister. After serving as opposition leader to diminishing returns, Greenway sought and won a federal seat, representing Lisgar from 1904-1908.
Greenway died of a heart attack in 1908 at age 70 in Ottawa.
David Howard Harrison (1887-1888) No party
The last of Manitoba’s technically non-partisan premiers, David Howard Harrison first entered politics shortly after he moved to the province from Ontario. In 1883, he was elected in Minnedosa (as a Liberal-Conservative) in 1883, later serving as minister of agriculture, stastics and health under then-premier John Norquay.
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Following Norquay’s resignation amid financial crises, Harrison attempted to hold the legislature together, but within weeks of taking office, his government lost a crucial by-election and he, too, resigned, leaving politics behind. His 24-day tenure as premier is the shortest in history, eclipsed even by interim premier Kelvin Goertzen in 2021.
Harrison died at 62 in Vancouver in 1905.
John Norquay (1878-1887) No party
John Norquay.
Manitoba Historical Society
If the NDP wins the election in October, Wab Kinew will become the first Manitoba premier of First Nations descent, but not the first Indigenous premier. That distinction goes to fifth premier John Norquay, who was of Anglo-Metis ethnicity.
The first premier to be born in what later became known as Manitoba, Norquay was elected to the High Bluff constituency in the first provincial election. In 1872, while still serving as a provincial cabinet minister, he made an unsuccessful run for the federal riding of Marquette.
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In 1878, Norquay was called to replace the resigning Robert Atkinson Davis, and led the province through turbulent times, with clashes over language rights and railway development. Although he remained non-partisan throughout his tenure as premier, Norquay’s government was considered a de facto conservative party.
He was forced to resign in 1887 due to a series of financial scandals. Norquay died less than two years later at 48 in Winnipeg.
Robert Atkinson Davis (1874-1878) No party
Robert Atkinson Davis.
Manitoba Historical Society
Born in what is now Quebec, Robert Atkinson Davis moved to Red River in 1870. He was first elected to office in 1874, defeating Hudson’s Bay Company commissioner Donald Smith in a by-election for the riding of Winnipeg and St. John’s.
Later that year, Davis was appointed provincial treasurer in the government of Marc-Amable Girard, and — as the only minister not to resign when Girard’s second tenure fell apart — was called on to form government at age 33.
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A major accomplishment of Davis’ time as premier was lobbying for the planned transcontinental railway to run through Winnipeg rather than Selkirk.
After resigning in 1878, he moved to the U.S. to pursue a career in business, dying in Phoenix, Ariz. at 61 in 1903.
Marc-Amable Girard (1871-1872) (July-December 1874) Premier of Manitoba “Chief minister” of Manitoba
Marc-Amable Girard.
Manitoba Historical Society
Manitoba’s first — and thus far, only — leader to serve two non-consecutive terms, Marc-Amable Girard was first appointed as a leading minister in the province from 1871-72, and then elected premier for five months in 1874. He was the province’s first francophone premier.
Born in Lower Canada, now Quebec, Girard was sent to Manitoba at the behest of father of Confederation George-Étienne Cartier during the Red River Rebellion, and met with Louis Riel in 1870.
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In Manitoba, Girard was appointed provincial treasurer, and was elected to represent St. Boniface East in the first provincial election. A year later, he was appointed to Canada’s senate, and served both roles simultaneously for a number of years.
After controversy over electoral redistribution based on language, a confidence vote led to the provincial government’s collapse, and Girard was asked to form government in late June, 1874. The first elected leader in Manitoba to choose his own cabinet — which had previously been the purview of the Lieutenant-Governor — Girard’s continued support for and communication with Riel contributed to his ouster by his anglophone colleagues in the legislature.
A few months after his resignation as premier, he was acclaimed in the 1874 provincial election as representative for St. Boniface, and again in 1879 for Baie St. Paul.
Girard remained a member of the senate until his 1892 death at age 70, and despite his prior relationship with Riel, he opposed the 1885 North-West Rebellion. He is buried in the St. Boniface Cathedral Cemetery.
Henry Joseph Clarke (1872-1874) Government leader
Henry Joseph Clarke.
Manitoba Historical Society
Irish-born Henry Joseph Clarke was a Montreal-based lawyer — who briefly lived in California to participate in the 1858 gold rush — before being encouraged to move to Manitoba in 1870 to help establish a provincial government.
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He was elected in the riding of St. Charles, becoming the province’s first Attorney General, and played a large role in the development of Manitoba’s legal system, including its supreme court.
Like his predecessors, Clarke did not have the title of ‘premier’, although he was acknowledged as a leading minister and acted as a provincial representative to Ottawa.
Despite opposing Louis Riel, Clarke defended a group of his followers in court in the aftermath of the second Riel Rebellion.
He died in 1889 on a train near Medicine Hat, Alberta at age 56.
Alfred Boyd (1870-1871) Provincial Secretary of Manitoba
Alfred Boyd.
Manitoba Historical Society
Usually considered to be Manitoba’s first premier, Alfred Boyd never held that title and was instead the first Provincial Secretary of Manitoba, under Lieutenant-Governor Adams George Archibald.
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Originally from England, Boyd moved to the Red River Colony, where he became a merchant. He was first elected in 1870 to the ‘Convention of Forty’ parliament called by Louis Riel, whose leadership he opposed.
When Manitoba became a province later that year, he was elected as representative of St. Andrew’s North in the province’s first official election. Amid criticism from his constituents, Boyd resigned from office in 1871.
After a brief return to politics, he resigned again in 1873 and is believed to have returned to his native England, where he died at 72 in 1908.
Burgess first hinted at the romance earlier that month when she exclusively told Us Weekly that she was seeing someone new “It’s been really awesome,” the pro dancer told Us at the time. “I actually am not on the market anymore. But it’s very new and very, you know, it’s dating, essentially. No one’s calling us a relationship yet. … How funny would it be if I actually found the love of my life during a pandemic? I’m looking for that soulmate stuff — that thing where that something inside you recognizes that something inside them.”
The couple went Instagram official in January 2021 with Burgess posting a steamy photo of them kissing on a balcony. One year later, Burgess and Green announced that they were expecting their first child together. Their son, Zane, arrived in June 2022.
“We couldn’t be happier, and everybody’s extremely healthy right now, which is a blessing,” Green exclusively told Us three months later. “I always say that the easiest part is to become a mother or a father. Almost anybody can have a baby, but to be a parent — that’s the work. Getting up in the morning, making breakfast, making lunch for school, bedtime rituals and bathtime … that’s when the real work comes in.”
He continued: “[Sharna’s] amazing with that. She’s been so hands-on with him. At this point in my life, to have a partner that is as hands-on, and in love with the process as she is — even when she’s exhausted — … it’s so nice to have a partner that shares in that duty.”
San Sebastian’s pix-in-post showcases have often launched standout movies, such as Sebastian Lelio’s “Gloria,” winner of the Films in Progress Award at the 2012 edition, plus notable directors, such as Jayro Bustamante, whose praised debut “Ixcanul” played at the festival in rough cut in 2015 before winning the Alfred Bauer prize for innovation at 2016’s Berlinale, breaking out handsome sales.
San Sebastian’s 2023 Co-Production Forum registers two trends: Films that are genre pics or enrol genre tropes or genre blend; an exploration of identity.
Thus year’s San Sebastian WIP Latam skews in another direction. “The films and stories are very grounded in reality, either by there hybrid formal move between fiction and non-fiction, their singular take on daily matters or the very social issues they address,” Javier Martín, San Sebastian Latin American delegate, told LatAmCinema.com.
Yet genre surfaces in disparate ways: the mix of coming of age, apocalypse and fantasy in “Mi Bestia”; the true-life horror of “Maybe It’s True What They Say About Us”; the sense of surreal in Colombia’s “Jungle.”
As LatAmCinema.com notes, multiple titles are co-productions, a fact martín hazards, could be for the reduction in moneys from Argentina’s INCAA film institute, with Argentine titles dominating in the selection.
This year, of the total six films at WIP Latam, four come from Argentina, one from Chile and one from Colombia. They will compete for the WIP Latam Industry and the EGEDA Platino Industry awards.
As ever, WIP Latam serves as a new talent showcase. Four of the WIP Latam contenders are first or second features. Debutants take in Beltrán, director of the awaited “Mi bestia,” which as a project snagged the ArteKino International Award in the San Sebastian’s Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum in 2020.
“Reas,” another WIP Latam competitor, marks the second film by Argentine playwright and writer Lola Arias (“Theater of War”), winner of the HEAD Pitchings du Réel Award at Visions du Réel in 2020.
Co-produced by Gabriela Sandoval and Carlos Nuñez’s Storyboard in Chile and La Jauría Comunicaciones in Argentina, “Maybe It’s True What They Say About Us,” directed by Camilo Becerra and Sofía Paloma Gómez, turns around Chile’s horrific Colliguay sect.
Argentine filmmaker Maximiliano Schonfeld returns to San Sebastian after launching “Jesús López” in Horizontes Latinos in 2021, which previously played at WIP Latam. In 2022, Schonfeld’s “Frankestein” took part of residence program Ikusmira Berriak.
Many of the films shown in WIP Latam have enjoyed a successful international career. Two of the titles to have landed awards at WIP Latam 2022, Guto Parente’s “Estranho Camino” and Martín Benchimol’s “El Castillo,” following their participation in the Tribeca and Berlin Festivals respectively, are competing at San Sebastian’s Horizontes Latinos this year.
In 2021, Manuel Abramovich’s “Pornomelancolía” won the best photography award at San Sebastian after playing in Ikusmira Berriak (2018) and WIP Latam (2021).
WIP Latam titles will be introduced to an industry audience in San Sebastian over Sept. 25-27.
SAN SEBASTIAN WIP LATAM 2023:
“Most People Die on Sundays” (“Los domingos mueren más personas,” Iair Said, Argentina, Italy, Switzerland)
The second film from Argentinian Said, who uses a sweet and sour comedy tone to follow the vicissitudes of a young homosexual Jew when he has to go home to face his father’s last days and then mourning. Said’s short films have screened at Cannes and BAFICI. Lead produced by Argentina’s Campo Cine, headed by Nicolás Avruj and Diego Lerman, and behind Lerman’s titles such as “The Invisible Eye” and Ana Katz’s “Florianópolis Dream.”
“Mi Bestia” (Camila Beltrán, Colombia, France)
Beltrán will pitch her feature debut, supported by Proimágenes Colombia, after her short film “Pacífico oscuro” was selected by Locarno 2020. A genre blending coming-of-age tale, “Mi bestia” sets in Bogotá in 1999, turning on Milagros, a 13-year-old girl who hears rumors that the Antichrist will arrive during a solar eclipse.
“Maybe It’s True What They Say About Us,”(“Quizás es cierto lo que dicen de nosotras,” Camilo Becerra, Sofía Paloma Gómez, Chile, Argentina)
Inspired by the case of the Colliguay sect, the film focuses on the relationship between a psychiatrist mother and her daughter, one of its members, set against the backdrop of a murder investigation. An engrossing, universal and incredible story inspired by true events,” says producer Carlos Ñúñez at Chile’s Storyboard Media.
Maybe It’s True What They Say About Us
Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival
Arias debuted with “Theater of War,” a San Sebastian’s Zabaltegi-Tabakalera player in 2018. Like “Theater,” “Reas” shuttles between reality and fiction, this time depicting women and transgender people, once cons in Argentina’s Caseros penitentiary, now in ruins, reconstructing their past and imagining their future in the shape of a musical. Gema Juárez Allen Gema Films (Argentina) lead produces with Ingmar Trost’s Sutor Kolonko (Alemania).
Reas
Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival
“Jungle” (“Selva,” Juan Miguel Gelacio, Esteban Hoyos García, Colombia)
First-timers Gelacio and Hoyos García narrate the main character’s last days in Bogotá after receiving an enigmatic phone call at work, while a mysterious plague of flamingoes flies over the city. A movie about adolescent angst, its makers say.
Jungle
Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival
“Big Shadow” (“Sombra grande,” Maximiliano Schonfeld, Argentina)
Set in the Argentine Entre Ríos province, an area inhabited by the descendants of German immigrants, who attempt to reconstruct the language of the Chaná, who lived in the same area. The language was believed to have been lost until a man appears who claims to speak it. A Storyboard Media production, partnered by La Jauría Comunicaciones (Chile), Murillo Cine (Argentina) and Morocha Films (Argentina).
Big Shadow
Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival
As Kanye West wades through a controversy-filled life, his legacy seems to be at a dwindling point. While working on his album in Italy, the ‘Graduation’ rapper’s questionable actions were shunned by locals. Then, his $57 million worth of property in Malibu landed him in trouble over serious labor violation allegations. However, these burdens have not slowed him down. Yesterday, he sauntered into the Milan Fashion Week in black hues and his signature nonchalance.
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With the Malibu Mansion in ruins, the team behind his Donda’s House charity honored his legacy at his late mother’s house’s doorstep back in his hometown
Yeezy designer and Ye’s charity co-founder pose on the stairway
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Earlier today, the man who once built the Yeezy brand with Kanye West from scratch, Steven Smith, shared an image via his Instagram page. In it, he and two others could be seen posing on the staircase outside Donda’s House: the Chicago home where Ye spent his childhood with his mother. Beside Smith was West’s charity’s co-founder and childhood friend, Che Armond Smith or Rhymefest. Also present was Chicago Don C, the 46-year-old’s former manager and old pal.
The home which completed reconstruction in June this year was reportedly bought back by Ye in 2020 for $225,000. After injecting a bunch of reconstructions, it now stands brand-new again. Often brought up by the rapper and also seen in his music videos, the 1,600 sq. ft abode holds much sentimental value for West. After all, it was where he spent the majority of his time with his beloved mother.
Meanwhile, the ‘Gold Digger’ rapper’s Malibu property withers away out of his sight.
Kanye West vacations in Milan while Malibu mansion rots
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Yesterday, West made headlines for impressing the Milan Fashion Week attendees with his all-black fits. However, just one day before, the $500 million worth artist was sued yet again. This latest lawsuit came among a myriad of others that he is facing due to alleged misdoings while trying to construct a bomb shelter in Malibu. Now left unattended, the beach-front Malibu property which was mid-construction seems to be crumbling away.
via Imago
PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 24: Kanye West is seen, outside 1017 ALYX 9SM show, during Paris Fashion Week Menswear Spring/Summer 2019, on June 24, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Edward Berthelot/GC Images)
In some images that surfaced earlier, a wall of the unfinished structure had fallen through too! Even so, the 24-time Grammy winner is no stranger to rising again from the ashes. His team’s presence at Donda’s House in Chicago seemed almost symbolic of the comeback he was preparing to make. Despite all his controversies, fans’ eagerness to hear new music from him has surely not gone down.
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What do you think of these developments? Share your thoughts in the comments.
In a nondescript office park minutes from Disneyland sits a nondescript warehouse. Inside this nameless, faceless building, an era is ending.
The building is a Netflix DVD distribution plant. Once a bustling ecosystem that processed 1.2 million DVDs a week, employed 50 people and generated millions of dollars in revenue, it now has just six employees left to sift through the metallic discs. And even that will cease on Friday, when Netflix officially shuts the door on its origin story and stops mailing out its trademark red envelopes.
“It’s sad when you get to the end, because it’s been a big part of all of our lives for so long,” Hank Breeggemann, the general manager of Netflix’s DVD division, said in an interview. “But everything runs its cycle. We had a great 25-year run and changed the entertainment industry, the way people viewed movies at home.”
When Netflix began mailing DVDs in 1998 — the first movie shipped was “Beetlejuice” — no one in Hollywood expected the company to eventually upend the entire entertainment industry. It started as a brainstorm between Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph, successful businessmen looking to reinvent the DVD rental business. No due dates, no late fees, no monthly rental limits.
It did much more than that. The DVD business destroyed competitors like Blockbuster and altered the viewing habits of the public. Once Netflix began its streaming business and then started producing original content, it transformed the entire entertainment industry. So much so that the economics of streaming — which actors and writers argue are worse for them — is at the heart of the strikes that have brought Hollywood to a standstill.
Even before the strikes, streaming had rendered DVDs obsolete, at least from a business perspective. At its height, Netflix was the Postal Service’s fifth-largest customer, operating 58 shipping facilities and 128 shuttle locations that allowed Netflix to serve 98.5 percent of its customer base with one-day delivery. Today, there are five such facilities — the others are in Fremont, Calif.; Trenton, N.J.; Dallas; and Duluth, Ga. — and DVD revenue totaled $60 million for the first six months of 2023. In comparison, Netflix’s streaming revenue for the same period reached $6.5 billion.
Despite the reduced staff, this operation still receives and sends some 50,000 discs a week with titles ranging from the popular (“Avatar: The Way of Water” and “The Fabelmans”) to the obscure (the 1998 Catherine Deneuve crime thriller, “Place Vendôme”). Each of the employees at the Anaheim facility has been with the company for more than a decade, some as long as 18 years. (One hundred people at Netflix still work on the DVD side of the business, though most will soon be leaving the company.)
A few of them started straight out of high school, like Edgar Ramos, and they can run Netflix’s proprietary auto-sorting machines and its Automated Rental Return Machine (ARRM), which processes 3,500 DVDs an hour, with the precision of Swiss watch engineers.
“I am sad,” Mr. Ramos said while sorting envelopes into their ZIP code bins. “When the day comes, I’m sure we will all be crying. Wish we could do streaming over here, but it is what it is.”
Mike Calabro, Netflix’s senior operations manager, has been with the company for more than 13 years. He said the unexpected moments of frivolity were a big part of why he had stayed, like the drawings made by renters on the envelopes or the Cheetos dust and coffee stains that often mark the returns, evidence of a product that has been well integrated into customers’ lives.
But when asked if he had ever met some of the most active customers in person, Mr. Calabro quickly replied, “No!” In fact, the anonymous look of the facility, which provides a stark contrast to the giant Netflix logos that adorn the company’s other real estate, is intentional. Visitors, it is clear, are not welcome.
“If we put Netflix out on the door, we would have people showing up with their discs, saying: ‘Hey, I’d like to return this. Can you give me my next disc?’” Mr. Calabro said.
That was the usual transaction with a video rental retailer, but Netflix wanted to make sure customers knew this was something different.
“It was a decision we made very early on,” Mr. Breeggemann said. “If they knew where we were, we’d run into that problem. And then it wouldn’t be a good customer experience. We wanted to mail both ways.”
Netflix’s DVD operations still serve around one million customers, many of them very loyal.
Bean Porter, 35, lives in St. Charles, Ill., and has subscribed to Netflix’s DVD and streaming services since 2015. She said she was “devastated” that there would be no more DVDs. Ms. Porter was able to use her subscription to watch DVDs of shows like “Yellowstone” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” — episodic television made for other streaming services that would have required her to buy additional subscriptions.
She and her husband also watch three or four movies a week and find Netflix’s DVD library to be deeper and more diverse than any other subscription service. She often hosts cookouts in her backyard and invites neighbors to watch movies on an outdoor screen. That is easier to do with a DVD, she said, than with streaming because of internet connectivity issues. And she has become involved with the DVD operations’ social media channel, posting videos, interacting with other customers and chatting directly with the social media managers working for the company.
“I’m pretty angry,” she said. “I’m just going to have to do streaming, and I feel like what they’re doing is forcing me into having less options.”
To ease the backlash, Netflix is allowing its DVD customers to hold on to their final rentals. Ms. Porter intends to keep “The Breakfast Club,” “Goonies” and “The Sound of Music.” As for the last DVD she intends to watch: She’s leaving that up to fate.
“I have 45 movies left in my queue, and where I land is where I’ll land, as there are too many good options to pick from,” she said.
The employees have a more sanguine attitude. Lorraine Segura started at Netflix in 2008 and used to rip open envelopes — 650 envelopes an hour. When automation came, she was one of the few employees who traveled to the facility in Fremont to learn how to run the machines and pass that training on to others. Now she runs the floor with Mr. Calabro as a senior operations manager.
“I’ve learned a lot here: how to fix machines, how to make goals and hit targets,” she said before leading her team in a round of ergonomic exercises to prevent repetitive stress injuries. “I feel empowered now to get out in the world and do something new.”
– English Audio Description
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