Michelle Wolf infamously roasted Sarah Huckabee Sanders and other members of the GOP so hard at the 2018 White House Correspondents’ Dinner that journalists on both sides were pissed off. It’s no surprise, then, that the comedian—who recently released a new Netflix special called It’s Great To Be Here—is not exactly in the business of being swayed by other people’s opinions.
Roseanne doesn’t want to be lumped in with Louis CK and Chappelle
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Wolf was asked about controversial comics Dave Chappelle and Louis C.K., neither of whom she shied away from discussing.
Chappelle—who has been in hot water multiple times but most notably for his transphobic jokes in 2021 special The Closer—is actually a close personal friend of Wolf’s, she said—close enough, in fact, for her to live with him and his family in their Ohio home for the better part of a year during the pandemic. “Dave is the kindest, most generous person I know. And he’s also great at comedy,” she said, explaining that the standups would often do “cornfield shows” together in 2020. When the interviewer pressed her on Chappelle’s views, Wolf responded:
I think people really miss a lot of what he’s saying. He says it very clearly in his one special: “Why was it easier for Caitlyn Jenner to change her gender than it was for Cassius Clay to change his name?” I think that spells it out right there. He wants everyone to be able to live the way they want to live, including Black people. Time and time again we see that, as a country, we literally don’t want Black people to live and we don’t do anything about it. They try to act like Dave is some sort of villain when he’s not. He’s a hero. He’s fighting for his people.
Wolf is also critical of the #MeToo movement in her special, calling it “the worst-run movement I’ve ever seen,” because, as she explained to RS, “I think it was a very black-and-white approach that they took, when in fact it was an incredibly gray subject matter that required a lot of conversations that we literally weren’t allowed to have.” Her following comments on Louis C.K. probably fall into that bucket.
“Louis, I feel, is the only one who actually admitted to anything or apologized. And we can go back and forth about how good or bad his apology was, but I don’t think you’re ever going to have an apology that everyone is going to be happy with,” she said. “He’s the only one who did that, and it seems like he got punished the most for it… He apologized and wants to make things better, and instead people were like, ‘No, you can’t. There’s no way for you to make things better unless you do this and this.’ But nobody said what ‘this and this’ was. Nobody said what he could do because nobody agreed on what he could do.”
You can read Wolf’s full Rolling Stone interview here.
Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” has generated $626 million at the domestic box office, overtaking Marvel’s 2012 blockbuster “The Avengers” ($623 million) as the 11th-highest grossing release in history.
In order to crack the top 10, “Barbie” will need to outpace 2015’s “Jurassic World” (No. 10 with $653 million), “Titanic” (No. 9 with $674 million), “Avengers: Infinity War” (No. 8 with $678 million) and “Avatar: The Way of Water” (No. 7 with $684 million). None of these ticket sales were adjusted for inflation.
“Barbie” is already the highest grossing domestic release of the year. The cotton candy-colored behemoth has earned $1.4 billion globally and, weeks ago, surpassed “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($1.35 billion) as the biggest worldwide release of 2023. It’s the 14th-biggest global release of all time, trailing “Frozen II” ($1.453 billion) and “Top Gun: Maverick” ($1.495 billion).
The plastic, fantastic “Barbie” began its record-breaking theatrical run in July, landing the biggest debut of the year ($162 million). It remained the No. 1 movie for four consecutive weekends and in the top five for more than two months. “Barbie” also landed the biggest opening weekend for a film directed by a woman and became the highest-grossing movie directed solely by a woman. Gerwig co-wrote the screenplay with Noah Baumbach.
Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling play the stereotypical versions of Barbie and Ken, who leave behind their seemingly perfect reality to confront the highs and lows of life in the real world. America Ferrera, Issa Rae, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Simu Liu and Michael Cera round out the cast.
SZA was originally in talks to perform at MTV’s VMAs this year, turn outs—until the awards show decided that the bestselling SOS artist didn’t qualify as a potential Artist Of The Year. This is per THR, which talked to manager Terrence Henderson about his decision to pull SZA’s performance from the annual awards show, calling her non-inclusion in its Artist Of The Year category “disrespectful.”
Michael Jai White on “Outlaw Johnny Black” and his favorite Western movie
“Obviously, she had one of the best years, if not the best year, of any artist at this point,” Henderson told press. “I don’t see why she wouldn’t be nominated for artist of the year. It just really didn’t make any sense to me. It’s disrespectful.” He also noted that some of the artists who were nominated—Karol G, Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, Doja Cat, Shakira, and Taylor Swift, who ultimately won—“Were even off-cycle. They didn’t have an album out. I mean, no disrespect to them or anybody else; everybody’s great and all of that, but still, you can’t discredit what SOS has done and is currently doing.” (In fact, of the artists nominated, only Karol G and Swift have put out albums in the last 12 months; Minaj and Doja Cat are both expected to release new albums before the year is out, while Shakira and Beyoncé have confined themselves to singles.)
Henderson says tensions broke out while SZA’s team was negotiating for a potential performance at the show, which went forward, sans SZA, on September 12. According to the manager, MTV “Couldn’t give a clear answer as to why she wasn’t [nominated]. It was just, ‘Well, she’s nominated for all these other [awards].’” (SZA was nominated for Video Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best R&B, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, and Best Editing at the show, winning only for Best R&B for SOS’s “Shirt”—which she wasn’t in attendance to accept.)
Noting that his client is “a very sweet person,” Henderson made it clear that the decision to pull out of the show was his call. “I figured, why go perform and do this if she’s not going to be respected to the highest level? So, it was my call to actually pull out of the performance.” Meanwhile, SZA and her entire team will have to merely content themselves with the fact that SOS, released in December of 2022, has been really, ridiculously successful: The album sat at the top of the Billboard album charts for a decent chunk of the year, and its single “Kill Bill” topped the publication’s Hot 100 list.
Miller’s manager confirmed the news to Variety in a statement on Sunday, which would’ve marked the actor’s 44th birthday.
“The actor was struggling with manic depression when he died,” the statement reads.
Miller was born on Sept. 17, 1979, and grew up in Grand Prairie, Texas. Throughout his childhood, he battled with Tarsal coalition, a rare condition that affected the cartilage in his ankles.
His break into the entertainment industry came when he was signed as a model to Wilhelmina, going on to play Richie Novak for a short while in the soap opera “All My Children.” Then, Miller would move over to “The Young and the Restless” to take over the role of Billy Abbott.
Miller’s role on “The Young and the Restless” landed him three Daytime Emmys, including two for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series and outstanding lead actor in a drama series. He exited the soap in 2014 and joined “General Hospital.”
Miller played the roles of Jason Morgan and Drew Cain on “General Hospital,” starring as a series regular until 2019 and then joining “Suits” for five episodes.
His additional credits include appearances on “NCIS,” “The Rookie,” “Truth Be Told,” “Major Crimes,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Castle” and “Enormous.” He was also featured in Clint Eastwood’s 2014 war drama “American Sniper” and Craig Brewer’s 2016 “Urban Cowboy” TV movie drama, which starred Nathalie Kelley.
Miller is survived by his mother Patricia, sister Megan, brother-in-law Ronnie, nephew Grayson and niece Charley.
Tens of thousands of people, including students, retirees, scientists, politicians and celebrities, began to fill the streets of Midtown Manhattan on Sunday to demand that world leaders quickly pivot away from the fossil fuels that are dangerously heating up the planet.
Sunday’s demonstrations were part of a weekend of large peaceful protests in Germany, England, Senegal, South Korea, India and elsewhere, mostly led by young people.
“Rather than taking meaningful climate action, the government is supporting the fossil fuel industry to prioritize corporate interests and groups of power,” said Borim Kim, who helped organize the event in Samcheok, South Korea, where protesters marched along a road next to coal trucks and stood in front of the city’s newest coal-fired power plant.
“Let’s end fossil fuels,” they chanted in Korean, according to Ms. Kim. “We can still do it.”
The climate protests, the largest since before the Covid-19 pandemic, come on the heels of the hottest summer on record, exacerbated by planetary warming, and alongside record profits for oil and gas companies.
And they signal the flashpoint looming over the United Nations’ meetings in New York this week and climate talks scheduled for November in the United Arab Emirates. Activists are demanding that coal, oil and gas remain in the ground while industry leaders say they can continue to drill while cleaning up the pollution that fossil fuels produce.
“In order to solve the climate crisis, we have to stop our reliance on fossil fuels,” said Emma Buretta, 17, a New York City high school student and an organizer with the Fridays for Future movement. “A lot of previous climate marches haven’t focused on that.”
The protests indicate a shift in message and tone from climate advocates, who have grown increasingly frustrated at the continued expansion of fossil fuel projects alongside promises by oil and gas companies to use emerging and often costly technologies to capture carbon dioxide from the air and bury it underground.
According to scientific models as well as projections by the International Energy Agency, nations must stop new oil, gas and coal projects if the world is to stay within relatively safe levels of atmospheric warming.
“We know there can be no new drilling if we want a habitable world, yet politicians in these countries are still bowing to the demands of this profiteering industry that will push us past critical climate limits if allowed,” said Lauren MacDonald, a British activist campaigning to stop the approval of a new oil and gas field, called Rosebank, in the North Atlantic.
Activists are especially angry that this year’s U.N. climate negotiations are set to take place in the United Arab Emirates, a leading oil-producing state, and will be overseen by Sultan al-Jaber, head of the Emirati state-owned oil giant, ADNOC.
But he is not the only target of the activists’ ire. They are also keen to send a pointed message to President Biden as he begins his push for re-election: Do more if you want our votes.
The Biden administration has shepherded through the United States’ most ambitious climate law and is working to transition the country to wind, solar and other renewable energies.
But the United States has also continued to approve permits for new oil and gas drilling. That has enraged many of Mr. Biden’s traditional supporters, as well as politicians on the left flank of the Democratic Party, who want him to declare a climate emergency and block any new fossil fuel production. A few lawmakers from the party’s progressive wing are scheduled to speak Sunday afternoon at a rally at the end of the march.
“Just this year, President Biden has already approved the Mountain Valley Pipeline, the Willow project, and so many other mega projects,” said Jean Su of the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group, at a news conference before the start of Sunday’s march. “Scientists have said that the only way we can actually stop the tragedies that we are feeling right now is to stop the expansion and phase out. So we’re here today to tell our leaders loud and clear you need to phase out fossil fuels.”
At the same time, climate protests are becoming more confrontational, with civil disobedience actions that invite arrest. Activists have thrown pies at glass-covered paintings, disrupted a U.S. Open tennis match and glued themselves to oil company buildings.
Civil disobedience actions are planned for Monday in Lower Manhattan.
Irish Grinstead, singer of girl group, 702, has died. She was 43.
The news of Irish’s death was shared by her sister and 702 groupmate, LeMisha Grinstead, on Saturday, via Instagram.
“It is with great sadness that I have to let you know that my beautiful sister and friend has passed away this evening,” she wrote next to a black and white photo of Irish. “She has had a long battle and she is finally at peace. That girl was as bright as the stars! She was not only beautiful on the outside, but also within. Sharing the stage with her was a joy I will cherish for the rest of my life! We, the family ask for prayers and respect for our privacy as we grieve an outstanding loss to our family. Love always, Misha.”
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LeMisha followed the post with a picture of her and Irish preparing to take the stage.
“Me and my lil sister!! ??,” she wrote.
LeMisha shared on final picture of her sister, looking up to the sky with the words “RIP Irish B. Grinstead June 2, 1980 – September 16, 2023.”
No cause of death has been shared. However, in December 2022, 702 announced that Irish would be stepping away from the group, due to medical reasons.
Getty Images
Irish’s death was also mourned by Missy Elliott, who was featured on their song “Steelo.”
“Irish May your beautiful soul Rest Peacefully in the arms of the Lord?️ A Multitude of prayers for the entire Grinstead family???️?#702,” the rapper wrote via X (formally known as Twitter) over a picture of Irish.
702 which included Irish, LeMisha and Kameelah Williams, released their first album, No Doubt in 1996, which featured breakout hits, “Steelo” and “Get It Together.” In 1999, the trio released their self-titled follow-up album, which included their hit single, “Where My Girls At.”
Amid their success, 702 — named after the area code of their hometown Las Vegas — released songs on soundtracks to Cousin Skeeter, Pootie Tang and Good Burger. The group’s final album was released in 2003.
After briefly disbanding, 702 recently began to do shows. In 2021, Irish and LeMisha appeared on BET Presents: The Encore.
Rene Haas, the chief executive of the chip-design powerhouse Arm, has many masters to serve.
He reports to Masayoshi Son, the head of SoftBank, which owns Arm and plans to sell a portion of the British company this week in the year’s biggest initial public offering. Officials in Beijing and Washington also command Mr. Haas’s attention amid a widening chip trade war, as does Britain’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and others who have unsuccessfully pitched the idea of a stock listing in the country.
And Mr. Haas must juggle the demands of more than 200 companies that use Arm’s technology. Ten of the biggest — including Apple, Google, Samsung and Nvidia — have been negotiating for stakes in the highly anticipated Arm offering as artificial intelligence drives explosive demand for more powerful chips.
“It’s only going to get more and more complex,” Mr. Haas said in a speech in May at a trade show in Taiwan. “I’m an old person in this industry. I’ve never seen it like this.”
Few companies face as many geopolitical and commercial complexities as Arm, the creator of the most widely used computing architecture of all time. Its public offering, which is expected to start trading on Thursday and to value the company around $52 billion, will signal Arm’s ability to weather those challenges and enter new markets. How Arm performs will also influence the market for public listings, which has been quiet for much of the year.
There are “a lot of companies to please and a lot of capitals to please,” Jodi Shelton, chief executive of the Global Semiconductor Alliance, a big trade group, said of Arm. Mr. Haas, she added, “has to not only play diplomat on a global level but to customers.”
Arm is in a quiet period before its public offering, with Mr. Haas expected to help ring the Nasdaq opening bell in New York on Thursday.
Founded in 1990, Arm has for decades helped define how nearly all mobile phones operate, despite having only about 6,000 employees and less than $3 billion in annual revenue. Its technology has also spread to cars, sensors, supercomputers and myriad other devices.
Unlike most chip companies, Arm does not make or sell those silicon components. It essentially designs and licenses blueprints for one of the most important parts of a chip — processor cores, which perform calculations and run software programs.
Those electronic brains rely on a set of instructions that Arm developed, and that programs like Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS operating systems use to carry out basic operations on smartphones.
Companies typically design entire chips by placing the blueprints for Arm’s cores alongside those handling other functions, which they may design or license. That means many companies watch Arm’s technical specifications and future plans closely.
“There are very different interests that have to be balanced,” said Aart de Geus, the chief executive of Synopsys, which sells software for designing chips along with specialized chip cores and aims to invest in Arm’s offering. “We all have to play really well together to make anything work.”
Arm estimates that more than 250 billion chips using its technology have been sold since its founding in 1990. That was when Apple and two partners established what was originally called Advanced RISC Machines in Cambridge, England. Apple wanted low-powered technology that would extend battery life in the Newton, its ill-fated personal digital assistant, which was discontinued in 1998.
“The DNA of the company was born building products that run off batteries, and that sensibility still defines us today,” Mr. Haas said in a video presentation for Arm’s I.P.O. roadshow, where it pitches to investors.
Mr. Haas, 61, is the first American to run Arm, which still conducts most engineering in Cambridge. He grew up in a suburb of Rochester, N.Y., where his father was a Xerox research scientist and exposed him to Silicon Valley’s allure on a childhood visit to Xerox’s research center there.
After earning an electrical and electronics engineering degree from Clarkson University, Mr. Haas worked for a chip maker and a start-up before a seven-year stint at Nvidia, a dominant provider of graphics and artificial-intelligence chips.
He joined Arm in 2013. After lobbying for changes in its China business, Mr. Haas was transferred to Shanghai.
In 2016, SoftBank bought Arm for $32 billion, inspired partly by Mr. Son’s ultimately unsuccessful idea of selling services to help coordinate and deliver software to billions of devices equipped with Arm chips. Mr. Haas moved to London to lead the rest of Arm’s business, and began pushing for changes there.
Among other things, he introduced licensing schemes with annual subscriptions for a bundle of Arm technologies, reducing the need for repeated negotiations for individual products. Arm also shifted from a longtime practice of designing cores for smartphones and adapting them for other applications. It now designs cores from scratch for new markets like data centers and cars.
In September 2020, Nvidia reached a deal to buy Arm from SoftBank for $40 billion. That plan collapsed 18 months later after opposition from regulators and customers. Mr. Son picked Mr. Haas in February 2022 to succeed Simon Segars as chief executive.
An imposing figure at 6 feet 4 inches, Mr. Haas introduced new ideas with a collaborative style, associates said. He “has really transformed Arm,” said Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s chief executive, in the roadshow video.
With Arm in the middle of tech supply chains and the chip trade war, Mr. Haas is grappling with challenges, including slowing sales of smartphones and the question of whether the company can play a big role in A.I. chores in data centers.
Another comes from China, where Arm gets roughly a quarter of its revenue and licensing is handled by Arm China, a company that it does not control. Arm weathered a long-running battle with Arm China’s leader, who was ousted last year, but payments and sales information from that company have sometimes been late, the I.P.O. prospectus said.
Trade tensions also loom large. Sales of one powerful version of an Arm core for data centers have been hobbled by American and British restrictions on Chinese exports. Though Arm said it had worked around such limits so far, the possibility of tougher rules stands out among numerous risks concerning China described in the prospectus.
There are also questions about Arm’s business model. Arm historically negotiated with chip makers to receive an upfront licensing fee, which might range from $10 million to $100 million depending on the technology involved, plus a per-chip royalty of around $1 to $3.50, estimated Jim McGregor, an analyst at Tirias Research.
But lower-cost alternatives have emerged, including RISC-V, a technology whose instruction set can be licensed for free.
Arm also faces a legal battle with a major customer, Qualcomm, a big supplier of mobile chips. Arm sued Qualcomm, saying it violated a licensing contract in connection with buying a chip start-up, Nuvia. Qualcomm denied the accusations and plans to begin offering chips developed by the former Nuvia team, underscoring how more customers may license just the Arm instruction set and then design original processor cores.
Though Arm has penetrated data centers in chips designed by Amazon and Ampere Computing, a start-up, it has yet to experience the kind of A.I. sales surge there that Nvidia has enjoyed.
Handel Jones, head of the research firm International Business Strategies, said Arm’s biggest A.I. opportunity would be in phones, PCs and other so-called edge applications where devices need low power consumption.
“If Arm can play the role that Nvidia plays in data centers at the edge, then that I.P.O. valuation can be justified,” Mr. Jones said. “They are a long way from getting there yet.”
Allegations against comedian and actor Russell Brand are being investigated by the BBC and Banijay U.K., while the Metropolitan police has encouraged victims to come forward.
On Saturday, the Sunday Times of London, The Times and U.K. broadcaster Channel 4’s documentary team “Dispatches” published the results of a year-long investigation where Brand was accused of “rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse.”
Brand pre-emptively denied the allegations in a YouTube video titled “So, This Is Happening,” where he said he “absolutely refutes” the “litany of astonishing, rather baroque, attacks.”
On Sunday, a BBC spokesperson said: “The documentary and associated reports contained serious allegations, spanning a number of years. Russell Brand worked on BBC radio programmes between 2006 and 2008 and we are urgently looking into the issues raised.”
One of the allegations is from a then 16-year-old during the time Brand presented a show on BBC Radio 6.
Other allegations are said to have happened in the 2004-05 period on “Big Brother” spinoffs “Eforum” and “Big Mouth” produced by Endemol, now owned by Banijay.
Banijay U.K said in a statement: “In light of the very serious allegations raised by ‘Dispatches’ and The Times/Sunday Times investigation relating to the alleged serious misconduct of Russell Brand while presenting shows produced by Endemol in 2004 and 2005, Banijay U.K. has launched an urgent internal investigation and will cooperate with any requests for information from broadcast partners and external agencies. We also encourage anybody who feels that they were affected by Brand’s behaviour while working on these productions to contact us in confidence.”
“Banijay U.K. has robust welfare procedures and policies in place which are aimed at preventing such occurrences and protecting cast, crew and staff. Escalation protocols are also in place across all our productions to encourage anyone experiencing or witnessing inappropriate behaviour on set or in the workplace to speak up. A global code of conduct, anonymous whistle blowing line and dedicated senior HR contacts are promoted for all production teams, including on call sheets. We take our duty of care to our cast, crew and staff extremely seriously.
While the legacy company, Endemol, did have a code of conduct, support policies and escalation procedures in place during the period in question (2004/2005) they were not as robust as our current processes. We are sorry these women did not feel supported and protected while working on these productions and in light of these serious allegations encourage to them to contact us in confidence,” the statement added.
The U.K. Metropolitan police said that it had not received any complaints yet but was in touch with The Sunday Times on the matter. “If anyone believes they have been the victim of a sexual assault, no matter how long ago it happened, we would encourage them to contact the police,” a Metropolitan police spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International, for whom Brand participated in the “Secret Policeman’s Ball” events in 2006 and 2012, said that it was “very aware of the barriers women face in raising complaints of sexual assault, and would encourage any women to let us know if there is anything that they experienced at that time that is of concern.”
Drew Barrymore reversed her decision to bring back her daytime talk show despite the Hollywood strikes after an onslaught of criticism, the actress and host announced on Sunday in an Instagram post.
The return of production for “The Drew Barrymore Show” drew picketers from the striking writers’ and actors’ unions, as taping resumed last Monday, and on Friday, Barrymore defended the decision in an emotional Instagram video, saying, “This is bigger than me.” The company that produces the show, CBS Media Ventures, echoed Barrymore’s resolution, citing more than 150 jobs that would be affected.
But on Friday night, Barrymore deleted the video, and on Sunday morning, she released a new statement changing course.
“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” the statement said. “I have no words to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt and, of course, to our incredible team who works on the show and has made it what it is today. We really tried to find our way forward. And I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry very soon.”
In a statement on Sunday, CBS Media Ventures said the company supported Barrymore’s decision and understood “how complex and difficult this process has been for her.”
Barrymore is far from the only daytime talk show host returning during the strikes, but she has received the most criticism, perhaps in part because of her decision in May to bow out of hosting the MTV Movie and TV Awards in solidarity with striking writers.
The daytime juggernaut “The View,” for example, has been airing new episodes filmed without its unionized writers. Barrymore’s show had taken the same approach by producing a show that the production company said would be fully ad-libbed, without any staff members filling in for the production’s three striking writers.
Other talk shows, including “The Jennifer Hudson Show” and “The Talk,” have also been planning returns. Bill Maher’s weekly talk show on HBO has been as well, with the host defending his decision in a social media post by saying, “I’m not prepared to lose an entire year and see so many below-the-line people suffer so much.”
Barrymore herself is a member of SAG-AFTRA, but as a talk-show host she is covered by a separate agreement called the Network Code, making it technically permissible for her to present the show during the strike.
Late-night shows have the same option, but thus far, many network hosts have decided not to take it. Instead, five of the big-name hosts — Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver — have started a podcast together, with proceeds going toward supporting their staffs.
Returning amid the strikes may look even less appealing to TV hosts after Barrymore’s ordeal. Within two days of her show’s resuming production, the National Book Foundation dropped her as the host of the National Books Awards. Her social media pages were filled with people urging her to walk back her decision to resume production, advice she heeded in less than a week.
You’re all I ever wannttteeedddd. You’re all I ever needeeddd. So tell me what to do now when I want you back. If you’re under the age of 30, you probably don’t get that reference. But if you do, you are totally an NSYNC (also styled *NSYNC) fan. The infamous ‘90s boy band sang those very words on their smash debut single “I Want You Back,” quickly making millennial girls swoon over them. They released their last album, Celebrity, in 2001 and since then we have been wanting them back. Over two decades later, NSYNC is reuniting for a new song in a seemingly unorthodox way: for a Trolls movie. We get a sneak peak at NSYNC’s new reunion song “Better Place,” in the trailer for Trolls Band Together.
Yes, this seems a bit strange for those who aren’t familiar with this universe. The Trolls films follow Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick), the pink-hued and upbeat troll who eventually becomes the queen of the Trolls. The Trolls are carefree and love to sing and dance ALL the time. She eventually falls in love with Branch, who hates all things joy until he forms a friendship and later romance with Poppy. NSYNC member Justin Timberlake not only voices Branch in the Trolls franchise, but he also wrote the Academy Award-winning theme song for the original 2016 movie, “Can’t Stop the Feeling.”
So it makes sense that Trolls Band Together would be an avenue for an NSYNC reunion song. In fact, it seems that Branch’s life will somewhat mirror Justin Timberlake’s based on what we see in the Trolls Band Together trailer. Branch is a former member of a huge boyband made of his brothers. He will apparently save one of them from a kidnapping before they have a surely happy reunion.
We only hear a snippet of NSYNC’s new reunion song “Better Place” in the Trolls trailer but it sounds upbeat and fun. There’s also this quick TikTok preview with a few fun reactions.
Additionally, Justin Timberlake shared a short behind-the-scenes look at getting the band back together to record NSYNC’s new song.
And it won’t be long before NSYNC are officially are back on the music scene. “Better Place” will be available on September 29, and it will be a joyous day for all NSYNC fans. For now, pre-save the song and get ready to fan out like it’s 1997.
Change is on the economic horizon for Destiny 2, as Legendary Shards will soon be retired from the game. What does this mean in the grand scheme of things? Well if you’ve been hoarding them, then now is a good time go on a spending spree as Xur is back in the cosmic neighborhood with new Exotics in stock. Here’s where Xur is this weekend and what he has for sale.
This week you can find Xur in the EDZ, in the Winding Cove area. For his weapon, Xur is offering Trinity Ghoul. Hunters can pick up the Young Ahamkara’s Spine gauntlets; Titans can grab the Crest of Alpha Lupi armor; and Warlocks can buy the Ophidian Aspect gauntlets.
Xur Location
Xur’s location in the EDZ.
Spawn in at the Winding Cove transmat zone, then hop on your sparrow and go north. Take the collapsed overpass on the left and look for a cave near the bend in the road. Follow the tunnel through the cliff face to reach a higher ridge where a Fallen dropship has crashed; you’ll find Xur waiting there.
Legendary weapons and armor – 50 Legendary Shards, 1,000 Glimmer
Xur also offers the Xenology quest every week, which requires you to complete 21 Vanguard Ops or win Crucible and Gambit matches so that you can earn an Exotic Cipher. These are normally used to buy old Exotics from a kiosk in the Tower, but from this season, you’ll be able to spend them at Master Rahoolto get the Exotics that you want. The cap on Exotic Ciphers has also increased, as you’ll now be able to hold up to five of them at a time.
Exotic Armor
Young Ahamkara’s Spine (Exotic Hunter gauntlets)
Young Ahamkara’s Spine
This set of ghoulish gauntlets will increase Tripmine Grenade duration and blast radius, which works well for any Hunters looking to lay an explosive trap. Ability damage also grants Tripmine Grenade energy, so your uptime on recharging that power gets shortened substantially. For the stats, recovery is very high, recovery and strength are low, and the crucial discipline stat is above average, so you won’t need to invest too many armor mods on this Exotic.
Mobility: 10
Resilience: 19
Recovery: 3
Discipline: 14
Intellect: 9
Strength: 6
Total: 61
Crest of Alpha Lupi (Exotic Titan armor)
Crest of Alpha Lupi
A regal Exotic for Titans, Crest of Alpha Lupi generates an additional Orb of Power from Supers and a healing pulse whenever Barricade is activated. That gives it plenty of functionality, and for the stats, it has excellent strength and resilience. Recovery is around average, but discipline and intellect are very low so you’ll need to compensate with your armor mods.
Mobility: 7
Resilience: 17
Recovery: 11
Discipline: 2
Intellect: 2
Strength: 30
Total: 69
Ophidian Aspect (Exotic Warlock gauntlets)
Ophidian Aspect
For the Warlock who likes to spend time in PvP, Ophidian Aspect is a pretty good Exotic to have equipped. If you’re confident in your Destiny 2 firearm skills, then you’ll benefit from greatly increased weapon ready and reload speeds. This roll of Ophidian Aspect has high resilience and strength stats, average recovery and discipline, and very low intellect.
Mobility: 3
Resilience: 18
Recovery: 13
Discipline: 10
Intellect: 2
Strength: 20
Total: 66
Exotic Weapons
Trinity Ghoul (Exotic bow)
Trinity Ghoul
Bows are pretty powerful this season thanks to the seasonal artifact, and Trinity Ghoul is an excellent spin on the medieval weapon. This Exotic works well with Arc-focused builds, as it fires an Arc energy arrow that splits into three projectiles. Aiming down sights decreases the spread, and for an added trick, precision kills grant the next shot chain-lightning abilities.
Split Electron
High Tension String
Compact Arrow Shaft
Lightning Rod
Hawkmoon (Exotic hand cannon)
Hawkmoon
Hawkmoon is a pretty average roll this week, with the refreshed perk Snapshot Sights providing faster time to aim down sights. It’s an average perk that could be quicker, but we’ve seen worse rolls of Hawkmoon before.
Paracausal Shot
Fluted Barrel
Alloy Magazine
Snapshot Sights
Textured Grip
Legendary Armor
Titan
Type
Mobility
Resilience
Recovery
Discipline
Intelligence
Strength
Total
Simulator Gauntlets
Titan Gauntlets
6
20
7
14
16
2
65
Simulator Plate
Titan Chest Armor
22
10
2
12
6
14
66
Entanglement Mark
Titan Mark
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Simulator Helm
Titan Helmet
12
14
6
20
2
10
64
Simulator Greaves
Titan Leg Armor
22
2
10
15
2
14
65
Warlock
Type
Simulator Gloves
Warlock Gauntlets
17
2
14
2
11
20
66
Simulator Robes
Warlock Chest Armor
10
22
2
16
15
2
67
Entanglement Bond
Warlock Bond
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Simulator Hood
Warlock Helmet
2
28
2
10
20
2
64
Simulator Legs
Warlock Leg Armor
18
2
10
24
2
7
63
Hunter
Type
Simulator Grips
Hunter Gauntlets
7
2
24
12
20
2
67
Simulator Vest
Hunter Chest Armor
2
18
12
10
11
10
63
Entanglement Cloak
Hunter Cloak
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Simulator Mask
Hunter Helmet
2
28
2
23
7
2
64
Simulator Boots
Hunter Leg Armor
10
2
18
6
14
10
60
Legendary Weapons
Iota Draconis
Energy Fusion Rifle
Chambered Compensator / Extended Barrel
Enhanced Battery / Liquid Coils
Ensemble
Harmony
Interference VI
Heavy Grenade Launcher
Confined Launch / Linear Compensator
Spike Grenades / High-Velocity Rounds
Grave Robber
Swashbuckler
Hoosegow
Heavy Rocket Launcher
Confined Launch / Quick Launch
High-Velocity Rounds / Impact Casing
Underdog
Quickdraw
Tears of Contrition
Kinetic Scout Rifle
Extended Barrel / Smallbore
Accurized Rounds / Flared Magwell
Triple Tap
Explosive Payload
Seventh Seraph SI-2
Energy Sidearm
Corkscrew Rifling / Full Bore
Steady Rounds / Flared Magwell
Hip-Fire Grip
Elemental Capacitor
Extraordinary Rendition
Kinetic Submachine Gun
Chambered Compensator / Polygonal Rifling
Extended Mag / Steady Rounds
Firmly Planted
One for All
Hollow Denial
Energy Trace Rifle
Corkscrew Rifling / Hammer-Forged Rifling
Projection Fuse / Tactical Battery
Lead from Gold
Repulsor Brace
Xur is present every weekend in Destiny 2, starting with the daily reset at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET each Friday. His exact location is always a mystery when he first arrives, as he is not listed on the map, and for novice players, he can be easy to miss. However, there are a set number of locations where he takes up residence, including the Tower Hangar area, on Nessus in Watcher’s Grave, and in the Winding Cove area of the EDZ.
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.
“The Talk” has pushed back its return, following Drew Barrymore’s decision to pause her talk show, amid criticism during the writers strike.
“’The Talk’ is pausing its season premiere scheduled for September 18. We will continue to evaluate plans for a new launch date,” a spokesperson for CBS tells Variety in a statement.
Earlier on Sunday, Barrymore said that she was be pausing her talk show’s return. She had faced swift backlash from the WGA over the past week, as she had been standing by her decision to bring back her talk show.
“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” Barrymore wrote on Instagram on Sunday. “I have no words to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt and, of course, to our incredible team who works on the show and has made it what it is today. We really tried to find our way forward. And I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry very soon.”
“We support Drew’s decision to pause the show’s return and understand how complex and difficult this process has been for her,” a spokesperson for CBS Media Ventures told Variety in a statement, in support of Barrymore.
It’s worth remembering that the “Star Trek” we all know and love was born of a secondary pilot. Then original pilot — the one with Captain Pike — was rejected for being too cerebral and not action-packed enough. Only Spock (Leonard Nimoy) was carried over from the original pilot into the secondary one with Captain Kirk. It seems Roddenberry needed to invent several characters in a hurry, likely assembling his new ensemble in less time than he had to construct his first. Hence the Enterprise’s engineer didn’t have a name or nationality while auditions were being held.
Doohan was a soldier in the Canadian army during World War II and stormed the Normandy beach on D-Day. In his memoir, “Beam Me Up, Scotty,” Doohan tells the story of how a nervous Canadian sentry accidentally opened fire on him, shooting him in the legs, chest, and right middle finger. A cigarette case blocked the bullet to his chest, but he did lose his finger in the accident. Doohan always kept his right hand turned away from the camera throughout “Star Trek,” so that no one would not notice his injury. He occasionally wore a flesh-colored glove to hide it as well.
It was during his army service, according to an interview with Sci-Fi Online, that Doohan learned his Scots accent. He worked alongside a Scottish soldier from Aberdeen, and his Montgomery Scott voice was largely an imitation of that soldier. Inspired by a military friend, his talent for accents, and his admiration for Scots, Scotty was born. Roddenberry, it seems, merely rubber-stamped all these decisions.
Other small pieces of Doohan’s personal life also began to infiltrate Scotty. According to the same interview with Sci-Fi Online, Scotty was said to subscribe to various technical journals once the “Star Trek” writers learned that Doohan had similar subscriptions in real life.
Drew Barrymore has made the decision to pause the return of The Drew Barrymore Show — following the backlash surrounding her announcement to return for season four, amid the Writer’s Guild of America strikes.
On Sunday, the 48-year-old host took to Instagram to share the message with her followers.
“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” the host of the daytime program wrote as a caption next to a picture of the same message. “I have no words to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt and, of course, to our incredible team who works on the show and has made it what it is today. We really tried to find our way forward. And I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry very soon.”
Instagram/The Drew Barrymore Show/CBS
In a statement to ET, a spokesperson from CBS Media Ventures, which produces The Drew Barrymore Show, read, “We support Drew’s decision to pause the show’s return and understand how complex and difficult this process has been for her.”
Barrymore’s announcement comes after she took to Instagram on Friday, in a since-deleted video message, to offer and emotional apology for her decision to return and explain why she felt it was best for her and her staff.
At the time, Barrymore shared that she still had plans to move forward with the premiere.
“I believe there is nothing I can do or say in this moment to make it OK,” she said, alluding to the backlash she received for her decision to resume production. “I wanted to own a decision so that it wasn’t a PR-protected situation and I would just take full responsibility for my actions. I know there’s just nothing I can do that will make this OK for those it is not OK with. I fully accept that. I fully understand that.”
She continued, “There are so many reasons why this is so complex and I just want everyone to know my intentions have never been in a place to upset or hurt anyone. It’s not who I am. I’ve been through so many ups and downs in my life, and this is one of them. I deeply apologize to writers, I deeply apologize to unions, I deeply apologize.”
In her video, the Never Been Kissed star acknowledged the questions about why she is continuing to move forward, and assured her followers that they were not breaking any rules.
“We aren’t going to break rules and we are going to be in compliance,” she said. “I wanted to do this because, as I said, this is bigger than me and there are other people’s jobs on the line,” she said. “Since launching live in a pandemic, I just wanted to make a show that was there for people in sensitive times. I weighed the scales and I thought, ‘If we could go on during a global pandemic, and everything that the world has experienced through 2020, why would this sideline us?'”
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Following her video, CBS Media Ventures told ET, “The Drew Barrymore Show has been a largely unscripted talk show from the beginning. The shows we are producing this season are now completely unscripted. No one has stepped in to do the work of WGA writers. If you watch the show, it is obvious that Drew has always brought raw, unfiltered, spontaneous and open conversations to her viewers. Absolutely no struck work is being performed, and to imply otherwise is just plain wrong. We support Drew and her producing team 100 percent.”
The spokesperson additionally noted that no one on staff will fill the writing positions during the strike. Until that time, the spokesperson said, Barrymore will be ad-libbing and sharing her own remarks, which is not writing under the WGA Agreement. As for why they’ve opted to return, the spokesperson noted that, since there are upward of 150 people employed on the show, getting the staff and crew back to work was an important consideration for resuming production.
In her announcement, Barrymore shared in part, that she would adhere to all of the guidelines.
“This strike for our show, that may have my name on it but this is bigger than just me,” she said at the time. “I own this choice.”
“We are in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind. We launched live in a global pandemic. Our show was built for sensitive times and has only functioned through what the real world is going through in real time. I want to be there to provide what writers do so well, which is a way to bring us together or help us make sense of the human experience.”
“I hope for a resolve for everyone as soon as possible,” she concluded. “We have navigated difficult times since we first came on air. And so I take a step forward to start season 4 once again with an astute humility.”
The WGA responded to Barrymore’s decision in a tweet, writing, “The @DrewBarrymoreTV Show is a WGA covered, struck show that is planning to return without its writers. The Guild has, and will continue to, picket struck shows that are in production during the strike. Any writing on The Drew Barrymore Show is in violation of WGA strike rules.”
After Barrymore’s announcement, Bill Maher said his show, Real Time With Bill Maher, would likewise return without writers. Additionally, CBS’ panel show, The Talk, and two syndicated talk shows, The Jennifer Hudson Show and Sherri, hosted by Sherri Shepherd, are reportedly returning to production for season premieres in the coming weeks.
Each Day, at 4pm GMT, the daily ratings post will automatically go live. Afterwards, and as early as 4pm GMT, the early overnight Total Viewers and 18-49 Demo numbers will be added into the table below. Please see the “About the Daily Ratings” section at the end of this article for more details.
Below is a quick summary of the Final Adjusted Ratings for the shows that we cover here at SpoilerTV along with some select Cable Numbers.
Cable numbers will be posted after 9pm-10pm GMT.
Each day (except Sunday) during the main TV Season we post the TV Ratings for the previous nights primetime shows for the major broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, CW, FOX, NBC).
Select Cable Network ratings will be added to the Ratings Database.
When the final adjusted ratings numbers are released, these are then posted in the Ratings Database as well as the above
tables.
The Final Adjusted numbers are what we use for all our Renew/Cancellation Tables, Full Season Tables, Ratings Scorecards etc . Final Adjusted numbers will be posted each night around 9pm-10pm UK apart from the weekend.
Note: During the UK/USA Clock Changes, the above times will change by 1 hour.
Numbers are often delayed by Nielsen.
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Drew Barrymore has officially walked back her controversial plans to return to her talk show during the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike. On Sunday morning, the actress took to her personal Instagram account to release a statement announcing that the show would remain on hiatus until the strike is resolved.
The decision marks the end of a week of bad publicity for Barrymore and the daytime television industry as a whole. The show’s return was the subject of harsh criticism from supporters of the WGA strike, with Barrymore herself expressing regret about the decision throughout the tumultuous week. Those who need a refresher can keep reading for a day-by-day breakdown of the saga.
September 11 — “The Drew Barrymore Show” Returns from Hiatus
Several daytime talk shows, including “The Talk,” “The View,” and “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” made plans to resume production in September without the scripted portions typically written by WGA members. But as the first show to film a new episode, “The Drew Barrymore Show” received an outsized share of the backlash to the decision.
While Barrymore was not in violation of the SAG-AFTRA strike (talk show hosts work under different contracts than actors), many felt that producing new episodes of a TV show weakened the WGA’s negotiating position. Barrymore defended the initial plan, citing it as a necessary business decision made to allow her staff to return to work.
“I am also making the choice to come back for the first time in this strike for our show, that may have my name on it but this is bigger than just me,” Barrymore said in a statement announcing the show’s return. “I own this choice.”
The show’s first taping was picketed by WGA members, and attracted additional controversy when two audience members wearing WGA pins were reportedly removed from the studio.
“It is our policy to welcome everyone to our show tapings. Due to heightened security concerns today, we regret that two audience members were not permitted to attend or were not allowed access. Drew was completely unaware of the incident and we are in the process of reaching out to the affected audience members to offer them new tickets,” a spokesperson for the show said in a statement to IndieWire.
September 14 — Barrymore’s Co-Head Writer Criticizes Decision to Return
One of the most public critics of Barrymore’s return was her show’s co-head writer, Christina Kinion.
“I personally understand that everybody has to make the best decision for themselves,” Kinon said in an interview with The Daily Beast. “I know that this show has a crew of hundreds of people who need to be paid, and I understand the perspective of wanting to protect your cast, your crew, and your staff.”
Kinion added that while she understood Barrymore’s reasons for returning, she still saw the decision as ultimately hurting writers and prolonging the strike.
“I don’t see how what I do is different from writing for a scripted show, or writing feature films — which I also do,” she said. “We’re all trying to make a career out of writing, and the AMPTP is trying to slowly chip away at that. And they wouldn’t have anything without writers; writers are the seed of all of creation. Now, there’s word that maybe some other shows are coming back. So it is frustrating, because it will prolong the strike, and we just want it to end.”
September 15 — Barrymore Apologizes for Resuming Production, but Says New Episodes Will Continue
After days of backlash, Barrymore directly addressed her fans on Instagram. She offered a tearful apology for breaking the strike and took ownership for the decision, but said that the show had to continue filming and airing new episodes for business reasons beyond her control.
“I know there is just nothing I can do that will make this okay to those that it is not okay with,” Barrymore said. “I fully accept that. I fully understand that. There are so many reasons why this is so complex, and I just want everyone to know my intentions have never been in a place to upset or hurt anymore. It’s not who I am.”
September 17 — Barrymore Announces That Show Will Not Return Until Strike Is Resolved
By Sunday morning, Barrymore reversed course and announced that the show will remain on hiatus for as long as the WGA is on strike.
“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” Barrymore wrote on Instagram. “I have no words to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt and, of course, to our incredible team who works on the show and has made it what it is today. We really tried to find our way forward. And I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry very soon.”
In a statement provided to IndieWire, a CBS Media Ventures spokesperson said: “We support Drew’s decision to pause the show’s return and understand how complex and difficult this process has been for her.”
Donald Trump told so many lies during his Meet the Press interview that aired Sunday that NBC released a lengthy fact check chronicling his numerous mistruths. He claimed that bacon prices have increased five fold (they have not), that the 2020 election was “rigged” (there is no evidence of this), and that “15 million” undocumented immigrants are “flooding” the U.S. (that figure is a massive overestimate).
During the course of the interview, Trump used the word “rigged” in reference to the election nineteen times. The election, of course, was not rigged. According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — an agency that Trump himself created — the 2020 election was “the most secure in American history.”
“The election was rigged,” Trump told Welker. “There’s no question about that. There’s so much proof on it. Even if you go to the more modern-day proof with the — they call it Twitter Files, FBI and Twitter, or you take a look at the Amazon stuff or the Google stuff, or you take a look at 2000 Mules, you take a look at all of the ballot stuffing that’s on tape, you take a look at the fact that the legislatures didn’t approve a lot of the things that were done in the elections, and they had to approve. And we could go on forever. We could go on forever. But, but no. I want somebody that’s going to be strong, respected, tough, and fair.”
Picking one lie out of the torrent Trump unleashed, Welker told the former president, “The ballot stuffing — that’s something that’s been debunked… You know Republican officials and top law enforcement officials, they have told you that that’s debunked.”
As for Trump’s claim that the documentary, 2000 Mules, produced by right-wing figure Dinesh D’Souza is a smoking gun for election rigging, the allegations in the film have been repeatedlydebunked.
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Trump also lied about the price of bacon, claiming, “Things are not going right now very well for the consumer. Bacon is up five times. Food is up horribly — worse than energy.”
This is a gross exaggeration. Yes, bacon prices are up, as is the cost of most food due to rising inflation. But according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average cost of bacon per pound in U.S. cities has risen by 12 percent since Trump left office. The price of bacon did briefly increase by 30 percent at one point during 2022, but it has since gone down, and it never came close to doubling in price, let alone by a multiple of five. Trump did not lie, though, about food costs rising faster than energy costs. Since last August, energy prices are down, whereas food prices have risen by 4.3 percent.
Trump also claimed that some people being prosecuted for crimes related to the Jan. 6 insurrection “never even went into the [Capitol] building, and they’re being given sentences of many years.”
This statement completely ignores that some of these individuals who did not enter the Capitol are leaders like Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, both of whom were convicted of seditious conspiracy. Rhodes, along with other Oath Keepers, had a stashed caches of weapons in various hotels outside Washington. Tarrio, on the other hand, was not in D.C. on Jan. 6 because he was arrested days before the attack on an unrelated charge and was ordered to leave the city, but he still directed his allies on the ground from Baltimore. Others who did not enter the Capitol have been prosecuted for violent crimes committed on Jan. 6 that occurred just outside or near the Capitol building.
When the conversation turned to immigration, Trump alleged that “there were “millions of illegal immigrants coming into our country, flooding our cities, flooding the countryside.”
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“I think the number is going to be 15 million people by the time you end this, by the end of this year,” he said. “I think the real number is going to be 15 million people.”
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If the 15 million figure were true, it would mean that in a single year the U.S. will have more than doubled the total number of undocumented immigrants — 11.4 million — estimated to be in the entire country. According to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, the agency apprehended or denied entry to 2.7 million people in fiscal year 2022, and so far in 2023, that number is 2.5 million — a far cry from Trump’s alleged 15 million. It’s also worth noting that since President Joe Biden implemented new asylum restrictions this past spring, undocumented border crossings have sharply decreased.
But, if we know anything about Donald Trump, it’s that he never lets the truth get in the way of a whopping lie.
Canada is joining a three-month-old partnership with several key allies to send air defence missiles to Ukraine.
Defence Minister Bill Blair is in the United Kingdom today and announced Canada’s $33 million contribution on a visit to Canadian soldiers helping train Ukrainian recruits at Lydd Military Training Camp.
That same month the U.K., Denmark, Netherlands and the United States partnered to deliver hundreds of short- and medium-range air defence missiles to help Ukraine protect itself against Russian missile and drone attacks.
For a little more than a year, Canadian Armed Forces personnel have run training courses at Lydd for about 2,600 Ukrainian recruits in weapons handling, battlefield first aid and patrol tactics.
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Canada has contributed $8 billion in aid to Ukraine over the last year and a half, including $1.8 billion in military assistance for weapons, ammunition, military vehicles, drone cameras and winter clothing.
Canada will support Ukraine ‘for as long as it takes’: Trudeau
When Apple revealed the brand new iPhone 15 series earlier this week, there was a key difference to the iPhones that had come before: a USB-C port instead of Lightning. Now, we know a little bit more about the spec of this port.
As per an Apple support document (via MacRumors), the USB-C port on all iPhone 15 models is going to output up to 4.5W of power – that means there’s enough juice to charge up an Apple Watch, an AirPods case, or other small gadgets.
The Lightning port on previous iPhones offered a measly 0.3W, as 9to5Mac points out, which means there are a lot more possibilities for accessories. An external, portable, USB-powered hard drive could theoretically be connected over the port, for instance.
Another key bit of information revealed in the document is that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are going to support USB 3.2 Gen 2 for data transfer speeds up to 10 Gbps. As the USB-C cable included with these phones only supports USB 2 speeds, you’ll need to get another one to maximize data transfer rates.
Spec gaps
As had been previously reported, the document also confirms that all iPhone 15 models support DisplayPort output for up to 4K HDR screen mirroring on an external display. However, there’s not the extended display mode found on some iPads.
With preorders now being processed and the phones going on sale in stores on September 22, these nuggets of information fill in some of the remaining spec gaps. Only yesterday we got confirmation of the battery capacities of all four iPhone 15 models.
The switch to USB-C is undoubtedly one of the biggest changes to hit the iPhone series since it made its debut all the way back in 2007. If you’re wondering how it’ll affect Apple’s smartphones going forward, we’ve written up everything you need to know.
Cord Jefferson’s American Fictionpicked up the top People’s Choice honor Sunday at the Toronto Film Festival, which wrapped up a 48th edition with little Hollywood star wattage amid the uncertainty of dual Hollywood strikes.
Jefferson’s feature directorial debut, an adaptation for Orion of Percival Everett’s 2001 novel Erasure, had its world premiere in Toronto at the Princess Alexandra Theatre on Sept. 8. MRC is the film’s studio and financier.
The American drama about U.S. racial dynamics portrays a Black academic, played by Jeffery Wright, who grows frustrated that the only “Black books” that seem to find a wide (and white) audience are those that tread on stereotypes.
“My gratitude towards everyone who watched American Fiction [and] discussed it afterwards among friends and colleagues is endless. The film is now in your hands, and I’m so grateful that it was embraced in this way,” Jefferson said in a statement on Sunday morning.
The American director’s film grabbed TIFF’s top audience award and is considered a barometer of future Academy Award nominations, but that comes with an asterisk this year for a Toronto festival heavily impacted by the dual Hollywood actors and writers strikes.
The first runner-up for the top audience award is The Holdovers, directed by Alexander Payne and starring Paul Giamatti and newcomer Dominic Sessa, and the second runner-up is The Boy and the Heron from Japanese anime legend Hayao Miyazaki, which opened Toronto on Sept. 7.
Previous TIFF audience award winners — including Room, La La Land, 12 Years a Slave and Nomadland — received a lift from the normally celebrity-drenched Canadian festival on their way to Academy Award wins.
But not this year as the entertainment industry faces an ongoing crisis from the strikes. The unveiling of winners on Sunday was a muted affair after TIFF — overshadowed this year by Venice and Telluride as never before due to local Torontonians having come to expect an army of Hollywood A-listers on its red carpets — had few American stars on red carpets or glitzy after-screening parties during its Sept. 7 to Sept. 17 run.
The People’s Choice Awards are voted on by TIFF attendees. Participants could not vote more than once online using their email address, as TIFF measured the origin of each vote and matched them to the festival’s ticket-buyer information and database.
The People’s Choice award for best documentary went to Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe, directed by Robert McCallum. The first runner-up is Jen Markowitz’s Summer Qamp, and the second runner-up is Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa from director Lucy Walker and picked up by Netflix earlier in the festival.
The audience award for best Midnight Madness title at TIFF went to Larry Charles’ Dicks: The Musical, which stars Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally and Megan Thee Stallion. The first runner-up in that category is Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s Kill and the second runner-up is Hell of a Summer from co-directors Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk.
The ongoing labor action by members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Writers Guild of America led to members being barred from touting their latest films in Toronto and other fall film festivals unless their producers had signed interim agreements.
In juried prize-giving, Tarsem Singh Dhandwar’s Dear Jassi, a drama set in India that had projection problems in Toronto during a world premiere, won the Platform prize, and the FIPRESCI prize went to Meredith Hama-Brown’s debut feature Seagrass.
Elsewhere, Jayant Digambar Somalkar’s debut feature A Match picked up the NETPAC award for the best Asian film at TIFF, and the top Short Cuts prize went to Daria Kashcheeva’s Electra.
In other juried prize-giving, the Amplify Voice Awards went to Henri Pardo for the Haiti-set drama Kanaval and co-directors Carol Kunnuk and Lucy Tulugarjuk for Tautuktavuk (What We See). The best Canadian feature film prize as picked by a TIFF jury went to Sophie Dupuis’s Solo, a queer drama set in Montreal’s drag queen scene that stars Theodore Pelletier.
TIFF juries also gave the Changemaker Award to Minhal Baig for We Grown Now, a coming-of-age tale set in apublic housing complex in 1992 Chicago.
On the film sales front, few deals were unveiled in Toronto as the strikes and SAG-AFTRA restrictions kept buyers from either traveling to Toronto or making deals for acquisition titles on the ground.
Netflix picked up Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, Woman of the Hour, for around $11 million after a world premiere at the festival and also acquired the worldwide rights to Lucy Walker’s documentary Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa.
Otherwise, no other major deals were announced at TIFF, which has always relied on selling finished films rather than pre-sales packages.
Buyers remained mired in the stalemate at the bargaining table between the major studios and streamers and Hollywood actors and writers.
Sales agents also left their stars for acquisition titles at home as deals with major buyers like Netflix, Apple or Amazon or any platform aligned with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers looked elusive heading into the 48th edition.
The @DrewBarrymoreTV Show is a WGA covered, struck show that is planning to return without its writers. The Guild has, and will continue to, picket struck shows that are in production during the strike. Any writing on “The Drew Barrymore Show” is in violation of WGA strike rules.
Before we see any fight scenes and explosions in the first full-length trailer that dropped this week, Jason Momoa‘s DC character tenderly cradles and kisses his infant child. Later, Aquaman unites with his estranged half-brother, Orm, pulling him out of prison.
“In the first movie, Aquaman was a wanderer trying to still find out who he is,” said director James Wan, according to IGN. “But in this one, he ultimately becomes the king of Atlantis. He’s a dad in this one, and he needs to reach out to his family member, the one that was his antagonist in the first movie, and they had to ultimately be a family together.”
It’s no wonder that Wan turned to another famous unconventional onscreen family to get this superhero one right.
“I learned about family from ‘Fast and Furious,’” Wan said this week during a Q&A, according to IGN. “The family aspect in this film was something that was very important for me, and you have Vin [Diesel] to thank for that.”
Wan referred to his time directing “Furious 7,” the seventh installment of the “Fast & Furious” franchise. The franchise is known for its familial themes, and the seventh film more fully explored the emotional depths of familial bonds. Franchise star Paul Walker died unexpectedly in a car crash, halting production to change the film’s direction to include his death in 2013 — the final cut had a poignant and iconic farewell to his character, Brian O’Conner, set to Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s hit song “See You Again.”
In Wan’s “Aquaman” sequel, family and the threat of losing it takes center stage. Now a father and husband, Aquaman’s priorities have shifted. In the trailer, Black Manta, the main villain played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (“Candyman,” “Watchmen”), vows to “kill Aquaman” and “murder his family.”
During the 2018 “Aquaman” film Aquaman squared off against Orm, played by Patrick Wilson, who sought to unite the underwater kingdoms to destroy the world above water. In the sequel, which Wan called a “buddy comedy” and “a bromance movie,” the brothers begin to heal their relationship’s wounds as they team up against Black Manta.
“Arthur, Jason’s character, is so much about the family dynamic,” Wan said, “and we touched a bit on it in the first film with how he’s always wanted to reach out to his younger brother and try and build a relationship. Well, he gets to do that in this film.”
Aquaman’s family in the sequel also includes Mera, played by Amber Heard, with whom he had his child after a budding romance in the first film. The inclusion of Heard’s character has been a subject of debate since the first film due to onscreen chemistry issues between her and Momoa. The issue was exacerbated by her high-profile domestic abuse lawsuit trial in 2022 with her ex-husband, Johnny Depp.
Depp supporters launched an online campaign to remove Heard from “Aquaman 2.” At press time, the virtual petition had received more than 4.6 million signatures.
Heard testified during the trial that she nearly lost her role in the “Aquaman” sequel due to the media firestorm surrounding her legal battles with Depp.
“I was given a script and then given new versions of the script that had taken away scenes that had action in it … and they basically took a bunch out of my role,” Heard said during the trial. “They just removed a bunch out.”
However, the then-president of Warner Bros. Pictures, Walter Hamada, said in a video deposition that Heard was almost recast because of a lack of onscreen “chemistry” between her and Momoa — not because of the Depp controversy.
Wan addressed the issue this week, telling Entertainment Weekly that Heard’s character was expected to receive a reduced role in the sequel “from the get-go,” and that was part of his original pitch to DC.
“The first Aquaman was Arthur and Mera’s journey. The second movie was always going to be Arthur and Orm,” Wan said. “So, the first was a romance action-adventure movie, the second one is a bromance action-adventure movie. We’ll leave it at that.”
After much anticipation, Heard appeared briefly at the tail end of the “Aquaman 2” trailer. Her character is seen for a split second during a battle scene, punching a window.
Times staff writers Christi Carras and Carlos De Loera contributed to this report.
The DC Animated Universe has a vast collection of Justice League films, requiring a clear watch order to understand the continuity and shared storylines.
Standalone Justice League movies offer unique and diverse stories that explore different time periods, universes, and art styles, providing a fresh perspective on the Justice League.
The DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU) is the most extensive and recognizable continuity, with seven films inspired by The New 52 comic run and a darker tone than previous animated films. The DCAMU also includes standalone films featuring individual members and other team-ups within the DC Universe.
The DC Animated Universe has a rich filmography when it comes to the Justice League, necessitating a solid watch order to make sense of it all. DC’s animated films are a consistent content output, and standing among them are some of DC’s most faithful media. With a new animated Justice League film from DC having been put out at least once almost every year since 2010, it’s easy to get lost in putting together the chronological order in which the films were released.
Warner Brother’s live-action DCEU may be on the brink of a reboot, yet the universe’s animated films have always had a strong identity. Between them lies some of the best Justice League representations available in movies. That being said, the overarching story of the best and worst DC animated films is split between several continuities, further complicating watching patterns. Rather than going by release date, it may help to also group the films by shared continuity, allowing for the enjoyment of an overarching story across multiple films.
Every Justice League Animated Movie in Release Order
Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)
Justice League: Doom (2012)
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)
JLA Adventures: Trapped In Time (2014)
Justice League: War (2014)
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)
Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015)
Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016)
Justice League Dark (2017)
Justice League vs. The Fatal Five (2019)
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)
Injustice (2021)
Justice League: Warworld (2023)
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths (2024)
Standalone Justice League Movies in Chronological Order
Not every Justice League animated film fits neatly into a shared universe. While the one-off stories may not have the allure of the long-form character growth, the standalone films offer variety, able to explore more unique stories featuring the Justice League that might not otherwise make it to screen. These films put their own unique spin the Justice League’s position, featuring alternate time periods, universes, and art styles that might not make the cut in a full-on franchise. It’s not strictly necessary to watch these in chronological order, considering they aren’t a shared story, but doing so brings an appreciation for DC’s animated projects to grow and evolve.
Justice League Animated Movies’ Crisis on Two Earths/Doom Continuity
The first of the animated Justice League films to work within the framework of a shared universe, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths and Justice League: Doom complement one another as a complete story with a consistent tone, art direction, and characterization. Both explore the idea of holding up a dark mirror to the Justice League. In Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, the League encounters their evil doppelgangers in the form of the Crime Syndicate, a criminal organization made up of the Justice League’s counterparts in a parallel dimension in which their loyalties to the League’s ideals are reversed.
Similarly, the second installment, Justice League: Doom, warps Batman’s ideology against the league, with Vandal Savage leading an army of hand-picked villains to enact the Caped Crusader’s own contingency plans to stop members of the Justice League, should they go rogue, against them. In this universe, Batman’s creation of the contingency plans were likely inspired by his first-hand account of what a League with the wrong intentions was capable of in the previous film. The smart, consistent themes of the Crisis on Two Earths/Doom continuity make it a short but sweet entry among DC’s various cinematic universes.
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)
Justice League: Doom (2012)
The DCAMU Justice League Movies in Chronological Order
The most expansive and recognizable DC’s animated Justice League continuity is the DC Animated Movie Universe, or DCAMU, with seven films inspired by The New 52 comic run. The series starts with Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the same climactic storyline that began The New 52. Keeping consistent with this inspiration, the tone of the DCAMU is a good deal darker than most of what DC had put into animation up to its inception, especially in some of the later films.
In addition to the Justice League, this universe also contains a healthy collection of stand-alone films featuring individual members, such as Son of Batman, The Death of Superman, and Wonder Woman: Bloodlines, not to mention other team-ups within the DC Universe with films such as Teen Titans: The Judas Contract and Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay. While the films in the DCAMU vary widely in quality, they are a great way to experience the classic storylines of The New 52 continuity and do right by the Justice League in terms of representation.
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)
Justice League: War (2014)
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)
Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016)
Justice League Dark (2017)
Justice League vs. The Fatal Five (2019)
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)
Justice League Animated Movies’ Tomorrowverse Continuity
Following the finale of the DCAMU, the Tomorrowverse franchise sought to fill in as a successor for DC’s need for an animation continuity with a consistent timeline. Named after the first film in the series, the well-received Superman: Man of Tomorrow, the Tomorrowverse is still relatively new but has left many avenues open for big things to come. As the first true representation of the franchise, Justice League: Warworld took an unorthodox route with its anthology storytelling, only gradually revealing to audiences what this version of the League was truly dealing with as time went on.
Big things have been promised with the continuity’s plans to include the famous Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline, with a featured Justice League film tackling the subject in 2024. The announcement of this film was significant enough to get DC Animated Universe fans wondering if Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths would be related to the DCEU, which it isn’t. Having since been confirmed as part of the Tomorrowverse, this Justice League entry could set an interesting precedent after 6 films as a stepping stone into a more codified continuity using the story that was designed to consolidate multiverses into a single canon.
It’s impossible to type the name “Martin Scorsese” without feeling like you’re about to write some sort of missive on one of the founding fathers of storytelling.
A lot of pressure comes with that!
In a new piece on Scorsese in Time Magazine, the writer correctly states that a lot of people want to be Martin Scorsese without knowing how much that entails.
As an avid Scorsese fan and an active dreamer about my place in Hollywood, I feel like I am just coming to terms with how much time Scorsese spends caring not only about his art form, but the continuation of it long after he’s made whatever his final film will be.
Hollywood, over the last few years, has not been kind to people breaking in or forging ahead. The pandemic set back many a career, and, now, the AMPTP’s refusal to end the dual strikes from the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA is stalling things again.
The rise of content and tentpole movies also have to give people who want to create personal stories a bit of pause.
Scorsese has time to worry about all of this, while still making movies.
It’s nice to feel like you have someone you’ve never met looking out for you.
When it comes to this current climate, Scorsese has hope. He says, “Young people expressing themselves with moving images, they’re going to find a way to be seen… But they have to fight, they have to really, really fight and not be co-opted.”
This fight is playing out right now in the climate I mentioned before. People are trying to break in and be seen and seek financing for stories they believe in.
Scorsese came of age in Hollywood in the 1970s, when it felt like personal movies and new ideas were a commodity that was valued. Sure, it caused a ruckus and some pushback, but it delivered classics. That world changed.
Scorsese talked about studio heads back then, saying, ““Ultimately, they say, ‘Well, who wants personal filmmaking? Look what happened in the ’70s. By the end of it, you all went mad! And you went over budget and schedule, and you made these three movies, Apocalypse Now, Raging Bull, and Heaven’s Gate!’””
This imitation shows that the mindset in Hollywood hasn’t changed all that much. It’s become about profits and ease versus art, vision, and expression.
So where do ingenuity and forward-thinking fit into all of this?
Scorsese does so much for us, I wonder if the only way we can repay him is to make sure this stuff lasts. It’s to keep honoring our voices and vision. To keep struggling.
And to hope that if we ever get the power or opportunity to get things to change, we take some of that burden from him and carry our share of the load.
After a two week run that included a slew of buzzy world premieres and screenings of previous favorites from the international festival circuit, the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival has come to a close. Toronto is often considered the unofficial kickoff to Oscar season (along with the Venice and Telluride film festivals), so the films that take home the coveted People’s Choice Awards often get an early boost for their award campaigns.
The top prize went to “American Fiction,” Cord Jefferson’s publishing industry satire that stars Jeffrey Wright as a novelist who finds massive success after writing a deliberately stupid novel about Black life. A24’s raunchy hit “Dicks: The Musical,” one of the festival’s buzziest titles, also received a boost with the People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award. The People’s Choice Documentary Award went to “Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe,” Robert McCallum’s tribute to the beloved Canadian children’s show.
Blake Lively was sunshine, Taylor Swift was midnight rain.
On September 16, the 36-year-old actor and 33-year-old pop star were photographed out on the town in New York City. In photos shared by People, the friends could be seen leaving celebrity hotspot Zero Bond in mismatched aesthetics. Lively dressed herself in bright colors, pairing a pink and white tweed skirt with a graphic t-shirt and mixed denim shirt with colorful patchwork lining. She topped the eclectic look with patterned heels and a quilted denim Chanel purse.
Meanwhile, Swift rocked a nearly all-black ensemble, matching a black button-up cardigan with a dark grey pleated miniskirt and mahogany red calf-length boots. Both women wore their thick blonde hair down in loose waves, making them look more like sisters than longtime friends, though Swift once again rocked the single mini braid that has sent her fans back into detective mode. You can see the photos here.
While they may not look like they’re dressed for the same place, Blake Lively and Taylor Swift both leaned heavily into their current tastes, with Lively taking her love of pastels and playful patterns to the ultimate extreme while Swift continues to be influenced by the New England prep-school uniform.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds in NYC on September 6, 2023.
MMVV
Taylor Swift in New York on September 8, 2023.
Backgrid
Looks aside, what do you think these two talked about? If Swift dished on what has really been going on with NFL tight end Travis Kelce or complained about the unsubstantiated rumors, the Gossip Girl star may have shared that her own fans were concerned about the state of her marriage to Ryan Reynolds because her husband didn’t make a joke out of her birthday on Instagram. Or maybe they already covered all that when they both wore blue looks to dinner with Reynolds, Zoë Kravitz, Channing Tatum, and Cara Delevingne earlier in the week.
Oh, to be a fly on that wall (or, more likely, a rat on that NYC street).
The Drew Barrymore Show is not returning this month after all.
Barrymore took to Instagram with a statement Sunday morning that revealed her talk show will remain on hiatus until the Writers Guild of America Strike concludes.
“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” Barrymore wrote.
“I have no words to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt and, of course, to our incredible team who works on the show and has made it what it is today.”
“We really tried to find our way forward. And I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry very soon.”
Barrymore previously courted controversy when she announced her show would return this month with its fourth season, months into the WGA strike.
“I own this choice,” Barrymore wrote earlier this month of the decision to bring the show back.
The WGA then shared a statement on X saying that writing completed for the new season violates strike rules.
“The @DrewBarrymoreTV Show is a WGA covered, struck show that is planning to return without its writers,” the guild tweeted.
“The Guild has, and will continue to, picket struck shows that are in production during the strike.”
The backlash intensified, with several celebrities speaking out against Barrymore, prompting the Charlie’s Angels alum to release a tearful video explaining her stance.
“I believe there’s nothing I can do or say in this moment to make it OK,” Barrymore said in the aforementioned video.
“I wanted to own a decision, so that it wasn’t a PR-protected situation, and I would just take full responsibility for my actions.”
The video was swiftly deleted. CBS Media Ventures has not responded to the delay.
What are your thoughts on the decision?
Hit the comments.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
Billy Miller, a three-time Daytime Emmy winner known for his roles on “The Young and the Restless” and “General Hospital,” died Friday, Sept. 15. He was 43, but would have celebrated his 44th birthday today.
Miller’s death was confirmed by soap opera journalist Michael Fairman. No cause of death has been revealed.
Miller grew up in Grand Prairie, Texas. He was signed as a model to Wilhelmina, then began his acting career on the soap opera “All My Children,” playing Richie Novak. He moved on to “The Young and the Restless” in 2008 as the fourth actor to play the role of Billy Abbott.
He departed that show in 2014, but won three Daytime Emmys: two for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and one for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
Miller joined the cast of “General Hospital” in 2014 and played Jason Morgan and Drew Cain. He was a series regular until 2019.
His other acting credits included parts in “Suits,” Showtime’s “Ray Donovan,” and Apple TV+’s “Truth Be Told.”
Survivors include Miller’s parents, Bill and Sue Miller, sister Kelly Miller, and longtime love Kelly Monaco. No memorial plans have been revealed.
“American Fiction,” Cord Jefferson’s satire of race and media, captured the Toronto International Film Festival’s people’s choice award, bolstering its Oscars chances.
TIFF’s people’s choice award is considered to be among the best predictors of eventual awards success, though the 2023 festival hosted a weaker lineup than most years due to the writers and actors strikes that saw some prominent contenders skip a Canadian premiere. In the past, winners of the prize such as “Green Book,” “12 Years a Slave” and “Nomadland” went on to be named best picture at the Academy Awards. Other recipients, including “Belfast,” “La La Land,” “Jojo Rabbit,” and 2022’s winner, “The Fabelmans,” were all best picture nominees.
The people’s choice category was created in 1978. Seven recipients won best picture at the Oscars, with five of those victories coming in the past two decades.
“Dicks: The Musical,” a raunchy satire from “Borat” director Larry Charles, won the People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award. A24 will release the film later this month.
Alexander Payne’s boarding school dramedy “The Holdovers” was the first runner up for the People’s Choice Award, while Hayao Miyazaki’s animated coming-of-age story “The Boy and the Heron” was the second runner up.
“American Fiction” earned critical raves when it debuted at TIFF, with many reviewers singling out the performance of Jeffrey Wright as a college professor who achieves literary renown after penning an outrageous book about Black life that is unexpectedly hailed for being raw and true. Variety’s awards editor Clayton Davis predicted that the movie could resonate with Oscar voters and declared that the movie was “one of the finest directorial debuts seen since Sam Mendes’ ‘American Beauty.’”
Jefferson, who has been a writer on “Succession” and “Watchmen,” made his feature directing debut with the movie wrote the screenplay. It is based on Percival Everett’s 2001 novel, “Erasure.” MGM is releasing the film this year.
UPDATED and 08:29 a.m. PT: The BBC has now joined with Banijay in launching an urgent investigation into the Russell Brand allegations.
The BBC is looking into Brand’s behavior while working on BBC radio shows between 2006 and 2008.
A BBC spokesman said: “The documentary and associated reports contained serious allegations, spanning a number of years. Russell Brand worked on BBC radio programmes between 2006 and 2008 and we are urgently looking into the issues raised.”
PREVIOUS:Big Brotherproducer Banijay has launched an “urgent internal investigation” into historic allegations against Russell Brand.
Some of the allegations against Brand published by The Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4 in the past 24 hours were said to have happened during the making of Big Brother’s Big Mouth and Big Brother’s EFourum, which were made by Endemol – subsequently bought by Banijay – in the mid-noughties.
Following publication of the allegations, which have dominated headlines today and rocked the entertainment world, Channel 4 asked Banijay to investigate historical allegations that Brand behaved inappropriately while presenting the Big Brother spin-offs.
Banijay UK said: “In light of the very serious allegations raised by [Channel 4’s] Dispatches and The Times / Sunday Times investigation relating to the alleged serious misconduct of Russell Brand while presenting shows produced by Endemol in 2004 and 2005, Banijay UK has launched an urgent internal investigation and will cooperate with any requests for information from broadcast partners and external agencies.
“We also encourage anybody who feels that they were affected by Brand’s behaviour while working on these productions to contact us in confidence.”
Prior to the probe launch, Banijay apologized for Endemol’s procedures at the time of the concerns, but said it now has “robust welfare procedures and policies in place,” including a whistleblowing line and dedicated HR contacts.
Brand, who vehemently denies wrongdoing, has been accused of flashing his penis at a runner and pursuing female audience members for sex while working on EFourum and Big Brother’s Big Mouth.
Two former crew members told the Times newspapers that they felt like they were working as a “pimp” for Brand during their time on EFourum. One runner, who went on to have a relationship with Brand, alleged that she was shocked when he flashed his penis at her and insinuated that she could give him oral sex during an encounter in his dressing room.
A researcher claimed that Brand’s pursuit of audience members was reported to production managers at Endemol, but their concerns were dismissed. Banijay said it could find no record of concerns being raised about Brand after recently reviewing files.
Prior to the allegations being published, Brand put out a video across his social media channels in which he denied a “litany” of allegations about unspecified criminal behavior at the height of his celebrity.
Banijay label Initial’s rebooted Big Brother launches on ITV in just a few weeks time.
The White House said on Tuesday that eight more companies involved in artificial intelligence had pledged to voluntarily follow standards for safety, security and trust with the fast-evolving technology.
The companies include Adobe, IBM, Palantir, Nvidia and Salesforce. They joined Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection AI, Microsoft and OpenAI, which initiated an industry-led effort on safeguards in an announcement with the White House in July. The companies have committed to testing and other security measures, which are not regulations and are not enforced by the government.
Grappling with A.I. has become paramount since OpenAI released the powerful ChatGPT chatbot last year. The technology has since been under scrutiny for affecting people’s jobs, spreading misinformation and potentially developing its own intelligence. As a result, lawmakers and regulators in Washington have increasingly debated how to handle A.I.
On Tuesday, Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, and Nvidia’s chief scientist, William Dally, testified in a hearing on A.I. regulations held by the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on privacy, technology and the law. On Wednesday, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Sam Altman of OpenAI and Sundar Pichai of Google will be among a dozen tech executives meeting with lawmakers in a closed-door A.I. summit hosted by Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader from New York.
“The president has been clear: Harness the benefits of A.I., manage the risks and move fast — very fast,” the White House chief of staff, Jeff Zients, said in a statement about the eight companies pledging to A.I. safety standards. “And we are doing just that by partnering with the private sector and pulling every lever we have to get this done.”
The companies agreed to include testing future products for security risks and using watermarks to make sure consumers can spot A.I.-generated material. They also agreed to share information about security risks across the industry and report any potential biases in their systems.
Some civil society groups have complained about the influential role of tech companies in discussions about A.I. regulations.
“They have outsized resources and influence policymakers in multiple ways,” said Merve Hickok, the president of the Center for AI and Digital Policy, a nonprofit research group. “Their voices can’t be privileged over civil society.”
The People’s Choice Award from the just-wrapped 2023 Toronto Film Festival has gone to American Fiction. First Runner Up is The Holdovers. Second Runner Up was Boy And The Heron . The Documentary Award went to Mr. Dressup: The Magic Of Make-Believe,,and the Midnight Madness winner was Dicks: The Musical.
Voted online by audience members since 1978 and often considered a harbinger for the Best Picture Oscar, the TIFF People’s Choice Award has been won by such eventual Best Picture Academy Award winners as Nomadland, Green Book, 12 Years a Slave, The King’s Speech, Slumdog Millinaire, American Beauty and Chariots of Fire. Among those that went on to Best Picture nominations include last year’s winner The Fabelmans, as well as Belfast,JoJo Rabbit, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Room, La La Land, The Imitation Game, Silver Linings Playbook, Precious, Life Is Beautiful, Places in the Heart and The Big Chill.
Shilpa Shetty all set to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi
Shilpa Shetty will be seen in Sukhee which is releasing on September 22. Sukhee also stars Kusha Kapila in a pivotal role.
Shilpa Shetty is all set for her next release Sukhee. The trailer has impressed the audience and has received a huge thumbs up. The film will be clashing with Vicky Kaushal’s The Great Indian Family. Both films are releasing on September 22. However, ahead of the release, the actress as per her traditional ritual brought Lord Ganesh home. She was seen picking up the idol with her hubby Raj Kundra. The photos and video have gone viral on social media.
In the video, shared by Instant Bollywood, we can see Shilpa dressed in green colour Anarkali suit with multicoloured dupatta picking the Ganesh idol. Raj Kundra who is hiding his face by wearing a mask is carrying the idol. The couple every year celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi with full fervour. She always brings Ganesh’s idol home.
Watch the video here:
Recently, Shilpa Shetty made shocking claims. In a conversation with Bollywood Bubble, the actress recalled how she was trolled for her post-pregnancy weight. Shilpa was quoted saying in the interview, “It was my business to be glamorous. People couldn’t understand how I had not lost weight for 8 months after the birth of my child. But I did not want to lose weight. Also, I did not pay any attention to it. The day I decided to, I lost it in 3 months. Logon ka kaam hai kehna yar (People are conditioned to say stuff). You can’t change how people think. I can’t take them too seriously.”
Shilpa Shetty also opened up about how she has never been counted as a top actress despite getting love from fans.
Sukhee also stars Kusha Kapila in a pivotal role. The story revolves around a housewife who finally breaks free from her monotonous routine and goes to Delhi for her school reunion. Shilpa Shetty will soon be making her OTT debut with Rohit Shetty’s web series Indian Police Force co-starring Sidharth Malhotra.
The DCEU and MCU have been competing in the superhero genre, with Marvel Studios having an advantage due to popular main characters and stars.
Some actors, like Ryan Reynolds, have played characters in both universes, and now some Marvel stars are getting the chance to play DC characters.
There is a possibility of a crossover between the MCU and DCU, as Marvel and DC have already collaborated in comics and with directors like James Gunn involved.
The DCEUand the MCUhave been fighting over the domination of the superhero genre both on the small and big screen, with the universe led by Kevin Feige having a significant adventage on the battle. A big part of the popularity that both franchises have accomplished have to do with the big names behind the main characters of their movies and tv shows, who hace become major stars thannks to their roles as famous heroes or villains.
Some actors like Ryan Reynolds have had the chance of playing characters in both of the extended universe, playing Wade Wilson in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Hal Jordan in 2011’s Green Lantern and returning as th Merc with a Mouth in Deaddpool and its sequel, with the anti-hero soon joining the MCU with his next film. And now some of his new co-stars within the Marvel Cinematic Universe also get the chance of playing a character from the DCU.
On Reddit, artist TheOGCukeman published a set of images that show some of the most popular stars from Marvel Studios transformed into heroes and villains from DC. The pictures include alternative versions of Batman, Superman, Poison Ivy, Harvey Dent, Aquaman, Catwoman, Riddler, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Deathstroke, Ra’s Al Ghul, Mera, Black Adam, Commissioner Gordon, Supergirl, and Talia Al Ghul:
Now that the DCU is gping through some major changes with James Gunn behind every project, and considering that the director has been an important part of the MCU, it wouldn’t be a surprise for many Marvel Studios star to go work with him on the competition. In fact, Gunn has already taken some with him in The Suicide Squad, and has already teased that some familiar names from Guardians of the Galaxy could appear in the future of the DCU.
In the comics, Marvel and DC have already get some of their most iconic characters together in a few titles in the past. In 1978, Superman and Spider-Man joined forces to defeat Lex Luthor and Doctor Octopus right when both companies were going through one of its best moments.
Some other major crossoverse followed, with the X-Men and the Teen Titans appearing together, and there was even an event confronting their heroes in 1996 with DC vs Marvel. Batman and Punisher have also crossed paths, while the Avengers and the Justice League too in 2003.
But the most surprising collaboration between both comapines was the creation of the Amalgam imprint, which presented new characters inspired in some of their most popular ones. For example, Captain America and Superman mixed to create Super-Soldier.
So, if all of these titles were possible, the chances of Marvel Studios and the recently created DC Studios joining forces to deliver some epic and unforgettable crossover are definitely high, especially since Gunn and Feige hav worked together for a long time.
During its iPhone 15 event this week, Apple released a sketch where CEO Tim Cook and VP Lisa Jackson bragged about the company’s environmental goals with Mother Nature, played by Octavia Spencer. It was a flex to help bolster the marketing around the Apple Watch Series 9, some versions of which are sold as carbon neutral. It’s the first product to carry the branding, but others will follow as Apple pushes toward its goal of becoming entirely carbon neutral by 2030. It was after the event, however, that I wondered how much of this was Apple smugly congratulating itself for work that it’s meant to be doing.
There are plenty of companies in the mobile space, and none are as adept at making regular decisions look pious as Apple. So, I figured I’d read all the companies’ sustainability reports from the last year to see if that bluster was worth puncturing. But, much as we may want to sneer at Apple, it turns out no major manufacturer is close to matching its claims. In fact, I’ve had a fairly miserable few days learning how little, even now, some of the biggest names in the space are doing.
Apple’s goals are aggressive, and they are matched by some of its domestic rivals, although they have far smaller hardware businesses. Facebook owner Meta, at one extreme, which is primarily a services company, achieved net zero in its global operations in 2020, and wants to reach net zero across its entire value chain by 2030. Microsoft’s goals are even bigger, as it pledges to become a carbon negative company by 2030. Google, meanwhile, is hoping to reach carbon-free energy in every place it operates by 2030 but it believes it’ll only halve its emissions by that same deadline. And Amazon, which has been the highest-profile laggard in addressing sustainability, has pledged to reach net zero by 2040.
Before we dig in, it’s worth noting there’s no guarantee of consistency between different companies’ reports and the figures aren’t always comprehensive. And we can’t ignore the big financial disparity between Apple and its largest competitor in mobile, Samsung. Similarly, the financial gap between Samsung and the lower-end players in the market is stark, and caring about the environment costs money. But, even so, the limp pledges made by these companies aren’t even as good as they appear to be. (Earlier this year, the New Climate Institute gave Samsung’s climate pledges a failing grade for transparency and integrity, and called out the paucity of its ambition.)
I won’t bore you with every statistic — although I really could — but Apple is standing head and shoulders above pretty much everyone. Take e-waste, where Apple claimed to direct more than 40,000 tons of disused gadgets to recycling rather than landfill. It doesn’t get into specifics of how much was recovered from that, but it’s a fairly standout figure nevertheless. Samsung seems to have collected about a quarter of that figure, and by my wonky math, recovers around 80 percent from that to be reused.
Meanwhile, Xiaomi, the third biggest mobile player in 2022, proudly reported that it had directed 4,500 tons of e-waste to recycling. That figure looks good compared to Oppo, the world number four, which managed to do the same for just 195 tons. Transsion, the parent company of TECNO and Infinix, has merely pledged to run recycling programs. It’s worth remembering that the WEEE Forum predicted, across 2022, that up to 5.3 billion mobile devices would fall out of use, essentially becoming trash.
I was surprised at Apple’s willingness to even mention emissions from supplier factories since it contracts out its manufacturing. It would have been easy enough to launder its dirty emissions onto other companies’ balance sheets and point to its corporate usage alone. Instead, it has received commitments from many suppliers pledging to use 100 percent renewable energy. Apple says its supply chain now has 13.7GW of renewable energy, with a further 6.3GW due in the near future. Samsung, meanwhile, says that it’s looking to move to 100 percent renewable energy at all of its business sites by 2027, and that it already uses green power for 31 percent of its needs. Xiaomi doesn’t appear to have made a commitment to making a firm transition to renewable energy, while Oppo believes that it’s not yet hit its carbon emissions peak until next year.
If there’s one place that Apple still lags alongside the rest of the industry, at least for right now, it’s in repair. Until we know how easy it is for an end-user to replace common components on the iPhone 15, at least, then Apple remains as bad as everyone else. Its self-service repair platform remains frustratingly complex, and it’s still overcharging for basic repairs. (Or just refusing to repair devices as a precursor to getting buyers to replace their devices.) Samsung made a fairly big deal about repairability in its own report, pointing to the Galaxy S23 as an example. It’s worth noting that the gurus at iFixit rated the S23 a 4/10 for repairability, given that while the battery is replaceable, it’s also glued into place.
NIC COURY via Getty Images
For its part, Apple is making some fairly bold claims about how the Watch Series 9 deserves its classification. It says the device comprises 30 percent recycled or renewable materials, including a case made out of 100 percent recycled aluminum. The watch was created in factories using 100 percent renewable energy and at least half of them are shipped by sea, rather than air. The company added it’s not just paying for clean energy for its devices to be made, but has also invested in power generation equal to what users may consume while charging it, too.
The company said that its baseline for the timepiece’s manufacturing emissions was 36.7kg based on its own metrics. From there, it’s managed to reduce the emissions cost from energy altogether, as well as reducing the materials and process emissions. The Series 9, as far as Apple is concerned, only emits 8.1kg into the atmosphere, which is then offset with carbon credits.
In its materials, the company cites the Restore Fund, a project Apple founded, which invests in “high-quality, nature-based carbon removal projects.” Restore Fund is operated in partnership with Conservation International, Goldman Sachs and HSBC, but it isn’t entirely philanthropic. Goldman’s own website describes the fund as designed to be profit-bearing, offering a “future potential financial return from harvesting activities and the sale of properties.”
It’s worth being cynical about offset purchasing, especially since the industry isn’t as clean as you may hope. Earlier this year, The Guardian published an investigation into Verra, the body which verifies carbon offset programs run by a wide variety of big corporations. It found many of the credits bought by companies to reduce their emissions did not translate to real-world action at all. The report suggested that of the 94.9 million carbon credits purchased, there were only real emissions reductions of 5.5 million MTCO2e (metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent). Verra disputed these findings.
It’s worth reiterating that Apple is in something of a privileged position here, given it has a staggering amount of cash on hand. It can use that power to make the sorts of headline grabbing investments in renewable energy its competitors may not have. But its wealth is also a target for progressive critics, including bodies like Population Matters, who point out the company’s annual marketing budget alone could bring clean water to the UN’s 46 least developed countries.
But, from a general view, there’s only one company in the mobile devices space that can stand head and shoulders above Apple in the green stakes: Fairphone. It’s still a relatively niche player, but has made building an ethically and environmentally responsible device its guiding mission. The big question is how long it’ll take for all of the biggest players to catch up to where this one small company is right now.
Devour! The Food Film Fest is the largest food film festival in the world. The annual week-long festival is a transformative food and film experience combining cinematic excellence with 100+ events, celebrated filmmakers, and high-profile chefs from around the globe. The festival welcomes 15,000 food and film lovers. It has become a destination for celebrities and notable chefs including Anthony Bourdain, Phil Rosenthal, Jacques Pépin, Gabrielle Kreuther, Dominique Crenn, Chuck Hughes, Sam Cass, Michael Städtlander, Normand Laprise, Michael Smith, Gordon Pinsent, Jason Priestley, Lidia Bastianich, and Bill Pullman. Each year, top chefs from across Canada and around the world collaborate on special dinners inspired by films.
The 13th Annual Devour! The Food Film Fest is back and in person from October 23-29 in Wolfville, the agricultural and wine heartland of Nova Scotia and the Grand-Pré National Historic Site. From Michelin star chefs to the culinary stars of tomorrow, this year’s festival will dig into Acadian, Québecois, Cajun, Creole, and French cuisine, and explore how they intersect on the screen and on the plate. The line-up includes Michelin-starred Alsatian Chef Gabrielle Kreuther from New York, legends of New Orleans’ Cajun cuisine Chef Megan “Meg” Bickford of The Commander’s Palace and Chef Stephen Stryjewski of Cochon, the rising stars of Acadian cuisine Chef Gene Cormier of Euston Park Social from Moncton and Chef Shane Robicheau from Nova Scotia, and an array of talented chefs from across North America.
Co-director Roger Ross Williams says even when you think you had heard it all, the iconic women could have kept talking: “I was worn out, and they’d want to keep going! They were so eager to tell their own stories for so long. They were eager to tell the stories from their perspective and not through the lens of the media.”
Episode two is a standout thanks to several revealing stories from Cindy Crawford, which we’ll talk more about next week. And episode four features a very vulnerable Linda Evangelista, who lets the cameras capture her at some of the lowest—and also most empowering—moments in her life. Williams and Bills give you a front row seat to the lives of these extraordinary women, and that’s where The Super Models really excels.
On that note, check out a lot more worthy offerings below. I’ll see you back here next week as ABC prepares to keep us firmly planted on the couch with the premieres of Dancing with the Stars, The Golden Bachelor, and Bachelor in Paradise.
Monday, September 18
Academy of Country Music Honors (Fox): The two-hour special honors Chris Stapleton, Clint Black, Mary Chapin Carpenter, K.T. Oslin, Kane Brown, and Tim McGraw. Four-time ACM Award winner Carly Pearce will return to host the ceremony for a third year. Performances include Lady A, Keith Urban, Trisha Yearwood, Brandy Clark, and many more. 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT
Superpower (Paramount+): In this docuseries, what begins as a light-hearted look at a comedic actor turned President of Ukraine becomes a front-row seat to history on February 24, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. Directors Sean Penn and Aaron Kaufman were filming in Kyiv when they saw first-hand the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelensky’s inauguration as one of the most significant wartime leaders of the modern era. Streaming
Wednesday, September 20
The Super Models (Apple TV+): The fascinating four-episode docuseries drops today in which Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington reminiscence on the highs and lows of their extraordinary careers. Here’s the episode breakdowns:
Part 1: The Look: In 1983, four teenagers—Christy, Cindy, Linda, and Naomi—each step in front of a camera for the first time, igniting a seismic chain of events.
Part 2: The Fame: Christy, Cindy, Linda, and Naomi work with fashion titans and walk the most high-profile runways, leading to a music video that changes everything.
Part 3: The Power: Taking the world by storm, the women become the faces of ’90s culture until shifting perceptions and a controversial remark shake things up.
Part 4: The Legacy: As the women face life changes and find new roles as entrepreneurs, humanitarians, and mothers, they find the power in growing older. All episodes streaming
Last week, the actress and Drew Barrymore Show host revealed it would be returning without writers and would abide by strike rules in not discussing struck work. Barrymore apologized after she received pushback and said there was nothing she could do to make it OK.
“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” Barrymore wrote in a statement on Instagram Sunday. “I have no words to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt and, of course, to our incredible team who works on the show and has made it what it is today.”
She concluded, “We really tried to find our way forward. And I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry very soon.”
The news that she would be pausing the show comes days after the talk show host posted her now-deleted video apology on Instagram. She explained in the post that she was accepting responsibility and did not have a “PR machine” behind her decision to restart the show despite the ongoing writers strike.
“I certainly couldn’t have expected this kind of attention,” she said about her decision in the video. “We aren’t gonna break rules, and we will be in compliance. I wanted to do this because as I said, this is bigger than me, and there are other people’s jobs on the line.”
After a 10-month hiatus, Apple TV+‘s flagship drama The Morning Showis back for Season 3. And dare I say, it’s never been better. Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) and Bradley Jackson’s (Reese Witherspoon) personal and professional shenanigans return in full force, Billy Crudup continues his career-great performance as smooth-talking suit Cory Ellison, and in the first two episodes alone we take a trip to outer space and witness a “nuclear” cyber hack at UBA. Season 3 isn’t playing around! Returning cast members Mark Duplass, Greta Lee, Karen Pittman, and Julianna Margulies — plus stellar new additions Nicole Beharie and Jon Hamm — help dial the series’ signature brand of chaos up to 11. And episodes still to come feature high stakes, unexpected alliances, raw emotions, and storylines so outrageous you’ll be screaming at your TV screens. No matter how much time has passed, you can always count on The Morning Show for juicy drama, a painful trip down memory lane, and eventful episodes that leave you craving more.
Agatha Christie was the master of the perfectly constructed mystery; Oscar winner Hildur Guðnadóttir (“Joker,” “Tár,”) is an avant-garde cellist-composer. Yet the two meet to spine-tingling results for Kenneth Branagh’s third Hercule Poirot mystery, “A Haunting in Venice,” a loose adaptation of Christie’s “Hallowe’en Party.”
As it turns out, there’s a very good reason why Guðnadóttir might find pleasure in Christie’s work. “My grandmother, who was one of the first women doctors in Iceland and a brilliant virologist, always said that the only way to get a tiny break from your mind is to read a good detective novel or crime story,” Guðnadóttir told IndieWire.
“So, since I was very young, I have lived by this advice,” Guðnadóttir said. “And I have always wanted to sink my teeth into an Agatha Christie adaptation. When Ken approached me about this one, he was really clear from the get-go that he wanted to do something totally different from the other two movies. And he wanted to do something much more dark and moody and more like a chamber piece, and I thought that was really just very exciting.”
On a deeper level, Guðnadóttir was drawn to the psychic pain of Branagh’s retired Belgian detective in this post-World War II whodunit, which co-stars Tina Fey as Christie’s beloved Ariadne Oliver and Michelle Yeoh as a very unconventional medium. It’s about a seance that turns to murder in a haunted palazzo that was once an orphanage where children were tortured. The frightening atmosphere summons ghosts from Poirot’s past, rooted in his obsession with murder, wartime experiences, and hardened view of human nature.
Psychic pain is becoming the throughline of Guðnadóttir’s Emmy-, Grammy-, and Oscar-winning work, which also includes “Sicario: Day of The Soldado,” “Chernobyl,” “Women Talking,” and the upcoming “Joker: Folie à Deux.”
Hildur GuðnadóttirCourtesy of Camille Blake
“I’m quite a joyful person and I laugh often and loud, and I love just being happy in general,” she said. “And I think that’s probably the reason why I’m so fascinated by the darker side of the human psyche because I still spend a lot of time creating [somber] music, so I get to kind of experience both sides of the coin.
For “A Haunting in Venice,” Guðnadóttir abandoned her usual practice of creating processed musical sounds on the computer, choosing instead to compose a classical chamber score — performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra at Abbey Road — for greater intimacy. The strings and woodwinds reflected not only Poirot’s unease but also the tension and unanswered supernatural questions associated with the mysterious interior life of the palazzo.
“In this score, I was imagining what it was like to write music before and after the Second World War,” added Guðnadóttir. “In a world that has gone through a complete destruction, how do you move forward, throw out your old beliefs and build something new? The abandonment of romantic ideas and melodies, in exchange for a more abstract sense of musicality.”
This entailed experimenting with tone, both mathematically rigid and structurally open, by changing the melodic structure in more atonal ways. For example, the main theme, “Haunt,” begins the film with a simple solo cello. “It’s a sort of melodic movement that doesn’t really go anywhere,” the composer said. “It’s not happy, it’s not sad, it evokes this feeling in me of introspection. So it almost creates a space in the beginning when [Poirot’s] waking up of: Is it real? Is he dreaming or is he awake?”
Then the music gets unnervingly loud and angry with the “Seance” cue. It’s Guðnadóttir at her experimental best, the way she creates a multiphonic sound on the wind instruments with several notes at once. “So it’s like different ways of blowing into the instruments or tapping on the instruments or just taking something classical and shifting your way of approaching it,” she said. “And I thought that these types of sounds are very much of this time and fall into my line of [avant-garde] interest. How the times are shifting musically and they just lend themselves incredibly well to these supernatural aspects of the film, which you can create with these classical instruments.”
Then Guðnadóttir does a musical deep dive into Poirot’s confused state of mind with “Psychic Pain.” This occurs when he’s assaulted by supernatural forces that undermine his rational thinking and belief system. “It’s just like slow notes and, again, it’s quite sparse and creates a sense of space,” she added. “But it’s more emotional, a bit of heartache as we draw to the end of that piece. It has a slight sense of melody, a slight sense of resolve without [fully resolving].”
Turns out “A Haunting in Venice” was the perfect lead-in for Guðnadóttir’s work on the upcoming sequel “Joker: Folie à Deux.” Only this time, director Todd Phillips has added a musical dimension with the introduction of Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, the psychiatrist who becomes obsessed with Joker (Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix) and turns into his sidekick and love interest.
“It’s been really fun to revisit the musicality of Arthur Fleck and Joker because, obviously, in the first film, the music was so present and so upfront,” Guðnadóttir said of her first movie musical. “It was such a big part of him and his story. And I think Phillips has a really strong sense of musicality.”
However, the psychic pain will be multiplied by these two kindred spirits caught in this “Madness for Two.” And it will be creatively exciting for the composer to get inside the delusional minds of Joker and Harley for some delirious musical sequences. But will Guðnadóttir be collaborating with Lady Gaga on some original songs? She’s not telling.
“I’m not allowed to give anything away about which direction it’s going in, but I’ve been doing the process quickly,” she added. “And it’s fantastic to get to do that with beautiful artists like Joaquin and Lady Gaga and Phillips. It’s a real treat for me.”
However, on Tuesday, Caballero said in a radio interview that artists like Peso Pluma had potentially invited the attention of the cartels with their lyrics. “Let’s be clear: They sing and make an apology of crime and thus they should know the risk and consequences,” Caballero told Azucena Uresti, the host of Radio Fórmula, in a phone interview.
She added that whether the authorities canceled the concert would be contingent on whether the narcomantas were the work of organized crime or ordinary citizens. Caballero, who is from the governing party Morena, moved into the military headquarters of the 28th Infantry Battalion after one of her bodyguards suffered an armed attack, and has said she is being targeted by organized crime for confiscating arms.
Other Mexican musicians have drawn attention to the risks of the genre as well. Natanael Cano, who is considered a pioneer of corridos tumbados, recently stopped mid-song during a concert in Sonora, remarking that he was “going to get killed.” The lyrics of the song, “Cuerno Azulado,” allude to drug deals and potential government involvement, including a line assumed to be a reference to Joaquín Guzmán Loera, the drug lord known as El Chapo.
Narcomantas have long been used by cartels and organized crime to leave public messages for authorities, rivals or the community at large. Popularized at the height of the drug war in the 2010s, the banners can be used to promote or assuage fear, although it is often unclear who is responsible for making them and how credible their messages are.
Peso Pluma had previously been expected to appear at a concert at the Chevron Stadium in Tijuana in March, alongside the artists Eden Muñoz, Roberto Tapia and El Fantasma. But in late February, Tapia Entertainment, which was organizing the show, said tickets would be reimbursed “due to insecurity and threats towards other events.”
Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, criticized some of the country’s current popular music in June, invoking Peso Pluma’s hit song “AMG,” about a Mercedes-Benz. “As if material things were the most important things — brand clothes, houses, jewelry, power or arrogance,” he said. “There are other options, there are other alternatives, it’s possible to be happy in another way.”
Drew Barrymore isn’t bringing back her daytime talk show until the strike ends, after all.
“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” she wrote on Instagram. “I have no words to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt and, of course, to our incredible team who works on the show and has made it what it is today. We really tried to find our way forward. And I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry very soon.”
Toronto police are investigating a stabbing and assault in Toronto’s Entertainment District that sent sent four people to hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning.
In a tweet, police said they were called to the area of Adelaide and Simcoe Streets for reports of a stabbing around 3 a.m.
Two victims were located with stab wounds and were rushed to hospital in life-threatening condition, police say. Their conditions were later downgraded to stable.
STABBING: Adelaide St. and Simcoe St 3:09 am -reports of a stabbing -police o/s -2 people transported to hospital w/ stab wounds & in life-threatening condition -2 victims were assaulted & transported to hospital w/ minor injuries -unknown suspect description#GO2172155 ^lm
Hugh Jackman, 54, gave an update on how he’s doing since his split from wife Deborra-Lee Furness, 67, for the first time on Saturday morning. The actor was walking on a sidewalk in New York City, NY, when he was approached by paparazzi with cameras who asked him questions about separation. “It’s a difficult time,” he said in a video, after admitting he doesn’t feel right talking about the situation while walking on the street.
Hugh, who wore a dark gray T-shirt and black jeans during the outing, followed up his comment with an answer about when his upcoming movie, Deadpool 3, is expected to be released amid the SAG-AFTRA strike. “Well, I can’t really know until we get back to work,” he said.
Hugh and Deborra-Lee were married for 27 years. (Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock)
The Prisoners star and his now estranged spouse, whom he was married to for 27 years, announced their separation on Friday, in a joint statement. “We have been blessed to share almost three decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage,” Hugh and Deborra-Lee told PEOPLE. “Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.”
“Our family has been and always will be our highest priority,” they continued. “We undertake this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness. We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition in all of our lives.”
Hugh and Deborra-Lee smile at each other at a previous event. (Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock)
Shortly after the joint statement went public, a source told Page Six that the separation wasn’t a surprising one for the former lovebirds’ family and friends. “Friends and family knew about it,” the insider said, before also adding that trouble in their marriage may have started before Hugh returned to Broadway in The Music Man in Feb. 2022.
“Deb wasn’t at rehearsals very much,” the source added, before also claiming she “was even spotted snoozing during some of them.” Finally, the source concluded that there was no third partner involved in Hugh and Deborra-Lee’s decision to part ways, and said that they had simply become “roommates.”
