Mob Land Featured, Reviews Film Threat

COMING TO THEATERS AND VOD! I recently got into a debate about whether Nicholas Maggio’s Mob Land was a Southern mob movie. Well, The Godfather was a character study of Michael Corleone, and Mob Land becomes a character study as well. Let’s get into it.

Shelby Connors (Shiloh Fernandez) is a blue-collar family man with a loving wife, Caroline (Ashley Benson), and daughter, Mila (Tia DiMartino). The problem is that living in the economically depressed South, he struggles to make ends meet.

Ready to get Shelby in trouble is his brother-in-law Trey (Kevin Dillon), who proposes the pair rob a health clinic fronting as a fentanyl dispensary. The clinic is never adequately staffed. So in and out, and they’re rich. At first, Shelby resists because Sheriff Bodie Davis (John Travolta) is a close family friend, and potentially going to jail is not in the plans for his family man.

When Shelby realizes he’ll never survive with his current job prospects, he agrees to the heist. At first, all goes well, but like a good mob movie, things go haywire and fast. The results are two people dead and a high-speed car chase with Bodie in hot pursuit. Managing to ditch Bodie, the pair draws heat from the mob, sending their best enforcer, Clayton (Stephen Dorff), to rectify the situation and remove everyone associated with the heist.

What makes Mob Land so fascinating is the character study of our three leads, Shelby, Bodie, and Clayton, and how a single event changes them over time. Shelby is the loving family man who gives into temptation and is not forced to unspeakable acts as a result.

“…the pair draws heat from the mob, sending their best enforcer…to rectify the situation…”

Clayton is the mob enforcer with a moral compass. He will only kill the guilty. Early on, he dispatches with Trey and then, under threat of harm coming to Caroline and Mila, forces Shelby to do the dirty work he is morally unable to commit.

Bodie is also an interesting character. Mob Land opens with Clayton beating down an employee of a man who owes money to the mob. This act of violence is contrasted with Bodie’s deer hunting trek in the forest. When he’s unable to kill his target cleanly, he must find the deer and mercifully end the innocent creature’s suffering. This scene becomes the guiding force of Bodie for the rest of the film.

OK, maybe Mob Land is not a true mob film but leans toward the noir end of the spectrum. The moral compass (whether lawful good or chaotic evil) is put to the test. Each character’s act of violence is a decision that keeps them either within that line of morality or forces them to cross it…leading to severe ramifications.

What makes this entire film flow so well is its badass cast. John Travolta, Stephen Dorff, Kevin Dillon, and the every man in Shiloh Fernandez. This cast keeps the story grounded as each man is tested throughout the film. Dorff absolutely kills it as Clayton. He’s clearly having fun with not just the violence but in creating such a complex character.

Now add to it the moments of violence indicative of a mob movie, and you have a nice indie crime thriller born from Nicholas Maggio and Rob Healy’s screenplay. The attraction of this top-notch cast had to be the well-defined characters created by Maggio and Healy.

Mob Land comes to theaters and on digital and demand on August 25, 2023.

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August 23, 2023

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COMING TO THEATERS AND VOD! I recently

Global

North Korea’s 2nd Satellite Launch Fails to Reach Orbit

North Korea on Thursday launched a space vehicle carrying its first military reconnaissance satellite, but failed to put it into orbit.

The launch was the second such failure in three months, denting the image of the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, who has made it one of his top priorities to strengthen and modernize his country’s military capabilities. North Korea said it would try to launch the satellite again in October.

North Korea’s new Chollima-1 rocket, launched at 3:50 a.m. local time from its space launch station in Tongchang-ri, near its northwestern border with China, flew south over the sea between Korea and China. The launch triggered an emergency warning in Japan’s southernmost prefecture of Okinawa, where residents were asked to take cover. Japan lifted the warning 20 minutes later, as the rocket flew toward waters east of the Philippines.

North Korea later said its launch had failed because the “emergency blasting system” of the rocket’s third stage malfunctioned.

The South Korean military also called the launch a “failure,” and condemned it as a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions that ban North Korea from testing any technology that can be used to build ballistic missiles. Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, said his government protested the launch “in the strongest possible terms.”

North Korea had given notice that it would launch a satellite between Thursday and next Thursday, prompting South Korea and Japan to place their militaries on extra vigilance in case debris from the North’s rocket fell on their territories.

North Korea has said it would place a fleet of satellites to monitor American and South Korean military activities in the region and to bolster its nuclear weapons capabilities.

It first launched its Chollima-1 rocket on May 31, with the hope of putting its first military reconnaissance satellite, the Malligyong-1, into orbit. But the rocket, which set off alarms and a false evacuation order in Seoul, crashed into the sea off South Korea’s west coast shortly after launching. The North has said its leadership “bitterly criticized” officials responsible for the botched launch.

After studying the debris it salvaged from the sea, South Korea said that the North Korean satellite was so rudimentary that it could never serve as a functioning spy satellite as North Korea wished.

If the satellite were placed successfully into orbit, North Korea would have used it for propaganda to boost Mr. Kim’s standing at home, analysts said.

When Mr. Kim ordered his country to double down on its efforts to enlarge and diversify its nuclear arsenal during a ruling Workers’ Party meeting in 2021, he emphasized the need to place military spy satellites into orbit.

Mr. Kim badly needs to boost his people’s morale ahead of the Sept. 9 anniversary of North Korea’s founding. This week, state media showed Mr. Kim wading into waist-deep sea waters flooding rice paddies off his country’s west coast and bitterly criticized officials for “very irresponsible neglect of duties.”

The launching on Thursday came six days after President Biden met with Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, and President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea at his presidential retreat Camp David. The leaders agreed to expand their trilateral partnership, including joint military exercises, to meet growing regional challenges, including North Korea’s nuclear and missile threat.

On Monday, the United States and South Korea kicked off a 10-day joint military drill known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, which the North called a rehearsal for nuclear war.

The Camp David summit was to “detail, plan and formulate the nuclear war provocation on the Korean Peninsula,” the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said this week. “An unprecedented large-scale thermonuclear war is approaching the Korean Peninsula every moment as reality.”

North Korea’s space and ballistic missile programs are closely interlocked. The country launched rockets, saying they carried satellites, before it conducted its first intercontinental ballistic missile test in 2017. North Korea has since launched several more ICBMs, including one fired on July 12.

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August 23, 2023

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North Korea on Thursday launched a space

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‘Let’s Get It On’ at 50: Marvin Gaye’s Masterpiece Gets A New Edition

From the wah-wah guitar that opens the title track to the operatic closer “Just to Keep You Satisfied,” Marvin Gaye’s 1973 album “Let’s Get It On” expressed the joy — and complexity — of human sexuality like virtually none in popular music before it. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its release, Motown/ UMe is holding an event Wednesday featuring fellow R&B luminaries Smokey Robinson and Jimmy Jam, Gaye biographer David Ritz and moderated by UMe A&R vice president Harry Weinger, in advance of a new deluxe edition of the album. The retrospective set, due out digitally Friday (and on red vinyl in October), features 20 alternate, previously unreleased tracks from the legendary recording sessions.

This isn’t the first expanded edition of the classic album, but the team behind it feels like it deserved a fresh look into what the archives held. Weinger, who produced the original “Let’s Get It On: Deluxe Edition” back in 2001, tells Variety that more than just the occasion of its 50th birthday prompted him to revisit the album. “Frankly, I never liked the mixes that I did on the deluxe version back in the day,” he says. “I don’t think I did anything ‘wrong’… but there were quite a few of the tracks from the various sessions that I had picked at that I didn’t use that were completely valid as their own releases.”

As Weinger returned to “Let’s Get It On,” he began to uncover more material from the Motown archives. With advice from experts like Ritz and Dr. Andy Flory, author of the Motown book “I Hear a Symphony,” he discovered that a focus on the first six months of 1973, when Gaye had moved to Los Angeles, supported more specific musical endeavors than he’d previously realized.

“I drew a timeline,” says Weinger. “What did he do? How did he do it? What songs were recorded? What songs were left behind? And before I knew it, we had a, I wouldn’t say very different, but we had a bigger story than I thought.”

After “What’s Going On” became an iconoclastic smash for Motown in 1971, when the label was struggling to reconcile the divide between its crowd-pleasing chart-toppers and the irrepressible sociopolitical realities of the time period, Gaye plunged into the recording of not one but two albums. When the first, the 1972 follow-up “You’re The Man,” was shelved by Motown, Gaye pivoted to the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film “Trouble Man,” one of only two albums in his career to be recorded under his full creative control (the other was his 1981 album “In Our Lifetime”). Yet throughout this time, he was also recording lyrics and developing instrumentals that would pave the way for “Let’s Get It On,” evidencing its supple musicality as well as its bracing carnality.

Credit: Jim Britt/Motown Records Archives

Motown has released an incredible wealth of previously unheard music from Gaye in the almost four decades since he passed away, including “You’re The Man” in 2019 as a cohesive, self-contained album after including tracks from those sessions on various re-releases or compilations. Aiming to chronicle Gaye’s creative process amidst Motown’s factorylike production of instrumentals for its stable of stars, Weinger selected recordings that showcased the singer-songwriter’s direct involvement, even if they likely were never intended for public consumption.

“There’s a track where there’s a partial vocal, ‘Song #4’,” he says. “Throughout, Marvin was probably singing off-tune on purpose, like, ‘Don’t ever use this.’ [But] we used pieces of it to just let people know that Marvin is in the room. There are, for plenty of Motown artists, tracks that are intended for that person, but they were not anywhere near it. In this case, Marvin was there, and that’s why you hear studio chatter and slight vocal asides.”

The result of these efforts is a more holistic portrait of the conception and assembly of “Let’s Get It On” than on the 2001 deluxe edition, as well as a curated collection of alternate versions of its iconic songs for fans to listen to and luxuriate in. “You begin to really fall for the alternates,” Weinger says. On an alternate mix of “Please Stay (Once You Go Away),” for example, Gaye’s soulful pleading begins without musical accompaniment; an alternate of “Come Get to This,” meanwhile, eliminates the tom drum keeping time in the album version.

“You’re going to hear these alternates as a thrilling ride into someone’s creative consciousness, or unconsciousness,” says Weinger. “And then to be able to then connect the dots and still go, ‘I’m hearing A and B, but I don’t know how he got to C.’ It’s unbelievable — the mark of a genius.”

The final 15 tracks on the deluxe edition not only include several never-before-heard instrumentals (featuring performances by Herbie Hancock and Richard Bennett alongside legendary session musicians Paul Humphrey and James Jamerson), but 1973 arrangements of songs from Gaye’s album “Vulnerable,” a collection of ballads that was officially released in 1997. Listeners who know that particular posthumous release can for the first time hear the songs in the appropriate context in which they were recorded — simultaneously stretching the boundaries of soul music with his yearning, sensuous work for “Let’s Get It On” while at the same time exercising a longtime ambition to be “the Black Frank Sinatra.”

Fifty years later, the overall story of the slow-jam masterpiece has become Motown boilerplate and the stuff of larger pop music history. But as undeniably as Marvin Gaye took listeners to a then-unprecedented, downright sexy destination, Weinger hopes that this new edition will shed new light on the journey, and the work, that it took to get there. “The original album is brilliant, it’s a masterpiece, the biggest record of the year for Motown, and the biggest Marvin Gaye record up to that point,” says Weinger. “It’s sex, it’s love, it’s God, it’s whatever you want to call it. But within it, how did he get there?

“It was just an exploration to say, ‘can we do better by Marvin and the family?’” Weinger says. “I didn’t want to have a deluxe edition where you listen a couple of times and you go, ‘That’s nice.’ I wanted people to be able to go, ‘Holy shit’.”

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August 23, 2023

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From the wah-wah guitar that opens the

Tech

‘Barbie’ to Hit Imax Theaters With Never-Before-Seen Footage

As “Barbie” hones in on becoming the highest-grossing release of the year at the domestic box office, Greta Gerwig’s hot pink comedy is about to get even bigger. Warner Bros. has set an Imax run for the film, with a limited one-week engagement beginning on Sept. 22. The release will also feature exclusive new post-credits footage selected by the film’s director.

The plans, which include a North American rollout and select international territories, were announced by Warner Bros. execs Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution, and Andrew Cripps, president of international distribution, on Wednesday afternoon. The statement also included words from Gerwig.

“We made ‘Barbie’ for the big screen, so it’s a thrill to be able to bring it to Imax, the biggest screen of all,” Gerwig said. “As a special thanks to ‘Barbie’ fans, we’re excited to share a little bit more of our cast and crew’s incredible work by adding special new footage we hope audiences will enjoy.”

“If there was one thing missing in this winning ‘Barbie’ strategy, it was being able to put Greta’s singular vision on premium Imax screens over the uber-competitive summer corridor. That ‘Barbie’ continues to draw packed audiences around the world heading into its sixth weekend in release speaks to the quality of the film and the excitement audiences have for the story,” Goldstein and Cripps said in a joint statement. “We are so pleased to give them a chance to see ‘Barbie,’ whether for the first or fifth time, in such an experiential format as Imax.”

After just over a month in theaters, “Barbie” has emerged as the box office juggernaut of the summer, with ticket sales currently totaling $572 million in North America and $1.3 billion worldwide. What’s especially remarkable about the Warner Bros. release’s theatrical fortunes is that the film initially lost out on premium large formats, such as Imax, to Universal’s “Oppenheimer,” the epic-length biopic from director Christopher Nolan that released on the same date. Ergo, “Barbie” was not able to take advantage of the premium ticket pricing for these auditoriums; even without them, the film is pacing to overtake “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($1.359 billion globally) to become the highest-grossing release.

“For all of us in the exhibition community, it’s been exciting to watch an original film like ‘Barbie’ become an unparalleled critical and commercial success this summer,” Richard Gelfond, CEO of Imax Corporation, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Greta and her filmmaking team and our friends at Warner Bros. to deliver this special edition of ‘Barbie’ with never-before-seen footage exclusively to Imax audiences around the world.”

Gerwig, the Oscar-nominated director behind “Lady Bird” and “Little Women,” co-wrote the screenplay with her partner, Noah Baumbach. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling star as Barbie and Ken, who depart the Dreamhouse for an odyssey through the real world.

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August 23, 2023

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As “Barbie” hones in on becoming the

Video

‘Jury Duty’ Star Ronald Gladden Restored Audience’s Faith in Humanity – IndieWire

Freevee’s “Jury Duty” has become one of the most acclaimed and beloved comedies of 2023. Now it has four Emmy nominations — including one for Outstanding Comedy Series — to confirm its status as a pop culture phenomenon. Yet when Cody Heller was approached about showrunning “Jury Duty,” it wasn’t the likelihood that the show would succeed that interested her; it was the fact that it had the potential to bomb spectacularly if its experiment didn’t work. “I thought the idea was brilliant, but I was absolutely terrified,” Heller told IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast. “Like, can this be pulled off? There was something really exciting about the fact that there’s a chance we could totally fail at this.”

The idea that attracted Heller was straightforward but fraught with challenges: stage a fake trial in which every participant was an actor except for juror Ronald Gladden, who thought he was being filmed for a documentary about the legal system coincidentally featuring James Marsden. While there have been plenty of other prank shows and films — one of Heller’s fellow “Jury Duty” producers, Nicholas Hatton, worked on the “Borat” movies — this required an unprecedented level of commitment from a large number of people. “With those movies, it’s getting people on the hook for a couple hours at a time,” Heller said. “This is a very different thing, three and a half weeks of everyone putting on a play and living in this reality.”

In order to make the illusion convincing for Ronald, Heller decided early on that the writers’ room would be populated largely by actors who would also appear in the series; that way, they would be better equipped to improvise and change their outlines in response to Ronald’s actions and reactions. Heller also sought out actors and writers with actual legal experience like Alan Barinholtz, who left comedy to support his family by practicing law. “This was his first time acting and he holds the whole show together,” Heller said of the actor who plays the trial’s judge. Heller knew that the actors would need to improvise a substantial amount of legal jargon (“I don’t know anything about the judicial system beyond watching ‘Law and Order’”), so actors like Barinholtz were essential. “Every person had their part to play, and if there was one single person who wasn’t present, the whole thing would have fallen apart.”

“Jury Duty”Courtesy of Amazon Freevee

Of course, the biggest wild card was Ronald, who could have stopped the show in its tracks at any point if he had figured out that the whole trial was a charade. “I give props to Freevee for taking a chance on something that truly could have failed,” Heller said. “There was a chance that in a couple of days, Ronald could have figured out what was going on. He’s a smart guy. We always knew we never wanted to punch down — we were not looking for some dumb guy that we were going to make fun of.” The writers’ idea was always to create the circumstances in which Ronald could go on a classic “hero’s journey” where he would fight for justice as the foreman on his jury.

That said, Heller and her collaborators were surprised when Ronald turned out to be as compelling a protagonist as he became. “Not only did he meet our expectations at every turn, he wildly exceeded them,” Heller said. In crafting the show’s outlines, Heller and the writers tried to create circumstances in which Ronald could make his own decisions while being gently guided toward a dramatic outcome. “We were very deliberate in setting him up for no wrong answers. We never wanted to set him up to fail — we wanted to set him up to succeed.” Many of Heller’s favorite moments were unscripted ones, in which Ronald took a genuine interest in his fellow jurors and tried to help them with aspects of the trial or their personal lives. “Those were just Ronald being Ronald. As soon as he became the foreperson, he took the job very seriously, and he is such a smart guy that he was always ahead of us. We were scrambling to stay with him and catch up.”

In the end, Ronald’s decency is what makes “Jury Duty” so much more than a prank show: It’s ultimately a Frank Capraesque fable celebrating the best that humanity has to offer. That’s the heart of its appeal to the audience, and it’s what made the experience special for the people who made it. “Coming out of COVID, when we were all isolated and there’s so much darkness in the world, I wanted to make something that showed that there is goodness in people and that there is a power to people coming together and having a common goal and working toward something,” Heller said. “And that really is what happened. Ronald Gladden restored my faith in humanity. In the final episode when the character of Barbara says, ‘Look, the truth is that we all fell in love with you,’ that was 100 percent genuine.”

The Filmmaker Toolkit podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, and Stitcher. The music used in this podcast is from the “Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present” score, courtesy of composer Nathan Halpern.

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August 23, 2023

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Freevee’s “Jury Duty” has become one of

Entertaintment

Toto Cutugno, Singer Whose ‘L’Italiano’ Struck a Chord, Dies at 80

Toto Cutugno, an Italian singer and songwriter whose 1983 hit song “L’Italiano” became a worldwide sensation and was still hugely popular decades later, died on Tuesday in Milan. He was 80.

His longtime manager, Danilo Mancuso, said the cause of Mr. Cutugno’s death, at San Raffaele Hospital, was cancer.

In a career that began when he was in his late teens, Mr. Cutugno sold more than 100 million albums worldwide.

“He was able to build melodies that remained stuck in the audience’s mind and heart,” Mr. Mancuso, who had worked with Mr. Cutugno for 20 years, said in a phone interview. “The refrains of his most popular songs are so melodic.”

Mr. Cutugno’s career began with a stint, first as a drummer and then as a pianist, with Toto e i Tati, a small local band in Northern Italy. He soon branched out into songwriting.

His talent for writing memorable songs earned him collaborations with famous French singers, like Joe Dassin, for whom he wrote “L’été Indien” and “Et si Tu N’Existais pas,” and Dalida, with whom he wrote the disco hit “Monday, Tuesday … Laissez-Moi Danser.” He also wrote songs for the French pop star Johnny Hallyday and for famed Italian singers like Domenico Modugno, Adriano Celentano, Gigliola Cinquetti and Ornella Vanoni. International stars like Celine Dion sang his songs as well.

But Mr. Cutugno also found success singing his own compositions, first with Albatros, a disco band, which took third place at the Sanremo Festival of Italian Song in 1976. He then began a solo career and garnered his first national recognition in Italy in 1980, when he won the festival with “Solo Noi.”

He returned to the festival three years later with “L’Italiano.” He finished in fifth place, but the song, a hymn to a country straining to rebuild after World War II — marked by symbols of Italy like espresso, the Fiat Seicento and a president who had fought as a partisan during the conflict — became tremendously popular. It is still one of Italy’s best-known songs, played on television and at street festivals across the country, as well as a nostalgic reminder of their homeland for expatriates elsewhere.

The song’s success paved the way for an international career: Mr. Cutugno went on to tour over the years in the United States, Europe, Turkey and Russia.

“Russia was his second homeland,” said Mr. Mancuso, his manager. “The only Western entertainment that Russian televisions broadcast at the time was the Sanremo song festival, and Toto was often on, and was appreciated.”

He added that Mr. Cutugno’s nostalgic tunes were reminiscent of the musical styles of Eastern Europe, and especially Russia, which made them instantly familiar to those audiences.

In 2019, Mr. Cutugno’s ties to Russia got him into trouble with some Ukrainian politicians, who wanted to stop him from performing in Kyiv, the nation’s capital. Mr. Cutugno denied that he supported Russia in its aggression against Ukraine and noted that he had rejected a booking in Crimea after Russia reclaimed it in 2014. He eventually did perform in Kyiv.

In 1990, Mr. Cutugno won the Eurovision Song Contest. He was one of only three Italians to have done so — the others were Ms. Cinquetti in 1964 and the rock band Maneskin in 2021. His winning song, “Insieme: 1992” (“Together: 1992”), was a ballad dedicated to the European Union and its political integration. That same year, Ray Charles agreed to sing an English-language version of a song by Mr. Cutugno at the Sanremo festival; Mr. Cutugno called the collaboration “the greatest professional satisfaction” of his lifetime.

Mr. Cutugno, who was known for his emotional guitar playing and for shaking his longish black hair when he sang, also had a stint as a television presenter in Italy.

Toto Cutugno was born Salvatore Cutugno on July 7, 1943, in the small town of Tendola, near Fosdinovo, in the mountains of Italy’s northwest between the regions of Tuscany and Liguria. His father, Domenico Cutugno, was a Sicilian Navy marshal, and his mother, Olga Mariani, was a homemaker.

He went to secondary school in the city of La Spezia, where he grew up, and took private music lessons that included piano and accordion.

He is survived by his wife, Carla Cutugno; his son, Niko; and two younger siblings, Roberto and Rosanna Cutugno.

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August 23, 2023

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Toto Cutugno, an Italian singer and songwriter

Movies

‘Scrapper’ Review: You’re on Your Own, Kid

In Charlotte Regan’s feature-length debut, a girl wise beyond her years reconnects with her father, an immature drifter.

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August 23, 2023

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In Charlotte Regan’s feature-length debut, a girl

Sofia Coppola reacts to daughter’s viral TikTok video

Sofia Coppola may have strict views about social media and privacy, but the filmmaker has to hand it to daughter Romy for going viral on TikTok.

Coppola told the Hollywood Reporter in an article published Wednesday that she was “raised to be so private” by her parents, filmmakers Francis Ford Coppola and Eleanor Coppola, but she said her kid’s infamous TikTok video was the “the best way for her to be rebellious.”

In March, 16-year-old Romy Mars shared a TikTok video of herself making vodka pasta sauce while she talked about her punishment for trying to get out of town. “I’m grounded because I tried to charter a helicopter from New York to Maryland on my dad’s credit card because I wanted to have dinner with my camp friend,” she said.

Romy, whose dad is Phoenix rocker Thomas Mars, Coppola’s husband, then said her “parents’ biggest rule” was that she cannot have public social media accounts. She explained, “They don’t want me to be a nepotism kid.”

The original clip — which has since been deleted from TikTok — spawned headlines, reignited “nepo baby” discourse and garnered praise in Coppola’s close circle.

“I got lots of compliments on her filmmaking,” the “Lost in Translation” director told THR. “And comedy. She’s funny.”

The Oscar-winning director and writer, who also has 13-year-old Cosima with Mars, added that she wasn’t too enthused about “people discussing my parenting publicly.”

Coppola explained in 2017 why she prefers to keep her daughters out of the spotlight, telling the Guardian she doesn’t “want them ever to be jaded.”

“I never saw the point of taking little kids to movie premieres and stuff. I just want them to have a childhood,” she said.

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August 23, 2023

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Sofia Coppola may have strict views

MCU

“Hero Worship” Will Be at the Heart of ‘The Marvels’

While the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film, The Marvels, will introduce a new Kree antagonist, Zawe Ahston’s Dar-Benn, the real conflict at the heart of the film will be between its three leads.

The next entry in the MCU canon will see Carol Danvers, Kamala Kahn, and Monica Rambea reluctantly team up to become the franchise’s latest team.

Photo: Entertainment Weekly

Meeting Your Heroes

Specifically, however, according to The Marvels producer Mary Livanos, the film will explore the hero worship between Kamala Khan and Carol Danvers.

Photo: Entertainment Weekly

“We all are prone to fall into similar trappings when it comes to hero worship. You think that heroes can fix any problem,” the producer explained. “But in this movie, we actually examine how sometimes decisions you make in an attempt to make things better can sometimes make things worse, and have a cascading effect that spirals out of your control.”

A New Dynamic

Livanos believes that the relationship between Khan and Danvers is something akin to that of Kate Bishop and Clint Barton in the Disney+ series Hawkeye.

“So, while we’re seeing Carol Danvers grapple with what has become of her actions, we see that also processed through the eyes of Ms. Marvel. We actually experience forgiveness through the eyes of another person. That can be freeing for the person who might not be able to forgive themselves.”

Photo: Marvel

Ahead of the film’s release, Brie Larson has discussed how Captain Marvel will have to learn to let some of her burden go. It is a feeling she can relate to.

“I understand that feeling of being afraid to let go of control, of being afraid of passing on responsibility to others,” says Larson. “You almost want to take on all of the burden yourself. So, I think this is an incredible metaphor for learning how to be in a team. It’s a very clear example that no one person can do it all. You need all kinds of skill sets, all kinds of people with different viewpoints and different backgrounds in order to save the world.”

Photo: Entertainment Weekly

When Will ‘The Marvels’ Be Released?

Fans will get a chance to see how the dynamic between Carol Danvers, Kamala Khan, and Monica Rambeou plays out on November 10, 2023.

Image Credit: Marvel Studios

Although Hollywood remains on strike, The Marvels is still expected to hit its release date.

Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon! Also, thanks for reading!

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August 23, 2023

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While the upcoming

DCU

Batman Unmasked Event Comes To London For Batman Day 2023

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Fans in the UK are going to be hit by the Hammers of Justice, as Batman Unmasked, an interactive event, will land in Piccadilly in mid-September. The best part? This won’t just be a batman Day, but an entire weekend!

Here’s the official Warner Bros. UK press release:

BATMAN DAY 2023: INTRODUCING BATMAN UNMASKED

This Batman Day is shaping up to be our biggest yet!

A UK first of its kind Batman immersive pop-up is to open its doors
for an exclusive run of three days from 15th – 17th September.

“The ticketed event marks the annual, global Batman Day, as well as celebrating the 15th anniversary of The Dark Knight film release, Warner Bros’ 100th anniversary, and ahead of the 85th anniversary of DC’s most iconic Super Hero, Batman in 2024. Tickets will be released via See Tickets from midday (UK time) on Friday August 25th.

Batman Unmasked is set to take fans on a fascinating journey through the Caped Crusader’s legendary history, descending into an immersive Batcave and showcasing releases spanning from 1989 to 2022 including Batman (1989), Batman Forever (1995), Batman & Robin (1997), Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Justice League (2017) and The Batman (2022).

“Alongside Batcycles from The Dark Knight (2008) and The Batman (2022), it will feature props and costumes which have never been seen together, and that were used by Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale, Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson.

Ahead of The Joker coming back to the big screen in 2024 in the highly anticipated Joker: Folie à Deux, fans will also be able to explore The Joker zone which is a celebration of the notorious Super-Villain. Two of Heath Ledger’s costumes from The Dark Knight (2008) will be displayed in the UK for the first time ever, as well as Joaquin Phoenix’s costume from Joker (2019), alongside iconic props.

“Tickets will also be available to book for a family day on Sunday 17th September which will include face painting and themed activities.

Keep your eyes on our DC UK Facebook and Instagram pages for more details and updates!

Warner Bros and DC are committed to ensuring an inclusive and accessible experience for everyone. The event is fully accessible to wheelchair users. If you have any specific requirements, please email us at [email protected].

Key Information:

– The event will take place at 180 Piccadilly, London W1J 9ER. The nearest stations to the venue are Green Park and Piccadilly Circus
– Tickets available on 25th August with an admin charge of £3.50 per ticket
– Each guest can reserve up to 5 tickets
– Tickets can be returned and reallocated subject to availability
– There is no age limit, but guests under 16 will need to be accompanied by an adult. You may be asked to show photo ID on arrival if you look under 25
– The total event lasts around 30 minutes
– You will receive an email ticket with your allocated date and time, which you will need to show on arrival
– Please note there will be lighting and sound effects throughout the space – if you may have an adverse reaction to this, let a member of staff know on arrival
– There are elements of the event where you may be in a confined space – if you may have an adverse reaction to this, let a member of staff know on arrival
– We will not be serving food and drink
– Guests are asked not to bring plastic bottles of water or food
– At certain times face painters will be on site. Please be aware that the face paint being used might not be suitable for those with allergies or sensitive skin. Parental permission required for anyone under 16
– There will not be toilet facilities on site
– There will not be cloakroom facilities on site, and all patrons are kindly asked not to bring large suitcases or bags. Only A4 size bags will be permitted entry to the venue.
– Security bag checks will be in operation.
– Please be aware that commercial filming and photography may be taking place over the course of this event and by entering the experience, you consent to being filmed and photographed
– The event organizer shall remain entitled to remove anyone from the venue who is under the influence of drugs, highly intoxicated or conducting themselves in a manner that the event organizer deems inappropriate.
– Any guests found in position of illegal substances or weapons will be reported to the police
– The event organizers do not accept responsibility for personal property lost, stolen or damaged during the event
– The organizers reserve the right to refuse admission at their own discretion
– Guests will not be granted re-entry once they leave the event

‘Batman Unmasked’ is wheelchair accessible. Do be aware that the experience makes use of lighting and sound effects, and portions of it take place in confined spaces. If you are likely to have an adverse reaction to these factors you should let staff know upon arrival.”

If you’re London based, or can make it, we may even see you there!

Images and Press Release Courtesy of Warner Bros. UK

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August 23, 2023

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197 Fans in the UK are going to

Comics

Preorders For The Long-Awaited Titan Quest II Are Now Available

THQ Nordic surprised everyone during its August 2023 digital showcase with the announcement that Titan Quest II is finally happening seventeen years after the original. While Titan Quest II doesn’t have a specific release date yet, online store listings imply the long-awaited sequel will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC sometime in late 2023 or early 2024.

We’re excited to learn more about the mythic action-RPG over the coming months, but for those who are already sold and want to secure their copy ahead of time, we’ve got a handy guide showing you exactly where to preorder Titan Quest II on your preferred platform.

Preorder Titan Quest II

Titan Quest II preorder guide

So far, only a standard edition release has been confirmed for Titan Quest II, and no preorder order bonuses have been announced. We’ll make sure to update if THQ Nordic announces other versions or pre-purchase extras.

That said, all you physical media enthusiasts out there will be happy to hear you can preorder Titan Quest II standard edition on PS5 or Xbox Series X|S at Amazon. Listings for Titan Quest II are live on Steam, Microsoft Store, and PlayStation Store

Titan Quest II is the follow-up to 2006’s Titan Quest. Like the original, Titan Quest II features isometric action-RPG gameplay set in a fantasy version of ancient Greece. Players take on the role of a Greek warrior on a quest to stop Nemesis, the Goddess of Retribution, and the hordes of her minions terrorizing Greece. According to the game’s store pages, Titan Quest II will feature an exploration-focused campaign with challenging combat, tons of side-quests, and deep character customization that can be played solo, or with up to six other players in online co-op.

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.

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August 23, 2023

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Denzel Washington stars as Robert McCall in Columbia Pictures THE EQUALIZER 3. Photo by: Stefano Montesi

Festivals

De-Aged Denzel Washington? Antoine Fuqua Considers ‘Equalizer’ Prequel

“The Equalizer 3” has been touted as the final film in the Denzel Washington action series, but director Antoine Fuqua isn’t closing the door on more Robert McCall. In fact, Fuqua has even considered de-aging his leading man for a continuation of the franchise in the form of an origin story.

“I definitely thought about it a lot,” Fuqua told NME in a new interview. “Especially now with the new technology and the AI and all of that kind of stuff… Is there a story to be told about how [McCall] became this person — the younger version. I’ve had that conversation with [‘Equalizer’ screenwriter] Richard Wenk quite a bit.”

De-aging actors has become a popular filmmaking tool in recent years, bolstered by Harrison Ford’s summer blockbuster “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and Martin Scorsese’s 2019 mob epic “The Irishman,” which infused some computer-generated youth into Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino.

“I haven’t talked to Denzel about that yet,” Fuqua said of the de-aging idea. “It’s all so fresh and new. I’m still watching [the technology]. I’ve watched Harrison Ford’s film and I know there’s other movies coming out. I think Sony has one coming out with Tom Hanks soon [Robert Zemeckis’ ‘Here’]. And I’m hearing the technology is getting better and better and better. So I’m kind of watching it to see where it goes.”

“The Equalizer 3” sees Washington return as former U.S. Marine and DIA officer Robert McCall as he once again struggles to escape from his past. The “Equalizer” film trilogy is loosely based on the 1980s crime television series of the same name.

Teasing the third movie, Fuqua said, “The first film was about [McCall] finding a purpose. And it’s very external, right? He’s helping people. The second one is more about making peace with his past. He’s betrayed by his friends and [his colleague] dies and his wife has passed away… And then this one is more of a moral dilemma because he’s a darker character… He’s struggling with the violence and brutality.”

“The Equalizer 3” premieres in theaters on Sept. 1.

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August 23, 2023

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“The Equalizer 3” has been touted as

Film

SNL Director Liz Patrick Breaks Down ‘Father of the Bride’ Homage

When you have Steve Martin and Martin Short together hosting “Saturday Night Live,” it’s kind of hard to pass up an opportunity to do a “Father of the Bride” sketch — so the long-running NBC show didn’t. But according to director Liz Patrick, that homage went through a whole lot of changes. You can watch it in the video above.

Patrick, who is nominated for her first solo Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series for her work on the duo-hosted episode, took over directing duties from Don Roy King for Season 48, after previously working alongside him on the show.

And though Patrick admits she was “a little” nervous about working with some of her personal comedy heroes for the episode, she was excited more than anything else. The real hurdle came in the technical execution of it.

“Originally it was like, ‘Oh, we almost want to look like a different room for each setup.’ And then as the creative process evolved on that one, we were like, ‘Well, you know what? Let’s just make it one set, like a giant living room with different areas,’” Patrick recalled to TheWrap.

She noted that she ended up bringing in a steadicam to get the shots they needed, but not because they needed a steadicam specifically. They just needed a camera that could get in and get set up quickly, considering the speed of the show.

“We only had five to 10 seconds, between — or, not even 10 seconds, we had, like, five to eight seconds before the next vignette started,” she explained. “So I tucked [the cameraman] up in the corner to try to get them out a window and then I had them turned around and we’d shoot in the other direction. So it was just trying to make best use of that space.”

Even with all that preparation of angles, things sometimes need to adjust rapidly on “SNL.”

“The hardest thing about that sketch was, I believe it changed between dress rehearsal and air,” Patrick explained. “The writers go over the changes with the cast and host in between shows, because often it’s happening as the show is starting, those changes are being relayed to them. And it’s just getting everyone to remember what mark they need to be on for that vignette.”

Of course, even with seasoned actors, things don’t always play out perfectly.

“[In] one of them, people ended up on the wrong marks, and I was like, ‘OK,’” she recalled with a laugh. “‘Hopefully this works!’ Let’s make it work, right? And you know, the coverage changed a little bit, but that’s live television, you got to figure it out.”

Really, that’s what Patrick loves most about live television: “It’s controlled chaos.”

“I’ve never been afraid of live,” she admitted. “In some ways, it’s almost — we used to joke around that it’s easier, because you never have to do anything over again!”

Before she came to “SNL,” Patrick started directing live television at MTV and later worked as the director of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” for 13 seasons. Granted, she knew “Saturday Night Live” would be a different beast.

“Coming to ‘SNL,’ I mean, it’s a high-speed train. It’s a show on steroids,” she said. “Those are things I’ve said before, where it’s just this huge, huge event, but it’s an adrenaline rush! I think I thrive in some of that chaos, and I’m not afraid of it. So I’m grateful for the opportunity beforehand to set me up for this.”

snl-steve-martin-martin-short-monologue — Credit: Will Heath/NBC

Of course, Patrick also has a strong bench to back her up, and she’s the first one to sing their praises. As director of the show, she works closely with each of its departments, from the writers to the cast, production designers, camera crew and more.

Patrick is present at the Monday pitch meetings, wherein the writers throw out sketch ideas and get to know that week’s host. Tuesday is meant for writing — “and I’m just in awe of what they create,” Patrick adds. The rest of the week is spent planning, building and adjusting. In short, there are a lot of meetings, and a whole lot more juggling.

But always, Patrick noted, there’s a team there to back up or help elevate her vision.

“I’ll come in with a plan of where we want to start, and then we evolve and we change together,” she said. “You’re only as good as your team and the people around you, and they’re so much fun to work with. I have so much fun with the cast, and I enjoy the writers. It’s been such a great experience.”

Naturally, Patrick is eager to get back into that experience after the WGA and SAG strikes end, and is hopeful that “SNL” could be among the shows that ramp up again almost immediately.

“I don’t want to speak as as the voice of ‘SNL,’ but I will say, from my perspective of it all, as soon as the strikes are resolved, I think we are the type of show that literally, if we know by Monday or Tuesday — or, hopefully Monday, just to give to the writers Tuesday — we just turn the lights on and we go,” she said.

“I’m sure there’s more details, and there’s more scheduling and all that, but I think we are hopeful at some point that it’ll all be resolved,” she continued. “And we’re looking forward to getting back in there. For us, we’re on summer hiatus, so we’ve already planned this time off. So hopefully, yeah, we’ll see what happens, but I think we’re a light switch production.”

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August 23, 2023

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When you have Steve Martin and Martin

Broadway Musical ‘A Beautiful Noise’ Breaks Tradition With Four Matinees – Deadline

Producers of the struggling A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical are hoping for better attendance by breaking with a long-held Broadway tradition: Beginning next month, the musical will play four weekly matinees rather than the usual three while cutting the number of evening performances to four from the traditional five.

Beginning Sept. 6, the Wednesday evening performance will be no more, with a matinee added on Thursdays to take its place. The number of weekly performances will remain the traditional eight.

In a lengthy statement on social media, producer Ken Davenport explained that he believes the 2020-21 Covid pandemic shutdown interrupted and changed audience habits and preferences. “If you are in the habit of doing something every day, getting up at 5 AM, going to the gym, etc, you’re likely to keep doing it,” Davenport writes. “If you skip a day … even one day … you’ll have a harder time getting back into your routine. If you skip 2-3 years? Boy oh boy is it going to be hard to get going again.”

He continues, “It’s physics. An object in motion tends to stay in motion. An object on the couch tends to stay on the couch.”

Davenport goes on to assert that Broadway’s standard eight-performance week – matinees on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday, evening performances on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday – was “set for a different audience in a different decade.” With more people working from home (and fewer New Yorkers commuting five days a week to offices in Manhattan), potential ticket-buyers “aren’t planning in advance. And my research shows…they are looking for more matinees.”

The jukebox Diamond bio-musical opened in December to mixed critical reviews and was later snubbed by the Tony Awards, but with such beloved classics as “Sweet Caroline,” “Cherry Cherry,” “I Am…I Said,” “Holly Holy” and “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” among many others, the show initially drew good-sized audiences — many singing along with the hits.

Even so, attendance has dwindled in recent months, with the most recently available box office figures (for the week ending August 20) indicating attendance at the Broadhurst Theatre at only 58% of capacity. The gross for the week was $721,527, about half of the musical’s top weekly gross of $1,447,503 last December.

The musical, directed by Michael Mayer with a book by Anthony McCarten, features the popular Broadway actor Will Swenson as the superstar singer-composer Diamond.

Whether the schedule change boosts sales for A Beautiful Noise is anyone’s guess, though Davenport believes a Thursday matinee can only help. “I’m betting that even if those performances don’t sell out,” he writes, “they will do better than the Wednesday evening performance they replaced.”

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August 23, 2023

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Producers of the struggling A Beautiful Noise:

What to Watch

Is ‘Gogglebox’ on Netflix UK? Where to Watch the Series

Great news! “Gogglebox” is available to watch on Netflix UK!

Date Added: 15th September 2020

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

Want to keep forever? Try looking for ‘Gogglebox’ on Amazon (paid link)

History:

15/09/2020: 4 Seasons (2018)

10/01/2021: 5 Seasons (2019)

09/08/2021: 9 Seasons (2019)

20/08/2021: 12 Seasons (2019)

01/09/2021: 13 Seasons (2020)

09/09/2021: 15 Seasons (2020)

15/09/2021: 11 Seasons (2020)

10/01/2022: 10 Seasons (2020)

20/08/2022: 11 Seasons (2020)

21/08/2022: 12 Seasons (2020)

22/08/2022: 13 Seasons (2020)

23/08/2022: 15 Seasons (2020)

24/08/2022: 16 Seasons (2020)

01/08/2023: 12 Seasons (2020)

14/08/2023: 10 Seasons (2020)

19/08/2023: 6 Seasons (2020)

20/08/2023: 5 Seasons (2020)

21/08/2023: 4 Seasons (2020)

22/08/2023: 3 Seasons (2020)

23/08/2023: 2 Seasons (2020)

Last day to watch on Netflix: 30 August

Description:

The cameras roll and opinions fly in living rooms across the country as families, friends and couples tune in to the week’s must-see spectacles.

Certificate: Suitable for ages 15 and up

Year: 2020

Duration: 2 Seasons

Available Seasons: Season 15 (15 Ep), Season 13 (15 Ep), Season 12 (14 Ep), Season 11 (15 Ep), Season 10 (14 Ep), Season 9 (15 Ep), Season 8 (11 Ep), Season 7 (17 Ep), Season 6 (13 Ep), Season 5 (11 Ep)

Audio: English [Original]

Subtitles: English

Episode Length: 47min

Cast and Crew

Production & Season Details:

Status: Returning Series”Gogglebox” is a TV show produced by Studio Lambert. The show was originally broadcast on Channel 4 (United Kingdom) and premiered on March 7th 2013. So far there have been 21 seasons (comprising of 299 episodes) of “Gogglebox”. The most recent episode aired on June 9th 2023 and more seasons are expected in the future.

Watch the trailer for “Gogglebox”

RATINGS:

IMDB rating 7.4/10

The Movie Database rating 68%

Average Rating Average rating 71%

LISTS:

DISCUSS ON…:

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This title is available on Netflix UK

Where else can you watch ‘Gogglebox’ on Netflix?

Want to keep forever? Why not rent or buy ‘Gogglebox’ from one of the online services below?

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August 23, 2023

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Awards

Christopher Nolan ‘Apologized’ for ‘Oppenheimer’ Role – IndieWire

There are no small parts, only small actors, according to Florence Pugh.

The Oscar-nominated star revealed to MTV UK in the below video that “Oppenheimer” writer-director Christopher Nolan apologized for offering her a smaller role in the ensemble film. Pugh was cast as J. Robert Oppenheimer’s longtime love, psychiatrist Jean Tatlock.

“I didn’t really know what was going on or what it was that was being made,” Pugh said of the film. “Except I knew that Chris really, really wanted me to know that it wasn’t a very big role, and he understands if I don’t want to come near it. And I was like, ‘Doesn’t matter. Even if I’m a coffee maker at a cafe in the back of the room, let’s do it.’”

The “Little Women” actress continued, “I remember [Nolan] apologized by the size of the role. I was like, ‘Please don’t apologize.’ And then he said, ‘We’ll send you the script, and honestly, you just read it and decide if it’s like…I completely understand the sizing thing.’ And I remember that evening when I got the script being like, ‘I don’t need to…I know I’m going to do it.’”

The intimate scenes between Pugh’s Tatlock and Cillian Murphy’s Oppenheimer sparked backlash in India for the inclusion of reading the “Bhagavad Gita” mid-sex.

Pugh previously gushed about working with Nolan and called “Oppenheimer” one of the “most thrilling experiences” as an actress. “[Nolan’s] dedication to the craft of filmmaking and old filmmaking is just magical to watch,” she said. “Everybody has so much pride in their own work and so what that does is it means that everybody is constantly trying to be better the next day. And I’ve never seen that feeling on set before.”

The “Don’t Worry Darling” actress added to Radio Times (via Daily Mail) that while “Oppenheimer” is “one of the biggest movies” she’s been a part of, Nolan’s filmmaking approach was “similar to indie movie-making.”

Pugh added, “When I walked on set, I couldn’t believe there was that similar, incredible adrenaline, which I hadn’t felt on a massive movie for a long time. It’s a wonderful thing to inject into a film set — believing in yourself and what you’re making.”

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August 23, 2023

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There are no small parts, only small

Docs

The Must-List: Six Films That Center Complex Trans Protagonists

It’s no secret that the moving image can leave a lasting impact, both consciously and subconsciously. This is especially true regarding images of people engaged in struggle and/or enjoying wild success—a phenomenon that supports the necessity for thoughtful representation of people of all backgrounds and experiences in film.

Today, representation is too often conflated with diversity, but they’re not exactly the same thing. Representation goes beyond the surface inclusion of different types of people popular media—it’s about lived experience and authenticity. Of course there are all types of communities that haven’t received much authentic representations of themselves in traditional cinema. For example: the trans community, which is itself unique and disparate far beyond what has been rendered onscreen, even recently.

This week—Wednesday, August 23—Film Independent Presents will hold a Members-only screening of Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s directorial debut Mutt, about a trans man living in New York City who is visited by important people from his past over the course of a day. In celebration of the film’s acclaimed depiction of a transgender character (and in anticipation of our upcoming screening) here’s a curated list of six other great scripted stories about trans protagonists.

FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSES

Year: 1969

Writer, Director: Toshio Matsumoto

Producers: Mitsuru Kudo, Keiko Machida

Starring: Shinnosuke Ikeehata, Osama Ogasawara

Why we love it: A number of things make this early contemporary film special. Its distinct editing and timeless cinematography already make it impressive. But what’s most impressive is its respectful and creative depiction of trans women—or “queens” as they were referred to—in 1960s Japan. These women essentially worked as sex workers, as gender nonconforming people were greatly denied “respectable” work from many establishments, an unjust reality for many trans people to this day. Regardless, these young trans women are seen admiring themselves, while others admire them. They are celebrated for who and how they are, which can offer today’s queer youth a much-needed boost of confidence.

Where to watch: Kanopy, Fright Night Plus

VERA

Year: 1986

Writer, Director: Sérgio Toledo

Producer: Sérgio Toledo

Starring: Ana Beatriz Nogueira, Raul Cortez, Aida Leiner

Why we love it: Based on the life and work of São Paulo writer and poet Anderson Bigode Herzer, this Brazilian biopic was among the first to center its narrative on a complex, sympathetic trans character. It’s common for trans people to experience the psychological disorder known as body dysmorphia, which Toledo carefully and incisively depicts in the film. Regardless of the oppression and hardship he experienced in his life, Herzer held onto his passion for writing and his authentic self before tragically taking his own life in 1982 at age 20—a heartbreaking outcome many trans and queer people are still endangered by, making this biopic a layered document about trans life in the 20th century. Resources.

Where to watch: The Criterion Channel

ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER

Year: 1999

Writer, Director: Pedro Almodóvar

Producer: Agustín Almodóvar

Starring: Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, Antonia San Juan

Why we love it: This Spanish film is perhaps the most controversial pick for this list, seeing as the trans characters are supporting, not lead characters. However! The monologue by trans character Agrado (Antonia San Juan) is particularly notable. “You’re more authentic the more you resemble what you’ve dreamed of being,” she says, which alone holds so much insight as to why people transition. Agrado’s overall bond with the cis women characters in the film is another reason—they don’t fully understand her views or experiences, but whether she’s right or wrong is not what’s important. What’s important is that she’s not treated any differently by her cis peers. She’s not invalidated for who she is. She’s one of the girls, and is treated as such with friendship and kindness. This relationship symbolizes that regardless of differences, womanhood can be inclusive and still be cherished.

Where to watch: VOD rental, all major platforms

BY HOOK OR BY CROOK

Year: 2001

Writers, Directors: Harry Dodge, Silas Howard

Producers: Harry Dodge, Silas Howard

Starring: Harry Dodge, Silas Howard

Why we love it: As biased as it may seem to include this American indie featuring Silas Howard (executive producer of Mutt and Film Independent Fellow twice over), it’s absolutely not. Why? Because the movie’s great! It’s one of the few films to depict dimensional and sympathetic transmen/masc queer people in leading roles. Shy and Valentine struggle financially, which, sure, leads them to engage in illegal activity, but they do it because they have limited options to the contrary. But above all they enjoy life as best as they know how. The film set a new standard for thoughtful portrayals of people who fall under gender nonconforming identities. As Shy (Howard) says in the beginning of the film, “I’m like Dorothy, but with biceps and no dog.” If that’s not enough to entice, consider a special appearance by the iconic Joan Jett.

Where to watch: The Criterion Channel, Prime Video

LAURENCE ANYWAYS

Year: 2012

Writer, Director: Xavier Dolan

Producers: Charles Gillibert, Nathanaël Karmitz, Lyse Lafontaine

Starring: Melvil Poupaud, Suzanne Clément

Why we love it: A rollercoaster of emotions and self-discovery, this French-Canadian drama is a truly unapologetic trans odyssey. It challenges stereotypes about trans women by showcasing the intricate evolution of a trans protagonist. Laurence is happily involved with a cis woman before her transition. But after sharing her newfound identity, Laurence’s partner Frédérique (“Fred”) proceeds to stay in the relationship and accompany her lover through the transition process. Spoiler alert: it’s not easy. Not only do they experience problems between themselves, but from their friends, family and the world at large. The film is a unique depiction of gender and sexuality between lovers that not often seen, especially not so well thought out and performed. Multifaceted and full of passion, there is much to digest in Dolan’s romantic drama.

Where to watch: Fandor, Kanopy

TANGERINE

Year: 2015

Director: Sean Baker

Writers: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch

Producers: Sean Baker, Karrie Cox, Marcus Cox, Darren Dean, Shih-Ching Tsou

Starring: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor

Why we love it: Fast paced and quick witted, anyone who pops this on is guaranteed entertainment. But! In the process of being entertained, insight on the perspectives of two low-income transwomen of color in Los Angeles is also gained. Rodriguez and Taylor’s performances feel incredibly raw, and the dialogue sounds right off the cuff, as if they had no idea there was even a camera around. This charm is only enhanced by the choice of camera Baker used to film—three iPhone 5s model smartphones. It’s a film that’s both significant in content and filmmaking, which landed Taylor the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, a trans awards show landmark.

Film Independent promotes unique independent voices, providing a wide variety of resources to help filmmakers create and advance new work. Learn more online and become a Member of Film Independent today.

Keep up with Film Independent…

(Header: Funeral Parade of Roses)

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August 23, 2023

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A Mi-8 military helicopter flies over St. Petersburg during the Russia Africa Summit last month

Global

Russian helicopter pilot flies more 60 miles into Ukrainian territory before landing and defecting, amid claim two colleagues were ‘eliminated’ and fighter jet parts seized

The unnamed pilot landed his Mi-8 AMTSh helicopter at a Ukrainian airbase
He defected after Ukrainian operatives got his family out of Russia, sources said

By David Averre

Updated: 13:59 EDT, 23 August 2023

A Russian helicopter pilot has defected to Ukraine with his aircraft and a valuable haul of fighter jet spare parts, it has been revealed.

The unnamed pilot landed his Mi-8 AMTSh helicopter at a Ukrainian airbase in the Kharkiv region and then surrendered earlier this week, Ukrainskaya Pravda said, citing intelligence sources.

The pilot handed over control of the aircraft and cargo – parts for Soviet-era Su-27 and Su-30 jets – after Ukrainian intelligence operatives were reportedly able to extract his family from Russia and evacuate them to Ukraine to avoid repercussions.

Two other Russian air force members aboard the helicopter refused to surrender and were shot by Ukrainian troops, Ukrainskaya Pravda reported.

A Mi-8 military helicopter flies over St. Petersburg during the Russia Africa Summit last month

Russian Su-30 fighter jet is pictured. The helicopter was carrying parts for Su-27 and Su-30 jets when the pilot defected

Su-27 jet fighters are pictured. The helicopter was carrying parts for Su-27 and Su-30 jets when the pilot defected

Russian war reporters initially claimed their helicopter had set down in Ukraine by accident after its pilots became disorientated, lost navigation and veered off course.

But Ukrainian sources retorted that the airbase was located far from the front line and that the helicopter was flying low, suggesting the pilots would have been able to navigate using obvious landmarks.

Pro-Ukrainian war reporter Yuriy Butusov said the pilot’s decision to defect to Ukraine with his aircraft constituted ‘the first conscious surrender of such equipment by the Russian Federation’.

Ukraine Military Intelligence spokesperson Andriy Yusov later announced on the Telegram messaging app that the Russian pilot’s surrender of his aircraft and cargo was the culmination of a six-month-long intelligence operation.

The helicopter’s crew had been tasked with transporting the parts between two Russian airbases, providing the pilot the necessary cover to escape.

Images released by Ukrainskaya Pravda showed the Mi-8 helicopter in a field, as well as some of its cargo, including electronic components used in motors and other electrical systems.

News of the defecting Russian pilot came as the Ukrainian intelligence agency announced it had destroyed a key Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile defence system in occupied Crimea.

If confirmed, it would be another embarrassing blow for Moscow, as Ukraine increasingly targets Russia’s assets far behind the front line in southern and eastern Ukraine.

The agency claimed on its official Telegram channel that Russia has a ‘limited number’ of the sophisticated systems and that the loss ‘is a painful blow.’ Moscow officials made no immediate comment.

The long-range S-400 missiles are capable of striking enemy aircraft and are regarded as one of the best such systems available. They have a range of 250 miles and can simultaneously engage multiple targets.

Incredible drone footage of the strike was subsequently shared on social media.

A Russian air-defence system is destroyed in occupied Crimea, according to Ukrainian officials

Four Russian S-400 air-defence system vehicles

‘As a result of the explosion, the installation itself, the missiles and personnel installed on it were completely destroyed,’ said Ukrainian official Anton Gerashchenko.

Russian sources suspect the blast was caused by a Storm Shadow missile supplied by Britain and France to Ukraine.

Russian Telegram channel Military Informant said: ‘The enemy publishes footage of a strike on an S-400 air defence system in the Olenevka area in Crimea this morning.

‘What was hit is currently unknown, however, presumably, it was a Storm Shadow cruise missile.

‘In addition, a Ukrainian reconnaissance UAV hung unhindered directly above the positions of the air-defence system, exercising objective control.

‘Such incidents raise legitimate questions about the quality of air-defence coverage in one of the most ”missile-hazardous” regions of Russia.’

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August 23, 2023

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Trending

‘When Evil Lurks’ Release Date Set By Shudder, IFC Films – Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: AMC Networks‘ genre streamer Shudder and indie distributor IFC Films have firmed up release plans for the Argentinian horror When Evil Lurks, ahead of its world premiere in the Midnight Madness section of the 2023 Toronto Film Festival. The second feature from Demián Rugna, on the heels of his Fantastic Fest prize winner Terrified, will hit theaters via IFC Films on October 6th and debut on Shudder on Oct. 27th.

Charades will handle international sales at TIFF, and AMC Studios is currently looking to further expand the world of the film with a project for the small screen.

The Shudder Original written and directed by Rugna follows a pair of brothers who find a mutilated corpse near their property and convene with the locals to suss it out. They soon learn that the odd happenings in their village are the cause of a spirit that’s found its way into a local man waiting for the proper protocols to rid his body of the festering demon. An escape attempt ensues as the film keeps its protagonists on edge, racing against imminent danger to shake the spirit’s relentless clutches.

Produced by Shudder, as well as Argentina’s Machaco Films and Aramos Cine, When Evil Lurks‘ Midnight Madness companions include new films from Harmony Korine (Aggro Dr1ft) and Larry Charles (A24’s Dicks: The Musical), as well as the horror comedy Hell of a Summer, marking the anticipated feature directorial debut of Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk. Pic’s cast is led by Ezequiel Rodriguez, Demián Salomon, Luis Ziembrowski, Silvia Sabater and Marcelo Michinaux.

Said Scott Shooman, who heads up AMC Networks’ Film Group, “Shudder consistently develops the best and most innovative voices in horror and they have succeeded again with Demián’s fresh and terrifying new film WHEN EVIL LURKS. We are thrilled to bring this evil to theaters as part of our Film Group’s continued partnership.

Stated Rugna, “Working with Shudder has been an incredible and seamless experience. They allowed me the creative space to direct freely with the same goal in mind – identify new ways to shock and scare audiences with an innovative approach and a fresh story.”

“We are very excited to continue our collaboration with Shudder/IFC Films and were blown away by seeing this film from Argentina,” added Charades co-founders Pierre Mazara, Carole Baraton and Yohann Comte. “We can’t wait to see the reaction of the audience in Toronto.”

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August 23, 2023

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EXCLUSIVE: AMC Networks‘ genre streamer Shudder and

Tech

Sara Ramírez Addresses “Hostile” And Just Like That Che Diaz Criticism – The Hollywood Reporter

Sara Ramírez is once again addressing the ongoing criticisms around their And Just Like That character, Che Diaz.

In a statement posted to Instagram on Tuesday, the former Grey’s Anatomy star emphasized that questions about the character’s development should be pointed at the series’ writers and that critics of their nonbinary character’s representation on the show should stop conflating the role with who Ramírez is in real life.

“I am not the fictional characters I have played, nor am I responsible for the things that are written for them to say. I am a human being, an artist, an actor,” they said in the post, which featured two photos of them. “We are living in a world that has become increasingly hostile toward anyone who dares to free themselves from the gender binary, or disrupt the mainstream.”

At another point, Ramírez questions why they’ve been asked about the way Diaz has been written as the one who isn’t overseeing their own dialogue. “When a cis man is in charge and has ultimate control of dialogue actors say, and you have a valid problem with it, perhaps you should be interviewing him,” they said.

The post, which follows a June profile in The Cut about the actor and the show, sees the And Just Like That star defending their own character in response to what they describe as “an attempt to mock my thoughtfulness and softness, while dismissing a valid existence and real human being in favor of tv show critiques that belonged elsewhere.”

“I have a dry sense of humor and a voice. And I am not afraid to use either,” Ramírez added.

This is not the first time Ramírez has responded to critics of their character, who was introduced as Carrie Bradshaw’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) podcast co-host in the Sex and the City continuation’s first season before they developed a relationship with the then-married (and in season two, impending divorcée) Miranda Hobbs (Cynthia Nixon).

During season one, the actor told The New York Times that they “don’t recognize myself in Che,” after articles in outlets like The Daily Beast and Vulture called Ramírez’s role “the indisputable worst character on television” and a “jumble of traits to serve a bunch of plot purposes,” respectively.

“I’m very aware of the hate that exists online, but I have to protect my own mental health and my own artistry,” they said. “And that’s way more important to me because I’m a real human being. I’m really proud of the representation that we’ve created. We have built a character who is a human being, who is imperfect, who’s complex, who is not here to be liked, who’s not here for anybody’s approval. They’re here to be themselves.”

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August 23, 2023

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Sara Ramírez is once again addressing the

Video

Google and YouTube are trying to have it both ways with AI and copyright

There’s only one name that springs to mind when you think of the cutting edge in copyright law online: Frank Sinatra.

There’s nothing more important than making sure his estate — and his label, Universal Music Group — gets paid when people do AI versions of Ol’ Blue Eyes singing “Get Low” on YouTube, right? Even if that means creating an entirely new class of extralegal contractual royalties for big music labels just to protect the online dominance of your video platform while simultaneously insisting that training AI search results on books and news websites without paying anyone is permissible fair use? Right? Right?

This, broadly, is the position that Google is taking after announcing a deal with Universal Music Group yesterday “to develop an AI framework to help us work toward our common goals.” Google is signaling that it will pay off the music industry with special deals that create brand-new — and potentially devastating! — private intellectual property rights, while basically telling the rest of the web that the price of being indexed in Search is complete capitulation to allowing Google to scrape data for AI training.

The quick background here is that, in April, a track called “Heart on My Sleeve” from an artist called Ghostwriter977 with the AI-generated voices of Drake and the Weeknd went viral. Drake and the Weeknd are Universal Music Group artists, and UMG was not happy about it, widely issuing statements saying music platforms needed to do the right thing and take the tracks down.

Streaming services like Apple and Spotify, which control their entire catalogs, quickly complied. The problem then (and now) was open platforms like YouTube, which generally don’t take user content down without a policy violation — most often, copyright infringement. And here, there wasn’t a clear policy violation: legally, voices are not copyrightable (although individual songs used to train their AI doppelgangers are), and there is no federal law protecting likenesses — it’s all a mishmash of state laws. So UMG fell back on something simple: the track contained a sample of the Metro Boomin producer tag, which is copyrighted, allowing UMG to issue takedown requests to YouTube.

This all created a gigantic policy dilemma for Google, which, like every other AI company, is busily scraping the entire web to train its AI systems. None of these companies are paying anyone for making copies of all that data, and as various copyright lawsuits proliferate, they have mostly fallen back on the idea that these copies are permissible fair use under Section 107 of the Copyright Act.

Google has to keep the music industry in particular happy

The thing is that “fair use” is 1) an affirmative defense to copyright infringement, which means you have to admit you made the copy in the first place, and 2) evaluated on a messy case-by-case basis in the courts, a slow and totally inconsistent process that often leads to really bad outcomes that screw up entire creative fields for decades.

But Google has to keep the music industry in particular happy because YouTube basically cannot operate without blanket licenses from the labels — no one wants to go back to the labels suing individual parents because their kids were dancing to Prince in a video. And there’s no way for YouTube Shorts to compete with TikTok without expansive music rights, and taking those off the table by ending up in court with the labels is a bad idea.

So YouTube appears to have caved.

In a blog post announcing a deal with UMG to work on AI… stuff, YouTube boss Neal Mohan makes vague promises about expanding Content ID, the often-controversial YouTube system that generally makes sure copyright holders get paid for their work, to cover “generated content.”

Mohan sandwiched that announcement in between saying there will be a new “YouTube Music AI Incubator” that convenes a bunch of UMG artists and producers (including the estate of Frank Sinatra, of course) and saying that YouTube will be expanding its content moderation policies to cover “the challenges of AI,” without actually saying that AI deepfakes are a huge problem that’s going to get worse. Instead, we get told that the solution to a technology problem is… more technology!

“AI can also be used to identify this sort of content, and we’ll continue to invest in the AI-powered technology that helps us protect our community of viewers, creators, artists and songwriters – from Content ID, to policies and detection and enforcement systems that keep our platform safe behind the scenes,” says Neal. Sure.

First, lumping “copyright and trademark abuse” in with the “and more” of malicious deepfakes and AI-accelerated technical manipulation is actually pretty gross. One thing, at worst, causes potentially lost revenue; the others have the potential to ruin lives and destabilize democracies.

Second and more importantly, there’s really only one solution that the music industry — especially UMG — is going to accept here, and it’s not toothless AI councils. It’s creating a new royalty system for using artists’ voices that does not exist in current copyright law. If you make a video with an AI voice that sounds like Drake, UMG wants to get paid.

We know this because, in April, when AI Drake was blowing up on YouTube and UMG was issuing takedowns for the song based on the Metro Boomin sample in the track, UMG’s EVP of digital strategy, Michael Nash, explicitly said so during the company’s quarterly earnings call.

“Generative AI that’s enabled by large language models, which trains on our intellectual property, violates copyright law in several ways,” he said. “Companies have to obtain permission and execute a license to use copyrighted content for AI training or other purposes, and we’re committed to maintaining these legal principles.” (Emphasis mine.)

What’s going to happen next is all very obvious: YouTube will attempt to expand Content ID to flag content with voices that sound like UMG artists, and UMG will be able to take those videos down or collect royalties for those songs and videos. Along the way, we will be treated to glossy videos of a UMG artist like Ryan Tedder asking Google Bard to make a sad beat for a rainy day or whatever while saying that AI is amazing.

To be clear, this is a fine solution for YouTube, which has a lot of money and cannot accept the existential risk of losing its music licenses during a decade-long legal fight over fair use and AI. But it is a pretty shitty solution for the rest of us, who do not have the bargaining power of huge music labels to create bespoke platform-specific AI royalty schemes and who will probably get caught up in Content ID’s well-known false-positive error rates without any legal recourse at all.

It’s not hard to predict a lot of problems with this

And the problems here aren’t hard to predict: right now, Content ID generally operates within the framework of intellectual property law. If you make something — a piece of music criticism, say — flagged by Content ID as infringing a copyright and you disagree with it, YouTube never steps in to resolve it but instead imposes some tedious back-and-forth and then, if that doesn’t work out, politely suggests you head to the courts and deal with it legally. (YouTubers generally do not do this, instead coming up with an ever-escalating series of workarounds to defeat overzealous Content ID flags, but that’s the idea.)

But all of that falls apart when YouTube invents a custom right to artists’ voices just for big record labels. Short of some not-yet-implemented solution like watermarking all AI content, there is no AI system on earth that can reliably distinguish between an AI Drake and a kid just trying to rap like Drake. What happens when Content ID flags the kid and UMG issues a takedown notice? There is no legal system for YouTube to fall back on; there’s just a kid, Drake, and a huge company with enormous leverage over YouTube. Seems pretty clear who will lose!

Let’s say YouTube extends this new extralegal private right to likenesses and voices to everyone. What happens to Donald Trump impersonators in an election year? What about Joe Biden impressions? Where will YouTube draw the line between AI Drake and AI Ron DeSantis? Regular ol’ DeSantis has never met a speech regulation he didn’t like — how will YouTube withstand the pressure to remove any impression of DeSantis he requests a takedown for after opening the door to removing AI Frank Sinatra? Are we ready for that, or are we just worried about losing our music rights?

If the answers are in this blog post, I sure don’t see them. But I do see a happy Universal Music Group.

Google’s Search Generative Experience.

Image: Google / David Pierce

While YouTube is busy making nice with UMG, Google proper is ruthlessly wielding its massive leverage over the web to extract as much data as it can to train its AI models for free.

At this moment in web history, Google is the last remaining source of traffic at scale on the web, which is why so many websites are turning into AI-written SEO honeypots. The situation is bad and getting worse.

This means Google has absolutely tremendous leverage over publishers of websites, who are still mostly paying human beings to make content in the hopes that Google ranks their pages highly and sends them traffic, all while Google itself is training its AI models on that expensive content.

In the meantime, Google is also rolling out the Search Generative Experience (SGE) so that it might answer search queries directly using AI — particularly, lucrative queries about buying things. In fact, almost every SGE demo Google has ever given has ended in a transaction of some kind.

“Over time, this will just be how search works.”

This is a great deal for Google but a horrible deal for publishers, who are staring down the barrel of ever-diminishing Google referrals and decreasing affiliate revenue but lack any ability to say no to search traffic. I like to call the end of Google traffic “Google Zero,” and Google Zero is on its way: on Google’s last earnings call, Sundar Pichai bluntly said of SGE, “Over time, this will just be how search works.”

There is fundamentally no difference between training an AI to sing like Frank Sinatra by feeding it Sinatra songs and training SGE to answer questions about what bikes to buy by training it on articles about bikes. But yet! There is no AI Music Incubator for the web and no set of friendly blog posts about working together with web publishers. Google’s position when it comes to the web is explicit: if its search crawlers can see content on the open web, it can use that content to train AI. The company’s privacy policy was just updated to say it may “use publicly available information to help train Google’s AI models and build products and features like Google Translate, Bard, and Cloud AI capabilities.”

A website could block Google’s crawlers in its robots.txt file — OpenAI, fresh from scraping every website in the world to build ChatGPT, just allowed its crawler to be blocked in this way — but blocking Google’s crawlers means deindexing your site from search, which is, bluntly, suicidal.

This is playing out right now with The New York Times, whose robots.txt file blocks OpenAI’s GPTBot but not Google. The Times also just updated its terms of use to prohibit the use of its content to train AI. Given the opportunity to block Google and OpenAI at the technical level, the Times instead chose what amounts to a legal approach — and indeed, the company signed a commercial agreement with Google and is reportedly considering suing OpenAI. Meanwhile, OpenAI has signed its own deal with The Associated Press, setting up a situation where AI companies peel big players out of coalitions that might otherwise exert collective bargaining power over the platforms. (Disclosure: Vox Media, The Verge’s parent company, supports a bill called the JCPA that might further enhance this bargaining power, which comes with its own set of complications.)

The social internet came up in the age of Everything is a Remix; the next decade’s tagline sounds a lot like “Fuck You, Pay Me”

It is really not clear whether scraping data to train AI models is fair use, and anyone confidently predicting how the upcoming set of lawsuits from a cast of characters that includes Sarah Silverman and Getty Images will go is definitely working an angle. (A reminder that human beings are not computers: yes, you can “train” your brain to write like some author by reading all their work, but you haven’t made any copies, which is the entire foundation of copyright law. Stop it.)

The only thing that is clear about these looming AI copyright cases is that they have the potential to upend the internet as we know it, copyright law itself, and potentially lead to a drastic rethinking of what people can and cannot do with the art they encounter in their lives. The social internet came up in the age of Everything is a Remix; the next decade’s tagline sounds a lot like “Fuck You, Pay Me.”

This will all take a lot of time! And it behooves Google to slow roll it all while it can. For example, the company is thinking about creating a replacement for robots.txt that allows for more granular content controls but… you know, Google also promised to remove cookies from Chrome in January 2020 and recently pushed that date back yet again to 2024. A lumbering web standards process taking place in the background of an apocalyptic AI fair use legal battle is just fine if no one can turn off your crawler in the meantime!

At the end of this all, there’s more than a real chance that AI chokes out the web — both by flooding user-generated platforms with garbage but also by polluting Google’s own search results so badly that Google has no choice but to sign a handful of lucrative content deals that allow its AI to be trained on real content instead of an endless flood of noise.

And you know what? That future version of Google looks an awful lot like the present version of YouTube: a new kind of cable network where a flood of user content sits next to an array of lucrative licensing deals with TV networks, music labels, and sports leagues. If you squint, it is the exact kind of walled garden upstarts like Google once set out to disrupt.

Anyway, here’s an AI clone of UMG artist Taylor Swift singing “My Way.”

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August 23, 2023

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There’s only one name that springs to

Entertaintment

‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ | Decider

By Angela Tricarico

With the Season 4 premiere just two weeks away, now is the perfect time to catch up on Star Trek: Lower Decks. Lower Decks is the first animated series in the Star Trek universe since 1974 when Star Trek: The Animated Series wrapped up, and it’s different in all the best ways. It’s also Star Trek’s first true comedy. While so much of the Star Trek canon allows viewers to acquaint themselves with the Kirks, Spocks, and Picards of Starfleet, Lower Decks focuses on junior crew-members aboard the U.S.S. Cerritos, an unimportant starship that makes “second contact” with alien races. The best way to describe Lower Decks comes from EP Alex Kurtzman, who says that the A-plot of a typical Star Trek story is happening in the background, so it’s only tangentially related to the plot of each Lower Decks episode — for the most part, Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Tendi, and Rutherford are attempting to do their menial support jobs despite the crazy sci-fi chaos in the background. Three seasons of Star Trek: Lower Decks are available to stream now, and when you’re all caught up on that, you can even check out Mariner and Boimler make the jump to live action in a special Star Trek: Strange New Worlds crossover episode.

Photo: CBS All Access

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August 23, 2023

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By Angela Tricarico With the Season 4 premiere just

Movies

16 Satisfying Movie Endings That Prove Hollywood Is Brilliant When It Comes To Writing Final Scenes

Warning: Major movie spoilers ahead!!! ?

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August 23, 2023

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Warning: Major movie spoilers ahead!!! ?View Entire

Vertice 360 Nabs Maggie Civantos-Starrer ‘The Game’ From FilmSharks

Spain’s Vertice 360, one of the country’s leading indie production-distribution companies, has picked up from FilmSharks all Spanish rights to “El juego” (“The Game”), starring Maggie Civantos (“Locked Up,” “Express”) and Nico Furtado, of Netflix’s “El Marginal.”

Written-directed by first-timer Paco Sepúlveda, “The Game” has bowed a trailer ahead of its Spanish theatrical release, scheduled by Vertice 360 for Sept. 1.

“The Game” tells the story of Victor (Furtado) and Eva (Civantos), a couple which broke up after several years and due to the emergency lockdown are forced to live together.

In order not to go crazy, and make the confinement more bearable, they decide to play a game that has two rules: start from scratch as if nothing had happened and conclude their relationship when the confinement ends.

“This is an intimate portrait, with the lockdown like a very subtle context, turning on forgiveness, the importance of loving well and the acceptance of loss,” said Guido Rud, founder of FilmSharks, the Buenos Aires-based international sales company.

“It shows how a couple has to be rebuilt by playing a game of seduction just at the moment when they have been stranded in the middle of their separation due to the pandemic. This allows for a reset,” he explained.

The film marks “Locked Up” star Civantos’ debut as a producer via her Madrid-based outfit Bastardas Films, in co-production with Sepúlveda’s Guainot Produce.

“The Game” was presented at the 25th edition of Spain’s Malaga Film Festival as part of its 5 Minutos de Cine sidebar.

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August 23, 2023

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Spain’s Vertice 360, one of the country’s

MCU

MarvelBlog News for August 20th, 2023

This week: people involved with Thunderbolts and The Marvels discuss what to expect.

Also, Deadpool 3 may have everybody in it.

Bob Iger Pushes for the End of the Strikes

Photo: Getty Images

Let’s start with the story that has gained the fewest headlines but matters the most.

According to several different reports, Bob Iger, the CEO of The Walt Disney Company and ultimately the person in charge of Marvel, has had a change of heart.

As some had predicted, Iger changed his tune about the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA strikes this week.

Getty Images

Why now? The answer is cynical but simple.

On August 9^th, Disney held its mandated second-quarter earnings call. As part of the proceedings, Disney showed its financial records for the quarter.

Since Disney has famously struggled recently, Iger wanted the most recent financial documents to reflect an improved free cash flow.

You don’t need to understand what that is, just that it’s something Iger wanted to show Wall Street and potential investors.

Do you know what helped Disney free up lots of cash? The two strikes that shut down multiple productions boosted Disney’s bottom line in the short term.

Now that the earnings call has ended, Iger must worry about future calls, which occur every three months.

Photo: Getty Images

At some point in the not-too-distant future, those calls won’t go well if Disney lacks movies and television series to generate revenue.

So, Iger wants the strikes to end before that next call. Ergo, we’re seeing stories like this one and this one.

Of course, Disney’s CEO represents only one of several corporate entities that possess the power to end this strike.

Photo: Screenrant

Still, this news coinciding with Netflix’s willingness to negotiate is a strong step in the right direction.

If true, some Marvel projects may not suffer the dramatic delays we’d feared. Speaking of which…

The Deadpool 3 Rumors

Source: @VancityReynolds

Have you ever watched a Marvel movie from Fox? I’m talking about the ones with Ian McKellen as Magneto and Patrick Stewart as Professor X.

Yes, that’s the Wolverine ones. Well, if you ever watched anybody in those, the latest reports suggest that you should get your hopes up.

Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique in X-Men First Class. Photo: Doane Gregory/Fox

I say this because Deadpool 3 sounds like a reunion of pretty much all the main cast of those Fox movies, excluding the group from X-Men: First Class.

So, we’re talking about classic Marvel characters and their actors, not the more recent bunch.

Sir Ian McKellen Kissing Sir Patrick Stewart

Photo: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

Obviously, these rumors stem from the fact that we already know Stewart and McKellen will return in Deadpool 3.

Similarly, Jennifer Garner will appear as Elektra, a character who didn’t even interact with the X-Men in her films.

Still, Garner will come back to Marvel and play Elektra once again. At the time, I noted how odd that is, but it’s part of an overriding plan.

Source: Marvel

We know this because Deadpool 3 actually started principal photography before the SAG strike shut down production.

Many of the people involved with that shoot have spoken about what Marvel has planned, and we’re putting together the full picture.

In short, Deadpool 3 will apparently involve lots and lots of time travel, which explains Hugh Jackman’s return.

Source: @VancityReynolds

Remember that Jackman died in Logan, sacrificing himself so that the next generation of X-kids could have a future.

Alas, when Disney purchased Fox’s assets, that future died, at least theoretically.

So, Deadpool 3 will apparently involve Deadpool somehow messing up the timeline enough that he comes into contact with Wolverine.

Source: Fox/ Marvel

At that point, they’ll go off on some grand adventure that brings them into contact with familiar characters from Fox’s version of the MCU.

PS: The hot new rumor is Loki!!!

Marvel’s Next Directors Speak

Ms. Marvel is NOT a fan of Goose in The Marvels

Image: Marvel

Nia DaCosta, the director of The Marvels, continued her publicity tour for the event, which is something she can do.

The Directors Guild of America is the one organization that managed to avoid a strike.

For this reason, studios have directors doing as much press as possible since the actors can’t.

Image: Marvel

As part of a recent interview, DaCosta suggested that superhero fatigue exists, but she expects The Marvels to avoid that fate.

According to DaCosta, her film features “bright worlds” that are visually stimulating. However, the crux of the film involves a superhero team-up.

She believes The Marvels will succeed because it highlights three different Avengers who are “characters that women from all walks of life could relate to.”

Captain Marvel looks determined in The Marvels trailer

Image: Marvel

Along those lines, Thunderbolts director Jack Schreier wants people to know that the upcoming Marvel film will surprise them.

The studio is dropping broad hints that Thunderbolts will tie together lingering threads from other recent Marvel projects like Black Widow and Hawkeye.

For his part, Schreier targeted this project because he had experience with Marvel.

Source: Marvel Studios

He’d worked as a second unit director for his college roommate, Jon Watts, on Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Through countless conversations with Watts, Schreier knew what to expect as a Marvel director.

Now, he promises that Thunderbolts won’t be what anyone expects. The director also assures us that he’s not making a sequel, which is interesting.

Image: Marvel Studios

After all, many reports have suggested that Thunderbolts will complete the story of Captain America: Brave New World.

I suspect this is a swerve, but it’s an interesting comment.

Marvel Miscellany

Source: Marvel Studios

In other Marvel news, the official site has posted a snippet from the upcoming Scott Lang, biography, Look Out for the Little Guy. You can read it here.

Meanwhile, McDonald’s (!) has posted this:

Finally, we have an explanation for the multiple cuts of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and it’s not what you’d expect…

Thanks for visiting MarvelBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below, and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond-Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!

Featured image: Marvel

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August 23, 2023

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DCU

Legacy BTS Photos of James Gunn Spark Suit Speculation

Summary

Filmmaker James Gunn teases fans with behind-the-scenes peeks, including an adorable photo of a pooch named Nora dressed as Krypto the Superdog.
Fans are speculating about hidden clues in the background of the photo, such as an obscured Super-suit, possibly giving a sneak peek at David Corenswet’s Superman costume.
The movie Superman: Legacy boasts a stellar cast, including Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, and Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern Guy Gardner.

Filmmaker James Gunn, the acclaimed director of Superman: Legacy, recently shared enticing behind-the-scenes peeks with his fans. But it wasn’t just any snapshot – Gunn’s Instagram post sent the internet into a flurry of theories, debates, and speculations. The picture itself is endearing enough to make any heart melt: the star of the photo is none other than a delightful pooch named Nora. Dressed in a cape reminiscent of Krypto the Superdog, Nora poses confidently, basking in her momentary superhero status. Krypto, as DC Universe enthusiasts would know, has been teased by Gunn in the past as a character to make an appearance in the forthcoming film.

But it wasn’t just Nora’s adorable pose that caught the eagle eyes of the fans. Lurking in the background are several items that have made ardent followers of the DCU dig deeper. Among these, there is a vintage Superman vinyl in a Fleischer-era costume. The background also boasts posters, one of which, unsurprisingly, feature Krypto.

However, the true star of the speculations is an obscured piece, barely noticeable: a Super-suit with a distinctive yellow “S” emblem, hidden away in a box under a table. While the ensemble could very well have been one from a previous iteration or merely a prototype under consideration, many are wondering if this is the first sneak peek at what David Corenswet’s Superman might wear in Superman: Legacy.

Knowing Gunn’s meticulous nature and attention to detail, it’s hard to believe anything in the photos is there by mere accident. Yet, the entertainment industry thrives on its secrets, and only time will reveal the real story behind the suit. For those who want to dive into the images and embark on their detective journey, check them out below.

Superman: Legacy Unveils its Powerhouse Cast, But Some Roles Still Up for Grabs

DC Comics

But the world of Superman: Legacy isn’t just about suits and canines. The movie is gearing up with a stellar cast. Alongside Corenswet, audiences will see Rachel Brosnahan stepping into the intrepid shoes of Lois Lane. Brosnahan isn’t just making waves on set; she recently lent her presence and voice at the national day of solidarity rally, showcasing her support for the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.

The roster for the film doesn’t stop there. Isabela Merced will soar as Hawkgirl, with Edi Gathegi bringing Mister Terrific to life. Nathan Fillion is set to light up the screen as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, while Anthony Carrigan will shape-shift into the role of Metamorpho.

The casting for Superman: Legacy isn’t complete yet. Auditions are currently in progress for iconic roles like Lex Luthor, Jimmy Olsen, and Perry White. Fans are eagerly awaiting announcements to see who will fill these seminal characters’ shoes. If everything aligns, the production for this much-anticipated reboot is set to roll from next January. Until then, fans can only speculate, hope, and eagerly await more such teasing glimpses from Gunn and his team.

Superman: Legacy is scheduled to be released on 11 July, 2025.

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August 23, 2023

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Summary Filmmaker James Gunn teases

Comics

Starfield Fans Hit Back at Start Screen Discourse By Sharing Their Favorite Menu Screens

Fans of video games have long been passionate about their favorite entertainment medium. With a subset of fans often expecting games to cater to their every expectation, it can feel personal when a game doesn’t meet these personal requirements, whether realistic or otherwise. This is amplified when a game has been in development for a significant period of time, such as Starfield. This has been clearly evident regarding the discourse surrounding Starfield’s minimalistic start screen and one’s interpretation of what that means for the development of the game itself. Starfield fans have hit back at said discourse by sharing some of the start screens for their favorite games.

Ubisoft threw the question to the community via Twitter and was met with a range of responses.

So anyway… what’s your favorite game start screen??

— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) August 21, 2023

The replies were a mix of both busy and minimalistic start screen choices. It clearly indicates that it all boils down to personal preference and does not indicate how the game will play. Some replies focused on the start screens for their favorite titles, whilst others highlighted their favorite start screens regardless of whether it was their favorite game or not. Some of the standout choices were Mass Effect, Final Fantasy VII, Assassin’s Creed, and Halo 2. Nostalgia also played a significant role in some of these choices, with Kingdom Hearts receiving a mention due to the way that the moving music track ‘Dearly Beloved‘ made them feel whenever they started up the game.

Starfield fans used this opportunity to mention that they do, in fact, like the start screen, with numerous people listing it as their favorite screen in the comments. Whether or not it is actually their favorite start screen or they are choosing it to be supportive of the developers is left up to personal interpretation. Either way, it is nice to see the community come together to hit back at the earlier claim by Mark Kern that the team rushed the game and had a lack of pride in their work solely due to their preferred start screen aesthetic.

What is interesting, though, is that if you look back to previous Bethesda releases, many of their start screens have taken the same minimalistic approach, with titles such as Skyrim, Fallout 3, and Mass Effect being incredibly popular and well-received titles. The Starfield design aligns perfectly with that of previous Bethesda games, and as fans have pointed out through sharing some of their favorite games, there is no direct correlation between a smooth, minimalistic design and a lack of developer pride in their work.

It is great to see the community come together in a positive way to support the hardworking team behind Starfield. It won’t be long until September 6, and players will soon be able to dive into the universe for themselves.

About the Author

Priscilla Wells

Priscilla is a weekend editor and freelance writer for Prima Games. She is an Australian living in the United States with her family. Priscilla has grown up playing video games, and most often plays her PS5 and Nintendo Switch consoles.

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August 23, 2023

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Festivals

Submissions Open! Film Independent Spirit Awards Now Accepting 2024 Contenders.

So here you sit. You’ve spent the past few years (decades?) chasing down your dreams, encountering challenge after challenge, enduring the extreme vagaries of film financing, media mergers and daily COVID testing, and through it all you remained true to your creative vision.

There was that first vomit draft of your screenplay, so horrible you almost cried. There was the humbling—often humiliating—process of finding the money, then the fun of putting your team together. There was that one time on set when the PA tripped and knocked over the camera table, putting a crack in your band-new Zeiss lens. And then there were the obnoxious notes (many of which, upon retrospect, were correct) and festival rejections.

But still: you made a movie! Frankly, you deserve an award for just making it this far. Unfortunately, karma and self-actualization do not typically manifest in tangible form.

HOWEVER. You can still very easily place yourself in the running for the Film Independent Spirit Awards—submissions to be nominated for 2024 awards are now open. That of course includes episodic and TV/streaming content. Wanna know more? Visit our FAQ page for rules, eligibility requirements and more. Regular deadline is September 19 while Film Independent Members have until October 3.

And really, we love any excuse to revisit a roundup of our favorite Spirit Awards acceptance speeches. Here now are ten great ones, but who knows? Next year your speech might be here instead. So don’t delay—submit now.

HSU, ALL AT ONCE

Why we love it: With the Spirit Awards going gender-neutral for its acting categories starting this year, a “Best Breakthrough Performance” category was added to create a little extra space to honor emerging actors delivering great work. And who better to claim the prize in 2023 than Jobu herself, Stephanie Hsu, for her multi-faceted turn in Best Feature winner Everything Everywhere All at Once.

NO ‘RESERVATIONS’

Why we love it: With executive producer Taika Waititi doing the honors, Reservation Dogs creator Sterlin Harjo and his incredible team of titular FX originals canines were bestowed Best Ensemble Cast for their show’s stellar first season. It was a landmark moment for indigenous representation in Hollywood. Plus, we challenge you to find a more fashionable collection of individuals sharing a stage anywhere else inside a big ass beach tent, anywhere in the world.

‘NOMADLAND’ WINS BIG

Why we love it: Our weird COVID year was an absolute beast for 2011 Film Independent Screenwriting Lab Fellow and 2018 Bonnie Award winner Chloé Zhao, with Nomadland doing pretty well at that other awards show as well as taking home Best Feature, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Editing.

ED LACHMAN’S TOUCHING SPEECH

Why we love it: When Carol won Ed Lachman a Spirit Award for Best Cinematography at the 2016 ceremony, the veteran cinematographer—who provided Todd Haynes’s queer cinema classic its luscious period look—offered a few humble words of gratitude and offered a few poetic thoughts about love and equality.

SIGNS OF THE TIME

Why we love it: An IRL member of the deaf community, Paul Raci lent his performance as Riz Ahmed’s Sound of Metal mentor a truly authentic and compassionate point of view. Upon receiving his well-deserved Spirit Award for the role, Raci acted as his own ASL interpreter, buoyantly signing his thanks and encouragement.

OVERLAPPING SAFDIES

Why we love it: Maybe the Safdie Brothers… are just like that, all the time? The filmmaking duo’s films are a master class in nerve rattling sensory overload, as was their 2020 Best Director acceptance speech for Uncut Gems—a cacophonous, dual-delivery litany delivered at the speed of twin con men trying to unload an enchanted emerald.

HAAS MAKES HISTORY

Why we love it: Israeli actor Shira Haas made history this year by becoming the Spirit Awards’ first-ever winner of Best Female Performance in a Scripted Series, for her work on the Netflix drama Unorthodox. Based on a true-life story and adapted from the bestseller of the same name, it was a great way to inaugurate the category.

MYA TAYLOR. WOW.

Why we love it: Speaking of making history, who could forget trans performer Mya Taylor’s big win for Best Supporting Actress in 2016, claimed for her unforgettable role in Sean Baker’s Tangerine? Trans actors have only become more visible in the five years since Taylor’s call for better representation—a reason to be happy.

A PROMISING YOUNG… YOU GET IT

Why we love it: For those of us who first knew her via Call the Midwife (where she played plucky queer midwife Nurse Patsy Mount), it’s been great fun to watch English filmmaker Emerald Fennell evolve into an acclaimed writer-director, first as showrunner for Season Two of Killing Eve and, most recently, the Spirit Award-winning director of the provocative’ provocative indie Promising Young Woman.

HELLO ‘FAREWELL’

Why we love it: A 2014 Project Involve Fellow whose autobiographical cross-cultural tale of merciful familial duplicitousness first appeared on public radio’s long running This American Life, Lulu Wang took home Best Feature for The Farewell in 2020. Watch for the moment when Robert De Niro hands her the award.

DOUBLE THE MICHAELA

Why we love it: With TV (however you define it) now on the table, another big 2021 winner was Michaela Coel, whose astonishing I May Destroy You claimed two prizes, Best New Scripted Series and Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series; quite the double-dip, which as huge ice cream cone fans, we of course love.

A-PEELE-ING

Why we love it: Get Out was inarguably the most debated film of 2017—a bold, genre-wrapped exploration of the failings, exploitations and injuries wrought by white progressives on their supposed Black “allies.” When Spike Lee announced Jordan Peele as the Best Director winner in 2018, it felt like a full-circle moment.

Keep up with Film Independent…

(Header: Shiva Baby winning the John Cassavettes Award in 2022)

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August 23, 2023

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Film

‘Hustlers’ and ‘Bad Moms’ Series Planned at Lionsgate and STX – IndieWire

Scripted TV series based on the Jennifer Lopez film “Hustlers” and the Mila Kunis comedy “Bad Moms” will soon be put into development as part of a new distribution agreement between STXfilms and Lionsgate, the companies announced Wednesday.

STXfilms, which released “Hustlers” from 2019 and “Bad Moms” from 2016 along with its sequel “A Bad Moms Christmas” in 2017, are just two of the 75-library titles under which Lionsgate will now handle marketing and distribution. It also means Lionsgate will theatrically domestically distribute new STXfilms releases.

The first film to be released under the new deal is “The Marsh King’s Daughter,” a thriller starring Daisy Ridley and directed by Neil Burger. Lionsgate will now jointly release the film with Roadside Attractions on October 6.

Nothing is in the works just yet on the “Hustlers” or “Bad Moms” front, and it’s unclear if any of the original cast or crew from either movie will be involved in the new shows either as actors or in a producing capacity.

Despite a handful of box office successes, including for “Hustlers” and its $157.5 million gross, STX Entertainment at the end of 2021 found itself with $148 million of debt and was ultimately bought by investment firm The Najafi Companies following a short-lived merger with the Indian company Eros International. The company was unable to secure a buyer for its 75-film library to pay off its debt, leading to its acquisition.

But at the time, Lionsgate explored a last-minute acquisition of STX that never came to pass, and STX’s motion picture group chair Adam Fogelson later that year left the company to join Lionsgate. STX’s film output since then has been limited save for some releases that have struggled at the box office such as “The Covenant,” “Run Rabbit Run,” and “Operation Fortune: Ruse du Guerre.”

Some of STX’s other library titles, for which Lionsgate will now handle future release or licensing plans, include Guy Ritchie’s “The Gentlemen,” the Gerard Butler thriller “Greenland,” “Molly’s Game” from Aaron Sorkin, and “I Feel Pretty” with Amy Schumer.

“The Marsh King’s Daughter” is based on Karen Dionne’s New York Times bestseller and is a thriller about a woman with a secret past who ventures into the wilderness she left behind to confront the most dangerous man she’s ever met: her father, the infamous Marsh King.

The film stars Ridley, Ben Mendelsohn, Garrett Hedlund, Caren Pistorius (Unhinged), Brooklynn Prince, and Gil Birmingham. Burger (“Limitless”) directed the film from a screenplay by Elle Smith & Mark L. Smith (“The Revenant”). It’s produced by Black Bear’s Teddy Schwarzman, Keith Redmon, and Mark L. Smith. The executive producers are Michael Heimler, Charles Miller, Cliff Roberts, Robert Simonds, Adam Fogelson, John Friedberg, and Samuel J. Brown. The film was fully financed by Black Bear, who produced along side Anonymous Content.

“Theatrical exhibition continues to be essential to our company, and that’s especially true for movies like ‘The Marsh King’s Daughter’ and its director, Neil Burger, with whom we had such a fantastic success with The Upside,” STX Entertainment CEO Noah Fogelson said in a statement. “As Bob and I sought a longterm strategic distribution partner, Lionsgate was our first and best choice. We are excited to begin our deal with ‘The Marsh King’s Daughter.’ We believe their production, marketing and distribution teams are the absolute best in the business and many of their marketing executives are already intimately familiar with our slate. That alone would make them a natural home. But we’re also huge fans of everything Jon, Michael, and Joe have built, and we are thrilled to be reunited with Adam and part of the powerful resources that the Lionsgate family can offer.”

Deadline first reported the news.

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August 23, 2023

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Scripted TV series based on the Jennifer

How to Watch the US Open Online

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.

The 2023 U.S. Open officially kicks off Monday Aug. 28 at Flushing Meadows in New York. Considering the action we saw at Wimbledon just last month, we can expect even more headline-making plays throughout the tennis season’s biggest event of the year.

Eyes will be on reigning champions Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek looking to defend their titles in New York, while Novak Djokovic will be coming in with a vengeance after missing last year’s event. Serena Williams’ and Roger Federer’s retirement last year marks a transition for the sport, with an opening for Alcaraz and Djokovic to rise to dominance. The most exciting moment ahead of the US Open was the three-and-a-half hour showdown between the two power players at the Cincinatti Masters, during which Djokovic came out victorious.

The 2023 US Open runs from Aug. 28 through Sept. 10, with the women’s single finals set to take place on Sept. 9 and the men’s singles finals on Sept. 10.

While tickets are still available to purchase online starting at $150, there are plenty of ways to watch the action online if you can’t make it to any of the matches in person. The best way to stream the 2023 U.S Open online is on DirecTV, whose Entertainment Package includes live sports coverage on ESPN and ESPN2. Plus, you can sign up for a 3-day free trial if you’re looking to tune into a specific match, or want to try out the service before committing to the monthly subscription.

Other live TV streaming services where you can watch the matches include Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV and ESPN+. If you’re looking to tune into the tournament from out of the country, you might need to sign up for a VPN service. We recommend ExpressVPN.

Stream the 2023 U.S. Open below:

DirecTV 3-Day Free Trial Buy Now

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August 23, 2023

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What to Watch

Most Watched K-Dramas on Netflix in 2023

Pictured: Doctor Cha, The Glory, Black Knight, Crash Course in Romance

With over 1.8 billion viewing hours in the global top ten, 2023 is proving to be another extremely successful year for K-dramas on Netflix. Below, we’ve put together the list of the most-watched K-dramas on Netflix in 2023.

This year has introduced a change in the way Netflix tracks what the most popular movies and TV shows are in the global top ten. Dramas with smaller run times and episodes are now no longer drowned out by shows with longer run times and larger episode counts.

Article continues below…

Netflix has listed this change as “Views” where you take the number of hours in the global top ten list, and divide it by the total runtime in hours

In the list below we’ve listed what Netflix would define as a” View” with CVE (Completed Viewing Equivalents).

Below are the most-watched K-Dramas on Netflix so far in 2023 so far:

10. Mr. Queen (Season 1)

Episodes: 20 | Total Runtime: 23.81 Hours
CVE (Completed Viewing Equivalents): 4,406,551
Total Hours Spent in Global Top Ten: 104,920,000 Hours

Picture: Mr. Queen – tvN

Netflix missed out on gaining Mr. Queen as an internationally licensed Original during its 2020/2021 run. Better late than never, the appetite for the drama saw some big viewing numbers, exceeding 104 million hours in the Global top ten.

“In the present day, Jang Bong Hwan is a chef who works for the country’s top politicians at the Blue House. He has a free spirit, but his spirit somehow finds its way into the body of Queen Cheorin in the Joseon period. King Cheoljong, the reigning monarch, is a gentle and easy-going person. However, he is only king in name. Queen Sunwon, the late King Sunjo’s wife, wields true power in the country and has relegated King Cheoljong to a figurehead. Her ambitious younger brother, Kim Jwa Geun, also desires power. Queen Cheorin soon discovers that King Cheoljong is not what he seems and that he has a dark and suspicious side to him.”

9. See You in My 19th Life (Season 1) N

Episodes: 12 | Total Runtime: 12.35 Hours
CVE (Completed Viewing Equivalents): 6,040,485
Total Hours Spent in Global Top Ten: 74,600,000 Hours

The series had a far greater performance on Netflix than it did in South Korea where it failed to break into the top 50 highest-rated cable dramas.

“Ban Ji Eum has an extraordinary ability: she can remember the memories of all her past lives. Repeating her reincarnation for nearly a thousand years, Ban Ji Eum has been living her lives diligently. After her previous life is cut short by a tragic accident, she sets out to reconnect with the people of her past life in her current one.”

8. The Good Bad Mother (Season 1) N

Episodes: 14 | Total Runtime: 15.93 Hours
CVE (Completed Viewing Equivalents): 7,711,864
Total Hours Spent in Global Top Ten: 122,850,000 Hours

the good bad mother most watched k dramas in 2023

Picture: The Good Bad Mother – jTBC

Sat in the middle of Korea’s top fifty most watched cable dramas ever, its thanks to the quality of shows such as The Good Bad Mother that K-drama fans keep returning to Netflix time after time.

“A tragic accident leaves an ambitious prosecutor with the mind of a child, forcing him and his mother to embark on a journey to heal their relationship.”

7. Doctor Cha (Season 1) N

Episodes: 16 | Total Runtime: 16.5 Hours
CVE (Completed Viewing Equivalents): 9,173,860
Total Hours Spent in Global Top Ten: 150,910,000 Hours

doctor cha new k dramas on netflix in june 2023

Picture: Doctor Cha – jTBC

If this was a list ranking the top weekly K-dramas to arrive on Netflix, there would be an argument to place Doctor Cha at the very top. While the series is lagging behind the competition via Netflix, in South Korea it’s a different story entirely. Doctor Cha sits in 7th place with an astonishingly high 18.564% rating, overtaking the likes of Extraordinary Attorney Woo and Mr. Sunshine.

“It tells the story of a medical graduate turned housewife but decided to return to the medical field, and a doctor husband who maintains a perfect dual life. He is great at his job and he is also great at cheating on his wife.”

6. Crash Course in Romance (Season 1) N

Episodes: 16 | Total Runtime: 19.45
CVE (Completed Viewing Equivalents): 9,431,876
Total Hours Spent in Global Top Ten: 183, 450,000

crash course in romance most watched k dramas in 2023

Picture: Crash Course in Romance – tvN

Wildly popular in South Korea, the series currently sits in 11th place in the highest-rated cable dramas in Korean history after hitting an incredible 17.038% nationwide rating.

Retired ex national team female handball player has become a grocery store owner in order to look after her family while she grapples with her daughter’s tutor’s eating disorder.

5. Celebrity (Season 1) N

Episodes: 12 | Total Runtime: 8.8 Hours
CVE (Completed Viewing Equivalents): 12,766,912
Total Hours Spent in Global Top Ten: 113,200,000 Hours

celebrity netflix k dramas coming to netflix in 2023

Picture: Celebrity – Netflix

It’s been a strong year for South Korean Netflix Originals, as proven by the success of series such as Bloodhounds, Black Knight, and Celebrity.

“Fame. Money. Power. One young woman fights to become the next hottest celebrity in the glamorous yet scandalous world of influencers in Seoul.”

4. King the Land (Season 1) N

Episodes: 16 | Total Runtime: 18.9 Hours
CVE (Completed Viewing Equivalents): 17,014,928
Total Hours Spent in Global Top Ten: 323,000,000 hours

king the land new k dramas on netflix in june 2023

Picture: King the Land – jTBC

Outside of the mainstream eye, King the Land has been one of the most controversial K-dramas on Netflix. The series was review-bombed heavily after two episodes depicted a womanizing and alcohol-drinking Arab prince, played by Indian actor Anupam Tripathi (Squid Game). Drinking alcohol goes against the Muslim faith, and it was also seen as culturally insensitive that an Arab Prince was portrayed by an Indian actor.

Controversy aside, the series has been wildly successful for a weekly K-drama. amassing over 323 million hours in the global top ten, and the 21st highest-rated cable drama in Korean history.

“The hotel heir and the best employee twisted to change the standard of service and undertook to implement the concept “You will be sincerely smiled at in King”. King is the name of the company and a metaphor for addressing guests as kings.”

3. Black Knight (Season 1) N

Episodes: 6| Total Runtime: 4.65 hours
CVE (Completed Viewing Equivalents): 17,075,268
Total Hours Spent in Global Top Ten: 79,400,000 Hours

black knight most anticipated netflix original shows april 18th 2023

Picture: Black Knight – Netflix

Thanks to the changes made to the way Netflix views the top ten, dramas such as Black Knight with fewer episodes and smaller runtimes finally get the recognition they deserve. While the time the show spent in the global top ten isn’t impressive, its CVE certainly is. Fans will be hoping to see Black Knight sometime in the near future.

“In 2071, where people depend on respirator masks to breathe. Only one percent of the human race has survived, and a strict social stratification has been established in the deserted lands of the Korean Peninsula. Delivery drivers play a crucial role within this system, and for refugees, becoming a delivery driver is their only hope for survival.”

2. Bloodhounds (Season 1) N

Episodes: 8 | Total Runtime: 8 Hours
CVE (Completed Viewing Equivalents): 20,608,750
Total Hours Spent in Global Top Ten: 164,870,000 Hours

bloodhounds most anticipated upcoming netflix tv shows in june 6th 2023

Picture: Bloodhounds – Netflix

One of the best-performing K-dramas on Netflix in 2023, Bloodhounds has beaten nearly every other drama by its CVE count. Many fans are still holding out for the possibility of a second season.

“In order to pay off their debt, three daring youths jump into the money-lending business while confronting the rich and powerful who prey on the weak.”

1. The Glory (Season 1) N

Episodes: 16 | Total Runtime: 14.1 Hours
CVE (Completed Viewing Equivalents): 39,786,525
Total Hours Spent in Global Top Ten: 560,990,000 Hours

the glory most watched netflix originals on netflix in 2023

Picture: The Glory – Netflix

The undisputed top K-drama of 2023 is The Glory. Already one of the most successful non-English language dramas in Netflix history, before the streaming service introduced ‘Views’ for its Global top ten lists, The Glory previously sat in fourth place behind All of Us Are Dead, Money Heist (Spanish), and Squid Game.

What’s been your favorite K-drama of 2023? Let us know in the comments below!

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August 23, 2023

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Pictured: Doctor Cha, The Glory, Black Knight,

Awards

Eve Hewson Discovers the Power of Music

Watch stars Eve Hewson and Joseph Grodon-Levitt discover the transformative power of music in the first trailer to John Carney’s Sundance crowd pleaser “Flora and Son.”

The film, starring Hewson and Gordon-Levitt as Flora and Jeff, respectively, debuted at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in the festival’s Premieres category. The feature from Carney, who’s previously known for musical indies like the Oscar-winning “Once,” “Sing Street” and “Begin Again,” also stars Orén Kinlan and Jack Reynor.

“Flora and Son” centers on single mom Flora (Hewson) who is at a loss about what to do with her rebellious teenage son, Max (Kinlan). Encouraged by the police to find Max a hobby, Flora tries to occupy him with a beat-up acoustic guitar. With the help of a washed-up musician from Los Angeles (Gordon-Levitt), Flora and Max discover the transformative power of music.

From the musical mind of Carney, “Flora and Son” explores the bond between a mother and son on a journey toward a new harmony.

In his review of the film, TheWrap’s Nicholas Barber wrote: “It was a bold move of Carney to cast Bono’s daughter in a role that should probably have gone to someone with more experience of Flora’s straitened circumstances, but Hewson — who recently joked about being a “nepo baby” — has the winning balance of earthy ferocity and goofy vulnerability to make a terrific character her own. Her face set in a contemptuous glower, she has a ball with Carney’s spiky dialogue, whether she is exchanging bracingly filthy insults with her ex-husband Ian (Reynor), or confessing to a friend that she can’t help but envy the parents of children who go missing.”

“Flora and Son” will premiere in select theaters on Sept. 22 and globally on Apple TV+ Sept. 29.

Watch the first trailer in the video above.

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August 23, 2023

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Watch stars Eve Hewson and Joseph Grodon-Levitt

Music

YOASOBI ‘Idol’ Logs 19th Week Atop Japan Hot 100 – Billboard

YOASOBI’s “Idol” scores its 19th consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Aug. 23, extending its all-time record for most weeks atop the chart again.

See latest videos, charts and news

The duo headlined Japan’s Summer Sonic music festival over the weekend, closing out the Mountain Stage lineup in both Tokyo and Osaka. The “Monster” pair also entertained fans with its “Traveling Bookstore YOASOBI,” a collaborative endeavor with the mobile bookstore BOOK TRUCK, set up in the food area of the festival grounds.

On this week’s chart tallying the week ending Aug. 20, downloads for “Idol” slips to No. 2 (10,631 units), but the long-running hit continues to dominate streaming (13,100,852 weekly streams), video views, and karaoke. The Oshi no Ko opener also climbed 24-18 for radio, and while gradually losing points overall, the total continues to best the song at No. 2 by about 1.7 times.

Tatsuya Kitani’s “Where Our Blue Is” holds at No. 2 this week. The Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 opener continues to improve in karaoke, jumping 62-37, and collected points in a balanced way: holding again at No. 38 for sales, No. 2 for streaming (9,232,884 streams), and No. 6 for video, slipping 3-4 for downloads (7,562 units) and 32-95 for radio.

Bowing at No. 3 is Kazuya Kamenashi’s first solo single in four years called “Cross.” The track launched with 105,544 copies to hit No. 1 for sales, and is off to a good start coming in at No. 22 for downloads and No. 40 for radio.

Gen Hoshino’s “Life” debuts at No. 7. The superstar singer-songwriter curated the Beach Stage at Summer Sonic in Tokyo on Saturday (Aug. 19), highlighting and collaborating with such artists as Jacob Collier, UMI, Camilo, and Sam Gendell. His latest track rules downloads (13,713 units) and radio this week, while hitting No. 38 for video.

Another debut on this week’s Japan Hot 100 is Colorful Diamond’s “Amakyun,” bowing at No. 5 after selling 76,514 CDs in its first week.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.

See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Aug. 14 to 20, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.

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August 23, 2023

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YOASOBI’s “Idol” scores its 19th consecutive week

GRAN TURISMO, from left: Archie Madekwe, David Harbour, 2023. ph: Gordon Timpen /© Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

Docs

Box Office: Gran Turismo to Open Soft Against Blue Beetle, Barbie

Sony’s racing drama “Gran Turismo” is driving to a soft $10 million to $12 million in its first weekend of release.

The film lands in 3,800 North American theaters on Friday and will compete with last weekend’s champion “Blue Beetle” for second place on domestic charts behind “Barbie.” Greta Gerwig’s box office behemoth is expected to return to the No. 1 spot in its sixth weekend of release, with projections of $12 million to $14 million between Friday and Sunday. So far, “Barbie” has grossed $572 million and is days away from overtaking “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($572 million) as the highest-grossing domestic release of the year.

National Cinema Day, which takes place on Aug. 27, could throw off estimates across the board. That’s because movie tickets on Sunday will cost under $4 — way less than the average ticket price — at participating theaters. More than 3,000 locations, including approximately 30,000 available screens, are expected to take part in the one-day event.

Neill Blomkamp (“District 9”) directed “Gran Turismo,” which is adapted from the video game of the same name. Critics have been mixed on the $60 million-budgeted movie, which tells the true story of a teenage video gamer who takes on the world of professional race car driving. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman positively reviewed the film and praised the “spontaneous humanistic grace, and the racing sequences.”

It may be a close race between “Gran Turismo” and “Blue Beetle” — unless the latter manages to hold on better than its DC predecessors, “The Flash” and “Shazam: Fury of the Gods,” at the box office. After debuting to just $25 million, the latest superhero spectacle looks to drop by 60% or more in its sophomore outing with ticket sales around $8.5 million to $10 million.

Elsewhere, Liam Neeson’s action-thriller “Retribution” is targeting a single digit debut of $2 million to $3 million from 1,800 theaters. Those lackluster ticket sales are similar to the various Neeson vehicles, such as “The Marksman” ($3 million debut), “Blacklight” ($3.5 million debut) and “Memory” ($3.1 million debut), which are often far more popular on premium video-on-demand than they are in theaters.

In the film, Neeson plays a dad who is driving with his two kids when he receives a phone call from an anonymous assailant, who claims there’s a bomb in the car. Unable to leave the vehicle, he has to figure out a way to keep his children and himself alive. “Retribution” currently has a 27% on Rotten Tomatoes.

In limited release, Emma Seligman’s “Bottoms” is landing in 10 theaters in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Austin. The film, which stars “Shiva Baby’s” Rachel Sennot and “The Bear’s” Ayo Edebiri, debuted at SXSW and cost $15 million. The well-reviewed “Bottoms” follows two high schoolers who starts a fight club to meet girls and lose their virginity.

In Variety’s review, Gleiberman says “Bottoms” is “unlike any high-school comedy you’ve ever seen.” The Gen Z comedy, he wrote, “walks a tightrope between sensitivity and insanity (with a knowing bit of inanity)” and plays as “a satire of victimization, a satire of violence, and a satire of itself.”

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August 23, 2023

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Sony’s racing drama “Gran Turismo” is driving

Global

Human remains found in Wasaga Beach identified, police say

Provincial police say they have identified the human remains found in the town of Wasaga Beach earlier this year, and foul play is not suspected.

Members of the Huronia West Detachment of the OPP received a call on May 24 at around 3:30 p.m. saying that suspected human remains had been located by members of a land surveying company that was working in an area off Highway 26.

Police say a post-mortem examination has confirmed the remains to be those of an individual reported missing in July 2020.

Following an investigation, police say foul play is not suspected.

Provincial police say that out of respect for the family’s privacy, they will not be releasing the name of the deceased.

&copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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August 23, 2023

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Kylie Jenner is a fashion icon and an inspiration for many looking to elevate their style. In her recent Instagram post, the Kylie Cosmetics founder rocked a pair of Levi’s Women’s Low Pro Jeans – giving the calm, cool, and collected vibe that she always has about her. You can get the same ones today for 30% off!

Shop Levi’s Women’s Low Pro Jeans for $55.65 on Amazon today!

The reality star paired the jeans with a simple loose white tank and dainty gold jewelry to compliment the relaxed look, along with a straw shoulder bag, where you can see here. These jeans would work perfectly with sneakers and a T-shirt for an everyday look, or you can dress them up with a pair of loafers and a button-down. There are so many ways to have fun with the Levi’s Women’s Low Pro Jeans and you can snag them for a steal. Originally almost $80, you can get them today for $55.65, saving almost $25!

These Levi’s Jeans are inspired by an early 2000s style, which has come back around in the latest fashion trends. They are comfortable, versatile, and a mix between vintage and modern. Levi’s is a reliable brand that provides great quality jeans that customers love.

Kylie’s jeans are the darker pair out of the options for the Low Pros, but there are also three other lighter shades you can choose from. She isn’t the only style icon who has been rocking the baggy jean look. Hailey Bieber has also incorporated plenty of baggy jeans into her style — from running errands in LA, where you can see here, to dinner outings — where she paired the jeans with a leather corset and jacket. You can see it here.

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August 23, 2023

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Image Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock If you purchase an independently

Tech

Arm, the Chip Designer, Files for an I.P.O. Expected to Be Among the Largest

Why It Matters

The move will provide Arm’s parent company, SoftBank, with more capital to further invest in start-ups. In a recent meeting with investors and analysts, SoftBank’s chief executive, Masayoshi Son, said the company was ready to shift to “offense” in the field of artificial intelligence.

In the filing, Arm said more than 30 billion Arm-based chips were shipped last fiscal year. SoftBank will remain Arm’s controlling shareholder.

Background

Arm, a 33-year-old company, develops and licenses blueprints for microprocessors that other companies turn into chips. Its energy-efficient technology played a major role in fueling the mobile phone boom, including every iPhone that Apple has sold since 2007.

But Arm technology is also found in myriad other products, including home appliances, cars and industrial equipment. The company estimates that more than 250 billion Arm-based chips had been sold.

Arm was a public company until 2016, when SoftBank bought it for $32 billion. Nvidia made its bid for the company in September 2020, but ran into vocal opposition from regulators and some major chip companies.

SoftBank has taken huge losses since that failed acquisition, posting a $3.3 billion loss in this year’s first quarter. The Vision Fund, which is SoftBank’s technology investment arm, noted a net loss of $3.3 billion but an investment gain of $1.1 billion in the second quarter, after a loss of $23.1 billion a year earlier.

What’s Next

The I.P.O. filing means Arm can begin to gauge investor interest, which will be critical to the share sale. The company will still need to say how much it plans to raise in the offering, and what valuation it is seeking, something it will do closer to the sale.

Rene Haas, who has been Arm’s chief executive since February 2022, has pushed the company to move into more lucrative areas, including data center servers operated by companies like Amazon. How well that effort is faring, as well as the names of any high-profile investors and potential changes to Arm’s business model to bring in more revenue, is likely to be a key topic for investors studying its offering prospectus.

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August 23, 2023

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Why It MattersThe move will provide Arm’s

Video

‘Billions’ Offers First Look at Holland Taylor in Final Season (Exclusive Video)

August 23, 2023 @ 10:00 AM

Ahead of Holland Taylor’s first episode on “Billions,” which is set to premiere Friday, TheWrap has your first look at the Emmy-winning actor’s turn on the Showtime juggernaut.

Taylor will star as Dr. Eleanor Mayer, a highly acclaimed psychiatrist known for her modern-Freudian approach, in a recurring role. In this clip, she confronts Maggie Siff’s own highly motivated psychiatrist/performance coach character, Wendy.

“It is no secret that you are extraordinary, Wendy. But I think you can be even better,” Dr. Mayer says in the clip. “I would like to help you with that.”

“Thank you, but I’m not in the market for a performance coach,” Wendy fires back.

“I was suggesting therapy. Isn’t that why you’re here?” Dr. Mayer asks.

Check out the full clip above ahead of “Winston Dick Energy’s” streaming premiere on Paramount+ Friday. The episode will then premiere linearly on Showtime this Sunday at 8/7c p.m.

Over her storied career, Taylor has been nominated for eight Emmys, winning Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1999 for her role as Judge Roberta Kittleson on ABC’s “The Practice.” She also received a Tony nomination for “Ann,” a one-woman play based on the life and work of ’90s Texas governor Ann Richards that Taylor both starred in and wrote.

Taylor is known for her roles in “Two and a Half Men,” “All My Children,” “Bosom Buddies” and “The L Word.” The esteemed actor’s more recent roles have included portraying Cybil Richards in Apple TV+’s “The Morning Show” and Joan Hambling in Netflix’s “The Chair,” the streamer’s academic drama starring Sandra Oh. She’s also starred in Netflix’s “Hollywood,” USA’s “Mr. Mercedes” and FX’s “Better Things.”

As for her film credits, Taylor has starred in “Romancing the Stone,” “The Truman Show,” “Legally Blonde,” “George of the Jungle,” and “The Stand In.”

It makes sense Taylor would join this Showtime staple known for its powerful actors. This year will mark the series finale of “Billions,” the cat-and-mouse drama from Brian Koppelman, David Levien and Andrew Ross Sorkin focused around a U.S. attorney and a hedge fund manager. The series first premiered in 2016 and made history as the first American TV series to have a non-binary character, Asia Kate Dillon’s Taylor Mason.

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August 23, 2023

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August 23, 2023 @ 10:00 AM Ahead of

Entertaintment

Streaming Movies: ‘Bernie,’ ‘Damsels in Distress’ and More

‘Damsels in Distress’ (2012)

Stream it on Hulu.

Eleven years ago, the “Barbie” mastermind Greta Gerwig was known not as the director behind a billion-dollar blockbuster, but as one of the most charismatic actresses on the indie film scene. Her talents are nicely showcased in this sharp-witted, frequently quotable comedy of manners and satire of campus life. The writer and director is Whit Stillman, who helped define smart, talky ’90s indies with his triple play of “Metropolitan,” “Barcelona” and “The Last Days of Disco”; this, his first feature in 13 years, was a welcome return to form. Gerwig is at her complicated best as Violet, who helps her friends (Megalyn Echikunwoke, Carrie MacLemore and Lio Tipton, all memorable) navigate the unfortunate men of the fictional Seven Oaks College; Adam Brody is likably squirrelly as the campus cad.

‘The Seagull’ (2018)

Stream it on Max.

Gerwig’s frequent leading lady Saoirse Ronan is one of the many familiar faces in the ensemble cast of this well-crafted adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s theatrical classic. Brian Dennehy, Billy Howle, Elisabeth Moss and Corey Stoll also appear, as residents and visitors of a picturesque country estate outside Moscow, though Annette Bening shines brightest in the showcase role of Irina Arkadina, the comically vain and heartbreakingly complicated diva of the Russian stage. The director Michael Mayer works a bit to hard to jazz up the text with showy camera movements and excessive coverage, but those momentary distractions can’t detract from the fine acting on display here.

Liam Neeson’s third act as a hero of pulpy action pictures has seen its ups (“The Grey”) and its downs (the “Taken” sequel of your choosing), but this tightly-wound potboiler is one of the genuine highlights. He stars as Bill Marks, an ex-cop-turned-air-marshal battling a mysterious killer who’s bumping off the passengers — one every twenty minutes — of an international flight. The director Jaume Collet-Serra takes the right approach to this somewhat silly premise, crafting the picture as a cross between Agatha Christie, “Airport” and “Speed,” and the ensemble cast (which includes Michelle Dockery, Scoot McNairy, Julianne Moore, Lupita Nyong’o, Linus Roache and Shea Whigham) helps keep this wild flight on course.

‘Drug War’ (2013)

Stream it on Amazon Prime Video.

The celebrated Hong Kong action auteur Johnnie To (“Election,” “Triad Election,” “Breaking News”) brought his decades of film craft to bear in this fast-paced, furiously entertaining crime epic. There are characters galore and subplots aplenty (as is To’s custom), but the underlying premise is simple: a bad guy (Louis Koo’s ruthless drug kingpin), a good guy (Sun Honglei’s dedicated undercover cop) and a pursuit. To’s breathless set pieces are as relentless as ever, but the picture is about more than mere action; he gives dimension to what could have been cartoon characters, and surveys the human consequences of the titular conflict.

The true story of how a beloved East Texas mortician murdered a wealthy widow could’ve made for a probing character study (or, perhaps, a tacky Netflix true crime docuseries). Instead, the director and co-writer Richard Linklater achieves a delicate and precise mixture of dark comedy and small-town portraiture, thanks in no small part to a cast that includes Jack Black (Linklater’s “School of Rock” star) as the mortician, Matthew McConaughey (Linklater’s “Dazed and Confused” star) as the district attorney who prosecutes him and the great Shirley MacLaine as the victim, a characterization she pitches somewhere between Ouiser from “Steel Magnolias” and Beelzebub.

‘A Hologram for the King’ (2016)

Stream it on Max.

Tom Hanks movies were still an event in 2016, yet few paid much attention to this light yet lofty adaptation of Dave Eggers’s novel. Perhaps it was just a bit too odd, too steeped in the hands-off style and indie sensibility of its director Tom Tykwer (“Run Lola Run”), but it’s an undiscovered gem of Hanks’s late period. He stars as Alan Clay, a recently divorced and undeniably desperate American consultant in Saudi Arabia for what is intended to be a brief sales pitch to the Saudi government. But days pass as he waits for his audience with the Saudi king, resulting in an unexpectedly effective combination of insightful character study and “Waiting for Godot”-inspired absurdism.

‘Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story’ (2017)

Stream it on Netflix.

Few film stars of the 1930s were as shimmeringly seductive as the Viennese vamp first called Hedy Kiesler, and first known for her then-shocking in-the-buff turn in the 1933 Czech import “Ecstasy.” But this is no mere tale of Old Hollywood stardom. Lamarr lived an eventful and exciting life, of sin and scandal and, most notably, invention — particularly her development of a communication system that formed the foundation of modern Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth. She was a woman more dynamic and complex than any of the characters she played, and Alexandra Dean’s documentary tells her story with excitement, verve and plentiful (not to mention well-earned) sympathy.

‘Radio Unnameable’ (2012)

Stream it on Amazon Prime Video.

For decades, Bob Fass was a comforting voice for nocturnal New Yorkers — the overnight host on WBAI-FM, an early developer and practitioner of “free-form radio,” opening his phone lines and airwaves to an assortment of searching callers and outlaw entertainers. Paul Lovelace and Jessica Wolfson’s affectionate documentary tells the story of Fass’s show and his life (to the limited extent that they were separate at all), via a riveting collection of archival audio recordings, photographs, films and memories, from his early searching days to the loosely organized and occasionally out-of-control gatherings of what he called his “cabal” of loyal listeners. On Fass’s show, insomniacs and night workers and eccentrics found not only a megaphone, but a community; Lovelace and Wolfson’s film gently draws the line to contemporary high-tech counterparts, while still longing for the idealism and possibility of the past.

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August 23, 2023

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‘Damsels in Distress’ (2012)Stream it on Hulu.Eleven

Movies

SRK, Akshay Kumar And Others Congratulate ISRO On Chandrayaan 3 Success; KJo Reacts To Kangana’s Mean Comment

Last Updated: August 23, 2023, 22:14 IST

SRK And Other BWood Celebs Congratulate ISRO For Chandrayaan 3 Success; KJo Reacts To Kangana’s Meanest Comment

From Shah Rukh Khan and other Bollywood cheering for Chandrayaan 3’s success to Karan Johar seemingly reacting to Kangana Ranaut’s comment, here are the biggest headlines of the day.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched the ambitious Chandrayaan-3 mission from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on July 14. The Vikram lander landed on the Moon’s surface on August 23 (Wednesday) and India has now joined an exclusive group of countries – the United States, Russia, and China – as the fourth nation to softly land on the Moon! The ISRO mission has created history by becoming the first to successfully land on the lunar south pole. India has joined the ranks of only four countries to achieve a gentle landing on the moon. Celebrities from the Indian film industry took to social media to cheer for India and congratulate ISRO on the historic feat.

For More : India Makes History With Chandrayaan-3: Hrithik Roshan, Kartik Aaryan, Vicky Kaushal Shower ISRO With Wishes

Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar has seemingly reacted to a controversial remark made by Kangana Ranaut against him. At the India Today Conclave 2019, Kangana had said that Karan Johar “will never be where I am; look at my talent and look at his movies.” Now, Karan has indirectly responded to the statement. During the Express Adda, Ananya Panday asked Karan Johar about “the meanest thing” someone said about his work. To this, Karan replied, “Oh my god! It’s like someone said, ‘see my talent, see his films.’ And, I was like, ‘Ok!'”

For More: Karan Johar Seemingly REACTS To Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Meanest’ Comment: ‘See My Talent, See His Films’

Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Vijay Deverakonda’s upcoming film Kushi has been certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The film is slated to release on September 1. Although the film is a week away from its release, the makers have obtain the rating. Samantha took to her Instagram Stories and revealed that the film has been certified U/A. She also revealed that the booking Kushi have now opened.

For More: Kushi: Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Vijay Deverakonda Film Gets U/A Certificate, Film’s Run Time Revealed

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan congratulated ISRO and India as Chandrayaan-3 was successful in its Moon mission. India became the first ever country to have landed on the south pole of the Moon. SRK took to X, previously known as Twitter, to pen the lyrics of his iconic song Chaand Taare from his film Yes Boss, along with his special note for the team who worked on Chandrayaan 3. The Swades star congratulated the scientists and engineers on the project.

For More: Shah Rukh Khan Sings ‘Chaand Taare’ After Moon Landing, Says ‘Aaj India aur ISRO Chhaa Gaya’

Aditi Giri

Aditi Giri, Senior Sub-Editor at News18. She is a Bollywood and Biryani enthusiast. She loves talking to your favourite BTown celebrities, and brings …Read More

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August 23, 2023

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Last Updated: August 23, 2023, 22:14 ISTSRK

WATCH: Nasty C talks about his latest collision 'Crazy Crazy' with Coke Studio

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August 23, 2023

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WATCH: Nasty C talks about his latest

X-Men Avengers Wolverine Magneto Professor X

MCU

Marvel Studios’ First-Ever X-Men Funko Pops Get Unveiled (Photos)

X-Men Funko Pops! inspired by the MCU’s versions of the famous mutants were officially revealed.

As Marvel Studios prepares for live-action X-Men in the MCU, X-Men ’97, a continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series and the studio’s first X-Men project, is coming to Disney+.

Merchandise has shown LEGO Minifigures of its cast and Wolverine’s signature claws, and now, fans are getting a glimpse at X-Men Funko Pops! from the MCU brand.

First MCU X-Men Funko Pops Revealed

Marvel

The first Funko Pops! based on Marvel Studios’ upcoming X-Men ’97 animated series were unveiled.

While X-Men Funko Pops! based on the comics and Fox movies have been released before, this is the first time Marvel fans have seen official Funkos of the MCU’s version of the X-Men.

Four individual figures were revealed online and, as previous merch and collectibles have shown, X-Men ’97 is keeping with the style and design of the original animated series.

The first Funko Pop! figure is of Scott Summers or Cyclops.

Cyclops’ signature eyewear which controls his abilities is particularly notable, and fans of the original animated series will recognize his blue and yellow suit.

The next is a Funko Pop! of the charismatic, card-wielding Gambit.

In addition to holding a handful of cards, this Gambit Funko is also wielding his bō staff.

Among this batch of Funkos is the X-Men’s classic adversary, Magneto.

This particular figure comes with a stand to show him levitating in mid-air.

The last figure of the bunch is that of Bishop who was a reoccurring presence in X-Men: The Animated Series.

Just like Cyclops, he’s depicted here wearing the same blue and yellow suit from the original show.

The Beginning of MCU X-Men Merch

While Disney+’s X-Men ’97 is intended to be a revival of the ’90s animated series, that doesn’t mean Marvel Studios isn’t making this show its own.

Beau DeMayo, the show’s head writer, posted online that “Storm and CYLCOPS are the main characters…” of X-Men ’97, a departure from The Animated Series that mainly focused on the whole team.

This definitely makes the Cyclops Funko Pop! worth paying attention to and surely means Storm’s collectible is on the way, as well as Funko Pops! for the show’s roster of confirmed characters.

When to expect X-Men ’97 itself is another question as the series appears to have been delayed.

While the show is currently slated for Fall 2023, Marvel Studios has not revealed an actual release date, and a past update suggested it may debut in 2024.

X-Men ’97‘s release date on Disney+ has yet to be announced.

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August 23, 2023

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DCU

When Will It Come Out Online?

The recent theatrical debut of DC’s Blue Beetle has some wondering when the super-powered epic could hit streaming services.

After the Xolo Maridueña-led blockbuster rounds out its theatrical run, the film will come to the Warner Bros. (WB)-owned Max streaming service like the rest of the DC library.

In its first weekend, the film earned a meager $18 million across 61 markets in its first five days, doing so despite generally favorable reviews.

Blue Beetle comes as WB (along with the rest of the entertainment industry), reevaluates its streaming strategy.

Will Will Blue Beetle Release on Streaming?

No official streaming release timing has been made public for Blue Beetle, but with the film finally out in theaters, fans have their first indication of when the movie will be able to be enjoyed at home.

After releasing all of its marquee titles day-and-date on streaming (on HBO Max) over the COVID-19 pandemic, Warner Bros. has been in the midst of retooling how it does its streaming releases.

This means there has not been a pattern established for when fans can expect the studio’s movies to come to streaming after a theatrical debut.

The most recent example fans have to go on comes in The Flash. Ezra Miller’s blockbuster was recently given an official Max release date, coming to the service on Friday, August 25 (70 days after its initial release in theaters).

However, it was released on digital storefronts for purchase 30 days after its first day in theaters.

That could mean Blue Beetle will follow suit, hitting video-on-demand sometime in mid-September after four or so weeks of playing on the big screen.

This theatrical window could be shortened though, as Blue Beetle already seems to not be hitting at the box office, suffering a similar fate to that of recent DC films, like The Flash and Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

Warner Bros.’ other summer blockbuster, Barbie is set to hit digital on Tuesday, September 5, so getting out of the way of that could be smart, releasing on the same platforms two weeks later on Tuesday, September 19.

Blue Beetle Set for Max Success

As for Blue Beetle‘s Max release date, it looks as though fans will have to wait at least 70 days for the film’s debut on the service.

Right around that 70-day mark seems to be what Warner Bros. is going with for its biggest movies coming to the streamer.

The Flash came to the service 70 days after it was released in theaters in mid-June. Shazam 2 took 67 days. And 2022’s Black Adam was 56 days.

If Blue Beetle were to take the same approach, it would land on Max sometime around October 27 (exactly 70 days after its big screen debut).

That October 27 date does feel unlikely, however, as it falls on a Sunday. Traditionally Warner Bros. has dropped its theatrical releases onto Max on Fridays.

So, with that thinking, the most likely date for Blue Beetle to hit the service would be Friday, October 25 (68 days after hitting theaters).

Of course, some may wonder about the possibility that the studio pushes Blue Beetle‘s Max release out further.

Warner Bros has made it clear it “really believe[s] in the motion picture window:”

“We really believe in the motion picture window. Let this movie go to the motion picture window, play it up, build up that brand, then have it go into PVOD. Take it through these windows of economics that have worked forever, and we think work extremely well. And then put it on Max. And when it goes on Max, we think it’ll have a very good impact and that’ll be in the fall.”

So, there is a chance Blue Beetle‘s theatrical window is extended even further. If that were the case – especially given the film’s slow start at the box office, then it would probably only move one week, coming out on Friday, November 3.

Blue Beetle is playing in theaters worldwide now.

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August 23, 2023

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Comics

Alan Wake II to Support Path Tracing/DLSS 3.5; Modern Warfare 3, Fortnite, Payday 3 Also Get DLSS 3

Alan Wake II will support path tracing and DLSS 3.5 when it launches. Modern Warfare 3, Payday 3, and Fortnite are also getting DLSS 3.

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August 23, 2023

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Alan Wake II will support path tracing

Festivals

‘Killing It’ Cinematographer on Capturing Naturalism for TV

This post was written by Judd Overton.

Craig Robinson’s rags-to-riches story continues this season, and we really explore his struggles to be a “good person” while pursuing the great American Dream of financial success.

I would call the look of Killing It heightened naturalism. I want the show to feel real and relatable so that when our everyday heroes inevitably fall into ridiculous situations, we keep the audience grounded.

Killing It | Official Trailer | Peacock Originalwww.youtube.com

It is a show with a “that could actually be happening out there somewhere right now” vibe. Our showrunner Luke Del Tredeci loves the look we discovered and have enhanced for Season 2, blown-out windows and glowing highlights, the feeling of an oppressive Miami heat forcing its way into the dark interiors.

This season also introduces a new villain in the form of The Boones, a swamp mafia family in the vein of the Snells of Ozark. This new feud led me to think of the classic Western structure.

I suggested this inspiration to set up director Maurice “Mo” Marable, who loved the idea. We continued to push our big sky Miami framing from Season 1 and embraced more wide-angle close-ups and low angles with a lot of negative space to really enhance our use of the wider 2:1 aspect ratio to constrain the friction between our dueling families.

‘Killing It’Credit: Peacock

One of our big sequences this season opens with Craig having finally secured his plot of land for his Saw Palmetto Farm, his first big step toward the American Dream. As quickly as it appears, we realize just how tenuous wealth and prosperity can be as his brand new transportable office trailer drops from a construction crane to smash down in front of him.

To accomplish the sequence, we used the 45’ TechnoCrane and Scorpio head to connect the swinging office trailer to our actors. Then, in coverage, we used longer lenses to compress the distance, keeping the actors safe while dropping the trailer from a construction crane and showing the massive impact as Craig’s dreams come metaphorically crashing down along with his office!

Production designer Claire Bennet then fabricated the interior of the sideways office on stage so we had total control, rain or shine.

We had a lot of fun matching the interior with a limited amount of blue screen and fun gags like windows on the floor, a toilet seat up the wall, and a ladder through the ceiling/ door to enter.

All the walls and light fixtures could fly out so that we could get cameras in position, but we really tried to shoot as if we were confined in an actual trailer, again, always conscious of “keeping it real” in an unusual environment.

‘Killing It’Credit: Peacock

This season was shot in Los Angeles instead of New Orleans which meant we got the opportunity to build a full swamp location at the top of the Universal Studio lot. Our art department did an amazing job recreating the Miami swamps in one of the wettest LA winters I’ve experienced.

The wet weather did keep the set green, but very muddy. In the end, one of the show’s creators Luke Del Tredici suggested that we embraced the weather and used it to echo Craig’s downward spiral from bright sunny beginnings to our stormy finale.

Season 1 was wall-to-wall snakes. I even had an operator pull out due to a fear of animals! There were fewer snakes this season, but the range of fierce creatures had to expand. One of my favorite episodes this season is when our returning bad guy Rodney Lamonca (Tim Heidiker), fights a shark in a swimming pool!

As it turns out, it’s illegal to put a shark in a swimming pool, so we went down the VFX pathway. We had great fun shooting the Predator Pills influencer party with safety divers, a latex shark, and some lighting transitions using Hydraflex S30s to fill the pool with red blood as the Shark starts snacking on Rodney’s legs.

When working with animals, you need to be ready for anything. Shooting high speed and with multiple cameras, we were guaranteed to get the moment we needed, even when the alligator struck out at our neon lights in the strip club set.

With all filmmaking, time is your constant challenge. We have a great number of stunt scenes this season, from falling trailers to group brawls and vehicular mayhem. Stunt coordinator Ingrid Kleinig and SFX Gareth Wingrove always kept us safe, whether dropping a massive trailer or sending an actor flying over a car!

‘Killing It’Credit: Peacock

We shot the second season on three Alex LF Minis and a range of Blackmagic cameras.

In front of the camera, we used Gecko Glass Vintage 66 lenses and a combination of Cinema Modified Canon K35s and FDs. I tested these through Keslow Camera for the first season and loved the combination of the full-frame LF Mini with vintage glass.

It gives a contemporary feeling in camera, but a flattering softness to skin tones which is important, especially when shooting three-camera coverage on big outdoor sequences. Also, some beautiful soft flaring when needed. We also carried Premista Zooms, which I used occasionally by adding Glimmer Glass diffusion to reduce the contrast and better match the Prime Lenses.

I continued my relationship for the second season with colorist Siggy Ferstl at Company 3, who was amazing at blending all our independent storylines and wonderful locations into one cohesive world.

We graded in Resolve using a K1S1 LUT to balance out the multiple camera formats and then referenced 3D LUT Cubes from my on-set DIT Paul Maletich as a leaping-off point for the final color.

This post was written by Judd Overton.

From Your Site Articles

Trolls And Mattel Are Teaming Up For An Exciting Toy Collaboration

The third musical installment of the Trolls franchise, Trolls Band Together, is coming to fans with an exciting new venture. Not only will fans get the opportunity to revisit Poppy, Branch, and the rest of their favorite characters, but a collaboration with Mattel will allow fans to bring their favorite characters home.

Trolls x Mattel collaboration. Photographer Jim Wimberg, Stylist Carine Teoh

Whether it be small dolls or American Girl accessories, Mattel is leaning into the magic and joy that Trolls brings to audiences with their never-ending optimism and joyful songs.

New products that will come out of this collaboration include DreamWorks Trolls Band Together Hair Pops Small Doll Assortment, which can act as collectibles of characters such as Poppy, Branch, and their friends. The Hair Pops even includes surprise accessories inspired by the movie.

Trolls x Mattel collaboration. Credit: Dennis DiLaura, Carien Teoh

Other products include DreamWorks Trolls Band Together Small Doll Assortment featuring favorite characters from the movie as well as a Fashion Doll Assortment and HAIRSATIONAL REVEALS Fashion Doll Assortment.

Kids or anyone else looking for a bright, colorful, and fun new hair accessory now have the option of looking to Mattel and Trolls for a collaboration that can offer them everything they want that still gives them the chance to have a connection to one of their favorite film franchises.

Trolls x Mattel collaboration. From MCA edit by MOA

Each product comes at varying prices, with the DreamWorks Trolls Band Together Small Doll Assortment coming in at the lowest price of $5.99 and the DreamWorks Trolls Band Together HAIRSATIONAL REVEALS Fashion Doll Assortment at the highest price of $24.99.

The products are fun and vibrant, bringing out the delightful joy and musical magic that the films embody in each installment.

Trolls x Mattel collaboration. From MCA edit by MOA

All of the Trolls and Mattel collaboration products will be available nationally on October 1, 2023, and they would be arriving just on time to be dressed up in Trolls merchandise for Trolls Band Together, which arrives in theaters on November 17, 2023.

Trolls x Mattel collaboration. Image courtesy Mattel

Published on 08/22/2023 at 2:00 PM EDT
Last updated on 08/22/2023 at 2:00 PM EDT

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August 23, 2023

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The third musical installment of the

Taylor Swift security guard fired for asking fans to send photos

Let’s get this out of the way first: Taylor Swift herself did not fire a security guard for singing along to a song at her concert. In fact, that’s the kind of thing she probably gives out big cash bonuses for. But a security guard did get fired for his conduct at the Eras Tour—not so much for the singing along but for the viral video of him doing it.

The FBI wants Swifties to know snitching is actually cool

The security guard in question is one Calvin Denker, who has said he only applied for the gig so that he could attend the tour without paying for tickets (via NBC News). The problem with that plan was that security isn’t there to watch the concert, and his employer, BEST Crowd Management, has strict rules about security taking photos of the show. “After night one, I was realizing how close Taylor Swift was getting to me, so I really wanted to get a photo to document it,” Denker said in a TikTok video. “So I handed down these little pieces of paper that said I wasn’t allowed to have my phone out, but if Taylor Swift comes right behind me, please take a photo of me and text it to my number. And I handed this out to a couple of people in the front row for night two and they were really kind and really sweet about it.”

@calvindenker My security job for Taylor Swift #theerastour #taylorswift #minneapoliserastour #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Calvin Denker

It’s a pretty clever ploy, you have to admit, and Denker ended up going viral for singing along to Swift’s track “Cruel Summer” with his back to the stage. “Every photo of me from that night was from behind the barricade like any other photo from a fan would be. I never took my own phone out,” he maintained in a follow-up TikTok. “And above all else, I made sure that Taylor Swift was safe and all the fans had a good time. As long as I was at that concert, I was doing my job.”

Unfortunately, getting other people to take photos of him did not end up being the loophole Denker thought it was. “Long story short: I was fired for it,” he said in his TikTok, noting that “the main issue they had was with my follow-up video where I said I handed out pieces of paper to the people in front of me to ask to be sent any photos that I made my way into.” He added, “Beyond that, the HR woman who called me wasn’t able to articulate exactly what I did wrong, because I didn’t do anything beyond asking for photos, which is what happens at any other concert, with the only exception being that I made sure I got any that I was included in.”

There was apparently some confusion over whether this really was a fireable offense—Denker offered to take down his video, and he was scheduled for more shifts before the company ultimately gave him the boot. But “Please don’t go sending any hate to this company,” he said in his video. “I just wanted to update all of you because it was a very popular TikTok for me, so I wanted to let all of you know what had happened. I still got to work one of the coolest concerts ever, and I got to work it twice, so that is fantastic, and I hold no grudges against my employer.” If video evidence of singing along to “Cruel Summer” is wrong, then this writer doesn’t want to be right.

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August 23, 2023

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Let’s get this out of the way

New TV show ratings (cancel or renew?) 6

What to Watch

2022-23 Season Ratings for New TV Shows (week 48) – canceled + renewed TV shows

Published: August 23, 2023

The television networks introduce dozens of new TV shows each season, hoping each will be a big hit in the ratings. Unfortunately, most are cancelled after one season. How are the new 2022-23 TV series doing? Which have the best ratings and which have the worst? How many will survive to see a second season? Stay tuned.

Here are the final season average ratings of the new 2022-23 network TV shows — through the end of week 48 (Sunday, August 20, 2023).

New ABC shows (so far): Alaska Daily, Celebrity Jeopardy!, The Company You Keep, The Game Show Show, Jeopardy! Masters, Not Dead Yet, The Parent Test, The Prank Panel, The Rookie: Feds, and Will Trent.

New CBS shows this season (so far): East New York, Fire Country, Lingo, The Real Love Boat, So Help Me Todd, Superfan, and True Lies.

New CW shows this season (so far): 100 Days to Indy, Barons, Children Ruin Everything, The Chosen, Criss Angel’s Magic with the Stars, Family Law, Farmer Wants a Wife, FBoy Island, Fight to Survive, Gotham Knights, Greatest Geek Year Ever, Moonshine, Professionals, Recipe for Disaster, The Rising, Run the Burbs, Son of a Critch, Totally Weird and Funny, Walker: Independence, and The Winchesters.

New FOX shows this season (so far): Accused, Alert: Missing Persons Unit, Animal Control, Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars, Monarch, Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, and Stars on Mars.

New NBC shows this season (so far): America’s Got Talent: All-Stars, Lopez vs. Lopez, Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge, LA Fire & Rescue, Night Court, Quantum Leap, and The Wheel.

Note: If you’re not seeing the updated charts, please try reloading the page. You can also view them here.

The averages are based on the final national numbers (live plus same-day viewing). Keep in mind that the demo numbers are typically what’s most important to advertisers. Therefore, that’s how the networks measure success. Advertisers typically pay more for ad time on a show that has a higher demo rating. Because older viewers don’t count? No, it’s because younger viewers watch less traditional TV and are harder to reach. It’s also important to remember that ratings are designed to estimate how many people watch a show’s commercials — not the show itself. That’s what advertisers pay for.

Want more? You can check out other season listings here.

What do you think? Are you surprised by any of the ratings? Which shows should be doing better?

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August 23, 2023

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Published: August 23, 2023The television networks introduce

Awards

Joey Graziadei Announced as New Lead in Bachelorette Finale – The Hollywood Reporter

[This story contains spoilers for Charity Lawson’s season 20 finale of The Bachelorette.]

After Charity Lawson handed out her final rose of The Bachelorette, the ABC dating franchise revealed the star of its upcoming 28th season of The Bachelor.

Joey Graziadei, Lawson’s runner-up from season 20 of The Bachelorette that aired its finale Monday, will be the new Bachelor for the season that is set to premiere next year. Graziadei is a 28-year-old tennis pro from from Collegeville, Pennsylvania, who missed out on the final rose that Lawson gave to winner Dotun Olubeko.

“I’m definitely the hopeless romantic,” Graziadei said in a promotional video shared to the show’s Instagram account. “I want to be married. I want to have a love that lasts a lifetime. So I’m really ready to go on this journey.”

During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter following the taping of her “Men Tell All” special, Lawson praised Graziadei’s character. “Joey is just someone who is extremely sincere and just patient and really loving,” she said. “He has a compassionate heart.”

Regarding what made Olubeko stand out to her, Lawson told THR at the time, “When I am with Dotun, you see just this undeniable chemistry. It almost seems like it’s just something that is meant to be. For me, in this whole journey, the way that they both were just extremely intentional, and I never felt like I had to question why they were there, is huge. I was rest assured with Dotun and Joey that I didn’t have to worry about that at all, and so I was able to continue growing our connections.”

Charity Lawson and Joey Graziadei on The Bachelorette

ABC/Craig Sjodin

Zach Shallcross was the lead of The Bachelor season 27, which aired its finale in March. He and winner Kaity Biggar are currently engaged.

“It’s as simple as she’s the love of my life,” Shallcross told THR after his finale aired. “We’ve met each other on a TV show, but it’s so much more than that. We both truly want this to work and know it will work, and it’s a feeling I’ve never had.”

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August 22, 2023

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[This story contains spoilers for Charity Lawson’s

Entertaintment, Film, MCU

“Doctor Strange 3”: Could Stephen Destroy The Multiverse?

After more than a year since Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Of Madness premiered in 2022, new details about the next Doctor Strange film have finally surfaced.

In Multiverse Of Madness we saw Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), on a journey throughout the multiverse, one that transcended space and time and led him to dangerous alternate realities and to face new threats unlike any he had seen before.

According to The Cosmic Circus “Doctor Strange 3” is rumored to be adapting the ‘Time Runs Out’ comics, and will explain how Stephen is one of the Multiverse’s biggest threats by establishing him as a common denominator when it comes to incursions across the Multiverse, aside from the main danger of The Multiverse Saga, the Council of Kangs.

“Doctor Strange 3” will pick up right where Multiverse of Madness left off, with Clea (Charlize Theron), a then unknown sorceress who we see in the post credits scene of Multiverse Of Madness, she confronts Strange for causing the incursion which occurred during Multiverse Of Madness when Strange used dreamwalking to fight Wanda, and requests him to come with her, the two then head into a portal into the Dark Dimension. Clea as it turns out is a member of the Black Priests and was seeking out Strange on behalf of the multiversal organization at the end of Multiverse Of Madness.

The Black Priestsa is a multiversal organization who recruit Strange to help fix his mistake from the previous film and the dying Multiverse, as a result of the incursions happening all across timelines. The Black Priests’ HQ will be in the Nothing Space of Destroyed Universes, which exists within the space of two dead universes caused by an incursion. The film is set around the premise of the Multiverse dying due to the result of incursions happening all across the Multiverse, the one Stephen caused being the most recent.

Christine Palmer of Earth 838 said that Stephen Strange is one of the most dangerous threats to the Multiverse. The upcoming film will explain how exactly Stephen is a threat to the Multiverse. Now with the Multiverse literally in his hands, this film will see whether Doctor Strange is it’s savior or it’s destruction.

Doctor Strange 3 will serve as a direct preamble to the upcoming Avengers films (Kang Dynasty & Secret Wars) as Kang and Doctor Strange will be the key players on either side.

August 21, 2023

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