Here's What The "Oppenheimer" Cast Looks Like Vs. The People They Played IRL
I still think there should be an Oscar for casting, because DAMN, the Oppenheimer team knocked it out of the park.
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I still think there should be an
I still think there should be an
WATCH: Kandi Burruss’s choreographer butchers ‘Mnike’ pronunciation as they slay viral challenge
WATCH: Kandi Burruss’s choreographer butchers ‘Mnike’ pronunciation
Eagle-eyed fans will be able to spot a Spider-Man: No Way Home Easter egg in the latest Captain Marvel 2 trailer.
The Marvels is finally set to debut in theaters this fall after a series of delays and schedule switch-ups from Marvel Studios.
The movie has been described as a “chill-inducing” Avengers-like crossover, as Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel teams up with Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau and Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel.
Following directly upon two Phase 4 projects (Ms. Marvel and WandaVision), The Marvels has the opportunity to further flesh out this post-Avengers: Endgame MCU world.
A reference to Spider-Man: No Way Home can be spotted in the new trailer for Nia DeCosta’s The Marvels.
This Captain Marvel 2 Easter egg comes in the form of the golden Statue of Liberty, which can be seen at the 1:34 mark in the latest trailer.
These new gold digs for Miss Lady Liberty were first teased in No Way Home, as the statue underwent a Captain America-themed renovation, with the iconic statue now donning Cap’s star-spangled shield.
The statue, which was the setting of No Way Home‘s Multiversal final battle, was prominently featured as having this gold finish in plenty of No Way Home art, despite its gold appearance being subdued in the final movie.
That is not the case in The Marvel, where the gold rework looks to be complete and shining brighter than ever.
For some reason, Marvel Studios has continued to point in the direction of this new gold exterior for the Statue of Liberty.
Of course, there were hints of it in Spider-Man: No Way Home, as fans got glimpses of the new look as the three Spider-Man took on that film’s team of Multiversal villains.
But it was harder to see in that movie, as most of it was covered in scaffolding and under construction.
Fans got a better look at the statue in the Ms. Marvel finale, which was actually changed to reflect this new gold look for Lady Liberty.
One has to wonder though, why is so much focus being put on this revamped monument? And could it perhaps play into the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World as well?
It even remains unclear if the statue will even play a role in The Marvels other than this brief cameo.
The Marvels comes to theaters on November 10.
Horror movies are filled with such iconic lines that they are sometimes more infamous than the films themselves. Some of them are just that scary, while others can be funny, often in a dark comedy sort of sense. An actor’s performance can make a simple line all the more memorable as much as it could just be well-written
In the filmmakers were aware of how catchy a line was, it might function as a movie’s tagline. Variations might appear in sequels and remakes. Sometimes, these lines become trendy in pop culture and can often be the subject of parody. Despite this, a famous line everyone thinks they remember from a film might actually be misquoted from what was actually said.
In 1931’s Dracula, the Count shares an old wine with Renfield, adding that he hopes he likes it. However, Renfield quickly notices that the Count himself isn’t drinking, Dracula explains, “I never drink… wine,” complete with a pause. Naturally, this is meant as a hint to the Count’s vampiric nature, as his drink of choice is blood. The Count’s strange pause also hints that he’s something unnatural passing as a human.
The line doesn’t appear in Bram Stoker’s famous novel, but Harker does notice that the Count doesn’t seem to eat or dink in his presence. Dracula does get a similar line explaining he doesn’t “sup,” meaning he doesn’t eat late, or so he claims. Dracula does keep a good supply of wine in his estate, as Harker enjoys the drink during his stay. The line and variations have since been incorporated in other film and theatrical versions of Dracula, usually for parody.
In Suspiria, Suzy Bannion is an American dancer who has enrolled at the German Tanz Akademie. However, things aren’t coming off to a good start. The first time she even encounters the school, another student, Pat Hingle, runs away into the woods. The girl is later reported dead, with a friend also dying in the chaos. Strange occurrences start happening in the school itself. Suzy also befriends another girl, Sara, who reveals that she was friends with Pat and might be looking into the weird happenings.
Up until this point, the film could have been seen as a typical, if avant-garde, giallo movie. Its transition into horror comes with Sara asking Suzy a question during a swim: “Susie, do you know anything about… witches?” Of course, an earlier hint that something supernatural is going on is in the main theme, in which the only audible word is “witch.”
In The Silence of the Lambs, protagonist Clarice Starling is tasked with interviewing serial killed Hannibal Lecter. Starling especially hopes to use his insights to take down another serial killer, Buffalo Bill, who skins his victims.
Emphasizing Hannibal’s cannibalistic tendencies, he once shares a story about a census taker. He claims to have eaten the unfortunate bureaucrat, saying, “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti,” all for the crime of testing him. Hannibal then starts hissing at Clarice. This is said in response to Clarice telling him to take a good look at himself. Interestingly, one of Hannibal’s most famous lines in pop culture, “Hello, Clarice,” is never actually said in the film, the closest line being him wishing Clarice, “Good morning.”
In The Wolf Man, Lawrence “Larry” Talbot has returned to his ancestral Welsh home to reunite with his father. During a wolf attack, Larry is bitten and cursed to become a werewolf. A poem appears throughout the story detailing the curse of lycanthropy, “Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.”
The poem emphasis the tragic nature of Larry’s plight, as even an innocent man could be forced into becoming a monster against his will. In other words, this is a story where defeating the monster won’t mean a happy ending. When hearing it, one character muses that the poem might be about the dual nature of the human psyche. The poem is repeated at least three different times in the story, causing Larry, after hearing it twice before, to quip, “So, you know that one, too, eh?” Though often mistaken for an old saying, the poem was written for the movie.
Carrie is bullied by her classmates and tormented by her abusive mother, Margaret. A sympathetic classmate Sue Snell, after seeing the bullying go too far, decides to make it up to Carrie by arranging for her boyfriend to take her to the prom. While getting ready for the dance, Margaret snips that Carrie is making a fool of herself, saying, “He’s gonna laugh at you. They’re all gonna laugh at you!”
While Sue’s gesture was genuinely meant to be something, other bullies, however, want to see Carrie humiliated and arrange for her to be voted Prom Queen, all so she can get a bucket of pig’s blood dumped on her. After the prank goes through, Margaret’s voice mocks her, “They’re all gonna laugh at you!” All the while, Carrie can her the laughter of her classmates, whether in reality or in her imagination. Soon, however, Carrie unlocks a power of her own and wreaks her vengeance.
In The Sixth Sense, Cole Sear is a lonely boy who possess the titular ability, a sense breaking the veil between the mundane and supernatural. As he explains, “I see dead people.” Initially regarding this as his secret, Cole confides the line to child therapist Dr. Malcolm Crowe. Crowe initially assumes Cole as spooked by a graveyard or funerals, until Cole clarifies he’s talking about spirits of the dead. As Cole claims, ghosts often don’t realize they’re no longer alive, hinting at the film’s infamous twist that Crowe himself is another spirit.
Even before audiences saw the film, the line was already made famous by the trailer. The popularity of the line undercuts that Cole’s ability isn’t revealed until midway through the film.
The Shining is a horror film based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. Jack Torrance, his wife Wendy, and their son Danny venture to the remote Overlook Hotel, where Jack has taken a job as a caretaker. While there, the residents, dark spirits, start to influence Jack until he becomes a danger to his family. In one famous scene, he targets Wendy, breaking down a bathroom door. Jack starts to mimic the Big Bad Wolf, demanding to be let in. When he breaks through, he says the famous line, “Here’s Johnny!,” smiling throughout.
“Here’s Johnny!” originated as Ed McMahon’s catchphrase to introduce Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. The line doesn’t appear in the original book and was allegedly ad-libbed by Jack Nicholson. It’s also noteworthy that “Jack” is a nickname for John. The scene itself is based on a sequence from an earlier silent Swedish film, The Phantom Carriage.
When a Stranger Calls is a 1979 horror film loosely based on the classic urban legend of the babysitter and the man upstairs. Jill Johnson works as a sitter for a doctor’s children. While the children are sleeping, Jill gets a phone call asking if she has checked on the children. However, the calls keep coming and becoming more and more threatening. Soon, Jill calls the police for help. When the police reach her, she is told, “We’ve traced the call… it’s coming from inside the house,” warning her to leave the house. The children are already dead.
In the original 1979 film, this is only the opening, but this sequence takes up most of the story in the 2006 remake. The opening was also famously paid homage in Wes Craven’s Scream.
In The Fly, a remake of the 1958 film of the same name, a teleportation experiment splices a scientist, Seth Brundle, with fly DNA, slowly transforming him into a monstrous hybrid. When Seth tries to force another character to use the teleporter, she protests, saying she’s too afraid to try it. Seth scolds her not to be afraid, only for reporter Ronnie to walk onto the scene and calmly respond, “No. Be afraid. Be very afraid.” Ronnie then explains that her testing has shown that Seth is transforming into something inhuman.
Used as a tagline for the film, “Be afraid. Be very afraid” has since been used as a tagline for other films. Uncredited producer Mel Brooks has been credited with coming up with the phrase, “Yes, be afraid, be very afraid,” as an ironic response to “Don’t be afraid” during a script-reading. Though likely meant as just a reaction, the line was ultimately incorporated into the script.
In Jaws, a monstrous shark is plaguing the people of Amity Island, dragging people off to their doom. A police chief, a marine biologist, and a shark hunter join forces to stop the shark, but even with the team-up, they might be underestimating the underwater threat.
While the three are at sea early on in their investigation, Martin Brody, the police chief, gets a first-hand look at the larger-than-life shark while laying down a chum line. Seeing the beast’s size firsthand, he soon walks back into the boat and calmly tells Quint, the shark hunter, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Soon, Quint is able to surmise that the shark is 25 feet long.
One of the most famous scenes in Stephen King’s It when it was adapted to a miniseries was Georgie’s death. At the start, set in 1960, little George Denbrough is playing with a paper boat, only for it to go down a storm drain. When he goes down to get it, he encounters Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Georgie has the sense to be cautious around strangers, but Pennywise tempts him with the boat, cotton candy, and balloons in all sorts of colors.
When Georgie asks if they float, the sinister clown proclaims, “Oh, yes… They float, Georgie… They float… and when you’re down here with me… You’ll float, too!” Pennywise grabs Georgie’s arm, bringing the doomed child to his tragic fate. In the 2017 remake, the line, and variations of it, are said to different characters. In one notable scene, Pennywise taunts Georgie’s surviving brother Bill by impersonating the murdered boy, all the while chanting, “You’ll float, too!” The phrase becomes louder and louder as “Georgie” starts to rot.
Scream is a cult-classic slasher movie revolving around a masked killer known as Ghostface. The film opens up with an homage to When A Stranger Calls, in which a high school student, Casey Becker, gets a mysterious phone call while home alone. The person on the other line initially appears to have called her up by accident and seems friendly enough. Eventually, the two start talking casually. Noticing Casey has made popcorn, the caller asks her, “What’s your favorite scary movie?” The two even start to discuss their favorite horror movies.
Soon, however, the caller slowly becomes more threatening and clearly knows more about Casey than a stranger would. To her horror, the stranger even has her boyfriend Steve bound and gagged outside the house. Casey is forced into a sadistic game where she is asked who was the killer of Friday the 13th. When she accidentally replies with Jason, and not his mother, Steve is killed as punishment. Before the end of the night, Casey meets her doom as well.
Horror movies are filled with such
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about today’s Bluetooth speakers, it’s that for general consumers, the options are pretty good. However, that doesn’t make the process of sifting through the dozens of choices to find the best buy any easier. So I set out to test out some of the most popular models in different price points, from entry level to midrange to expensive. Most of the speakers I tried sounded good on first listen; it was only through side-by-side comparisons that I began to suss out the nuances among the best-sounding ones. Just reading the spec sheets only goes so far. As such, we’re focusing a bit more on audio quality and dynamic range, while also taking into consideration other factors like utility and price. Ultimately, there isn’t one best portable Bluetooth speaker out there, but we’ve found plenty of good options that will fit a range of use cases and price points.
IP ratings (Ingress Protection) are the alphanumeric indicators you often see in a product’s spec sheet that define the tested resistance of a product to both solid objects (dirt, dust, fingers?) and water. It’s usually a combo of two numbers with the first indicating solid object ingress and the second being water. The former goes from 0 (no protection) to 6 (dust tight). The waterproof rating goes from 0 (no protection) to 9 (protected against immersion and high pressure jets). When an X is used instead of a number, that means the product wasn’t tested for resistance. If it’s waterproof, it may have some innate resistance to solids, but there’s no guarantee.
IP67 is a common rating these days indicating highly resistant and potentially rugged speakers suitable for outdoor adventures. These are safe for quick dunks in the pool or tub and should be more than OK in the rain or in the shower. They’re also good options for the beach, playground and other rough environs.
Additionally, speakers with ports and a high rating will often include a tight-fitting cover over the charging or auxiliary ports. If you plan on using the ports, that may limit the product’s rated ability to fend off the elements.
Consider the IP rating and also how you plan to use your Bluetooth speaker when making your decision. It may be worth splurging on a better sounding model with a lower IP rating if you’ll mostly be using it indoors, for instance.
The focus of this guide is on portable Bluetooth speakers, and while “portable” can be a relative term, these devices are generally for people who are likely to find themselves far from a power outlet. These days, around 12 hours of runtime seems to be the baseline but obviously, the more battery life you can get out of a speaker, the better.
That said, be careful when looking at battery specs, as they frequently list a maximum runtime (“up to” x amount of hours). This usually means they tested at a low to mid volume. If you like your tunes loud, it can often end up cutting the expected usage time in half or more. Luckily, some manufacturers also list the expected hours of battery life when used at full volume and that transparency is appreciated.
Additionally, if your Bluetooth speaker also happens to have WiFi connectivity, they’re usually designed for always-on functionality. Unlike normal Bluetooth speakers that go to sleep after a short period without use, these will usually stay awake (to listen for your commands) and slowly run down the battery. If you’re out and about, you’ll want to remember to turn these speakers off manually when not in use to maximize battery life.
Bluetooth range is tricky business. Some companies list their product’s longest possible range, usually outdoors and in an unobstructed line-of-sight test environment. Other companies stick with a 30-foot range on the spec sheet and leave it at that, even though they may be running Bluetooth 4.x or 5.x. That’s likely underselling the speaker’s potential, but unpredictable environments can affect range and there’s little point in promising the moon only to get complaints.
I’ve seen signal drop issues when crouching down, with my phone in the front pocket of my jeans, and barely 30 feet away from a speaker inside my apartment. I ran into this issue across several devices regardless of their listed Bluetooth connectivity range.
If you’re hosting a patio party and duck inside, it’s wise to have the source device remain close by just in case. It’s hard to gauge what aspects of any environment may interfere with a Bluetooth signal. In general, take range specs around 100 feet or more as a perfect-world scenario.
This is a minor mention for those out there who use a speaker for their computer output, or as a mini soundbar solution for setups like a monitor and streaming box. It’s annoying to find that your speaker’s latency isn’t low enough to avoid lip sync issues. Luckily, it seems that most speakers these days don’t often have these problems. Only a handful of the few dozen speakers I tried had persistent, noticeable lip-sync issues. Aside from occasional blips, all of our picks worked well in this regard.
If you plan to frequently use a speaker for video playback, look for devices with the most recent Bluetooth versions (4.x or 5.x) and lower latency codecs like aptX. Also make sure the speaker is close to the source device as distance can be a factor. To avoid the issue altogether, though, consider getting one with a wired auxiliary input.
Bluetooth: 5.3
Battery life: Up to 12 hours
IP Rating: IP67
Aux inputs: N/A
Frequency range: 70Hz – 20kHz
App: No
If you’re just looking for a small speaker that can kick out some decent volume, the Tribit StormBox Micro 2 fits the bill. The audio quality here is fine; it doesn’t stand out in terms of fidelity, but the volume you get from this affordable little speaker is what makes it a good choice. If you’re bopping about outdoors on your bike or chilling in the park, it’s usually more about portability and volume anyway. The rubbery rear strap works well on relatively thin things like belts, backpacks and bike handlebars.
While it’s small and affordable, the speaker doubles as a USB-C powerbank to charge your devices in a pinch and you can wirelessly connect two of them for party mode or stereo sound. It also supports voice assistants for both iOS and Android users.
Bluetooth: N/A
Battery life: Up to 14 hours
IP Rating: IP67
Aux inputs: N/A
Frequency range: 75Hz – 20kHz
App: No
The UE Wonderboom 3 is a tiny yet powerful portable, delivering the biggest sound in its size range that we tested. It’s still a cute, barrel-shaped small speaker with a nubby little strap that probably needs a carabiner to help attach it to most things. But this refreshed model includes a couple of bright new colors, an extra hour of battery life and improved wireless range. With an IP67 rating on top of the company’s five-foot drop test durability, it can go with you almost anywhere and survive to tell the tale.
The audio quality is punchy and bright enough for what you’d expect at this scale and price range. Although there’s no app support or connectivity with the rest of the Ultimate Ears speaker lineup, you can easily pair it with a second Wonderboom for stereo sound. There’s also an outdoor mode button on the bottom that boosts the mid and high range to help the audio carry over a greater distance.
Bluetooth: 5.0
Battery life: Up to 12 hours
IP Rating: IPX7
Aux inputs: 3.5mm
Frequency range: 50Hz – 40kHz
App: Yes
This nondescript wedge of a wireless speaker could easily slip under your radar, but it’s worth a listen. It has a bright and bassy output, which is helped along by Qualcomm aptX support for hi-res audio. This Anker Soundcore device has a solid, slightly heavy build with a metal front speaker grille, a soft-touch rubberized exterior (that loves your greasy fingerprints) and IPX7 water resistance. While it’s not the lightest or most portable, it has good sound, especially for the price. Plus the app offers EQ customization, so you can fine tune to your liking.
There’s also a 3.5mm aux input for wired connections. That’s fortuitous, as we found that this small speaker works well as a mini soundbar alternative and the wired input offers a foolproof connection.
Bluetooth: 5.0
Battery life: Up to 24 hours
IP Rating: IPX7
Aux inputs: 3.5mm
Frequency range: 55Hz – 20kHz
App: Yes
If you have a large indoor space, backyard or similar and want something with powerful long-throw sound in an affordable package, the Anker Soundcore Trance Go may surprise you. This barebones speaker is bigger than most others in this price range and would weigh down a backpack a bit at about six pounds, but offers a carry strap, up to 24 hours runtime, a port for charging your devices and an aux input.
If you’re close by, you’ll hear the thump of its low-end and some decent highs. It’s generally tuned for covering big spaces, though, and its sound won’t work for every situation. This performs like a mini loudspeaker, putting out up to around 98dB, albeit with a slightly thinner sound that won’t overpower the environment. You can also use Soundcore’s app to apply EQ presets or customize as you see fit. If you have two of these, they can pair for stereo sound, or connect 100 or more Trance Go speakers via the app’s PartyCast feature.
Bluetooth: 5.1
Battery life: Up to 12 hours
IP Rating: IP67
Aux inputs: N/A
Frequency range: 63Hz – 20kHz
App: Yes
JBL’s Flip 6 deserves high marks for overall sound quality, durability and volume considering its size, and those features make it the best JBL speaker for most people. As with most JBL speakers, it has a good dynamic range from solid lows to crisp highs with volume tipped towards higher registers. The cylindrical shape works well on its side or even standing on its end to save desk space. It has a capable carrying (or hanging) strap and raised buttons you can discern in the dark.
The JBL Portable app gives you a 3-band EQ to customize the sound profile if desired and if you have two Flip 6 speakers, you can run them in stereo mode. If you happen to have a mix-and-match assortment of different PartyBoost-enabled JBL devices, you can connect multiple speakers for a bigger sound.
Bluetooth: 4.2
Battery life: Up to 12 hours
IP Rating: IP67
Aux inputs: N/A
Frequency range: N/A
App: Yes
While the $99 Bose SoundLink Micro is half the size, we found that it’s definitely worth the extra $50 if you trade up to the SoundLink Flex. While it’s still not a room filler, the speaker offers some bright, dynamic finesse to your tunes, along with a significant amount of bass for its size. It’s similar to the scale of a small clutch bag, with a very small strap for carabiner-type hanging. Much of the exterior is sheathed in soft-touch silicone, except for the powder-coated steel speaker grilles. Like others in this range, the speaker is IP67 rated so it can handle the elements and sound good doing it.
Setup and connecting to the speaker should be done from within the aptly named Bose Connect app. You can also turn off voice prompts (which can become annoying) and pair with similar speakers for either party mode or stereo.
Note: Some users running Android 12 may encounter connectivity issues with the Bose Connect app. The company is working to resolve the problem.
Bluetooth: 5.2
Battery life: Up to 30 hours
IP Rating: IP67
Aux inputs: N/A
Frequency range: 60Hz – 20kHz
App: Yes
The recently released Emberton II Bluetooth portable from Marshall has a bumped up set of specs that make it a better value than the previous gen. This clutchable rectangular slab still has a pair of 10-watt full-range drivers and passive radiators to deliver the brand’s signature sound. It may not be the loudest in its size range, but it focuses more on balanced output than raw power. There’s still 360 sound as well, making it a good companion for small get togethers. Although, with its 60hz low end threshold, you’ll find a better bass response when there are surfaces to reflect off of, and not so much if it’s in the middle of a table.
This new model now offers up to 30 hours of listening on a charge (10 hours better than before) and a more rugged IP67 rating. There’s also a new ability to pair with another Emberton II or Willen II using the new “Stack Mode”. The range between them is limited, however, so stacking them probably is the best way to go. Additionally, Marshall is offering a more environmentally friendly product than before, using 50 percent post-consumer plastics in its construction.
Bluetooth: 5.1
Battery life: Up to 20 hours
IP Rating: IP67
Aux inputs: N/A
Frequency range: 60Hz – 20kHz
App: Yes
If you’re willing to spend a little more for bigger sound, more hours of battery life and a USB-C port to charge your devices, the midrange JBL Charge 5 is a great upgrade over the Flip 6. It has the same bright output and capable low end, but in a slightly larger package. If you’re looking for a smallish portable speaker, but something capable enough to entertain a few guests, this works.
Bluetooth: 4.2
Battery life: Up to 10 hours
IP Rating: N/A
Aux inputs: Optical, 3.5mm and RCA, plus an RCA sub output
Frequency range: 42Hz – 20kHz
App: No
Portable Bluetooth speakers don’t always have to be rugged to be good. The Monoprice SoundStage 3 is a prime example. This midrange, $250 portable is a homebody without an IP rating, but checks quite a few other boxes. Most importantly, it has good sound for the price, offering a balanced output with respectable low-end and clear dynamic mids and highs.
It has a minimal bookshelf speaker design, with a dark gray exterior, top mounted control panel (which is hard to navigate in low light and generally fidgety overall) and a faux leather handle. There’s a 5.25-inch concave aluminum cone woofer, two 1-inch silk dome tweeters and a rear bass reflex port.
The SoundStage 3 can get 10 hours of battery life with the volume at 50 percent, which is fine, but not spectacular. However, it also operates at full volume when plugged in and charging. You can also top up your devices with the USB charging port drawing from its 8800mAh battery. The other output port is a single RCA for mono analog subwoofer support, although it does well in the bass category on its own. As for inputs, there are a few: a 3.5mm stereo jack, RCA stereo and a digital optical S/PDIF.
Monoprice is known for affordable, no-nonsense devices with a good deal of utility. If you don’t need a speaker that’s built for rugged on-the-go action, this speaker offers its own flex, with great sound quality, Bluetooth and plenty of hard-wired connections.
Bluetooth: 5.1
Battery life: 20+ Hours (At low/mid volume)
IP Rating: IP67
Aux inputs: 3.5mm
Frequency range: 50Hz – 20kHz
App: Yes
Marshall launched the Middleton in January 2023 and positioned it as the new flagship for its portable Bluetooth speaker line. It’s the largest of the company’s IP67 rugged portables (measuring 4.3 x 9 x 3.75 inches) and offers a significantly louder output, with 50-watts of 360-degree sound. There are dual woofers and tweeters for the front and back, with passive radiators along each side. It also offers Stack Mode, which lets you pair with any other Middleton, Emberton II or Willen speakers nearby to expand your listening experience.
The Middleton can be managed through the Marshall Bluetooth app, but it also includes most of those same controls on the top. There’s a Bluetooth button (which doubles as the Stack Mode control) and a multi-use joystick for power on/off, volume control and track selection (forward or back). You also get bass and treble controls, which are a welcome addition and a first for one of Marshall’s speakers without physical knobs.
It has that traditional Marshall look, made with a soft-touch exterior composed of 55-percent post-consumer recycled plastic and is 100-percent PVC free. It also has a carry strap you can easily fit your hand through. Any dust, dirt or prints on the outside can be scrubbed off with a damp cloth, and even the exposed USB-C and 3.5mm input port components are waterproofed. That USB-C port can be used to recharge the speaker, or power up your other devices with its 9,600mAh battery.
Of course audio purists should know that it only supports SBC, but the sound quality is still top notch for most people. And while Marshall devices are usually priced at a slight premium, the good sound quality and decent low-end capability definitely makes this model worth checking out.
Bluetooth: 4.2
Battery life: Up to 12 hours
IP Rating: IPX4
Aux inputs: N/A
Frequency range: Undisclosed
App: Yes
We did test a couple smart home speakers, including the Bose Portable Smart and I decided to compare it with its closest Bluetooth equivalent: the Revolve+ II. While that’s best suited for portability, has a loud bright sound that will carry outdoors and long battery life, its low end is a little less pronounced than its smart companion. If you’re willing to spend more and appreciate bass, the Bose Portable Smart speaker is a big improvement. It has a well-rounded low end and a bright dynamic sound with plenty of nuance that makes for a great listening experience.
This 360-degree portable comes as a combo WiFi/Bluetooth speaker primarily geared toward smart home use with the occasional outing. It’s rated IPX4, so not the most weatherproof, but good for casual outdoor listening. The battery is rated for up to 12 hours, but since this is an always-on smart device, you’ll need to be more attentive at keeping it topped up. There’s a charging dock accessory for use around the house, but as an away-from-home portable, you should power it down when not in use.
Smart features: WiFi, voice and app control, support for Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Spotify Connect, Amazon Music, Chromecast (built-in), Apple AirPlay 2 and SimpleSync connectivity with Bose Bluetooth speakers.
Note: Some users running Android 12 may encounter connectivity issues with the Bose Connect app. The company is working to resolve the problem.
Bluetooth: 5.1
Battery life: Up to 15 hours
IP Rating: IP67
Aux inputs: 3.5mm
Frequency range: 53.5Hz – 20kHz
App: Yes
If you’ve enjoyed any of the smaller JBL speakers out there and are willing to spend a bit more, the Xtreme 3 is a good all-around choice. It’s big enough to warrant a shoulder strap, but still only about the size of a football. There’s a pleasant dynamic sound here with hefty lows and a lively high end that seems slightly better balanced at this size than the smaller options from JBL in this range.
This is easily a favorite if you want something under $400 with a little more gusto than your average portable, but still being IP67 weatherproof. It has enough output to breathe life into a small soiree or backyard hang, although while it’s quite loud, it’s best when it’s close by or indoors where the bass can resonate to its fullest.
Bluetooth: 5.0
Battery life: Up to 24 hours
IP Rating: IPX4
Aux inputs: 3.5mm, Optical
Frequency range: 45Hz – 20kHz
App: Yes
The UE Hyperboom is an all-arounder with good looks, portability, plenty of connectivity options and a loud and punchy (albeit compressed) output. The technical fabric exterior (which now includes a white option) lets it live among your furniture without screaming “party box,” while the optical input offers a possible TV speaker alternative. The large capacitive buttons on top let anyone adjust the volume, pause or play the music and select from two concurrent Bluetooth connections or a hardwired input (3.5mm or optical). On the edge with the silicone carrying handle there are the wired ports, plus one for charging USB devices and another for power. You can expect to get up to 24 hours of battery life, and the Hyperboom is good at holding a charge on standby.
This capable and loud (roughly 100dB) speaker will please most people as long as the party is of primary concern over fidelity. The ability to remotely power your device on or off using the UE app is also a welcome feature. Plus you can easily expand the sound to other Ultimate Ears Boom speakers (except Wonderboom) using the PartyUp feature. The IPX4 rating means a few spilled drinks won’t hassle it, but it’s not the best Bluetooth speaker choice for all-weather adventures.
Bluetooth: 5.0
Battery life: Up to 20 hours
IP Rating: IPX2
Aux inputs: 3.5mm
Frequency range: 40Hz – 20kHz
App: No
If you didn’t know about Marshall’s history in amplifiers and rock music, the design should clue you in. The Tufton is the largest portable Bluetooth speaker from the company, looking much like an amp itself (as do most of them). It has physical knobs at the top and a carry strap to help move it about. While it may appear as rugged as concert gear, it’s less impervious to the elements as some with just an IPX2 rating, so it’s protected from light splashes from above.
Whether or not you’re a fan of the brand, the rich and distinctly thumping output may make you one. We felt pulled into the sound while listening to the Tufton, a bit more than most other speakers we tested at this scale. It’s dynamic, warm and, dare we say, analog in its audio presence. It’s also multi-directional with a supplemental driver on the back along with a bass port.
There’s no app to adjust the EQ, just the physical controls including a Bluetooth connect button, a power/volume knob and two for bass and treble. Once powered on, you can use the volume knob to set a max headroom and adjust volume on the fly from your source. The bass and treble knobs help you choose the tone of your adventure, from a purely flat soundscape to an enhanced one. We just wish you could see the dial indicators in the dark. Other features include aptX support and quick-charge capabilities that provide four hours of listening time in just 20 minutes, plus great standby battery life.
Bluetooth: 5.3
Battery life: Up to 24 hours
IP Rating: IPX7
Aux inputs: 3.5mm
Frequency range: 40Hz – 20kHz
App: Yes
If you’re a fan of JBL’s smaller portables, but want to kick the volume up several degrees higher, the Boombox 3 is a good choice. This 160-watt-plus big brother to the Xtreme 3 provides that familiar JBL sound but, you know, louder. The output has bright and dynamic highs and floor shaking sub-bass that may benefit more from an indoor environment with surfaces to bounce off. It doesn’t have the long throw that “loudspeakers” have, although to be clear, it is pretty loud. This is a dance party tool for your basement rumpus room, garage hangout, beach or poolside craziness.
The Boombox 3 has a few upgrades from the previous gen. The exterior looks mostly the same, but it’s now IP67 rated making it very rugged. It’s also a touch heavier at 14.7 pounds, possibly since this device now has a woofer alongside the mids and tweeters.
It’s still a convenient grab-and-go speaker for most occasions when you want the music to be the star of the show (or at least not disappear into the background). The battery can keep you playing for up to 24 hours, but it also runs at full volume while plugged in. In fact, while it’s connected to an outlet, the total output wattage gets a boost from 160 watts to 180 watts.
Bluetooth: 5.0
Battery life: Up to 20 hours
IP Rating: IPX4
Aux inputs: 3.5mm, USB thumb drive listening, Guitar, Mic
Frequency range: N/A
App: Yes
Sony’s big SRS-XP700 Bluetooth speaker is a good party speaker for fans of loud, thumping beats. The unit has the look of a futuristic stereo speaker at 2.25 feet tall and about 37 pounds, with pleasing lighting effects on the inside of both top and bottom grab bars. You’ll also find USB charging ports and LDAC support, while the app offers customization including light controls.
The XP700 remains portable enough for many people to shuffle around locally without too much effort and its IPX4 rating means it can handle spills and splashes. The exterior is hard plastic with some rubberized feet, but it’s not the type of speaker you want to treat carelessly. It’s mostly a homebody that can fire up parties in lofts, garages, basements or backyards. You can also wirelessly pair two for a more powerful experience.
While the sound is big and bassy, it comes up short on handling the lowest registers well. Also, the high end isn’t as pronounced as it could be, so it may not be for everyone. It’s more of a loudspeaker style, so it’s better in bigger rooms and shines at louder volumes.
Bluetooth: 5.0
Battery life: Up to 40 hours
IP Rating: IP65
Aux inputs: 3.5mm
Frequency range: 40Hz – 20kHz
App: Yes
The Soundboks Go is a top performer if you’re looking for a portable Bluetooth option that provides a big sound for larger spaces, although it comes at a price. This unpretentious black rectangle is half the size of its more professional sibling the Soundboks Gen 3. It packs one 10-inch woofer and a 1-inch domed tweeter, both powered by two 72W RMS amps for massive sound and chunky bass, even at a distance.
At 20 pounds, this party speaker is fairly easy to lug around and looks about the size of carry-on luggage. You can even get the optional shoulder strap, which helps for longer missions. It has a flexible TPE handle on top, silicone bumpers around the edges and ABS+Polycarbonate exterior and grill. The IP65 rating also marks it as a resilient device in most environments.
The sound makes a big statement here. Output levels are rated at up to 121dB, with clear mids and highs projecting clearly across large areas. The low end also has a significant presence at a distance, matching up with 40Hz frequency response. It’s definitely capable enough to support large gatherings.
The speaker is easy to connect to via Bluetooth and the partner app offers EQ customization, audio profiles and OTA firmware updates. There’s a solitary 3.5mm stereo input on the Go, but its wireless expansion shines, letting you connect up to five Soundboks Gen 3 or Go speakers at the touch of a button with its built-in SKAA wireless support.
Lastly, the battery pack is removable, swappable and also long-lasting for a speaker this size; at low to mid volume, it’s rated at up to 40 hours runtime. For transparency, Soundboks also lets you know to expect around 10 hours of play at full volume. You can also run this while charging, but there are strict warnings about keeping the volume low while doing so (it’s not recommended unless you’re desperate).
Bluetooth technology lets devices connect and exchange data over short distances using ultra high frequency (UHF) radio waves. It’s the frequency range that’s carved out for industrial, scientific and medical purposes, called the 2.4GHz ISM spectrum band. This range is available worldwide, making it easy for companies to use with devices for global markets.
Bluetooth speakers include this tech, which lets them communicate with source devices like smartphones, tablets or computers in order to exchange data. The two devices pair by sharing a unique code and will work within the proscribed range for the device and Bluetooth version.
Ever since Bluetooth 4.0 was released over a decade ago, new iterations usually improve on range, use less power and offer expanded connectivity with features like multipoint (allowing more than one device to be connected at the same time, for instance).
If you want to play music while you’re out-and-about on something other than headphones, a portable Bluetooth speaker is probably what you want. There’s a broad range of devices for all types of circumstances. Many adventurous people will want a relatively lightweight portable that’s rugged enough to handle the elements while also packing enough charge to play for hours on end. Others may simply need a speaker they can move around the house or use in the backyard. In this case, you can choose larger less rugged models that may offer better sound.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about
Some of Britain’s top stars including Brian Cox, Imelda Staunton and Simon Pegg are taking to the streets of London this afternoon in solidarity with the SAG-AFTRA cause.
Succession star Cox is due to address the Equity-led rally alongside Catastrophe‘s Rob Delaney and BAFTA-winner Rakie Ayola.
Other high-profile stars in attendance include Harry Potter star Stauton, Mission Impossible’s Pegg, Naomie Harris (No Time to Die) and Downton Abbey actors Jim Carter and Penelope Wilton. More are expected as the afternoon rolls on.
Rallies are taking place in both London’s Leicester Square and Manchester’s Media City – where the BBC and ITV house their northern HQs – and were organized by UK actors union Equity to show support.
The union has been clear it will “stand in unwavering solidarity” with SAG-AFTRA since the strike was called but UK anti-trade union laws state that “SAG-AFTRA members currently working under an Equity UK collective bargaining agreement should continue to report to work.”
Speaking to Deadline on the eve of the rally, Equity General Secretary Paul Fleming said “we are not going to have the UK used as a backdoor to undermine SAG-AFTRA’s dispute.”
Fleming is also attending the London rally alongside figures from the wider UK trade union movement and Labour Party politician John McDonnell, who used to be the opposition’s Shadow Chancellor. We’ll be updating from the event throughout.
Some of Britain’s top stars including Brian
Welcome to the 223rd episode of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter’s TV podcast.
Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executives and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as the case may be).
This week, we’re joined by Justine Bateman, the writer, director and producer who most recently served as a consultant on the use of artificial intelligence for SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating committee. Bateman, who rose to stardom with her twice-Emmy nominated role as Mallory Keaton on Family Ties, has a degree in computer science from UCLA and is also a member of the Writers Guild, SAG-AFTRA as well as the Directors Guild. She previously served on SAG’s national board of directors and joins us this week to discuss the AMPTP’s startling response to generative AI.
Other topics discussed in this episode include the future of HBO’s The Idol, why prestige comedies often end after three seasons, Netflix earnings as well as NBC and CBS’ rebooted fall schedules. As usual, the episode ends with Critic’s Corner that this week features Dan’s reviews of Minx, Special Ops: Lioness, Praise Petey and Command Z.
But first, read on for an edited and condensed portion of our interview with Bateman.
You were on the national board of directors for SAG and resigned in 2009 over a contract that you felt didn’t properly acknowledge the shift from old media to new and didn’t honor the guild’s less visible members. How many of the seeds of your frustration from back then do you see as being at the heart of where we are today?
I was working in digital media as a writer and producer. Not many people were convinced that online — back then it was called made for new media and is now called streaming — but 90 percent of the business was not convinced that was going to be just a new place to distribute stuff. I was already working in it and I implored the negotiating committee: “We’ve got to get real estate.” And the AMPTP was saying, “Hey, don’t put any restrictions on this; work with us. We don’t know where this is going. We don’t know if we’ll be able to make any money at this at all.” I was hoping that the membership would reject it and recognize it as not being enough. They approved it so overwhelmingly that I thought, “What exactly am I fighting for?” The difference between then and now is people are listening to me and others who are saying that AI is the end of the road. If you give away your consent and compensation, if you want to participate in it — I personally as a filmmaker have no interest in it whatsoever — but if you don’t put that as the default for writers and actors in particular, you’ve just given them the keys to the whole house. If they can use 100 years of active performances to train their generative AI models and create their little Frankenstein characters or “actors” you’re over. There’s a lot of other elements — corporate greed is just out of control — but that’s the big difference between then and now.
You’ve been a vocal and fairly absolutist critic of AI, both its encroachment in art, but also into more wider reaching society at large. Was this a fascination of yours before you went back to school and got your computer science degree?
Generative AI can only function if you feed it a bunch of material. In the film business, it constitutes our past work. Otherwise, it’s just an empty blender and it can’t do anything on its own. That’s what we were looking at the time [at UCLA]. Machine learning and generative AI have exploded since then. So, this aspect of it was not a fascination of mine. But when I could see that it was going to be used to widen profit margins, in white-collar jobs and more generally replace human expression with our past human expression, I just went, “This is an end of the progression of society if we just stayed here.” If you keep recycling what we’ve got from the past, nothing new will ever be generated. If generative AI started in the beginning of the 20th century, we would never have had jazz, rock ’n’ roll, film noir. That’s what it stops. There are some useful applications to it — I don’t know of that many —but pulling it into the arts is absolutely the wrong direction.
Do you remember the exact moment where you had that epiphany because it’s the kind of thing where you hear AI and the initial reaction is always, “That sounds cool,” and then it shifts into “That sounds scary.”
A friend of mine is a video artist and he did all those violent cut scenes in my film Violet that I have in the beginning credits and are interspersed through it. He was posting all this AI-generated animation in January or February. I asked him how much of it he was actually drawing. His answer was none of it. For a very long time, I have been dismayed at the amount of content. I’ve heard from showrunners who are given notes from the streamers that “This isn’t second screen enough.” Meaning, the viewer’s primary screen is their phone and the laptop and they don’t want anything on your show to distract them from their primary screen because if they get distracted, they might look up, be confused, and go turn it off. I heard somebody use this term before: they want a “visual mosaic.” When showrunners are getting notes like that, are they able to do their best work? No. And when these companies control the entire pipeline from beginning to end, then you wind up doing what they ask. So I thought, “When is tech not going to be center stage?” When I saw my friend’s animation, I got how content is going to end. AI is going to automate content. [It can] customize the project according to years of your viewing history.
AI didn’t start out as a central issue within the WGA or SAG-AFTRA, but has obviously become one very rapidly. As someone who’s been so involved with the guild negotiations around the subject, what does the AMPTP’s response to both the performers and the writers on the use of AI signal to you?
I was on the board and the negotiating committee with SAG in 2007-08 and SAG asked me to come be an AI consultant on these negotiations. I have been in those rooms for this round, too. I told you the response that the AMPTP had about getting real estate made for new media back in 2007-08 and their response was, “Work with us. We don’t know if there’s any money in this.” When I saw the response to the AI asks from the WGA [this year] was “We’re not talking about that,” my reaction was that they were already doing it and this is already so far along. Then their asks of SAG-AFTRA — as far as what Duncan Crabtree-Ireland has revealed — that they wanted to be able to take background actors, scan them once, pay them a day’s rate, and then use their image for the rest of their lives. I feel a particular responsibility to past actors’ work. Everything that’s in the Minimum Basic Agreements of these unions were fought for by those people in the past. It’s our responsibility now that technology exists to protect their work. It’s not our place to say, “Sure, go ahead, feed in all of Charlie Chaplin’s work, all of Alfred Hitchcock’s work. Just go ahead and then you can just order up that you want somebody who moves like Charlie Chaplin, looks like Alec Baldwin and has a Spanish accent. When I see that, everything I’m saying is going to happen is exactly what they’re wanting to have happen.
Editor’s Note: The AMPTP has refuted Crabtree-Ireland’s claim, saying in a statement that the “digital replicas of background actors may be used in perpetuity with no consent or compensation is false” and that the studios and streamers’ current proposal would “permit a company to use the digital replica of a background actor in the motion picture for which the background actor is employed,” with “[a]ny other use requires the background actor’s consent and bargaining for the use, subject to a minimum payment.”
In the conversations you’ve had with the AMPTP and with people who aren’t in the industry, do you feel like they understand the way that this would impact that lower segment of the acting population or that they’re actually kind of willfully trying to eliminate it?
I think they get it. Don’t forget, AI isn’t doing this to us. People using AI to eliminate jobs, that’s who’s doing this in every sector. People really understand that concept because it’s happening in their worlds, too. … The idea that you want to [use AI to] make things easy for us? Go solve the homeless problem. Go use generative AI to clean the ocean. So, is generative AI coming in the entertainment business to make better films? No. It’s to more cheaply regurgitate the past. And frankly, audiences have been conditioned for this; look at all the sequels, reboots and remakes.
Mark Ruffalo made the point that this was a good argument to consider looking more to the indie world, to get out from under the sway of the studio’s companies that are so much a part of what the AMPTP is. You amplified that and echoed that. And that’s where you’ve done a lot of your work. Your feature was not a studio feature. Where does it leave the business? And is it your business to worry about where that leaves the David Zaslavs and Bob Igers of the world?
I wish we had the Paramount Decrees in a more substantial way where the Department of Justice said to the studios that they owned the entire pipeline: you make it, you are the exhibitors, you have the cinemas, and there’s no competition possible here. So, they made them choose. You want to own cinemas or do you want to do the work? Fin-syn rules were the same thing that we had for TV. The FCC said you can’t own the whole pipeline and could either make the show or have a network, which do you want to do? And when the fin-syn rules went away in 1993, you had NBC making an NBC show and then putting the reruns on Bravo, which NBC owns.
Right, it opened the doors for networks to vertically integrate with their own studios and make and own and distribute all of their own content, which has been mirrored by streaming services.
The FTC had open comments this morning and we all spoke [and asked them to] please come back in. This is your raison d’etre. Come on in and break these companies up. We’re negotiating against not just the biggest companies in our business, but the biggest companies in the world and arguably in all of history.
You’re running for the WGA West board —
Because I’m on the DGA Western Council, I found out that it is their rules that you can’t be on two boards. So maybe the next go around. I like being on the DGA Western Council. Maybe I’ll wind up on the DGA board. I don’t know.
There was a point earlier this summer where it looked like Hollywood’s three big unions, the writers, directors and actors, could all go out on strike at the same time. That didn’t happen as the DGA took a deal with the AMPTP. Do you think that there was a missed opportunity there by the DGA?
I think they negotiated for what they feel covers their members. I’m not mad at them for that. If you have minimum staffing requirements already in your MBA, and then on top of it, you say none of those minimum staffing requirements can be fulfilled by anything but a human, I think in their minds, that covered keeping their members. What I would have liked to see, and maybe this can be done legislatively and/or done with any restrictions that SAG gets, is this what I said earlier about restricting the ability for the AMPTP to just feed in all these past directors’ work. I don’t think that is our place to allow. I think we need to block that. I would have liked to have had that in the DGA agreement. But like I said, if you have that in SAG agreement, it takes care of it for the directors because if you can’t get all those actors that you want to feed in to sign off, you can’t feed the whole film in.
How did you vote on the DGA deal?
I voted against it because I was hoping for those kinds of protections. But that wasn’t what the majority of the membership was seeking. I feel a personal responsibility to protect past directors’ work and I will look to find other ways to accomplish that.
The WGA, SAG-AFTRA and DGA are all in an election year and there is also this pressure for solidarity. What have you learned about what the challenges are of that and how has that impacted the conversations that you’re having with people out on the picket line?
You have leverage in a negotiation if they need you. I do believe this is the last time any guild on its own will have any leverage. I believe in three years when our contracts are up again, I don’t think any one union is going to have any leverage at all. In three years, we need to negotiate together in order to have any leverage. In fact, I’m hoping even the IATSE and Teamsters can somehow get on our election cycle so that all five of us can say, “If you still want to do real human filmmaking, you have to step up and give each of these guilds what they need.”
Right, IATSE and the Teamsters’ deals are up next year.
The WGA has different needs for its members than the DGA and SAG. There are some overlaps, but I think in three years, [the AMPTP will] just go, “We’re not really sure we need to meet with you guys. We’re not really sure we need to be signatories anymore.” It depends on what they get. I’d like to know if the legal departments from any of the streamers or the studios have gone to any of these large generative AI companies and asked to see a list of what films have been fed in. Have they gone to them and said, “I want to see if any of our films are on there and if so, you’re going to delete this entire training set.” Because you can’t unwind something like that. But my hunch is that they’re not. The studios are the same companies that would get the FBI to descend on your house and get you arrested for illegally downloading one of their films. It’s the most massive copyright violation in the history of the U.S. These same companies are now hoping that feeding in 100 years of filmmaking and series into generative AI models spins wildly out of control by third parties so they can continue to come to the guilds as they have been and saying, “But everyone else is doing it, you gotta let us do it.” Why else would you just let these companies do whatever they want with all of your copyrighted material? The studios have lost hold of what their competitive advantage was. And that was their relationships with all of us — access to the directors, to the writers, to the actors — and they started chasing that Netflix model and they’ve lost billions of dollars doing that. And now they have it in their minds that they can chase the generative AI tech companies. The spread between what they understand in their jobs and what those companies understand within their jobs, it’s a million miles of space in between those two things. If they start chasing that model, thinking they can compete with that, just light the whole place up on fire because you’ll never win against those companies. They should entrench on their competitive advantage and hopefully it’s not lost completely. And go and get anything that’s copyrighted. You can’t pull it off the models, just get the models deleted if your work’s in there. The fact they haven’t done that indicates that they think they can compete with them and it’s almost comical.
For much more from Bateman, listen to the whole interview on this week’s TV’s Top 5 podcast.
Be sure to subscribe to TV’s Top 5 to never miss an episode. (Reviews welcome!) You can also email us with any topics or Mailbag questions you’d like addressed in future episodes at TVsTop5@THR.com.
Welcome to the 223rd episode of TV’s Top
NBCUniversal has erected a group of standing-room tents outside the studio in Burbank after it trimmed trees last week that had been providing shade to the striking and picketing members of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA unions.
Striking picketers arrived to sidewalks this week outside NBCU that were suddenly in full glare of the sun. Trees that had been providing shade amid hot summer days along Barham Blvd. were pruned and nearly bare of leaves.
Hollywood writer and WGA strike captain Darrin Dortch told The Ankler that he worked with NBCU security to get the tents put up.
“It’s obviously getting much hotter now, so we have these tents up so that when people are out here with their signs they have a spot here with some tents and with some misters, and that gives us a little relief,” said Dortch, a writer with credits including “Claws” and “The Kings of Napa.” “But we still miss our shaded trees, though. Because they were very cool and they gave us even more shade.”
Dortch said there were plans to put up more tents outside NBCU as temperatures increased beyond the 95 degrees it had reached in recent days.
After widespread reaction on social media, NBCU acknowledged trimming the trees but denied there was an intent to remove a source of shade for picketers, saying it was routine maintenance the studio undertakes annually. The city of Los Angeles said the studio does not have the jurisdiction to prune the trees and that it was looking into the matter.
Dortch added the unions also had petitions with more than 15,000 signatures for the halting of construction on nearby sidewalks that NBCUniversal allegedly started on after the writers’ guild began its strike and picketing efforts in May.
Earlier this week, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA also filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board against NBCUniversal, accusing the studio of blocking pedestrian access to one of its main gates to interfere with picket lines.
In the complaints, the writers and actors’ guilds accuse the studio of blocking access to sidewalks next to its Lankershim Blvd. gate with fences erected for a construction project adjacent to the street. In the process, the studio has “interfered with, coerced, and restrained employees” from taking part in legally protected strike actions, the complaint says.
NBCU said in a statement that the construction was legal.
“We strongly believe that the company has fulfilled our legal obligations under the National Labor Relations Act [NLRA] and we will cooperate with respect to any inquiries by the National Labor Relations Board on this issue,” NBCUniversal said in the statement. “While we understand the timing of our multi-year construction project has created challenges for demonstrators, we continue to work with public agencies to increase access.”
NBCUniversal has erected a group of standing-room
Andre campaigns to be the president of the Gamma fraternity, but is he willing to sacrifice his morals to win? Doug has a date with Sloane. Zaara is hung up on Drea.
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Key French tax credits aimed at the cinema, audiovisual and video game sectors generated $3.2 billion (€2.9 billion) worth of extra spending in France from 2017 to 2021, according to a study released by EY Consulting.
The report commissioned by France’s National Cinema Centre (CNC) focused on four incentives: the cinema tax credit, offering a 30% rebate on eligible spend; the 25% audiovisual tax credit; the 30% Tax Rebate for International Productions (TRIP), to which an additional 10% can be added if VFX or animation work is done on the territory, and 30% video game tax credit.
Breaking down the contribution of each the incentives, it said the cinema credit had generated €373 million ($414 million) in extra spending; the audiovisual credit, €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion); the TRIP, €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion), and the video games incentive, €116 million ($129 million) from 2017 to 2021.
“Each of these measures has achieved its set objectives… and for a relatively low net cost given the additional revenue, in particular fiscal, that they generate,” said the CNC in a statement accompanying the release of the report.
The study found that for every €1 ($1.1) given as a tax credit, the cinema incentive generated €6.40 ($7.12) in local spending and 76 euro cents (85 cents) in fiscal receipts, while for the TRIP, this came in at €3.99 ($4.44) and 44 euro cents (48 cents).
The publication of the report comes amid ongoing debate over public spending on the film and TV sector in France.
More generally, the report suggested the cinema tax credit had played a decisive role in encouraging big French feature productions to return and stay in France, after years of delocalization to neighboring European territories with more generous incentive schemes.
It cited the example of the Martin Bourboulon’s ambitious $72 million two-part, French-language Alexandre Dumas adaptation spanning The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan and The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan.
According to its figures, the cinema tax credit had covered 19% of their combined €72 million ($80 million) budget, or €13.5 million ($15 million).
The report quoted an unnamed representative of the production, led by Dimitri Rassam at Mediawan company Chapter 2, in collaboration with Pathé, as saying that the availability of the tax credit had been decisive in the project shooting in its entirety in France.
“Without the tax credit, there would necessarily be arbitration on the shooting location, and the major filming would be done in the countries where there are tax shelters and where you can find the backdrops similar to France,” said the representative.
Overall, the two films shot for 140 days across France, against iconic backdrops such as Le Louvre and the Château de Fontainbleau, employing 2,000 crew, all of whom were French citizens.
The report also looked at the results for the TRIP, the impact of which has grown following the increase of its rebate from 20% to 30% in 2016.
The number of international productions tapping into the TRIP every year has quadrupled since then, from 24 in 2016 to 101 in 2023. International productions benefitting from the incentive spent €1.387 billion ($1.49) billion in France from 2016 to 2021.
Prior to the initial introduction of the TRIP in 2009, international productions spent around €50 million a year in France, in 2021 they spent €400 million.
The report noted that while feature films had initially accounted for most the TRIP-related spending, international drama series overtook in 2021 to now account for at least 60% of the annual incentivized spend.
It cited the example of Netflix hit Emily In Paris as a series that had been enticed to shoot almost in its entirety in France due to the TRIP.
Season 1 shot for 63 days in France, while Season 2 spent 75 days in the country. Overall, it spend €23 million ($23 million) in the territory and employed 500 local technicians.
In other case studies, the report suggested the TRIP has been a major factor in Universal Pictures’ decision to seal an exclusive financing and distribution partnership with the Paris-based animation studio Illumination Mac Guff.
It noted that since 2007, Universal Pictures had invested €634 million ($705 million) in France, which in turn had generated €383 million ($425 million) in public revenue.
The report noted, however, that a number of European territories offered incentives that were as good as and in some cases better than those offered by France.
In a comparison with the U.K., the report also highlighted the fact that its film, TV and video game fiscal incentive spend is nearly double that of France, with the territory putting €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion) into incentives in 2022, against €544 million ($605 million) for France.
The number of film and TV productions supported by incentives in both territories is roughly the same, at 1,155 for the U.K. in 2022, against 1,062 for France. For video games, the U.K. is more active supporting 580 productions in 2022, against 37 in France.
Key French tax credits aimed at the
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Quick Answer: MLS Season Pass is the best place to watch the 2023 Leagues Cup, as it’s the only place where you can watch every game live. Sign up here.
The 2023 Leagues Cup kicks off Friday, pitting North American clubs from MLS and Liga MX against each other.
But this year’s tournament is especially exciting, thanks to a new player on Inter Miami: Lionel Messi. The already-legendary Argentinian announced his jump from Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Miami in June, and Friday will be his debut with the new team (and MLS), alongside former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets.
Looking to watch the Leagues Cup online? Read on. Below is a complete guide on how to stream the Leagues Cup in 2023 (including Messi’s debut game) plus details on the Leagues Cup schedule.
Starting this year, every MLS game — and every Leagues Cup game — will be shown on Apple TV’s new streaming app, MLS Season Pass. This makes Season Pass the best option if you’re looking to stream the Leagues Cup online.
If you already have an Apple TV+ subscription, you’ll get a deal on MLS Season Pass at $12.99 per month or $79 for the year. If you’re not an Apple TV+ subscriber, MLS Season Pass costs $14.99 a month or $99 a year. Apple TV+ (without MLS Season Pass) costs just $6.99 a month after a seven-day free trial and comes with original content like Ted Lasso and Severance, so we think it’s worth signing up for to get this deal on MLS Season Pass.
Of course, MLS League Pass also gets you every other MLS game throughout the season — including the playoffs in the fall.
A handful of games will also be shown on FS1 and some will be free to watch on Apple TV, but if you’re looking to follow the tournament, you’ll need a subscription to MLS Season Pass. You can also find several games with Spanish-language commentary on Univision and UniMás — stream those with a subscription to DirecTV Stream (seven-day free trial here). See which games are being shown outside of MLS Season Pass on the Leagues Cup schedule here.
The 2023 Leagues Cup kicks off on Friday, July 21 with the Cruz Azul vs. Miami. The tournament is scheduled to wrap up with the 2023 Leagues Cup final and third-place game on Aug. 19.
Below is the schedule for every Leagues Cup group stage game.
Friday, July 21
Cruz Azul vs. Miami — 5 p.m.
Orlando vs. Houston — 5 p.m.
Austin vs. Mazatlán — 5:30 p.m.
Dallas vs. Charlotte — 6 p.m.
León vs. Vancouver — 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 22
Montréal vs. Pumas — 4:30 p.m. on MLS Season Pass,
New York vs. New England — 4:30 p.m.
Philadelphia vs. Tijuana — 5 p.m.
Salt Lake vs. Seattle — 6:30 p.m.
Portland vs. San Jose — 7 p.m.
Sunday, July 23
New York City vs. Atlas — 4 p.m.
Cincinnati vs. Kansas City — 4:30 p.m.
Columbus vs. St. Louis — 4:30 p.m.
Nashville vs. Colorado — 5:30 p.m.
Puebla vs. Minnesota — 6 p.m.
Tuesday, July 25
Miami vs. Atlanta — 4:30 p.m.
Santos Laguna vs. Houston — 5:30 p.m.
Dallas vs. Necaxa — 6:30 p.m.
Mazatlán vs. Juárez — 6:30 p.m.
LA vs. León — 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 26
Montréal vs. D.C. — 4:30 p.m.
New York City vs. Toronto — 4:30 p.m.
Philadelphia vs. Queretaro — 4:30 p.m.
San Luis vs. New England — 4:30 p.m.
Monterrey vs. Salt Lake — 6:30 p.m.
Portland vs. Tigres — 8 p.m.
Thursday, July 27
Chivas vs. Cincinnati — 5 p.m.
Minnesota vs. Chicago — 5:30 p.m.
Nashville vs. Toluca — 5:30 p.m.
América vs. St. Louis — 7 p.m.
Saturday, July 29
Cruz Azul vs. Atlanta — 4 p.m.
Necaxa vs. Charlotte — 4:30 p.m.
Santos Laguna vs. Orlando — 4:30 p.m.
Austin vs. Juárez — 5:30 p.m.
Pumas vs. D.C. — 5:30 p.m.
LA vs. Vancouver — 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 30
Atlas vs. Toronto — 4:30 p.m.
New York vs. San Luis — 4:30 p.m.
Tijuana vs. Queretaro — 4:30 p.m.
Monterrey vs. Seattle — 6 p.m.
Tigres vs. San Jose — 8 p.m.
Monday, July 31
América vs Columbus — 5 p.m.
Puebla vs. Chicago — 5:30 p.m.
Toluca vs. Colorado — 6:30 p.m.
Chivas vs. Kansas City — 7 p.m.
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“Succession” star Brian Cox and “Catastrophe’s” Rob Delaney are among the confirmed speakers at a London rally in support of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
U.K. actors union Equity revealed plans earlier this week for two major demonstrations on Friday in solidarity with the actors strike. Twin rallies will take place at noon local time in London’s Leicester Square and in Manchester’s Media City.
Speakers so far scheduled for the London rally include Cox and Delaney as well as “The Pact” and “Alex Rider” star Rakie Ayola, Equity general secretaries Paul W. Fleming and Lynda Rooke, and Bectu boss Philippa Childs. Member of Parliament John McDonnell is also set to speak.
Many British actors are expected to attend the demonstration in support of their American counterparts. Those so far confirmed include “Mission: Impossible 7” actor Simon Pegg, “No Time to Die” star Naomi Harris, “The Crown’s” Imelda Staunton and “Downton Abbey” actors Jim Carter and Penelope Wilton. Far more are likely to show up, given the strong solidarity in recent months for fellow actors across the pond. As previously reported by Variety, many of the issues at the center of the U.S. actors strike — streaming residuals, artificial intelligence and self-taping being of principal concern — are also prevalent in the U.K.
In the wake of the SAG-AFTRA strike, Equity was quick to emerge with guidance for its 50,000 members. However, the union made it abundantly clear that although it stands in solidarity with its U.S. counterpart, it’s not legally allowed to follow suit with strike action.
“If Equity encourages anyone to join the strike or not cross a picket line, Equity itself will be acting unlawfully and hence liable for damages or an injunction,” the union said last week.
The org explained that due to existing anti-trade union laws in the U.K., “SAG-AFTRA members currently working under an Equity U.K. collective bargaining agreement should continue to report to work.”
The rallies on Friday are open to Equity members, performing artists, trade union members, press, and “anyone who wishes to show solidarity with striking SAG-AFTRA workers.”
Equity is the 12th largest trade union in the U.K., and represents actors, singers, dancers, designers, directors, stage managers and voice artists, among others.
“Succession” star Brian Cox and “Catastrophe’s” Rob
The British expat on trial for killing his terminally ill wife in Cyprus could be freed next week after he was acquitted of murder today.
David Hunter, 75, who has spent 19 months caged in a Cypriot jail, was found not guilty of the pre-meditated murder for ending the suffering of his childhood sweetheart Janice, 74.
He was convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter by a judge in Cyprus which could see him walk away with a suspended sentence. He will learn his fate at Paphos District Court next Friday.
Earlier, it emerged that Mr Hunter has been left so ‘destitute’ he wouldn’t have been able to appeal a guilty verdict if he was convicted of murder.
The spiralling costs of his agonising 19-month trial have cost him his entire savings. It has also left him unable to afford to make phone calls to friends in prison and having to survive off the meagre rations offered up free of charge.
‘It just breaks my heart,’ said his daughter, Lesley Cawthorne, 50. ‘When my mum was still alive he had a home, a car and money in the bank. Now he’s got a carrier bag with his clothes – that’s all he’s got.’
David Hunter, 75, who has spent 19 months caged in a Cypriot jail, was found not guilty of the pre-meditated murder for ending the suffering of his childhood sweetheart Janice, 74
David Hunter, 75, originally from Northumberland, was accused of murdering his wife of 46 years, Janice, at their home in Paphos, in December 2021. He was today found not guilty of her murder, but guilty of manslaughter
A prison van carrying David Hunter arrives at Paphos District Court in Cyprus on Friday
Mr Hunter had faced a mandatory life sentence if found guilty of pre-meditated murder.
A crowdfunder for his defence is empty and he has run up thousands of pounds of debt fighting the case to date.
Mrs Cawthorne said: ‘I don’t know what we are going to do. He said he wants to appeal, he said, ‘We have to, I can’t spend the rest of my life here.’
‘I honestly don’t know what we are going to do. I don’t know where we are going to get the money from. It’s going to be thousands.’
Mr Hunter had struck up a friendship with British cellmate Owen Williams, 27. But after Mr Williams was released three months ago he has been left locked up with 11 other hardened criminals who don’t speak a word of English.
His only chance to speak is by his phone, but he can now only afford to make occasional calls to his daughter.
She said: ‘He’s got nobody to speak to. He’s not been able to phone people.
‘He’s not allowed to take calls, he has to pay to make them himself. He hasn’t been able to speak to his brother for a while, or his friends Barry and Kevin. He just speaks to me.
‘It’s absolutely devastating.’
David Hunt arrived at a court in Cyprus today where he was found not guilty of murdering his terminally ill wife Janice
David Hunter is escorted into the court in Paphos by police officers on Friday
Mr Hunter’s daughter, Lesley Cawthorne, 50, says it ‘breaks her heart’ that her father has been left ‘destitute’ from trial
Mr Hunter wants to pay his last respects to his wife if he is freed.
The retired Northumberland miner was forced to treat Janice for terminal blood cancer at home with injections due to Covid restrictions as she deteriorated in front of his eyes.
In her last days she was crying out in agony 24 hours a day, unable to move from their sofa or take painkillers as she pleaded with him to kill her.
He finally relented and took her life on December 18, 2021. Mr Hunter went on to attempt suicide, taking drugs and alcohol with the aim of overdosing.
But medics managed to revive him before he was arrested on suspicion of pre-meditated murder – and he has since languished in a high-security jail in Nicosia. He has now been acquitted of murder but found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter, meaning he could walk free as soon as next week.
Mrs Cawthorne said: ‘He wants to see my mum. He wants sit and talk to her. He needs that for his mental health.
‘I think if he was offered to be released but he could not visit her and had to go straight back he would refuse. He just wants to visit my mum.’
During his trial in Cyprus, the court heard how Mr Hunter had ended Janice’s life ‘out of love and mercy’.
‘The facts of this case concern a crime of love and mercy,’ said Ritsa Pekri, one of Hunter’s lawyers.
‘There are no other cases similar to this in Cyprus’ legal history,’ she added, stressing that no one throughout the trial was able to give a testimony that indicated any history of violence or ill-will between the Hunters.
‘No witness statements indicated he was fed up of taking care of his wife. Everyone said they loved each other,’ she told the court, according to the Cyrpus Mail.
In May, Hunter told the court how his teenage sweetheart was reduced to wearing nappies, was covered in skin lesions and could no longer stand from her devastating blood cancer.
In May, Mr Hunter (pictured outside Paphos court in March) told the court how his teenage sweetheart was reduced to wearing nappies, was covered in skin lesions and could no longer stand from her devastating blood cancer
David Hunter and his wife Janice on their wedding day
The final two witnesses in the trial then took the stand, telling the court how Janice’s condition deteriorated in the last years of her life and how she became increasingly depressed.
Through it all, they said, Mr Hunter remained a loving husband.
‘Janice often told us that her great wish was not to be taken to the hospital. And I think David made this possible,’ Helmut Kesting, a neighbour of the British couple, told the court.
According to the Cyprus Mail, Kesting has lived with his wife in the island country since 2020. He described Mr Hunter as a ‘quiet, reliable and reasonable man.’
‘He and Janice always were very helpful and friendly to us,’ he said.
Kesting described to the court how David and Janice were very loving with one-another, saying they were very proud of the relationship they shared.
‘They invited us to their home and showed us a lot of pictures, photo albums of their past trips. I never heard shouting or fights. I believe they were in full harmony together,’ Kesting told the court, the publication reported.
However, he said it was noticeable by 2021 – in the midst of the global Covid-19 pandemic – that Janice had become ‘more and more depressed’ having been ‘optimistic’ about her condition a year earlier.
He said that he and his wife had no contact with Janice in her final three or four months, as she did not wish to speak with anyone.
Mr Hunter – a retired miner – said he was forced to treat his wife himself at home due to Covid restrictions as her health deteriorated.
He told the court in May his wife was left crying out in agony 24 hours a day.
He broke down in tears as he told the court how he killed his wife after she ‘begged’ him for six weeks.
He said: ‘I don’t remember a lot of the last day. I went to make a cup of coffee and she started crying.’
He described how he went to the kettle and gripped the bench for support as his wife sat sobbing next door.
‘The next thing I knew I put my hands on her,’ he said, wiping tears from his eyes. ‘When it was finished, she was a grey colour. She didn’t look like my wife, and it was the first time I cried in many years.’
He described how he stood by her side and put his left hand on her nose and right hand over her mouth to smother her.
When prosecutor Andreas Hadjikyrou suggested that Mrs Hunter struggled and scratched him as he smothered her, Mr Hunter told him: ‘She never struggled, she never moved. You are talking nonsense.’
Mr Hadjikyrou then suggested Mr Hunter had planned to kill his wife and did not tell her, to which he replied: ‘I would never in a million years take my wife’s life if she had not asked me.
‘She wasn’t just my wife, she was my best friend.’ He added: ‘She wasn’t crazy, you haven’t seen the strain of the last six years, what she’s gone through.
‘The situation, the pressure. I wouldn’t like anyone to go through the last six months we both went through.’
The prosecutor responded: ‘Mr Hunter, there are people that go through much worse pain.’
Mr Hunter said he didn’t tell the doctors of his wife’s suicidal wishes because she asked him not to, fearing they would take her into hospital. He didn’t tell their daughter because he didn’t want to ‘worry’ her.
After the cross examination finished, Mr Hunter asked to address the judge. He told him: ‘My wife was suffering and she actually said, ‘I don’t want to live anymore’, and I still said no.
‘Then she started to become hysterical. I was hoping she would change her mind. I loved her so much. I did not plan it, I swear to God.’
The British expat on trial for killing
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively enjoyed some quality time together while across the pond.
The twosome – who share daughters James, 8, Inez, 6, and Betty 3, and a fourth child whose name has not been revealed — enjoyed a date night at the theatre in London on Thursday, July 20. The lovebirds took in a performance of Matilda the Musical before posing with the cast for a photo op.
“The talent. The athleticism. The hammer throw to end all hammer throws,” Reynolds, 46, wrote via his Instagram Stories alongside a snap from the evening out, referencing one of Matilda’s most iconic scenes.
For their night on the town, Lively and Reynolds kept it London chic, with the Gossip Girl alum donning black slacks and a gray plaid blazer. The Deadpool star, meanwhile, complemented his wife in gray slacks, white sneakers and a matching collared shirt.
The couple have been spending time in the U.K. while Reynolds — who co-owns British soccer team Wrexham AFC — shoots the third Deadpool movie. Lively has been busy with her film It Ends With Us, but both projects have been put on hold due to the recent SAG-AFTRA strike.
For now, Lively and Reynolds are seemingly enjoying their downtime — and an occasional reprieve from their little ones. Last month, Lively took to social media to announce her Betty Booze cocktail line, which she revealed were seemingly inspired by her children taking up all her energy.
“BettyBooze at your service. These are recipes I’ve been making for loved ones for years. But I have 4 kids now. And I’m tired. So here they are. In a can. Enjoy. Responsibly. … Ish,” she wrote via her Instagram Stories at the time.
Reynolds, for his part, has also been vocal about his kids occasionally wearing him out. In June he teased how being a father of four inspired his new Fubo TV series, Bedtime Stories.
“The idea for a show made to help everyone fall asleep was born the same day as my fourth child,” he quipped via Instagram alongside the trailer for the new program. “I can’t wait for you to watch Bedtime Stories.”
While Lively and Reynolds — who tied the knot in 2012 — may be overwhelmed with a busy house, they still find time to keep their romance alive. The pair often playfully troll — and swoon — over each other via social media. In May, Lively melted over Reynolds’ toned summer body.
“Summer in New York makes me sorry for the way I treated winter in New York,” Reynolds captioned a sultry Instagram snap that showed off his biceps. Lively, meanwhile reported the image with surrounding emojis of sriracha sauce, peppers and a sign that read: “Caution: Extra Spicy.”
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively Marion
Barack Obama has once again let people in on his version of the sounds of summer with his annual playlist for the season, with songs including “Fast Car” by Luke Combs, “Snooze” by SZA and the classic “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding.
The former Commander-in-Chief curated 41 songs for the list, which he posted on his Twitter account on Thursday, representing genres ranging from folk to rap to pop. Among those chosen that drew attention on social media: Ice Spice & Nicki Minaj’s “Princess Diana,” and Boygenius’ “Not Strong Enough.”
Janelle Monae’s “I Only Have Eyes for 42,” seemingly an ode to threesomes, also made the cut, which the entertainer noted on her Instagram stories: “Barack know what’s up!”
But Obama also featured more traditional songs on the list, like Aretha Franklin’s “Doctor Feelgood” and a live version of Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me to The End of Love.”
Other artists that made the list include legendary rapper Nas with “The World is Yours,” Pearl Jam with “Just Breathe” and country artist Ashley McBryde with her song “The Devil I Know.”
Obama also included his summer reading list featuring titles such as King: A Life by Jonathan Eig and The Wager by David Grann.
Barack Obama has once again let people
Now that Taylor Sheridan has won the TV Western revival with “Yellowstone” and its universe of prequels, he’s pivoting to the Middle East. “Special Ops: Lioness” is a female-driven contemporary espionage thriller where the white hats are CIA special forces, and the black hats are Middle Eastern terrorists. Helicopters and heavy artillery have replaced horses and shotguns.
Setting aside Sheridan’s recent inexplicable Emmy nomination snubs, the multi-hyphenate can tell an engrossing story that entwines flat-out action and interpersonal drama. Here, as showrunner and sole writer, he’s created an eight-part series that recalls movies like Kathryn Bigelow’s breathless yet intimate “Zero Dark Thirty” and “The Hurt Locker.” We’ve got the fog of war, and the way that warps reality when the warrior returns stateside.
At its center is the athletic beauty Zoe Saldaña. She plays Joe, a kickass CIA special ops team leader accustomed to, if not entirely comfortable with, making life or death decisions on the fly. With blood on her hands, she’s running a dangerous game. Her tight top-secret crew seeks high value targets by identifying their wives, girlfriends and children. Once these ties are established, she inserts specially trained female undercover agents, like badass Marine Barbie Cruz Manuelos (standout Laysla de Oliveira), to befriend the beloveds. Once situated, the operative provides eyes on the inside generating intel to flush out and capture the terrorists.
A lot can go very wrong, very fast. And frequently, it does.
Saldaña (“Avatar’s” blue-skinned matriarch Neytiri and green-skinned Gamora of the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise) owns the role: tough, commanding and as much in control as one can be given the general chaos, instability and constant danger. Work-life balance? This mother of two privileged kids and wife of silver fox Neil (“Yellowstone” actor Dave Annable) appears more at ease wearing body armor in a sandstorm than breaking bread at her suburban dinner table. With terrorists, she’s a warrior that knows who she’s fighting. For Joe, her own mercurial kids present more of a mystery. We feel her pain.
Sheridan has recruited a ringer to direct four episodes, including the pilot and finale: John Hillcoat. The Australian movie director helmed Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee in “The Road” and Guy Pearce in “The Proposition.” He knows how to visualize and tell a story that is simultaneously intimate and epic, propelled by dangerous circumstances that can be post-apocalyptic in its proportions.
A switch hitter with a knack for eliciting strong performances, Hillcoat also thrives in quality television. He helmed all six episodes of the Emmy-nominated limited series “George & Tammy” that brought accolades to leads Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain.
In addition to eliciting strong performances, that level of talent behind the camera generates high-quality, arresting visuals. The action sequences grip tight. The pacing is fast when it needs to be and fluid where it counts – whether in the opening all-out assault on an ISIS hornet’s nest in the desert, a posh Kuwaiti luxury mall, or in the soft flattering light of Joe’s bedroom.
Along with Saldaña, the series has some big-name acting talent attached. Michael Kelly and Nicole Kidman are CIA bureaucrats up the food chain. They share one scene in the first episode, rebuking Joe after a failed operation for which the agent was responsible. Presumably, their characters will have more to do in subsequent shows. As of the premiere, Morgan Freeman is still just a face on the poster.
All of this analysis derives from screening the pilot, which premieres Sunday. As the end credits rolled on Sheridan’s well-crafted thriller, I immediately wanted to discover what happens next. I’d already become invested in how Saldaña will steer her patriotic supermom through the dangerous shoals and whirlpools of international espionage – and motherhood back home.
“Special Ops: Lioness” premieres Sunday, July 23, on Paramount+.
Now that Taylor Sheridan has won the
Susan Marston, 58, a program manager from Boise, Idaho, said that unlike some longtime Dead fans who were skeptical when Mr. Mayer joined Dead & Company, she knew from the very beginning that he would bring something unique to the spinoff band.
“There’s a lot of crusty people who said, ‘Oh, I can’t see John Mayer,’” Ms. Marston said. “But if you knew anything about John Mayer prior to joining Dead & Company, then you knew the guy could freaking rip the blues.”
“Sometimes his eyes are rolling back in his head,” added Ms. Marston, who was wearing a black top covered with photos of Mr. Mayer. “It elevates everybody because he’s so into what we’re into — it’s our synchronization with the band.” As she spoke, a man with a fake scarlet begonia tucked into his hat interrupted her to show off a sticker that featured Mr. Mayer’s face flashing a particularly euphoric expression and surrounded by a highly suggestive lyric from the song “The Weight.”
A few Dead & Company fans said they had never noticed Mr. Mayer’s expressions. Kim Holzem, 52, from Three Rivers, Calif., scoffed in disbelief when her husband, Tim, mentioned that he had never registered the guitarist’s faces before.
“Sometimes he looks like he’s in pain, other times he looks like he’s blissed out,” said Ms. Holzem, who saw Dead & Company three times last weekend in San Francisco with her husband and two teenage sons.
Mr. Mayer, she added, “makes some weird-ass faces, but he’s still adorable.”
Skyler McKinley, 31, a bar owner from Denver who was standing not far from the stage at the last show of the tour, said Mr. Mayer’s face was “inescapable” at live performances, in part because it is often “blown up, to skyscraper size” on massive screens. He added that Mr. Mayer had the “sex energy of a rock star” while performing, and compared his facial expressions to the dance moves of Mick Jagger.
Susan Marston, 58, a program manager from
Raghav Juyal says he is not dating Shehnaaz Gill. (Image: Instagram)
Actors Raghav Juyal and Shehnaaz Gill sparked dating rumours a few months ago after they filmed Salman Khan’s Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan. During the film’s promotion, Salman Khan hinted at the Bigg Boss alum’s closeness with Raghav. Since then, rumours of the two dating have been rife. However, Raghav recently clarified that Salman “cracked a joke during the promotions” and the two are not a couple.
In an interview with the Times of India, Raghav said, “Shehnaaz and I have acted in the film together, that’s it. It is natural for people to ask questions about your co-actors, but no, we are not dating. I am single.”
“I have three films releasing in a few months and let’s just say that I am married to my work. I want to stay single as of now and have no plans or time to be in a relationship,” the dancer-actor added.
This is not the first time Raghav has addressed Shehnaaz Gill dating rumours. In May this year too, the dancer called such reports ‘faaltu’ and he told Hindustan Times, “Woh (rumours) faaltu ki cheezein hain (The rumours make no sense)” and then added, “No, no truth at all. Bhai (Salman Khan) ne usko bola and uska mere pe chal raha hai.”
For the unversed, during a promotional event for Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, Salman Khan had said, “I saw a chemistry being built between two people on set. But nothing happened, at least from one person’s end. The other one was eager.”
Talking about Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, the film also starred Venkantesh Daggubati, Pooja Hegde, Siddharth Nigam, Jassie Gill and Jagapathi Babu in key roles. Shehnaaz Gill and Palak Tiwari made their Bollywood debuts with this movie. Ram Charan also made a cameo appearance in the Yentamma song of the film. However, the film failed to leave a mark at the box office.
Raghav Juyal says he is not dating
A 2018 lawsuit against Danny Elfman reportedly over sexual misconduct allegations has surfaced after the Grammy-winning television and film composer allegedly missed two payments in a settlement agreement.
Nomi Abadi, a 35-year-old musician and composer, is suing Elfman for failure to pay $85,000 of the $830,000 agreed upon in the quietly settled suit, according to court documents obtained by The Times. The suit claims that Elfman “agreed to resolve an underlying dispute which included terms that [Elfman] would make payments in four different categories in various installments over the course of 5 years totaling $830,000.00.”
According to the court documents, Elfman missed two $42,500 payments, in July 2019 and 2021, which puts him in breach of contract.
A Rolling Stone exposé published Wednesday said the 2018 lawsuit alleged that Elfman exposed himself to Abadi and masturbated in front of her without her consent on several occasions.
The outlet dug up a 2017 police report in which Elfman was accused of “indecent exposure.” In July 2018, the “Edward Scissorhands” composer entered into a settlement and nondisclosure agreement with Abadi.
Elfman did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment, but he denied any wrongdoing in a statement shared with Rolling Stone.
“It is excruciating to consider that a 50-year career may be destroyed in one news cycle as a result of vicious and wholly false allegations about sexual misconduct,” Elfman told the outlet.
“Ms. Abadi’s allegations are simply not true. I allowed someone to get close to me without knowing that I was her ‘childhood crush’ and that her intention was to break up my marriage and replace my wife. When this person realized that I wanted distance from her, she made it clear that I would pay for having rejected her. … I have done nothing indecent or wrong, and my lawyers stand ready to prove with voluminous evidence that these accusations are false. This is the last I will say on this subject.”
Abadi, a child prodigy who has played the piano since she was 3 years old, founded the Female Composer Safety League in 2020, a nonprofit that describes itself as supporting survivors “regardless of whether they are able to share their stories.” Ahead of the 2023 Grammy Awards, Abadi spoke out against sexual harassment plaguing the industry at a news conference in downtown Los Angeles.
Abadi’s attorney Jeff Anderson organized the news conference, where she and other women gathered to call out the music industry, which they said enables sexual predators. Elfman was nominated for a Grammy this year for his arrangement featured in the opening credits of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”
“I dream of the music industry where there are no sexual predators of women,” Abadi said. “I dream of a music industry where no little girl will ever encounter a sexual predator again. … The time for sexual predators in music is over. The time for respect for all women begins now.”
Anderson told Rolling Stone that Abadi declined to comment regarding the settlement and subsequent lawsuit, but in a statement to the outlet he rejected Elfman’s denial of wrongdoing. “It is ironic that Mr. Elfman’s current statements are directly contrary to the position he maintained in the underlying dispute and to the evidentiary record.”
Elfman, who is married to actor Bridget Fonda, has had a prolific career as a film and television composer. He’s been a regular collaborator on Tim Burton films such as “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Planet of the Apes,” “Dark Shadows,” “Sleepy Hollow,” “Corpse Bride” and “Beetlejuice,” as well as “Edward Scissorhands.”
He’s been nominated for 14 Grammy Awards and earned his sole Grammy for best instrumental composition for his work on Burton’s 1989 adaptation of “Batman.”
A 2018 lawsuit against Danny Elfman
Zawe Ashton’s Dar-Benn showed off her intense powers as she looks to take her place as the main villain in the MCU’s next movie, The Marvels.
The Kree empire is set to make quite the comeback in Captain Marvel 2 as Zawe Ashton embodies Dar-Benn, a powerful Kree leader that will face off against Carol Danvers in her solo sequel.
While she’s only been seen in minimal bits of footage so far, she looks to pose a major threat to potentially the entire Multiverse as Carol finds herself on yet another dangerous solo mission taking her across the galaxy.
The newly released second trailer for Marvel Studios’ The Marvels highlighted Zawe Ashton’s villain, Kree leader Dar-Benn.
30 seconds into the trailer, Ashton’s nemesis is seen using her powers against her enemies, wielding a Kree hammer similar to the one that Ronan the Accuser used in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
Dar Benn unleashes a massive blast of purple energy that sends her enemies flying in the air a few feet away from her, telling Captain Marvel “You took everything from me, and now I’m returning the favor.”
She also uncovers a bangle that looks nearly identical to the one Ms. Marvel uses, which she’ll seemingly utilize in Captain Marvel 2 to entangle the powers of the three leading heroines.
The new trailer for The Marvels can be seen below:
Bringing a gender-swapped version of a powerful Kree general from the comics, Dar-Benn will be far from an easy villain to take down, even as Carol Danvers gets some extra backup in Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan.
Ashton has also been teased heavily through promotional material as Marvel looks to continue its run of solid movie villains this year after previous efforts by Kang the Conqueror and the High Evolutionary.
And while it’s still a mystery if this will be a one-time deal for Ashton and her character, she’ll play a key role in making Captain Marvel 2 one of Marvel’s most important stories told through the course of the Multiverse Saga.
The Marvels will premiere in theaters on November 10.
Barbie isn’t just a love letter to the famous doll, it’s also a love letter to movies themselves. Director Greta Gerwig’s film is filled with cinematic references, homages, and tributes. That wasn’t a total surprise. She has discussed the many, many films that influenced Barbie. But the neon pink-filled film had even more callbacks than we expected. While we’re sure we’ll be finding even more of them when we see the Barbie movie again, these famous Hollywood movie references stand (and sometimes dance) as our favorites.
Stanley Kubrick’s legendary sci-fi classic loomed large over Barbie‘s opening scene. Literally. A giant version of Margot Robbie’s toy changed the world forever.
Her arrival lifted children out of the stone age and into a new modern era, same as Kubrick’s infamous black monolith did with apes, in a parody that was as meaningful as it was funny.
Stereotypical Barbie’s unplanned skirt lift while floating off her house was an obvious homage to Marilyn Monroe’s iconic subway vent scene in 1955’s The Seven Year Itch. This moment was brief but considering the film’s themes it was also touching.
The Kens civil beach war transformed into a musical number that reunited the men of Barbieland, in a memorable sequence that hearkened back to Hollywood’s golden age. While it felt like a tribute to the musicals of that era, its dreamlike quality felt especially inspired by Singing in the Rain‘s “Broadway Melody” number. (And according to Gerwig that’s just one of many ways Gene Kelly’s filmography influenced the film.)
The film’s other big dance number also paid tribute to a different blockbuster. Barbie’s small/gigantic fully-choreographed, clap-heavy dance party was the neon pink answer to the John Travolta-led disco classic.
Will Ferrell’s role as Mattel’s CEO certainly felt like a callback to a similar movie about toys who live in their own imaginary fantasy world, The LEGO Movie. But another one of his film’s that clearly inspired Barbie got a more direct tribute. Stereotypical Barbie got a Buddy-style sendoff like Ferrell’s did in Elf. She got a snow globe goodbye from a Mermaid like the one Buddy got from the narwhal.
Not only was the classic promoted on Barbieland’s theater marquee, Barbie traveled down a pink brick road to the real world in a reversal of Dorothy’s journey down a yellow brick one to Oz.
The arrival of the patriarchy in Barbieland/Kendom was exactly what happened in Pleasantville. The real world infected the utopian realm with all of the angst, problems, and issues of humanity. Just like the 1998 movie, that ultimately made Barbieland a better, more fulfilling place to live.
Okay, seriously, did Gloria and Stereotypical Barbie shine together a la Danny Torrance and Dick Halloran in The Shining? It sort of seemed like they did! Second question: was Barbie secretly just an ode to Stanley Kubrick?
Every filmmaker who shows a rearview mirror with a warning about objects being closer than they appearing during a high speed chase knows exactly what they are doing: they’re referencing Jurassic Park. It makes sense Barbie did, too. It shares (dino) DNA with Steven Spielberg’s thriller masterpiece. Both feature the real world clashing with a fantasy world. Only instead of prehistoric monsters Barbieland features neon pink homes without running water and the patriarchy.
How do you convey a land previously run by women has now been turned into a world dominated by men who think they’re powerful and want to show off to one another while celebrating their masculinity? By recreating Top Gun‘s infamous beach volleyball scene, a sequence so rife for a parody it has always felt like one itself.
We’re not going out on much of a limb to say Zack Snyder’s biggest fans probably didn’t appreciate Barbie‘s joke about his Justice League movie having a strange hold over a certain segment of its fandom. But it’s not exactly brave to say those who don’t like the director’s DCEU movies and his most vocal fans probably liked it very much.
Just because a movie is an unquestioned beloved classic doesn’t mean it can’t still get skewered for being a big part of proverbial guy culture. Monty Python and the Holy Grail definitely fits that bill. That’s why it was so perfect seeing the newly reunited Kens pretending to ride back to Barbie’s DreamHouse on imaginary horses just like the knights in the legendary sketch group’s 1975 comedy.
Everything we said about Holy Grail also applies to The Godfather. Men can (and do) use even the greatest films of all-time for evil/annoying women. You’ll know which ones do just that. They’ll be the ones who get upset about this specific reference.
Barbie isn’t just a
PlayStation and Insomniac Games premiered a new Spider-Man 2 trailer at San Diego Comic Con on Thursday, and revealed a special edition PS5 console and controller.
The trailer sets up our story in the game while also giving fans their first full look at Venom.
Senior narrative director Jon Paquette told the PlayStation Blog: “At the beginning of our story, our Spider-Men are at the top of their game. But both Peter Parker and Miles Morales are struggling with their personal lives. Miles is trying to find time to write his college entrance essay, but he keeps procrastinating and focusing on Spider-Work instead.
“Meanwhile, Peter is underwater on payments for Aunt May’s house, but he can’t sell, it means too much to him. And just like Miles, Peter tries (and fails) to find balance with so many responsibilities. MJ wants to help Pete with the mortgage, but her job is on the line now that J. Jonah Jameson is back at the Bugle and looking to clean house. Our heroes have arrived at a confluence of crossroads, with uncertain futures, and some tough decisions ahead.”
The Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition PS5 Bundle features a custom PS5 console cover design and matching DualSense wireless controller.
For those who already own a PS5 console, PS5 Console Covers and the Spider-Man 2 DualSense Wireless Controller will be available to purchase separately.
“The design was inspired by the in-game symbiote that’s taking over the console and controller, but you can still see some of the underlying red under the tendrils,” said Insomniac senior art director, Jacinda Chew.
“This represents the various ways players will experience the symbiote takeover in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. It’s a constant push and pull for dominance whether it’s internal or external and the outcome is not certain.”
Pre-orders will begin on July 28. Those in the US, UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Austria, Portugal can also purchase the limited edition items directly from PlayStation at direct.playstation.com, or at other select retailers.
“These products will also be available in many other countries around the world in limited quantities at select retailers,” Sony said.
The PS5 Console, Console Covers, and DualSense Wireless Controller will be available starting September 1, ahead of the game’s official release in October.
PlayStation and Insomniac Games premiered a new
Movistar Plus+, the pay TV/VOD service of Spanish telco giant Telefonica, is relaunching from Aug. 1, bowing a new souped-up version of its basic tier as a streaming service to clients of any telco service in Spain, Movistar announced Friday.
To date, only clients of Telefonica telephony service Movistar could access the Movistar Plus+ TV service.
Priced at €11 ($12.21) a month and €14 ($15.54) for non-Movistar clients – compared to Netflix’s basic and standard tiers of €7.99 ($8.87) and €12.99 ($14.42) in Spain – the new-look Movistar Plus+ will offer in exclusivity as star attractions Movistar original series and films, as well as big foreign shows and movies, at the rate of a movie premiere every day, and, crucially, two LaLiga and one Champions League game every round of matches.
Further sporting fixtures included in the streaming service are crunch games from the NBA, ABC, tennis and rugby’s Six Nations tournament.
The offer also takes in documentaries, general entertainment, animation, music and a flagship linear channel, called Movistar Plus+, which will package the service’s bigger plays, whether fiction premieres or popular late night talk show “La Resistencia.”
The relaunch observes market realities. Built on the merger of Canal+ and Movistar TV, Movistar+ launched in 2015 as a classic pay TV, the biggest by far in Spain. Peaking in 2018, pay TV revenues, having dipped, now look set to plateau for the foreseeable future.
In contrast, Spain’s online video subscription revenue will grow from $1.8 billion in 2022 to $2.85 billion in 2027, making OTT services and their advertising the biggest growth driver on Spain’s media landscape, global research company Omdia estimates.
Offering key attractions across the entertainment board, the new Movistar Plus+ look like a clear play for family households. The offer launches as Spanish LaLiga soccer rights in a soccer-fixated country are shared by Movistar Plus+, which has 55% of matches, and DAZN. Often heavily based on series and films, global streamers in Spain have no Spanish soccer matches.
There is no suggestion that Movistar Plus+ is scaling back on its production of original series. Boasting titles to date such as Canneseries winners “Perfect Life” and “The Left-Handed Son” and the upcoming “La Mesías,” from Los Javis, world premiering at San Sebastian, they account for the vast majority of most-seen series on the service.
The large question, indeed, is whether Movistar Plus+ co-produces more Spanish movies, some with theatrical bows, as it becomes increasingly difficult for independent producers to finance premium films with a higher budget, scale and ambition.
World premiering at San Sebastian last September, Alberto Rodriguez’s “Prison 77,” released Feb. 10 on Movistar Plus+, became the most-watched movie of any nationality on the service since spring 2020.
Movistar Plus+, the pay TV/VOD service of
EXCLUSIVE: “We are not going to have the UK used as a backdoor to undermine SAG-AFTRA’s dispute,” the leader of UK actors union Equity has declared.
Speaking exclusively to Deadline prior to Equity’s first rallies in support of the U.S. actors’ cause, Paul Fleming denied that the labor action which has just entered its second week across the pond will be a boon for his members.
Much of the talk internationally has centered on whether more international actors will be able to get work while U.S. talent down tools and some U.S.-commissioned shows filming internationally such as House of the Dragon and Alien have pushed on with British talent. But Equity has said, for example, that it will unequivocally support SAG’s refusal to isssue new Global Rule One addenda during the strike and, while refusing to comment on specific shows, Fleming pointed out that “access to American talent drying up” impacts the entire global industry.
“We will use every means possible and legal to support [the strike],” he added. “We’re not going to have the UK used as a backdoor to undermine their dispute.”
Since the strike was called, Fleming said he has had a “chaotic, complex” time helping his 50,000-strong member base understand the ramifications on their projects, although the union issued clear guidance on the first evening of the dispute.
The UK’s anti-union laws mean that SAG members currently working under an Equity contract are obliged to push on as they have no legal protection if they down tools.
While describing these laws as “phenomenally draconian,” Fleming said he wasn’t aware of any British actors refusing to work in solidarity.
“There are people who want to show solidarity with their brothers and sisters across the pond in other ways and that is a difficult conversation to have,” he added. “It’s the same with public sector workers over here. People want to show solidarity with nurses or train drivers and they are also prevented from taking action to support them.”
Equity’s cause is more than one of just supporting its counterparts in the U.S., however. The union’s TV and film contract with UK producer trade body Pact and the broadcasters is running down and negotiations will begin in earnest shortly.
Fleming stressed Equity’s key demands for change, which have been submitted to Pact, are “broadly identical” to SAG, with the UK union demanding a 15% pay rise, reporting provisions around secondary payments – akin to streaming residuals – and provisions on AI.
“So this dispute has a massive impact on what the [British] producers will be looking to do over the coming year,” added Fleming.
With the future British negotiations in mind, Fleming was speaking with SAG officials once every couple of days prior to the strike and is now speaking to them daily in order to make sure the pair are alinged.
“Equity and SAG are independent of each other but we don’t want to be sat in different rooms being told different things by the same people [during negotiations],” he added.
“Our agreements are as strong as SAG’s and we expect nothing less. SAG is undeniably the largest and most influential entertainment union in the world but we are undeniably the second. Our agreements form the basis of the vast majority of content that’s filmed in Europe as well as the UK.”
AI provisions will comprise a major part of these negotiations and work on the much-discussed topic’s impact on TV and film was kickstarted in a global meeting in London last September, when SAG and Equity exchanged ideas. Equity has since developed an AI toolkit that, amongst other things, attempts to prevent performers from having their performances cloned. “We started off on the broad brush and now SAG is ahead on the detail,” said Fleming.
He was speaking in advance of dual Equity rallies in London and Manchester that will feature appearances from a number of high-profile actors including Rob Delaney and Simon Pegg, along with Equity officials and Labour politician John McDonnell. The rallies will kick off in three hours’ time.
EXCLUSIVE: “We are not going to have
We will update this article throughout the season, along with all our predictions, so make sure to keep checking IndieWire for the latest news from the 2023 Emmys race. The nomination round of voting takes place from June 15 to June 26, with the official Emmy nominations announced Wednesday, July 12. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards will be presented over two consecutive nights on Saturday, September 9 and Sunday, September 10, with an edited presentation of the ceremonies to be broadcast on FXX at a later date. Finally, the 75th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards take place on Monday, September 18, and air live on FOX at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT.
See our previous thoughts on what to expect at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards here.
Underestimate Dolly Parton at one’s own peril, but really, how many general TV viewers knew the country superstar made another Christmas movie so shortly after winning the Outstanding Television Movie Emmy for Netflix’s “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square” in 2021? Though the answer actually is six million according to the NBC broadcast’s ratings, it still did not have the global audience the aforementioned 2021 project had by being on the Netflix platform.
This year’s winner is more likely to come from a streaming service, with Roku Channel’s “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” being the frontrunner after wins at the Critics Choice Awards and Producers Guild of America Awards. The music biopic parody happened to be nominated against “Prey,” “Fire Island,” and “Hocus Pocus 2” at the latter ceremony, making the PGA Awards a good bellwether for this evolving category.
What its fellow nominees have that “Weird” does not is more of an established history with the Emmys. Disney+ just won this award last year (against another Roku Channel film no less), and Hulu has won major, even more competitive categories like Outstanding Drama Series before. It is an achievement that Roku Channel has gotten this far with the TV Academy with so little original programming, but its competitors certainly know how to run an awards campaign to overshadow “Weird” in the final stretch.
Looking at the rest of the Limited or Anthology Series or Movie categories, “Prey” actually got more significant recognition, getting nods for its writing and directing, so the “Predator” prequel could definitely catch a second wind. “Fire Island” also got nominated in more categories than just this one, so the queer romcom is quite a contender. If anything, after years of blurry definitions for what films qualify for this award, it is nice to see the category bounce back in a way that makes these projects feel like must-sees for even the TV Academy members that don’t care as much about catching every single Emmy-nominated program.
Power Rankings:
Will Win: “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”
Could Win: “Prey”
Should Win: “Fire Island”
More Limited Series and TV Movie Category Predictions:
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie
To see IndieWire’s full set of predictions for the 75th Emmy Awards click here.
Last Year’s Winner: “Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers”
Still Eligible: No.
Hot Streak: Disney+ is looking to score its second win in a row with several different contenders to choose from.
Notable Ineligible Films: “Flamin’ Hot” (the film will not premiere in time to be eligible)
We will update this article throughout the
Tensions were high at Annie’s 16th birthday party.
Kathy crashed Annie’s party and caused a scene on Sweet Magnolias Season 3 Episode 5, embarrassing herself and everyone else.
In addition, ugly truths flared at Margarita night, and the ladies fought like we had never seen them before.
Family dynamics are complicated, and Ronnie was caught in the middle between his wife and his estranged sister.
Kathy has been rude since Sweet Magnolias Season 3 began, though part of me wonders what started this cold war.
Did Kathy start this war with Dana Sue and Ronnie only because Ms. Frances helped fund Sullivans and left it to Dana Sue?
Getting along with the in-laws can be difficult, especially if the sibling felt like you stole their place.
Don’t you dare drag my real sisters into your mess.
Dana Sue
Kathy thought that Dana Sue stole Ronnie and turned the entire town against her.
She only embarrassed herself by hurling insults at half the town. That was a tricky spot for Ronnie, but his heart belonged to Dana Sue and Annie, and he’s still trying to prove to her that he’s reformed.
Being your own person and not getting lost in the relationship is often challenging.
All the guys have worked on this since they partnered with feisty women.
We have to know who we are apart from them to bring something to the relationship.
Ronnie
Both Cal and Ryan were struggling to find new jobs. Baseball was all Cal identified with, and Ryan had been traveling for months, so now he needed to find something that excited him like law excited Helen.
Ryan was prepared to give everything up for Helen, but he wanted to discuss ground rules. That made Helen panic since it might actually be real.
Even though Annie is technically dating Jackson, Ty was the one who was continually there on her 16th birthday. The two of them are slowly returning to being in each other’s orbits again.
Jackson wouldn’t even attend her birthday party for fear of disobeying his mother. Annie was slowly beginning to realize these quirks. However, Ty wrote and sang a funny and endearing song about what he liked about her.
Music is something Ty always shared with Annie, and it was adorable. Even though Ty liked Annie, he still drove her to see Jackson after her party.
Those chaperoned dates were over, though. Unlike Kyle, Ty feared Mary Vaughn and had difficulty covering for the lovebirds. The lies will come out soon, and then there will be hell to pay.
As mentioned, I think Sweet Magnolias Season 3 has too many unnecessary characters.
I would have liked to see more of Mary Vaughn and her backstory instead of so many scenes with Noreen and the babies.
Allison Gabriel hoped they would have explored the reasons for Mary Vaughn’s rivalry with the Magnolias and delved deeper into her family drama. They whisked the Lewises away without explaining why.
Many fans were hoping Nellie and Kyle would get a second chance, but instead, it looks like he has a secret admirer. Moving to Castlewood hurts Nellie and Jackson more than it affects her rivals or the community of Serenity.
What made this fight even more devastating was only hours before, the ladies were toasting their friendship and considering beginning a new business venture.
Creating a foundation to assist people seems like something the Magnolias would do.
Dana Sue: As long as you two are a part of it.
Maddie: Happily.
Helen: Indeed.
Dana Sue has always been passionate about feeding the community, and Helen enjoys helping the community. Hopefully, we’ll get to see the foundation get used before the end of the season.
These women are the epitome of Serenity, so it was no surprise that Annie craved a friendship like theirs.
Almost everyone had some decent points in this fight, and these accusations ran deep. This isn’t the type of disagreement that blows over in a day or two.
Things were said that the women couldn’t take back. The thing about sisters is they don’t hold back with tough love, and the Magnolias are practically sisters.
Maddie wanted to share all the lessons she had learned now that she and Cal were happier, but this wasn’t the appropriate time.
Sometimes, when you love someone, it’s difficult to watch them make a mistake, and that’s how Maddie and Dana Sue felt watching Helen with Ryan.
What was ironic was that earlier in the evening, Helen defended her friends to Ryan when he felt like every action was under a microscope.
Living in a small town, everyone is up in your business, and it’s worse when your two best friends know everything about you.
While Helen claimed she waited forever for this second chance with Ryan, it also seemed like she wanted to prove they could be happy to the world.
Helen couldn’t bear to be wrong this time. She does love Ryan, and she’d given up too much, so instead,d she lashed out at the people she loved and trusted most.
“On This Foundation” ended unexpectedly. The Magnolias have never fought like that. They should have been toasting their new venture, not questioning Helen’s every move.
Which Magnolia did you agree with? Was Maddie too outspoken, or does Helen have the right to date whomever she pleases?
What is Kathy’s next move against Dana Sue? Do you have any compassion for her as Ryan did?
Chime in below.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
Tensions were high at Annie's 16th birthday
The first single from Travis Scott’s upcoming “Utopia” album is packing a lot of star power. Streaming juggernauts Bad Bunny and the Weeknd join Scott on “Kpop,” the racy new track that officially marks Scott’s post-Astroworld comeback.
Scott officially announced a collaboration with Bad Bunny and the Weeknd (“Flame, Abe, Benito,” Scott captioned the single’s announcement post) on July 19 but both of Scott’s guests had been teasing their involvement in his new album for months. The Weeknd and Bad Bunny were seen photographed with a briefcase emblazoned with the title of Scott’s upcoming album “Utopia.” Mike Dean was also seen with the suitcase in hand before he confirmed his participation via social media with a photo of the album’s masters. (Dean also posted a teaser for “Kpop.”)
This marks Bad Bunny’s first time working with both artists (however, Scott did remix Bad Bunny’s “Krippy Kush” in 2017) though Scott and the Weeknd have previously joined forces on numerous tracks including “Pray 4 Love” and “Skeletons,” among others.
“Kpop” is the first single off Scott’s upcoming album and follows “Down in Atlanta,” featuring Pharrell Williams, and “Ring Ring,” with Chase B. Scott also had features on both Don Toliver and Trippie Redd’s last albums. Scott hasn’t released an album of original material since 2019’s “Jackboys.”
The hiatus was a result of Scott’s 2021 Astroworld tragedy — his music festival in Houston that left 10 people dead and numerous others with injuries. A grand Jury in Houston made the ruling in June that Scott and festival organizers were relieved of criminal charges relating to the deaths.
“Utopia” is already available for pre-order but no release date has been confirmed. Scott will also be presumably previewing the album during a live stream event in partnership with Live Nation that is said to celebrate “the world of Utopia” at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt on July 28. Earlier this week, rumors were swirling that Egypt’s Musicians’ Syndicate was blocking the event from happening though the claim has been debunked by Live Nation.
The first single from Travis Scott’s upcoming
“Well, you know what they say, that’s life in L.A. Everybody is filming something.” At least, that’s what writer-director Brian Feeney says in Night Terror. The short film focuses on Tom (Jaz Martin) and his significant other, Jess (Alice Borcean). That particular line is spoken after they spot someone recording their new rental through the window.
They’re Londoners in Los Angeles for the weekend and are being given a tour by the prim and proper owner of the property. Is the weekend house a great find, or is something else at play? The answer is obvious, as Jess and Tom’s first night in the house doesn’t quite go as planned. I probably wouldn’t go in for a place that was under surveillance upon my entry, but hey, to each their own, right?
“…they spot someone recording their new rental through the window.”
Night Terror is a horror short that plays upon our natural uneasiness when scoping out a new place. Feeney’s film is akin to a flash fiction adaptation of Michael Haneke’s Funny Games. It’s definitely creepy in spots, but we’re left with more questions than answers. The film feels like a set-up to a larger, feature-length home invasion drama. All the basic pieces are in place, but we simply don’t have the time to get to the “why” of it all.
The overall execution of the action works well, putting aside some minor quibbles with interior lighting. Still, I couldn’t help but wish there was more to grasp onto in Night Terror, as even films under 7 minutes need a sense of resolution. But the juice is ultimately worth the squeeze as everyone should have the time for a quick horror experience in the age of Airbnb and short-term vacation rentals. Stay at your own risk.
“Well, you know what they say, that’s
Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros unleashed a long bomb to show that he had solved the Edmonton Elks’ defence in the second half of a 28-14 win Thursday.
After Winnipeg was held to six points in the first half, Collaros threw a sudden, 70-yard strike to a wide-open slotback Nic Demski for a 16-7 lead in front of 28,512 fans at IG Field
“For us to be able to pick ourselves up in the second half was huge,” said Collaros, who completed 20 of 24 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception.
“I thought we really set the tone, physically, and with some big plays we were able to separate. We took care of business in the end.”
The Blue Bombers, who were upset by the Ottawa Redblacks last week, improved to 5-2.
Winnipeg hasn’t lost two regular-season games in a row since the end of 2021.
The desperate Elks extended their losing streak to seven straight.
Collaros also threw a six-yard touchdown pass to slotback Rasheed Bailey.
Backup quarterback Dakota Prukop added a two-yard touchdown run.
Placekicker Sergio Castillo converted two of three convert attempts and kicked field goals of 46 and 21 yards.
“It’s always good to win at home and that’s what you’re supposed to do,” Collaros said. “Our crowd was amazing. For us to be able to pick ourselves up in the second half was huge.
“I thought we really set the tone there early on and with some big plays, we were able to separate.
“The defence played extremely well all night long and we were able to take care of business there at the end.”
The Blue Bombers also scored a safety touch when Edmonton quarterback Taylor Cornelius was called for grounding the ball in the end zone.
Cornelius completed 17 of 29 passes for 220 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown toss to wide receiver Dillon Mitchell, but was intercepted twice.
“I thought we played a better game than what we’ve shown in the past,” Cornelius said. “It’s still not the result that we want, by any means. I mean, they’re a good football team, but we feel like we have the guys in our locker room to do special things and we’re still not there yet.”
Edmonton’s Dean Faithfull kicked field goals of 28 and 30 yards and added a convert. Punter Jake Julien added a 54-yard single.
Cornelius ran rampant in the first half, but was stymied in the last two quarters.
“They were just bringing a lot more zero blitzes and things like that to make us get the ball out of our hands quick,” said Cornelius, who finished with 57 rushing yards.
“And there were different stunts and things like that up front.”
The Elks were encouraged by a 6-6 score at halftime.
“We’ve just got to play a complete game,” said Edmonton defensive lineman Jake Ceresna. “There were a couple of plays out there defensively that we’d like to have back, but we’ve just got to go look at the film, correct that and make sure that we don’t make the same mistakes going forward.
“Every one of our games this year, we’ve been in the game at halftime. It really seems like the end of the third quarter, start of the fourth quarter that games go bad, so we’ve just got to look at ourselves in the mirror and fix that.”
LAWLER RETURN
After missing the first six games of the season while suspended due to immigration issues, Bombers wide receiver Kenny Lawler caught seven passes for 93 yards, including one circus catch, in his season debut.
“It’s a credit to him that he stayed in shape and stayed with it,” Winnipeg head coach Mike O’Shea said. “It’s not easy. The emotional roller-coaster, the strain on his head, wondering when this was going to happen and just trying to stay with it.
“I would imagine you’d find some sanity in training hard, making sure you are ready when that chance comes.”
STREAK SNAPPED
Castillo missing a 45-yard field-goal attempt late in the first half snapped his streak of 13 made this season, and 23 straight going back to last season.
He also missed a convert attempt.
UP NEXT
Winnipeg heads into a bye week before hosting the B.C. Lions on Aug. 3. The Elks are at home to the Lions on July 29.
Jim Bender, The Canadian Press
Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros unleashed
Kevin Mitnick, who at the dawn of widespread internet usage in the mid-1990s became the nation’s archetypal computer hacker — obsessive but clever, shy but mischievous and threatening to an uncertain degree — and who later used his skills to become “chief hacking officer” of a cybersecurity firm, died on Sunday in Pittsburgh. He was 59.
Kathy Wattman, a spokeswoman for the cybersecurity company he partly owned, KnowBe4, said the cause was pancreatic cancer.
Described by The New York Times in 1995 as “the nation’s most wanted computer outlaw,” Mr. Mitnick was a fugitive for more than two years.
He was sought for gaining illegal access to about 20,000 credit card numbers, including some belonging to Silicon Valley moguls; causing millions of dollars in damage to corporate computer operations; and stealing software used for maintaining the privacy of wireless calls and handling billing information.
Ultimately, he was caught and spent five years in prison. Yet no evidence emerged that Mr. Mitnick used the files he had stolen for financial gain. He would later defend his activities as a high stakes but, in the end, harmless form of play.
“Anyone who loves to play chess knows that it’s enough to defeat your opponent,” he wrote in a 2011 memoir, “Ghost in the Wires.” “You don’t have to loot his kingdom or seize his assets to make it worthwhile.”
At the time of Mr. Mitnick’s capture, in February 1995, the computer age was still young; Windows 95 had not yet been released. The Mitnick Affair drove a fretful international conversation not just about hacking, but also about the internet itself.
“As a media celebrity, the internet is now seriously overexposed,” the Times columnist Frank Rich complained in March 1995, blaming the hoopla surrounding Mr. Mitnick.
Mr. Mitnick’s most spectacular crimes were his attempts to evade capture by the authorities. In 1993, he gained control of phone systems in California that enabled him to wiretap the F.B.I. agents pursuing him and confuse their efforts to track him. At one point they raided what they thought was Mr. Mitnick’s home, only to find there a Middle Eastern immigrant watching TV.
On another occasion, using a radio scanner and software, Mr. Mitnick discovered that F.B.I. agents were closing in on him. He fled his apartment, and when the authorities arrived, they found a box of doughnuts waiting for them.
Mr. Mitnick ran into trouble on Christmas Day 1994, when he stole emails from a fellow hacker named Tsutomu Shimomura and taunted him. When he learned of the attack, Mr. Shimomura suspended a cross-country ski trip he was on and volunteered to help track down Mr. Mitnick.
What The Times called a “duel on the net” ensued. Mr. Mitnick was the amoral savant, praising the tech skills of his adversary, while Mr. Shimomura was the freelance gunslinger with a conscience, accusing Mr. Mitnick of violating the codes of the online community.
“This kind of behavior is unacceptable,” he told The Times.
Mr. Shimomura, using software he had designed that reconstructed a user’s computer sessions, along with cellphone scanning equipment, proceeded to locate Mr. Mitnick.
Mr. Mitnick was finally captured by the F.B.I. and charged with the illegal use of a telephone access device and computer fraud. “He allegedly had access to corporate trade secrets worth millions of dollars,” Kent Walker, an assistant U.S. attorney in San Francisco, said at the time. “He was a very big threat.”
In 1998, while Mr. Mitnick awaited sentencing, a group of supporters commandeered The Times’s website for several hours, forcing it to shut down. A Times technology reporter, John Markoff, also became part of the imbroglio, reporting soon after the arrest that Mr. Mitnick had gained access to Mr. Markoff’s email as revenge for Mr. Markoff’s reporting on his activities.
Mr. Mitnick reached plea agreements in 1996 and 1999, which included pleading guilty to computer and wire fraud. He was released from prison in 2000 on the condition that he refrain from using a computer or cellphone for three years without the permission of his probation officer.
After leaving prison, Mr. Mitnick read out a statement of self-defense. “My crimes were simple crimes of trespass,” he said. “My case is a case of curiosity.”
Kevin David Mitnick was born in the Van Nuys section of Los Angeles on Aug. 6, 1963, and grew up in that city. His parents, Alan Mitnick and Shelly Jaffee, divorced when he was 3 years old, and he was raised by his mother, a waitress.
Mr. Mitnick was a heavyset and lonely boy who, by the age of 12, had figured out how to freely ride the bus using a $15 punch card and blank tickets fished from a dumpster. In high school he developed an obsession with the inner workings of the switches and circuits of telephone companies. He pulled pranks at a high level, managing to program the home phone of someone he did not like so that each time the line was answered, a recording asked for a deposit of 25 cents.
He showed a willingness to violate the law flagrantly, breaking into a Pacific Bell office as a teenager and stealing technical manuals.
In the late 1980s, he was convicted twice of hacking into corporate computer systems, leading to time in prison and counseling for addiction to computers.
Yet Mr. Mitnick often took a surprisingly old-fashioned approach to high-tech thievery. He frequently impersonated authority figures over the phone and in email, persuading low-level company officials to hand over passwords that gave him access to secret information.
Mr. Mitnick’s first marriage, in his early 20s, ended quickly in divorce. In 2015, he met Kimberly Barry at a cybersecurity conference in Singapore, and the two soon began dating. They married last year, after he learned of his cancer diagnosis. She survives him and is pregnant with his first child.
The year Mr. Mitnick was released, The Times reported on an “unusual arrangement” in which he was hired by a California college he had “victimized” to consult on cybersecurity. Mr. Mitnick called it “hire the hacker.”
Now it is commonplace for hackers to find work by exposing the vulnerabilities of governments and corporations. KnowBe4, the company Mr. Mitnick partly owned, describes itself as “the provider of the world’s largest security awareness training.” The company says that a cybersecurity training curriculum that Mr. Mitnick designed is used by more than 60,000 organizations.
Writing in The New York Times Book Review about data privacy, the journalist and author Amy Webb in 2017 identified that once-hunted hacker with an epithet that would have baffled members of law enforcement and newspaper readers in the 1990s: “the internet security expert Kevin Mitnick.”
Livia Albeck-Ripka and Orlando Mayorquin contributed reporting.
Kevin Mitnick, who at the dawn of
Christopher Nolan, on the eve of the nationwide release of his blockbuster atomic bomb origin story “Oppenheimer,” said the specter of nuclear war is the “worst it’s ever been.”
Nolan, in an interview on MSNBC’s “The Beat with Ari Melber,” called it a “constant threat that is never going to go away and needs to be managed continually.”
“Oppenheimer” is a historical epic that tells the story of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb played by Cillian Murphy.
The word’s nuclear-powered nations have gone through many various phases of build up and draw down. After the nearly half-century Cold War ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the United States is again faced with the potential threat of a trio of unstable countries with nuclear capabilities or ambitions — Russia, North Korea and Iran.
Nolan added the threat of nuclear war should be “worried about and fought over continually.”
Watch video of Nolan’s take via MSNBC and Twitter below.
Christopher Nolan, on the eve of the
Annihilation, arguably one of the best sci-fi films of the 2010s, is now streaming on Netflix, which means if you missed it in theaters in 2018, you can finally rectify that sin. Filmmaker Alex Garland, who adapted the novel by Jeff VanderMeer, delivered impeccable vibes: Luscious green forests full of terrifying monsters, delicate flowers that…
‘Annihilation’ By Anna Menta Annihilation, arguably one of the best
AMC is abandoning plans to charge more for movie seats depending on their location. But higher prices for center-middle seats at theaters where AMC has been testing the concept will remain in effect this weekend, when “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” are expected to draw significant crowds.
AMC Entertainment, the world’s largest theater chain, said on Thursday that it would “pivot away” from a contentious initiative called Sightline, in which seats at evening screenings had three tiers of pricing, ending the long-held cinema custom of charging the same amount for any seat in a theater. (Discounts of $1 to $2 were offered for the neck-craning front row, increases of $1 to $2 were charged for the center-middle and the status quo remained for the rest.)
The concept was rolled out in March at theaters in New York, Illinois and Kansas to howls of protest from some moviegoers. AMC always labeled it as a test.
The experiment will end sometime in August, an AMC spokesman said. But the company plans to start a new trial involving front-row seats, which often go unsold. Later this year, AMC said it would pull out traditional front-row seats and replace them with “large, comfortable, lounge-style seating areas that will allow guests to lay all the way back.”
AMC and other theater chains, after steadily raising prices at their concession stands, have started to focus more intently on seats for revenue growth. Increasingly, for instance, multiplexes have been pushing customers toward premium-priced tickets for screenings that feature extra-extra-large screens or enhanced sound systems.
Adding to the pressure, attendance has still not recovered from the early pandemic, when many theaters were closed for months. So far this year, ticket sales are running roughly 20 percent behind the same period in 2019.
AMC said Sightline did not pan out as it had hoped. In particular, the company saw “little or no incremental lift in front-row attendance, even with a price reduction applied to those seats.” About three of every four customers who previously sat in center-middle seats paid the surcharge to continue doing so, AMC said. Some of those people moved to other seats. A small percentage stopped buying tickets at AMC.
Notably, competitors did not follow AMC in re-pricing seats, making the company less competitive in the test markets.
AMC’s plans to stop the initiative were reported earlier by Bloomberg News.
AMC is abandoning plans to charge more
Britney Spears is getting back to the music — again.
The Princess of Pop and her frequent collaborator, Will.i.am, have dropped a new single, “Mind Your Business,” which is the second song to be released after her 13-year conservatorship was terminated.
“Mind Your Business” marks the first reunion for Spears and Will.i.am since their triple-platinum hit “Scream & Shout” in 2012. One decade after that release, their song is still hitting milestones: earlier this year, “Scream & Shout” reached one billion views on YouTube.
“Mind Your Business” features Spears in what Epic Records describes as having an “enigmatic and captivating beat” with an “irresistible hook and infectious energy.” In a press release for the single from Will.i.am, the label says Spears’ “unmatched attitude and energy elevate the song to new heights.”
Will.i.am previously teased on social media that the track was coming, garnering excitement from fans — especially those who have been rooting for Spears, who was released from her conservatorship less than two years ago.
Speaking about the new single this week, Will.i.am praised Spears during an interview with CBS Mornings. “I’ve been a fan, friend and supporter of Britney throughout the years,” he said. “Supporter as far as a person that goes out and listens to her music, a support as far as somebody that’s there to help champion her through her times when she was fighting for her liberation. She is an amazing person.”
Epic Records
“Music is therapy for lots of people,” he said. “Dancing is therapy for lots of people… And when you have that connection with music and rhythm and song and melody and harmony, and you express yourself through that, it helps you with anything that you’re going through, and I see that every time I see her dance on her Instagram. I light up because I see how much she loves music. To collaborate with her now and then — when you’re in the studio and you’re making music, that’s the only thing that matters — so I see the same light, the same joy, the same love and passion.”
Describing the meaning of the song, “Mind Your Business,” Will.i.am said, “When you’re in the spotlight, a lot of times you just want to live your life. There are lyrics in the song that point to that… There is a thin line, and everyone deservers their version of privacy.”
Spears, of course, has been in the spotlight most of her life — first on Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club, and then becoming a household name with her breakout hit “Baby One More Time,” which was released in 1998 when she was a teenager, shooting her into global superstardom.
Spears’ last full-length studio album, “Glory,” was released in 2016. Her duet with Elton John, “Hold Me Closer,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard dance and electronic chart last year, and became Spears’ 14th top-10 single on the Billboard Hot 100, bringing the pop star into rare territory as only the 12th artist to have top-10 achievements across four decades.
Will.i.am, the frontman of the Black Eyed Peas and a Grammy-winning producer as well as artist, recently marked his solo comeback after a decade with “The Formula” featuring Lil Wayne. Will.i.am is expected to release his fifth solo album soon, per Epic.
As for Spears, new music isn’t the only thing coming from the pop icon. She recently announced she will be releasing a memoir, “The Woman In Me,” this October.
Britney Spears is getting back to the music
Brie Larson engaged in dancing for the first time in the MCU as Carol Danvers starred in the latest trailer for The Marvels.
While Larson will share the spotlight with both Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan in this anticipated MCU sequel, Captain Marvel 2 will give Carol Danvers new challenges of her own to face, including a potential romantic love interest.
This will come in the form of Park Seo-Joon’s Prince Yan, who Captain Marvel 2 producer Mary Livanos confirmed to be an “ally to Carol” as she blasts through the galaxy on her next solo outing.
Marvel Studios officially released the second full trailer for The Marvels, highlighting Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers in a romantic dancing sequence.
Larson is seen being dipped by South Korean star Park Seo-Joon’s Prince Yan as they dance with one another in the middle of a massive party.
Prince Yan will seemingly have an important part to play as Captain Marvel’s “husband” in Captain Marvel 2, which is also a role he had in the pages of Marvel Comics.
The full trailer can be seen below:
Besides finding herself in a romantic entanglement in Captain Marvel 2, the upcoming movie will be Brie Larson’s first true return to the spotlight in the Multiverse Saga after two separate cameos in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Ms. Marvel.
She’ll have to work through the new challenge of her powers being entangled with both Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan’s, all while forming relationships with both characters as they come together as a team.
They’ll have a terrifying new challenge to face in Zawe Ashton’s Kree leader Dar Benn, who will look to follow up on Ronan the Accuser’s efforts as Carol Danvers once again finds herself face-to-face with the Kree Empire.
And even with plenty of details already teased for fans in this highly-anticipated sequel, Captain Marvel 2 has plenty more secrets to unlock as it looks to serve as a key piece to the entire Multiverse Saga.
The Marvels is set to debut in theaters on November 10.
A new Blue Beetle trailer makes it clear about the movie’s DC Universe setting as the rebooted Superman is name-dropped. As the DCEU comes to an end this year, James Gunn’s new DC Universe is getting a little early push this year, thanks to Blue Beetle. While Jaime Reyes’ solo film may not have been designed from the start to fit into a new franchise, Blue Beetle will factor into what DC Studios is building over the next couple of years.
Like most superhero films, it has already been established Blue Beetle will have a few DC Easter eggs here and there. In fact, Batman was referenced in the first Blue Beetle movie trailer. However, it appears a different Justice League member will also be mentioned, as a new Blue Beetle trailer (via @DCVerso1) references another DC icon.
During the Blue Beetle trailer, Jaime is experimenting with the scarab as he is trying to learn how to fly. As he is trying to get himself amped up, Jaime ends up saying, “Superman can fly,” making it the first time the Man of Steel has been referenced in this film.
In a clever way, Blue Beetle is setting up the new DC Universe, despite it never being the original purpose. One of the key details that Gunn has revealed about his new franchise is superheroes are established and active in this continuity, hence the premise of Superman: Legacy, which will follow a younger version of Clark Kent, who is already a costumed savior. With Blue Beetle having now mentioned both Batman and Superman, it wouldn’t be shocking if other DC heroes planned for the new franchise get alluded to throughout the story.
Blue Beetle can essentially be looked at as a soft prologue to Gunn’s DC Universe Chapter 1, “Gods and Monsters,” or, to use comic book terms, issue #0, to the larger universe. It may not have direct setup for projects like Superman: Legacy, The Brave and The Bold, or some of the Max shows, including Lanterns, but it’s basically a little taste of this particular corner of DC Studios’ new continuity. What also helps Blue Beetle with its DC references and name-drops is that it never shows the audience anything visually, thus avoiding conflict with the DC Universe later on once they have more actors cast and costumes designed.
With less than a month to go, time will tell how Blue Beetle does both critically and commercially, especially after The Flash movie bombed at the box office. What will be interesting to see after Blue Beetle is how and where Jaime shows up next in Gunn’s DC Universe. Hopefully, as Blue Beetle arrives in a few weeks, Warner Bros. Discovery will finally be able to get a superhero victory as they get ready for the new DC Universe.
Source: @DCVerso1/Twitter
A new Blue Beetle trailer makes it
The Federal Trade Commission’s case against Microsoft’s intended acquisition of Activision-Blizzard is slowing down, after it announced it would be suspending its in-house lawsuit. As reported by The Verge, the administrative challenge that was set to go before its own administrative judge in August has been suspended.
In addition to its own lawsuit, the FTC also filed for a temporary restraining order while seeking a preliminary injunction that would keep Microsoft from closing its deal to purchase Activision-Blizzard. The injunction was denied by a US district court, and further appeals by the FTC also failed.
After the district court ruled that the FTC failed to raise any strong points in its objection to Microsoft’s deal, it’s unlikely its own in-house judge would have reached a different conclusion. Microsoft’s case against the FTC’s objections has also been strengthened since it signed a deal with Sony guaranteeing that Call Of Duty would be made available on PlayStation consoles for the next ten years. It’s possible that the FTC could re-file its administrative challenge, however.
Microsoft recently renegotiated its deal with Activision-Blizzard to extend the deadline for the purchase to October 18. The largest remaining hurdle for Microsoft to clear in making this deal is the block put in place by the UK’s CMA, which the two parties are currently negotiating.
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.
Mission: Impossibleis a franchise that runs high on expectations not only from audiences but from the man at the helm of the entire series: Tom Cruise.
Unlike franchises likeFast & Furious orJurassic World, the Mission: Impossible films have stayed relatively the same, providing excellent action scenes, beautiful locations, and melancholy character development that leaves Cruise’s Ethan Hunt more and more haunted. This consistency is largely credited to writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, who has written and directed the last four Mission: Impossible films.
However, McQuarrie wasn’t always there to lead the way for Hunt and the Impossible Mission Force. Brain de Palma, the American auteur who mentored Wes Anderson, kicked off the franchise with a gaudy, hyper-stylized, and tension-filled film based on the original TV series. Robert Towne, who wrote Roman Polanski’s Chinatown, tossed the original series to the side for a new story that drew in old and new audiences to the cinema. It was a hit, and a sequel was immediately ordered.
While John Woo’s film is largely forgotten and deemed the weakest entry in the franchise, ScreenRant discovered that Oliver Stone’s rejected take on the project was much, much wilder. How wild was it? Let’s get into it.
Oliver Stone’s Rejected ’Mission: Impossible’ Movie
‘Mission: Impossible II’
Paramount Pictures
In their Mission: Impossible fan podcastLight The Fuse, host Charles Hood and Drew Taylor go into an in-depth breakdown of an early draft for Stone’s planned sequel. Written by David Marconi with revisions by Michael Tolkin, the film saw the return of characters from the first film and an evil supercomputer as the primary villain.
The script, which can only be viewed by appointment at the Ron Moore Collection at the Cinematic Arts Library at the University of Southern California, the early Mission: Impossible II outline was disjointed, leaving readers confused as transitions from each act are jarring and unnatural.
Marconi’s script opens with a scene that is familiar to Mission: Impossible audiences: during a prison fight, Ethan escapes to Vietnam while following the trail of the movie’s antagonist, who seems to be in league with a supercomputer with an appetite for world domination.
Things get stranger as the events of act two play out. At one point, the IMF headquarters in Rome is destroyed and Ethan fakes his own death at an airport in Denver. However, Ethan is then later captured and kept inside an experimental chamber named the Evolution Room where he begins to hallucinate about an escape plan attempted by Luther, which turns out to be an elaborate ploy for information extraction.
Ethan ends up hallucinating that he is in the Garden of Eden, where he encounters the Child of the Millennium and debates the nature of reality. Ethan ends up defeating the child, who transforms into a man and then a monster, because of a psychological epiphany that ends the simulation.
There is a lot happening in this film that would have been a huge misstep for the narrative established in the first film Yes, Ethan is an insanely impressive secret agent who almost defies the laws of physics to complete his mission, but he is still a man who needs his team. These are films about trust. To throw away that trust in favor of a biblical fight in the mind feels pointless at the end of the day. Would it have been cool to see it? Of course, but that’s not what this franchise wanted to be.
If we ever get our hands on the script, it would be cool to see where the script shined the brightest and what parts were the ultimate downfall of Stone’s and Marconi’s screenplay.
Do you think Oliver Stone’s pitch for the second film would have been a success or tanked the blossoming franchise? Let us know in the comments below!
Mission: Impossibleis a franchise that runs high
Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani are ready to kick ass in “The Marvels.”
Marvel Studios has released a new trailer for “The Marvels,” the sequel to 2019’s “Captain Marvel.” The film will star Larson in her longstanding role of Carol Danvers while Parris and Vellani make their Marvel Cinematic Universe theatrical debuts, reprising their respective roles of Captain Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel.
Building on the film’s first trailer, the latest teaser gives Marvel fans a look of what’s to come for the female-led supergroup. Carol, Monica and Kamala are forced to band together after their powers become interwoven, swapping into one another’s places when their powers are activated. There’s also a better look at Samuel L. Jackson’s return as Nick Fury and Zawe Ashton’s villain, Dar-Benn, who is intent on destroying several worlds.
Parris first appeared in the Disney+ series “WandaVision,” playing Monica, the daughter of Carol’s late friend, Maria Rambeau (played by Lashana Lynch in “Captain Marvel”). Vellani starred in the Disney+ series “Ms. Marvel” as the Captain Marvel super-fan, Kamala.
“The Marvels” is the next entry in Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which kicked off earlier this year with “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and continued with “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.”
Nia DaCosta directs “The Marvels,” which is slated for a Nov. 10 release. DaCosta is the first Black woman and fourth woman to direct a film in the MCU. DaCosta co-wrote the screenplay with Megan McDonnell, Elissa Karasik and Zeb Wells.
Watch the new trailer below.
Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani
Sure, plain, old-fashioned sex is great, but when you add the best sex toys for couples to the mix, everything just gets better. If you’ve already got a drawer packed with the best vibrators, you know that a bit of buzz can lead to fireworks in the bedroom—but that’s just the beginning for partnered play, according to sex experts.
Sex toys for couples allow you the chance to experiment with different positions and explore new sensations or fantasies you might enjoy, explains Elana Gottfried, a clinical psychotherapist and certified sex therapist. As you expand your horizons, you might find that you enjoy sex—all forms of it, from foreplay to mutual masturbation to intercourse—more and more. In fact, “without toys, most of us will never experience the maximum potential of our orgasms,” explains Evan Goldstein, MD, founder and CEO of Bespoke Surgical, a health practice specializing in gay men’s sexual health. Who doesn’t want that?
Some people might feel “intimidated or shameful” about using toys in the bedroom because they think it means they aren’t good enough at sex, Dr. Goldstein continues. “Because of the stigma, communication is key,” so breach the subject carefully and when you’re both in a good mood. Who knows? Your partner may have the same desires you do, even if they seem unreceptive.
As Good Vibrations staff sexologist Carol Queen, PhD, tells Glamour, any toy can be a couples toy. But if you want something tailored to the experience of partnered sex, she says, you should specifically look for wearables, including penis rings and dual-ended vibrators, that are designed to stay in place. These options make great investments because they allow both partners to enjoy heightened sensations without being taken out of the moment—no awkward adjusting or positioning necessary. Consider these types of couples vibrators, too:
Oh, and before you get started, make sure you’re stocked up on personal lubricant to keep things frictionless. We asked sex therapists, educators, and our very own toy testers to share the couples sex toys they love most. From G-spot vibrators to remote-controlled toys, reviewers and pros say these are the best of the best. (And yep, you can totally use them alone whenever your partner is away.)
Sure, plain, old-fashioned sex is great, but
Just saw Joy Ride in theaters? Why not throw it back to another girls trip comedy and stream Bridesmaids next? The classic Paul Feig film follows an eclectic bridal party that’s up to no good, whether they’re destroying wedding dresses or getting trashed on a plane. The movie holds up just as well in 2023 as it did way back in 2011, when we first met the messy Annie (Kristen Wiig) and the uptight Helen (Rose Byrne). Of course, it’s really Melissa McCarthy who steals the show with her portrayal of Megan, who ensured that we would never look at a bathroom sink the same way again.
Photo: Everett Collection
By Greta Bjornson Just saw Joy Ride in theaters?
With great power comes great responsibility — unless you’re a vampire on “What We Do in the Shadows.” There in the recesses of Staten Island, great power yields great irresponsibility, great hubris and a great amount of hair-brained schemes involving body swaps, space flights, and sunburn. “You only live once,” Lazslo (Matt Berry) says in Season 5, Episode 3 — and while he’s not wrong, he’s risking centuries of life.
In “Pride Parade,” written by Jake Bender & Zach Dunn and directed by Yana Gorskaya, the vampires become local heroes in Sean’s (Anthony Atamanuik) campaign for comptroller and the centerpiece of his bid for the LGBTQ vote. In typical “WWDITS” fashion, everyone is thrilled with the attention, only to sideline the event with their own personal chaos until episode’s end.
Now in the know about Guillermo’s latent vampirism, Laszlo chooses not to kill Guillermo or out him to Nandor (Kayvan Novak), but to instead use him as a guinea pig (Gizmo pig?) to test what he really knows about vampires. Far from vengeful and bloodthirsty, it would seem Lazslo is in fact completely on board. As IndieWire’s Ben Travers noted in his review of the season, Laszlo pairs well with just about anyone on this show, betraying that beneath his cocky exterior he contains untold depths of compassion. The vampire tests distract Guillermo from his troubling fate (both as a familiar and a being between states of living) and provide for a densely-packed montage of hilarious gags (“Strip off, cock ahoy, and get on the running machine. I need three gallons of your sweat for science”).
As it always goes with Guillermo, Nandor doesn’t care until he does. After growing to unexpectedly cherish his familiar over the years, he detests watching Laszlo steal him away for science. On any other sitcom, the bit would be that Nandor is jealous, denying it, and acting out to get Guillermo’s attention. On “What We Do in the Shadows,” Nandor admits his feelings directly to camera, and then takes everything up a notch by flying to outer space and looking outrageously comical in GoPro footage. Berry might be on his MVP run, but Novak gives him a run for his money with potent one-liners throughout the episode, from his abject bloodlust in the cold open (“Identify your opponents and then slaughter them in their sleep!”) to his ongoing feud with a bird (“I’m not speaking to Matthew at the moment”).
Not to be outdone in risk or fuckery, Nadja (Natasha Demetrious) and her dolly decide to switch bodies. I would now like to confess my personal undying love for the doll with the spirit of deceased human Nadja inhabiting it. I have adored her since her Season 2 debut and am delighted to see that, based on her increased appearance in the show, I am not alone (it also helps that Season 5 isn’t preoccupied with the financial and logistical toll of grafting Mark Proksch’s head onto the bodies of dancing children). I am 100% on dolly’s side when it comes to the way that vampire Nadja treated her, and I support her impulse to even the score by spending a day in Nadja’s body in order to experience carnal pleasure.
But I digress.
Demetriou makes a meal in the best way possible of the opportunities for physical comedy — which she already excels at — by falling over her limbs and flirting obscenely at the restaurant (she also does a killer Colin Robinson impression). The decision for dolly-in-Nadja’s-vampire-body to have sex with Colin Robinson (Proksch) couldn’t be more perfect, and not just because it pays off the moment in Episode 1 where he ostensibly inspected her butt (it was consensual?!). These two have rarely paired together throughout the series — Nadja is quick clarify that they aren’t friends — but their twisted hijinks feel as natural as any other combination in the episode.
“Pride Parade” puts all the vampires in situations that might actually kill them — or worse. Laszlo steps into the sun, Nadja separates from her body, and Nandor exit’s the Earth’s atmosphere (vampire flesh is not built for that environment, even if you don’t need oxygen), and none of them bats (heh) an eye over the risk. The episode presents various vampire myths and truths — they need to count spilled grains of rice, they maybe shouldn’t lose socks or shoes in a river — but what bands the Staten Island crew together in this installment is that no matter how long they’ve lived, they’re completely at peace with no longer existing — or were perhaps too wrapped up in their own narcissism to even think that far ahead.
“What We Do in the Shadows” airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. on FX and Fridays on Hulu.
With great power comes great responsibility —
No surprise then that the most expressive element in “Here Lies Love” (along with Clint Ramos’s costumes, which also move beautifully) is the choreography by Annie-B Parson. Based on small hand gestures and large traffic patterns, it suggests a fuller spectrum of human engagement than the otherwise narrowly focused and sometimes mechanical production achieves.
Is it wrong to seek that engagement more fully? (Or as Imelda sings: “Is it a sin to love too much?”) For most of its 90 intermission-less minutes, “Here Lies Love” finesses the question, preferring to be treated as anything — an art object, a dance party — besides what it is. In that way, it recalls Byrne’s Broadway concert “American Utopia,” on which Timbers and Parson also collaborated. But that show, which had no story, needed only to be sleek and enjoyable to score its points.
“Here Lies Love” bets that glamour can make up for narrative — or, rather, that in a show about the dangers of political demagogy, glamour itself is the narrative. It’s a case of form follows function into the fire. We are drawn to cultural and political excitement in much the same, often dangerous way.
Perhaps the irony of making a musical about that is more viscerally appreciable down on the dance floor. It was for me at the Public, where almost everyone had to stand and be part of the story, not observers of it. (There were only 42 seats.) And perhaps, 10 years later, with our own politics looking a lot more like the Marcoses’, no one can afford to keep a distance.
In any case, on Broadway, it’s not until the gorgeous last song, “God Draws Straight,” that the material matches the movement in a way that reaches the balcony. Led by Moses Villarama, and based on comments by eyewitnesses to the peaceful 1986 revolution, it acknowledges the moral superiority of its real heroes — the Philippine people — in the only way a musical can: by giving it beautiful voice. Finally, it’s OK to applaud.
Here Lies Love
At the Broadway Theater, Manhattan; herelieslovebroadway.com. Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes.
No surprise then that the most expressive
Imelda Marcos demands to know, near the end of “Here Lies Love,” why we don’t love her. The unlikely belle of this propulsive and glittering ball, from musicians David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, is perched in the front mezzanine of the radically transformed Broadway Theatre, where the immersive musical opened on Thursday night. The answer to her question seems all too obvious.
In the world of “Here Lies Love” — a title that refers to the convicted former first lady’s desired epitaph — Marcos is addressing the Filipino people, over whom she ruled alongside president-turned-dictator Ferdinand Marcos until they were airlifted out of the country in 1986, after two decades of corruption, scandal and human rights abuses.
To the show’s American audiences, many of whom may be learning of the Marcos’ regime for the first time, the character of Imelda (played by Arielle Jacobs) is not a power-hungry, multidimensional world leader. She is rather a high-gloss glamazon in a vibrant, infectious and surface-skimming summation of Philippine history — one that distracts from disturbing details with seductive beats and eye-popping dazzle.
No wonder the production, directed by Alex Timbers (“Moulin Rouge”), is such an extreme sensory feat, unlike any attempted before on Broadway. Ground-floor seats have been removed in David Korins’ total-makeover set design; patrons who opt to stay on their feet maneuver around a rotating, cross-shaped runway that ferries actors between peripheral platforms. Second-level seating offers a ringside view for the first few rows, though audiences in the cavernous rear mezzanine are far flung, especially from the recessed proscenium. Discotheque lighting by Justin Townsend is a whirligig of Barbie-pinks and tropical blues.
Imelda’s affection for beauty and love are espoused early in the score (which features additional music by Tom Gandey and José Luis Pardo), in anthems suffused with romantic nostalgia. A small-town beauty queen with an eager heart, Imelda heads to Manila, where she has a brief fling with the future opposition leader Ninoy Aquino (Conrad Ricamora, on charm offensive) before being swept into a rapid engagement to the young senator Marcos (Jose Llana, all simmer and swagger), eventually adding a touch of elegance to his presidential campaign. (A historical overview inserted in the program serves as a thorough plot summary.)
Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s sung-through score is the star of the 90-minute production, a hypnotic churn of synth beats, funky rhythms and pop momentum that aims squarely for the pelvis. Those not already gyrating around the orchestra may welcome occasional commands from the hype man and DJ (Moses Villarama) to rise up and raise the roof. Still, the show suffers from its decision to forgo live instrumentals for recorded tracks, a move that sparked controversy and a compromise with the musicians’ union. Despite sporadic accompaniment by hand-held drums and an acoustic finale, the score’s sizzle and innovation feel dampened and held at distance, even at rock-concert volume.
The ingenuity that Bryne demonstrated in “American Utopia,” an astute compilation of existing hits into a treatise on democracy, is unevenly expressed here. Though their dynamic musicianship is undeniable, it’s hardly clear what the creators make of the Marcos’ fraught legacy. According to the script, many of the show’s lyrics are drawn from its historical figures’ public remarks. But the Marcos’ words have been artfully assembled here without a coherent or critical point of view about their politics or public personas. The pair’s duplicity and alleged wrongdoings are distilled into mere headlines, in projection design by Peter Nigrini.
If there is a censorious edge to the show’s depiction of Imelda, it’s tough to discern through the wistful, rose-tinted lens it applies to her coming of age and its trippy, kaleidoscopic treatment of her rise to power. There’s a precedent in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Evita” for giving a dictator’s wife the pop-rock treatment. But “Here Lies Love” banks on brevity and formal innovation, forgoing scripted scenes at the expense of factual details and character development.
Jacobs gives a lovely performance as Imelda, but does not compensate in charisma what the role lacks in depth. Others who seem more worthy of sympathy include the unseen dead victims of the Marcos’ mostly unspecified crimes, and the Aquinos — Ricamora’s speak-truth-to-power Ninoy, and his mother, Aurora, played in an arresting 11-o’clock cameo by Lea Salonga (a co-producer on the show and Tony winner for “Miss Saigon”), delivering a haunting ode to her assassinated son.
There is a welcome air of celebration around “Here Lies Love” as an unprecedented showcase of Filipino culture. But glorifying its subject is an uneasy proposition that the production hasn’t managed to reconcile. In the years since “Here Lies Love” was originally produced off Broadway at the Public Theater in 2013, Imelda’s son, Bongbong Marcos, has been elected president amid controversy over his attempts to rehabilitate the family name. America, too, has since fallen under the shadow of a strongman of relentless ego.
A brief coda aims to suggest that the show is conscious of this geopolitical context — that its mirrorball rave has been a warning all along. But if audiences at “Here Lies Love” are meant to represent the body politic, what does it mean that this descent into fascism feels like such a blast?
Imelda Marcos demands to know, near the
Britain’s governing Conservative Party suffered crushing defeats in the race for what had been two safe seats in Parliament, but narrowly avoided losing a third contest in results early Friday for by-elections, a critical test of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s popularity.
The small, centrist Liberal Democrats party won an emphatic victory in the electoral district of Somerton and Frome, in the southwest of England, overturning a big majority for the Tories. The Liberal Democrats received 21,187 votes, and the Conservatives 10,790
The main opposition Labour Party also won in Selby and Ainsty, in Yorkshire in the north of England, in one of its biggest ever by-election victories, overturning a large Conservative majority and winning 16,456 votes to the Tories’ 12,295.
But there was better news for Mr. Sunak in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, in the northwestern fringes of London, where his Conservatives narrowly held on against Labour in the district that had been represented by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. There, the final count was 13,965 votes for Steve Tuckwell of the Conservative Party, and 13,470 for Labour’s Danny Beales.
By-elections happen when a seat in the House of Commons becomes vacant between general elections. In the British system, every elected lawmaker represents a district, so when they quit, those voters decide who will succeed them.
For Mr. Sunak, the by-elections were a possible foretaste of the general election that he must call by January 2025.
Because the voting occurred in very different parts of England, it provided an unusual snapshot of public opinion ahead of the general election. It also captured several trends that have run through British politics since the last general election in 2019, when Mr. Johnson’s Conservative won a landslide victory.
Uxbridge and South Ruislip is the sort of seat that Labour has needed to win to prove that it is credibly closing in on power. Its failure to do so was attributed by the victorious Conservative candidate, Mr. Tuckwell, to public anger toward the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, a Labour member, for his plans to extend a costly ultralow emission zone across all of London’s boroughs, including Uxbridge.
While the result could raise questions about Labour’s ability to win the next general election, the scale of the defeat in Somerton and Frome will most likely alarm Conservative lawmakers who are under pressure in some of the party’s heartland districts in the south of England.
The defeat in Selby and Ainsty was also a big blow to the Tories in a very different part of the country, and will buoy Labour’s spirits.
With Britain besieged by high inflation, a stagnating economy and widespread labor unrest, his Conservatives face a real threat of being thrown out of power for the first time in 14 years.
While Britain shares some of these economic woes with other countries in the wake of the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Conservatives amplified the problems through policy missteps and political turmoil that peaked in the brief, stormy tenure of Mr. Sunak’s predecessor, Liz Truss.
She proposed sweeping but unfunded tax cuts that alarmed the financial markets and triggered her own downfall after on 44 days in office. Mr. Sunak shelved Ms. Truss’s trickle-down agenda and restored Britain’s fiscal stability. But her legacy has been a poisoned chalice for Mr. Sunak and his Tory compatriots with much of the British electorate.
“The Liz Truss episode really dented their reputation for economic competence, and that will be very hard to win back,” said Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London. “It’s going to be very difficult.”
So convincing is the Labour Party’s lead in opinion polls that some analysts predicted in advance that Mr. Sunak would become the first prime minister to lose three so-called by-elections in one day since 1968.
But the narrow victory for the Conservatives in Uxbridge and South Ruislip averted that prospect. There, when all votes were counted, the final tally was 13,965 for Steve Tuckwell of the Conservative Party, and 13,470 for Labour’s Danny Beales.
By-elections take place when a seat in the House of Commons becomes vacant between general elections. This time around, the contests were also a reminder of the toxic legacy of another of Mr. Sunak’s predecessors, Mr. Johnson.
Mr. Johnson resigned his seat in the district of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, on the western fringe of London, after lawmakers ruled that he lied to Parliament over lockdown-breaking parties held in Downing Street during the pandemic.
Voters in Selby and Ainsty in northern England were selecting a replacement for one of Mr. Johnson’s closest allies, Nigel Adams, who quit after not being given a seat in the House of Lords, as he had expected.
The contest in Somerton and Frome, a rural district in southwestern England, took place because another Conservative lawmaker, David Warburton, gave up his seat after admitting he had taken cocaine.
“This is probably the closing of a chapter of the story of Boris Johnson’s impact on British politics,” said Robert Hayward, a polling expert who also serves as a Conservative member of the House of Lords. But he added, “Whether it’s the closing of the whole book is another matter.”
In Selby and Ainsty, a Tory stronghold, Labour hoped to show that it has regained the trust of voters in the north and middle of England — regions it once dominated but where it lost out to the Tories in the 2019 election.
The vote in Somerton and Frome was a test of the Conservative Party’s fortunes in its heartland areas of southern England, known as the “blue wall” — after the party’s campaign colors. It has been under pressure in the region from a revival of the smaller, centrist, Liberal Democrats.
The Liberal Democrats have benefited from some voters, who are opposed to the Conservatives, casting their ballots strategically for whoever seems best placed to defeat the Tory candidate.
Recent British elections have featured talk of a grand political realignment, with candidates emphasizing values and cultural issues. But analysts said these by-elections have been dominated by the cost-of-living crisis — kitchen-table concerns that hurt the Conservatives after more than a decade in power.
Britain’s governing Conservative Party suffered crushing defeats
Jennifer Lopez exuded summer glamour in an all-white outfit Thursday.
Jennifer Lopez exuded summer glamour in an
It’s time for your daily dose of Quordle hints, plus the answers for both the main game and the Daily Sequence spin off.
Quordle is the only one of the many Wordle clones that I’m still playing now, around 18 months after the daily-word-game craze hit the internet, and with good reason: it’s good fun, but also difficult.
What’s more, its makers (now the online dictionary Merriam-Webster) are also keeping it fresh in the form of a new variant called the Daily Sequence, which sees you complete four puzzles consecutively, rather than concurrently.
But Quordle is tough, so if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you’ll probably need some for this game too.
I’m a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who’s been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #543 and the answers to the main game and Daily Sequence.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.
Marc is TechRadar’s UK Editor in Chief and has been playing Wordle and Quordle for more than a year. He’s authored dozens of articles on the game for TechRadar and its sister site Tom’s Guide, including a detailed analysis of the most common letters in every position. His Wordle streak recently reached the 500 mark and he’ll be inconsolable if he loses it. Yes, he takes it all too seriously.
• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*.
* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).
• The total number of vowels across today’s Quordle answers is 9.
• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.
• The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 12.
• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today’s Quordle answers.
• The number of today’s Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.
If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you’re not ready yet then here’s one more clue to make things a lot easier:
• R
• T
• L
• I
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
The answers to today’s Quordle, game #543, are…
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
The answers to today’s Quordle Daily Sequence, game #543, are…
Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar.
It’s played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year.
As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you’re competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.
The website also includes a practice mode – which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! – and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements – specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.
Oh, and it’s difficult. Really difficult.
The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.
1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.
2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow.
3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…
4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two.
5. Answers are never plural.
6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.
7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle’s dictionary. You can’t guess ABCDE, for instance.
8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle’s Hard mode.
9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.
10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.
Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can’t blindly throw letters at it and expect to win – you’ll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.
That’s the case in Wordle too, of course, but it’s even more important in Quordle.
There are two key things to remember.
1. Use several starting words
Firstly, you won’t want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words.
The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.
For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options – you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe – but something like that should do the trick.
If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!
2. Narrow things down
Secondly, if you’re faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options – for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH – you’ll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options.
In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It’s risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it’s the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure – you simply don’t have enough guesses.
In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.
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Photographed by Jeff Vespa for TheWrap Kendrick Sampson Photographed
‘Goliath’
When to watch: Begins Friday on Paramount+ and airs Sunday at 10 p.m. on Showtime.
This engrossing three-part mini-series about the N.B.A. great Wilt Chamberlain hits the expected biographical and historical topics, like all the other well-made basketball documentaries of the last several years. But “Goliath” distinguishes itself in two big ways: First, it uses an A.I. recreation of Chamberlain’s voice (Chamberlain died in 1999), and second, it features papercut puppets to depict some events. The animation imagery is unequivocally the good kind of distinctive, and it adds to the feeling of fable and wonder. The artificial narration sounds natural but feels strange and somehow unholy. New installments arrive weekly.
‘Full Circle’
When to watch: Now, on Max.
Timothy Olyphant and Claire Danes are among the big-name stars in this sprawling, layered thriller that centers on the botched kidnapping of a wealthy teenager. Written by Ed Solomon and directed by Steven Soderbergh, the six episodes unfurl down unexpected paths, with the density and Tetris of a well-packed suitcase. “Circle” has some of the most lush and arresting audio style of any show in ages — you can hear not just the wine pouring into a glass but also its exact viscosity; the precise, sandy crunch of pebbly gravel; the thickness of the air in each room. The first two episodes are available now, and two more come out each of the next two Thursdays.
‘The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem’
When to watch: Now, on Netflix.
Oh, thank goodness, Season 2 of this sweeping Israeli drama (in Hebrew, Arabic, Ladino and English, with subtitles or dubbed) is finally here. The show follows the Ermoza family in the 1910s, ’20s and ’30s, through wild lost loves, mercilessly unhappy marriages, young rebellion, political activism, fraught parental relationships, sibling favoritism and heaps upon heaps of painful secrets. Michael Aloni stars as Gavriel, a father who is both trapped and liberated, suffocated by circumstance yet, as a man, freer than his cruel mother, put-upon wife or excitable daughters could ever be. If you like looping, romantic epics, or if you miss the family strife on “Downton Abbey,” watch this.
This weekend I have … an hour,
