The WGA has been at this since May 1, and now, with SAG-AFTRA joining, they hope to put pressure on the AMPTP to make a fair deal.
Many believe that the studios need to feel some serious heat on their stocks, get Wall Street upset, and then maybe they’ll come back to the table, where the actors and writers have been waiting.
Are Movie Studio’s Stocks Suffering During the Strikes?
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that “Since the writers’ strike began in May, Disney’s stock has fallen 13 percent to $88.62 a share. Paramount has dropped more than 30 percent to $15.96 a share, and Warner Bros. Discovery has declined nearly 7 percent to $12.40. Shares of WBD, which owns HBO and CNN, closed at $12.40 on Friday, down nearly 50 percent since April 2022 when the smaller Discovery absorbed WarnerMedia—a deal that saddled the company with more than $45 billion in debt.”
That seems to favor the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, who see studios taking these hits as signs they cannot prevail and hold out.
But the AMPTP is not just made up of traditional studios, they also represent streamers, and the biggest streamer of all is not having much of an issue with its stock price.
The LA Times went on to say, “Netflix shares have soared 36 percent to $441.91 since the writers’ strike began. Netflix now boasts a higher market value—nearly $200 billion—than Disney, the world’s largest entertainment company, which is valued at $162 billion.”
This shows the nature of how unstable and unprecedented these times have become.
With streamers taking control of Hollywood and with Netflix’s stock getting higher, there could be some tension within the AMPTP. Maybe even a possible breakup as traditional studios are choked by the current state of affairs.
But I wouldn’t hold my breath with any of that.
Every single one of those traditional studios has a streaming channel they’re trying to launch. They’re already incredibly expensive, so they may not want to lose more money with a fair deal made with talent.
Broadcast networks will suffer in the fall, and when there are no new movies to release in the spring or actors to publicize fall releases, there will be blowback as well.
This has never happened, so everyone is learning in real time what their limits are and what their companies can do to survive.
If I were a filmmaker trying to get a project off the ground right now, I would focus on independent financing outside of all of these studios. SAG-AFTRA is willing to work with wholly independent productions, and this could be a time when a lot of bigger names are available and want to stick it to the studios, so now is the perfect time to do a small passion project.
Donald Trump may well be facing his third indictment soon, but Washington Post reporter Jaqueline Alemany thinks there could be even more on the way.
During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Alemany noted that the “unusual” timing of Trump’s latest target letter could signal that special counsel Jack Smith is “trying to get ahead” of more coming down the pike. Alemany noted Wednesday that, based on what she and her colleagues have been told during their reporting on Trump’s third target letter, it’s become clear that Smith is “picking up the pace” in his investigation.
But at the same time, she noted, Smith and his team are still talking to other witnesses.
“They’re knee-deep in this investigation still, according to those witnesses, and some of the lawyers representing them,” she explained. “And that, for Smith to roll this out at this time, is a bit unusual and suggests maybe he’s trying to get ahead of some other potential indictments coming.”
The former president revealed his potential third indictment on Tuesday, going on yet another angry screed on his Truth Social account. Though the potential charges have not yet been made clear, Trump did specify that the latest target letter specifically named him in the investigation into January 6.
“Deranged Jack Smith, the prosecutor with Joe Biden’s DOJ, sent a letter (again, it was Sunday night!) stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6th Grand Jury investigation, and giving me a very short 4 days to report to the Grand Jury, which almost always means an Arrest and Indictment,” Trump wrote.
And, for what it’s worth, he himself also indicated that at least one more additional indictment could be coming, adding in this post that there’s a “probable fourth coming from Atlanta.”
You can watch the full discussion from “Morning Joe” in the video above.
Netflix has removed its $9.99 advertising-free “Basic” plan in the U.S. and U.K., a move that would push new subscribers to sign up for more lucrative subscription options for the streaming giant.
A visit to Netflix’s sign-up page Wednesday morning showed only three options for new subscribers: Its $6.99 “Standard with Ads” tier, $15.49 “Standard” plan, and $19.99 “Premium” plan, which both are ad-free.
In an FAQ on its sign-up page, the company wrote that “the Basic plan is no longer available for new or rejoining members. If you are currently on the Basic plan, you can remain on this plan until you change plans or cancel your account.”
In other words, for current Basic plan subscribers, they can keep that plan for now, with the new changes only applying to new or returning subs.
A Netflix spokesperson declined to comment.
Netflix executives have said the ad tier already draws higher revenue per subscriber than its standard tier, though they have added they are neutral about what tier users choose to subscribe to. The elimination of the Basic tier will push new users to either the ad-supported plan or the standard plan, which is more than doubble the price of the ad plan.
The elimination of the Basic plan in the U.S. comes a month after the company made the same move in Canada.
Netflix’s advertising tier, which launched as “Basic with Ads” late last year, now has “nearly 5 million” monthly active users, the company said at its inaugural upfront advertising presentation in May. Active users is not the same as subscribers (presumably, one subscription can have multiple users) but it is a step in that direction.
The company also said that engagement on its ad plan is similar to its ad-free plans, a critical piece of data as the more time users spend with a service, the more advertising revenue it can drive.
Netflix is scheduled to report earnings after the market close on Wednesday afternoon.
I’m sure you’ve heard the good news by now, and that’s this: Starting next Monday, the “Bachelorette” is back to its normal time slot. No longer is “Claim to Fame” going to be the lead in for the “Bachelorette,” as they are switching spots, and “Bachelorette” will be on at 8/7 central, with “Claim to Fame” coming on at 10/9 central. Not sure why they did it for 4 weeks, if this was the plan all along, or what. And we probably will never know. Especially if the reason is because they feel they made a mistake. They’d never admit that. But it’s probably for the best. They never should’ve switched it out in the first place if you ask me. What did that accomplish? “Claim to Fame” has outdrawn “Bachelorette” in weekly viewership for the first 4 weeks. They average around 2.5 million viewers a show while “Bachelorette” has been around 2 million. And it’s not because CTF is a better show. It’s just that it’s been on earlier. Next week I guarantee you those numbers flip and “Bachelorette” will now outdraw CTF. It’s inevitable.
You can listen to today’s podcast on a number of platforms, but you can also tune in by clicking the player below:
Two more great episodes tonight of “Temptation Island” and “The Big D” tonight. That temptation light is working overdrive tonight. The women’s bonfire is definitely an emotional one, and I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a lot of blacklight in the bedroom shots tonight. If you thought the men all basically dismissed their women last week at their bonfire, just wait til tonight. Two can play that game. As for the “The Big D,” an absolutely up-and-down range of emotions in tonight’s show. You’ll see someone’s edit and absolutely feel a certain way, then within minutes, you’ll see something else and re-think what you originally thought. Another “twist” I guess at the end of the episode too, but man, this is getting good. I think I wanna have Dr. Jada on the podcast soon.
Our friend Suzana (@BachelorData on IG) has the breakdown of Monday’s screen time, and once again, Brayden won the night and has had twice as much screen time as any other contestants through the first 4 episodes. That’ll obviously change since he’s off the show now til the MTA, but man, kinda goes to show you can talk all you want about new producers, etc. Doesn’t matter. This show will always focus on the drama in the earlier episodes and create mountains out of mole hills or else it’d be quite boring.
French actor-director Nicolas Bedos, who is facing trial in February 2024 for an alleged sexual assault under the influence of alcohol dating from June 1, is now being investigated on rape and sexual assault charges after three complaints were filed with the Paris prosecutor.
News of the preliminary investigation was first reported in a bombshell investigative report published by French outlet Mediapart. The investigation cites four women, two of whom addressed a letter to the public prosecutor. The prosecutor’s spokesperson confirmed to Variety that a preliminary investigation was opened on July 5 on charges of alleged sexual assault and rape “after receiving three distinct complaints against Nicolas Bedos.”
Bedos’ attorney Julia Minkowski declined to comment.
One of the three complaints was filed by a female actor and screenwriter who also spoke to Mediapart on the basis of anonymity and is accusing Bedos of having sexually assaulted and raped her in 1999. At the time, Bedos was working for Canal+ as an artistic advisor and talent scout, and she was a 26-year-old aspiring actor who was waiting tables. The rape accusation is no longer admissible since it took place beyond France’s 20-year statute of limitations.
Another complaint originates from a woman who became friends with Bedos as teenagers. She claims he sexually assaulted her in August 2017 during a holiday at the home he had rented with his then-girlfriend.
Mediapart reported that the two women, who know each other, decided to speak out and file their testimonies to the prosecutor after learning of the alleged sexual assault that occurred on June 1 in a Parisian club. Bedos, who allegedly put his hand on a woman’s crotch, previously said through his attorney that he “does not remember” the incident, and that “what occurred could only have been accidental, under the influence of drunkenness.”
Bedos is best known for writing and directing the film “La Belle Epoque,” which played at Cannes and won numerous Cesar Awards in 2020, including best supporting actress for Fanny Ardant, original screenplay for Bedos and Dora Tillier and production design.
Bedos recently wrapped directing the Prime Video original series “Alphonse,” which stars Oscar winner Jean Dujardin (“The Artist”) as a chameleonic male escort on a mission to please women and satisfy all their wishes. The series, produced by Alain Goldman, has a budget in the $20-million range. Prime Video was planning to launch the show in the near future, but is understood to be holding internal discussions about the fate of the show.
Reached by Variety, Prime Video and Goldman’s company declined to comment.
In crime movies, sometimes criminals catch a break and come out on top. Sometimes criminals have their moment of gratification, but their lives steadily unravel to the point of being caught or until they draw their final breath. In the darkly comedic crime thriller Fate Alchemy, writer-director Ace Blankenship documents the lives of three friends who, after a life-altering act of negligence, must confront the trickling effects.
“Hourglass has trickled down to the last of its sand. Final grain is making its inevitable collision with the present.” This is a line spoken by a gun-wielding intruder who’s in the process of interrogating a weeping hostage about the whereabouts of Jamie. But this line also speaks to the heart of Blankenship’s mournful tale of circumstance and fate. The characters struggle to outrun their dour circumstances, and watching them flounder, persevere, and then flounder again is at times suspenseful and other times humorous.
Blankenship goes from an ominous interrogation to a wild scene at a party. This is before any of the characters are confronted by immediate danger and are basking in the transient euphoria of being among friends and partners.
The next day, viewers are introduced to the garrulous, mildly brash, and charming Beck (Tweed Manning). Through voice-over, Beck describes his relationship with his girlfriend, Layla (Savanna James), and how, despite their frequent spats, they have a deep, enduring connection. Last night was all fun and games. But today, Beck, Stevie (Jeffrey Jordan), and Jamie (Ken Blankenship) are planning to purchase 18 grams of LSD.
“Last night was all fun and games. But today, Beck, Stevie, and Jamie are planning to purchase 18 grams of LSD.”
Before anything illicit or questionable occurs, Blankenship focuses on the three friends and their personalities. Beck is charismatic and cocky, as opposed to the eccentric and naïve Stevie and the more coolheaded Jamie. Their clashing personalities provide snippets of comedy, both physical and verbal. Admittedly, some comedic bits pan out better than others. One of the better attempts is a flashback of Beck and his friends going door-to-door, attempting to sell fraudulent pills. A lesser comedic attempt involves Stevie making a move on his crush, a segment that felt out of place considering what the characters had just gone through.
Blankenship gives us an idea of how the characters handle stressful situations (or avoid them altogether). It all leads to a drug deal that goes south quickly and unpredictably, making for some amusing scenes as the men — played excellently by Manning, Jordan, and Blankenship —frantically exchange words and plans.
The crew is comically propelled from one bad situation to the next as if fate is their true enemy. But that’s not to say Blankenship neglects to exploit the mounting dread. With the assistance of Carly Robinson’s turn as a menacing, sharp-tongued antagonist, there are clearly drawn stakes. Blankenship captures the lingering effect of dread with a finale that, while rushed in areas, is elevated by a series of factors — Manning’s performance, slow motion/distortion effects, and Pam Taylor’s cover of “House of the Rising Sun.”
While there are instances where Blankenship undercuts the tension with comedy, he devises a fast pace (with Christian Sales as co-editor) and a sensible payoff reinforcing the themes of fate, regret, and cruelty. At one point, Beck says, “There’s little we can do now,” a line both frightening and comforting as sometimes there isn’t anything we can do but wait and see how everything plays out.
Another London tow truck operator has been hit with a 28-day licence suspension after a driver was charged for excessive speeding.
On Tuesday, White Oaks Towing Corp. received a notice of licence suspension that will restrict the business from operating at accident scenes, starting at the end of this week.
A driver for the company was charged with excessive speeding and stunt driving, causing the vehicle plates to be seized, the vehicle impounded for two weeks, and the driver’s licence to be suspended for 30 days.
“Driving at excessive speeds poses dangers to public safety and the City of London has zero tolerance for operators driving aggressively to be the first tow truck to arrive at the scene of an accident,” said Orest Katolyk, director of municipal compliance and chief municipal law enforcement officer, in a statement.
“We will continue to work side-by-side with London Police Service and, when warranted, suspend the licence of companies engaged in this dangerous and reckless behaviour to send a clear message that it will not be tolerated.”
Earlier this month, two other towing companies had their business licences suspended after drivers were charged by police for driving nearly double the speed limit in the city.
On June 19, London police clocked a Forest City Roadside Services truck travelling 94 km/h in a 50 km/h zone near Dundas Street and Clarke Road.
Earlier this year, on March 31, police observed a 519Tow driver travelling at 111 km/h in a 60 km/h zone Sarnia Road and Wonderland Road.
Both drivers were charged with operating a vehicle at excessive speeds and stunt driving.
Nina Dobrev played Elena Gilbert and Katherine Pierce in The Vampire Diaries.
Nina left the show in season 6.
Nina returned for the show’s eighth and final season.
The Vampire Diaries centered around (mostly saving) the one and only Elena Gilbert for the show’s first 6 seasons. Fans were then shocked when Nina Dobrev announced that she was leaving the hit series after season 6. Nina’s sudden departure changed the course of the show in its final two seasons.
Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev, and Paul Wesley in the early days of ‘The Vampire Diaries.’ (The CW/Everett Collection)
With The Vampire Diaries available to stream on Max, new viewers are discovering the popular vampire drama and experiencing the shock of Nina’s exit for the first time. So, why did Nina leave The Vampire Diaries? How does she feel about the show now? Here’s everything you need to know.
Why Did Nina Dobrev Leave The Vampire Diaries?
Nina first announced she would be leaving The Vampire Diaries in a heartfelt Instagram post on April 6, 2015, during the show’s sixth season. With just a few episodes left in the season, Nina revealed that season 6 would be her last.
“I always knew I wanted Elena’s story to be a six season adventure, and within those six years I got the journey of a lifetime,” she wrote. The actress asked fans at the time to “hop on the roller coaster ride that is Elena Gilbert’s life and join me as I celebrate her and prepare to say goodbye to her — and to my work family — as I move on to the next chapter of my life.”
Nina revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that the news of her exit “leaked a little earlier” than she had anticipated, so she was “forced” to “make a statement prematurely.” She added, “But it was a blessing in disguise, in retrospect. It didn’t hit me; I got to say goodbye with my family and with the fans. People made videos of — what was in their opinion — the best moments of the last six years. It helped me relive the last six years, and be nostalgic, grateful and look back at those moments and celebrate this experience as it ends, instead of mourn it after I left. I got to say goodbye to my family, and spend my last moments with them, and look back and remember how awesome it has been.”
Nina signed a six-year contract when the show began, so she always knew she’d be leaving the show after season 6. “I’ve loved working on this show,” she told SELF in 2015. “It’s been such a crazy, awesome adventure, and I’ve been surrounded by so many people who I consider family. I know this is a new exciting step in the right direction for me, but it’s going to be so strange not to be with them.”
What Happened To Elena When Nina Dobrev Left?
The Vampire Diaries wrote in Nina’s exit in a clever way at the end of the sixth season. In the season 6 finale, the villainous Kai (Chris Wood) placed a sleeping spell on Elena that connected her to Bonnie (Kat Graham). As long as Bonnie stayed alive, Elena would stay comatose. Elena was aware of the stakes and wanted Bonnie to live a long life. Once Bonnie died, Elena would wake up exactly as she was.
Thankfully, Elena was able to say “goodbye” to her loved ones. Elena and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) shared a gut-wrenching goodbye that ended with a dance in the middle of the road where they first met. Once Elena was comatose, she was placed in a coffin and safely stored in the Salvatore mausoleum.
Did Nina Dobrev Return To The Vampire Diaries?
Yes, Nina returned for the series finale of The Vampire Diaries as both Elena and Katherine. She announced her return in an Instagram post on January 26, 2017. “I know it’s Thursday, but this is not a TBT. #BackOnSet #TVDForever,” she captioned a photo of her series finale script.
“I’m thrilled to bring this show to an end the way we always intended — with Nina back to help us say goodbye,” showrunnerJulie Plec said in a statement at the time. Executive producer Kevin Williamson added, “I’m so excited to have Nina back to ensure our farewell episode is truly epic!”
The series finale picks up in the midst of Stefan and Caroline’s wedding day. After Bonnie falls unconscious, she crosses paths with Elena and Enzo. Elena seemingly awakens from her coma, but it’s actually Katherine. Katherine quickly reveals her plan to destroy the town and everyone left in it with hellfire.
Damon is willing to sacrifice himself to make sure Katherine stays dead and goes back to hell. However, Stefan has a plan of his own. Damon thinks he compels Stefan to leave, but Stefan’s already taken vervain. Stefan gives Damon the cure for vampirism and dies with Katherine.
Stefan is able to share one last moment with Elena in the hallway of Mystic Fall High School where he tells her what’s happened. “He’s the better man. He’s the right man,” Stefan tells Elena before he finds Peace.
Nina Dobrev in the ‘TVD’ series finale. (The CW/Everett Collection)
Elena writes in her diary for the first time since she’s woken up about being able to live again. Elena reunites with Bonnie after Bonnie is able to unlink them. Elena and Damon share an epic reunion. Elena tells Caroline the message Stefan gave her: “I will love her forever, too.”
Elena finished medical school and came home to Mystic Falls to live her life. She grew old with Damon and got the happy ending she always wanted. Elena found Peace in the end and was able to reunite with her parents, Jenna, and John.
What Is Nina Dobrev Doing Now?
Following her exit from The Vampire Diaries, Nina’s first series regular role was in the short-lived comedy series Fam in 2019. Her performance as Clem was radically different from her Vampire Diaries roles. Nina has also starred in films like XXX: Return of Xander Cage, Love Hard, Flatliners, Redeeming Love, and more. Her latest movie, The Out-Laws, hit Netflix on July 7. The actress has a couple of films in the works, including Reunion and The Bricklayer. She also had a Degrassi reunion with Drake and more in the rapper’s 2018 music video “I’m Upset.”
Nina and BFF Julianne Hough have launched their own wine brand, Fresh Vine Wine. Nina started dating Olympic snowboarder Shaun White in 2019.
Nina Dobrev with boyfriend Shaun White at ‘The Out-Laws’ premiere. (John Salangsang/Shutterstock)
Would She Ever Return For A Vampire Diaries Reboot?
The Vampire Diaries spawned two spinoffs: The Originals and Legacies. Even though there’s only been a handful of years since The Vampire Diaries ended, there’s already been talk amongst fans about the possibility of a reboot down the road. Nina addressed her feelings about a reboot on Sirius XM’s The Jess Cagle Show in July 2023.
“I think it’s way too soon to be talking about a reboot because the show didn’t even end that long ago, but I mean I know that I am very close with Paul and Kayla and Candice and Kat and the list goes on because, you know, it was such a big part of our lives for so many years. It’s hard to not stay in touch with everybody and see them when we can,” she said.
Paul Wesley had recently told InStyle that he would give another vampire-related project a “hard pass,” so Nina was asked if she felt the same way. “I don’t know. I mean, I think it always depends on the role and the director,” she said. “I don’t want to say never because if Steven Spielberg is directing or if Martin Scorsese has a vampire flick coming up and there’s a great role that will challenge me in some way, maybe, so I guess, yeah. Steven, call me. Martin, let me know.”
The voices of Charlamagne tha God, host of the nationally syndicated radio show “The Breakfast Club,” and his guests Mandii B and WeezyWTF filled Ylonda Sherrod’s car as she sped down Interstate 10 in Mississippi during her daily commute. Her favorite radio show was discussing artificial intelligence, specifically an A.I.-generated sample of Biggie.
“Sonically, it sounds cool,” Charlamagne tha God said. “But it lacks soul.”
WeezyWTF replied: “I’ve had people ask me like, ‘Oh, would you replace people that work for you with A.I.?’ I’m like, ‘No, dude.’”
Ms. Sherrod nodded along emphatically, as she drove past low-slung brick homes and strip malls dotted with Waffle Houses. She arrived at the AT&T call center where she works, feeling unsettled. She played the radio exchange about A.I. for a colleague.
“Yeah, that’s crazy,” Ms. Sherrod’s friend replied. “What do you think about us?”
Like so many millions of American workers, across so many thousands of workplaces, the roughly 230 customer service representatives at AT&T’s call center in Ocean Springs, Miss., watched artificial intelligence arrive over the past year both rapidly and assuredly, like a new manager settling in and kicking up its feet.
Suddenly, the customer service workers weren’t taking their own notes during calls with customers. Instead, an A.I. tool generated a transcript, which their managers could later consult. A.I. technology was providing suggestions of what to tell customers. Customers were also spending time on phone lines with automated systems, which solved simple questions and passed on the complicated ones to human representatives.
Ms. Sherrod, 38, who exudes quiet confidence at 5-foot-11, regarded the new technology with a combination of irritation and fear. “I always had a question in the back of my mind,” she said. “Am I training my replacement?”
Ms. Sherrod, a vice president of the call center’s local union chapter, part of the Communications Workers of America, started asking AT&T managers questions. “If we don’t talk about this, it could jeopardize my family,” she said. “Will I be jobless?”
In recent months, the A.I. chatbot ChatGPT has made its way into courtrooms, classrooms, hospitals and everywhere in between. With it has come speculation about A.I.’s impact on jobs. To many people, A.I. feels like a ticking time bomb, sure to explode their work. But to some, like Ms. Sherrod, the threat of A.I. isn’t abstract. They can already feel its effects.
When automation swallows up jobs, it often comes for customer service roles first, which make up about three million jobs in America. Automation tends to overtake tasks that repeat themselves; customer service, already a major site for outsourcing of jobs abroad, can be a prime candidate.
A majority of U.S. call center workers surveyed this year reported that their employers were automating some of their work, according to a 2,000-person survey from researchers at Cornell. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they felt it was somewhat or very likely that increased use of bots would lead to layoffs within the next two years.
Technology executives point out that fears of automation are centuries old — stretching back to the Luddites, who smashed and burned textile machines — but have historically been undercut by a reality in which automation creates more jobs than it eliminates.
But that job creation happens gradually. The new jobs that technology creates, like engineering roles, often demand complex skills. That can create a gap for workers like Ms. Sherrod, who found what seemed like a golden ticket at AT&T: a job that pays $21.87 an hour and up to $3,000 in commissions a month, she said, and provides health care and five weeks of vacation — all without the requirement of a college degree. (Less than 5 percent of AT&T’s roles require a college education.)
Customer service, to Ms. Sherrod, meant that someone like her — a young Black woman raised by her grandmother in small-town Mississippi — could make “a really good living.”
“We’re breaking generational curses,” Ms. Sherrod said. “That’s for sure.”
In Ms. Sherrod’s childhood home, a one-story, brick A-frame in Pascagoula, money was tight. Her mother died when she was 5. Her grandmother, who took her in, didn’t work, but Ms. Sherrod remembers getting food stamps to take to the corner bakery whenever the family could spare them. Ms. Sherrod cries recalling how Christmas used to be. The family had a plastic tree and tried to make it festive with ornaments, but there was typically no money for presents.
To students at Pascagoula High School, she recalled, job opportunities seemed limited. Many went to Ingalls Shipbuilding, a shipyard where work meant blistering days under the Mississippi sun. Others went to the local Chevron refinery.
“It felt like I was going to always have to do hard labor in order to make a living,” Ms. Sherrod said. “It seemed like my lifestyle would never be something with ease, something I enjoyed.”
When Ms. Sherrod was 16, she worked at KFC, making $6.50 an hour. After graduating from high school, and dropping out of community college, she moved to Biloxi, Miss., to work as a maid at IP Casino, a 32-story hotel, where her sister still works.
Within months of working at the casino, Ms. Sherrod felt the toll of the job on her body. Her knees ached, and her back thrummed with pain. She had to clean at least 16 rooms a day, fishing hair out of bathroom drains and rolling up dirty sheets.
When a friend told her about the jobs at AT&T, the opportunity seemed, to Ms. Sherrod, impossibly good. The call center was air-conditioned. She could sit all day and rest her knees. She took the call center’s application test twice, and on her second time she got an offer, in 2006, starting out making $9.41 an hour, up from around $7.75 at the casino.
“That $9 meant so much to me,” she recalled.
So did AT&T, a place where she kept growing more comfortable: “Out of 17 years, my check hasn’t ever been wrong,” she said. “AT&T, by far, is the best job in the area.”
‘Your Biggest Nightmare’
This spring, lawmakers in Washington hauled forward the makers of A.I. tools to begin discussing the risks posed by the products they’ve unleashed.
“Let me ask you what your biggest nightmare is,” Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, asked OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman, after sharing that his own greatest fear was job loss.
“There will be an impact on jobs,” said Mr. Altman, whose company developed ChatGPT.
That reality has already become clear. The British telecommunications company BT Group announced in May that it would cut up to 55,000 jobs by 2030 as it increasingly relied on A.I. The chief executive of IBM said A.I. would affect certain clerical jobs in the company, eliminating the need for up to 30 percent of some roles, while creating new ones.
AT&T has begun integrating A.I. into many parts of its customer service work, including routing customers to agents, offering suggestions for technical solutions during customer calls and producing transcripts.
The company said all of these uses were intended to create a better experience for customers and workers. “We’re really trying to focus on using A.I. to augment and assist our employees,” said Nicole Rafferty, who leads AT&T’s customer care operation and works with staff members nationwide.
“We’re always going to need in-person engagement to solve those complex customer situations,” Ms. Rafferty added. “That’s why we’re so focused on building A.I. that supports our employees.”
Economists studying A.I. have argued that it most likely won’t prompt sudden widespread layoffs. Instead, it could gradually eliminate the need for humans to do certain tasks — and make the remaining work more challenging.
“The tasks left to call center workers are the most complex ones, and customers are frustrated,” said Virginia Doellgast, a professor at the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell.
Ms. Sherrod has always enjoyed getting to know her customers. She said she took about 20 calls a day, from 9:30 to 6:30. While she’s resolving technical issues, she listens to why people are calling in, and she hears from customers who just bought new homes, were married or lost family members.
“It’s sort of like you’re a therapist,” she said. “They tell you their life stories.”
She is already finding her job growing more challenging with A.I. The automated technology has a hard time understanding Ms. Sherrod’s drawl, she said, so the transcripts from her calls are full of mistakes. Once the technology is no longer in a pilot phase, she won’t be able to make corrections. (AT&T said it was refining the A.I. products it used to prevent these kinds of errors.)
It seems likely, to Ms. Sherrod, that at some point as the work gets more efficient, the company won’t need quite as many humans answering calls in its centers.
Ms. Sherrod wonders, too: Doesn’t the company trust her? For two consecutive years, she won AT&T’s Summit Award, placing her in the top 3 percent of the company’s customer service representatives nationally. Her name was projected on the call center’s wall.
“They gave everyone a little gift bag with a trophy,” Ms. Sherrod recalled. “That meant a lot to me.”
‘Look at My Life’
As companies like AT&T embrace A.I., experts are floating proposals meant to protect workers. There’s the possibility of training programs helping people make the transition to new jobs, or a displacement tax levied on employers when a worker’s job is automated but the person is not retrained.
Labor unions are wading into these battles. In Hollywood, the unions representing actors and television writers have fought to limit the use of A.I. in script writing and production.
Just 6 percent of the country’s private-sector workers are represented by unions. Ms. Sherrod is one, and she has begun fighting her company for more information about its A.I. plans, sitting in her union hall nine miles from the call center, where she works under a Norman Rockwell painting of a wireline technician.
For years, Ms. Sherrod’s demands on behalf of the union have been rote. As a steward, she typically asked the company to reduce penalties for colleagues who got in trouble.
But for the first time, this summer, she feels that she is taking up an issue that will affect workers beyond AT&T. She recently asked her union to establish a task force focused on A.I.
In late May, Ms. Sherrod was invited by the Communications Workers of America to travel to Washington, where she and dozens of other workers met with the White House’s Office of Public Engagement to share their experience with A.I.
A warehouse worker described being monitored with A.I. that tracked how speedily he moved packages, creating pressure for him to skip breaks. A delivery driver said automated surveillance technologies were being used to monitor workers and look for potential disciplinary actions, even though their records weren’t reliable. Ms. Sherrod described how the A.I. in her call center created inaccurate summaries of her work.
Her son, Malik, was astonished to hear that his mother was headed to the White House. “When my dad told me about it, at first I said, ‘You’re lying,’” he said with a laugh.
Ms. Sherrod sometimes feels that her life presents an argument for a type of job that one day might no longer exist.
With her pay and commissions, she has been able to buy a home. She lives on a sunny street full of families, some of whom work in fields like nursing and accounting. She is down the road from a softball field and playground. On the weekends, her neighbors gather for cookouts. The adults eat snowballs, while the children play basketball and set up splash pads.
Ms. Sherrod takes pride in buying Malik anything he asks for. She wants to give him the childhood she never had.
“Call center work — it’s life-changing,” she said. “Look at my life. Will all that be taken away from me?”
Guest-hosting MSNBC’s “All In With Chris Hayes” on Tuesday, Ali Velshi argued that if one believes the evidence against Donald Trump in the federal investigation of his role in the Jan. 6 attack, then “the only possible response” is to charge him with crimes.
“Our democracy itself is at stake,” Velshi said.
.@AliVelshi: “This is about a real and existential threat to our nation. It’s about Donald Trump’s attempt and his continuing attempts to undermine and possibly end our democracy as we know it.” pic.twitter.com/B3PaaXyYZk
— All In with Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) July 19, 2023
Early Tuesday morning, Trump announced that he’s been informed by the U.S. department of justice that he is likely to face a third indictment. DoJ hasn’t made any such charges public yet, but Trump said that the target letter he received specifically referenced Special Counsel Jack Smith’s ongoing investigation into Jan. 6.
“The gravest crime that Donald Trump ever committed was to undermine democracy, the will of the people, by trying to overthrow a free and fair election. And today, we saw the first signs that Justice may be coming for him,” Velshi said in his comment on the matter Tuesday night.
“Today we learned that the ex-President received a letter from the Special Counsel, Jack Smith, indicating that he is the target of a criminal investigation into efforts to interfere with the presidential election of 2020, leading to the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021,” Velshi continued.
Velshi noted the two previous indictments against Trump — the 37-count federal indictment related to his unlawful possession and handling of classified documents, and the indictment for business fraud in New York. And acknowledged that those cases might, for some people, not seem as serious as they are.
But, Velshi said, “there’s just no way for a reasonable person with elementary critical thinking skills to deny the seriousness of this case. This is about a real an existential threat to our nation. It’s about Donald Trump’s attempt and his continuing attempts to undermine and possibly end our democracy as we know it.”
Velshi then played several clips from the congressional investigation of Trump’s involvement in Jan. 6, including some particularly damning testimony. He concluded with a clip of Rep. Jamie Raskin arguing that just won’t be done if only “foot soldiers” are punished for Jan. 6 and not the “mastermind,” by which he meant Trump.
“That’s exactly what’s happened. The foot soldiers have gone to jail and the masterminds and the ringleaders had, for the moment, had a pass,” Velshi said. “So here we are, seven months later, at an historic moment, with the Department of Justice poised to finally bring charges against the ex president in the January 6 case.”
“We’ve already seen and heard the evidence about Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the election and bring down our system of government. And if you believe that evidence then criminal charges are the only possible response because our democracy itself is at stake,” Velshi concluded.
The 30-year-old pop star ‘is determined to move forward’ after separating from the real estate broker, 27, after two years of marriage, a source revealed to Us Weekly on Tuesday.
The insider also stated the former couple had amicably decided that a divorce is the right move to take considering their differences.
‘As sad as it is, the consensus on both sides is that this is ultimately for the best,’ the insider stated. ‘Ariana and Dalton are two very different people.’
Furthermore, the source also noted that the singer-songwriter’s loved ones are ‘happy’ that she is taking the steps in her personal life to do what is best for her.
Keeping her head up: Ariana Grande is staying positive amid her shocking split with her now-estranged husband, Dalton Gomez
Thank U, Next! The 30-year-old pop star ‘is determined to move forward’ after separating from the real estate broker, 27, after two years of marriage, a source revealed to Us Weekly on Tuesday
Over the weekend, the Thank U, Next hitmaker had sparked divorce rumors after she was spotted without her wedding ring at the Wimbledon’s Men’s Final on Sunday with her Wicked co-star, Jonathan Bailey.
As exclusively shared by DailyMail.com, she seemed to have fully ditched the ring while enjoying a bit of retail therapy in London on Tuesday with her other co-star, Cynthia Erivo, in the upcoming musical movie.
As of now, however, she still has pictures up with Gomez amid claims that the pair are remaining friends despite having called it quits back in January.
Sources revealed to Us Weekly claims that the pair have been having issues for quite some time and ultimately decided to split amid the ‘rough patch’.
‘Ariana and Dalton have been having some issues for months now,’ the insider had revealed after the songstress was spotted without her ring.
‘They were having issues before she left for Wicked filming [in London] that they couldn’t resolve, and the distance did not help,’ the source added.
Another insider disclosed that their relationship had been thriving out of the spotlight until this year.
Separated: The insider also stated the former couple had amicably decided that a divorce is the right move to take considering their differences
‘Happy’ for her: Furthermore, the source also noted that the singer-songwriter’s loved ones are ‘happy’ that she is taking the steps in her personal life to do what is best for her
Still friends: Since the shocking news of separation emerged, Grande has also scrubbed her Instagram clean of any wedding photos . As of now, however, she still has pictures up with Gomez amid claims that the pair are remaining friends despite having called it quits back in January
‘Things had been going really well for Ariana and Dalton since they got married,’ they said. ‘But unfortunately, they hit a rough patch a few months ago and haven’t been able to recover.’
Previously, the former couple took their relationship public in February 2020 and got engaged less than a year later.
The songstress had tied the knot with Gomez at her Montecito mansion in May 2021 after being together for over a year.
Before her romance with Gomez, Grande was briefly engaged to Pete Davidson — whom she dated for about four months.
One of our first infractions at Ghibli Park was hoisting our 1-year-old onto the polyester tummy of a woodland spirit creature. Another was letting him slip under a barricade and shelter inside a furry bus with cat eyes for headlights.
“He’s not following the protocol,” I told my wife, as the staff overseeing the cat-bus play zone looked on anxiously.
“He’s making a mockery of it,” she said. But we didn’t stop him.
Ghibli Park, which opened in November outside Nagoya, Japan, pays homage to the eccentric, enchanting films of Studio Ghibli, a company co-founded in the 1980s by the director Hayao Miyazaki. We took our two toddlers there because their favorite movie is “My Neighbor Totoro,” a beloved 1988 Miyazaki film starring the spirit creature and its cat-bus sidekick.
As parents, we thought it would be fun for our boys, 3 and 1, to experience a “Totoro” immersion. And as longtime Ghibli fans, we were keen to see what the place looked like.
American visitors may wonder how Ghibli Park compares with Disney World. It doesn’t really. It feels much lower-key and has no rides, exotic animals, jumbo turkey legs or animatronic American presidents, among other things. The main point is to wander around soaking up Miyazaki vibes.
Also, the park is not finished. Grafted onto an existing municipal park, it opened late last year, but as of early July only three of five planned ticketed sites were open. When I booked for a June visit, tickets to only one of those sites — a building called “Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse” — were available to international visitors reserving through the park’s website. (It was possible to book the other two sites through Japanese travel agencies, but I only learned that much later, from a Japanese speaker.)
Susan Napier, a biographer of Mr. Miyazaki at Tufts University who visited Ghibli Park in April, told me that it had struck her as a “work in progress.” She also described the ticketing process, which has included lotteries and long online queues, as “byzantine and not fun.”
Maybe this is why Studio Ghibli itself seems ambivalent about promoting Ghibli Park. In Japan, it has run advertisements advising fans to “take your time” visiting.
A hypothetical theme park celebrating Nintendo or Pokemon, two other iconic Japanese creative brands, would almost certainly feel more Disney World-like, said Matt Alt, the author of the 2021 book “Pure Invention: How Japan’s Pop Culture Conquered the World.” But he added that the park’s diffuse layout and low-key marketing were in character for a studio co-founded by Mr. Miyazaki, a director who has never hidden his anticapitalist politics.
Ghibli Park is not a place to “turn your brain off,” Mr. Alt told me. “It demands a level of intellectual engagement that most parks do not.” When I booked our visit, in March, a bit of mental stimulation sounded nice. I imagined wandering the grounds in dappled sunlight, musing on Mr. Miyazaki’s cinematic oeuvre as our boys paused to collect acorns — just as the two sisters who star in “Totoro” do. (The boys, who are Anglo-American, love the acorn scenes so much that they learned the Japanese word for the nut, donguri, before the English one.)
In reality, we arrived just before our three-hour afternoon visiting slot at Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, and our intellectual capacity was limited. Our parental nerves were fraying from the hourlong journey from Nagoya and the general struggle of moving tiny, diapered humans around an unfamiliar place.
Our morning in Nagoya had already been tarnished by a 4 a.m. wake up and some public displays of unchecked toddler emotion. On the grounds of the 17th century Nagoya Castle, for example, our 3-year-old, nicknamed T, burst into tears when he learned that the castle was closed for renovation.
To break his mood, we took the emergency measure of buying him and his brother, nicknamed B, ice cream cones as a second breakfast. That stopped the crying, but our mounting fatigue had raised the stakes for our visit to Ghibli Park. Would the trip to meet our favorite magical creatures make all the time, money and energy that it entailed worthwhile?
Ghibli Park may see a bump in domestic tourism this summer because Mr. Miyazaki released a new film in Japan this month. But, for my family, making a pilgrimage there was all about seeing Totoro and the cat bus.
“Totoro” follows the two sisters, Mei, 4, and Satsuki, 10, as they settle into a spooky house in the Japanese countryside with their father, an archaeologist. Their mother is stuck in a nearby sanitarium, suffering from an undisclosed illness.
After Mei meets Totoro by stumbling into its lair inside a giant camphor tree (and falls asleep on its tummy), she and her sister encounter the creature a few more times and learn more about its magical powers. Eventually, as their mother’s condition appears to worsen, they call in some very important favors from Totoro and the wild-eyed cat bus.
Professor Napier told me that “Totoro” illustrates an aesthetic that runs through the Ghibli catalog, and which tends to be more ambiguous and subtle than Disney’s. She described it as “the immersive, low-key magic of being a human being connected with other things.”
“It’s a world that you like,” Professor Napier, who is writing a book comparing Ghibli with Disney, said of Mr. Miyazaki’s animated universe. “But it’s also full of the unexpected and complex, and sometimes scary.”
Totoro and the cat bus can indeed be a little frightening, especially when they flash their teeth. But the movie is much sweeter than it is scary. It’s set in “a time before television,” as Mr. Miyazaki once told an interviewer, and infused with sublime, hand-drawn pastoral imagery — pastel sunsets, a snail crawling up a plant stalk — that makes you want to be a kid growing up in rural idyll.
The film also celebrates a child’s sense of wonder. Mr. Miyazaki created “Totoro” with kids in mind — he said he hoped it would make them want to pick acorns — and many critics have seen it as an ode to childhood innocence. It’s no accident that Totoro and the cat bus are visible only to the sisters, not adults.
Maybe this is why I still cry every time I watch the final credits roll: “Totoro” reminds me that my boys will never be this young or innocent again.
In our Seoul apartment, they play with Totoro and cat-bus dolls, sleep in Totoro pajamas and sit on a Totoro potty. Their fandom is so intense that my mother-in-law bought us tickets to a “Totoro” stage adaptation at the Barbican Theater during our last trip to London.
In Nagoya, before we left for Ghibli Park, B demonstrated his enthusiasm by bringing a plastic cat bus to the hotel buffet — and feeding it a breakfast of whipped cream. He also showed the toy to a man in a ninja costume who posed for a selfie with us outside the castle.
The ninja cracked a knowing smile, indicating that he, too, was a “Totoro” fan. “Cat bus,” he said in Japanese, as if the phrase were a code word.
Ghibli Park lies in Nagakute, a small city in the hills outside Nagoya, a few stops down a highway from an Ikea. There’s no Ghibli entrance gate, exactly; you just wander into an unremarkable municipal park and look around for the Ghibli sites for which you have reserved tickets months in advance.
The Grand Warehouse is a sleek, multistory building the size of a modest mall or sports arena, with plenty of sunshine streaming in through skylights. It sits near a grassy lawn, an ice rink and some future Ghibli sites that are under construction.
Inside, there are replicas of structures from the films, including the towering bathhouse from the Oscar-winning 2001 film “Spirited Away,” and dozens of made-for-Instagram tableaux of Ghibli scenes and props.
The attention to detail is striking. In an area devoted to the Ghibli film “Arietty,” I saw a giant drop of plastic dew affixed to a giant fake flower, for example. Nearby was an intricately detailed replica of the castle from “Howl’s Moving Castle,” my older son’s favorite Miyazaki film after “Totoro.”
“The castle, daddy!” Three-year-old T said with delight. At last, a Japanese castle that didn’t make him cry.
The problem was that most of the tableaux were mobbed with Ghibli fans — and lines that we didn’t have time to stand in with restless toddlers. The building’s only restaurant was similarly oversubscribed. We eventually found a kiosk advertising cake, but the staff said that the cake had run out.
After about an hour of canvassing the warehouse, we headed for “Children’s Town,” a play area devoted to scenes from “Totoro” and other Ghibli films.
Children’s Town has three rooms. The first is a labyrinth combining scenes from more Ghibli films than I could count: The orange train from “Laputa: Castle in the Sky,” the bakery from “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and so on. The boys loved it, even if daddy thwacked his head following them through a crawl space.
The other rooms were devoted to “Totoro” and had mercifully higher ceilings. There was the house where Mei and Satsuki live with their dad. Over there was the camphor tree, where a giant Totoro lay regally beside some oversize donguri. And in the far corner sat the majestic, furry cat bus.
It all looked fun, kid-friendly and immersive — almost, in fact, like something you’d find at Disney World. The boys were in heaven.
“Toe-toe-row! Toe-toe-row!” B said, standing inside the tree, with the same intonation as the movie’s rousing, marching-band-style theme song.
“Hey, Totoro!” said T, who had been carefully inspecting the giant acorns. “Wake up!”
But even though Children’s Town seemed designed to nurture the child’s sense of wonder that Mr. Miyazaki celebrates in his movies, the warehouse staff informed us of several rules that dampened the vibe. Notably, it was forbidden to put children on Totoro’s plush tummy, or to allow them to play inside the cat bus zone for longer than three minutes — even if the zone was not crowded, which it wasn’t.
The staff members were friendly, but their rules made little sense for kids as small as ours. I wondered if that was another sign that Ghibli Park was still a bit rough around the edges. Take your time visiting, as the studio says.
We grudgingly agreed to the no-tummy policy, but B wished to play nowhere else but inside the cat bus. We were with him. We had spent several months — a good chunk of his life! — waiting for this moment.
The staff, sensing our resolve, suggested a compromise. A special time extension could be granted under the circumstances, they said. Rather than the usual three minutes, our B could have six.
Make that nine. Then 12. Et cetera. At 5 p.m., he was among last, and smallest, Ghibli fans to leave the building.
Zawe Ashton is set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe for The Marvels, but she did not go into the experience blind.
Know for films such as Velvet Buzzsaw and Mr. Macolm’s List, the British actress will play Kree revolutionary Dar-Benn. She will star opposite Brie Larson, Tyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani.
Photo: Harper’s Baazar
The Family Business
In a recent interview with EW, Ashton revealed that before joining the MCU, she got some advice from her fiance Tom Hiddleston.
Hiddleston, who has portrayed Loki in the MCU since 2011 set to reprise his role in the upcoming second season of Loki. Needless to say, he knows a thing or two about playing a Marvel villain.
Source: syfy.com
“It led to some incredible conversations about his experience being part of this franchise for over a decade,” Ashton told EW. “One of the main takeaways from our conversations was: ‘What you put into Marvel, you get back.’ He said, ‘If you go into this with an open heart and a great work ethic and just want to provide an amazing experience for the fans, you’ll have an amazing experience on those sets.’ He really empowered me in that way.”
While Ashton and Hiddleston normally try to keep their personal and work lives separate, the actress revealed that one day, Hiddleston even helped her rehearse for a Marvels scene.
Photo: Insider
When they were done, the couple looked under their kitchen table to see their confused dog. He was wondering why the Marvel villains were loudly running lines.
“Practical” Advice
Perhaps the best advice Hiddleston gave Ahton however was more practical than anything else.
“He also had some very good practical advice. Which was: Make sure you have enough zippers to go to the bathroom in your costume. Which is very good advice, I realize now.”
The Marvels will hit theaters on November 10.
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Warner Bros. just officially released new high-quality screenshots of Nicolas Cage‘s cameo in Ezra Miller’sThe Flash movie.
The Multiverse-centric adventure had a handful of notable cameos for audiences to enjoy. This included Adam West’s Batman, Christopher Reeves’ Superman, Jay Garrick, and more.
But out of all the fun guests, it was Nicolas Cage’s Superman who ranked as one of the most shocking. Fans have always wanted to see him embody the character after he was cast in the scrapped Tim Burton Man of Steel movie from 1996.
New High-Quality Look at Nicholas Cage’s Superman
With The Flash now available on digital platforms, high-quality images from the film are hitting the web showcasing Nicholas Cage’s CGI Superman cameo in all its glory.
The big moment comes when Barry is facing off against his corrupted self in the speed force during the film’s final act. Their actions are tearing apart the Multiverse, and in doing so, the two speedsters get to glimpse into alternate realities.
Warner Bros.
The Multiversal disaster catches Cage’s Superman just after he disposes of a giant spider. Why he’s fighting a giant arachnid? Well, that’s anyone’s guess.
Warner Bros.
The actor is even sporting the now-famous costume he wore for screentests for his 90s movie that never happened.
There probably would have been a lot more excitement for this moment in the film If the cameo wasn’t in the form of a digital, poorly-rendered version of the iconic actor as the famous Kryptonian. One would have to assume that it wouldn’t have been too hard to get the actor in for a day (realistically, only a couple of hours) to film this quick moment.
It’s also a shame that the character didn’t do much of anything. Sure, he had a brief action scene with a large spider, but more interaction with the main story wouldn’t have hurt.
Maybe Cage can come back for a round two when James Gunn’s new DCU eventually comes around to telling Multiverse stories. Though, fans shouldn’t expect that any time soon.
The Flash is now available to purchase on digital platforms.
After Diablo IV‘s latest big patch pushed up the difficulty of Helltide, including increasing the cost of opening Mystery Chests, players have also noticed far less Aberrant Cinders dropping. In a reply to a tweet, Diablo GM Rod Fergusson has confirmed that the lower drop rate is a bug that will be fixed in the next hotfix.
A number of changes made in Diablo IV’s first major patch were designed to increase the difficulty of Helltides, making monsters 3 levels higher than the player instead of 2, and increasing the cost of opening Tortured Gift of Mysteries chests from 175 Aberrant Cinders to 250. Blizzard also patched a potential exploit where enemies resurrected by Shamans would endlessly drop Aberrant Cinders, though it also added the possibility for all interactable objects to randomly drop Cinders.
However many players noticed that Aberrant Cinders weren’t as plentiful as they were pre-patch, with the increased chest costs making it even more difficult to farm for loot. In a reply on Twitter, Diablo GM has confirmed that this was caused by a bug, which will be fixed ASAP.
The Cinder drop rate change is a bug that will be fixed in our first hot fix.
Bugs aside, many of the changes made in patch 1.1.0 have been unpopular with players, to the point that Blizzard has scheduled a Campfire Chat on Friday to address the patch, and the community’s response to it.
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Announcing the 2023 Festival of Cinema NYC Awards Nominees!
The moment we’ve been waiting for is here! Visit our website today to see which films have been nominated in our 15 categories. As always we’ll also be giving the Audience Choice Award to one feature and one short film.This year we have added the ‘Un-produced script’ award, where the winner will get a pitch meeting with an industry producer of their choice, courtesy of STAGE32!
Now is a great time to look through the categories to help you decide which films you’d be interested in attending a screening for.
This year’s Festival of Cinema NYC jurors include :
(clockwise from top left) Guest of Honor, Dito Montiel. – Writer/Director Dito Montiel is an author, screenwriter and director. His 2006 film A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS premiered at the Sundance Film Festival where it won the Special Jury Prize and the Director’s Award. Mr. Montiel will be in attendance for a retrospective screening of his film, followed by a moderated Q&A.
Alexis Walker – Talent Manager Alexis Walker is a Talent Manager at Entertainment Lab. She holds a Bachelor of Fine and Applied Arts Degree from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Previous work includes: Jr. Agent at the Jackson Agency, Mentee in the CSA Mentorship Program and Jennifer Ajemian Casting.
Harley Kaplan – Casting Director Harley Kaplan is a co-founder and casting director with Powers/Kaplan Casting, a bi-coastal casting office that specializes in independent film. Harley started out in casting with the legendary office of Hopkins/Smith/Barden, where he worked as a casting assistant on movies such as Boys Don’t Cry, The Cider House Rules, and HBO’s television series Sex In The City. He later served as an associate with PalmStar and S2 Entertainment.
Joshua A. Foster – Producer Joshua A. Foster is a film director/producer graduate of the prestigious New York University Tisch School of the Arts. He currently serves as the Executive of Cinetic Media.
Jacob Stebel – Producer at Ghetto Film School. Jacob Stebel is a teacher, writer, photographer, and producer from Long Island, NY where he spent his teenage years and early twenties working on public access shows, and managing an arthouse movie theater, while writing and acting in several short films.
Danielle Burgess – Actor/Producer Danielle Burgess is known for USA’s Golden Globe nominated ‘The Sinner’, HBO’s ‘The Deuce’, NBC’s ‘Manifest’, and ‘Law & Order: SVU.
Join us at the 2023 Festival of Cinema NYC Awards Dinner
Picture of the 2022 Festival of Cinema NYC Awards Dinner
Tickets are now on sale to the 2023 Awards Dinner
Join us on Sunday, August 13th as we hand out awards in 17 categories, including the Audience Choice Awards for the 2023 festival.
This year film writer and director Dito Montiel will be in attendance as the first ever recipient of our Indie Film Vanguardian award, our highest honor.
Tickets to the event are open to the public and include a buffet style dinner with open bar. Get your tickets today before they sell out!
Don’t forget to follow and tag us using @FestofCinemaNYC
“[It’s] the only movie of mine that I have watched front to back since a premiere,” Wilson said during the “ReelBlend” podcast. “I just wanted to look at it as an older guy, as a filmmaker.”
Wilson starred alongside Malin Akerman, Jackie Earle Haley, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Carla Gugino in the adaptation of Alan Moore’s graphic novel. The film received mixed reviews and the source material was later reimagined by Damon Lindelof as an HBO series in 2019.
However, Wilson is standing by the Snyder interpretation.
“I knew Zack was ahead of the curve,” he said. “It’s weird to say that audiences weren’t ready for it. But you need a movie like that. You need movies to go so dark that then ‘Avengers’ can go so light. I do believe in that.”
Wilson added, “I’d love to do that movie now. It would be so awesome to just do it now.”
Director Snyder previously told Uproxx in 2021 that he would “consider” revisiting the film again.
“By the way, I love ‘Watchmen.’ I have no regrets. I love that movie 100 percent,” Snyder said. “It’s exactly what I wanted.”
“Watchmen” creator Moore called out the HBO series, saying that the project was “destroying” the original graphic novel content.
“I got back with a very abrupt and probably hostile reply telling him that I’d thought that Warner Brothers were aware that they, nor any of their employees, shouldn’t contact me again for any reason,” Moore said after receiving a letter from showrunner Lindelof. “I explained that I had disowned the work in question, and partly that was because the film industry and the comics industry seemed to have created things that had nothing to do with my work, but which would be associated with it in the public mind. I said, ‘Look, this is embarrassing to me. I don’t want anything to do with you or your show. Please don’t bother me again.’”
Actor Noel Clarke is looking for damages of around $12m (£10m) in his defamation suit against The Guardian newspaper.
Clarke has filed the suit in response to eight articles published in The Guardian in which he was accused of various incidents of misconduct by 20 women between 2004 and 2019.
The actor, producer, and director, best known for work such as Kidulthood and its two follow-up movies, has denied all of the allegations and said the articles have had a “catastrophic” effect on his career.
The $12m figure was obtained by the BBC, which said it had seen documents lodged at London’s High Court as part of the defamation claim. If Clarke wins the case, a judge will decide what damages he is entitled to.
Alongside claiming general damages for reputational harm, Clarke is looking for damages that cover specific financial losses. Clarke’s claim says The Guardian’s articles had a “devastating” impact on his finances, according to the BBC, with the actor claiming “every existing or upcoming contract” he had was canceled following The Guardian’s reports.
Clarke’s claim says he has “not had one single work contract” since the first Guardian article about him was published in April 2021. Clarke is claiming aggravated damages for what his lawyers describe as the “relentless, targeted, vicious and persistent nature of the wholly unjustified defamatory campaign” mounted against him by the Guardian.
In its reporting, the BBC outlines the specific financial losses highlighted in Clarke’s claim:
Sky TV show Bulletproof, series 4 – Fee for acting in 10 episodes – £585,000 – Fee for writing two episodes – £90,000 – Fee for directing two episodes – £90,000 – Anticipated royalties – £250,000 (estimated figure) ITV TV show Viewpoint, series 2 – Fee – £270,000 – Anticipated royalties – £200,000 (estimated figure) Channel 5 TV show Highwater – Producer bonus – £60,000 – BBC TV show Crongton – Producer bonus – £60,000 StudioCanal pic Something in the Water – Producer bonus – £40,000 – Former production company Unstoppable – Minimum salary over 10 years – £1.25m – Projected value of shares — £7 million – Legal fees £245,000
Next, a high court judge will oversee the case and determine whether the articles published by The Guardian are defamatory. The first hearing had been set for tomorrow. However, Clarke is in the process of instructing new solicitors, so the hearing has been rescheduled for later this year.
Clarke previously dropped a simultaneous defamation suit against BAFTA. BAFTA previously suspended his membership after the allegations and rescinded the Outstanding Achievement Award it handed him just a week prior to The Guardian article.
[Editor’s Note: The following review contains spoilers for “Justified: City Primeval” Episode 1, “City Primeval,” and Episode 2, “The Oklahoma Wildman.” For non-spoiler coverage, read our initial review.]
“Justified: City Primeval” wastes little time throwing Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) back into the thick of things, which is about the same amount of time it spends pretending all that much has changed. Sure, he’s based in Florida, which is where he was first based when “Justified” (Original Recipe) started; his soulmate, Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins), is locked away in Kentucky, nowhere to be found; and Willa, his daughter (played by Olyphant’s real-life daughter, Vivian Olyphant), is now a teenager. But even as it brings us up to speed on Raylan’s life, the opening scene predominantly speaks to the lingering demons our favorite U.S. Marshal has yet to quell.
Willa is on the way to what her dad calls “camp,” but what she refers to as “conversion therapy.” Either way, the young lady is going to be stuck there for an indeterminate amount of time, without a phone, so it’s no wonder she’s doing her best to act like one of Raylan’s fugitives and escape. But the jokey parallels between his fatherly and federal duties aren’t the point. Willa is being shipped off to the boonies of Florida because she punched another girl in the face. “You broke her nose,” Raylan says, which she shrugs off with, “She deserved it.” “That’s not the point,” Raylan quips — and therein lies the catch. Not so secretly, Raylan is a little bit proud of his daughter, as many parents are when they spot common characteristics between themselves and their kids. But what’s treated as a joke at the start of Episode 1 is anything but by the end of Episode 2, when Raylan’s penchant for violence leads him to break more than just a nose — while Willa watches.
“Justified: City Primeval” goes to great lengths to make sure the elder and younger Givens are together in Detroit. Many parents would’ve found a way to get her home, even after she misses her air boat to camp/prison, but Raylan brings her along for the ride. Having a walking, talking, texting reminder of what’s personally at stake for the lawman isn’t just a means to up the series’ dramatic ante; it’s a way to remind viewers why Raylan needs to change — why he can’t just keep playing cowboy and hope to live a long, happy life. He didn’t seek out this gig. (Those carjackers oh so conveniently came after him.) But if it’s this easy for Raylan to become enmeshed in dangerous case after dangerous case, then maybe he needs a more substantial change than any vacation can offer?
These are questions for later. The first two episodes of “City Primeval” deftly balance our reunion with Raylan and our introduction to new, key characters, Clement Mansell (Boyd Holbrook) being first among them. Not just anyone can sustain a menacing vibe after blasting their own cover of The White Stripes’ song, “Seven Nation Army,” (at the start of the tape, you can hear the producer say, “Clement Mansell, take two”), but The Oklahoma Wildman lives up to his nickname. In the premiere alone, he a) steals a car from a gas station, b) shacks up in a penthouse that’s not his, and c) kills a judge on a whim, along with his confidential informant to boot. It’s a rap sheet that should cover a few years, not a few hours, and yet one gets the sense that Mansell has been behaving this way forever. (The flashback to start Episode 2 confirms if not forever, then at least six years.)
Timothy Olyphant, Victor Williams, and Adelaide Clemens in “Justified: City Primeval”Courtesy of George Burns, Jr. / FX
Just as troubling as what he does is how he does it: With every choice, Mansell exhibits a measured detachment. While it lends the man himself a certain swagger, it’s clear the sociopathy at play is beyond his control. Never mind what the Detroit P.D. first suspects: The death of Judge Alvin Guy (Keith David) isn’t related to the earlier assassination attempt. Ol’ Alvin just flips the bird to the wrong guy, at the wrong time, and Mansell makes sure it never happens again.
Despite (or because of) Raylan’s own control issues becoming more evident at the end of Episode 2, Mansell’s provocative demeanor paired with his unpredictable motivations could spell trouble. For one, the Oklahoma Wildman has one helluva lawyer. Carolyn Wilder (Aunjanue Ellis) has Raylan’s hat spinning on the witness stand (proving once again why he hates going to court), and she preemptively approaches him about keeping his distance from Mansell… a request that he, in turn, promptly violates. Despite originating in a book without Raylan Givens, Mansell seems engineered to push the Marshal’s flannel buttons. He’s greedy, heartless, vindictive, angry, and violent. He’s got a God complex (standing buck naked, quoting Rudyard Kipling, in an apartment he doesn’t even own — plus Sweety’s whole “Apophis, serpent god of chaos” parable), and he’s unafraid of what typically makes criminals nervous (things like police, going to jail, or having the shit kicked out of him).
Raylan’s brutal attack on the Wildman is bad news for all involved — since it may make it difficult for anyone to bring a case against Mansell — but how quickly he snapped is good news for “Justified: City Primeval.” Like the original series, there’s no time wasted in the new iteration. The first two episodes dole out critical (and plentiful) exposition without sacrificing forward momentum. There’s so much action in these initial hours that the car bomb plot — including the intense and comical arrest of the bomber — is barely an afterthought by the time the final credits roll.
Most importantly, the consequences for Raylan are evident and growing. He needs to worry about his daughter, his life, and, yes, his soul. Can he save the first two without sacrificing the third? Or will Mansell force him to work further outside the law than he’s been able to before? In “Justified,” Raylan was always pushed to the edge, but at least he had reliable help at the ready — I can’t say how much faith I have in the Detroit P.D., but it’s certainly less than Tim (Jacob Gutterson) and Art (Nick Searcy). Suddenly, facing off against Boyd Crowder feels like the safer option.
Grade: B+
“Justified: City Primeval” releases new episodes Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on FX, which are available the next day on Hulu. For more on the sequel series, check out IndieWire’s full-season review.
(El)More Leanings:
It’s worth noting that Sandy (Adelaide Clemens) has produced not one, but two marks for Clement: One is Skender (Alexander Pobutsky), who we see her flirting with on her day off. He’s an Albanian fellow with “a Penthouse crashpad” who made his money from… hot dogs? OK! But the aforementioned luxury apartment is not where we see Sandy and Clement crashing. That extravagant apartment belongs to Dale Weems, who we’ve yet to see in the flesh, but who Sandy met in the high-rollers’ room.
It’s also worth noting Adelaide Clemens is an immediate “Justified” MVP, thanks to her dialed-in comedic work upon first meeting Raylan. Between her half-assed attempt to feign sickness and holding up her hands to tell left from right, Sandy is a gift Clement certainly does not deserve, but she’s one we’ll cherish as long as we can.
I wonder if episode co-writers (and showrunners) Dave Andron and Michael Dinner made a point to have Sandy describe Raylan as having “dewey skin” instead of first noting his hat, as most people tend to do. The subtle subversion gave me a sizable chuckle.
The way Clement says “coro-brate”: That is all.
Leave it to Keith David to make the most out of the judge’s explanation for what happened with his… unique affair. “I gave her son the maximum, and she still wanted a piece.” Incredible.
“City Primeval” gets off on the right foot with a classic Raylan-ism: “There’s no such thing as on time. You’re either early, or you’re late.” Welcome back, Givens.
Country Music Television has pulled a music video for the song “Try That in a Small Town,” by the country music superstar Jason Aldean, which was filmed at the site of a lynching, amid accusations that its lyrics and message are offensive.
The video, released in May, was shot in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tenn., a site known for the 1927 mob lynching of Henry Choate, an 18-year-old Black man, and is interspersed with violent news footage, including protests. An American flag is draped between the building’s central pillars, while Aldean, strumming a guitar, lists what he imagines as big city behavior that would not be well received in a small town; “carjack an old lady”; “cuss out a cop”; “stomp on the flag.”
State Representative Justin Jones of Tennessee, a Democrat, condemned the song on Twitter, describing it as a “heinous song calling for racist violence” that promoted “a shameful vision of gun extremism and vigilantism.”
On Tuesday, CMT confirmed by email that it had stopped airing the video on Monday, but did not offer any explanation. The news was first reported by Billboard.
Aldean defended himself on Twitter, asserting that he had been accused of “releasing a pro-lynching song” and being “not too pleased” with the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.
“These references are not only meritless, but dangerous,” he said. “There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it — and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage — and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music — this one goes too far.”
Aldean then made reference to his performance in 2017 at an outdoor music festival in Las Vegas, where a gunman opened fire from a hotel room, killing 58 people.
“NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart,” Aldean said. The song, he added, referred to the “feeling of a community” he experienced growing up, where neighbors took care of one another, regardless of differences in background or belief.
“My political views have never been something I’ve hidden from, and I know that a lot of us in this Country don’t agree on how we get back to a sense of normalcy where we go at least a day without a headline that keeps us up at night. But the desire for it to- that’s what this song is about,” Aldean said.
BRB Music Group, which represents Aldean, could not be immediately reached for comment.
A cast of emerging talent has been set for BBC comedy-drama “Boarders,” from Daniel Lawrence Taylor, creator of the BAFTA nominated “Timewasters.”
The 6 x 45′ series produced by Studio Lambert (“The Nest”) in association with All3Media International, follows the lives of five talented underprivileged Black students from inner-city London who win scholarships to St. Gilbert’s, an elite boarding school. Stepping out of the urban metropolis, they experience the highs and lows of boarding school, learn about themselves, their identity and what life on the other side looks like.
“Boarders” will star Josh Tedeku (“Supacell”), Jodie Campbell (“Bulletproof”) and Myles Kamwendo (“The School for Good and Evil”) alongside Sekou Diaby and Aruna Jalloh, both making their screen debuts. Lawrence Taylor will play a mentor figure to the students.
The cast also includes Derek Riddell (“Happy Valley”), Niky Wardley (“Queen of Oz”), Harry Gilby (“Tolkien”), Tallulah Grieve (“Our Ladies”), Rosie Graham (“The School for Good and Evil”), Georgina Sadler (“The A List”) and Assa Kanoute, making her screen debut.
“Boarders” was created by Lawrence Taylor, who also serves as lead writer and was joined in the writing room by Emma Dennis-Edwards, Yemi Oyefuwa and Ryan Calais Cameron. The series is directed by Ethosheia Hylton and Sarmad Masud, with Ali MacPhail serving as producer and Carleen Beadle-Larcombe as line producer. Executive producers are Daniel Lawrence Taylor, Susan Hogg and Maddie Sinclair for Studio Lambert and Nawfal Faizullah and Ayela Butt for the BBC.
Filming is underway in the Southwest of England and “Boarders” is due to air on BBC Three and iPlayer in 2024. All3Media International is distributing “Boarders” globally.
Lawrence Taylor said: “I’ve been gifted with the most incredible cast and creative team who are injecting so much joy and energy into the show. I hope the audience loves it as much as we’re loving making it.”
Hogg added: “Daniel is a superb writer and actor. He has the courage and insight to tackle a tough premise through the lens of comedy. Blessed with a hugely talented cast, ‘Boarders’ is a bold and original comedy drama, both heartfelt and hilarious. The series hits the sweet spot between laughter and tears that the audience will love.”
Fiona Campbell, controller of BBC Three, said: “The series takes us on a journey through the eyes of five young adults in a way that’s refreshing, informative, and hilariously funny – we can’t wait for BBC Three viewers to join in on the fun.”
Maartje Horchner, executive VP, content at All3Media International, said: “Daniel Lawrence Taylor, with Studio Lambert and the BBC, has created a revealing and immensely engaging and entertaining world at St. Gilbert’s – a contemporary comedy of manners with a lot of heart that we are delighted to represent globally.”
“This season has been phenomenal,” McBride, 46, said during his Monday, July 17, appearance on the “Smartless” podcast, which is hosted by Bateman, 54, Arnett and Hayes, both 53. “I stopped watching it for a while and then I heard about this affair that happened and I was like, ‘Oh, I need to tune back in and see what these Vanderpumps have been up to.”
When Arnett, who claimed he hasn’t seen “a single frame” of the Bravo series, asked if “Vanderpumps” was the last name of the cast members, McBride once again used his knowledge to break down how the show got its moniker.
“Lisa Vanderpump is the lady who owns the restaurant they all work at,” McBride explained, referencing SUR, where viewers initially meet the cast on season 1. “But I like just saying it plural, I think it sounds [more] fun.”
McBride noted that his affinity for Pump Rules — a show which he claimed is “on fire right now”— comes from his brain not wanting to “commit” to anything beyond reality TV.
Bateman, for his part, revealed that he has tuned in to Pump Rules on occasion and praised the program for knowing its audience. “I love all that. Just the way they make those shows now, that reality world. It’s really well done,” he said. “They’ve figured it out. There’s a format there, and they’re starting to play with the format too, and I like that stuff.”
While Bateman, McBride and Hayes — who called shows like Jersey Shore and Pump Rules “watercooler” programs — gushed over the reality TV space, Arnett had a few hesitations.
Lala Kent, James Kennedy, Katie Maloney, Ariana Madix, Andy Cohen, Lisa Vanderpump, Tom Sandoval, Tom Schwartz, and Scheana Shay.Nicole Weingart/Bravo
“Here’s what’s weird. I know [Bravo executive] Andy Cohen a little bit and I saw a few clips. I guess some s—t went down on Vanderpump recently that blew everybody’s mind. There was, like, an affair and there’s a whole thing,” he recalled. “Here’s the thing — they talk about [each other] like they’re characters. … And you’re like, ‘What the f—k are we talking about? What is going on?”
Scandoval — the now-infamous cheating scandal referenced by Arnett — first made headlines in March when Us Weekly confirmed Ariana Madix called it quits with Tom Sandoval after she discovered he was having a months-long affair with costar Raquel Leviss. The drama then continued to play out on the season 10 finale, which aired in May, and its subsequent three-part reunion.
Courtesy of Max
Earlier this month, the series received its first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program and Outstanding Picture Editing.
While the breakdown of the relationship between Madix, 37, and Sandoval, 40, clearly reflected real life, Bateman questioned how much of Pump Rules’ conflict is actually authentic during Monday’s podcast. “You know, they kind of fight the instinct — or maybe they’re asked to — kind of fight the instinct to cause trouble to make for good drama probably, so I wonder how much of it is them,” he wondered, to which McBride suggested that everyone involved is likely vying for their time to shine.
“So many of these reality shows are ensembles and it seems like everybody’s fighting for their notoriety. Or how they leave their mark and how they become the most exciting trainwreck on the show,” he joked.
Drone brand DJI is teasing its next major product launch, recently announcing its upcoming Double Up event which is set to take place on July 25 at 9 AM EST.
As is typical of the company, there’s very little official information in the teaser trailer. All we get is a ten-second clip of a man on top of a mountain with a drone controller in his hands before the camera pans back revealing two viewpoints, one on top of the other. That’s it. But, a clue in the trailer and several new leaks lead us to believe DJI will be unveiling the new, mid-range Air 3 drone.
German tech news site WinFuture posted possible marketing images of the Air 3 back in late June. If you look at the post, the front of the drone sports a dual-lens camera mounted on a gimbal. The lenses are on top of one another in the images, and if you recall, the viewpoints in DJI’s trailer are in the same position. Putting everything together, we believe DJI is hinting at the fact the Air 3 will have a double-lens camera, allowing it to serve as a direct upgrade to the Air 2S drone. That is exciting news as one of the things we really liked about the Air 2S is its camera, and how it’s able to photograph as well as record videos in stunning quality. The latter can be done up to 5.4 K resolution at 30 FPS.
Potential camera system
The WinFuture leak doesn’t detail exactly what kind of camera will be present on the Air 3. It goes on to talk about how the upcoming drone could come with a 4,242mAh battery which is 30 percent bigger than the power supply on the Air 2S. The post does, however, point out the drone’s similarities to the DJI Mavic 3.
The base Mavic 3 drone comes equipped with a dual-camera system consisting of a 20MP main lens sporting a “Four Third CMOS sensor with adjustable aperture,” alongside a telephoto option capable of 24x zoom. So the question is, will the Air 3 have the same camera as the Mavic 3 or, at the very least, something similar? Maybe.
Conflicting prices
Quadro_News, a reliable industry insider, shared leaked “ ‘approximate prices’ for the DJI Air 3’s accessory bundles” on Twitter back in late June. According to the leak, the bundles will range from around $1,234 (roughly £969 / AU$1,845) to $1,295 (roughly £1,113 / AU$2,119). However, the WinFuture leak from earlier conflicts with Quadro_News by claiming a price range from about $1,563 (£1199 / €1389) to $1,796 (£1379 / €1597)
Regardless of what the final number will be, the high price point leads us to believe the Air 3 will have some sort of “pro-level camera” inside. There is a chance the bundles and base drone won’t be that expensive. To repeat what we said earlier, the Air series is DJI’s mid-range line. It might not be over $1,000 at launch. The prices could drop a fair bit. The dual-lens camera might also not be as powerful as the Mavic 3’s lenses. Take everything with a grain of salt.
Either way, we’ll know for sure what the Air 3 will bring to the table on July 25. We just hope DJI has read our wishlist and is putting everything we want in the drone.
Netflix has dropped a trailer for the animated movie TheMonkey King.
The film stars Jimmy O. Yang, Lin Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, Nan Li, Bowen Yang, Jo Koy, Ron Yuan, Hoon Lee, BD Wong, Andrew Kishino, Sophie Wu, Jodi Long, James Sie, Andrew Pang, Stephanie Hsu, and Kuno Inghram.
With animation and imagery by ReelFX, The Monkey King is a family action-family comedy that follows a rebellious and charismatic Monkey and his magical fighting Stick on an epic quest for victory over 100 demons, an eccentric Dragon King, and Monkey’s greatest foe of all —his own ego. Along the way, a young village girl challenges his self-centered attitude and shows him that even the smallest pebble can have a big effect on the world.
Anthony Stacchi (The Boxtrolls, Open Season), directs with the script written by Steve Bencich and Ron J. Friedman. Peilin Chou (Over the Moon, Abominable), produces, while Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer), serves as executive producer.
Glamour, in collaboration with Female Founder’s Fund (FFF), took center stage as the co-host of the highly anticipated two-day event, Camp FFF, held in picturesque Southampton, New York. With an impressive lineup of speakers and performers, the festivities commenced with a dazzling welcome dinner at Calissa on Wednesday, July 12.
Anu Duggal, the founding partner of FFF, addressed the gathering, emphasizing the significance of its evolution. “Camp FFF was launched three years ago as a response to the isolation many founders felt during the pandemic,” said Duggal. She highlighted the importance of bringing together like-minded individuals in an intellectually stimulating environment to foster meaningful conversations and connections. “You have been invited to join us because we believe that the companies you’re building have the potential to redefine the industry. So we encourage all of you to take advantage of this unique opportunity to network and learn from the incredible women carefully curated in today’s group.” Duggal expressed her gratitude to the co-hosts of the evening, Glamour and Estée Lauder, as well as the event sponsors, including Amazon Web Services, Globalization Partners, Sequoia Consulting, and LionTree.
Camp FFF Welcome Dinner at Calissa.
Yumi Matsuo
As the sun dipped, guests arrived to welcome cocktails and passed appetizers and were treated to a performance by renowned poet and activist Rupi Kaur. Kaur’s spoke captivatingly about the challenges women face in male-dominated industries. “When men achieve the impossible, they’re hailed as geniuses and innovators. But when women accomplish the same, we’re met with suspicion, constantly asked to prove ourselves. Even at the pinnacle of our fields, they claim it’s not enough. So I wrote a poem titled ‘Woman Who Will Not Die’—a testament to our boundless potential despite being told we’re not funny, smart, or worthy. We are not going anywhere.”
Rupi Kaur reciting her poem ‘Woman Who Will Not Die”
Yumi Matsuo
Following the inspiring performance, a family-style dinner commenced. Glamour’s Editorial Director of the Americas, Samantha Barry, addressed the attendees, speaking about the magazine’s legacy of championing phenomenal women for over 80 years. Barry recounted how the brand had transformed from the Glamour of Hollywood into a feminist bible during the war era, advocating for women’s rights and empowerment. She highlighted Glamour’s ongoing initiatives, such as the fight for Paid Leave and the By Women initiative, which aims to educate and empower readers to support women-led businesses. Barry invited attendees to participate in the By Women initiative by consciously choosing to shop differently and emphasizing the brand’s commitment to promoting and showcasing companies owned and run by women.
The evening set the stage for a transformative second day at Camp FFF, beginning at the Wolffer Estate Vineyards for a light breakfast. This was followed by the actor and entrepreneur Brooke Shields in conversation with Samantha Barry. Together, they delved into a range of thought-provoking topics, shedding light on important issues within America’s entertainment industry. One of the central themes of their discussion was the sexualization of women in America and the importance of women’s voices in shaping the industry. Reflecting on her documentary, “Pretty Baby,” Shields explained how crucial it was to share her story as a woman navigating a male-dominated field. “What I realized very early on, at the age of 12 or 13, is that nobody wants your answer. They want you to answer everything the way they want you to answer it. And the resilience comes from really holding on to whatever your truth is,” said Shields.
I decided to do my ~ research ~ — which was a nice walk down Housewives memory lane — and rank my favorite Real Housewives moments from messy to messiest.
Note: I know for sure I left out some very memorable moments from the franchise, so if you have any favorites that weren’t included, feel free to share them with me in the comments below!
Bryan Adams is the latest artist to be caught off-guard by a fan’s questionable concert etiquette. At his Salt Lake City concert earlier this month, Adams sang the opening line to “Summer of ’69” — “I got my first real six-string” — and a rowdy audience member rushed the stage. The guy slid in front of Adams and stole his microphone, just in time to belt out the next lyrics: “Bought it at the five and dime / Played it ‘til my fingers bled.”
The wanna-be rocker then made rock ’n roll’s ubiquitous “devil’s horns” hand gesture as several members of the security team hauled him off stage.
Adams handled the incident like a pro, and returned to the mic to sing the next line of the hit as the audience cheered.
The Canadian rocker shared a video of the moment on Instagram, writing in the caption, “Sometimes you just gotta laugh…#stagecrasher #summerof69”
Adams is touring with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts as part of a 26-concert So Happy It Hurts Tour, with stops around North America through August. The two rock legends will hit the Kia Forum in Inglewood on July 29.
The ordeal at Adams’ concert is the latest in a string of bizarre and alarming incidents that have plagued shows this summer.
Although this kind of thing has happened sporadically at concerts (since forever), issues began to ramp up last month in New York City, when Bebe Rexha was hit in the face with a cellphone, resulting in a man getting arrested and the singer getting stitches.
Nicolas Malvagna, 27, of New Jersey was arrested and charged with assault for allegedly throwing his phone at Rexha, the New York Police Department confirmed to The Times. “I was trying to see if I could hit her with the phone at the end of the show because it would be funny,” Malvagna said, according to a criminal complaint.
Then in London, at British Summer Time’s Hyde Park Festival a week and a half later, a concertgoer left their mother’s cremated remains on stage while Pink performed “Just Like a Pill.” Pink asked the fan, “Is this your mom?” while holding up the bag of what appeared to be a gray powder. The fan confirmed it was, and the “F— Perfect” singer said, “I don’t know how to feel about this.”
Also in June, singer-songwriter Ava Max was slapped by a show attendee onstage during her L.A. show.
“He slapped me so hard that he scratched the inside of my eye,” the “Sweet but Psycho” artist tweeted. “He’s never coming to a show again thank you to the fans for being spectacular tonight in LA though!!”
And Harry Styles, who was hit in the groin by a flying water bottle last year, suffered a blow to the eye from an unidentified object thrown from the crowd while he performed at Vienna’s Ernst-Happel-Stadion this month.
In a viral clip posted by user @harryloustan1, the “Watermelon Sugar” singer is seen getting hit by an item and wincing in pain. He also covers his eye and forehead with his hand while walking to the back of the stage.
Downey’s armored hero is easily one of the most recognizable and beloved characters in the MCU after he kicked things off for the franchise back in 2008.
Of course, the actor is no longer a part of the super-powered series, having come to a fitting end in the final moments of Avengers: Endgame – but that has not stopped Marvel from celebrating the MCU’s original Avenger.
Fans can live out their Iron Man dreams with a new ‘I Love You 3000’ merchandise pin centered on Robert Downey Jr.’s iconic hero.
Entertainment Earth
The Marvel Studios Arc Reactor replica prop from Entertainment Earth is a full one-to-one scale wearable version of the iconic glowing chest piece worn by the MCU’s Tony Stark.
Entertainment Earth
This Arc Reactor features the phrase “I Love You 3000” plaquered front and center, and lights up so the wearer can release their inner iron man.
Entertainment Earth
It looks just like the Arc Reactors seen during the Infintiy Saga, made of engraved silver metal with light-up details.
The replica measures four inches tall and found-and-a-half inches wide and has six magnets fixed to the back, three on the reactor itself and three to mount on the inside of one’s shirt.
Entertainment Earth
It all comes packaged in a beautiful Marvel-red box that sports stunning art of Downey’s Iron Avenger on the inner lid.
Entertainment Earth
This is a limited-edition product and will cost $79.99 USD.
The Ultimate Iron Man Collectible
This limited edition Arc Reactor is the ultimate Iron Man collectible for any MCU fan.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man became iconic over the last 15 years, and if there was one line to attach to the character “I Love You 3000” would be the one.
The only thing that could top a collectible like this would be a full, wearable Iron Man suit, but that seems unrealistic.
And – given it likely would not sport that “I Love You 3000” catchphrase – would not be nearly the tear-jerking this Arc Reactor could be for the die-heard Marvel Studios fans of the world.
The Entertainment Earth Iron Man Arc Reactor Prop Replica Light-Up Pin releases in August and can be pre-ordered now.
We’re entering an era of high fantasy and science-fiction like never before, a time when genre elements are embraced by the masses, and complicated, admittedly geeky projects like Avatar, Dune, and the MCU are hugely successful. As such, it’s the perfect time for something like Foundation to be released.
Based on Isaac Asimov’s acclaimed series of novels and stories — which arguably make Frank Herbert seem like Dr. Seuss — Foundation is perhaps the most epic and ambitious sci-fi series ever made. The Apple TV+ show already has an eight-season plan, and after a dazzling, $45 million first season, the series is off to the races with an even bigger, better, and bolder sophomore outing.
Creator David S. Goyer is one of the few talents capable of tackling such a project, thanks to his meticulous attention to lore and canon, his intellectual respect of his audience, and his prior success. Goyer penned the script for Batman Begins and the story for all of Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, the Blade films, the underrated masterpiece Dark City, Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Terminator: Dark Fate. This is a man who knows his science-fiction, and has a proven track record for adapting formerly nerdy things into extremely successful franchises.
Foundation, though, is a different beast altogether. With a massive cast of characters, an interplanetary scope, and heady themes of political theory, religious doctrine, and the way empires rise and fall. Goyer spoke with MovieWeb about the second season of Foundation, the first episode of which is now on Apple TV+, with new episodes streaming weekly every Friday through September 15.
MovieWeb: Foundation is such a cool show, and it’s interesting that it’s kind of coming out at a time when empires are changing the way they were in the ’40s and ’50s when Asimov started writing this. Why did you want to adapt something of such massive scope? Why Foundation? Is it masochism?
David S. Goyer: [Laughs] A little bit? I mean, look, I like the challenge of it. I don’t think I could have adapted this when I was 40. I’m over 50 now, and having had some other difficult adaptations sort of prepared me for this. But I also don’t think this show never could have happened before streaming, and before shows like Game of Thrones. So I think it was kind of the right place, right time.
It would be boring if I just tackled things that I knew for sure […] If you’re not kind of out there on the edge as an artist, then what the hell are you doing?
How Foundation Takes a Page from James Cameron
Apple TV+
MW: What has been the key to telling such a grand, complicated tale in a coherent way, and what have you learned from season one that helps you do it better in season two?
David S. Goyer: Well, season two was a lot easier than season one, because season one had to do a lot of heavy expositional lifting. It took us about three episodes just to kind of get through the basic concepts of the genetic dynasty and psychohistory and what the Foundation is, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. We weren’t burdened with any of that in season two, so we could really hit the ground running and come out, like, shot out of the cannon. And so that part was a lot easier.
David S. Goyer: Yes, there’s a diehard audience that loves the books, that loves hard science fiction, but I know for the show to succeed, it needs to appeal to a much larger audience. That’s a lesson I took from James Cameron; you know, in order for him to make the Avatar movies, he needed to make the themes as kind of universal and humanistic as possible. And we tried to do that in season one, but really, with my writers and my directors and the actors, tried to double down on that in season two, and just make sure that all the themes we’re working through in the stories are really universal, and would work even if you stripped all the science-fiction out of them.
MW: What are you most excited about audiences seeing in season two?
David S. Goyer: We get to learn how Demerzel came to be in the employ of empire, and I think that’s a really surprising story, and we made the audience wait almost 20 episodes before we reveal that. I told Laura Birn, who plays Eto Demerzel, that her character was going to be a slow-burn, and I’m really excited for that, because I think that recontextualizes a lot of what you’ve seen in the prior 18 episodes. I’m really excited for characters to learn more of Hari Seldon’s backstory, which is again something we held back.
David S. Goyer: And Bel Riose is a personal favorite of mine, when I grew up reading the books, so I’m excited for people to see him brought to life as embodied by Ben Daniels, who’s just a national treasure over here in England, and I’ve been a fan of his for a long time.
If Goyer’s epic eight-season plan is fulfilled, and even if not, there will certainly be new Foundation fans for a long time, as well. The first episode of season two is now on Apple TV+, followed by new episodes of Foundation weekly every Friday through September 15.
After Diablo 4 officially launched in early June, it didn’t take long for players to realize just how powerful Vulnerable Damage was on nearly every build in the game. Going into Season 1 of Diablo 4, Blizzard took a look at Vulnerable and Critical Strike damage, and I can tell you that plenty of players are going to need some fresh builds.
Vulnerable Damage and Critical Strikes Nerfed in Diablo 4
As of July 18, both Vulnerable Damage and Critical Strikes have been nerfed. Most of the changes are applied to Affixes that are found on items like weapons and armor. Aside from skills and Paragon Points though, this is where most players will draw their power from, and the most popular stats in the game have taken quite the hit.
On global Affixes, Critical Strike damage has been reduced by 17%, and Vulnerable Damage has been reduced by a massive 40%. For primary weapons like swords and crossbows, that number increases. Critical Strike damage gets reduced by 50% when compared to before, and Vulnerable Damage on crossbows has gone down by 65%.
Within the Diablo 4 Season 1 patch notes, there is a developer’s note that explains the decision to nerf what many players have relied on for the past month in-game. “We’re seeing Critical Strike Damage and Vulnerable Damage often viewed as a hard requirement for a build’s success in Diablo IV. We believe this is a step towards allowing more builds to flourish and will continue to make changes in support of this goal.“
Other major stats that received nerfs in the Affixes section included damage against crowd-controlled enemies, cooldown reduction, and close-range damage reduction. It looks like the perfect time to roll a Season 1 character and ditch the Eternal Realm.
Dan has been writing gaming guides and news as a staff writer and freelancer since he graduated from Westfield State University in 2020. You can find him covering the FPS and Battle Royale space at Prima Games.
Sheryl Crow is stepping into the conversation being from a small town and calling out Jason Aldean after the country star was accused of promoting violence with the song “Try That in a Small Town.”
“Jason Aldean, I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence,” Crow tweeted mentioning his colleague. “There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting.”
Crow continued, “This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame.”
Crow quoted a tweet that mentioned Aldean was in a mass shooting back in 2017 when he was performing in Las Vegas. The shooter killed 60 people and injured over 400 concertgoers.
.@Jason_Aldean I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence.There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting.
Aldean’s music video for “Try That in a Small Town” has been removed from the CMT programming after backlash. In the video, the singer is seen performing in front of an infamous courthouse known for lynchings.
Lyrics for the song say “Cuss out a cop, spit in his face, stomp on the flag and light it up, yeah, ya think you’re tough, well, try that in a small town, see how far ya make it down the road.” In another part of the song, Aldean sings, “got a gun that my granddad gave me, they say one day they’re gonna round up, well, that shit might fly in the city, good luck.”
Aldean has denied that his song incites pro-lynching and says that “not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it- and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage -and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes too far.”
In his statement on Twitter, Aldean said the song “refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief. Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences.”
Everyone is excited about the star-studded cast of Barbie, but everyone should be as excited about the director. Oscar-winning director Greta Gerwig is teaming up with producer and star Margot Robbie to create a one-of-a-kind story about Barbie. We are going to get to know more about Gerwig and how her influences have contributed to the creation of this highly anticipated film.
Greta Gerwig is the director and co-writer, along with her partner Noah Baumbach, of Barbie. Gerwig is an actress, playwright, screenwriter, and director. Her first solo directing and writing project was Lady Bird (2017) and followed by Little Women (2019) which cemented her place as one of the best directors of her generation. Based on what we’ve seen Greta do with her previous films, we can expect her to tell a story about this iconic doll in a nuanced, funny way that speaks to an element of the woman’s experience. We are going to go over some noteworthy details about Greta’s early life, career, and her work on Barbie that might be helpful to know before seeing the movie in theaters. We hope you enjoy getting to know this well-respected quadruple threat!
Greta Gerwig’s Early Life
Gerwig was born in Sacramento, California on August 4, 1983. She describes herself as an “intense child.” She went to an all-girls Catholic school but was raised as a Unitarian Universalist. Her interest was in dance, and she wanted to go to college to study musical theater in New York. She did end up studying in New York, at Barnard College specifically, where she studied English and Psychology.
In an Associated Press interview, where Gerwig was asked about her thoughts on working in a male-dominated field, she shared an interesting anecdote about a conversation she had in college with a female professor. She told the professor that she couldn’t seriously be a playwright because she was a girl. At that time, the only female playwright she knew was Wendy Wasserstein, so she thought playwrighting was a man’s game. Thankfully, her professor scolded her and introduced her to more female playwrights.
Gerwig also expressed to the interviewer that this is the best time to be a “lady filmmaker.” This is evident to her by just noticing how her mentality is different from the younger generation coming up. Young women of this generation are confidently aspiring to become directors, while Gerwig didn’t necessarily know that screenwriting or directing was accessible to her. We should all thank Gerwig’s professor for encouraging her to explore her talents.
Greta’s Start Was in Mumblecore and Indie Cinema
Mumblecore is a subgenre of indie cinema that describes naturalistic films that are dialogue-driven and have regular, everyday people as characters. Some popular shows that have been influenced by mumblecore include Girls and Broad City. Gerwig was introduced to mumblecore when she met director Joe Swanberg while she was still studying at Barnard. Her first role was a minor one in Swanberg’s LOL (2006). After acting in several of Swanberg’s films, she became the co-director, co-writer, and co-producer of Swanberg’s Nights and Weekends (2008).
Gerwig’s acting career grew and she started working with more established indie-writer directors like Whit Stillman in Damsels in Distress (2011) and Rebecca Miller in Maggie’s Plan (2015). Her performance in these films earned her the unofficial title of an “indie darling.”
Greta Gerwig met her partner Noah Baumbach while working on his film Greenberg (2010), alongside Ben Stiller. This started their co-directing and co-writing relationship, which led them to create Frances Ha (2012), a mumblecore classic, Mistress America (2014), White Noise (2022), and of course Barbie.
Gerwig’s indie and mumblecore career has influenced who she is as a writer and director. In her Vogue “73 questions” interview, Gerwig described the rhythm and pacing of the dialogue in a script as an indicator of the script being ready. The sparse style of indie filming makes it necessary for relationships and dialogue to move their films forward. During her screenwriting career in the mumblecore space, she most likely had a lot of experience writing dialogue-focused scripts. In indie films, Greta played self-absorbed millennial women with unmatched charisma, charm, and energy that made her stand out among other actresses who played similar characters. It’s easy to imagine that the woman who put her mark on a genre can also make a Barbie movie that is beyond our expectations.
Margot Robbie Requested That Greta Write The Script And Direct
The titular role of Barbie is played by Margot Robbie, who is also the producer of the film. Robbie and her production company LuckyChap Entertainment were in talks with Warner Bros. and Mattel to get funding for the movie back in 2018. Robbie sought Gerwig to write the script after being in awe of her work in Lady Bird. Robbie was trying to find ways to work with Gerwig and when Barbie became a project Robbie knew who she had to ask.
In a 7/30 ABC News In-depth interview, Robbie said she was drawn to making a film about Barbie because of all the complicated feelings associated with the doll. Barbie can represent someone’s childhood filled with imagination and aspiration while also making someone feel unrepresented and inadequate. Robbie wanted a screenwriter and director to capture all the complicated aspects of the conversation. She knew Gerwig would be the person to honor Barbie’s legacy while also bringing the iconic doll into the current cultural conversation
In the same interview, Gerwig talked about accepting Robbie’s offer to work on the movie. Gerwig just had a baby and was in a “postpartum delirium, ” where she was just getting used to the role of being a mother while also in post-production of Little Women. Although her life was hectic, Robbie’s description of the film spoke to Greta and she could see the film igniting conversation.
Gerwig feared that the movie could be a career killer for her. First, what if there wasn’t much of a story to tell? Second, because of the various feelings about Barbie, there was a possibility they could take a wrong turn and upset a lot of people. Gerwig finally decided to look at the fear as a sign that she should take the challenge. Gerwig wasn’t the only party fearful about creating this film. Both Robbie and Gerwig had to persistently work with Mattel to ease their worries about the movie taking down their brand. It took several meetings on Robbie and Gerwig’s part, but Mattel eventually trusted the two women.
Greta’s Favorite Movies Influenced How The Barbie Movie Was Made
Gerwig’s creation of the Barbie world was influenced by several films. In her interview with Letterboxd, she listed 29 films that influenced Barbie. Gerwig’s respect and knowledge of film has made Barbie not only just the celebration of the doll, but also the celebration of films that are bright, iconic, and culture-shifting.
The first film referenced that most viewers will be able to point out is 2001: A Space Odyssey. The opening scene of Barbie pays homage to 2001. You can see the scene in the teaser trailer below. The resemblance is pretty obvious.
Gerwig was influenced by older films, where they were using sound stages and painted sets. In her Letterboxd interview, Gerwig used the phrase“authentically artificial” to describe these sets. “I think it’s very emotional and beautiful,” said Gerwig. The films that would fall into this “authentically artificial” category include Wizard of Oz and Singing in The Rain. In Barbieland, there is a pink brick road instead of the well-known yellow brick road in The Wizard of Oz. There are also scenes from Wizard of Oz playing in movie theaters in BarbieLand. Ken is in a dream ballet, which is an homage to Gene Kelly’s “Dream Ballet Within a Dream Ballet” in Singing in The Rain. Gerwig also references scenes in American in Paris, another Gene Kelly film. There is one scene where Gene Kelly moves around his small apartment, going about his morning routine. Gerwig liked how that scene was choreographed and shot, which inspired her to shoot Barbie’s routine scene similarly. These films are bright, musical, and have surreal moments throughout.
We hope this information about Greta Gerwig prepares you to appreciate Barbie coming to theaters on July 21st. Let us know if you are a fan of Greta Gerwig. What are you hoping to see in Barbie?
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Some of the best MMA fighters in the world are across the pond this weekend for UFC London. Also known as UFC Fight Night 224, the main card pits hometown hero Tom Aspinall vs. Polish star Marcin Tybura in a heavyweight bout.
When Is UFC London? Date, Time
UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura takes place this Saturday, July 22 from the O2 Arena in London. Prelims start at noon ET / 9 a.m. PT, with the main card starting at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT.
Tickets to UFC London are still available as of this writing on VividSeats.com.
UFC London Livestream: How to Watch Fight Night Online
Want to watch UFC London online? Grab an ESPN+ subscription here for $9.99, which will get you instant access to livestream UFC Fight Night 224 online. Unlike PPV events, UFC Fight Night is available to stream for free for all ESPN+ subscribers.
Even better value: grab the Disney Bundle deal here, which gets you ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu for just $12.99 total. The deal saves you almost 50% off signing up for each streaming service individually.
UFC London features the return of Aspinall, after the 30-year-old suffered a devastating knee injury against Curtis Blaydes last July. The No. 5-ranked British star steps into the octagon against the No. 10-ranked Tybura, in the event’s main event.
UFC London’s co-main event features Liverpool’s “Meatball” Molly McCann vs. Lithuanian star JulijaStoliarenko in a flyweight matchup.
A featherweight bout pits Nathaniel Wood vs. Andre Fili, while Scottish star Paul Craig faces André Muniz in a middleweight fight. The rest of the main card features Jai Herbert vs. Farès Ziam and Lerone Murphy vs. Joshua Culibao.
UFC Fight Night 224 marks the brand’s 15th visit to London, and the first since UFC 286 in March 2023.
Let us know your thoughts as the season progresses in the comments below and vote in the poll.
NOTE: Obviously people will be posting their thoughts/reactions to the season as a whole, so there will be spoilers in the comments. We advise you not to read the comments until you have watched the latest available episode.
NOTE: You can change your vote as the season progresses.
Donald Trump doubled down on his false claims of fraud in the 2020 election while speaking to Sean Hannity during a town hall recorded in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that aired Tuesday night on Fox News.
The town hall was pre-taped, so Fox News could have edited the claims, which have been repeatedly debunked, out of the interview before airing it. Instead, they were aired apparently unedited. Interestingly, this occurred just three months after Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million.
The moment came when Hannity noted the upcoming 2024 election, and asked Trump if he now embraces voting by mail and early balloting.
“I do, but I also have to say something else, because a lot of people,” Trump said, at which point he was interrupted by Hannity.
“But this is important,” Hannity said in an apparent attempt to steer trump away from the topic.
“Including you, don’t talk about,” Trump said, ignoring Hannity. “They also create phony ballots and that’s a real problem.”
The audience burst into applause at this, and Trump, shouting to be heard said, “but they create a lot of phony ballots.”
“They also create phony ballots” — Trump pushes the big lie on Fox News. Keep in mind that this town hall was prerecorded, so Fox made an editorial choice to broadcast Trump’s election lies. pic.twitter.com/cMXP1uEuyZ
Perhaps unrelated, Dominion sued Fox News for defamation because several of the network’s biggest stars repeatedly shared, or invited guests who did so, lies and conspiracy theories alleging that Dominion had somehow helped rig the 2020 presidential election.
Fox settled the lawsuit after a trove of evidence uncovered in discovery, much of it concerning the network’s biggest star, Tucker Carlson, revealed that network personnel fully understood the claims were false. In a statement announcing the lawsuit, Fox was apparently not required to apologize, but it did acknowledge “the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false.”
“This settlement reflects FOX’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards,” Fox added.
The settlement was announced on April 18. Just 6 days later Tucker Carlson was fired. Fox is still being sued by another voting system company, Smartmatic, for essentially the same reasons Dominion sued. Related, Fox News is also being sued for defamation by a man who was repeatedly linked by Tucker Carlson to a conspiracy theory that the Jan. 6 attack Donald Trump incited was a false flag designed to discredit Trump. As with Dominion and Smartmatic, this is very, very false.)
Donald Trump is of course not an employee of Fox News. The network didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap about Trump’s comments regarding the election.
Some other highlights from the event:
Trump claimed Joe Biden announced “three days ago,” that apparently “we have no ammunition.” Biden did not say this. He did however say that Ukraine is running low on ammunition and the U.S. can’t provide an unlimited amount, while explaining why the U.S. is sending cluster bombs instead.
A no-show thong or sexy lingerie will always have a spot in your top drawer, but for everyday wear, nothing beats a reliable pair of the best cotton underwear for women. The natural fiber is known for being soft and breathable—perfect for those hot summer days—and when you consider everything that’s happening down there (especially during workouts or other sweat-inducing activities), you really want a second-skin pair that’ll hold up day in and out.
Our top picks:
Is cotton underwear really better?
“Cotton underwear helps to keep moisture away from the body and eliminates targeted heat,” says Monica Grover, MD, ob-gyn and chief medical officer at Vspot. That’s a good thing, says Grover, since “overheating or moisture can disturb women’s pH and resistance to antibacterial treatment options.” Unlike synthetic materials, which have a tendency to trap heat, “cotton is naturally hypoallergenic,” Grover says, “which helps to alleviate any irritation—and doesn’t trap moisture, allowing for your vulva and vagina to breathe.”
Does that mean you should toss out all of your synthetic undies? Not exactly. But you might want to be more intentional about when you wear them. “There’s significant wetness that occurs with urinary leakage or a heavy-duty workout,” says Beri Ridgeway, MD, ob-gyn and cofounder of Ina. “In these cases, the fabric can retain too much moisture and remain wet against the delicate vulvar skin. For some, this can cause discomfort, irritation, and may put one at risk for infection, so I recommend a moisture-wicking material, like cotton.”
Really, though, the biggest difference between cotton and synthetic materials is how they’re produced. “Natural fabrics, such as cotton, are made of animal- or plant-based fibers, while synthetics are man-made and produced entirely from chemicals to create fabrics like polyester, rayon, acrylic, and many others,” says Dr. Grover. Unsurprisingly, our skin reacts differently to these types of materials, so it’s worth paying attention to the fabrics that feel good on your body and skin—and the ones that don’t.
Should all women wear 100% cotton underwear?
Pretty much—but there are certain people who benefit from wearing cotton underwear more than others. “For a person who has never had vulvar concerns, irritation, or infections, I recommend they wear what makes them happy,” says Dr. Ridgeway. “But for those with irritation, itching, discomfort, or a history of infections, I recommend cotton, because the vulvar skin is delicate and vulnerable to irritants and allergens.” Dr. Grover also notes the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that women with vulvodynia (persistent irritation of the vulva) wear 100% cotton underwear to help relieve symptoms.
Sure, the most comfortable women’s underwear may not rank high on your list of exciting things to buy, but sometimes the best—and arguably most important—pieces in your wardrobe are the ones you don’t see throughout the day. Luckily, the internet is filled with wonderful things, including highly enthusiastic customer reviews, to help discerning shoppers uncover the best underwear for women across different brands, budgets (hi, cheap lingerie), and styles.
The United Kingdom has a storied cinematic tradition that spans a broad range of genres. Amongst these, one particular motif that has continually captured the imagination of filmmakers and audiences alike is the casino scene, with the roulette table often occupying centre stage. This article delves into the influence of roulette scenes on UK cinema and how they have contributed to shaping the cultural landscape.
The Symbolism of the Roulette Wheel
Roulette, with its intricate wheel design and engaging gameplay, carries a deep symbolism in cinema. It signifies chance, fate, and the unpredictability of life. Roulette odds, being a game of luck, often serve as a dramatic device to convey the whimsical nature of fortune.
A notable example is the 1972 British film, “The Gambler”. Here, roulette plays a vital role, symbolising the protagonist’s struggle with his gambling addiction and his desperate attempts to regain control over his life. The spinning wheel becomes a metaphor for the uncontrollable cycle of addiction, reflecting the uncertainty and high stakes inherent in the gambler’s life.
Roulette as a Narrative Tool
Beyond symbolism, roulette has also been employed as a potent narrative tool in the UK cinema. Directors often use intense roulette scenes to drive the plot, build tension, or even reveal character traits.
In the 2012 British film “Skyfall”, the latest in the James Bond series, a high-stakes roulette scene epitomises Bond’s cool under pressure and his propensity to take risks. As the ball skips between red and black, audiences are kept on the edge of their seats, amplifying the tension and drama integral to the Bond franchise.
Evoking the Glamour and Grit of Casino Culture
Roulette scenes have often been used to depict the dual nature of casino culture – the glamour and the grit. The sparkling lights, plush settings, and well-dressed high-rollers around the roulette wheel create an air of sophistication and high-life. This is seen in films like “Casino Royale”, where the opulent surroundings of the casino contrast sharply with the tension-filled drama unfolding at the roulette table.
Yet, UK films don’t shy from the shadows of the gaming sphere – addiction’s clutch, illicit activities, and deep sorrow. The movie “Croupier” is championed as a genuine depiction of casino life. It unravels the harsh realities of this world through a disenchanted dealer’s perspective. Amid this gloomy world of wagers, the roulette table looms in the background, a silent spectator to the unseen side of gambling.
Roulette in the Digital Era
With the advent of online casinos, roulette has transitioned from the physical to the digital world. This shift has been reflected in contemporary UK cinema. Today, characters are just as likely to be seen placing bets on a virtual roulette wheel from their laptops or smartphones, representing the modern realities of gambling.
The 2019 film “The Good Liar”, starring Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren, perfectly captures this shift. The tension once associated with crowded casino floors and physical roulette wheels is effectively replicated in the digital setting, proving that the allure of the game transcends the medium.
Social Commentary through Roulette Scenes
Beyond their narrative function, roulette scenes in UK cinema have also served as a vehicle for social commentary. Filmmakers have used the metaphor of the spinning wheel to comment on socio-economic disparities, the perilous allure of easy money, and the destructive power of addiction.
In “Hard Eight”, an underdog story set against the backdrop of seedy UK casinos, the game of roulette comes to symbolise the protagonist’s desperate attempt to escape his low socio-economic status. The high-risk, high-reward nature of roulette becomes a metaphor for societal structures that promise great rewards, but often leave individuals with nothing.
In a nutshell
The roulette scene is a vital cinematic tool in UK cinema, driving narratives, creating tension, revealing character, and offering social commentary. Whether showcasing the glitz and glamour of high society or exposing the dark underbelly of addiction and crime, these scenes reflect the complexities of life and society. As technology evolves and the world of gambling changes, one can only expect the depiction of roulette in UK cinema to evolve as well, maintaining its relevance and significance for years to come.
Chilling moment great white shark glides between three surfers at South African surfing championships and appears to line one up to strike… then decides he’s not on the menu
The footage was taken at a surfing championship at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa
This is the chilling moment a Great White shark glided silently between three surfers blissfully unaware that death was just a few feet away.
The 9ft-long man-eater made its shock appearance at the very same surfing championships where a competitor survived an attack on live TV in 2015.
A drone was sent up after reports of a Great White behind the surf line and it can be seen swimming along the coast towards a dozen of the world’s top surfers.
Incredibly as the killing machine heads towards two unsuspecting competitors a third surfs almost over its head unaware that it is in the wave right below him.
The Great White then lines up a surfer who is looking around him trying to catch a wave in the Corona Open J-Bay 2023 leg of the Men’s Surfing Championships.
Great White swims casually through a line up of surfers at Jeffrey’s Bay. Here’s Nathan Florence Profesional Surfer account of what went down. Some groms(young surfers) came down the point and said they had seen a Great White close enough to see it’s eyes?! Had ? Zoard throw the drone up to see if we could spot it, sure enough shark was cruising up the point! Tried to alert Rio Waida with drone it was nearing him and call people on the beach to let the surfers know it was swimming right through the lineup! All turned out well everyone went in and the shark just cruised on it’s way! What a crazy thing to watch, we know we playing in their home but to see how easily and mellow they can approach undetected is wild! Follow more of Nathan Florences trip in South Africa here⬇️ YouTube.com/@NathanFlorence . . . #IAmSouthAfrican #southafrican #southafrica #easterncape #supertubes #jeffreysbay #drone #greatwhiteshark #greatwhite #sharks #SharkWeek #closecall #surfer
As the Great White shark heads towards two unsuspecting competitors a third surfs almost over its head unaware that it is in the wave right below him
One of the surfers can be seen paddling as the shark approaches at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa
It then manoeuvres right behind the surfer for the perfect attacking position and then decides that the surfer is not on the menu for today and slowly turns away.
Professional surfer Nathan Florence, 29, from Hawaii put the incredible drone footage taken by a friend at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa on his Facebook page.
He said: ‘It was pretty crazy when we saw some guys come in fast and I asked them what the deal was and they said they had seen a huge white shark come by.
‘It was close enough they said to see its eyes so we put the drone up fast to see if it was there and sure enough it was swimming towards the world tour surfers.
‘We tried to warn the first guy with the drone as we were far away and he pulled his legs up but didn’t see the shark then the shark checks out another surfer.
‘We alerted people on the beach who alerted the surfers and they all came in and the shark cruised on his way up the coast and everyone got on with their day.’
‘What a crazy chance to see a shark like that! South Africa is incredible!’ he said.
The shark can be seen swimming close to the shore at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa
The shark approaches two of the surfers paddling on their boards
The camera zooms in on one of the surfers as he paddles close to the shark
The shark cuts through one of the waves as a surfer rides it before swimming towards two other competitors
The shark stays close to the surfers as they paddle around it
Professional surfer Nathan Florence, 29, from Hawaii put the incredible drone footage taken by a friend at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa on his Facebook page
Great Whites can grow up to 20 feet long and weigh 2 tonnes and have up to 300 razor sharp serrated teeth arranged in rows in its giant jaws for hunting prey.
They can swim up to 35mph and normally feast on seals, sea lions and dolphins but can mistake humans in wet suits for what they naturally eats and then bite.
In the last 25 years 37 people have been killed by sharks off South Africa and at this time of the year when the sardine runs happens they are very active.
In 2015 Australian three times world champion Mick Fanning, then 39, was seen on live TV being attacked by a Great White but managed to fight it off.
The latest Great White killing was pizza shop owner Kimon Bisogno, 39, at Plettenberg Bay in September just along the coast where she was swimming.
One gruesome photo showed the massive damage Great Whites can do but the 38-year-old victim attacked in Jeffreys Bay two years ago luckily survived.
President Biden has put Marjorie Taylor Greene’s head-scratching speech at a conservative conference, in which she compared his achievements to those of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon Baines Johnson, to good use.
In a largely tongue-in-cheek campaign ad posted Tuesday, Greene’s speech overlays a montage of the president in action, spans 30 seconds and kindly includes subtitles.
Greene was widely and roundly mocked for the speech Sunday at the Turning Point Action Conference, in which she laid out the presidential legacies of FDR and LBJ and drew a link from them to Biden, seemingly with the intention to malign the president.
“The Great Society were big government programs to address education, medical care, urban problems, rural poverty, transportation, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps and welfare,” Greene said, in voiceover used for the ad, which features Biden signing a bill into law in the Oval Office, walking through the White House with Vice Presient Kamala Harris and talking to a crowd of people behind a podium at a campaign event, among other clips.
“Now, LBJ had the Great Society, but Joe Biden had Build Back Better, and he still is working on it,” Greene continues. “The largest public investment in social infrastructure and environmental programs that is actually finishing what FDR started that LBJ expanded on and Joe Biden is attempting to complete.”
The Biden campaign ends with an official logo of the 2024 Biden-Harris campaign. You can watch it below.
Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia says his office is now investigating NBC Universal for trimming trees outside of its studio entrance on Lankershim blvd.
The trees were apparently trimmed over the weekend, a move members of the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA say is intended to interfere with picket lines of the ongoing strike by removing shade during a heat wave. NBCUniversal denies this.
Mejia noted in a statement, posted in several tweets Tuesday afternoon, that the trimming happened “where workers, writers, and actors are exercising their right to picket,” and that these trees aren’t NBCUniversal property at all, are instead managed by the city of Los Angeles.
He also noted that businesses can apply for a permit to trim trees, but normal maintenance is conducted by a StreetsLA Urban Forestry Division crew, or as part of a Council Districts allotment of trees to trim. He also added that trees should be trimmed every 5 years, which was underscored by attached photos showing what the trees looked like before and after NBCU had the trees trimmed, which indicated the trees had not meaningfully become overgrown.
Meija did however concede that a 2019 StreetsLA audit revealed several technological and resource deficiencies that had caused severe delays in trimming cycles in parts of the city.
Earlier, the two guilds filed complaints against NBCU with the National Labor Relations Board, in which they accused the company of erecting fences around construction project adjacent to the street in order to block access to the sidewalk near the Studio gate.
“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 a 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.”
For those wondering, the City Controller is the paymaster, auditor and chief accounting officer for the city of Los Angeles, with a mandate to provide transparency on city policies, operations and data.
Our Office is investigating the tree trimming that occurred outside Universal Studios where workers, writers, and actors are exercising their right to picket.
The trimmed trees are LA City managed street trees.
— LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia (@lacontroller) July 19, 2023
Trees can be trimmed by a StreetsLA Urban Forestry Division (UFD) crew as part of its trim cycle, or as part of a Council District’s trimming allotment.
A business can also obtain a permit to trim a tree. StreetsLA issues permits to businesses & conducts follow-up inspections.
— LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia (@lacontroller) July 19, 2023
Trees should be trimmed every 5 years. ?
Our 2019 StreetsLA audit uncovered resource constraints & lack of modern data mgmt tools that led to troubling delays in the City’s trim cycle. Trees were trimmed every 18 yrs & has since worsened to every 21 yrs.https://t.co/Hhadkkgltj
— LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia (@lacontroller) July 19, 2023
“The mix should represent where we’re at now,” Disclosure said of their DJ-Kicks mix in 2021. “And where we’re at now is clubby.” Two years since Guy and Howard Lawrence turned in that seamlessly blended selection of opalescent deep house and fleet-footed garage—a set notably free of the kinds of big, belting, attention-grabbing vocals that they built their reputation on—their attitude doesn’t appear to have changed. The brothers have spent the past 13 years zigzagging between insidery dance music and big-tent pop, with mixed results. Alchemy, their first release since the conclusion of their major-label contract, is clearly meant as a reboot, repositioning them as dance artists who happen to make hits, rather than chart aspirants dabbling in club tropes.
Though there are vocals here, the grooves come first: fast-paced, winkingly contemporary takes on house and garage where the kick drums flutter and the filters fizz. They’ve made the shift in focus an explicit selling point: Alchemy is billed as their first album with no features and no samples. That’s a pronouncement presumably meant to get the attention of dance scenesters who may have lost interest in Disclosure around the time they started working with people like Lorde and the Weeknd. It’s a gambit with some intrigue (even if, for many acts, announcing a dance album with no features would be like unveiling a fish with no bicycle). But, beyond the jockeying for scene cred, the main takeaway is that Alchemy is fresher and more fun than Disclosure have sounded in ages.
On 2020’s Ecstasy EP and again on 2021’s Never Enough, Disclosure briefly canted away from the vocal-heavy pop that had become their bread and butter, but Alchemy marks the first time in a long time that they’ve dedicated themselves so thoroughly to pure dance music. Where those EPs jumped between Afropop edits, disco samples, and garage throwbacks, the new LP is held together by a sleekly unified palette. Reflecting the speedy tempos currently in vogue across dance-music subcultures, the grooves trundle away at a rollicking clip; save for two brief, beatless interludes, nothing dips below 135 BPM, and a couple are much faster. The drum programming emphasizes a sense of forward motion driven by skipping syncopations and a slippery sense of swing. The opening “Looking for Love” draws on the rushing cadence of vintage speed garage. “Simply Won’t Do,” which plays a killer bassline off silky vocal chops, sounds like an updated Basement Jaxx with a little bit of French touch thrown in and the pitch fader glued to +8. “Higher Than Ever Before” is like a counterfactual thought experiment: What might a golden-age jungle remix of Tame Impala sound like? And “A Little Bit,” which closes out a strong four-track opening stretch, is an irresistibly syrupy, sentimental trance-house banger that sinks its hooks deeper with every twist of the chord progression.
Nick Jonas pens a heartfelt birthday wish for Priyanka Chopra. (Credit: Instagram)
Nick Jonas has dedicated a mushy birthday wish to wifey Priyanka Chopra, who turned 41 on July 18.
Nick Jonas has penned a heartfelt birthday wish to his actress-wife Priyanka Chopra, who turned 41 on July 18. Nick, who has been married to Priyanka Chopra for over four years, took to his Instagram account to share a love-filled photo with the Citadel star alongside a mushy birthday note.
In the mushy picture, Priyanka and Nick strike a romantic pose on what appears to be a yacht as the couple spends some quality time together. Priyanka looks uber-stylish in maxi dress with an extra-plunging neckline. While Nick keeps it casual in a pastel blue tee and shorts. Sharing the picture, Nick wrote, “I love celebrating you. Happy birthday, my love.”
Meanwhile, Priyanka’s cousin, Parineeti Chopra, dug out a special photo from her engagement album to wish her ‘Mimi Didi.’ Parineeti took to her Instagram Stories and shared a photo in which Priyanka was seen fixing Parineeti’s hair while she was seated for the puja at her engagement. Sharing the photo, Parineeti wished Priyanka and thanked her for all that she has done for her.
Multiple media reports claimed that Priyanka spent her birthday with her family, including Nick and their daughter Malti Marie Chopra Jonas, in Bahamas. While neither Nick, nor Priyanka posted any photos from the birthday celebrations, a photo of Priyanka, allegedly from the party in Barbados, went viral on social media.
On the work front, Priyanka Chopra was last seen in Prime Video’s series Citadel alongside Richard Madden. It also featured Stanley Tucci and Lesley Manville. Priyanka is now prepping for her upcoming film, Heads of State. She is going to be seen with John Cena, Idris Elba and Jack Quaid. The director of the film is Ilya Naishuller.
Shrishti Negi is a journalist with nearly eight years of experience in the media industry. She is currently heading the Entertainment team at News18.c…Read More
“Masters of the Universe,” a live-action movie based on He-Man and a slew of other popular Mattel toys, is officially dead at Netflix, according to multiple Variety sources.
Insiders said that close to $30 million has already been spent on development costs and the cash that’s been shelled out to hold on to talent – like previously announced lead Kyle Allen and the film’s heatseeking directing duo Adam and Aaron Nee (“The Lost City”). Other knowledgable sources estimate all-in costs for development at twice that figure.
The latest headaches for He-Man and friends only further complicates the property’s torturous journey to the screen, one that goes as far back as 2007. It’s a long road that’s crossed through two other studios, Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures, and countless writers and directors like Jon M. Chu and McG. The latest implosion at Netflix, according to five individuals with knowledge of the project, was over budget concerns.
A spokesperson for Mattel confirmed that “Masters of the Universe” is no longer at Netflix, but did not provide any further comment. A Netflix spokesperson had no comment.
Set on the planet Eternia, “Masters of the Universe” largely focuses on the conflict between He-Man, a blonde muscle god, and his devious nemesis Skeletor. The characters formed a much-loved 1980s animated series, which developed a cross-generational fan base during its syndicated runs. For the latest film iteration, the budget came in at over $200 million with cameras set to roll this February, sources said. Last spring, however, Netflix was confronted with a stunning stock drop that saw the powerful streamer shed $50 billion in value after investors became concerned about the company’s subscriber losses.
In the aftermath of the sell-off, Netflix film head Scott Stuber and chief content officer Bela Bajaria tried to reassure the industry that they still had money to spend amid their Wall Street woes. However, sources close to “Masters of the Universe” said after that point the streamer refused to shell out more than $150 million to see up-and-comer Allen (“American Horror Story,” “A Haunting in Venice”) pick up He-Man’s sword. A source familiar with Netflix said the stock drop was irrelevant to budget issues on “Masters,” noting that its content spend has been flat at $17 billion for two years, despite market fluctuation.
The Nee brothers, who came in riding high as directors of Sandra Bullock’s rom-com hit “The Lost City,” worked with producers including Todd Black and Mattel’s Robbie Brenner to get the budget down — even as significant pre-production around the film still took place. Producers brought back a proposed $180 million budget to the table and Netflix still balked, never handing the movie an official green light. One source with knowledge of the budget talks said the final figure included costs spent on development. Netflix and filmmakers even considered shooting “Masters of the Universe” and a proposed sequel simultaneously to amortize the expense, they added. Multiple parties said streamer is enamored with the filmmaker siblings, but could not reach a middle ground.
It’s telling that Netflix would bail after such a significant investment (part of the at least $30 million spent in development was paid to Sony, which sold the “Masters” film rights to Netflix in 2019, per sources). And the decision to do so further illustrates the challenges of making huge film franchises exclusively for streaming platforms. Black, an Academy Award nominee who has produced “Fences” and “The Equalizer,” has been relentless in trying to find a new buyer for the property. Black engaged Universal Pictures in the past month or so about acquiring the film, two other sources familiar with his efforts said. The studio passed on the project. Black and leadership at Mattel are doubtlessly hoping this weekend’s “Barbie,” projected to take in north of $100 million at the box office, will shore up their position in finding a new buyer.
Mattel has reached media saturation in the past months, as Warner Bros. marketing has been at hyper speed promoting the July 21 opening of “Barbie.” While the Netflix fallout over “Masters of the Universe” hasn’t surfaced in the significant amount of press the corporation has participated in, Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz has been been touting its value in plain sight.
“It’s as big as Marvel and DC,” Kreiz told the New Yorker recently. “It’s hundreds of pages of characters and sorcerers and vehicles and weaponry — you name it. And then you flip through the pages, and here’s a movie, and here’s a movie, and here’s a TV show. . . . it’s endless!
Meanwhile, the dual SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes have disrupted all of Hollywood and complicated the involvement of an actor like Allen. While he remains attached to play He-Man on paper, production schedules across town have been spun into chaos and may look very different by the time the strikes end. He could well move on to other projects. This is especially true of the Nee brothers, who insiders said have a deal at Universal to develop a new hybrid live-action animation film around the Lego franchise (that pact was signed long before the strike). Universal signed a five-year partnership with the Lego Group in 2020 to produce new films and series based on the toys.
What is most palpable, nearly a dozen conversations with people close to the project have illustrated, is a growing sadness that He-Man, She-Ra and their cohorts won’t make it to screen anytime soon.
“It was very important to us that with ‘Masters of the Universe’ we hold onto what that was for us as kids,” Aaron Nee told Variety in 2022. “It wasn’t silly to us or absurd to us, it had a depth and a meaning to it.” The brothers wanted to “hold onto something that has a core human empathy to it and yet isn’t afraid to have fun and get crazy … what we’re going to be able to do in this movie is gonna blow people away.”
Disney+ has had a TON of new content added to it ever since it debuted back in 2019. We’ve seen a bunch of series added to the Marvel and Star Wars universes, as well as some Pixar movie premieres.
And now, it’s time to see what new things are coming in August!
New to Disney+ in August
Wednesday, August 2
Farm Dreams (Season 1, 6 Episodes)
How Not to Draw Shorts (Season 1, 5 Episodes)
Kiff (Season 1, 4 Episodes)
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures (New Episodes Streaming)
Photo: Lucasfilm
Friday, August 4
Wednesday, August 9
Chibi Tiny Tales Shorts (Season 3, 11 Episodes)
Dino Ranch (Season 2, 9 Episodes)
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (Season 4 Premiere) (All Episodes Streaming)
Photo: Disney
Friday, August 11
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Barnyard Olympics
Donald’s Cousin Gus
Donald’s Nephews
Flying Jalopy
Goofy and Wilbur
Mickey’s Steam-Roller
Wednesday, August 16
Disney Junior Wonderful World of Songs (Season 1, 10 Episodes)
Hamster & Gretel (Season 1, 4 Episodes)
The Villains of Valley View (Season 2, 6 Episodes)
Wicked Tuna (Season 12, 20 Episodes)
Photo: Disney
Thursday, August 17
The Wonder Years (Season 2, 10 Episodes)
Friday, August 18
LEGO® Disney Princess: The Castle Quest (Premiere) (Special)
Wednesday, August 23
Star Wars: Ahsoka (Premiere) (2 Episodes)
Photo: Lucasfilm
Friday, August 25
Cinderella 4K Remaster
Explorer: Lost in the Arctic
Wednesday, August 30
Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes (Season 1, 6 Episodes)
Pretty Freekin Scary (Season 1, 6 Episodes)
Star Wars: Ahsoka (Episode 3)
Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life (Season 2, New Episodes)
Photo: Disney
Stay tuned for more Disney entertainment news and updates!
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Editor’s Note: This post contains very mild spoilers for Barbie to help parents, guardians, and caregivers decide if the film is age appropriate for their children.
Are Any Aspects of the Barbie Movie Appropriate for Kids?
Warner Bros.
Barbie‘s costumes and sets are delightful for everyone at any age. They’re bright and beautiful, so even the youngest children will enjoy seeing them on screen. (Especially those with a fondness for neon pink.)
The movie also features many cheerful sequences. They will also appeal to children even if they don’t fully understand the meaning behind them. There are also touching scenes between family members and friends that any child who can appreciate a show like Bluey will find meaning in. The same goes for any kids who can comprehend positive themes about identity, feminism, relationships, and believing in yourself.
Mature Language and Adult Topics in the Barbie Movie
Warner Bros.
Despite living in a world built by imagination and not knowing what sex is, Ken and Barbie know they don’t have human genitalia. A character makes direct reference to each of their missing private parts. It’s done in a humorous, matter-of-fact way rather than in a vulgar or explicit manner. There’s also a funny term used to describe the dolls’ missing lower extremities. Young children will definitely not understand the phrase. Some will certainly ask to have it explained to them. However, there’s nothing resembling nudity, though.
There is one bleeped out swear word, however. It will be blatantly obvious to even pre-teens what was actually said, but not little kids.
The Barbie Movie’s Existential Dread and Adult Themes
Warner Bros.
Despite having main characters who are literal toys living in a seemingly Utopian magical fantasy land, the Barbie movie is an existential human story at its core. It’s about what it means to be a woman, what it means to be alive, and what makes us happy. The inciting event, as teased in the film’s trailers, is when Margot Robbie’s Stereotypical Barbie starts thinking about her own death. The film also explicitly deals with depression, the patriarchy, gender roles in society, and other deep, meaningful ideas directed at an older audience.
Specific, hard, and fast age recommendations are especially difficult for PG-13 movies. But if you’re looking for general guidance for the Barbie movie it is likely appropriate for most pre-teens but not a great choice for many younger viewers.
Mature 12 year olds will likely appreciate the film both for its story and its themes, even if they don’t understand all of it. (In fairness, some adults won’t either. The film’s script and performances are much deeper than many will expect with a film based on a toy.)
Warner Bros.
Children under the age of ten will almost certainly not understand most of what’s going on. As a result some will feel lost and disengaged. They will also be confused about some of the language. (A helpful way to think about the more mature content is that if the child in your life has never had health class, Barbie might not be for them, even though talk of private body parts is limited to just a couple of moments.)
If you’re still unsure if your youngster is old enough to enjoy Barbie on any level, or that it deals with topics you deem inappropriate for their age, we recommend seeing it without them first.
Joseph writes – Exoprimal feels like a return to form for video games. It goes back to a time when every game put out by a large publisher wasn’t a cutscene-heavy cinematic experience, a trend-chasing battle royal, or the yearly installment of the dorm-bro shooter. Exoprimal chose to take a risk right when the gaming industry is the most risk-averse.
