Every single Taylor Swift era is iconic for different reasons. On the cusp of the release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version,) there are a few major questions.
While some people are wondering about lyrics and how the songs will sound, Taylor has already given us a hint with that “Back to December” preview. Swift also recently shared a limited-time “Speak Now” collection which featured her different looks from the album and its original tour.
As awesome as the merch was, it was for a limited time only so not everyone was able to take advantage. Due to that, it would make sense that Taylor Swift would decide to do another merchandise launch right before the album release or one that comes during the album release.
Either way, it brings up the question of if certain songs will be given their own collection during this Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) era.
Will specific Speak Now songs get a merch drop in Taylor Swift’s shop?
Each time Taylor Swift releases a merch collection, it either sells out almost immediately, has a limited release, or has one item everyone is dying to have. That’s why I think it would be fun to see Taylor do something different for this re-release.
Rather than focus on the entire Speak Now album, she could have small merch drops during the week after Speak Now (Taylor’s Version.) Of course, that’s the small question of which songs would end up being the inspiration for these collections, and trust me, I’ve already thought bout it and have an entire plan in place for Taylor.
First, we have to talk about “Back to December” which is an easy one to start with. She could release hoodies, sweaters, and cardigans to go with this one. I mean it’s all about going back to December so that makes sense. I’d say it would be a more neutral palette with browns, greys, and whites. Plus it’s such a great song so it would have to be featured.
Moving onto the next song, we have to feature “Speak Now” as it is the titular track. This one would be more about t-shirts and accessories. Whether we’re talking scrunchies, bracelets, or keychains, “Speak Now” is the ideal song to do this with since it has so many great lyrics to go off of.
Keeping with the sparkly and fun theme, I decided to go with “Sparks Fly.” As a Taylor Swift fan, I feel like this song holds a special place in our hearts. With the 4th of July just passed as well, it makes a lot of sense. It’s all about the excitement in a relationship and the visual of fireworks is great for summer so I’m thinking tank tops, crop tops, and maybe, even slides.
I’m going to keep it down to 4 but I feel like I would do this with any of these songs yet I’m going with “Better than Revenge” because there is so much potential there. I’m not even going to pitch any clothes or anything here because just imagine it. This would be amazing so let’s hope Taylor Swift decides to release something related to “Better than Revenge.”
Taylor Swift always keeps up on our toes so who knows what she’ll decide to do for Speak Now before its release? Of course, I’d love to know what you think!
“They knew that if they didn’t provide a safe supply and let the entire province be allowed to have these drugs, it was just going to get them from the same tainted supply and it was going to be nothing but trouble,” Martin Told Global News back in May.
“So they’ve left it up to people like me to step in and do that until they’ve decided they can do it.”
He says getting arrested was the whole point in order to build support and raise funds for a Charter challenge to try to legalize drugs.
The season finale of The Idol begins with Jocelyn working through “One Of The Girls.” Tedros is looking like a mess and watching from a distance. Jocelyn is totally ignoring him. When he tries to barge in and be a part of it all, she tells him that he’s “served” his purpose. “Tedros, I’m done with you,” Jocelyn tells him.
Jocelyn and Tedros start arguing. He believes that he is her only inspiration. Jocelyn is still upset over how Tedros orchestrated meeting her. She calls Tedros a “con man” and a “fraud.” His artists can stay, but she wants Tedros out.
The Weeknd as Tedros. (HBO)
Jocelyn is a woman on a mission. She walks right into Nikki’s office and plays her “One Of The Girls.” Nikki loves it. Andrew is concerned about Jocelyn’s tour, so he’s stopping by her house. Leia has something she needs to tell her, but Jocelyn’s mind is only focused on the tour.
Jocelyn walks down to the basement to find the other followers. She wants Chloe, Ramsay, and Izaak to be her opening act and explains what’s going on with Andrew. Tedros attempts to chime in, but Jocelyn snaps at him. She’s D-O-N-E with Tedros. When Jocelyn walks away, Tedros calls to Xander. He wants Xander to turn on Jocelyn.
Destiny, Chaim, Andrew, and Nikki arrive at Jocelyn’s house. Tedros immediately gets in Nikki’s face and tells her that she has “no f***ing taste” and “no vision.” Andrew is a bit overwhelmed by the scene in front of him, so he declares he’s leaving in 5 minutes if Jocelyn doesn’t show.
While everyone is waiting on Jocelyn, Destiny asks Chloe to perform for them. Meanwhile, Leia is desperate to talk to Jocelyn. Sophie, the girl Rob took a picture with at Jocelyn’s house along with Xander, has accused him of rape just as his movie is coming out. Rob wants Jocelyn to help clear his name.
Jocelyn finally makes her grand entrance and demands that Andrew listen to Izaak first before she performs. The whole showcase is wild. Leia tries to get Xander’s help with the Rob situation, but she soon realizes he’s in on it. In the midst of all this, Nikki is whispering to Tedros that she knows he’s responsible for all this talent. She wants to work with him.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Destiny. (HBO)
Nikki gets the notification about Rob being accused of rape and tells Jocelyn. Jocelyn knows that this is Tedros’ doing. Xander takes his opportunity to sing while Jocelyn pulls Tedros aside. She wants him to get out of her house. When he doesn’t listen to her, Jocelyn runs to Chaim. She wants Chaim to pay Tedros whatever he wants to get out of her life forever.
Jocelyn performs as Chaim throws Tedros out. He writes Tedros a check for $500,000. “She’s worth so much more than money,” Tedros says as he rips up the check. It’s on to plan B for Chaim.
Leia writes a note to Jocelyn and leaves the house. Nikki sits down with Dyanne and reveals that they have to hold the song. She wants Dyanne to try writing her own material. Dyanne knows this is Jocelyn’s doing.
After Jocelyn’s performance, Andrew is thoroughly impressed. The tour is officially still on. Chaim meets with Talia about the Vanity Fair article. According to him, Jocelyn is still in a lot of trouble, and he wants her help.
The Idol Ending Explained
Six weeks later, it’s officially tour time. Andrew, Chaim, and Nikki are celebrating Tedros being gone for good. The Vanity Fair article was damning, and he lost his club. But they’ve underestimated Tedros. He shows up at the stadium wondering if Jocelyn left him an artist’s pass. It’s not under the name “Tedros” but his real name “Mauricio Jackson.”
Tedros makes his way into Jocelyn’s room and finds Destiny there waiting for him. She doesn’t care about his past. “You are and were a pimp,” she states. Destiny warns him that if he hurts Jocelyn, then she’ll hunt him down and kill him. Destiny is a woman of her word, too.
Lily-Rose Depp as Jocelyn in the finale. (HBO)
Jocelyn and Tedros finally face each other. They both admit that they’ve missed each other. “None of this means as much without you,” she says. Jocelyn just can’t climb her way out of the abyss of toxicity. “I don’t like being apart,” she says.
She takes the stage as the crowd chants her name. She introduces her fans to the love of her life and asks Tedros to join her on stage. Andrew, Chaim, and Nikki are blindsided. Jocelyn and Tedros kiss on stage. “You’re mine. Forever. Now go stand over there,” Jocelyn orders Tedros. A stunned Tedros walks off the stage and into the darkness as Jocelyn stands in the spotlight. Jocelyn needs him (or so she thinks) in order to succeed, but she’s in control now. He’s nothing but a means to an end.
Twitter users were underwhelmed following Sunday night’s finale of Sam Levinson’s controversial HBO series, “The Idol,” with some saying it was a “waste of everyone’s time” while another dismissed it as “straight trash.”
The twist, in which pop singer Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) proved to be as much of a manipulator as abusive guru Tedros (Abel Tesfaye), drew an over all, “What the hell was that?”
“The Idol was really a waste of everyone’s time but this is what happen when men take over tv shows that wasn’t their business in the first place,” tweeted Darby Shaw, referencing Sam Levinson replacing original director Amy Seimetz.
The Idol was really a waste of everyone’s time but this is what happen when men take over tv shows that wasn’t their business in the first place.
Many were left confused by Jocelyn’s flip-flopping affections Tedros. “I’m confused when did this jump happen in the show to where Joseline hates Tedros also why is she still letting him around her if she hates him?” tweeted @cianf8 as the finale kicked off with Jocelyn ordering Tedros out of her house.
“I can’t be the only one who feels like we skipped a bunch of narrative between last week’s episode & tonight’s finale. Last weekend, Jocelyn was excusing Tedros’ abusive past & now she’s done with his B.S.,” wrote Andre Clemons, who also called the finale “straight trash.”
Others found the finale “rushed” and many, thanks to a misleading article about a “missing episode,” felt like the show had left out some crucial details. The show was originally going to be six episodes under Seimetz, but was always five with Levinson in charge.
Viewer @swifts_dany called the series “the worst show I’ve ever watched, saying, “I can tell the diameter of lily rose depp‘s nipples but i don’t know the show‘s story.”
Read more choice tweets below.
I’m confused when did this jump happen in the show to where Joseline hates Tedros also why is she still letting him around her if she hates him ? #THEIDOL#TheIdolHBO
All that controversy and #THEIDOL really just turned out to be 5 hours of Rachel Sennott trying to be a responsible friend who was constantly humiliated by The Weeknd. pic.twitter.com/FRNP5EocLr
According to “The Idol’s” creator and star, Jocelyn’s (Lily-Rose Depp) about-face was part of the plan well before Sunday night’s finale.
“Jocelyn is a very strategic and calculated person. She knows exactly what she wants, and she’s going to stop at nothing to get it,” Depp said in an HBO video breaking down Episode 5.
Depp is aware that “The Idol’s” audience has spent most of the series believing that Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye) was taking advantage of Jocelyn. But it’s only after Jocelyn has taken credit for the singers Tedros found, kicked him out of her house and publicly ruined him that the truth comes out: she’s been the one using him this entire time.
Tedros realized the truth after he noticed the brush Jocelyn claimed her mother used to beat her was brand new. “What we realize at the end is that Tedros was her muse, and that she got what she needed out of him,” Depp said.
Series creator, director and executive producer described Tedros as a “sort of conduit” for Jocelyn’s creativity as she searched for her next song and next album.
“She needs to devour those around her to feel like she has something to say,” Levinson said.
Capturing this finale was a heavy lift for production. “Jocelyn Forver” ended with its titular star on tour, a scene that required Depp and Tesfaye to film in front of live audience of 70,000 people. Because of the scope and cost of the scene, Depp only had two takes to get Jocelyn’s final speech right.
From Levinson, Tesfaye and Reza Fahim, the HBO Sunday drama follows a pop star who’s fallen from grace after a mental breakdown. Desperate to fight her way back to the top, she aligns herself with a self-help guru and cult leader. The series has been plagued by massive creative changes, costly reshoots and accusations of being “hostile to feminism.”
All episodes of “The Idol” are now streaming on Max.
Between network, cable and streaming, the modern television landscape is a vast one. Here are some of the shows, specials and movies coming to TV this week, July 3-9. Details and times are subject to change.
Monday
‘ROAD TO …’ MARATHON various times on TCM. Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour star in the seven movies in the “Road to …” series, known for their minimal plot and lengthy high jinks. On Monday night, TCM is airing the first three: “Road to Singapore,” “Road to Zanzibar” and “Road to Morocco” beginning at 8 p.m.
Tuesday
MACY’S 4TH OF JULY FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR 8 p.m. on NBC. For almost five decades, Macy’s has been responsible for the iconic firework show that lights up New York’s skyline on Independence Day — and this year isn’t any different. The broadcast will also feature performances by Ashanti, Brett Young, the Roots and the U.S. Army Field Band.
A CAPITOL FOURTH 8 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). While fireworks fly over Manhattan’s East River, they will also be going off behind the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Boyz II Men, Renée Fleming and the Muppets are all set to perform during PBS’s broadcast.
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL (2008) 7 p.m. on E! Peter (Jason Segel), a heartbroken puppeteer/musician, meets Rachel (Mila Kunis), a hotel concierge, at a Hawaiian resort. Throw in Peter’s ex (Kristen Bell) and her new rocker boyfriend (Russell Brand), who are staying at the same resort, and this rom-com becomes a perfectly hilarious dumpster fire. The movie “does not entirely play by the established conventions of its genre,” A.O. Scott wrote in his review for The New York Times. “Its willingness to explore states of feeling and modes of behavior that tamer romantic comedies never go near is decidedly a virtue, though this same sense of daring and candor also exposes its limitations.”
HUMAN FOOTPRINT 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). This six-part series, hosted by Shane Campbell-Staton, a professor at Princeton University, is a travel-meets-science show that discusses the ways humans are transforming the planet — the good and the bad parts.
Thursday
FORREST GUMP (1994) 8 p.m. on Paramount. Though classified as a “comedy,” this movie packs an emotional punch. The story follows Forrest (Tom Hanks) who can pretty much do anything he sets his mind to — except winning over his childhood love, Jenny (Robin Wright). “Structured as Forrest’s autobiography, and centering on his lifelong love for an elusive beauty named Jenny, ‘Forrest Gump’ has the elements of an emotionally gripping story,” Janet Maslin wrote in her review for The Times. “Yet it feels less like a romance than like a coffee-table book celebrating the magic of special effects.”
Friday
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (2006) 7 p.m. on VH1. Andy (Anne Hathaway) pivots from her journalistic dreams to take a job as an assistant to Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), the editor in chief of a glamorous fashion magazine. Come for the outfits and shots of Paris; stay for Stanley Tucci’s amazing line read of “gird your loins.” If you want to spice up your movie watching experience, take a sip of your drink every time someone says “a million girls would kill for this job” — by the end of the movie you’ll be very well hydrated.
MOONSHINE 9 p.m. on The CW. This Canadian comedy is as if you took an Elin Hilderbrand beach read and mixed in a tiny bit of “Succession.” The story follows Bea and Ken Finley-Cullen who are trying to decide if any of their individualistic children are ready to take over their business, a summer resort, which could use some love. There is small-town drama, illegal businesses and secrets people are trying to keep hidden.
Saturday
1982: THE GREATEST GEEK YEAR EVER 8 p.m. on the CW. In 1982, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” was released, “Cats” opened on Broadway and the first episode of “Late Night with David Letterman” debuted on NBC. This CW documentary features those big moments in pop culture as well as interviews with writers, producers and directors from blockbusters that year, including “E.T.,” “Blade Runner” and “Poltergeist.”
Sunday
LAST CALL 9 p.m. on HBO. In 1990s New York City, as the L.G.B.T.Q. community coped with the AIDS crisis and hate crimes, a serial killer known as the “last call killer,” entered the scene. His name comes from his pattern of luring intoxicated men from piano bars before taking their lives. This documentary focuses on the deep-rooted discrimination that existed within the criminal justice system and how the community had to work to ensure the N.Y.P.D. took the crimes seriously.
LUANN & SONJA: WELCOME TO CRAPPIE LAKE 9 p.m. on Bravo. With the help of two “Real Housewives of New York City,” Bravo is adding another reality show to its roster. In a modern day version of “The Simple Life,” Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan head to Benton, Ill., after its City Council invites them to help revitalize the town of 7,000.
SEE IT LOUD: THE HISTORY OF BLACK TELEVISION 9 p.m. on CNN. Executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, this docu-series explores the 80-year journey of Black television, with shows like “Amos N’ Andy,” “The Jeffersons” and “Roots.” The series will also feature interviews with Gabrielle Union, Sherri Shepherd, Jimmie Walker and others.
“The Idol” — or at least its first season — came to a conclusion after five episodes on Sunday night, but not without the usual dose of darkly sexual ups and downs for its jewel-eyed, rat-tailed stars.
Titled “Jocelyn Forever,” the episode begins with Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) at her home, working on a song with prolific Mike Dean (played by himself). As she sings lyrics Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye) prompted her to write — “My kinda love / Force me, choke me ’till I pass out” — it becomes clear that the ex-pimp’s coke habit has caught up to him. Sweating, with his hair beginning to fall out of his famous rat-tail, he interrupts the jam session to give some notes. Jocelyn lets him know he isn’t welcome to do that anymore.
“You’re gonna kick out your only source of inspiration?” Tedros jeers. Jocelyn shoots back, “I think you’ve served your purpose.”
Their whirlwind romance is over after Jocelyn realized at her recent house party that Tedros had worked with her backup dancer Dyanne (Jennie Kim) to not only steal her single “World Class Sinner,” but to infiltrate Jocelyn’s life and home. For vengeance, she slept with her ex-boyfriend Rob (Karl Glusman) as Tedros listened through the door.
But knowing that Tedros and his crew’s entrance into her orbit was orchestrated à la Taylor Swift’s “Mastermind” isn’t a total loss for Jocelyn, who adores the followers who moved into her house with Tedros. Later in the episode, when Live Nation executive Andrew Finkelstein (Eli Roth) says he’s coming over to discuss Jocelyn’s upcoming tour (and whether she’s mentally stable enough to do it), Jocelyn invites Izaak (Moses Sumney), Chloe (Suzanna Son) and Ramsey (Ramsey) to be her opening act. Tedros is livid that he wasn’t alerted about the meeting or consulted about the openers, but none of the underlings react as their leader lashes out. Jocelyn has stolen his cult out from under him: “These are my people now.”
There’s one outlier: Tedros has a hushed conversation Xander (Troye Sivan), whose trust he gained at the end of the last episode, telling him he can’t let Jocelyn cut him out of the tour.
Jocelyn gets glammed up while the rest of the house prepares for the meeting, wearing as little clothing as possible per Tedros’ instructions. Bianca (Bianca Ghezzi) plays cocktail waitress for the night, practically giving Finkelstein a lap dance. Upon meeting record label executive Nikki (Jane Adams) for the literal first time, Tedros calls her a “Judas” and a “cunt” for signing Dyanne without consulting him first. Fink squirms and threatens to leave if Jocelyn doesn’t appear soon, but one of Jocelyn’s managers, Destiny (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) convinces him, her co-manager Chaim and Nikki to stay and watch Jocelyn’s new openers perform. The impromptu amateur showcase is awkward at first, but the talent on display is undeniable and Fink starts to drink the Kool-Aid.
Meanwhile, Jocelyn’s assistant-slash-BFF Leila (Rachel Sennot) is in crisis. She’s been trying to get Jocelyn’s attention all day, and we see why as she steps out to take a phone call: Rob, an actor with an upcoming superhero movie, has been accused of raping someone at Jocelyn’s party. Leia promises Rob that she believes his innocence, and panics when she realizes that it’s Xander’s “friend” who framed him.
Back inside, Chaim and Destiny whisper about how they can monetize Chloe, Izaak and Ramsey’s talents while Nikki and Tedros do the same on the other side of the couch. Leia confronts an apathetic Xander, and soon, Nikki reads a headline about Rob aloud to the group, which now includes Jocelyn. A single tear runs down Jocelyn’s face as she looks at Tedros, who can barely conceal his grin. She doesn’t know about Xander’s involvement, but it’s still obvious to her that the whole scheme trails back to Tedros. Jocelyn freezes as everyone discusses Rob being digitally removed from his movie, and on Tedros’ cue, Xander takes the opportunity to make his big return to singing after Jocelyn’s mother (and potentially Jocelyn herself) took that dream away from him long ago. Jocelyn runs out of the room, grabbing Tedros to confront him about Rob, and telling him him (for the third time this episode) that he needs to get out of her house. She re-enters the performance room and whispers to Chaim to “pay [Tedros] whatever he wants to get out of [her] life forever.
As Fink declares that Jocelyn’s will be “the tour of the century,” she pulls Xander into a hug while making eye contact with Tedros through the doorway, signaling that she control’s Xander’s career, not him. She sets up to give a performance of her own as Chaim makes Tedros a drink and tells a souped-up version of “Little Red Riding Hood,” casting himself as the hunter who saves Red and brutally murders the Big Bad Wolf.
Jocelyn plays one of her new singles and performs her own choreography, choking herself, pulling her own hair and giving Fink a second near-lap dance. As Fink looks simultaneously turned on and terrified, armed guards pull Tedros into a car outside, where he ceremoniously rips up a $500,000 check offered by Chaim in exchange for leaving their lives forever. Grinning, Chaim initiates what he calls “Plan B.”
Chaim tells Jocelyn that he paid Tedros off, but instead goes to meet up with Vanity Fair journalist Talia (Hari Nef), promising her a big story. Leia packs a bag and leaves a note on Jocelyn’s bed, presumably quitting her job. And Nikki meets with Dyanne, telling her that the label, for undisclosed legal reasons, won’t be able to release her single after all. As the elevator doors close on her, a heartbroken Dyanne asks, “It was Jocelyn, wasn’t it?”
Then we jump six weeks into the future. At Los Angeles’ SoFi stadium, Chaim, Nikki and Fink laugh about using Talia to get rid of Tedros, who has apparently lost ownership of his club after Vanity Fair’s big story about his criminal history. But he’s not as far away as they think. While Chloe, Izaak, Ramsey and Xander rehease their opening performance, a meek Tedros checks into the stadium with a pass left for him by Jocelyn — under his real name, Mauricio Jackson. Destiny is waiting for him, warning that she doesn’t care about his past but that she’ll kill him if he hurts Jocelyn.
The couple reunites, with Jocelyn saying, “None of this means as much without you.” After they embrace, Tedros notices something on the counter: “Did you say this was the brush your mom beat you with? It’s brand new.” Jocelyn just smiles. The implication seems to be that her stories about her mother weren’t completely true, and that she’s been in control the whole time.
That’s how it feels onstage, too. Shocking her team, she begins her concert by introducing her fans to “the love of [her] life,” and brings Tedros onstage. They kiss, and pleased with herself, she tells him, “You’re mine forever. Now go stand over there.”
Sending fans off with a cliffhanger in the final moments of Spider-Verse 2, Sony is now moving towards preparation for the conclusion to this highly-successful animated trilogy with the second part in this closing duo of movies.
And with Spider-Verse 3 serving as a closing chapter for this trilogy as Miles Morales continues to take the spotlight, Sony certainly found a way to provide fans with an adventure that resonated with the entire fanbase from all angles.
What Is the Goal of the Spider-Verse Trilogy?
Marvel
Speaking with AP News, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse producer Chris Miller explained what the goal of the entire trilogy is.
Explaining how the mask covers Miles Morales’ whole body and face, the goal was to allow anybody to imagine themselves as Spider-Man and “show as many different types of people” being the hero as they could:
“With that mask that covers an entire body and face, you can imagine yourself in that suit. The whole goal of this trilogy was to let everybody feel like it could be me, and show as many different types of people — and animals — being Spider-Man as possible.”
Along with Miles’ responsibilities as Spider-Man, Miller also explained how “the parents have to come of age, too” as the movie focuses on both Miles’ parents and Gwen Stacy’s father, soon-to-be NYPD Captain Stacy.
Miller also touched on the idea of “what makes someone legitimate,” with Miles searching for a sense of validation in this story, which is mostly an internal one:
“And what makes someone legitimate?. Do you seek that outside of yourself? Or can you simply seek your own approval? Miles is like all of us hoping for validation outside. But it can never really satisfy you. You have to take it on yourself. Even though the movie ends in a cliffhanger, I think that’s what he achieves. It’s an epic action movie where the story is really internal. He’s the MacGuffin.”
Coming off the success of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, co-producer Phil Lord felt the confidence to go as far as he could with the sequels, hoping to “swing the biggest bat [they] can:”
“When you have the confidence of the audience like I hope we have from the first movie, you sort of want to use it as a springboard to take more chances, We couldn’t justify doing this with any other story or any other point in our careers. We were like: Let’s swing the biggest bat we can.”
How Will Spider-Verse 3 Accomplish Trilogy Goal?
Putting Miles Morales at the forefront of this trilogy came as a big change considering how many Peter Parker-centric movies and TV programs have been highlighted over the years.
And even with how many Spider-Men were a part of Spider-Verse 2 before Spider-Verse 3 takes that same route, Miles’ starring role in these films has only helped to further the idea that anybody can be a hero.
Miles will also show that on a new level next time around as he has to face a villainous Variant of himself who became the Prowler on Earth-42 with no Spider-Man in sight.
Over the years, Netflix has built up quite a niche market for audiences that love something a little saucy and provocative. It’s no wonder its top 10 lists usually seem to include one or more erotically themed movies or shows trending at any given time. Movies like 365 Daysbecame so globally popular for its raunch appeal that it led to two sequels despite the films being notoriously bad and featuring nothing entertaining aside from any excuse to throw in ever-steamier sex scenes. Love them or hate them, sex does still sell and adult entertainment on the streaming service never seems to go out of fashion. That fact was proven again when Netflix added one of its steamiest entrants yet with the titillating and risqué show, Sex/Life.
It centered around a stay-at-home married woman’s saucy fantasies about a past lover who comes back into her life. What followed was an almost ribald foray into episode after episode of smutty scenes that kept many a viewer enthralled. Billed as an unleashing of modern women owning their desires, such offerings on Netflix have sometimes come in for criticism.
Sex/Life was initially a huge success and renewed for a second season. However, some of its antics and storylines seemed to have lost momentum by Season 2 as ratings dropped dramatically, leading the show to be canceled. Nevertheless, the two seasons Netflix does have are fun and naughty for anyone into the kind of sexy drama it plays on. If you’re looking to catch up on it, here’s a cast and character guide for Sex/Life.
Sarah Shahi as Billie Connelly
Netflix
Billie Connelly was once a psychology Ph.D. candidate at Columbia University but now wiles her days away as a mother of two and the wife of an affluent investment banker. Her boredom leads her to fantasize about the racy life she once shared with her ex-boyfriend, Brad. In flashbacks, we find that she and Brad used to have a steamy and passionate sex life. Despite her husband being wealthy and good-looking, their own sex life doesn’t quite live up to the excitement Billie craves to relive.
This causes her to question her seemingly idyllic life. She writes detailed journal entires about her past sex life with Brad and her husband finds and reads them. Meanwhile, Brad comes back into the picture and this kicks off a steamy triangle between Billie, her husband Cooper, and Brad. Billie is played by Sarah Shahi, an Iranian-American actress and former model. She’s made appearances in films like Rush Hour 3 and more recently the blockbuster DC film, Black Adam. Shahi is also well known for her recurring roles on The L-Word and Person of Interest.
Mike Vogel as Cooper Connelly
Netflix
Cooper Connelly is Billie’s wealthy husband who seems to have it all: a beautiful wife, success, good looks, the dream house, and two beautiful kids. However, unknown to him at first, his wife is secretly fantasizing about another man. When he finds out through her journal, he becomes obsessed with checking out his competition and a lot of marital friction ensues.
Despite it being Billie who gets racy ideas first, Cooper soon proves that he’s not so innocent himself, but ultimately does love his wife and family. Cooper is played by Mike Vogel, a successful actor who’s been in films like 2003’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and more recently, Fantasy Island. Vogel is also a former model and has starred in popular shows like Pan Am and Bates Motel.
Adam Demos as Brad Simon
Netflix
The third side of the show’s love triangle, Brad Simon is Billie’s ex and the object of her lust. The pair met while she was still in college and began a steamy relationship that mostly centered around sex and lust but later did grow into love. Brad, however, had an estranged relationship with his father and other demons that causes him to push Billie away which is why they break up. However, he’s already shown her how amazing physical intimacy can be, and the pair eventually meet again.
Brad is portrayed by Adam Demos. Demos is an Australian actor who is best known for his role as Brad. However, he does have some other notable appearances such as a recurring role in seasons three and four of Unreal and the main role in two original Netflix films, Falling Inn Love and A Perfect Pairing.
Margaret Odette as Sasha Snow
Netflix
Sasha Snow is Billie’s best friend. A psychology professor, she’s living her best life and enjoying not being tied down. She does her best to advise Billie on how to be happy, but complications arise when Billie runs into Brad at her place and finds out the pair are in a no-strings relationship. Despite Billie and Brad’s past and her recent fantasies about him, Billie doesn’t hold their relationship against Sasha.
She knows Sasha well enough to know that she’s not interested in an actual romantic relationship with Brad. However, now that Brad and Billie have met again, this provides the template for all the drama to come. Sasha is played by Margaret Odette. Odette is an up-and-coming actress who’s made minor appearances in films like Jason Sudeikis’s Sleeping with Other People and shows like Elementary.
Cleo Anthony as Kam
Netflix
A key player in Season 2, Kam is Sasha’s ex-fiance from over a decade ago. The pair never worked out, but she still has a soft spot for him. Not only is Kam now a medical doctor, but he also uses his powers for good since he runs an international non-profit organization.
Sasha has always maintained that marriage isn’t for her and she enjoys living the single life. However, when she runs into Kam again unexpectedly, we learn that he was actually the love of her life and she was once meant to marry him. Kam is played by Cleo Anthony. Anthony is an actor who has appeared on shows like Extant and was a regular on Roswell, New Mexico.
Darius Homayoun as Majid
Netflix
By Season 2 of the show, things change again. Despite Billie and Cooper trying their best to make their marriage work amid each of their infractions, it becomes pretty obvious that the show is more concerned with sexy people and raunchy scenes than any actual romantic angles.
Majid enters as a new character and becomes a new love interest for Billie, even after all the problems in her life and marriage that her romps with Brad cause. The character is played by Darius Homayoun, an actor with Iranian roots who’s appeared in some great shows such as Succession and Tehran.
Meghan Heffern as Caroline
Netflix
Caroline is a member of the wealthy wives from the show whose life is seemingly picture-perfect. As a stereotypical mom from the burbs in Season 1, we soon see that she actually has secrets of her own and isn’t as perfect as she seems. In fact, she may have been more inspired by Billie than she initially lets on.
Caroline is aptly played by Meghan Heffern. Heffern is a Canadian actress who has been around the acting scene for close to two decades now. She’s appeared in films like The Fog and enjoyed a main role on the Canadian show, How to Buy a Baby.
Jonathan Sadowski as Devon
Netflix
If you haven’t guessed by now, Sex/Life was a show that wasn’t too interested in trying to be an enthralling drama. If anything, one of its downfalls was that it was very obviously and singularly obsessed with sex. As a result, it often tried to subvert expectations and characters to make them as deliberately provocative as possible. A prime example of this was its full-frontal male nudity. In Season 1, Brad’s character has one of these shocking scenes while, in Season 2, Devon, a colleague and friend of Cooper, proudly shows himself off too.
The problem, despite both men appearing to be enormously blessed, it’s been revealed that prosthetics were actually used to enhance these scenes to almost ridiculous levels. This kind of deliberate shock value is also integrated into every possible angle of the show such as Devon also being a swinger. Devon was played by Jonathan Sadowski, an actor known for the show, Young & Hungry. Sadowski brought a fun angle to Devon’s character, even if he never actually brought his true self to ‘bare.’
While these overt sexual angles tie into the show’s provocative nature, unfortunately, its over-reliance on shock value seems to have also contributed to its downfall. Sarah Shahi herself interestingly foreshadowed her own demise with Netflix when she called out the show and the streaming giant for being “gimmicky” shortly before it was canceled.
“In Season 2, I felt like there were more moments that felt very gimmicky. Those kinds of things for me are always really hard to read… But I didn’t have to do them. The boys did. There were other things that I just felt I couldn’t get behind, and it was just challenging. But that’s part of what I do! I’m not always gonna get along or agree with a filmmaker. I’m not always gonna like what I have to do or say. But that’s my job, to make it believable.”
Amber Goldfarb as Trina
Netflix
If Devon was an intriguing character for his raunchiness, his wife Trina didn’t disappoint either. As a swinger too, Trina reveals that she isn’t happy with her married life either. According to the show’s creator Stacy Rukeyser, characters like Trina seek to answer whether women can have it all, the perfect domestic life, while still having excitement too.
Unfortunately, characters like Trina also cause the show to detract from its own ideals by including storylines in it that perpetuate the opinion that married women should either accept their family lives and be doomed to boredom, or rush out and explore provocative fun at the cost of more unhappiness at home. Trina is played by Amber Goldfarb, a Canadian actress whose known for roles in films like Vicious Fun and video games like the Assassins’s Creed franchise.
Li Jun Li as Francesca
Netflix
One thing that the show never fails to try and deliver on is empowered female characters, or at least ones who take their empowerment into their own hands. Francesca is Cooper’s boss and a strong character who knows what she wants out of life. Unfortunately for Billie and Cooper’s already suspect marriage, one of the things Francesca wants is Cooper himself.
Francesca is played by the talented actress, Li Jun Li. An American actress with a Chinese heritage, she’s known for her recurring role in Quantico and for being a part of the main cast of The Exorcist.
Hannah Galway as Emily
Netflix
Emily is another character who throws some spanners into Billie and Cooper’s lives. She’s Cooper’s ex-girlfriend from before he was married. We first see her in flashbacks during Season 1 that show they were still friends after breaking up, Cooper even attending her wedding.
Emily pops up again in Season 2, however, this time she’s very much in Cooper’s present. Emily was portrayed by Hannah Galway. Galway is still an up-and-coming actress but has made an appearance in the documentary film, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.
Wallis Day as Gigi
Netflix
Season 1 of the show seemed to be heading in a direction where Billie chooses her family and marriage over her passion for Brad. However, the season then has a surprise ending that makes everything it was building up to seem to be in doubt all over again. Season two’s ending proved it never contemplated cancelation at that point. The second season introduces more intrigue into the show in the form of Gigi.
Gigi is Brad’s new girlfriend. If that’s not enough of a roadblock for his and Billie’s continued lust for each other, Gigi is also pregnant with his child. She’s played by actress, Wallis Day, who become a part of DC’s wider universe with main and recurring roles on Krypton and Batwoman, respectively.
Dylan Bruce as Spencer
Netflix
While Cooper may be a typical locker room jock and a man for the ladies, his brother Spencer is gay and proud. The pair also prove they have good genes since Spencer is also successful, though, unlike Cooper, he’s a divorce lawyer, not an investment banker. Also unlike Cooper, Spencer is a happily married man.
Spencer was portrayed by Dylan Bruce who is very accomplished as a TV actor. If you think he looks familiar, that’s probably because he’s had one of the main roles in the hit show, Orphan Black, and has also had a recurring role in Arrow.
Craig Bierko as Mick
Netflix
Mick is a character in Season 2 who is close to Sasha since he’s her Gucci-wearing agent. He does his best to elevate her career to the next level, while she winds up reconnecting with Kam in the process. Mick was played by Craig Bierko, an American actor and singer who hails from New York. Bierko is a recognizable face and a prolific TV actor who has had recurring roles on hit shows like Boston Legal.
So, there we are, these are the main characters and the people who portray them from the two seasons of Netflix’s Sex/Life. While the show has certainly enjoyed its days of immense popularity, it’s also suffered from trying to place raunchiness above all else and that’s perhaps showed in its ratings. If you haven’t seen it and would like to catch up, there’s no time like the present. Fair warning though, if you enjoy sexy shows that are tasteful, this one can be a little more on the extreme side.
If you’re looking for a show that prioritizes a good story, great acting, and authentic character development, you may not find yourself loving the show. However, if you just like some naughty appeal and a sexy, fun, and provocative show that doesn’t try to inhibit itself, Sex/Life may just be the show you’ve been after. Just remember not to get too attached to the characters. After all, there isn’t going to be a third season.
The Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma has again commented on the possibility of revisiting the style of past entries in the series – but there are no plans as of now. Speaking with RTL Nieuws, Aonuma said that games like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom were possible because of what came before them.
An extension allows the actors to keep working while the union negotiates.
There are only a couple of days before the SAG-AFTRA strike begins if they don’t reach a deal with the AMPTP, but there is a sort of compromise in sight. SAG could extend the deal with the AMPTP and continue negotiations without striking.
The extension would carry the negotiations past the July 4th holiday and allow both sides to hopefully find common ground without missing days negotiating. It could be a week or a month or anywhere in between. They’ll decide that closer to the July 1st end date.
A strike would shut down every project using SAG actors in Hollywood across film and TV. Needless to say, it would be great to get the actors and writers what they want and need so that production can thrive again.
The opening scene of “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” takes fans back to the 1940s as a de-aged Harrison Ford faces off with Nazi scientist Dr. Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) in the aftermath of World War II. Soon after, the film fast forwards several decades and shows Voller still clinging to the past by obsessing over Hitler’s defeat.
The villainous loser is the kind of character that Mikkelsen has become synonymous with in recent years — and the actor is well aware of his reputation for playing sleazy figures. In a new interview with GQ, Mikkelsen explained that he has always been most comfortable playing offbeat, sinister characters.
“To combine it — to do something real and also be a cutie pie — I don’t really find it interesting,” Mikkelsen said. “I’m not into the ‘hair falling in your eyes, be cute in a corner.’ Not me. The losers are fun. Because we know them. You might have been in that situation yourself sometimes.”
Mikkelsen added that his string of villainous turns in blockbuster franchises like “Indiana Jones” and “Fantastic Beasts” affords him the creative freedom to take on more adventurous international projects.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll definitely do this, because it’s fun,” he said. “And then I can do whatever I want back in Europe.”
Mikkelsen’s remarks echo similar comments that he made in a 2021 interview with IndieWire’s Anne Thompson. The actor said that he would like to eventually branch out and play more non-villains, but he still enjoys playing bad guys in iconic franchises.
“I’m playing misunderstood people,” he said. “I’ve had a few non-villainous American roles that tend to be the baddies; I did an American film called ‘Arctic.’ He’s not a villain, so I’m grateful for that. Maybe times will turn a little, and people are watching a little more of the Danish stuff. Maybe they’ll accept a funny accent for an everyday-man character. If that’s not the case, I’m happy with what I’m doing. I’m happy I’ve been invited into some great franchises, like the Bond, Marvel, and Indiana Jones. It’s a luxury, so if that’s what’s coming my way, I’ll take it any day. If they do want me to do something else, I’ll give it a shot!”
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.
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Vivica A. Fox is getting real about the Independence Day sequel she starred in and expressing how she really felt about the film.
Fox played Jasmine Hiller, wife of Will Smith’s character Captain Steven Hiller, in the 1996 film directed by Roland Emmerich. The star went on to reprise her role in Independence Day: Resurgence in 2016, but this time without Smith by her side, which she felt was a factor in the movie not living up to the box office results of the original.
“I just didn’t feel like it was good and lived up to the first one,” Fox said in an interview with The A.V. Club. “I really feel we missed out by not bringing Will Smith [back].”
She continued, “We got most of the original cast but I think the one true link that was missing to the success of Independence Day 2 was that we missed that Will Smith wasn’t there.”
Fox said that when she was at the premiere she thought to herself about “how the fans are going to feel about” Smith not returning to the film. “And sure enough on Twitter, they blew me up,” she added.
In 2016, Smith said that he was unable to act in the sequel due to scheduling conflicts.
“It was one of those things — I had a couple of films lined up, I had Concussion and Suicide Squad, and so it was a decision, timing-wise, between Independence Day and Suicide Squad,” Smith told BBC Radio. “They were sending pictures from the set, and I was like, ahh.”
He continued, “The world is in a place of nostalgia right now. Specifically in entertainment, there’s such a pull for nostalgia, so it was just the perfect opportunity and it didn’t work out.”
After last week’s surprising dip into the warm waters of Cousins Night, the future was looking so bright, the Gemstones gotta wear shades. Yet, from the jump, “I Have Not Come To Bring Peace, But A Sword” tips its hand toward a reckoning. Now we know: The goodwill forged in “For Their Nakedness Is Your Nakedness” hid a rotten core at the heart of the Gemstones, and it was laid bare this evening.
Jessica M. Thompson on “The Invitation” and everyone’s favorite horror trope
For the last few weeks, we’ve seen the Gemstones attempt to hide their superficial and interpersonal failings. Whether it be Jesse’s dye job or Judy’s affair, the show explores how the family’s secrets, big and small, come at a cost when tiny infractions snowball. But it’s a lack of trust that Jesse astutely points to at the episode’s end that reveals the episode’s intentions. His son’s Pete Davidson act reflects a family-wide duplicity that caused nearly every major partnership on the show to falter.
“Trust is a gift that should be cherished,” Jesse tells Pontious in the show’s closing moments. “Trust is the only thing keeping the entire house of cards standing. Without it, we’re left with a shit-stained world filled with liars and cheats.” Yet for as accurate as Jesse’s observations are, the show’s nonchalant dismissive humor in the form of Pontious’ tossed-off “whatever” mirrors what Jesse is talking about. At every turn this week, we see lovers, friends, and family intentionally or unintentionally weaponizing that trust for their own interests, and as the song goes, “the sinner must die.” The trust built at Cousins Night gives way to a half-hour unmasking: Judy’s affair is exposed; church parents find out about the Smut Busters; Jesse gets a white slap; and the Montgomerys throw up twin middle fingers to the Gemstones’ hospitality. Oh, also, there’s an Aimee-Leigh hologram. A lot happens in this one. Tonight’s Gemstones grabs hold of the show’s many Band-Aids and rips them straight off the skin, pulling out each hair and revealing the infected wound underneath.
Still, the Gemstones are riding the Cousins Night wave early on. The Montgomerys are getting makeovers and shiny silk suits. Things have improved significantly since their days with the Brothers of Tomorrow’s Fires, but that doesn’t mean they’re not still in the militia’s pocket. “Slick boys,” Peter calls them, an appropriate nickname considering all the costumes they wear tonight. From their makeover montage to pest control to their Mumford & Sons act, the Montgomerys can blend in and transform in unexpected ways.
If only Keefe were as capable of tapping into his inner chameleon instead of being a sacrificial lamb. Keefe’s trial at running a Youth Group parents meet-up goes as expected when he bumps into the guy from the sex shop (George Paez) in front of the parents. Though Kelvin expresses surprise when this all goes awry, it does feel like something Kelvin should’ve handled. Sure, Keefe came through at Cousins Night with his mastery of the flaming orb, but that’s a little different than explaining to an ice cream and weiners party of Baptist parents wondering what this ex-Satanist with a very original and provocative fashion sense is doing with their kids. Kelvin could’ve explained the whole thing, but with the rumors going around, maybe he’s trying to keep his head down.
Kelvin put Keefe in an impossible situation, and Keefe was crucified for it. Not that Kelvin ever had a solid plan. The audience understands the Smut Buster mission because the show successfully locks us into the Gemstone mind frame. However, Smut Busting was a plan that seemed, well, inappropriate for a church youth group, what with all the butt buzzers and plugs—not to mention all the sex-negativity that keeps Kelvin and Keefe sweating out their repressed desires through various forms of faux masculinity. (What exactly were they trying to do, anyway?)
Ultimately, Keefe takes the fall for Kelvin, the church avoids a scandal, and Keefe leaves Gemstone manor behind. Kelvin must pay the hefty toll of firing his closest friend—and on a day when Keefe is wearing his best zip-up, turtleneck choker. But Kelvin’s emotional injury is the result of his decision-making, his planning, and his inability to articulate to his family and church what Keefe means to him. His overt repression forces Kelvin to side with his family and send Keefe into the wilderness. Suddenly, withholding the truth becomes as consequential as outright lying.
Judy, too, has this problem when Stephen goes full Fatal Attraction on her ass. Director Jody Hill turns the affair into an erotic thriller with precious B.J. at the center. When Stephen begins popping up in B.J.’s text messages and at his pickleball games, Hill pushes Judy’s doting husband toward the truth with Baltz’s babe-in-the-woods act, creating an unlikely and disarming tension in the episode as he attempts to empathize with Stephen (played by Stephen Schneider with unhinged, sleazy delight—he is, in every way, the anti-B.J.). Whether he’s informing Stephen that the glorious cock shot was sent to the wrong recipient or reaching out for another game of pickleball, despite the homophobia and explicit descriptions of sex acts, B.J. is willing to hear Stephen out in a truly Christian way.
Throughout the episode, B.J. offers a perfect counterpoint to the Gemstones around him. Endlessly trusting of his wife, he joins her in a game of “ain’t robots dumb” at Sips and Strokes. He’s upfront with Stephen, directly informing his pickleball partner of his likes and dislikes. At sushi later, B.J. admits he understands why Stephen reacted this way and wants to help Stephen through this challenging period. Despite the Versace Couture, this is still B.J., and he’s a man of serious resolve. He even has a little gun at brunch. It doesn’t protect him from a drive-by nose honking, but still, he’s willing to defend the family.
Maggie Winters and Tony CavaleroPhoto: Jake Giles Netter (Getty Images)
B.J. trusts his wife and his family, and in return, he gives his time and energy to the church and not in the self-enriching Gemstone way. Like Keefe, the last thing he wants to do is embarrass or undermine his partner. Meanwhile, Jesse can’t help but cuss at the Cape and Pistol chambers, embarrassing his father and provoking a “white slap” to cap off his induction ceremony. It’s no more than he deserves, considering he tries to act all fresh in front of Simkins while making oh-so-obvious he and his crew were behind the attack. Jesse thinks nothing can touch him, and he’s seriously mistaken.
In their throne room, Jesse, once again, asserts that he’s the only one working for the family. But that’s not really what’s happening here. He simply thinks he’s not getting the proper respect. As Baby Billy points out, he doesn’t have a star by his side. It’s just him and two not-really stars. Jesse thinks he deserves more, and this is where we have to get into Billy’s Aimee-Leigh hologram. Namely, where the fuck did he get this thing? That system looks like the control center of James Cameron’s deep-sea submersible—so how the heck did a man named Uncle Baby Billy end up with it? But this is just another counterfeit Gemstone. Jesse’s overwhelmed response to seeing his digital mother standing before him, singing as he remembered her, is a golden calf for the family to exploit. It’s hard to imagine Eli liking this hologram, even though, like the influx of A.I., he’ll probably go along with it because of money. But May-May and Peter will probably find it so disgusting for different reasons they’re liable to kill Jesse over it.
And then there’s the Montgomerys, who pull off the greatest betrayal. Hill performs a fantastic misdirection in this episode through Peter’s brunch appearance. Though it’s hard to say how early he got to his boys or if Peter’s tons of birds won them over, the brunch scene and the makeover sequence only endear us closer to these two dummies. Lukas Haas and Robert Oberst have created two sweet, soft-spoken members of the Brothers of Tomorrow’s Fires, who seemed genuinely grateful for the Gemstones’ acceptance. It’s heartbreaking to hear Haas say, “We’re not going, Pa,” not because we feel bad for Peter but because we think Chuck is hurting and Haas’ performance is so effective. It will take another episode before the logistics of the betrayal get ironed out. But Hill and, last week, McBride do a convincing job of making these two seem like sympathetic victims.
Everyone wants to trust each other, they’re eager to, and people like the Gemstones and the Montgomerys exploit that desire. We want to trust the Montgomerys, just as May-May wants to trust them, reconnect with them, and see them play their song again. She wants it so bad it blinds her from the truth. May-May is so taken with her boys in their little old-timey suits, playing their music, and it’s as phony as the “TV show church” that Eli drags her to. The song and costume is a performance: The song “Sinner You Better Get Ready” is an African American spiritual that dates back to the 1800s—tipping to the Montgomerys’ appropriation and another layer of deception—and Chuck’s vest and bowler derby combo resembles a stripped-down, Al Swearengen version of the wardrobe the guitarist from “TV show church” wore in the opening sequence. The suits may not be shiny, but their Deadwood cosplay is a costume just as the Smut Busters was a costume; Judy’s tour life was a costume; and Jesse’s cape and pistol were costumes. All of them cover for the insecurity these Gemstones regularly repress. The boys bring May-May peace by placating her version of Christianity, a more modest, traditional, but phony interpretation of the same scripture.
The Montgomerys played everyone like a fiddle as Karl played the fiddle. The Gemstones are none the wiser because they do the bare minimum for their actual family if it’s not directly serving their egos. It’s why Kelvin and Judy can’t come clean to their partners, and Jesse can’t stop cussing for five seconds to spare Eli. They are all Pontious saying “whatever” to their parents because they’re so used to dodging accountability for their schemes. It’s all a disguise, and when the mask comes off, the sinner must die.
Stray observations
Addendum to last week: The painting in Judy and B.J.’s house is of Judy and B.J. as Adam and Eve
Stephen’s disdain for his wife is so pure: “I hate Kristy. I wish I could chop her fucking head off while she’s making omelets.”
Love B.J. throughout the pickleball scene, but his little nod after shutting down Stephen’s slur was just perfect.
“Oh, I’d love to see you turn this big, fat ass red.”
Steve Zahn’s chair-dragging work at brunch was nothing short of masterful.
Ditto for B.J.’s pink vampire fit.
While we’re on B.J.’s drip: His pickleball-patterned shirt and shorts combo. Look, the guy knows how to dress.
Seriously, is Henry (Bobby Andrew Burns) on blood thinners?
The mark of a great bit is knowing when to get out, and after four episodes of B.J.’s naive innocence, it was time to get this plot to its next act before the character lost credibility.
“Payday” update: I didn’t know that “There Will Come a Payday” was a Red Sovine cover, but IndieWire showed me the light. Also, the track is on YouTube for our listening pleasure:
At the first Woopaw Fest at Montreal’s Peel Basin, dozens of joyful pet owners came together for a canine carnival over the weekend. They all gathered to show off and celebrated their furry friends.
“He’s honestly the quietest and the most easygoing little baby that I could have wished for,” Lauriane Gagné said of her chihuhua, Chester.
“She’s a really, really nice little girl,” Melanie Masseé said of her 3-month-old morkie, Abby.
Neither Gagné nor Massé could ever imagine being forced to part with their beloved pets. However, the Montreal SPCA says because of the housing crisis Montrealers are being pushed to do exactly that with increasing frequency.
“What we’re noticing this year, and it surprised us, is that in the first four months of the year, there was a 20% increase in the number of abandoned animals at the SPCA. We weren’t expecting that,” said SPCA Montreal executive director Anthony Johnson
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When looking for affordable housing, compromises often need to be made. With Quebec land lords being legally allowed to refuse pets, some are forced to choose between keeping their animals, and having a place to live.
“I actually had to move to Griffintown to get a dog friendly apartment. My last place in Verdun, didn’t accept dogs,” said Gagné.
“I’d live in my car if I had to,” said Massé.
With July 1st moving day in the rearview mirror, the SPCA is very busy.
“We have a lot of animals right now in shelter. We have about 100 cats. We have 30 dogs, 25 rabbits. In our foster families, we have another 400 pets,” Johnson explained.
He says if you’ve been thinking about bringing a new pet into your home, whether its a dog or a cat or a rabbit, now is the perfect moment.
“This is the time to come down to the SPCA and see if you can find your forever friends,” said Johnson.
The SPCA is once again expressing its support for a bill proposed by Quebec Solidaire that would force landlords to allow pets at all rentals.
“We would definitely love to see a day when landlords are no longer allowed to blanket refuse pets,” he said.
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Johnson invites you to visit the SPCA website, where they have a platform for you to send a letter to your National Assembly member in support of the bill
Their hope is for all their animals to find loving owners like the ones caring for their creatures at the Woopaw Fest.
“Sunday wisdom ❤️,” the Married at First Sight alum, 39, wrote via Instagram Story on Sunday, July 2, reposting a quote from Dr. John Delony.
“Husbands, here’s the deal. You can choose. You can choose misery, rage, scheming and laziness. Or … You can choose to love, sacrifice, go first in uncertainty and last in comfort,” Delony, a mental health podcaster, wrote via his Instagram earlier on Sunday. “You can choose to fill your home with laughter, adventure, mystery, passion and joy. You can choose to love your spouse recklessly and forever. Never forget: You can choose.”
“Last Friday was a really tough day for me. I did something I thought I would never have to do. Here I am, sitting in front of the Denver courthouse. After months of deliberation with Beth, we were just unable to find common ground,” Thompson wrote via Instagram on Friday, June 30. “I had really hoped to resolve this, but it feels like we have reached the point of no return.”
Jamie Thompson and Elizabeth Bice.Courtesy of Jamie Thompson/Instagram
He continued: “So, I made the decision to go ahead and file for divorce for the sake of my own mental health and wellbeing. It was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in a very long time. It saddens me a lot to be at this point. I was never sure if I would get married. But, I sure didn’t want to get divorced either (even if it was an arranged marriage courtesy of Hollywood).”
Bice, 33, has yet to address the pair’s divorce.
Thompson and Bice were matched and married in 2019 during the ninth season of Married at First Sight, meeting for the first time at the altar. After getting into a series of heated arguments post-wedding, the duo opted to stay together when the Lifetime experiment ended. Thompson and Bice, who celebrated their fourth anniversary in March, continued to chronicle their adventures — they moved from North Carolina to California and later Colorado — via social media and on MAFS’ Couple’s Cam spinoff.
They ultimately separated in April, with Thompson noting via Instagram at the time that he needed to “focus on myself and my personal growth.”
Bice, for her part, shared via her Instagram later that month that she was “not ready” to speak publicly about their separation. “There’s a lot of emotions that come with getting out of a long-term relationship,” she confessed in a social media video. “But I can’t even form sentences right now. I can’t even put my emotions together. I still cry in the middle of the night right now guys, OK?”
YouTube removed a video comedy podcast in which Roseanne Barr — attempting to make a sarcastic point about internet platforms enforcing disinformation policies — made extremely offensive comments about the Holocaust.
YouTube determined that the video with Barr, shared on comedian Theo Von’s channel, violated its policies prohibiting hate speech. As a result, his channel is barred from uploading videos for a one-week period; under YouTube’s three-strikes system, if Von’s channel runs afoul of YouTube policies again in the next 90 days it will be blocked for two weeks and in the instance of a third violation the channel will be terminated.
On the June 14 episode of Von’s “This Weekend” show, Barr discussed how online platforms like YouTube have “de-platformed” people who spread lies. As an example, Barr said, “the real truth” was that President Biden won the 2020 election and said she was glad such policies were in place to remove content posted by election deniers. (Actually, YouTube earlier this month reversed its policy prohibiting misinformation about the 2020 election.)
“There’s such a thing as the truth and facts, and we have to stick to them,” Barr told Von. Then, she continued in a bewildering attempt to make a joke, “And nobody died in the Holocaust, either, that’s the truth. It should happen — 6 million Jews should die right now, because they cause all the problems in the world. But it never happened.”
A few moments later, she said, “I’m all Jewish — 100%.” Also in the segment, she said, “People should be glad” that Jews “control” the entertainment industry, “Because if Jews were not controlling Hollywood, all you’d have was fuckin’ fishing shows.”
As of Friday (June 30), the video of Von’s “This Weekend” episode featuring Barr was no longer available on YouTube. A message on the site says, “This video has been removed for violating YouTube’s policy on hate speech.”
In a statement provided to Variety, YouTube spokesperson Jack Malon said, “We issued a strike to Theo Von’s channel for violating our hate speech policy, which prohibits content promoting violence against individuals or groups based on attributes such as race or religion. As a result of this strike, the channel is prohibited from uploading content to YouTube for one week.”
As of this writing, the episode of “This Past Weekend” with Barr remains available on other platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Von, in a tweet Tuesday responding to a backlash over Barr’s Holocaust jokes, wrote, “This Roseanne Barr clip was sarcasm folks. A clip taken out of a long sarcastic rant she had during our chat. Can we not recognize sarcasm anymore?”
Von also posted a clip on Twitter from the podcast episode with Barr’s Holocaust comments, calling her “a mensch and one of the funniest people I’ve ever met.”
Here is the full clip of Roseanne Barr obviously using sarcasm and satire. She is a mensch and one of the funniest people i’ve ever met. pic.twitter.com/p0K6pWEqr8
EXCLUSIVE: While Zoe Saldana has starred in recent blockbusters Avatar: The Way Of Water, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 and makes her TV series debut this month in the Taylor Sheridan created series Special Ops: Lioness, nothing is closer to her heart than The Absence of Eden, which marks the feature directing debut of her renowned artist husband Marco Perego. While illegal immigrants are used as political cannon fodder in the polarized politics of the US and abroad, the script by Perego and Rick Rapoza puts a face on these people, and focuses on the harrowing experiences of the outsiders who pay and trust ‘coyotes’ to transport them across the boarder. They hope to achieve the promise of a new life but there is every chance — especially for women and children — that they will end up dead or enslaved in human trafficking and drug operations. Saldana stars as one who takes that chance; Garrett Hedlund plays a border patrol officer who falls hard for a local (Adria Arjona) whose secret could tear them apart. Visiting the Deadline Studio before their world premiere at the ancient Teatro Antico amphitheater to close out the 69th Taormina Film Festival, Perego, Saldana, her Cinestar partner Cisely Saldana, and Pioneer Pictures partners Robert Kravis and Karl Hermann discuss the challenge of putting together a dark but meaningful first directing outing for Perego.
More than 10 million DirecTV subscribers have lost local TV stations owned by Nexstar, in the latest high-profile carriage dispute to permeate the pay-TV business.
The latest battle is between DirecTV, the satellite TV giant, and Nexstar, the local TV giant that owns some 159 TV stations across the country. Nexstar said Sunday that its channels went dark on DirecTV and its streaming multichannel product DirecTV Stream after the companies failed to come to terms on a new deal.
The impacted stations include affiliates for all the major broadcast networks, as well as The CW, which Nexstar acquired last year. It also includes NewsNation, the cable news channel operated by Nexstar.
The timing is unfortunate, with Nexstar warning that DirecTV subscribers may miss the MLB All Star Game or Women’s World Cup due to the dispute. Nexstar says that it was asking for the same rates that it has negotiated with other distribution partners.
DirecTV, in a statement of its own, said that Nexstar was demanding price increases, as well as asking that DirecTV carry The CW “and low-rated channels” in its lineup. The company also noted prior carriage disputes that involved Nexstar.
Of course, DirecTV has had high-profile carriage disputes of its own in the last year, including with the conservative cable channel Newsmax and with Fox Corp.
“Nexstar remains hopeful that a resolution can be reached quickly to return to viewers their favorite network programming, live sporting events, in-depth local news and other local content relevant to their communities, as well as critical emergency updates for which DirecTV is charging its subscribers,” the company said.
In the past, Selena’s mother vocalized her disapproval of Selena’s relationship with singer Justin Bieber, as well as her working relationship with director Woody Allen after she was cast in his movie A Rainy Day in New York.
“No one can make Selena do anything she doesn’t want to. I had a long talk with her about not working with [Allen] and it didn’t click,” Selena’s mother wrote in an Instagram post in January 2018. “Her team are amazing people. There is no fall person here. No one controls her. She makes all her own decisions. No matter how hard you try to advise. It falls on deaf ears.”
Marvel Studios’ exclusive list of actors who play three MCU characters just added a new name to its roster.
Although the MCU has enlisted the best of the best in Hollywood to play some of the biggest superheroes from the red brand, a select few Marvel veterans have taken on more responsibilities than playing only one role.
Tony Curran became the sixth actor in Marvel history to portray three different live-action characters with his casting in Secret Invasion as Derrik, Sonya Falsworth’s superior, in Episode 1.
He also portrayed King Bor, Thor’s grandfather, in the opening scene of 2013’s Thor: The Dark World while later playing a terrorist named Finn Cooley in Season 2 of the Daredevil series on Netflix.
The other five actors who hold this honor are listed below:
Taika Waititi
Taika Waititi
Along with directing the MCU’s last two Thor movies, Taika Waititi embodied three different characters in the franchise, with the most prominent being the comedic pile of rocks, Korg, in multiple movies.
He also provided his face for one of Hajo’s three heads in Thor: Ragnarok along with the Kronan God, Ninny of the Nonny, who was seen in Omnipotence City in Thor: Love and Thunder.
James Gunn
James Gunn
Along with directing all three Guardians of the Galaxy movies, James Gunn had three minor cameo roles across the entire Guardians franchise.
On the movie side, he played a Maskless Sakaaran killed by Yondu Udonta in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy before taking on the role of Lambshank, one of the High Evolutionary’s experiments in 2023’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
He also played a voiceover role on Disney+, providing the vocals for Groot’s wristwatch in the animated I Am Groot set of shorts.
Joe Russo
Joe Russo
While he’s best known as part of the Russo brothers duo that directed four of the MCU’s best-reviewed films, Joe Russo had three separate cameo roles in three of his movies credited as Gozie Agbo.
He also played the MCU’s first-ever openly gay character, Bobby, during the group survivors’ meeting hosted by Steve Rogers in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
Miles Mussenden
Miles Mussenden
Only appearing across the MCU and other projects as a minor star, Miles Mussenden joins the list of triple-starring MCU actors.
His park ranger in Spider-Man: Homecoming provided some laughs as Zendaya’s MJ discussed the Washington Monument, and Mussenden also played a prison guard during Season 1, Episode 4 of Luke Cage.
His biggest Marvel role came as Otis Johnson, whose son, Tyler, was the co-leading character in the Cloak & Dagger series from Freeform.
Stan Lee
Stan Lee
While the rest of this list is known for having three appearances in the MCU on their list, it’s likely that nobody will ever touch the late Stan Lee’s record of appearances in the MCU’s first 22 consecutive movies.
Starting off as Hugh Heffner in 2008’s Iron Man and ending with Lee driving by the Camp Lehigh military base in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame and shouting “make love, not war,” the Marvel icon had no shortage of memorable MCU roles.
Some of his most memorable cameos come with roles like Larry King (Iron Man 2), the Watchers’ informant (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), and a security guard (Captain America: The Winter Soldier).
Who wouldn’t want to spend some time going on quests as a ginger cat wearing a backpack? And now, we all can thanks to the new sci-fi video game Stray. The recently released game includes incredible graphics of the stray kitty exploring a neon-lit cityscape. The game from BlueTwelve Studio is available for PC and PlayStation 4 and 5. It’s also included for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium members. And soon, it will arrive on Xbox. You can take a look at Stray‘s official trailer, here:
Stray arrives on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One on August 10. And we’re sure it will be full of just as much cat-goodness as the original PlayStation version. The creators of the game shared some insights in a blog post on PlayStation’s website. Producer Swann Martin-Raget writes about the difficulties of controlling a cat. Every cat owner knows the struggle, but it turns out it’s true in game design too. They used the internet’s most valuable resource—cat videos—as references. So those of us who upload them are actually helping professionals do their job.
The trailer includes action sequences, but also everyday cat activities like knocking things over for no reason. Or, as we call them in my house, gravity experiments. The video also shows a small flying drone named B-12 joining the quest. The team-up gives real Leia and her droid Lola vibes.
BlueTwelve Studio Ltd.
After releasing a teaser trailer in 2020 and more gameplay videos last year, we can’t wait to finally play. According to the game’s website,Stray takes place in the seedy underbelly of a decaying cybercity. It instructs us to “be stealthy, nimble, silly, and sometimes as annoying as possible with the strange inhabitants of this mysterious world.” Sounds like a cat. Apparently, according to Polygon, if you meow enough in the game, you even get a “Little Chatty” trophy on Steam. And it sounds like there are many different meow sounds our favorite cat can make. We love that for everyone.
When premium e-bike maker Cowboy introduced its Adaptive Power update earlier this year, Engadget’s Mat Smith wondered when a new model would arrive. We have the answer today as the company announced the Cowboy Cruiser. The new variant encourages a more upright design for a relaxed Dutch riding position. It also includes a wider saddle — a feature that was at the top of our wish list for the Belgian company’s latest iteration.
The Cowboy Cruiser weighs 19.3 kg (42.5 lbs) and includes comfort grips and a “distinctive raised and curved handlebar to facilitate a natural hand position.” Its saddle is wider and has an increased gear ratio compared to previous models. The e-bike has a wireless charging phone mount, and, like with all of its models, its companion app integrates with Google Maps. In addition, it has a removable battery, carbon belt, mudguards and “puncture-resistant” 47mm tires. Of course, all of the company’s models have crash detection.
Cowboy
With its lineup getting more crowded, Cowboy renamed its existing e-bikes, “making it easier for customers to find the e-bike which best suits their personal needs.” The original C4 model is now called the Cowboy Classic, and the C4ST becomes the Cruiser ST.
The Cowboy Cruiser is available starting today for an “introductory price” of £2,690 ($3,393.43). You can buy it in black and sand colorways from the company website or any of its 300 retail partners across Europe.
“I’ve decided to forbid bigots and homophobes from watching The Sopranos, The White Lotus, Goodfellas or any movie or tv show I’ve been in,” he posted on Instagram. “Thank you Supreme Court for allowing me to discriminate and exclude those who I don’t agree with and am opposed to. USA! USA!”
Imperioli would add replies to his post furthering his stance saying “hate and ignorance is not a legitimate point of view” and adding that the ruling is dehumanizing.
“America is becoming dumber by the minute,” he also replied.
Imperioli played Christopher Moltisanti in all of six seasons of The Sopranos between 1999 and 2007. The actor took an Emmy award in 2004 for his role in the HBO drama series in the Outstanding Supporting Actor category. Imperioli was also the recipient of a SAG award in 1999 and 2007 for his work in the series.
In 2022, Imperioli joined the cast of The White Lotus for its second season in the role of Dominic Di Grasso. Imperioli and the cast of the HBO anthology series won a SAG award earlier this year in the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series category.
Imperioli was part of the cast of the 1990 film Goodfellas. Other films he has been featured in include Malcolm X (1992), Bad Boys (1995), The Basketball Diaries (1995), Clockers (1995), The Lovely Bones (2009), Oldboy (2013), Primal (2019), One Night in Miami (2020), and many more.
Taylor Swift was forced to go rogue when her meticulously planned concert hit a snag during the first Eras Tour stop in Cincinnati on June 23.
As you might have seen in person or on a blurry TikTok live, Swift’s three-hour performances feature fantastical choreography, surprise acoustic sets, and lots and lots of dramatic costume changes. In the case of the transition from her Reputation era bodysuit to her sparkling “Enchanted” gown, Swift usually descends through the floor to switch looks while her dancers march towards the door at the back of the stage. However, when Swift reached her mark during the Friday show, the platform failed to move.
At first, Swift tried to signal her stage crew with a little foot stomp but took off running when that didn’t trigger the descent, passing her dancers as she booked it towards the door in heels. One fan captured the moment in a viral TikTok video set to “Run” by AWOLNATION. I mean, swift is literally her last name.
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Of course, Taylor Swift took the whole thing in stride. “Still swift af boi,” she commented on the video, which currently has 1.2 million views and over 200,000 likes.
Though Swift’s comment seems to have been deleted, another fan shared a screenshot of her reply in another TikTok video. “Getting swift af boi tattooed on my wing,” the official Duolingo account replied to the original video, while another user wrote, “Brb. Making a ‘Still Swift AF boi’ friendship bracelet.”
The stage malfunction has been posted all over TikTok from multiple angles, with one clip showing the platform descending right after Swift took off running.
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After shaking off the snafu, Taylor Swift said she had “the best two nights” in Cincinnati, showing her love for the city by performing an extra surprise song during her second show on July 1. “Cincinnati I couldn’t love you more,” Swift captioned her most recent Eras Tour photo dump on Instagram. “Had the best two nights with you!! Last night was so special getting to sing ‘I Miss You, I’m Sorry’ with @gracieabrams in the acoustic set and bringing out @aarondessner to play ‘Ivy’ in his hometown. ? See you soon Kansas City, meanwhile I’ll be counting down the minutes til Speak Now (my version) comes out July 7th WHICH IS VERY SOON.”
Okay, but when is she dropping the cardio routine?
Well, this is sad TV news on this fine holiday weekend.
Apple TV+ has canceled High Desert following the conclusion of its freshman season, according to Patrica Arquette.
“A lot of you have asked about High Desert and if there was going to be a second season,” the actress said in an Instagram video on Saturday.
“So I just wanted to let you know, we just found out that it won’t be coming back,” she added.
“So that’s a sad bummer for all of us.”
She thanked the crew, writers, actors and fans. “You can’t win ’em all,” she added.
Ben Stiller, who served as an executive producer on the series, also addressed the cancellation.
“We are all disappointed,” he wrote.
“Our entire #HighDesert cast was amazing and to all our fans, thank you for embracing this show.”
“I LOVE Patricia Arquette, who gave an awards worthy performance,” he continued.
“While we wish @AppleTV had stuck with it, we’re grateful they made it and it is on the service,” Stiller added before claiming the show will remain on the platform.
“And unlike other streamers these days I’m told they will not be removing any shows. So you can enjoy the first season in perpetuity,” he added.
“And feel free to let them know you want more!!”
High Desert follows Peggy (Arquette), an on-again-off-again addict who decides to make a new start after the death of her beloved mother, with whom she lived in the small desert town of Yucca Valley, California.
Peggy makes a life-changing decision to become a private investigator.
High Desert is directed by Emmy Award-winner Jay Roach, created by Nancy Fichman, Katie Ford, and Jennifer Hoppe, and executive produced by Stiller.
The cast also included Matt Dillon, Christine Taylor, Weruche Opia, Brad Garrett, Bernadette Peters, Rupert Friend, and Keir O’Donnell.
Like other outlets, Apple TV+ has grown more cutthroat with renewal and cancellation decisions.
Of note in recent memory, the streamer canceled Shantaram and The Mosquito Coast.
Despite boasting impressive casts, neither series resonated with the streamer’s audience.
It appears the same can be said for High Desert.
What are your thoughts on the cancellation?
Hit the comments.
Remember, you can stream the series on Apple TV+ in its entirety.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
Could the Academy’s best picture eligibility shakeup have a ripple effect across the pond?
In recent years, the Oscars and BAFTAs have tried to align as closely as possible on key industry issues, such as a diversified voting body and a representative nominees pool. But when it comes to theatrical release requirements for best picture, there could be a divergence of thought.
Last week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed a host of new theatrical release requirements for movies to qualify as best picture nominees for the 2025 Oscars. In addition to the standard one-week run in one of six U.S. markets, films released in 2024 will also require an expanded theatrical run of seven days, consecutive or non-consecutive, in 10 of the top 50 U.S. markets, no later than 45 days after its initial release.
The Academy’s rationale is to promote a healthy theatrical environment and improve exposure and accessibility to awards contenders in the United States.
That same drive has been omnipresent in the U.K., with ongoing campaigns by the likes of the U.K. Cinema Association and the British Film Institute to get audiences back to movie theaters after the pandemic. But fresh theatrical requirements won’t be part of BAFTA’s rule book for the foreseeable future, Variety can reveal.
BAFTA — which will release its criteria for next year’s awards in the coming weeks — will keep its 2023 theatrical rules in place for the 2024 film awards in February. This makes sense given movies are eligible from Jan. 1, 2023, and we’re already six months into qualifying releases this year. However, sources indicate that the film org hasn’t yet committed to making any changes for the 2025 awards. (And bear in mind, those changes, were they to happen, would need to be firmed up over the next six months to meet the 2025 awards’ eligibility period from Jan. 1, 2024.)
As per BAFTA’s existing rules, films are eligible to enter the awards if they have been “theatrically exhibited publicly for the first time to a paying audience on at least 10 commercial screens in the U.K. for at least seven days in aggregate (not including festival screenings).” There are even more flexible screening thresholds for the Outstanding British Debut, Documentary and Film Not in the English Language categories.
While a direct comparison between the U.S. and U.K. theatrical markets is difficult to make given the vast geography of the former, some critics of the existing BAFTA criteria have highlighted the lack of guardrails in place to ensure that awards-qualifying screenings aren’t just relegated to London. Such concerns come at a time when the U.K. entertainment industry is moving away from the historically London-focused media world, and more aggressively expanding into the nations and regions, which include Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and other parts of England such as the East Midlands and Yorkshire.
One senior exhibition source gives the example of Netflix’s Best Film BAFTA win for “All Quiet on the Western Front.” The German-language World War I epic dominated the 2023 film awards with a record-breaking seven wins, including for Best Director and Best Film Not in the English Language.
Variety understands that the movie only opened in 10 cinemas in the U.K. and that the majority of them were in London. (Sources close to Netflix have said the film also played elsewhere in England as well as Ireland.) Data seen by Variety suggests the film only screened an average of one show per day, across two weeks, before it launched on Netflix on Oct. 28.
The film is believed to have eventually played in more than 200 individual cinemas across the U.K. and Ireland, though those screenings largely took place following the Jan. 19 BAFTA nominations, when it’s common for films to re-enter theaters for select screenings.
“It’s a bit of a blow when you give a movie a best film award when no one had a chance to see it [in cinemas],” said the exhibition source. “It’s not right. The concept that it’s important that a film get a broad release and is seen by customers is an important one and BAFTA haven’t gotten that yet.”
Phil Clapp, CEO of the U.K. Cinema Association, tells Variety that the “danger with the current ‘low bar’ here and elsewhere is that eligibility is open to films that few if any members of the public will have a chance to see.”
“So any consideration on their merits or otherwise are inevitably then limited to a small and select group, losing the relatability which is essential for any awards scheme to remain relevant,” he adds.
On the other hand, theatrical screenings organized for BAFTA members can have a galvanizing effect on driving votes. Paul Brett, executive producer of the Oscar and BAFTA-winning “The King’s Speech,” welcomes the big screen experience, and the packed BAFTA screening and Q&A he attended of “All Quiet on the Western Front.”
Brett told Variety: “I feel privileged to have experienced that film’s superb craftsmanship in the best possible conditions.”
“I am sure BAFTA will scrutinize [The Academy’s] measures — and may well adapt them to suit the U.K. market,” Brett adds. “I see no need to rush into any panic measures as the BAFTA regulations, as they stand, seem entirely fit for purpose.”
For now, it’s all quiet on the BAFTA front so far. (The British Academy declined to comment on this story.) That’s not to say, though, that everyone’s satisfied with the org’s wait-and-see approach.
The UKCA says it “very much welcomes” the changes announced across the pond by the Academy. The new rules, Clapp says, are “undoubtedly a step forward in re-establishing the importance of a theatrical release for the relevance and currency of the Oscars.”
Standing behind a camera atop a tripod onstage at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin, North Carolina, Lyle Lovett peers into the viewfinder and pauses for a moment before hitting the shutter button.
Lovett’s road manager yells loudly, “Fire in the hole,” as the room goes silent, the only subsequent sound being the click of the camera. The entire scene repeats itself a handful of times before Lovett is satisfied with how the empty venue, soon-to-be-packed with concertgoers, is portrayed.
“In terms of every type of expression you might engage in, it’s just all the same,” Lovett tells Rolling Stone. “It’s all connected.”
For over a decade now, Lovett has been snapping images of each and every single stage he’s played. Initially, he viewed it as a way to maintain a presence on social media without seeming self-indulgent or self-congratulatory. But, nowadays, he finds the act of photography a sort of full-circle thing.
“My parents had this little Argus camera when I was a boy, and they were always fine with me playing with [it],” Lovett says. “In 1978, I bought a Nikon, which I still have. It was my last film camera. I’ve been shooting with a Sony [lately]. I keep a camera with me all the time — I love taking pictures.”
Whether it’s still photographs or poignant melodies, Lovett is a conduit of people and place, emotions and sentiments. It’s a timeless task for Lovett, where detailed images of daily life or eternal musings are captured and offered up to the world at large.
“With anything I present, you could draw a straight line to another medium, whether it’s a song or a picture,” Lovett says. “It’s important to me to be consistent. The reason it’s important is I’m just getting to be myself.”
Peeling back the layers of Lovett’s vibrant career, it’s easy to see why he’s remained a cherished act in the realms of Americana, country, and folk music since he first emerged on the national scene in the mid-1980s: “consistency” and “being yourself.”
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“I feel so privileged in my job, in that I get to go around and just be myself all the time — warts and all, for better or for worse,” the 65-year-old says. “There’s never a point in what I’m doing that I have to, you know, pretend or act a certain way. Playing and singing, making up a song or taking a picture, it’s all the same thing.”
Last month, Lyle Lovett & His Large Band embarked on a new nationwide tour. Kicking off in Kentucky, the journey seemingly hits every corner of the lower 48 states and parts of Canada before wrapping up in Texas in late August.
“It’s all a work in progress. You’re just trying to do your best to figure out what to do next and how to continue to keep your audience’s interest,” Lovett says. “The great thing about working with talented people is that you get together and collaborate — new ideas come forward, so I’m always excited about that.”
Once fall rolls around, Lovett will again pack his bags and hit the road, but this time as a solo act, just his voice, a guitar and whatever magic may occur by happenstance. He’ll be joined for several dates by John Hiatt, then a handful of shows with Leo Kottke.
“The bottom line is that [touring] is how I make my living. I never sold enough records to ever get a mechanical royalty from a record sale,” Lovett says. “But having the record deals I’ve had and having my records out in the world has given me a touring life.”
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To note, Lovett will also headline the 16th edition of the Cayamo music cruise March 1 through 4, 2024. Dubbed “A Journey Through Song,” the sold-out affair will include Lake Street Dive, Billy Bragg, Nikki Lane, Rodney Crowell, Hiss Golden Messenger, the War and Treaty, the Mavericks, and Lucius. Lovett is a passionate, if unlikely cruiser.
“[The cruise] is a great gig. It’s all the fun of going to a festival. You get to see performers you don’t always get to see, all in one place,” Lovett says. “And you can’t go anywhere [but the boat], so it’s all about association and genuine interaction. That’s the appeal of it for performers and for the audience.”
In conversation, Lovett is affable and introspective. He’ll answer a posed question with a meticulous response, one filled with wonderment and excitement. And it’s those same characteristics within Lovett’s curious soul that have remained since his teenage days of playing guitar with a high school buddy at a now long-gone steak and seafood restaurant in his native Houston.
The year was 1976 and Lovett was just 18. From there, he enrolled in Texas A&M University in College Station. Studying journalism, Lovett covered local events, campus concerts, and city meetings, a camera always in-hand.
And all the while, Lovett kept finding small shows to play along the way. No matter what Lovett was doing academically or socially, his guitar remained, so did a constant urge to book another date.
“I just enjoyed [performing]. And I was probably trying to convince myself I could do it [early on],” Lovett says. “The only way I could convince myself that I could do it was to always have a gig booked. I just tried to have something booked all the time, that was my [business] model.”
Soon enough, he was couch-surfing in the musical bastions of Austin and Nashville, slowly scratching at the surface of the possible prospect of becoming a singer-songwriter.
“David Lloyd had this established band around Austin in [the late 1970s]. And they used to invite me to come open for them without being booked by the clubs they were playing,” Lovett says. “And I stayed at David’s house more than I stayed anywhere. That was the difference between being able to play gigs for 50 bucks a night or not.”
The camaraderie that Lovett found with other aspiring or long-time musicians in Houston, Austin, and Nashville is what set the tone for his own endeavors. “For me, it was incremental steps, there was never a big leap forward,” Lovett says. “It was more of getting positive encouragement at every step along the way that made me want to keep going.”
Whatever the future held for Lovett, he was simply, happily along for the ride — hell or high water, his fate had been sealed.
“I was really fortunate to get to know some of my heroes personally: Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Willis Alan Ramsey, Michael Martin Murphey,” Lovett says. “No matter the generation, there are people who appreciate quality and appreciate good music, real musicianship. Those people find each other and they make good things happen.”
Skip ahead almost four decades. A handful of Grammy wins, several signature songs like “If I Had a Boat” and “This Old Porch” (written with Robert Earl Keen), and widely acclaimed albums, coast-to-coast tours and numerous TV/film appearances later, Lovett stands as an American musical institution — always evolving, constantly shifting into the next project.
Packing up his camera gear backstage at the Smoky Mountain Center, Lovett readies himself and his longtime band for the impending performance. Pop open the guitar case. Switch out the blue jeans for dress clothes. Go over the setlist. Walk down the hallway and toward the bright lights on the other side of the curtain.
“If what you can do can make someone in the audience [think about] their own life, if somebody can take my words and relate it to his or her own experience, then that’s what you hope for,” Lovett says. “My favorite compliment is not, ‘I love the second line in the third verse of that song.’ It’s, ‘Gosh, I remember exactly what I was doing the first time I heard your song.’”
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And yet, Lovett himself looks at the entire trajectory of his personal life and artistic pursuits as all “one thing” — a single, continuous moment of being.
“There’s songs I’m playing that I made up when I was 17 years old, and I’ll keep playing as long as folks show up,” Lovett says. “[Life] is like writing [a song]. You start out thinking, ‘OK, this is going to be about this.’ And, as you get into it, it can change or it can develop, it can become more layered — all of that can happen once you’re inside of it, whatever ‘it’ is.”
MONKEYS are still being enslaved by cruel coconut farmers who make them work in chains to meet the growing demand for trendy vegan milk.
The primates are forced to harvest hundreds of coconuts each day in Thailand, under the watchful eye of their handlers.
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Some Thai farms are still forcing monkeys to pick coconutsCredit: Reuters
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The nightmare continues to unfold for the monkeys as the demand for vegan milk risesCredit: PETA
The monkeys are made to spend countless hours picking the fruit when they’re not chained to the floor, The Times reported.
The farmers reportedly pull on ropes that are tied around the animal to control them while they carry out their gruelling shifts in the treetops.
But despite a three-year-long campaign by animal rights charity Peta in 2019 – some farms in Thailand have continued to force the monkeys into labour.
The innocent animals are either bred in captivity or robbed from their mothers in the jungle when they are babies.
Past footage from the charity has revealed the dark secrets behind the monkey labour industry and has also highlighted the tortures they experience while in captivity.
Handlers have been seen using methods of intimidation and brutal punishment to train the macaques including whipping the animals and dangling them by their necks.
But the horrors don’t stop there – according to Peta, the creature’s sharp front teeth are often removed to stop them from biting themselves or the farmers.
And this nightmare continues to unfold for the monkeys as the demand for vegan milk climbs.
With Thailand being one of the world’s largest manufacturers of coconut milk – Peta has warned that the source of some coconut-based products such as milk, oil and flour could have likely been partly produced by “slave monkeys”.
The charity has now called for a boycott of all Thai-made coconut products as monkeys continue to be used for free labour.
HelloFresh, the world’s most popular meal-kit provider, recently became the latest international business to drop Thai coconut milk altogether.
In Thailand, poachers steal the young primates by luring them into traps or murdering their mothers – and according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s “red list”, the two breeds of monkeys used on coconut farms have been deemed “vulnerable” and “endangered”.
As monkeys are sociable, wild animals, it is not just the physical labour that impacts their life.
According to Peta, the lack of contact with their social groups can cause them extreme mental anguish and depression.
“Driven to desperation, they pace and circle endlessly on the barren, trash-strewn patches of dirt where they’re chained,” the charity said in a report.
But not everyone has agreed that the slavery of monkeys should be banned – including some elite Thai politicians and industry figures.
They have argued that using primate labour in this way is similar to the use of other animals across the globe – such as camels and elephants.
Government officials in Thailand have even claimed that coconut-picking is natural for macaques and argued that the practice is a cultural tradition, according to The Times.
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Handlers reportedly punish the monkeys through whipping and dangling them from their necksCredit: PETA
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Despite a three-year campaign by Peta, the monkey abuse still regularly takes place in ThailandCredit: PETA
Opportunities for film and TV series production in the Czech Republic and broader Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the competition between Netflix and other sector players, were in the spotlight on the first day of the Eastern Promises Industry Days program of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on Sunday.
“Czechs love local content,” Lukasz Kluskiewicz, Netflix’s director of film licensing and co-productions for the region told a panel about the current opportunities for film and series development in Central Europe Sunday afternoon. “We can see growing relevance of local content, and we can see growing demand for local content.” That is why the development of and investment in such content is “crucial” for Netflix, he added.
The creation of local content is reflected in his business of licensing movies. “Since 2019, we have acquired 260 films, licensed,” said Kluskiewicz in emphasizing the streamer’s commitment to showcasing homegrown fare.
The executive also said that Netflix was ready to collaborate with other companies instead of just competing with them. “We are in a very good place where competition is less important than cooperation,” he argued, before concluding by emphasizing that there was an opportunity to “work together to grow the market and to create opportunities.”
The panel was moderated by Zac Ntim, writer at Deadline, media partner of the Eastern Promises program and owned by Penske Media Corporation, just like The Hollywood Reporter. The other participants were Radim Špaček, film director (Walking Too Fast, Inthe Pines) and vice chair of ARAS, the Association of Czech Audiovisual Directors and Screenwriters; Přemysl Martínek, consultant for the Czech Film Fund; Vratislav Šlajer, film producer (Runner) and chairman of the board of the Audiovisual Producers’ Association; and Klára Brachtlová, chief external affairs officer at CME, a content and broadcast giant in Central and Eastern Europe that also operates streaming service Voyo, and also a representative of AKTV (Association of Commercial Televisions).
Earlier in the day, Helena Bezděk Franková, director of the Czech Film Fund, and Martínek had discussed their work in a Czech-language session titled “Transforming the Czech Film Fund into the Czech Audiovisual Fund.”
Ariana Stolarz, managing director of growth and product innovation at Accenture Song, knows that brand marketers are always looking ahead — but she doesn’t believe that’s always a good thing. While she knows trend forecasting is important, she believes there’s a lot to take away from what consumers are looking for right now and what current challenges need solutions.
“I feel like sometimes we are always creating for what’s next, and we’re not living in the present and the present has so much opportunity,” Stolarz said.
Stolarz sat down at the Variety Studio presented by Canva at Cannes Lions to talk about technology in marketing and how people can embrace the digital tools at hand. She touched on marketing for younger generations, and why it’s important to focus on consumers of all age groups and to consider spending trends for each subset of generations.
“Yes, of course I’m interested [in following trends],” Stolarz said. “Because at the end of the day those trends are showing us where we are going. So we need to understand that, in particular if we want to innovate and bring novelty into the world. But also, I’m really interested in how we can use these technologies to basically help improve the lives of everyone, including all different age groups.”
Stolarz also talked about AI, and how the wide spectrum of acceptance for this new technology is reminiscent of the early days of the internet.
“I started my career 25 years ago in the digital space and everyone was making the same comment, right? It’s like, ‘You’re working on the internet? What is that thing that is going to take our jobs?’” she explained. “Then, that created a whole new set of opportunities for all of us, and we started to live differently and we started to engage differently. We started to use some of the tools that now are so obvious and part of our lives that were not part of our way of interacting or entertaining just two decades ago.”
In a company like Accenture, she feels its important to stay open to innovation.
“People are saying, ‘Oh, AI is coming for us. It’s like the robots, it’s the end of the world,’” she said. “Or you have on the other side, ‘AI is going to change the world’ … Yes, if we use it responsibly.”
Anime Expo in Los Angeles saw the unveiling of the new trailer for Attack on Titan Final Season The Final Chapters Special 2. The trailer was premiered during the MAPPA x Crunchyroll! panel.
The complete film will be available later this fall, exact date to be announced.
Based on the award-winning manga Attack on Titan by Haime Isayama, the film continues the story of humanity forced to retreat behind the towering walls of a fortified city to escape the massive, man-eating Titans that lurked outside. Only the heroic members of the Scout Regiment dared to stray behind the safety of the walls –but even those brave warriors seldom returned alive.
In the final segment, the fate of the world hangs in the balance as Eren unleashes the ultimate power of the Titans. With a burning determination to eliminate all who threaten Eldia, he leads an army of Colossal Titans towards Marley. Now a crew of his former comrades and enemies scramble to halt his deadly mission, the only question is: can they stop him? The film is directed by Yuichiro Hayashi and produced by studio Mappa.
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani Trailer Out On This Date; Varun Dhawan’s Next With Atlee
Alia Bhatt revealed trailer releasing date of her upcoming film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani and Varun Dhawan to team up with his next film with Atlee.
2023 seems to be a good year for actress Alia Bhatt as she will soon be seen in Karan Johar’s magnum opus Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani. The film has been making the headlines for all the right reasons and the excitement of the fans has been amped up further after the makers released the first song ‘Tum Kya Mile’. While the film featuring Alia with her real life BFF Ranveer Singh is still a month away, the audience are eager to catch a glimpse of the trailer. And it seems the wait is finally coming to an end.
Varun Dhawan and Jawan director Atlee are teaming up for their next action thriller. The film is yet to be titled by the makers but they have revealed the releasing date. It will be hitting the silver screen on May 24, 2024. This has surely increased the excitement level among fans as they are eagerly waiting for the other details including the first-look poster.
Pregnant Ileana D’Cruz has shared yet another glimpse of her mystery man with fans. On Saturday, the Bollywood actress took to her Instagram Stories to reveal she is spending the night indoors with her man and their dog. Ileana shared a photo of the man but refrained from revealing his identity. Instead, she shared in the photo that he loves their dog.
A day after Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadha shared photos from their visit to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, a video of the couple offering seva at the shrine has surfaced online. The Bollywood actress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, who are soon going to get married, joined fellow devotees to not only offer prayers but also perform seva at the holy shrine. In a video going viral, Parineeti and Raghav were seen washing dishes as they were surrounded by bystanders.
Tamannaah Bhatia and Vijay Varma who are dating in real life, have been receiving rave reviews for their sizzling on-screen chemistry in Lust Stories 2. The talented duo starred together in Sujoy Ghosh’s segment in the Netflix anthology. While they continue to create a massive buzz for the same, a behind-the-scene from the sets of their outing has gone viral that perfectly captured some rare moments between Tamannaah and Vijay.
The fifth “Indiana Jones” film might have trouble fulfilling its box-office destiny.
Disney’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” opened in first place at the domestic box office this weekend, collecting a lackluster $60 million, according to estimates from measurement firm Comscore.
The long-anticipated sequel matchedthe low end of already modest projections in the $60-million to $65-million range domestically. Internationally, the action movie grossed $70 million for a global cumulative of $130 million, according to studio estimates. This is a disappointing start for the tentpole, which has a reported budget of $300 million.
Despite media hype and initially lofty expectations for the epic return — 15 years in the making — of Harrison Ford’s heroic archaeologist, “Dial of Destiny” didn’t even come close to touching its 2008 predecessor, “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” which launched at $100.1 million in the United States and Canada.
It did manage to outperform the rest of the “Indiana Jones” saga: 1989’s “Last Crusade” ($29.4 million), 1984’s “Temple of Doom” ($25.3 million) and 1981’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark” ($8.3 million), per Comscore. However, none of those numbers is adjusted for inflation.
Rounding out the top three at the domestic box office this weekend are Sony Pictures Animation’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” which added $11.5 million in its fifth frame for a North American total of $339.9 million, and Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental,” which made $11.3 million in its third weekend for a North American cumulative of $88.8 million.
Directed by James Mangold, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” stars Ford in his final outing as Indy on a daring mission to capture a precious artifact. Among the supporting cast of the film are Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore and Mads Mikkelsen.
The latest installment of the “Indiana Jones” franchise, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, received a 68% rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes and an average B-plus grade from audiences polled by CinemaScore.
“Ford’s sheer movie-star charisma is the one flame this film can’t extinguish,” Times film critic Justin Chang writes.
“As throwback entertainment, ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ engages only in fits and starts. … But as a meditation on Indy’s (and Ford’s) mortality, on the passage of time and the plasticity of the motion-picture medium, it’s an unexpectedly, even accidentally resonant piece of work, especially as it gradually finds its footing in the final stretch and sprints toward a loopily audacious climax.”
Also new to theaters this weekend was DreamWorks and Universal Pictures’ “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken,” which bombed in sixth place with $5.2 million in the U.S. and Canada. Internationally, the animated feature earned $7.6 million for a worldwide total of $12.8 million.
Helmed by Kirk DeMicco, “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken” centers on a high-school mathlete (voiced by Lana Condor) who discovers she is descended from royal sea warriors whose duty is to fiercely protect their underwater kingdom. The main voice cast of the family film also features Toni Collette, Annie Murphy, Sam Richardson, Liza Koshy, Will Forte, Colman Domingo, Jaboukie Young-White, Bill Chapman and Jane Fonda.
The quirky teen comedy garnered a 65% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a solid A-minus grade from audiences polled by CinemaScore.
“At a moment when animated family features are often adaptations of existing intellectual property or additions to a franchise, ‘Ruby Gillman’ stands out as an original story, something to be lauded,” writes The Times’ Tracy Brown.
“Exactly how original is another question: While watching ‘Ruby,’ it’s impossible not to think of other recent animated films such as Pixar’s ‘Luca,’ a fish-out-of-water tale featuring young sea monsters, or ‘Turning Red,’ a panda puberty story involving mother-daughter tensions.”
Opening in wide release next weekend are Lionsgate’s “Joy Ride” and Sony’s “Insidious: The Red Door.”
Disney spent a LOT of money on that former Hulu series, but it recognized an opportunity to recoup some of its investment on a less popular show.
Eventually, some streaming service like Pluto TV will add Runaways, paying Disney for the privilege and possibly even splitting some of the ad revenue.
Disney has determined that strategy will earn more money from Runaways than simply hosting it on Hulu and Disney+.
Believe it or not, that’s the preferred goal for content creators whose shows vanish.
The people who worked on Batgirl are wholly out of luck. Something that never airs comes with additional hurdles when it’s used as a tax write-off.
That’s why a recent comment from a noted Marvel stuntman drew attention.
Source: Marvel Studios
Which MCU Title Might Get Batgirled?
Chris Brewster, who performed stunts on Ms. Marvel, Loki, and Daredevil in the MCU, has become quite influential in Hollywood.
In fact, Brewster was the stunt coordinator for DC’s Black Adam. Recently, Brewster appeared on a podcast and said:
“I always get the word of mouth. I heard they were going to ‘Batgirl’ (Echo), because they weren’t happy with it.
Source: Disney+
Now they’re doing reshoots and are planning on airing it.
But I think that could also have something to do with the fact that there’s a strike, and there’s not a lot of content right now.
So, (Disney is thinking) “we have it made already.””
Source: Marvel Studios
YIKES!
If Brewster is correct here, Disney dislikes Echo so much that the company seriously considered never airing it.
The belief Brewster presents is that the only reason Disney will air the series is that the streaming service will lack content due to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike.
Source: Marvel Studios
That’s…not a ringing endorsement. We should calibrate our expectations accordingly.
Speaking of the WGA strike, we’re all awaiting word on what the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) will do.
Recently, the Directors Guild of America reached a deal with Hollywood’s power brokers.
SAG technically should have gone on strike at the stroke of midnight on July 1st. That didn’t happen, though.
Instead, they extended their negotiating window until July 12th, which makes sense.
Nobody wanted to perform intense labor negotiations during a holiday week.
Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger. Photo: Marvel
So, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and SAG agreed to kick the can down the road for a couple of weeks.
Disney could use a quick settlement on this so that it can focus on course-correcting the MCU. Rumors persist that The Marvels isn’t testing well, either.
Anthony Mackie’s Hilarious Anecdote
An amusing story this week comes from Anthony Mackie, who portrays Sam Wilson/The Falcon/Captain America in the MCU.
Photo: Marvel Wiki Fandom
I just named three different characters. None of them are whom Mackie believed he had signed up to play.
Mackie indicates that he’d petitioned Marvel for years to cast him as the Black Panther.
Eventually, the studio sent him a document asking him to agree to play a secret character in the MCU.
Getty Images for Disney
Since the film was Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Mackie presumed he’d gotten his wish.
After all, early rumors about the project suggested that T’Challa would appear in the film.
Mackie put two and two together…and got five. Once he spoke with Marvel, he learned that he would play Wilson instead.
Source: Marvel Studios
While that decision has worked out quite well for the actor, he likely felt some disappointment when he learned he wasn’t the Black Panther.
Have a great holiday, everybody!
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Writer Akiva Goldsman recalled a wonderful time meeting Robin Williams, when the legendary actor was attached to Batman Forever in the role of The Riddler. Williams had a history with comic book movies, having famously starred in a live-action adaptation of the Popeye comic strip. He was also considered for the role of The Joker in the 1989 Batman movie, which ultimately went to Jack Nicholson, and was one of the candidates to play Mister Mxyzptlk, in an early draft of Superman III.
Akiva Goldsman described his working with Robin Williams in an interview with The Playlist. Sent to San Francisco by Batman Forever director Joel Schumacher, Goldsman was invited into Williams’ home, so that the two could brainstorm on the script’s direction for The Riddler. Goldsman described the experience as beautiful, and Williams himself as “so kind.”
Robin Williams Had Brilliant Ideas For The Riddler
While not going into detail regarding their time together and the ideas they considered, AkivaGoldsman described how productive he was after a day of discussing The Riddler with Robin Williams. Goldsman said the word genius did not capture Williams’ creativity, saying that it was as if Williams “had opened up his head and the universe would just talk into it.” Williams also apparently called Goldsman’s apartment after he left Williams’ home, leaving a message that Goldsman’s girlfriend at the time replayed in disbelief.
Why Robin Williams Left Batman Forever
Unfortunately, despite apparently hitting it off with Goldsman, Robin Williams ultimately decided to leave Batman Forever and the role of The Riddler behind. AkivaGoldsman said this was due to a conflict with director Joel Schumacher, and how the two “didn’t see eye to eye.” Goldsman did not elaborate on the specifics, but did note that many later disagreed with Schmacher’s campy interpretation of Batman, even though he felt it was “truer to the source or at least a version of the source.”
Given Williams’ work following the release of Batman Forever in 1995, it is easy to imagine that he might have preferred playing a darker take on The Riddler than Schumacher had envisioned. While Williams was a consummate comedian, he had already begun taking on more dramatic roles in feature films. By that time, Williams had already earned two Oscar nominations for his work in Dead Poets Society and Good Morning Vietnam. It seems probable that Williams feared being typecast as a living cartoon character and that playing The Riddler in Schumacher’s Batman Forever would retread old ground.
Williams finally won an Oscar in 1997 for his work in Good Will Hunting, and went on to play more cerebral and villainous characters in his later films. While it is hard to imagine just what Williams might have been like as The Riddler in Batman Forever, his role as murderer Walter Finch in the 2002 thriller Insomnia comes close, as Finch used his knowledge of police procedure to manipulate the corrupt detective investigating his crime. Coincidentally, Insomnia director Christopher Nolan went on to make a trio of Batman movies, but not with Robin Williams as The Riddler.
Disney Speedstorm will officially release on September 28 as a free-to-play title on PC & consoles, completing its Early Access period.
The kart-racer launched in April 18 in Early Access via three separate premium versions, each offering different additional content.
The game was always planned to release as a free-to-play title at a later date.
“Since the launch of Early Access, we’ve received invaluable feedback and support from our incredible community of players, who have been instrumental to the improvements made during Early Access,” developer Gameloft said.
“Moving to a free-to-play experience will also allow for more players to share in a fully robust competitive and co-op racing experience. We can’t wait to continue this journey together as we enter this exciting new phase. Stay tuned for more details!”
Premium Founder’s Packs will remain available until Early Access closes, the developer said.
Using it on video is almost exactly like creating a set extension.
I recently used the AI Generative Fill in Photoshop to generate some unique material for a pitch deck I’m working on. So far, results have been mixed but also impressive. I found it has worked best when filing in spaces on images you already have.
But what about using it for video?
Kinda, Maybe?
Long story short, no.
Even if you break out the individual frames from the video and use the AI Generative Fill on each one, you won’t be able to get any cohesion between the different frames. While that might create a cool effect, it’s not really what we want.
We want actual elements that stay static between our frames. That’s the keyword here: static.
Extend your video like a set extension. Credit: Lizzie Peirce
Creator Karl Ndieli took a page from the movie world and used the Generative Fill as a set extension when cropping his videos for social media.
He did this by zooming in on the 16:9 YouTube video but leaving room at the top or bottom. Then he would take a single frame, and use the AI Generative Fill to fill in the gaps. Then he would take just that generated section and layer it on his video, much like films used to do with matte painting.
You can check out Ndieli’s approach in this YouTube Short.
Matte Painting in 2023
Lizzie Peirce piggybacked off this technique and also made her own version of the “set extension” in her own video talking about the different ways you can utilize this new tool from Adobe.
But here are some obstacles that you’ll have to work with if you use this technique. Much like matte paintings of yesteryear (the ones painted on glass), creatives may only be able to utilize this approach with static footage.
We say “may” because some tech-savvy creatives could use things like camera mapping in Blender to animate the extended section using a program like Blender. But that’s a lot of extra work for just a simple extension.
It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s definitely a unique tool to have in your bag when you need that extra space around your frame, especially if your composition is static.
But what do you think? How would you utilize this technique?
The end BtVS & Angel‘s best joint year is nearly upon us. While it’s a shame we couldn’t ride this high for a while longer, nothing lasts forever–as Buffy (and everyone) learns the hard way. For those of us who were lucky enough to watch all this as it originally aired, at least there’s always the memory of this great season of TV. I didn’t mean that to sound like “ha ha, I can and you can’t!” It’s just nice to be able to remember the fun times of chatting about everything as it all unfolded. I’m kind of doing that now, too, so I guess I’ll have multiple BtVS chatty times to look back on.
Written by Jane Espenson / Directed by Michael Gershman
Jane Espenson returns to rescue us all from sadness.
Giles cooking dinner for Buffy and Dawn/spending the evening together is a scene I would like to see. I’m a sucker for all Buffy/Giles scenes (“And then I can beat up the cows”) and there’s lots of it in this whole opening.
Warren pops up again for a moment and, while he’s awful and someone should have dropped him off a roof, he does give us the Buffybot in all its glory.
More gourd humor. It’s reliable, after all. I always liked how Giles seems to almost fall over when hopping in and out of his gourd circle. And Buffy’s desert dreamscape reappears, courtesy her new cat friend. So, I guess Giles just had a quiet sleepout in his car while Buffy was vision questing?
Oh yeah, Dawn’s wanton thievery starts here. That always slips my mind.
Now’s a good time to commend SMG’s Buffybot performance. It’s a wonderful depiction of a cheery robot Buffy.
All of Buffybot’s interactions with everyone are extremely amusing. Chatting with Anya about her money is always a favorite. Really, though, what in the world would Xander and Anya have done if they came across those three vampires without assistance from Spike and Buffybot? Die. The answer is that they would have died.
“What are you kidding? She’s nuts” is Tara’s response to the Buffy/Spike pairing right now, but she’ll be more sympathetic about it when Buffy spills those beans in the future.
Buffy’s chat with the First Slayer guide is also a high point.
Spike gets captured by Glory’s minions way too easily, if you ask me.
Buffybot’s view screens are hilarious, as is “Angel’s lame. His hair goes straight up and he’s bloody stupid.”
So, if Spike can’t be the key because he’s a vampire then what would happen if someone vamped Dawn? There’s really no reason why Glory hasn’t just tried torturing Buffy until she talks. I don’t see one, anyway.
The two Buffy’s meeting is also a wonderful scene. This is a great episode. Anya’s also always at her best with Jane Espenson.
All the Bob Barker chat (“We will bring you the limp and beaten body of Bob Barker”) continues the fun.
In the big fight at the end, why in the world does Buffybot throw her ax aside and try to grab one of the minions? I know she’s a robot, but still. This isn’t the best fight they’ve ever had, but it’s amusing enough.
This last scene between Buffy and Spike is another brick in the road to their connection. Hopefully Spike just had a slip of the brain and didn’t realize Buffybot has no information on the Key (as opposed to him actually telling a robot that intel).
Written by David Greenwalt / Directed by James A. Contner
Lindsay’s farewell episode begins with a lot of shots of that damn bracelet. What’s up with that?
This random guy stabbing himself in the eye feels almost like a commercial before the horror unfolds. It also takes a lot out of Cordy, clearly. Charisma Carpenter does really well in that sequence and the aftermath.
Lindsay should sit up straight at the doctor’s office. He’s very hunched. And this is an amusing combination of surgery with a creepy magic demon.
So, now that Lindsay has two hands again does that mean more bracelets?
Cordy’s clearly taking this one very hard and again I’ll say kudos to Charisma Carpenter on nailing it. And I wonder what two sandwiches she took. Trivia!
Country music Lindsay debuts. Angel being jealous of Lindsay’s musical success is a nice touch. “I’m telling you what’s what, sugar. What you do with it is up to you.” Forceful Lorne doesn’t make an appearance often, but I appreciate when he does.
Nice creepy framed photo of not-Holland Manners’ family.
Lilah sure isn’t subtle in her rifling through all these haphazardly filled file cabinets.
This guy who Angel lassos is a rather huge moron for sticking his head out the window.
Lindsay has a solid couple of final scenes, first with Lilah and then one last goodbye (for now) with Angel–who gifts him with the “Cops suck” farewell.
So, what parts was Lindsay’s hand donor missing, again, considering he’d rather die than live without. The hand for sure, maybe a couple feet? I don’t know, wanting to die seems rather dramatic. He’s never heard of prosthetics?
Written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner / Directed by David Grossman
Buffy drops all her classes, but she’ll miss her poetry class a bunch. Also, fun fact, her professor shows up again as a demon in a few episodes of Angel S5. And they finally address Ben’s work situation with him getting fired due to being MIA for weeks at a time.
Dawn’s principal tries to instill fear into Buffy, instead of being helpful in some way. Would it kill her to be on a team with Buffy–a 20 year old recently forced into the head of household role due to her mother’s untimely death–instead of an adversary?
“I’m thinking I’m probably gonna back next semester.” You will not, Buffy. You will never return to college as anything other than an observer.
I always like the tone Buffy says “I do” in about believing she listens to Giles.
Willow doesn’t leave the room like everyone else, who apparently got the hint it wasn’t a group discussion and more of a talking to. In fact, Willow keeps pushing back against everything Buffy says when all Buffy needs from her in that moment is silence.
This Glory misdirect is obviously a misdirect, but it’s more about who Glory will be wrong about than her finding out it’s Dawn.
This Willow and Tara argument comes about very naturally, from a point of sympathy to anger and other things in between. Nice shoutout to Willow’s bizarre college life, what with Maggie being both her professor and an evil government scientist.
Slayer Sense Fail: I know the leprosy hobbits are just outside the window and not inside, but Buffy can’t at least see them scurrying about? I guess she’s a bit invested in folding things and trying to convince Dawn to stop being such a schmuck.
Glory popping up next to Tara by holding her hand first is a good reveal.
Giles finds his leprosy hobbit and manages to quickly convince him, offscreen, to spill the beans about Tara. Good moment for Giles, but it certainly puts Willow on high alert.
Tara keeps her cool pretty well as Glory breaks her hand and promises unpleasantness, but really–Glory gives up pretty quickly. She doesn’t even try torture.
Now’s a good time to mention it: Xander finally got a haircut and he looks much better. It was becoming a shaggy & unkempt mess, but at least that’s behind us now.
Okay, honest confession, I do not think Amber Benson does a great job at being crazy Tara. I’m glad it only takes a few episodes before Willow undoes it. Everyone’s response seems a little muted, also. Aside from Willow, obviously, plus Giles is always more reserved–he’s British. Oh, and Willow vowing to take care of Tara until forever is a huge commitment for a 21 year old.
I believe this is the first time Willow’s had both the drive and power to do something like this attack on Glory. Not the last time…
Willow does better than Buffy does when it comes to laying into Glory (on her dry run for when she really lets loose a year from now). She actually manages to hurt her, even if only briefly, whereas Buffy’s best efforts have only mildly bothered Glory. The spit is gross, though. At least this showdown puts the rest of the season into motion once Glory rips the wall off the dorm in retaliation.
The Gang has dinner out together. We don’t see that a lot. Cordy and the acting stuff always leaves my mind until they mention it again. Angel accuses some random lady of being a Valktar witch, but it doesn’t end as poorly as Cordy vomiting all over the place.
Wesley speaks to his obviously very dickish father, who brings up being fired in the past when Wes tries to share good promotion news. Yay for parents.
The commercial director is a complete garbage person and if there was ever anyone who should be eaten by a demon, it’s him. Cordy begrudgingly taking the abuse surely feeds into his ridiculously high opinion of himself (the director of a sun tan lotion commercial, let’s remember), but at least it only takes another 15 years or so before people many people finally come around to the idea that’s unacceptable behavior. And who let Angel on the commercial set in the first place? At least he gets to enjoy the faux-sun for a minute before making a scene.
The no violence in Caritas spell obviously isn’t quite up to snuff, as there’s a bunch of violence when this demon portals in. Also, Lorne leaves a lot of info out when he gets Angel to go after the fresh demon from another world.
There’s just something about this whole episode that feels rather slight and like this is mostly filler.
Hey look, it’s Fred in a vision flashback. I wonder if she’ll show up again . . .
Gunn loses a friend and there’s drama. I guess I could say more, but the series barely lingers on this storyline so I’ll follow that lead.
Cordy reading from the book seems like an unwise choice, just considering the circumstance of why they’re even poking around the library in the first place.
Cordy getting sucked through the portal doesn’t make any sense, but who cares. She goes to the land of dinosaur sound FX, which is fun.
Not a lot to say about this one, really. It’s a fun enough tangent episode, which is fine with me.
Written by Steven S. DeKnight / Directed by James A. Contner
Buffy throwing herself and Dawn through the dorm door seems unnecessary–couldn’t run through it? And Dawn really needs to work on her cardio as she manages to run for less than a minute before needing Buffy to literally carry her.
It’s weird how everyone acts like running away is some kind of dirty, unclean thought they must not entertain. Buffy’s right to flight.
Ben’s scene with the leprosy hobbit goes on way too long. I know it’s delivering some exposition, but please just stop already.
Buffy and Spike obviously stole this horrible RV, but I wonder from where. Spike’s face when Buffy tells Xander that Spike stays and to “Get over it” is quite amusing.
So, was this Knight of Byzantium guy just going to stab some nurse to death in the middle of a hospital? Might be a little hard to walk away from that. Also, everything about the Renaissance Fair Gang wandering the wilderness is completely ridiculous. It makes zero sense in the world–how do they recruit? Do they live in society ever? How does any aspect of their whole life make sense?
Spike’s not entirely incorrect that stealing a small & speedy car would have made for a better quick getaway. The rest of the gang could have just hid out somewhere and followed when they got a call telling them where to go.
Michelle Trachtenberg saying “Wanna come watch the tears and recriminations?” to Buffy is one of those lines that doesn’t work coming out of her mouth.
The RV assault appears to take place on some kind of dirt road–where the hell was the Scooby Gang going? There are actual roads out of town that are paved, imagine that. And despite having way more guys in their ranks than you’d think, the Knights only bother to send a handful (who suddenly disappear once the RV crashes) to battle.
Willow proves impossibly helpful once again at their gas station hideout with the magic force field. You know who isn’t terribly helpful? Xander, who mostly hides in a corner and drags unconscious guys out of the way.
General Gregor proves to be quite the exposition man and why Buffy wastes any breath trying to convince some zealot that he’s nuts is lost on me. He’s in charge of an army of god freaks with face tattoos who apparently live in the Middle Ages–“reason” doesn’t work.
If Buffy thought Ben was just some nice, normal guy then the fact he’s so okay with *everything* about their utterly bizarre situation should really be a clue that he’s got some secrets of his own.
Also, if Ben really cared so much about everyone’s safety he never would have driven out there in the first place, considering he is Glory and knows Dawn is the key and all that. Turning into Glory and taking Dawn was the only way his little trip would end. Idiot.
More from General Exposition, woo. At least Glory will kill him soon.
I’m always amused by Anya trying to pull Dawn back from Glory, as if there’s a chance in the world of that working. Also, they all really lucked out that Glory didn’t kill any of them before proceeding to slaughter every single one of the Renaissance Fair Gang.
And now Buffy needs a little mental breather for a while.
Over the Rainbow
Written by Mere Smith / Directed by Fred Keller
Cordy’s not too bright to immediately start screaming in some random dimension. At least she recognizes that, albeit too late. She lucks out that nothing eats her.
Wesley’s sure not wrong about wanting to figure out some specs on the hows of dimensional travel before they start dimension jumping.
Cordy just kind of stands there while this old demon slowly and calmly takes control of her–no pushing back of any kind. Try, at least.
This episode also feels like filler, a bit, in that it seems like it takes a while to get everyone on the same page–which we all know they will be so come on, stop wasting our time. The Gunn drama of him maybe not going, in particular, feels like wheel spinning.
I think I’d be more on board with or amused by the Pylea stuff if it didn’t go on for three full episodes when there’s not really three episodes worth of story. That’s too much. We do get Fred out of all this, though, so at least there’s that trade-off.
Hearing psychics or seers (or whatever) talk in movies/TV always is something I always roll my eyes at. It always ends up being the same faux-wise “knowledge” consisting of vague suggestions. Over it!
Gavin, of W&H, makes his debut appearance and threatens lease law–scary stuff, indeed.
Wes and everyone finally going through the portal certainly feels earned, perhaps a little over-earned, and the Jurassic Park dinosaur sounds continue. At least Angel’s having fun running around in the sunlight right away.
These priest guys are nicely creepy. I wonder what tests they performed on Cordy with these tools they mentioned. She doesn’t have any bloody wounds when we see her again, so what’d they do?
“I think we’re winning” smashcut to everyone tied up is hardly original, but it’s still amusing.
Cordy revealed as princess is a nice change of pace from all the prisoner stuff, even if it goes on too long (like all of it) and she’s really foolish about a lot of what goes on.
Written by Douglas Petrie / Directed by David Solomon
Glory and minions talk too much in this opening scene. They always talk too much.
Giles sure has improved from the spear to his torso quite a lot in the last half hour. He’ll pretty much be all better by the next episode, despite this all happening in a couple days. And do you think they ever told anyone about the dead Gregor tied to a pole in the back room?
Spike’s not wrong about Buffy liking it rough (but he doesn’t get to know that yet), while Willow takes control of the situation as de facto second in command. Oh yeah, this is where the Ben is Glory chat originates. Spike proves useful again.
A few of the season’s nutters reappear to help assemble the tower to nowhere and it has me wondering, what did they all get up to the next day? With Glory gone the steady flow of insane people decreased drastically, so maybe the hospitals were relieved.
Willow doesn’t seem to have much trouble entering Buffy’s mind. I wonder how easily she could enter other minds if she chose to cross that line. Willow’s tour of Buffy’s thoughts is interesting enough, even if it’s a little like Restless-lite.
Ben’s got a sad little back room in this fancy condo of Glory’s. He couldn’t just take a nicer room? It’s not like they could really do anything to him if he did.
Hey look, it’s Joyce again for a catatonic cameo. Also Buffy’s crap dad appears for the first time in several years for just a second.
Giles, Xander, and Spike share a scene without any arguing. It’s like they’re just old pals at this point.
The Glory and Dawn (then Dawn and Ben) scenes, while some are interesting, go on a bit too long.
Ben and Dawn should have separated instantly. There’s no sense in Dawn sticking around him at all and her trying to knock him out is also a dim decision.
The Xander and Spike buddy pair continues their duo to Doc’s house, where Spike doesn’t do very well against the guy (not for the last time) while Xander takes care of business–albeit temporarily.
Buffy giving up while putting a book away for Giles being such a heavy, miniscule moment for Buffy (she just wanted it over) works well. Willow helps out with some blunt truths, taking Buffy with her back to reality when they’re done.
Giles is already entertaining the idea of killing Dawn, which is apparent from his whole tone and demeanor. Harsh pragmatist Giles is perhaps my favorite Giles.
Cordy’s kind of cavalier about the “off with their heads” joke, considering they could have easily been killed. And they found her in another dimension pretty quickly, you’d think she’d be a little appreciative (just a bit).
Angel’s obsessed with his hair immediately upon being able to see himself.
The comshock, as Gunn predicts, is dirty.
Lorne’s mother is genuinely horrid, but Numfar (Joss Whedon) provides some humor with his various dances–of joy, honor, etc.
I don’t think you’d need the W&H connection to make the leap that the creepy priests are up to no good. I mean, I could go on quite a tangent about the evils of religion so I’ll restrain myself.
Cordy’s quite dense to want to stay in Pylea (where it doesn’t seem like toilets, fridges, or other simple life pleasures exist). Even if the luxuries of modern life aren’t enough to convince her, what about the horrors of Medieval existence for people who aren’t a princess? She falls back on old narcissistic habits quite easily. She also veers wildly on the whole “comshock with the grousalugg” thing depending on whether or not she finds the sex mate attractive or not.
Lorne certainly does all the heavy lifting (or singing) in Angel and Fred’s escape, which gets him left behind and–as we find out shortly–beheaded.
Fred still has a vague Texas accent, for now. It disappears at some point in S3. I’ll keep you posted.
The music of these Pylea episodes doesn’t quite work for me, either. It’s too dreamlike and fantastical for the most part. Fred’s reaction when she learns of Cordy being made a princess is humorously understated.
The grousalugg monster twist is amusing enough and, on a personal note, guys never look good with long hair.
Everyone who isn’t Lorne is too cavalier about separating and hanging out in another direction. I mean, Wes and Gunn are at least trying to do something (whatever it is), but Cordy’s being rather obtuse and shortsighted (ditzy, even) about everything that happens.
Gru bores me and Cordy falling for him instantly based on his being pretty is very simple.
Angel’s drama about seeing his monster self is also kind of dull time filler, honestly. At least Fred is around to offset that boredom.
Lorne’s head on a platter was quite a surprise at the time. I remember being bummed as Lorne had become a favorite already.
An old fashioned vampire slaying to get things started–and with a vampire doing his best Puddy voice. How’d Buffy even know any of that was going on? And Giles is still in the credits for one more episode. Simpler times.
Giles is wonderfully blunt in this opening emotional exposition sequence, which certainly retcons a couple of things on the spot (Dawn was made from Buffy & Olaf being a troll god, for instance).
I always enjoy an extended group scene where everyone gets in a good line or two while covering expositional mileage. And Xander’s not wrong that they could just kill Ben and not have to worry about what Glory might survive.
Most of the first half of this episode is still and set in the Magic Box, but it all feels like it’s on the move and building to something.
Giles and Buffy scenes are some of my favorites, so this one where the two of them discuss what happens if the ritual starts (and how many apocalypses they’ve seen) is way up there. Buffy’s so down and out already, she really needed a little while to be dead and at peace.
Xander and Anya’s scene of humor and hope for a happy future (which they don’t get) was nicer at the time, before it had the added bummer note of how things don’t work out.
Buffy re-inviting Spike in and the moment they share is well done and another brick in that road to the pairing that seems so impossible when you see where it started.
The music by Christophe Beck is certainly going a long way to elevating the already very solid material.
Buffy threatening to kill anyone who comes near Dawn is a nice added wrinkle. Sure, nothing really becomes of it, but it’s more about the moment and what it could mean.
“She’s with me” is a great kickstart to the final battle and certainly seems to take a bit out of Glory. Good for Willow.
Buffybot does pretty well, all things considered. Willow couldn’t float Dawn down from the top of the tower? Or float Buffy up? I’m sure putting Tara’s mind right was a hefty task, but Dawn seems like the priority.
Xander has tremendous aim and timing with that wrecking ball.
Doc showing up to be the one who gets the apocalypse going always felt so out of nowhere. He also proves to be more than Spike can handle, strangely enough.
This scene of Giles patiently and gently killing Ben is one his best of the series, per me.
What in the world happened with City Hall being turned into a demon apartment complex, or whatever that was? Seems like a pretty big deal, even for Sunnydale. And whatever became of that portal dragon?
The music kicking in as dawn begins and Buffy realizes she can close the portal with her death still works wonders (Buffy’s speech doesn’t hurt). Also, Spike being a bundle of tears on the ground is as effective as Willow crying, if not more than.
At least the Lorne being alive reveal comes right away, which offsets the sadness of the BtVS episode that just ended.
Wes and Gunn are saved at the last second by a random party of troops looking to kill them, which is really a ridiculous contrivance. And swinging those huge, heavy blocks or wood/stone around on their necks seems too easy. It should have broken their necks, or something.
I like Fred much better once she’s out of Pylea and has things to do aside from fret over Angel, who is often wounded with her in this cave.
Angel was going to leave this guy tied up in the cave with Fred? Just kill him, he’s not going to come around to your POV with a good speech.
“Why do people keep putting me in charge of things?” I’m sure essays could be (or have been) written on this very topic (Wesley being given authority), so I will just say this band of random rebels doesn’t appear to have much thought process in the selection of their leaders.
Wesley knows some of them will get killed, though, in his hard decision making process which has apparently solidified greatly in a matter of hours. He also gives Angel a little pep talk that he evidently doesn’t believe himself too much.
The honor of the kingdom is at stake if one fighter guy doesn’t beat anyone who randomly challenges him to mortal combat? Everyone sounds like a genius in Pylea.
How are Wes and Gunn so good at medieval warfare all the sudden?
That’s very noble of Angel to say “We’re not gonna do this. We’re gonna find another way” when he’s the one who called Gru out to fight to the death in the first place. And Cordy loves Gru? She’s known him for a few hours.
Also, how do they get Angel’s car out of Lorne’s bar? That’s got to be magic of some kind.
The sudden, silent appearance of a grief-stricken Willow says a lot in a matter of seconds. I wonder how long she was waiting at the hotel.
There was so much news before the finale about how BtVS was moving from the WB to UPN. It reached the point where if you were a regular viewer there was no way the impending network change was unknown to you. Even with all articles from Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, The Washington Post, TV Guide, and every other entertainment news outlet still in business rambling about it was a done deal the show would be back next season there was a big part of me that couldn’t help but wonder if I’d just witnessed the end of things.
I know there are some who say the show should have ended with Buffy’s death at the end of S5, but I think Buffy’s story needed to end differently. She barely got to have a life or make her mark on the world yet. While S6 & S7 have their ups and downs (newsflash: so does every year), ultimately there’s way too much good stuff that’s lost if everything ends with Buffy’s tombstone. I’m getting ahead of myself, though, so back to this season.
I’d say that S5 proved to be a return to form after S4 wasn’t exactly universally beloved, except S5 forges ahead. What was great about this year had nothing to do with high school or college–it was seeing the different ways the Scooby Gang ventured into adulthood. Buffy, Willow, and Tara are still in college the majority of the season, sure, but it’s very much so on the back-burner as real life continues to intrude.
There’s obviously a lot of family stuff going on for Buffy, between suddenly having a teenage sister who’s actually a mystical ball of energy and Joyce’s health issues/death. Aside from all that, Buffy’s also actively pursuing slayer training and decides to take some time to herself post-Riley. The fact that Buffy is without a love interest once Riley leaves is something I very much appreciate. It’s quite alright for a 20 year old to not be in a committed relationship or actively seeking a forever mate.
As for non-Buffy people, Xander, Giles, and Anya are busy with employment and moving on up in the world–surely everyone’s favorite part of growing up. While Willow and Tara are both still in college, free of many life realities, they both certainly mature in various ways. Tara deals with her awful family and goes through some mental health issues late in the season, which has to put life in perspective to some degree. Willow advances magically and finds her confidence more, but, honestly, the more I think about the season the more I think Willow matures the least. It’s not a contest, or anything, I just never really thought about it much until now and that’s where I landed.
I think S5 feels like the most cohesive season from start to finish. Between Dawn and Glory, in particular, there’s a through line from start to finish that comes across as very well planned. S2 of Angel, on the other hand, is a bit of a different beast. The first half of the season is easily Angel‘s best run so far and, when all is said and done, one of the best Angel stretches of the show’s run. Darla just brings out the best & worst of Angel, plus we get the most Drusilla since S2 of BtVS, which is never a bad thing. Cordy, Wes, and Gunn all continue to grow in the ways I commented on during each episode, too, so the wealth is spread around.
Angel S2’s second half is less successful for me, but I still enjoy it. I think the way they introduce characters and then drop them suddenly prevents it from feeling very whole (Dru leaves off-screen after #11, Anne shows up in #12 & #14 before disappearing, Kate vanishes after #16, Darla’s wrapup in #16 is ho-hum, and more!). The whole Pylea tangent, as I said during the episodes themselves, comes across as especially underbaked. Again, I don’t find it awful, or anything, just not up to par with what came before.
Before wrapping up I just want to say that I know what you’re wondering–what about Fray?
Yes, Fray first hit the shelves between S5 & S6, but it didn’t end until after BtVS‘ series finale (thanks to the year+ wait with only a couple issues to go). In an effort to keep things as simple as possible, I’ll get to all the canon comics once the shows are over. Sorry for the comic tease, but it’ll be here before you know it.
So, now we say goodbye to BtVS‘ years on the WB and the heyday of the BtVS/Angel one-two-punch. Next time we dive into post-post-mortem life, but here’s some trivia until then.
What was the license plate number of the school bus that the last survivors of Sunnydale used to flee before the entire town was swallowed by the Hellmouth?
What was the name of the museum security guard who was frozen during a heist?
*Last week’s answers: 1) Dr. Ferris Carlyle, 2) The Evil Eye
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: A Retrospecticus – Season 5, Plus Angel Season 2
RATING:
TV 14+
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Michael Imperioli took to social media to share a statement following the Supreme Court decision to side with a Colorado web designer who does not want to create wedding sites for same-sex couples due to religious reasons.
“I’ve decided to forbid bigots and homophobes from watching The Sopranos, The White Lotus, Goodfellas or any movie or tv show I’ve been in,” the actor wrote in an Instagram caption of a photo of a news story announcing the court’s decision.
He continued, “Thank you Supreme Court for allowing me to discriminate and exclude those who I don’t agree with and am opposed to. USA ! USA!” Imperioli also commented on his post, writing, “hate and ignorance is not a legitimate point of view,” and “America is becoming dumber by the minute.”
The court ruled 6-3 in favor of designer Lorie Smith, explaining that she can refuse to design websites for same-sex weddings despite the Colorado law that does not permit discrimination based on sexual orientation, race and gender, among other things. The justices argued that forcing her to create the websites would violate her First Amendment right to free speech.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor led the court’s dissent. She was joined by Justice Elena Kagan and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Sotomayor wrote, “Today, the Court, for the first time in its history, grants a business open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class.”
“The LGBT rights movement has made historic strides, and I am proud of the role this Court has recently played in that history,” she wrote elsewhere in the dissent. “Today, however, we are taking steps backward. … Today is a sad day in American constitutional law and in the lives of LGBT people.”
If you’re searching for a new suspenseful series now that Silo Season 1 is over, Apple TV+ has you covered. Hijack, a real-time thriller starring one of the smoothest guys in Hollywood, dropped two of seven episodes on June 28. And believe me when I say the series will take you on an unpredictably wild ride. When a seven-hour flight from Dubai to London gets hijacked, passenger and expert business negotiator Sam Nelson (Idris Elba) makes it his mission to diffuse the situation. As officials race to stop an international tragedy before the clock runs out, Sam and his fellow passengers join forces to take down the team of hijackers before they take down the plane. As noted in Decider’s fullreview, powerful performances and constant twists make Hijack a gripping series that will keep viewers thoroughly entertained while taking their fear of flying and love for Idris Elba to impressive new heights.
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (Disney), with a reported production budget close to $300 million, opened to $130 million worldwide. That includes the studio’s generous estimate of $60 million for the U.S./Canada (that includes a 10 percent Sunday drop, but other distributors calculate a drop of 20-25 percent for their own films).
This weekend marks the midway point of the summer movie season, which began with expectations that it might achieve a 20 percent uptick against 2022. As of now, the season’s total gross sits slightly below last year.
Add in marketing, including its Cannes Film Festival premiere, and the total investment for “Indiana” might total $450 million with no path to profit. It might lose as much as “The Flash” (Warner Bros. Discovery), which cost closer to $200 million and will see a worldwide gross around $250 million.
Unless there’s a massive turnaround for “Indiana” (unlikely, given its initial trajectory and with “Mission: Impossible” opening July 12), it will get to between $300 million-$350 million worldwide. With somewhat more than half returned to Disney in film rental, that’s under $200 million versus its huge cost.
Other summer releases have fallen short, but the total collapse of “Indiana” comes as something of a shock. The fifth film in the classic series that began in 1981 with “Raiders of the Lost Ark” has extraordinary precedents: The first four installments were all excellent performers, ranking as the first to third best of their respective years.
True, the 2008 “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” wasn’t a favorite among critics or fans — but even so, it grossed $786 million worldwide (over $1 billion in current dollars). Star Harrison Ford is now 80 (when he shot the first “Indiana,” he was 38), but his energy and star power remains as a TV star with Paramount+ title “1923” and Apple TV’s “Shrinking.” Another shot at the “Raiders” franchise might have been one more reason that Disney acquired Lucasfilm for $4 billion in 2012.
The durability of the “Indiana Jones” franchise is unusual, but it’s not unique; witness another Steven Spielberg property with the “Jurassic Park” films. However, there are a few key differences. “Jurrasic Park” produced six films in 30 years while “Indiana Jones” saw five films in 40 years. (Then again, “Top Gun: Maverick” waited 40 years for its first sequel, to no ill effect.) “Jurassic Park” also adjusted its casting, swapping Sam Neill for Chris Pratt. Of course, Ford is Indiana Jones and his age proved to be a publicity centerpiece.
“Indiana Jones” also faced the Cannes misstep: Not only did the film falter with critics, but it also began the global PR response more than a month before its release. Here as well, it failed to follow in the footsteps of “Top Gun: Maverick.”
“Indiana” overperformed with the older crowd, but not in sufficient numbers. A mediocre B+ Cinemascore (“Maverick” was A+, “The Flash” B) suggests weak word of mouth.
It is noteworthy that Disney has four films in the Top 10 this week — five if you include #11, “The Boogeyman.” The studio deserves credit for making a huge commitment to theatrical. Combined, these five titles (which also include “Elemental,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”) likely come to significantly over $1.5 billion in production and marketing costs.
Disney had the confidence to do that because when these decisions were made, brands were the mantra. Now, it either needs to find new brands or figure out how to create original titles.
For now, theaters rise and fall on Disney more than with any other studio. Its lineup was one reason for the bullish summer predictions, and its performance — “Guardians” below the standard for early-summer Marvel, “Mermaid” good domestically though faltering overseas, “Elemental” another big loss — contributed significantly to the season’s shortfall. (Still to come this month is “The Haunted Mansion” July 28. Compared to “Indiana” it’s a bargain with a $158 million reported production budget.)
“Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken”
Universal’s DreamWorks Animation title “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken” also opened this weekend, barely causing a ripple with a $5.2 million take against a reported cost of $70 million.
It’s hard to imagine this summer’s results not having repercussions at Disney and other studios. WBD must contend with “The Flash” and Universal saw a real disappointment in “Fast X” — another very expensive franchise that might lose money. All of this happened before the ongoing WGA strike and the potential SAG strike, which could slow the pipeline even more.
Through Sunday’s estimates, the summer take has been around $1.83 billion. Last year through July 3, it was $1.846 billion. This weekend should be one of the summer’s best of the summer, but it’s down 34 percent from last year’s $190 million. Year to date, the box office is still 18 percent ahead of 2022.
There is hope for improvement with three major titles (beside “Mission,” “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” the week after). Self-proclaimed theatrical saviors Christopher Nolan and Tom Cruise are still needed (with hopes that Greta Gerwig can join them).
More of a problem is, for all of its disappointment, “Indiana” represented nearly half of the weekend’s gross. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” held well at $11.5 million for #2, but it and “Elemental” ($11.3 million) were the only other films to gross more than $10 million. “Spider-Verse” should end up with a $400 million domestic, possibly the summer’s best.
Like “Spider-Verse,” “Elemental” dropped gently at 39 percent. The Pixar film is at $89 million, and will likely endup ahead of “The Flash.” It’s #8 this weekend, down 67 percent and has not yet grossed $100 million.
At #5 is “No Hard Feelings” (Sony), which dropped 50 percent its second week. It’s another disappointment. Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City” dropped to #9, a 58 percent drop, but it grossed a healthy $18.1 million. With foreign, it’s close to $30 million.
The per-theater average for “Asteroid,” now in 1,901 theaters, was $1,999. That compares to $1,708 for “Past Lives” (A24), which tripled its theater count to 906. The latter film still has a shot at $10 million, a decent result for a lower-budget indie film from a first-time director and no stars.
“Every Body” Courtesy of FOCUS FEATURES
New York’s Film Forum had a weekend that would have been great pre-Covid. Two terrific showings came from the reissue of Jean-Luc Godard’s “Contempt” (Rialto) with $15,000 and Cinema Guild’s documentary “Umberto Eco: Library of the World” with $9,152. “Every Body” (Focus), a documentary about intersexuality, managed only $145,000 in 255 theaters.
2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony) Week 5; Last weekend #1
$11,500,000 (-39%) in 3,405 (-380) theaters; PTA: $3,377; Cumulative: $339,872,000
3. Elemental (Disney) Week 3; Last weekend #2
$11,300,000 (-39%) in 3,650 (-385) theaters; PTA: $3,096; Cumulative: $88,779,000
4. No Hard Feelings (Sony) Week 2; Last weekend #4
$7,500,000 (-50%) in 3,208 (no change) theaters; PTA: $2,338; Cumulative: $29,311,000
5. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (Paramount) Week 4; Last weekend #5
$7,000,000 (-40%) in 2,852 (-671) theaters; PTA: $2,454; Cumulative: $136,110,000
6. Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (Universal) NEW – Cinemascore: A; Metacritic: 49; Est. budget: $70 million
$5,200,000 in 3,400 theaters; PTA: $1,529; Cumulative: $5,200,000
7. The Little Mermaid (Disney) Week 6; Last weekend #7
$5,150,000 (-40%) in 2,430 (-845) theaters; PTA: $2,119; Cumulative: $280,958,000
8. The Flash (WBD) Week 3; Last weekend #3
$5,000,000 (-67%) in 2,718 (-1,538) theaters; PTA: $1,840; Cumulative: $99,251,000
9. Asteroid City (Focus) Week 3; Last weekend #6
$3,800,000 (-58%) in 1,901 (+226) theaters; PTA: $1,999; Cumulative: $18,145,000
10. Guardians of the Galaxy (Disney) Week 9; Last weekend #
$1,800,000 (-%) in 1,165 (-845) theaters; PTA: $1,545; Cumulative: $354,876,000
Other specialized titles
Films (limited, expansions of limited, as well as awards-oriented releases) are listed by week in release, starting with those opened this week; after the first two weeks, only films with grosses over $5,000 are listed.
Every Body (Focus) NEW – Metacritic: 80; Festivals include: Tribeca 2023
$145,000 in theaters; PTA: $569
Umberto Eco: A Library of the World (Cinema Guild) NEW – Festivals include: Rome 2022
$9,152 in 1 theater; PTA: $9,152
Contempt (Rialto) REISSUE
$15,000 in 1 theater; PTA: $15,000
The Last Rider (Roadside) Week 2 105
$11,275 in 31 (-74) theaters; PTA: $364; Cumulative: $114,647
Revoir Paris (Music Box) Week 2
$6,364 in 3 (+1) theaters; PTA: $2,121; Cumulative: $20,444
Past Lives (A24) Week 5
$1,548,000 in 906 (+610) theaters; PTA: $1,708; Cumulative: $5,859,000
You Hurt My Feelings (A24) Week 6; also on PVOD 151
$45,280 in 68 (-83) theaters; Cumulative: $4,715,000
It Ain’t Over (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 7; also on PVOD
$12,277 in 30 (-34) theaters; Cumulative: $664,749
Eligible Canadians are officially set to receive a one-time grocery rebate this Wednesday, July 5.
The long-awaited payment comes months after the government first announced the benefit as part of the 2023 federal budget. The federal government said that the grocery rebate will be delivered to eligible Canadians by direct deposit or cheque through the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
The rebate’s unveiling in May also coincides with when Bill C-46, the Cost of Living Act, which allows the rebate, received Royal Assent. The legislation also includes a $2 billion Canada Health Transfer (CHT) top-up to reduce backlogs and wait times, the May statement said.
The rebate was introduced as a way to compensate Canadians for higher grocery prices due to inflation, though it can be spent on anything.
$2.5 billion in spending for a so-called ‘grocery rebate’ in 2023 federal budget
The rebate will be up to $467 for eligible couples with two children, $234 for single Canadians without children, and $225 for seniors, on average.
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There is no need to apply for the rebate. Individuals and families who were entitled to receive the GST/HST credit for January 2023 and filed a tax return for 2021, even if they have no income to report for that year, can expect to receive the payment.
The rebate is scheduled to be issued alongside the next quarterly GST/HST credit payment will be equivalent to double the GST/HST credit amount Canadians received for January 2023.
The amount received will be calculated based on “your family situation in January 2023 and your 2021 adjusted family net income,” the CRA said in a news release Tuesday.
However, the agency flagged that it is possible Canadians may be entitled to the Grocery Rebate, but not the July GST/HST credit or vice versa.
“The Grocery Rebate is calculated based on your 2021 tax return, but the next quarterly GST/HST credit payment in July 2023 is calculated based on your 2022 tax return,” the agency said.
Canadians with celiac feel shortchanged by grocery rebate
The rebate will be issued automatically to about 11 million Canadians whose household income is $38,000 or less, and individuals who make $32,000 or less.
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According to the agency, if you are single, you could receive a maximum payment of up to:
$234 (no children)
$387 (with 1 child)
$467 (with 2 children)
$548 (with 3 children)
$628 (with 4 children)
If you are married or have a common-law partner, you could receive up to:
$306 (no children)
$387 (with 1 child)
$467 (with 2 children)
$548 (with 3 children)
$628 (with 4 children)
The CRA also notes that if you received your GST/HST credit payment as a lump sum in July 2022, you will still receive a grocery rebate.
“Thank you so much for all of the wonderful Birthday Wishes! ???☺️??” she wrote in a new Instagram post. Summing up her positive outlook, she let followers know she is “feeling blessed! ✨✨✨”
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The post was decorated with a new, playful selfie that earned compliments from Mariska Hargitay (“Happiest birthday beauty”) and Tyra Banks (“One of my favorite photos of you. Ever!… stunning.”)
Others to wish her well included her siblings, her “Falling for Christmas” co-star Chord Overstreet, “Mean Girls” alum Daniel Franzese, Teresa Giudice and Kyle Richards.
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Lohan is expecting her first child with husband Bader Shammas, an event to which she alluded in her next Instagram post — an image of a white onesie with the words “coming soon…” on it.
Tesla sales rose 10 percent in the second quarter as the company led by Elon Musk benefited from government incentives and price cuts that made its electric cars less expensive than comparable gasoline models.
Tesla delivered 466,000 vehicles from April through June, up from 423,000 vehicles in the previous quarter, the company said on Sunday. Compared with a year earlier, sales in the second quarter rose 83 percent as the company expanded production at new factories in Austin, Texas, and near Berlin.
The sales figures exceeded estimates by Wall Street analysts and showed that Tesla was able to overcome the effect of higher interest rates, which raise monthly payments for people who buy cars on credit.
Rules that took effect this year allowed buyers of Tesla vehicles to qualify for $7,500 in federal tax credits. With the credit, the least expensive Model 3 sedan sells for less than $33,000, cheaper than similar luxury sedans sold by Mercedes-Benz and BMW that run on gasoline and in line with mass market cars like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.
Owners of electric cars also benefit from fuel savings and lower maintenance costs. Electric vehicles don’t require oil changes, and electricity is generally cheaper per mile than gasoline.
Tesla is the dominant maker of electric cars in the United States, with a market share of 62 percent in the first quarter, according to Kelley Blue Book. But its share has slipped from more than 70 percent at the beginning of 2022 as established automakers like General Motors, Ford Motor and Volkswagen have begun offering more electric models.
In China, a bigger car market than the United States or Europe, Tesla faces intense competition from local manufacturers that have newer model lineups, like BYD. On average, electric vehicles by Chinese manufacturers have been in showrooms a bit more than a year, according to AlixPartners, a consulting firm. Tesla’s most popular car, the Model Y sport utility vehicle, went on sale in 2020.
Chinese manufacturers also offer interior and exterior styling and entertainment and information systems that better cater to local tastes, AlixPartners noted, citing consumer surveys.
While Tesla sales have continued to climb, the company’s profitability has suffered because it has had to cut prices to prop up demand. Tesla made $2.5 billion in the first quarter, down from $3.7 billion in the last three months of 2022.
Many investors are betting that Tesla’s growth will accelerate as demand for electric vehicles grows, and the company begins selling the Cybertruck, an electric pickup truck, later this year. Tesla’s agreement to let other carmakers, including Ford and G.M., use its charging network could also become a new source of revenue.
Tesla’s share price has more than doubled this year although it remains well below its peak in 2021, when the company was worth more than $1 trillion.
The carmaker said on Sunday that it would publish its financial results for this year’s second quarter on July 19.
