The Best New TV Shows and Movies to Stream This Week on Netflix, Disney+, Paramount+ and More
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Great news! “I Give It a Year” is available to watch on Netflix UK!
Date Added: 19th June 2023
Known expiry dates are shown above as well as on the Last Chance page.
Want to keep forever? Try looking for ‘I Give It a Year’ on Amazon (paid link)
History:
15/08/2021: Added to Netflix
15/08/2022: Removed from Netflix
19/06/2023: Streaming Again
Description:
In this romantic comedy, newlyweds Nat and Josh find their marriage beginning to fall apart almost immediately after their fairy tale wedding.
Certificate: Suitable for ages 15 and up
Year: 2013
Duration: 1hr 37m
Audio: English [Original]
Subtitles: English
Director: Dan Mazer
Cast: Rose Byrne, Rafe Spall, Anna Faris, Simon Baker, Minnie Driver, Jason Flemyng, Stephen Merchant, Jane Asher, Olivia Colman
“I Give It a Year” was produced by Canal+, Paradis Films, StudioCanal, Working Title Films, Anton Capital Entertainment (ACE), LOVEFiLM International, Starcrossed Films, Ciné+, TF1 Films Production, Kinowelt Filmproduktion and Magnolia Pictures. With it’s initial release on February 8th 2013 it made approximately $29.13m at the Box Office.
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This title is available on Netflix UK
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Morgan Fairchild and Cassandra Peterson a.k.a. Elvira round out the top three
In our previous article, we spotlighted male actors over 70 who continue to captivate young audiences. This time around, we’re shifting focus to their female counterparts who are 70 years and above.
Several actresses who have crossed the septuagenarian threshold have garnered exceptional demand within the first five months of 2023, a feat achieved by less than 0.04% of talent in the American market. Topping this list is the most popular TV Wonder Woman and Miss World USA 1972, Lynda Carter. The surge in popularity of the “Wonder Woman” franchise’s recent renditions has also played a crucial role in renewing interest in her.
Teresa Taylor (aka Teresa Nervosa) has died of lung disease, her former bandmates in Butthole Surfers announced. The drummer and actor known for her role in Richard Linklater’s 1990 Slacker was reportedly placed in hospice last year. Taylor was 60 years old.
Taylor was born in Arlington, Texas, in 1962. In high school, she took up the drums after playing in various marching bands in Austin and Fort Worth alongside fellow Butthole Surfers drummer King Coffey. Taylor joined the band in 1983 after letting the band members practice in a warehouse space she was renting at the time. Taylor played with the band through much of the 1980s, performing on Psychic… Powerless… Another Man’s Sac, Cream Corn from the Socket of Davis, Rembrandt Pussyhorse, Locust Abortion Technician, and Hairway to Steven, among others.
After a period of extensive touring, Taylor left Butthole Surfers in 1989 after experiencing light-induced seizures that led to her diagnoses with a brain aneurysm. In 1993, she underwent brain surgery and was able to perform again, joining Coffey’s band Rubble.
In between bands, Taylor made a brief appearance in Richard Linklater’s breakthrough film, Slacker, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 1991. Credited as Pap Smear Pusher, Taylor’s character attempts to sell a jar containing a pap smear she claims belongs to Madonna to two friends on the street. The character is featured on official posters and packaging for the film, which has since become associated with the culture of downtown Austin during the 1980s and 1990s.
“I don’t get recognized. Nobody recognizes my face,” Taylor told Salon in 2006. “But when I’m in public, and I’m going off on something, people will be, ‘Are you the chick from Slacker?’ But it’s always because I’m ranting and raving about something.”
Teresa Taylor (aka Teresa Nervosa) has died
Directed by Rod Blackhurst and written by David Ebeltoft (from a story by both of them), Blood For Dust follows down-on-his-luck salesman Cliff (Scoot McNairy). He wants to provide for his wife, Amy (Nora Zehetner), and family, but sales have been down, meaning little commission is coming in. This downturn couldn’t come at a worse time, as Cliff and Amy’s son has just been diagnosed with cancer. But, an old friend named Ricky (Kit Harrington) offers Cliff a chance to make some real money. The catch is their wares for sale aren’t strictly legal.
Cliff, exhausted from chasing the elusive “American Dream,” decides to get in on this action and finally have a nest egg. The salesman’s hairs immediately start tingling as their boss, John (Josh Lucas), is unscrupulous and mad, a dangerous combination. Soon, Cliff is driving his Oldsmobile on the same roads as always, using the same payphones to check in with home, but he now realizes how much danger lurks at every darkened intersection and seedy hotel. Will Cliff achieve his dreams, or will the underworld swallow him like so many others?
While moments of intense violence punctuate Blood For Dust, the film is more of a slow-burn character study than an explosive gun-running action story. In that regard, fans of bombastic Michael Bay movies will be bored. But for cinephiles, Blackhurst’s flick brings to mind the nail-biting Cohen brothers’ title Blood Simple. Cliff is an intriguing protagonist, and it is easy to see how his perceived failure as the breadwinner eats him up. But what makes this morality tale all the more interesting is that the protagonist is not an ideal-minded, noble person. He wants easy money and will do almost anything for it.
“…offers Cliff a chance to make some real money. The catch is their wares for sale aren’t strictly legal.”
The dynamic between Cliff and Ricky is compelling. Ricky makes no bones about being sleazy but knows he’s smooth enough to get away with it (think Ben Foster’s character in the stunning Hell Or High Water). Cliff wants to be a good person but often fails at that. Put these two into a tense situation and watch the metaphorical sparks fly. It certainly helps that McNairy and Harrington are excellent in their respective roles. The former brings a steadfast sensibility to Cliff, making his need to have money palpable. Harrington exudes sleaze and charm in equal measure. Zehetner doesn’t have much screen time, but she is good and reliable as ever. But it is Josh Lucas, overacting like a cocaine-fueled jackrabbit, who steals the show. He’s so fun, scary, insane, and compelling at the same time that an entire spin-off about John would be most welcome.
But it is the themes Blood For Dust is dealing with that truly make this stand out. Cliff’s previous employer saw a scam pulled, which left money missing, and a person committed suicide. Everyone at that company knew Cliff was somehow involved, though there was little to no evidence to pin on him. So, this white, straight guy gets away with it scot-free. Ebeltoft deftly deals with double standards such as this, showcased when Cliff visits the widow of his former colleague. She and her kids have fallen on hard times, and while the lead is sympathetic, his need for money may trump the distress he’s put this family through.
Blood For Dust is a paced story, doling out information only when necessary. The filmmakers are more interested in observing Cliff in whatever predicament he’s currently facing. But, the screenplay is tightly wound and absorbing, and character motivations make total sense throughout. Add the big themes of responsibility and the impressive cast to the mix, and one gets an engaging drama with moments of sheer brutality.
Directed by Rod Blackhurst and written by
The family of a West Island man who died after a physical altercation with police is calling on Quebec’s justice minister to reopen the case.
Koray Celik was 28 years old when he lost his life in 2017, right in front of his mother and father.
The parents insist that the justice system protected the officers, and they want those same officers to face criminal charges.
“Our son has already been killed viciously. We are looking for justice,” said Cesur Celik, Koray’s father.
Six years ago, Cesur Celik and his wife June Tyler watched in horror as Koray died in their Ile Bizard home at the hands of four Montreal police officers. The officers were exonerated by Quebec’s crown prosecutors office, and never faced charges.
The family’s lawyer Virginie Dufresne Lemire told a press conference the officers “beat him and handcuffed him until he lost consciousness and was no longer breathing, all under the eyes of his parents.”
Celik was under the influence of alcohol and prescribed medication, and was threatening to get behind the wheel when his parents called 911 in March 2017.
“He had calmed down and was sitting calmly on his bed by the time police arrived,” Cesur recalls. “He was dead when they escaped the crime scene.”
Following an investigation by Quebec’s independent investigations bureau (BEI), Quebec’s Crown prosecutors office (DPCP) said in a 2019 press release that the officers’ use of force was necessary and reasonable, and there would be no charges against them.
“I don’t want to live in a country where the state is biased against citizens,” said Cesur Celik.
Along with their lawyer and two civil rights groups, the family is pointing out contradictions. They spoke out alongside the Ligue des droits et libertés and the Coalition Against Police Repression and Abuse.
After a public inquiry, coroner Luc Malouin blamed the officers themselves for escalating the situation, and wrote in his final report that the police intervention played a “decisive role” in Celik’s death.
“The coroner’s conclusion are serious and contradict the reasons cited by the DPCP justifying the decision not to lay any charges against the police,” said Dufresne Lemire.
A 2020 police ethics committee decision ordered the agents to be cited for excessive force.
“All the elements, when you put them together, it makes sense to review once again the whole file,” said Alexandre Popovic of the Coalition Against Police Repression and Abuse.
They want the justice minister, Simon Jolin-Barrette, to mandate an independent investigator to re-examine the evidence.
They say something similar happened in the case of a Nicolas Thorne-Belance, a five-year-old boy killed when an unmarked police car crashed into his father’s sedan in 2014.
After a review, the officer was charged and convicted.
“If not us, who will get justice in this province?” Cesur Celik wonders. “The province of Quebec deserves justice. There are way too many killings by the police which go without any criminal penalties.“
The justice minister said he can’t comment on the specifics of the case, because the government is trying to overturn a court decision the family won against the BEI for omitting their version of events in a press release.
“I will not discuss about that case publicly because arguments will be made in front of the Court of Appeal,” Jolin-Barette told Global News.
The family is refusing to stop fighting for justice in Koray’s name.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
The family of a West Island man
UPDATED with U.S. Coast Guard Statement: Hours after the news broke that a submersible seeking to explore the wreck of the Titanic had gone missing the United States Coast Guard, which is leading the search, offered key specifics on the situation.
Per the Coast Guard, there were five crew members in the 21-foot submersible which, it turns out, went missing over 24 hours ago on Sunday morning.
“The 5 person crew submerged Sunday morning, and the crew of the Polar Prince lost contact with them approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes into the vessel’s dive,” reads the statement.
The Coast Guard revealed the search is taking place “900 miles off Cape Cod” with the assistance of P8 Poseidon aircraft, which has underwater detection capabilities.
PREVIOUSLY at 11 am: A submersible that takes tourists on pricey deep-sea explorations of the Titanic has reportedly gone missing in the area of the wreck, which lies 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland in 12,500 feet of water.
The missing craft is believed to be a “truck-sized sub that holds five people and usually dives with a four-day supply of oxygen,” according to the BBC. An extensive search is underway, led by the U.S. Coast Guard.
It is unclear when the vessel went missing or how many people were on board.
The company which operates the tours, OceanGate, describes itself as “a team of explorers, scientists, & filmmakers dedicated to exploring the deep.” It takes passengers on deep-sea submersible tours of the wreck for $250,000 each. Last week, the outfit posted photos what it said were its “Mission 3 and Mission 4” crew.
“Our entire focus is on the crew members in the submersible and their families,” reads a statement from OceanGate provided to the New York Times. “We are deeply thankful for the extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to reestablish contact with the submersible.”
Per the Times, which did a piece on OceanGate last summer, “The dives last about eight hours, including the estimated 2.5 hours each way it takes to descend and ascend. Scientists and historians provide context on the trip and some conduct research at the site…The team also documents the wreckage with high-definition cameras to monitor its decay and capture it in detail.”
David Pogue reposted video from a CBS Sunday Morning piece he did while on an OceanGate expedition last summer, which he says “got lost for a few hours” while he was on board and never found the wreck. You can watch it below.
The Titanic sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg, killing about 1,500 passengers and crew. The wreckage was found in 1985, and inspired diver James Cameron to make Titanic in 1997. The film went on to win 11 Oscars and gross well over $2 billion worldwide.
“I made Titanic because I wanted to dive to the shipwreck, not because I particularly wanted to make the movie,” Cameron told Playboy in 2009. “The Titanic was the Mount Everest of shipwrecks, and as a diver I wanted to do it right. When I learned some other guys had dived to the Titanic to make an IMAX movie, I said, ‘I’ll make a Hollywood movie to pay for an expedition and do the same thing.’ I loved that first taste, and I wanted more.”
UPDATED with U.S. Coast Guard Statement: Hours
On Capitol Hill and in the courts, Republican lawmakers and activists are mounting a sweeping legal campaign against universities, think tanks and private companies that study the spread of disinformation, accusing them of colluding with the government to suppress conservative speech online.
The effort has encumbered its targets with expansive requests for information and, in some cases, subpoenas — demanding notes, emails and other information related to social media companies and the government dating back to 2015. Complying has consumed time and resources and already affected the groups’ ability to do research and raise money, according to several people involved.
They and others warned that the campaign undermined the fight against disinformation in American society when the problem is, by most accounts, on the rise — and when another presidential election is around the corner. Many of those behind the Republican effort had also joined former President Donald J. Trump in falsely challenging the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
“I think it’s quite obviously a cynical — and I would say wildly partisan — attempt to chill research,” said Jameel Jaffer, the executive director of Columbia University’s Knight First Amendment Institute, an organization that works to safeguard freedom of speech and the press.
The House Judiciary Committee, which in January came under Republican majority control, has sent scores of letters and subpoenas to the researchers — only some of which have been made public. It has threatened legal action against those who have not responded quickly or fully enough.
A conservative advocacy group led by Stephen Miller, the former adviser to Mr. Trump, filed a class-action lawsuit last month in U.S. District Court in Louisiana that echoes many of the committee’s accusations and focuses on some of the same defendants.
Targets include Stanford, Clemson and New York Universities and the University of Washington; the Atlantic Council, the German Marshall Fund and the National Conference on Citizenship, all nonpartisan, nongovernmental organizations in Washington; the Wikimedia Foundation in San Francisco; and Graphika, a company that researches disinformation online.
In a related line of inquiry, the committee has also issued a subpoena to the World Federation of Advertisers, a trade association, and the Global Alliance for Responsible Media it created. The committee’s Republican leaders have accused the groups of violating antitrust laws by conspiring to cut off advertising revenue for content researchers and tech companies found to be harmful.
The committee’s chairman, Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, a close ally of Mr. Trump, has accused the organizations of “censorship of disfavored speech” involving issues that have galvanized the Republican Party: the policies around the Covid-19 pandemic and the integrity of the American political system, including the outcome of the 2020 election.
Much of the disinformation surrounding both issues has come from the right. Many Republicans are convinced that researchers who study disinformation have pressed social media platforms to discriminate against conservative voices.
Those complaints have been fueled by Twitter’s decision under its new owner, Elon Musk, to release selected internal communications between government officials and Twitter employees. The communications show government officials urging Twitter to take action against accounts spreading disinformation but stopping short of ordering them to do, as some critics claimed.
Patrick L. Warren, an associate professor at Clemson University, said researchers at the school have provided documents to the committee, and given some staff members a short presentation. “I think most of this has been spurred by our appearance in the Twitter files, which left people with a pretty distorted sense of our mission and work,” he said.
Last year, the Republican attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana sued the Biden administration in U.S. District Court in Louisiana, arguing that government officials effectively cajoled or coerced Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms by threatening legislative changes. The judge, Terry A. Doughty, rejected a defense motion to dismiss the lawsuit in March.
The current campaign’s focus is not government officials but rather private individuals working for universities or nongovernmental organizations. They have their own First Amendment guarantees of free speech, including their interactions with the social media companies.
The group behind the class action, America First Legal, named as defendants two researchers at the Stanford Internet Observatory, Alex Stamos and Renée DiResta; a professor at the University of Washington, Kate Starbird; an executive of Graphika, Camille François; and the senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, Graham Brookie.
If the lawsuit proceeds, they could face trial and, potentially, civil damages if the accusations are upheld.
Mr. Miller, the president of America First Legal, did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement last month, he said the lawsuit was “striking at the heart of the censorship-industrial complex.”
The researchers, who have been asked by the House committee to submit emails and other records, are also defendants in the lawsuit brought by the attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana. The plaintiffs include Jill Hines, a director of Health Freedom Louisiana, an organization that has been accused of disinformation, and Jim Hoft, the founder of the Gateway Pundit, a right-wing news site. The court in the Western District of Louisiana has, under Judge Doughty, become a favored venue for legal challenges against the Biden administration.
The attacks use “the same argument that starts with some false premises,” said Jeff Hancock, the founding director of the Stanford Social Media Lab, which is not a party to any of the legal action. “We see it in the media, in the congressional committees and in lawsuits, and it is the same core argument, with a false premise about the government giving some type of direction to the research we do.”
The House Judiciary Committee has focused much of its questioning on two collaborative projects. One was the Election Integrity Partnership, which Stanford and the University of Washington formed before the 2020 election to identify attempts “to suppress voting, reduce participation, confuse voters or delegitimize election results without evidence.” The other, also organized by Stanford, was called the Virality Project and focused on the spread of disinformation about Covid-19 vaccines.
Both subjects have become political lightning rods, exposing the researchers to partisan attacks online that have become ominously personal at times.
In the case of the Stanford Internet Observatory, the requests for information — including all emails — have even extended to students who volunteered to work as interns for the Election Integrity Partnership.
A central premise of the committee’s investigation — and the other complaints about censorship — is that the researchers or government officials had the power or ability to shut down accounts on social media. They did not, according to former employees at Twitter and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, who said the decision to punish users who violated platform rules belonged solely to the companies.
No evidence has emerged that government officials coerced the companies to take action against accounts, even when the groups flagged problematic content.
“We have not only academic freedom as researchers to conduct this research but freedom of speech to tell Twitter or any other company to look at tweets we might think violate rules,” Mr. Hancock said.
The universities and research organizations have sought to comply with the committee’s requests, though the collection of years of emails has been a time-consuming task complicated by issues of privacy. They face mounting legal costs and questions from directors and donors about the risks raised by studying disinformation. Online attacks have also taken a toll on morale and, in some cases, scared away students.
In May, Mr. Jordan, the committee’s chairman, threatened Stanford with unspecified legal action for not complying with a previously issued subpoena, even though the university’s lawyers have been negotiating with the committee’s lawyers over how to shield students’ privacy. (Several of the students who volunteered are identified in the America First Legal lawsuit.)
The committee declined to discuss details of the investigation, including how many requests or subpoenas it has filed in total. Nor has it disclosed how it expects the inquiry to unfold — whether it would prepare a final report or make criminal referrals and, if so, when. In its statements, though, it appears to have already reached a broad conclusion.
“The Twitter files and information from private litigation show how the federal government worked with social media companies and other entities to silence disfavored speech online,” a spokesman, Russell Dye, said in a statement. “The committee is working hard to get to the bottom of this censorship to protect First Amendment rights for all Americans.”
The partisan controversy is having an effect on not only the researchers but also the social media giants.
Twitter, under Mr. Musk, has made a point of lifting restrictions and restoring accounts that had been suspended, including the Gateway Pundit’s. YouTube recently announced that it would no longer ban videos that advanced “false claims that widespread fraud, errors or glitches occurred in the 2020 and other past U.S. presidential elections.”
On Capitol Hill and in the courts,
Juneteenth, which falls on June 19, commemorates the fall of slavery in the United States.
It celebrates the anniversary of the order made by Major General Gordon Granger on June 1965 that proclaimed freedom for slaves in Texas. The order was actually made two years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
In a tweet Monday, former President Obama explained it as the “delayed but welcome news of freedom reaching the enslaved Black folks in Galveston, Texas.” In 2021, President Biden made Juneteenth a federal holiday.
Many networks are marking the occasion with Juneteenth TV specials or movie marathons showcasing Black talent and/or excellence. See our viewing guide below:
ABC is commemorating Juneteenth and Black Music Month with “Hip Hop at 50,” a “Soul of a Nation” presentation airing at 10 p.m. ET. It’ll stream Tuesday on Hulu. It’ll be hosted by Angie Martinez and feature Master P, MC Lyte, Fat Joe, The Lox, Coi Leray, Joey Bada$$, Charlamagne tha God and Lola Brooke.
“CBS News With Norah O’Donnell” will feature reporting on Juneteenth.
While the primetime lineup will be the usual (“NCIS,” “NCIS Hawai’i” and “NCIS: Los Angeles), the CBS News Streaming Network will stream a marathon of “America in Black,” exploring the Black experience in America, beginning at 6 p.m. ET.
And on Thursday, CBS Reports will premiere “40 Acres and a Mule” at 8 p.m. ET on the streaming service. Today, the phrase “40 acres and a mule” represents the broken promises the U.S. government made with Black American farmers that have contributed to a vast racial wealth gap.
CNN will host the musical celebration “Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom,” hosted by CNN journalists Sara Sidner and Van Jones and feature Stephanie Elam. The concert will air at 8 pm ET/PT with Vice President Kamala Harris making remarks.
The musical lineup of performing artists includes Charlie Wilson, Miguel, Kirk Franklin, Nelly, SWV, Davido, Coi Leray, Jodeci and Mike Phillips. Chloe Bailey will make a special tribute to Tina Turner, who passed away late last month.
Fox will not be airing special Juneteenth programming, but “Accused” star Malcolm Jamal-Warner did post a special message about the significance of the holiday.
Fuse will celebrate Juneteenth with programming including episodes of “Big Freedia Means Business,” a full-season marathon of “My Wife and Kids,” “Like A Girl”, “Made From Scratch,” and “T-Pain’s School of Business.”
FAST channel Shades of Black will host the world premiere of the Juneteenth Honors starting at 8pm ET. This live awards and music show, presented by The Juneteenth Foundation, will highlight the history and achievements of African Americans and raise money for HBCU scholarships. The event will be hosted by entertainer and entrepreneur MC Lyte and will feature performances by JaRule, Ashanti, Toosii, Lalah Hathaway, iAmCompton, and the Howard Gospel Choir with appearances by T.I., Tamika Mallory, Chuck D., Herbie Hancock, Rohan Marley, Chuck Creekmur (CEO and Founder of AllHipHop), and Dr. Kevin James (President Morris Brown College).
Disney+ has two special collections for Juneteenth, including Celebrate Black Stories and Black History Collection.
Paramount+ also has a special collection for Juneteenth, called Black Voices. A special subcollection focuses on Black musical artists and performers for Black Music Month.
Last week, PBS debuted “Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts,” the award-winning documentary feature that explores the complex history of Black soldiers in the United States military.
The one-hour documentary will air Monday, June 19 at 8 pm ET on WORLD Channel’s “Local USA” series. The film will be available to stream on the PBS app, WORLDChannel.org and on the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel. Or you can watch it in its entirety above.
On Sunday, Showtime debuted “Loudmouth,” described as the definite documentary on civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton. It’s now available on Showtime’s streaming service.
TBS will be airing a movie marathon on Juneteenth:
Film producer and actress Joie Lee joins TCM host Jacqueline Stewart for a night of films in honor of Juneteenth. They start the night with Spike Lee’s 1989 classic “Do The Right Thing” beginning at 8pm ET, followed by “Alma’s Rainbow.”
TNT will be airing a movie marathon on Juneteenth:
Juneteenth, which falls on June 19, commemorates
Dust off your pastels and find something to bedazzle because we’re all about to spend the summer back in our collective Lover Era, as Taylor Swift has a new old single. The song her label picked as her next single is four years old but as popular as ever.
“Cruel Summer” (from 2019’s Lover) is taking a surprise trip to radio this summer and the whole journey is surprising organic (you know, for a label-promoted single at least).
The short version is that the song is being streamed so much right now that Swift’s label, Republic, was like, “Oh, we should monetize that give the fans what they want.” Swift, however, has deeper feelings about the news because, like many people, “Cruel Summer” is her personal favorite track from Lover. The long version is this 1:41 speech Swift gave about “Cruel Summer” becoming her next single this weekend in Pittsburgh.
“The weirdest, most magical thing is happening. It’s never happened to me in the whole time I’ve ever been doing this,” she explained of the development during her Eras Tour concert Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium. “‘Cruel Summer’ is a song, I just played it a second ago. I don’t know if you remember. We had a blast, yeah? The one with the bridge where we all screamed. ‘Cruel Summer’ was on the Lover album. That album came out four years ago. And I just need to let you know something: ‘Cruel Summer,’ that song was my pride and joy on that album.”
Fair, because just listen to it:
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Wondering why it took four years for “Cruel Summer” to be released as a single, since it’s Swift’s favorite? She explained:
“You have conversations before the album comes out. Everybody around weighs in on what they think should be singles. I was finally, finally about to have my favorite song become the single—off of Lover,” she explained. Unfortunately, “Cruel Summer” was supposed to be a single in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was happening. Releasing a song called “Cruel Summer,” thus, wasn’t a great idea.
“I’m not trying to blame the global pandemic that we had, but that is something that happened that stopped ‘Cruel Summer’ from ever being a single,” she said. “No one understands how this is happening, but you guys have streamed ‘Cruel Summer’ so much right now in 2023 that it’s like at the top—it’s like rising on the streaming charts so crazy that my label just decided to make it the next single.”
Kayleigh Roberts is the weekend editor at Cosmo, focused on celebrity news and royals. She’s a Ravenclaw who would do great things in Slytherin. To learn more about her, google “Leslie Knope eating salad GIF.”
Dust off your pastels and find something
Last Updated: June 19, 2023, 22:02 IST
Cezzane Khan Denies Domestic Violence Accusation; Adipurush Makers Apologise To Kathmandu Mayor Over Sita Dialogue
Actor Cezzane Khan, who played the role of Anurag Basu in Kasauti Zindagi Kay, has categorically dismissed a recent report which claimed that an FIR has been filed against him for alleged domestic violence and extortion. When News18 Showsha reached out to Cezzane Khan, he denied the allegations by calling the woman “obsessed”. “This is not true. I don’t even know what you’re talking about. No FIR has been filed. Aisa kuch hua hi nahi hai (Nothing like that happened),” he told us.
The makers of Prabhas and Kriti Sanon starrer Adipurush have issued an apology to the mayor of Kathmandu. In the apology, the makers requested the ban on Hindi films to be lifted in Nepal’s capital and shared that the mistake that Sita was the ‘daughter of India’ has been corrected. ‘At the outset we would like to apologize if we have hurt the sentiments of the people of Nepal in any way… It was never intentional or deliberate to cause disharm for anyone,” the letter sent on behalf of T-Series stated.
For More: Adipurush Makers Apologise To Kathmandu Mayor Over Sita Dialogue, Request Him To Revoke Ban
Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah has banned all Indian movies in the city. Not just this, police forces have also been reportedly deployed in Nepal’s capital to ensure no theatre screens any film made in India. “All 17 film halls have been told not to screen Indian films,” his secretariat told Online Khabar. The move comes days after the Kathmandu Mayor expressed disappointment with ‘Janaki is a daughter of India’ dialogue in Adipurush and claimed that Sita was rather born in Nepal.
For More: Adipurush: Kathmandu Mayor Bans All Indian Films, Seeks Removal of ‘Janaki Daughter of India’ Line
Seems like the good old days are back! Seven years after Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, filmmaker Karan Johar has returned to the director’s chair. And this time around, he has steered clear from experiments and the unconventional. Instead, he has resorted to the ordinary, the ordinary that most of us have grown up watching, the ordinary that was instrumental in making us fall in love with Bollywood.
Rakhi Sawant grabbed everyone’s attention recently when she talked about finding love again. Now, in an interview, Rakhi has revealed that the mystery man is named Lucky Singh who is based in Canada. Rakhi admitted she ‘likes’ Lucky but went on to claim that they are ‘just friends’ as of now.“I like Lucky. He is handsome too. But there’s a difference between ‘like’ and love’. Lucky and I are just friends,” Rakhi said.
For More: Rakhi Sawant Opens Up On ‘New Man’ In Her Life, Claims ‘We Are Just Friends’
Last Updated: June 19, 2023, 22:02 ISTCezzane
Aaron Taylor-Johnson is hunting big game in the first trailer for Sony’s “Kraven the Hunter.”
The new film teases a villain origin story for Marvel character. In comic book storylines, Kraven is a killer predator that sets his sights on Spider-Man. He is also oftentimes portrayed as a member of the supervillain team the Sinister Six.
The latest in Sony Pictures’ universe of Marvel characters — which includes the Spidey spinoffs “Venom” and “Morbius,” as well as the upcoming “Madame Web” — “Kraven the Hunter” is set to be released theatrically Oct. 6. Taylor-Johnson stars alongside Ariana DeBose, Christopher Abbott, Alessandro Nivola, Russell Crowe and Fred Hechinger.
The trailer teases that “villains aren’t born — they’re made,” showing how the film will explore how Sergei Kravinoff transforms from a young boy raised in harsh conditions into a murderous menace. With superhuman abilities such as enhanced strength, speed, agility, stamina and longevity, as well as a wide range of weapons at his disposal, Kraven seeks out his prey with unmatched vigor.
Sony first teased the movie at the film exhibitor industry event Cinema Con back in April, bringing Taylor-Johnson onstage to present footage to an audience of theater owners. During the introduction, the actor made the declaration that “Kraven” would be rated R, promising some bloody violence. Prior to release, Marvel fans had speculated that Tom Hardy’s “Venom” and Jared Leto’s “Morbius” could earn R ratings, but both released under a PG-13 from the MPAA. “Kraven” marks the first R-rated Marvel picture from Sony.
“Kraven the Hunter” is directed by J.C. Chandor with Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach producing. Art Marcum, Matt Holloway and Richard Wenk wrote the screenplay.
Watch the full trailer below.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson is hunting big game in
Russell Crowe makes a grand return as a new character in the upcoming Sony’s Spider-Man Universe movie, Kraven the Hunter.
Kraven the Hunter features a stellar cast, with two Marvel stars headlining its ensemble.
Aside from Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s debut in Sony’s Marvel universe as the titular character, Russell Crowe jumps ship as an important character in the movie.
Interestingly, in a past interview with Comicbook last April 2023, Crowe previously teased that Kraven the Hunter takes place in “an unexpectedly, dark world.”
Sony Pictures officially revealed the first trailer for Kraven the Hunter, showcasing the first look at Russell Crowe’s new Marvel character.
After months of rumors, the trailer confirmed that Crowe is playing Kraven’s father, Nikolai Kravinoff, in the movie.
It remains to be seen how Crowe’s character fits in the movie, but the first footage suggests that he is strict toward his son, Kraven, even during childhood.
In the future, Nikolai can be seen alive alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson, potentially indicating that he could end up as one of the villains of the film.
The full trailer can be seen below:
Based on the trailer, it seems that Russell Crowe’s Nikolai Kravinoff becomes the main reason why Kraven is so ruthless in the first place.
The footage shows Nikolai pushing his son so hard that he eventually allowed Kraven to transform into the hunter that Spider-Man fights one day.
However, in the movie, it looks like Crowe will serve as Kraven’s chief villain, with the pair engaging in a thrilling yet emotional clash between father and son.
It’s possible that Kraven would eventually cross his father’s name on his hunting list when the credits roll. That said, Nikolai’s defeat could be the final piece in the character’s full-blown transformation.
Kraven the Hunter is set to premiere in theaters on October 6.
Even though The Flash just arrived in theaters on June 16, an online listing may have already revealed when to expect its Blu-ray.
On-screen, The Flash is a Multiversal DC film starring Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle, and Michael Keaton, along with a few familiar cameos.
But off-screen, The Flash stands as one of the last DCU films from the old studio regime ahead of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s upcoming reboot.
The Flash‘s pre-order listing on Blu-ray.com revealed September 5 as the film’s physical release date.
While this date isn’t official, Blu-ray.com has a record of credibility, suggesting September 5 is likely the current projected date.
In the past, Warner Bros.‘ release pattern has been theaters first, followed by digital renting and purchase, streaming on Max (formerly HBO Max), and then purchase via Blu-ray and 4K discs.
However, the time between those benchmarks tends to vary.
If the September 5 date is accurate, and since The Flash debuted in theaters on June 16, 81 days will separate the film’s premiere and its Blu-ray drop (and likely its Max premiere, as well)
In contrast, Shazam! Fury of the Gods Blu-ray arrived only 67 days after its theatrical debut and in conjunction with its Max streaming debut.
The reason for these varying times between releases is likely due to a film’s box office performance.
When Shazam 2 was deemed a flop, the studio greenlit the sequel’s digital purchase for a mere 32 days after its theatrical premiere.
While Blu-ray release dates are more concrete, given that it’s physical media as opposed to digital, when Warner Bros. makes The Flash available for digital purchase may signal if the film’s September 5 Blu-ray date was accurate or only wishful thinking.
Despite early praise for The Flash, the film has received a confusing mix of reviews, along with the worst audience score in DCEU history.
If its ticket sales in the coming days prove to be equally lackluster, and ahead of upcoming competition like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Barbie, and Oppenheimer, The Flash could follow Shazam 2 in coming home earlier than expected.
The Flash is playing in theaters worldwide.
The launch week of Final Fantasy XVI has officially begun in Japan, and Square Enix has revealed beautiful artwork portraying battles among Eikons.
The launch week of Final Fantasy XVI
The Lions are keeping up with the times.
As it turns 70, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, casts a brighter spotlight on diversity, equity and inclusion — all of which are needed to stay competitive and successful in a fast-changing world.
The event, unfolding in the South of France on June 19-23, began in the 1950s as a showcase for television and cinema advertising. Today it embraces the wide range of industries and platforms where marketing, branding, advertising and creative messaging live, from small screens to cinemas, billboards to streamers.
The fest has always illuminated how imaginative storytelling and compelling narratives can drive industry and commerce. And now, in a world both more connected and diverse than ever, inclusivity is a key part of the message.
Oscar-winning filmmaker and actor Spike Lee (above, left), who also runs advertising agency Spike DBB, will receive the festival’s Creative Maker of the Year award, an honor introduced this year. Lee, well-known for his Nike Air Jordan TV commercials of the late 1980s, which he shot “as a younger cat when I got into advertising,” says he will remind the Cannes Lions of something he said in 1997: “We keep having these obstacles, these hurdles, we have to face and we have to keep knocking them down.”
Attendees celebrate their wins at last year’s Cannes Lions awards ceremony.
Getty Images for Cannes Lions
The Lions are also presenting the Entertainment Person of the Year Award to actor, producer and comedian Kevin Hart (above, right), founder of media company Hartbeat. The honor recognizes Hart’s role in creating entertainment that drives successful marketing and communications.
Many attendees will attend the Variety Studio at Cannes Lions Presented by Canva, an event that will feature musician and entrepreneur will.i.am, NBCUniversal advertising and partnerships chairman Mark Marshall, Amazon head of global marketing Claudine Cheever, UTA chairman Jeremy Zimmer, top Disney execs Rita Ferro and Shannon Ryan and TikTok global business head Sofia Hernandez.
Also at the studio: marketing captains from Unilever, Mastercard, McDonald’s and Ulta Beauty. Participating Canva execs include global head of marketing and strategic partnerships Natalie Schwartz, global head of sales Jen Howard and head of global strategic partnerships Jonathan Harley.
Additional Lions speakers include Michelle Gass, president, Levi Strauss & Co., who will share the new global creative platform “The Greatest Story Ever Worn”; Tiffany Rolfe, global chief creative officer, R/GA, speaking on building digital worlds; and Adam & Eve DDB’s group head of effectiveness Les Binet, who will demo how to develop effective relationships with diverse audiences.
Flying in from the world of film and sport: Michael Johnson, four-time Olympic gold medalist, who will show how brands can engage with the Olympic movement; and actress, playwright and U.N. Women goodwill ambassador Danai Gurira on how brands can turn DE&I into action.
Lions has partnered with Cephas Williams, founder of the Black British Network, on Black Out 2023, an initiative to secure attendance for up to 50 people from the Black community.
As the global economy copes with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the world is wondering whether we face recession or recovery. “The pressing issues this year are macro,” says Lions CEO Simon Cook, noting that “global uncertainty has put downward pressure on budgets. Creatives and marketers are having to work hard to prove the value of creativity.”
The Lions are keeping up with the
While unveiling its slate of new French originals and acquisitions on Monday, Prime Video announced that it would skip a French theatrical release for “Challengers,” Luca Guadagnino’s anticipated tennis drama. The film, which stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and “West Side Story” star Mike Faist, will still be released in theaters in all other territories.
During a posh press event hosted at the Pavillon Royal on the outskirts of Paris, Brigitte Ricou-Bellan, Prime Video’s country managing director for France, said the strategic move by the Amazon streamer resulted from France’s notoriously strict windowing rules, which demands streamers to wait 15 to 17 months after a theatrical roll out before making a new film available on their services. The rule has led other studios to opt to skip French cinemas for new releases before, such as Disney’s decision to debut “Strange World” on streaming.
“We’re a strong partner for French cinema and well-established talent. We contribute to the National Film Board’s subsidy scheme, but streaming services have been incited to no opt for theatrical releases fo our original films,” Ricou-Bellan told journalists. “Subscription-based services have been placed at a strong disadvantage compared due to this windowing system.”
The executive pointed out there’s “very active dialogues” to update the rules and that she “truly hopes they will lead to more flexibility to benefit audiences and Prime subscribers in particular.”
Ricou-Bellan hinted that “Challengers” won’t be the last Prime Video movie to forgo a release in French cinemas. “Up next, we’re continuing to favor the expectations of fans and our members,” she stated.
While unveiling its slate of new French
YouTube removed an interview that Jordan Peterson conducted with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in which the Democratic presidential challenger repeated a theory suggesting that certain chemicals in the water supply shown to forcefully feminize frogs could also be turning kids transgender.
“I mean, they’re swimming through a soup of toxic chemicals today, and many of those are endocrine disruptors. There’s atrazine throughout our water supply,” RFK Jr. said in the video posted in early June. “Atrazine, by the way, if you in a lab put atrazine in a tank full of frogs, it will chemically castrate and forcefully feminize every frog in there. And 10% of the frogs, the male frogs will turn into fully viable females able to produce viable eggs if it’s doing that to frogs. It could, there’s a lot of other evidence that it’s doing to human beings as well.”
The video gained additional attention after Kennedy repeated the suggestion on Joe Rogan’s Spotify podcast last week.
The Environmental Protection Agency defines altrazine as a chlorinated triazine systemic herbicide that selectively regulates growth of annual grasses and broadleaf weeds. Pesticides containing the herbicide are registered for use on sweet corn, sorghum, sugarcane, wheat, macadamia nuts and guava as well as inedible plants.
“I think a lot of the problems we see in kids, particularly boys, it’s probably underappreciated on that how much of that is coming from chemical exposures, including a lot of the sexual dysphoria that we’re seeing,” RFK Jr. said.
Peterson tweeted about the video’s removal, deeming it an interference with a presidential campaign.
RFK Jr. reminded followers that the interview was still available via Twitter, thanking platform owner Elon Musk. RFK Jr., who is campaigning for the Democratic candidacy in the 2024 presidential election, appeared on Rogan’s podcast, where he also repeated the theory that routine vaccines are correlated to the rise in autism.
YouTube removed an interview that Jordan Peterson
An exciting new K-drama, with an incredibly talented young cast, is currently filming for Hierarchy. Set to release on Netflix sometime in 2024, we’ll be keeping track of everything you need to know about Hierarchy, including the plot, cast news, production updates, trailers, and the Netflix release date.
Hierarchy is an upcoming South Korean Netflix Original teen K-drama series written by Bae Hyun Jin, and directed by Choo Hye Mi.
Studio Dragon is behind the production of the series. The South Korean TV and film studio has been responsible for the production and development of some of Netflix’s most popular K-dramas, including, Crash Landing on You, Vincenzo, Alchemy of Souls, and more.
Article Continues Below…
The synopsis for Hierarchy has been sourced from IMDb Pro:
The story depicts the love, friendship, revenge, and compassion that takes place when Kang Ha, a transfer student, enters Jusin High School, a prestigious private school where the children of the top 0.01% of conglomerates gather.
There are five leading cast members of Hierarchy;
Roh Jeong Eui previously had a leading role in the licensed Netflix Original series Our Beloved Summer. Outside of the streaming service she is known for starring in K-dramas such as Kill It, Dear.M, and 18 Again.
Picture: Roh Jeong Eui in Our Beloved Summer
Lee Chae Min recently starred in a supporting role for See You in My 19th Life. He has also starred in other K-dramas for Netflix such as Crash Course in Romance and Alchemy of Souls season 2. Disney+ subscribers will recognize the actor from the series Love All Play.
Picture: Lee Chae Min in Crash Course in Romance
Kim Jae Won has starred in two licensed Netflix Original K-dramas, King the Land and Our Blues.
Picture: Kim Jae Won in Our Blues
Ji Hye Won had a supporting role in the Netflix K-drama, The Sound of Magic, and in the internationally licensed series It’s Okay to Not Be Okay. This is the first leading role, in a K-drama, of her career.
Picture: Ji Hye Won in It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
Lee Won Jung had a guest role in the incredibly rated K-drama series Extraordinary Attorney Woo. He is known for his time in leading roles in the series The World of My 17th, and Can You Deliver Time? 2002.
Picture: Lee Won Jung in Perfect Stranger
Only one supporting cast member has been confirmed for Hierarchy;
Official Production Status: Filming (Last Updated: 19/06/2023)
It has been reported that filming began in early June 2023, and is scheduled to end in mid-September 2023.
We’re still several months away from any official release date being announced by Netflix. However, we are expecting to thee see the series released on the streaming service in the first half of 2024.
Are you looking forward to watching Hierarchy on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!
An exciting new K-drama, with an incredibly
Even if they’ve never seen a single minute of a Star Wars movie, it’s likely that most people could come up with at least one quote from George Lucas’ iconic films. After all, the franchise even has its own holiday in honor of the phrase “may the Force be with you.”
For a franchise that has existed for nearly 50 years across 11 live-action films (and several television shows), there is no shortage of memorable lines that have cemented themselves in the landscape of pop culture today.
Star Wars has become a fixture not only in science-fiction, but in the evolution of modern cinema, influencing several of the special effects and long-running franchises today. It’s also found its way into more than a few memes since the inception of the internet.
In celebrating the iconic films, The Hollywood Reporter rounded up the top 20 most memorable lines from Lucas’ epic saga.
In what is likely the most quoted Star Wars line of all time, this iconic phrase has ascended beyond the Star Wars franchise itself. It’s a line that has come to embody sci-fi pop culture, with fans and non-fans alike immediately recognizing the words. From this quote came the unofficial Star Wars holiday — May 4th, or “May the Fourth Be With You.”
From Jedi masters to Rebel leaders, the phrase has been said countless times by countless characters throughout the Star Wars films, usually as a well-wishing or a goodbye before embarking on a difficult journey.
It’s another iconic line that pops up throughout the franchise, often said by different characters. The phrase is first uttered by Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope, as the Millennium Falcon approaches the Empire’s Death Star. Over the years, it’s become somewhat of a running gag throughout the film, with at least one character per film warning against the danger to come with this memorable phrase.
Fan-favorite character Obi-Wan Kenobi’s famous introduction has found its way into every iteration of the character. First, Alec Guinness as Ben Kenobi greets R2-D2 with the phrase, after saving Luke. In Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, a young Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) makes a surprise entrance, greeting his enemy General Grievous before a battle to the death.
The famous love story between Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) is central to the legacy of Star Wars. As the only romantic thread throughout the original trilogy, Han and Leia’s sarcastic banter and reluctant flirting kept audiences on the edges of their seats, hoping that the two would realize their feelings for one another. It all comes to a head in Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back, when Han is frozen into carbonite and gifted to Jabba the Hutt. Sealed with one final kiss between the couple, Han begins his descent into his carbon prison. Before he does, Leia bids farewell, confessing her love for him. In typical Solo fashion, the scoundrel simply responds, “I know,” before he meets his fate.
It’s one of the biggest plot twists in cinematic history. In Lucas’ critically acclaimed Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker finally faces off with the menacing Darth Vader. As he holds tight to a pole to keep from plummeting to his demise, Luke learns crucial information about his life that changes everything for the young Jedi-in-training. As he attempts to recruit Luke to the dark side, Vader tells his son that he didn’t kill Luke’s father — he is Luke’s father.
Master Yoda has many wise sayings, but one of the most quoted would be this one. While training on Degobah in Empire Strikes Back, Luke feels defeated by the daunting task of lifting his X-wing fighter out of a swamp using only the Force. Sounding unconvinced, Luke says he’ll “give it a try,” to which Yoda chastises him for his lack of confidence. It’s an inspirational lesson, as Yoda urges his student to commit fully to taking action, rather than make excuses for a half-hearted attempt.
In Episode VI — Return of the Jedi, Admiral Ackbar’s exclamation became one of the most memorable in the franchise. The quote went on to become a viral meme, circulating again and again throughout pop culture. Voiced by Erik Bauersfeld, Ackbar was a commander of the Rebel Alliance who led the final attack against the second Death Star. In the climactic final battle, Ackbar and his fleet arrive on the scene, only to find that Emperor Palpatine was expecting them all along. Bauersfeld’s iconic delivery of the line made the phrase a standout in the franchise.
In a memorable performance by Donnie Yen as the blind, Force-sensitive warrior-monk Chirrut Îmwe, the actor delivers one of the most significant lines from standalone prequel Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. He speaks this line several times throughout the film, reassuring himself of his deep connection to the Force, which acts as eyes despite his inability to physically see. It all leads up to an emotional farewell for the character, as he sacrifices himself in the final battle for the Death Star plans on Scarif and repeats this phrase to himself over and over again.
Spoken by Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) in Rogue One, this line encapsulates the heart of the common theme of rebellion throughout many of the films, as we see oppressed groups fight back against tyrannical regimes. As she leads a team of rebels to steal the Death Star plans, Jyn inspires the group to risk their lives on the basis of hope for a better day.
From the iconic voice to the sinister mask, everything about Darth Vader is menacing. In A New Hope, Vader flexes just a taste of his power in this season, as high-ranking Imperial officers are discussing the recent theft of the Death Star plans. When Admiral Motti (not the one pictured above) mocks Vader’s devotion to the power of the Force, dismissing it as an “ancient religion,” the Sith lord Force-chokes him.
Spoken by Obi-Wan, this one’s a famous reference from A New Hope, as the former Jedi manipulates a Stormtrooper into believing that R2-D2 and C-3PO are not the droids the Empire is looking for, when in fact, they are. It’s the first instance that the audience bears witness to the power of the Force, and how “Jedi mind tricks” can be used on weak-minded individuals.
This one’s the quote that started it all. In the early scenes of A New Hope, the audience sees Leia put an unknown message into R2-D2, right before she’s captured by Darth Vader. Later, R2 and C-3PO end up on Tatooine with Luke and Obi-Wan, delivering Leia’s message to the old Jedi master. In her message, Leia pleads with Obi-Wan, begging for his help in taking down the Empire. The message spurs Luke and Obi-Wan into action, as they embark on a mission to save Leia and join the Rebellion.
The ever-wise Yoda has a plethora of inspirational quotes, so much so that nearly every phrase that comes out of the Jedi master’s mouth is a kernel of knowledge to be remembered. When Luke first arrives on Degobah in search of the Jedi master in Empire Strikes Back, he immediately dismisses the small and aging Yoda. “I’m looking for a great warrior,” Luke says, to which Yoda replies with this smart remark. In other words, it’s not aggression, physical strength or violence that make a Jedi. It’s the mental fortitude and connection to the Force that naive Luke still has yet to learn.
In yet another immediate meme from Revenge of the Sith, several internet jokes have used this climactic line to announce their upper hand. After a long and intense lightsaber battle between master and padawan, Obi-Wan fights for the fate of the galaxy as he takes on his close friend Anakin, the newly appointed Sith lord Darth Vader. Anakin lets his ego prevail, ultimately losing the fight to Obi-Wan. It’s the defeating blow that sentences Anakin to the rest of his life in the Darth Vader suit, the only thing that keeps him alive.
If you’ve heard this one before (and it’s likely that you have), the iconic quote originated in Episode V, as Han, Leia, Chewbacca and C-3PO escape from Hoth. On the run from Imperial TIE fighters, Han bets he can lose them in an upcoming asteroid field. When C-3PO goes on to tell him that the odds of them successfully navigating their way are extremely low, Han makes his famous retort. And like so many Star Wars quotes, this one’s a meme, too.
Ah, young love. Part of what makes Leia and Han’s romance so memorable is Lucas’ interpretation of the fun, enemies-to-lovers trope. Despite their many sarcastic quips and outward dislike for one another, it’s clear that the two share a secret affection. One of Leia’s most memorable insults for Han comes in Episode V when she injures his ego and calls him a “stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf-herder,” to which Solo replies, “Who’s scruffy-looking?”
For Star Wars fans, this one’s an inside joke that became one of the more popular memes from the prequel saga. Of course, it’s young Anakin Skywalker’s hatred for sand. Who knew that the man who would become one of the most fearsome villains in the galaxy had a distaste for such a trivial thing? This one comes from Episode II — Attack of the Clones, while Anakin and Padmé get to know each other while visiting Naboo.
As one of the major female characters in the franchise, Padmé Amidala’s significance in the prequel story can’t be understated. She’s a former queen and a senator who’s often held her own in protecting her people and taking on battle droid armies. When Anakin turns to the Dark Side in Revenge of the Sith, Chancellor Palpatine enacts his long-running plan to become Emperor, announcing the fall of the Galactic Republic alongside the rise of the Galactic Empire. As the senate room bursts into applause, praising Palpatine for the alleged “peace” to come, Padmé delivers one of the more political lines from Lucas’ script, claiming the moment as the death of liberty in the galaxy.
In other words, everything is not always as it seems. Especially giant, round floating objects in space that turn out to be space stations with the power to destroy planets. In A New Hope, Obi-Wan says this iconic line as the Millennium Falcon approaches the Death Star for the first time, a iconic moment in the franchise.
To this day, Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens remains the top-grossing film of all time at the domestic box office. Uttered more than 30 years since Han Solo and Chewbacca had appeared onscreen, Ford’s first words in the long-awaited sequel struck an emotional chord with Star Wars fans everywhere, as they got to witness two fan-favorite characters return to the Millennium Falcon.
Even if they’ve never seen a single
A$AP Rocky gave a rare glimpse into his family life with Rihanna on Father’s Day.
On Sunday (June 18), the rapper took to social media to share numerous adorable photos and videos featuring his 13-month-old son RZA and RiRi, who is pregnant with the couple’s second child.
“EVERYDAY FATHERS DAY,” Rocky captioned the gallery on Instagram, adding a red heart emoji.
The Father’s Day post features loving photos of Rocky and Rihanna snuggling alongside RZA in bed and a cute snapshot of the rapper bending over to kiss his partner’s baby bump. The carousel also includes a heartwarming clip of the toddler sprawled across a large bed while listening to a children’s song.
Ri couldn’t help but gush over her two special guys in the comments section. “The Mayers boys stole my whole heart! Happy Father’s Day nerd,” she wrote.
The superstar singer revealed that she was pregnant again during her 2023 Super Bowl halftime show performance in February, surprising fans in a curve-hugging red outfit that showed off her bump. Since then, she’s been rocking her signature, envy-worthy maternity style on red carpets, social media and beyond.
See A$AP Rock’s Father’s Day post on Instagram below.
A$AP Rocky gave a rare glimpse into
Leading the news and documentary jury at this year’s Monte-Carlo Television Festival, Peabody and Emmy-winning filmmaker Tom Jennings has seen the non-fiction business trend toward premium offerings with more event series – an evolution shared across much of the larger television landscape and pushed, in no small part, by streamers.
“Ten to 15 years ago, we were a ratings driven business,” he tells Variety. “Now, it’s a question of getting people to sign up and stick around because what they like is on a given platform.”
For companies likes Jennings’ 1895 Films (named for the year the Lumière brothers screened their first films – all of them non-fiction, he adds) the shifting terrain has resulted in shorter episode order with greater budgets as docs and dramas find themselves showcased alongside one another with little divide.
“The call for always having something unique is probably more intense now,” says Jennings. “We have to operate at a very high level in terms quality, because we’re competing with all the blue chip narratives; we have to go toe to toe with those kind of shows, and hopefully ours are fascinating enough to win out.”
In the case of “Charles: In His Own Words,” which 1895 Films recently delivered for National Geographic, and in the ongoing “Lost Tapes” series broadcast on the Smithsonian Channel, archival originality has been key.
“[Viewers] want access that no one else has,” Jennings grants. “But it’s getting harder to find new material on topics that are big enough and global enough [to warrant this kind of focus.] So I always tell my researchers to think outside the box when looking for footage. I tell them, if I was this [dream footage], where might I live?”
When making a film about Malcolm X, the answer could be found in a Chicago garage. First, Jennings’ team heard that the civil rights leader shared the same dentist with the Nation of Islam’s Elijah Muhammad, and then sped to the Windy City upon learning that said dentist was also an amateur photographer. They discovered manna from heaven in the dentist’s archives, uncovering a treasure trove of photos and videos never developed, let alone seen.
For their one-off about the Charles who would be king, Jennings’ team pulled from unaired news footage newly digitized expressly for the film.
“Our task is to either find a great story that needs to be told, or to take a really big picture thing like Charles and promise the audience a whole new look – and then to deliver.”
Though unable, for obvious reasons, to speak in detail about the nine titles competing for Monte-Carlo’s Golden Nymph prize, Jennings says that he brought those same expectations to his jury duties.
“We wanted to feel surprised in a good way, and we wanted to enjoy watching the films just as works of craft,” Jennings explains. “We were impressed by the cleverness of the stories these filmmakers found, and by the access to people that you might never have heard of, but are key players in major global events. [But for most part we responded to] a look that we’ve never seen before, asking ourselves, did they take us on a journey that none of us in that room would have thought of right away?”
Leading the news and documentary jury at
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Harry Styles worked up a sweat on a shirtless run in London on Friday, June 16. The “Falling” singer, 29, showed off his toned body that’s covered with tattoos as he worked out with his personal trainer Brad Gould in the hot summer weather. Harry’s massive butterfly tattoo on his chest was especially visible as he ran around outside without a shirt on. Just when you thought Harry Styles couldn’t get hotter…
Harry wore a pair of blue shorts with a small black fanny pack around his wast for his run. He also rocked a pair of yellow sneakers, a blue baseball cap, and black sunglasses. The former One Direction member has continued to stay in shape amidst his ongoing worldwide tour that seems like it’s never going to end. Aside from outdoor runs, he’s been seen at the gym several times over the last few months.
Harry’s Love On Tour began in September 2021 and is set to finish in July 2023. The pop star had two breaks during the tour, but besides that he’s been traveling all across the world nonstop to perform his music for his fans. Harry played in London the weekend of June 16, the same day he went on a run outside in the northern part of the city. He showed off his fit physique, again, in his Instagram photos from the show, where he wore a red jumpsuit.
During his tour, Harry’s love life made headlines when he and his girlfriend Olivia Wilde, 39, ended their relationship back in November 2022. However, Olivia showed some post-breakup support for Harry after his shows in London, when she “liked” his sister Gemma Styles‘ video from the concert. Olivia’s action on social media suggested to fans that she and Harry are still on good terms even though they’re no longer dating.
When the former couple split, HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY learned that Harry wasn’t completely over Olivia. “Harry will not say that they have broken up – just that they are taking a break and putting their relationship on pause,” the source shared. “No one thinks that they will resume the relationship after his tour, but Harry says that he does not know what the future holds,” they added.
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View gallery Image Credit: BACKGRID Harry Styles worked up
A joint Cybersecurity Advisory by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a series of protective measures to help reduce the impact of attacks being carried out by the CL0P Ransomware Gang.
The long-standing ransomware group, also known as TA505, is currently targeting a vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer software (CVE-2023-3436), and has reportedly stolen data from underlying MOVEit Transfer databases.
Now, though, there is a reward up for grabs for anybody able to draw links between the gang and foreign governments.
The US State Department Rewards for Justice Program announced in a Tweet:
“Do you have info linking CL0P Ransomware Gang or any other malicious cyber actors targeting U.S. critical infrastructure to a foreign government? Send us a tip. You could be eligible for a reward.”
The US is most concerned about extortion threats, unauthorized access, and destruction relating to critical and protected infrastructure, including those used in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or communication.
Rewards for Justice is welcoming any information via Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, and its Tor-based tip line.
The supporting post details plans to make rewards of up to $10 million available to those able to provide “information leading to the identification or location of any person who, while acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government, participates in malicious cyber activities against US critical infrastructure in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA).”
It also reports that “possible relocation and rewards payments by cryptocurrency may be available to eligible sources.”
While it is not known who is behind the group, its name is believed to be derived from the Russian word ‘klop,’ which means bedbug (via Sangfor). It is also believed that CL0P was behind Tasmanian Government attacks earlier this year.
A joint Cybersecurity Advisory by the Cybersecurity
EXCLUSIVE: Last month, we told you that British filmmaker Sally Potter (Orlando, The Party) has written and recorded her debut music album, Pink Bikini. Today, we can share the first video Potter shot for the project.
The video is for the single Black Mascara. It features Potter in a monochrome frame, turned away from the camera, and performing a hula hoop routine as the song unravels with lyrics popping up on the screen in bright red typeface. Oscar-nominated cinematographer Robbie Ryan (The Favourite) shot the project alongside a small crew of graduates from the UK’s National Film and Television School.
“Black Mascara was one of the earliest tracks I wrote for Pink Bikini, an album of songs based on a look back over my shoulder to the despairs and longings of my turbulent teenage years; a time of change: the end of childhood, the beginning of life as an adult,” Potter said.
“Making the video was a different kind of return. It needed to be made in the way I made films when I first started as a teenager. Back then I had no money, training, or equipment. The need to invent and imagine things out of nothing became part of a philosophy I later named ‘Barefoot Filmmaking’. It meant working with minimal means, borrowing gear, and working with the goodwill and energy of a few beloved friends and co-conspirators.”
Pink Bikini will be released on July 14. Billed as a “semi-autobiographical” collection of songs, the album will feature music and lyrics by Potter, and will be based on the filmmaker’s experience coming of age as a young woman in 1960s London, as a “young rebel” and activist. Musical arrangements on the album will feature work from guitarist Fred Frith, who has long collaborated with Potter on her film scores.
Best known for her directorial work on features such as 1992’s Orlando, an adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s classic novel starring Tilda Swinton, and Ginger & Rosa (2012), starring Elle Fanning, Potter had a music career that predates her work in cinema. During the 1970s, she was a member of the Feminist Improvising Group, an avant-garde band that toured extensively in Europe.
Potter also performed with the Film Music Orchestra and collaborated (as lyricist) with Lindsay Cooper on the album Oh Moscow, performing in the USSR and East Berlin in 1989, before the wall came down.
Check out the full video above.
EXCLUSIVE: Last month, we told you that
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, the Hollywood couple people love the most, have always given their fans something to cherish for a long time. Their ever-lasting love for each other inspires everyone to be like them, too. However, both actors have been vocal about their love for each other. They have always shared how much they value their own little family as well. Lively’s speech at the 36th American Cinematheque Awards was one such example. The speech resurfaced on the internet on Father’s Day.
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Father’s Day is the perfect day to express your love and gratitude to your father for everything he has done for you. Because of him, home feels like home, something that the Gossip Girl actress talked about during her speech at the ACA. She highlighted how much the Canadian actor loves his family. She added how much their children love the Deadpool actor as well. Making his heart a home for his family, Reynolds makes his family feel loved.
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The exact words, “I am his home, and our girls are his home… He is hard-wired to get home… Daddy always comes home,” vividly express the Vancouver-born actor’s love for his family. And this Father’s Day, these words by the American actress resurfaced on the internet reminding people to love their family a little more.
While always inspiring couples to be good to each other, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have always been inspirational people. Despite their hilarious ways of pulling each other’s legs, this couple has proven to be the most powerful couple in the industry. From supporting each other at home to supporting one another in business, this duo is going strong.
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The Wrexham AFC owner actor has always shown love and supported his wife’s company called Betty Buzz. He has even given his voice to the advertisements of the company as well. However, recently, the Deadpool actor made Betty Buzz a partner with Wrexham FC. Along with other major deals for the Welsh football club, the 40-year-old actor welcomed his wife officially to the Wrexham family.
From pulling each other’s legs to showering love, from being best friends to being the best parents, from being delightful partners to being hilarious pranksters, the couple made us believe in true love.
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What are your thoughts about the love this Hollywood couple shares?
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, the Hollywood
The colors are mesmerizing and ever-so-gently destabilizing. These pigments signal that you’ve entered a new fictional realm that, like the television studio, is at once immediately recognizable and somehow foreign. The interplay between the familiar and the strange, like that between the theatrical and the cinematic, is a foundational theme in Anderson’s films, which, like most movies, look a lot like life yet are always different. What makes that difference is art — the voice, sensibility, technique, craft, money, luck and how the thrilling, terrifying mess of existence is gathered, organized and then set loose upon the world.
Divided into acts, the play’s first section commences with the arrival of the newly widowed Augie Steenbeck, a war photographer played by a method-y actor, Jones Hall. (Jason Schwartzman plays both.) Augie, his brainy teenage son, Woodrow (Jake Ryan), and three interchangeable young daughters are visiting for Asteroid Day, an event that commemorates the day (Sept. 23, 3007 B.C.!) a meteor crashed nearby, leaving a crater now overlooked by an observatory. More visitors appear, including a teacher with a flock of children, some singing cowboys and other parents with teens who, like Woodrow, are contestants in an Asteroid Day competition.
Together with Scarlett Johansson, Schwartzman fills out the film’s expressive center with humor and perfect timing. Johansson also has dual roles as both an actor and a character. She’s Midge Campbell in the play, a sultry Hollywood star who rolls into town with her own whiz-kid and a bodyguard. Midge and Augie meet cute at the diner, but their relationship blooms while they’re in their respective rental cabins. There, framed by windows, they face each other and open up, talking in that somewhat deadpan, patently Anderson-screwball way that puts up a snappy, performative front which slowly gives way to deep feeling.
Anderson regularly switches back and forth between the television story and the drama in the town, gradually putting them into meaningful, dynamic and poignant play with each other. There are crises in both, along with self-doubt, confrontations, assignations and discussions about art and life. He’s crammed a great deal into this film, including cinematic allusions and theatrical lore. The play takes place in September 1955, the month that James Dean died in another parched Southwest wasteland; there’s an audition with Jones and the playwright that evokes Brando’s famous one for Tennessee Williams’s “A Streetcar Named Desire.”
The colors are mesmerizing and ever-so-gently destabilizing.
Boity and Emtee come together for a dope studio session: ‘We got one’
Boity and Emtee come together for a
A brand-new original documentary celebrating and charting the life of prolific comics creator Stan Lee is now available on Disney+! Told via a plethora of interviews and audio recordings from Lee himself, the documentary dives back to his beginnings, to joining the world of comics and eventually going on to create characters readers (and audiences around the world) know and love, like Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and more.
Director and producer David Gelb, along with the creative team, were looking to honor what would have been Lee’s 100th birthday last December with a tribute to the legend. After diving into an “overwhelming volume of interviews, of university speeches, of television appearances,” the team set out to tell a “multilayered story.”
“Something that reveals the origin story of Stan Lee, as we know him…his kind of more vulnerable, kind of sensitive alter ego who is very much a real person who grew up in the Depression and was just trying to make a living while also kind of following his gut and wanting to tell sophisticated stories,” He explained to Marvel.
Using Lee’s own personal recordings and footage, the end product is “a memoir of Stan telling his own story, his own journey of creativity and his collaboration and his work with Marvel Comics.”
Above all else, what Gelb hopes viewers take away from the documentary is Lee’s own message of hope.
“We wanted to convey the messages that he wanted to convey, this message about not giving up, following what you believe in, even when people are saying that you’re nuts… You may succeed or you may fail, but don’t not do something just because you’re afraid. You know, don’t be afraid and pursue your dream.”
The documentary weaves together personal recorded footage from Lee, along with recorded recollections of his career never before seen by the public. These are accompanied by archived interview clips, newsreels, and models that immerse viewers in Lee’s world, in addition to hearing from some of his closest friends and collaborators.
Sign up for Disney+ and start streaming now! Stay tuned to Marvel.com for more details! And be sure to follow Marvel on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok!
A brand-new original documentary celebrating and charting
A former slave masquerades as a man to enlist in the Union Army and searches for her American dream after the Civil War. Her plans are interrupted when she’s trapped guarding a notorious bank robber in a desolate wilderness. Surrounded stars Letitia Wright in a gritty Western that addresses racial and gender inequality with a fusillade of bullets. The protagonist finds an unexpected kinship in a vicious murderer who sees behind her facade. Sublime cinematography and rich character development adds texture to a narrative that runs thin but never fails to be engaging.
Moses Washington (Wright) prays in an 1870 church at the edge of the western frontier. She hides her most prized possession in an old and worn out bible. Mo has secured a land deed to a gold mine in Colorado. It’s her treasured prize after leaving the army with a distinguished record. She pretends to be a man by hiding her feminine features under loose clothing. Mo keeps her revolver handy just in case. No one in town has an inkling about her secret.
Mo initially has trouble securing a ride on the stagecoach. Miss Borders (Augusta Allen-Jones) doesn’t feel comfortable sharing her seat with a Black man. The crafty Mr. Fields (Brett Gelman) won’t tolerate Mo having a gun. Wheeler (Jeffrey Donovan) has the sway to squelch any dissent. Mo can ride in the backseat outside as long as “he” gives up his weapon. Embarrassment and discomfort are nothing new. Mo obliges and climbs in the back.
They don’t get far before trouble strikes. Tommy Walsh (Jamie Bell) and his gang ambush the coach. Mo covers herself to avoid detection as they rob the other passengers. A firefight ensues that spooks the horses. Mo leaps off the stagecoach as it crashes. It’s bloody chaos as she finds a gun and proves her skill. Wheeler escapes and races for backup. Mo captures Tommy, but her problems have just begun. He’s a wanted man who’s hidden a fortune in stolen loot. Tommy recognizes that Mo is a woman. She must hold him until help returns or face hanging if Tommy escapes. That’s no easy feat with Tommy’s gang and bounty hunters searching for them.
Wright doesn’t say much in the first act. This is by design as a strategy to go unnoticed. Mo doesn’t want anyone looking too closely. She purposely shies away from confrontation. Her subservience and skin color provide ample camouflage to the prejudiced. She’s less than a man as Black, but even more so as female. Mo uses ignorance to her advantage until she’s forced to defend herself.
Bell has the opposite personality as the formidable Tommy. He’s an unrepentant killer with an acid tongue. Tommy spouts venom as he browbeats his men and terrifies the passengers. Your money or your life isn’t just a saying. Tommy knows he’s worth more alive than dead. The noose awaits, but after he’s given up the buried treasure. Tommy must kill Mo and escape or convince her to let him go.
Surrounded changes dynamics once Mo and Walsh are alone. She has the power, but time is fleeting for the both of them. Tommy’s tactics take a different turn. He attempts to ingratiate himself through empathy. Tommy understands Mo’s hardships as a slave, woman, and soldier. He’s the first person to treat her as an equal. Mo isn’t a fool easily charmed. She knows that Walsh will say anything to drop her guard. But he speaks truthfully about her life’s experience. Why should she show loyalty to people who hate and oppress her? Maybe a deal with the devil is the best outcome in a bad situation.
Director Anthony Mandler (Monster) does an admirable job of framing the characters and setting. Surrounded is beautifully shot with expansive backgrounds that become more focused with the narrowing plot. Mo and Tommy seek refuge under a tree when darkness and snow enters the equation. The film transforms into a desperate play of wills. Hatred and resentment can lead to foolish mistakes. But a false sense of community is just as deadly. The great Michael K.Williams, in his final performance, has a third act entrance and possible solution to Mo’s predicament.
Surrounded portrays Mo as the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing. She has to be the most capable killer to have survived for so long in an unjust world. The film succumbs to Western gunslinger tropes with her exaggerated skill. Every shot she fires finds its target while the baddies couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn. The action becomes a tad too fantastic after being initially grounded. This leaves the resolution in little doubt after establishing nuance and exploring serious themes.
Surrounded is a production of Bron Studios, Blackhand Media Production, Mandalay Pictures, and 3.16 Productions. It will have a VOD and digital release on June 20th from MGM.
A former slave masquerades as a man
This is a good moment to get an Apple smartwatch if you’re more concerned about price than anything else. Amazon is once more selling the Apple Watch Series 8 with a 41mm case and GPS for $329, or a steep $70 discount that’s very nearly a record low. This applies to all but the Product Red color, and you’ll also see bargains for cellular and 45mm models.
The Apple Watch Series 8 may be an iterative update, but it remains our favorite overall smartwatch. You can expect brisk performance, an exceptional display, solid fitness tracking and robust health features that include ECGs, blood oxygen monitoring, crash detection and a temperature sensor for sleep and reproductive cycle tracking. More importantly, there’s a strong ecosystem that includes a wide range of third-party apps as well as tight integration with other Apple products. You can seamlessly switch AirPods between your iPhone and watch, or unlock your Mac.
The catch, aside from the iPhone requirement, is simply that Series 8 is several months old. We won’t be surprised if there’s an Apple Watch Series 9 in September. The current generation is much easier to justify at $329, though, and it will easily handle watchOS 10 when the software upgrade arrives later this year. And right now, this is arguably the best value in the lineup. While the second-generation Apple Watch SE is priced lower at $249, the gap is small enough that it may be worth the extra money for the 8’s always-on display and more advanced health sensors.
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This is a good moment to get
As an LA resident, I’m often struggling to find the best places to write. Coffee shops are fine, but you have to buy things and sometimes they ask you to leave if you stay at a table long enough.
What I like is the idea of a communal workspace for writers.
Well, look no further than theOffice in Santa Monica. It is one of the country’s premiere coworking spaces. They’ve hosted a who’s who of Hollywood writers in their space over the years including J.J. Abrams, Susannah Grant, Clark Gregg, David Scarpa, Jen Celotta, and others.
Now, they’re offering a fellowship for one lucky winner who will receive six months of 24/7 access to theOffice in Santa Monica, CA. If you’re an up-and-coming writer in the west Los Angeles area looking for a quiet, dedicated workspace to take your craft and career to the next level, this is for you.
The deadline to apply is June 30th. The best part? It’s completely FREE to enter.
You send them a sample of your best piece of writing along with a short email explaining why this fellowship is right for you. Their judges will select a winner who will receive six months of free 24/7* access to the space.
This fellowship is equivalent to their “Premium Membership,” the highest level of membership they offer, which has a $2700 value. The winner also receives other perks of membership including unlimited coffee/tea, a locker for storage, free Wi-Fi, and the opportunity to connect with our room of working writers.
This year’s fellowship starts Jul. 17th, 2023, and runs through Jan. 16th, 2024. It’s completely free to enter.
The winner will be announced the week of Jul. 10th.
Are you looking for a quiet,
Final Fantasy XVI arrives in stores this week, bearing a title that might lead you to conclude “Damn, that’s a lot of Final Fantasys.” But you don’t know the half of it, swear-prone reader—and we mean that literally. After all, the main-line numbered entries in Square-Enix’s long-running role-playing game franchise account for less than half of the games to bear the Final Fantasy name, which, as one of the planet’s most prolific gaming series, has lent its wildly inaccurate moniker to action games, card games, rhythm games, racing games, and more.
But while only 16 of those games have had the honor of calling themselves “main” Final Fantasys, that’s no reason to leave those other weirdos huddled and numberless out in the cold. And so we’ve deigned to toss them some numbers ourselves, in the form of ranking the 10 best non-numbered games in the Final Fantasy series.
For the purposes of consolidation, we’ve made a couple of necessary cuts here—most notably, by eliminating any game that bear a direct, sequel-style relationship to one of those aforementioned number-games. (Which means we have to bid adieu to fascinating oddball Lightning Returns, all of the various Final Fantasy VII spin-offs, and, most tragically, the Final Fantasy XV VR fishing game.) We’ve also skipped out on any of the games that had their origins on smartphones, including FF: Record Breaker and free-to-play hit Mobius Final Fantasy. That still leaves us with a hefty catalogue of side-path games to rank and explore, though, each one making the series’ title a little more unbelievable than the last. And so, without further ado: Let’s get to applying a little numerical rigor to these numberless orphans.
Clockwise from top left: Final Fantasy Tactics,
The first season of “The Bear” opens with an invitation to chaos, before tossing you into the anarchic party itself. Carm (Jeremy Allen White) is asleep, dreaming that he’s on a bridge in the Chicago loop, where he opens a bear cage to release, what else, a live, snarling, somewhat perturbed brown bear. When he wakes up, it’s time to cook. The restaurant he inherited from his late brother Michael (Jon Bernthal) beckons, and Carm has to serve up the signature beef while putting out figurative and literal fires left and right. It’s chaos compounded with chaos, or to use a cooking metaphor: He’s out of the frying pan and into the fire.
“The Bear” Season 2 opens in silence. Well, near silence. Rather than the clicking of a gas stove flickering to life, there’s the methodical beep of a heart monitor. Marcus (Lionel Boyce) is looking over his mother, as she lays peacefully asleep in her bed. He gently applies lotion to her hands and drapes a washcloth on her forehead, before heading outside to scrape ice off his windshield and head into work. Marcus is not in a rush. He’s not stressed. He’s cold, probably tired, but he doesn’t show it, and when the pastry chef arrives at The Beef, he’s all smiles.
“The Bear” does not maintain this pace. How could it? Christopher Storer’s FX production became a sleeper summer hit for Hulu last year by capturing the intense essence of a working kitchen. Everyone called everyone “Chef.” Everyone shouted at everyone — whether it was “chef” or “corner” or “behind” or another timely, more precise request — and they had to shout just to be heard over the clatter of pots and pans, shuffling feet and other voices. With tight half-hour episodes, endearing quips from blue-collar characters, and near-constant forward momentum, “The Bear” carved a space for itself in a crowded TV market, much like The Beef did in Chicago’s competitive sandwich scene.
But now The Beef is gone. In its place, Carm and Sydney (an excellent Ayo Edebiri) hope to open The Bear — a fine-dining, Michelin-level restaurant worthy of their talents. Season 2 depicts this transformation, replacing the daily grind of running an eatery with the daily grind of opening one, while embracing an evolution all its own. Gone are the blunt surrealistic additions (like dreaming up a bear or acting out a sitcom nightmare). Only what’s real remains, and what remains is stronger and richer on its own. The intensity returns before the premiere episode wraps, as “every second counts” becomes the new shop’s mantra. But the change of routine, as well as a few twists of fate, force Carm and his crew to consider why they’re putting their heart and soul into a dangerous, oft-destructive endeavor. What brought them here? What makes them dedicated to this particular pursuit? What drives them to be of service?
This has been “The Bear’s” central question since the beginning — why do it? — but Season 2 does exactly what second seasons are supposed to do: It fine-tunes the storytelling, amplifies what’s working, and digs deeper: both into who these people are and what lures them to this life. If Season 1 looked at how kitchens could become vomit-inducing fear factories thanks to egomaniacal chefs with abusive work habits, then Season 2 asks what would draw someone to such a place to begin with. (Hint: It’s not just the food!) The 10-episode new season pushes beyond finding a functioning compromise between family ties and individual passions, into what happiness even means when you’re an artistic careerist trapped in a capitalistic society.
Many of these themes existed already, but how “The Bear” tackles them in Season 2 is as riveting as before with added dashes of confidence, consequence, and consideration. Silence is golden, even when it only lasts a minute.
That being said: “The Bear” still rips. In keeping with its modus operandi, Season 2 picks up shortly after Carmy finds $300,000 stuffed inside dozens of tomato cans, a surprise gift from Michael, who had borrowed the money from their Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt). Cost estimates are high and getting higher. There’s new equipment to buy, new menus to create, and new staff to hire — not to mention remodeling work and an endless list of requisite permits. The clock, as always, is ticking.
It would be relatively easy for the series to slip back into familiar patterns, and the initial episodes make sure to supply the favorites. Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) makes a few off-color jokes. Gary (Corey Hendrix) and Fak (Matty Matheson) entertain with ineptitude, via a good-humored teardown montage. Tina (Liza Colon-Zayas) and Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) bond as old teammates on different tracks. Natalie (Abby Elliott), Carm’s sister who’s helping out with paperwork and planning, outlines the many hurdles they’ll have to overcome to get this new business up and running, which spurs heated debates over the best way to proceed, whether they can get it all done, and who should be doing what.
“The Bear” never feels slow, but it does slow down. Carm gets a glimpse of what life could be like outside the restaurant (and outside his family) with the reappearance of an old flame. Sydney, in a strikingly beautiful tour of Chicago, seeks inspiration for new dishes among the Windy City’s finest kitchens (including a well-deserved shout-out to the world’s greatest breakfast sandwich at Kasama). Richie confronts his own purpose.
No, really, let me say that again: Richie, the oft-overwhelming chatterbox from Season 1, goes on a journey of self-reflection in Season 2, and getting that guy to convincingly look inward may be one of the new season’s greatest accomplishments. Previously, his oft-overwhelming ass-holery could test our patience with a character who didn’t always earn the empathy Moss-Bachrach was so skilled at evoking. But in the new season, Richie is a highlight — and without betraying who he was before.
Season 2 evolves with similar dexterity. Along Sydney’s self-selected Taste of Chicago, she not only eats a stomach-stretching number of delectable dishes; she also keeps running into closed shops, farewell messages, and dusty help wanted signs. “The Bear” acknowledges the difficulties facing restaurants right now, even in a season that’s more character-based than issue-driven (and even when The Bear’s staff skates by a few of those problems in later episodes). Carm’s sudden crush also pulls double duty. He’s never been distracted from his job before, and balancing his commitments creates unavoidable issues (at work and at home) that are rarely explored with so few clichés and so much nuance.
FX has (rightly) requested reviews published prior to the premiere abstain from certain details in the season’s second half, so all I’ll say (for now) is they put their budget to good use. Well before “Ted Lasso” made it a popular joke, too many half-hour shows (of any genre) stretched their runtimes to fit in every idea they could, usually to the show’s detriment. “The Bear” indulges here and there, including an hourlong entry, but it knows exactly why it’s doing so, and the resulting episodes never feel their length. Carried by magnetic turns from White, Edebiri, and Moss-Bachrach (along with an astutely assembled ensemble by Jeanie Bacharach) and a resolute sense of purpose, “The Bear” flies by once again. Only this time, you’ll be even better satiated.
“The Bear” Season 2 premieres all 10 episodes Thursday, June 22 on Hulu.
The first season of “The Bear” opens
Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023
A new love story is coming soon! Netflix has released new details and the first photos from season three of Bridgerton.
Season three will focus on the love story of Penelope and Colin, played by Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton. Also starring in the series are Jonathan Bailey, Luke Thompson, Jessie, Hannah Dodd, Ruth Gemmell, Adjoa Andoh, Harriet Cains, Bessie Carter, Martins Imhangbe, Jessica Madsen, Emma Naomi, Hugh Sachs, Polly Walker, Golda Rosheuvel, Daniel Francis, Sam Phillips, and James Phoon.
Netflix revealed the following about the plot of Bridgerton season three:
“In the aftermath of Season 2’s Featherington Ball, Penelope is left heartbroken after overhearing Colin say to a group of bachelors that he would never court her. Penelope’s falling out with best friend Eloise (Claudia Jessie) in the Season 2 finale won’t help her mood either. But, at Tudum: A Global Fan Event, Coughlan assured viewers Penelope is ready for a scandalous new London season in Season 3.”
The premiere date for Bridgerton season three will be announced later. More photos from the upcoming season are below.
Cr. Laurence Cendrowicz/Netflix © 2023
Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2023
Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2023
What do you think? Are you excited to see this new Bridgerton romance on Netflix?
by Regina Avalos, June 19, 2023Cr. Courtesy
Sarah Jessica Parker has made what appears to be her first public comments about Kim Cattrall’s surprise And Just Like That… cameo amid an ongoing feud between the Sex and the City stars.
In remarks published by UK newspaper The Daily Mail, Jessica Parker, who plays Carrie Bradshaw, said Cattrall reprising her role as Samantha Jones was nostalgic and joyful.
She said: “We’ve been really thoughtful about the ways in which we’ve, you know, approached characters that hadn’t been around, the ways we have invited actors back and it’s been, you know, really fun and exciting and certainly nostalgic, but I think more than that, it’s been a lot of joy.”
Initiated by HBO/Max executives, Cattrall’s scene took place in a car and was filmed toward the end of Season 2. Cattrall had no interaction with the rest of the And Just Like That… cast.
In other quotes cited by The Daily Mail, Kristin Davis extinguished any hope of a more meaningful reunion between the Sex and the City cast.
Davis, who plays Charlotte York Goldenblatt, said: “We just thought that, you know, it would be fun for the fans to have a little bit of Samantha because we know that they miss her and she’s a great character.
‘I don’t know that we’re even trying for closure at this point, or resolution. I think we just thought you know, here is, you know, our character who’s been gone. And we know people miss her and Carrie misses her…
“And wouldn’t this be great to have a little bit of her, you know, that’s what we wanted. And then I think maybe hopes have been lifted, possibly higher than that. And that was not our intention. So I hope people aren’t disappointed.”
Jessica Parker and Cattrall’s uneasy relationship has been the source of countless comment inches Cattrall took the feud into the public domain in 2018 after Jessica Parker shared condolences over the death of her brother.
Cattrall said Jessica Parker was a “cruel” individual. “You are not my family. You are not my friend,” Cattrall said.
Sarah Jessica Parker has made what appears
Developing a prosperous film requires more than just skilled actors and technicians. It requires a cohesive and collaborative team working harmoniously towards a shared objective. Team spirit entails unity and camaraderie on a film set, and play a crucial role in the overall success of the project. In this post, we will explore several strategies to foster team unity on a film set.
Establishing distinct goals and expectations from the outset is critical for fostering team unity. The director and key production personnel should effectively communicate the film’s vision as well as the roles and responsibilities of each team member. This facilitates a comprehensive understanding of each individual’s contribution and aligns efforts towards a collective goal.
Transparent communication is the foundation of any thriving team. Encourage a culture where team members feel at ease expressing their ideas, concerns, and feedback. Regular production meetings, brainstorming sessions, and open forums provide opportunities for collaboration and problem-solving. Cultivate an environment that values and respects every team member’s input.
Filmmaking necessitates seamless collaboration among various departments such as cinematography, art direction, costume design, and sound. Encourage collaboration and interdepartmental interaction to foster a sense of unity and respect among team members. You can do this by organizing unique team building activities that will bring everyone together. When individuals comprehend and appreciate the contributions of their colleagues, it engenders a shared purpose and mutual admiration.
Establishing a positive and supportive atmosphere on set is vital for fostering team unity. Recognize and appreciate the efforts of each team member, regardless of the magnitude. Foster camaraderie by organizing team-building activities, social events, or even simple gestures like providing refreshments. When team members feel valued and supported, they are more inclined to support one another.
Conflicts and disagreements are inevitable in any creative endeavor. However, unresolved conflicts can rapidly erode team unity. Encourage open dialogue and provide a platform for resolving conflicts in a constructive manner. Address conflicts promptly and impartially, fostering an environment where conflicts are viewed as opportunities for growth and learning.
Instilling a sense of ownership and empowerment in team members helps them feel more invested in the project. Encourage individuals to take ownership of their work and contribute their unique perspectives. Provide opportunities for growth and skill development, allowing team members to feel empowered and valued for their expertise.
Celebrating achievements, both big and small, is essential for cultivating team unity. When milestones are reached or challenges are overcome, take the time to acknowledge and celebrate the collective effort. This can be done through wrap parties, recognition awards, or even a simple, heartfelt thank-you note. Celebrating achievements together fosters a sense of pride and camaraderie within the team.
Cultivating team unity on a film set is a multifaceted process that involves clear communication, collaboration, and a positive work environment. By establishing clear objectives, encouraging transparent communication, promoting collaboration, and providing support and empowerment, a strong sense of unity can be nurtured. When individuals feel valued, respected, and united towards a shared vision, the filmmaking process becomes not only more efficient but also more enjoyable and rewarding for everyone involved.
Abdullah Khan is the Head of the Digital Marketing Department at Guest Posting Solution. He helps clients grow their online businesses and occasionally writes blogs to share his experience with other professionals.
Developing a prosperous film requires more than
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has appeared in court looking thinner than ever on charges that could keep him behind bars for decades.
The new trial is taking place at a maximum security prison in Melekhovo, 150 miles east of Moscow, where Navalny is serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court.
The jailed Russian opposition leader and arch nemesis of Vladimir Putin, exposed official corruption and organised major anti-Kremlin protests.
The 47-year-old was arrested in January 2021 upon returning to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.
Navalny has said the new extremism charges, which he rejected as ‘absurd,’ could keep him in prison for another 30 years.
Alexei Navalny appears in a court on Monday on charges he has described as ‘absurd’
He said an investigator told him that he would also face a separate military court trial on terrorism charges that could potentially carry a life sentence.
The new trial, which opened on Monday, comes as Russian authorities are conducting a sweeping crackdown on dissent amid the fighting in Ukraine, which Navalny has criticised.
The Moscow City Court, which opened the hearing at Navalny’s IK-6 prison, did not allow the media into the room, with members of the press forced to watch the proceedings via video feed from a separate building.
Navalny’s parents were also denied access to the courtroom and followed the hearing remotely.
Navalny’s parents, and the media, were forced to follow the legal proceedings remotely
Navalny, dressed in his prison clothes, looked gaunt but spoke emphatically and gestured energetically as the trial got under way.
The new charges against him relate to the activities of his anti-corruption foundation and statements by his top associates.
His allies said the charges retroactively criminalise all the activities of the 47-year-old’s foundation since its creation in 2011.
Navalny, an arch nemesis of Vladimir Putin, above, claims Russian authorities are failing to provide him with proper medical assistance and has voiced concerns about his health
One of Navalny’s associates, Daniel Kholodny, was relocated from a different prison to face trial alongside him.
While imprisoned, Navalny has spent months in a one-person cell, also called a ‘punishment cell,’ for purported disciplinary violations such as an alleged failure to properly button his prison robe, properly introduce himself to a guard or to wash his face at a specified time.
His associates and supporters have accused prison authorities of failing to provide him with proper medical assistance and voiced concern about his failing health.
The only thing that outshines a mirrorball trophy is a diamond ring. Some Dancing With the Stars pros have found their perfect match in the ballroom, but others have kept their personal lives off the dance floor.
Lindsay Arnold exchanged vows with her high school sweetheart, Sam Cusick, in their home state of Utah in June 2015. After two years of wedded bliss, the former So You Think You Can Dance star gushed about finding love outside of Hollywood.
“Oh my gosh, I don’t know how I could be with anybody else,” she told Us Weekly exclusively in November 2017, noting how special it felt to have a partner who knows her “real” life. “I think the best is just chilling, and just hanging out and talking. I think we have pretty crazy lives. So when you have time with the people you love, you just want to be with them. You don’t really care what you’re doing. Sit around, hang out, talk, cuddle.”
The longtime couple put down roots in Salt Lake City, where they spend most of their family time when Arnold isn’t competing on the ABC ballroom dance show. In May 2020, the duo announced that they were expecting their first child together. Their daughter, Sage, was born six months later.
“Blessed beyond words to have this man by my side for eternity ❤️ I am so grateful for his love in my life and don’t know where I would be without him,” Arnold wrote in a sweet Instagram tribute to her husband following their baby girl’s arrival. “I am grateful for our beautiful daughter that we made together and I am already so blown away by how natural you are as a father. I love you, Sam.”
Unlike Arnold, other DWTS pros have found their life partner in the dance world. Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd turned their professional bond into a happy marriage, tying the knot in July 2017 after welcoming son Shai Aleksander six months prior. After marking their little boy’s third birthday, Murgatroyd told Us that she’s ready to think about becoming a family of four.
“We definitely want to have a baby and it will be very, very soon,” she exclusively revealed in July 2020. “[Shai’s] getting older, and I want him to grow up within his childhood with other siblings.”
Chmerkovskiy, for his part, previously hinted that he was hoping to have a daughter someday. “When Peta said [her last pregnancy] was a boy, I had this elated reaction like, ‘Thank God,’” he told Us exclusively in March 2020. “But immediately after that, I was like, ‘OK, now I’m ready for a girl.’ I just think it’s a special thing.”
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Scroll down to learn more about the DWTS pros and their off-stage partners.
The only thing that outshines a mirrorball
Rob Schneider told Floridians how he really feels about the “motherf–kers” from blue states like California and New York who are “flooding into” the sunshine state in his new Fox Nation comedy special.
In an exclusive video of “Rob Schneider: Woke Up in America” shared with TheWrap, the comedian praised his audience in Florida for their kindness, telling them the state’s residents are the “nicest people.”
“It’s so great to be here in Florida,” Schneider said in the clip as he opened the Fox Nation special from the Tampa Theater in Tampa, Florida. “You guys are incredible — you put up with so much. You’re so kind.”
“You have people every day just running over your border, just flooding into Florida… Every day, just foreigners coming in. I’m not talking about Mexicans,” the comedian continued. “I’m talking about people from California and New York.”
Schneider went on to call out the “motherf–kers” from the blue coastal states who he joked bring with them their vegan diets, their yoga pants and their rock climbing shoes.
The “Grown Ups” actor then dragged liberal out-of-towners even more, zeroing in on the trendy dietary restrictions they bring into the state, joking that the sight of cheese or toast will “f–k them up.”
“If you want to f–k them up, give them a piece of cheese — they go, ‘Oh I’m lactose intolerant!’” Schneider said, holding his stomach. “God knows, you really want to f–k them up, give them a piece of toast, [they’ll be] like, ‘Oh, f–k, I can’t eat gluten, there’s gluten in there!’”
“They’re a bunch of p–sies — and I know because I’m one of them,” Schneider said. “I accept that — I’m from California.”
Watch the full “Woke Up in America” clip in the video above.
Schneider’s comedy special “Woke Up in America” is available to stream on Fox Nation now.
Rob Schneider told Floridians how he really
Note: The following Kate Mara and Josh Hartnett interview discusses major spoilers for “Black Mirror” Season 6, Episode 3: “Beyond the Sea.”
Season 6 of “Black Mirror” introduces an alternative 1969 in “Beyond the Sea,” in which two astronauts, Cliff (Aaron Paul) and David (Josh Hartnett), quite literally experience the best of both worlds by spending time with their families on Earth in a replica of their likeness while their bodies remain aboard a multi-year space mission.
Although both men spend limited time together on the mission, when a cult leader kills David’s family and burns his replica, David has no choice but to spend all his time alone on the spacecraft. After Cliff begins to worry that David might not survive in his isolation, Cliff’s wife Lana (Kate Mara) suggests that David could use Cliff’s replica for a break appear in Cliff’s likeness to visit their picturesque home and the forest surrounding it.
“It’s exploring how isolation affects us on such a deep level, and how human connection is vital to our existence, happiness and health,” Mara told TheWrap. “That’s really what a lot of this episode is about… That’s why I wanted to be a part of it.”
All is well with David’s trips down to Earth as he works on a painting of Cliff and Lana’s home, though things begin to take a turn when David (in Cliff’s replica) begins hitting on Lana. In space, Cliff becomes suspicious of David’s intentions and forbids David from using his replica again — leading David to return to Earth in Cliff’s replica once more to commit a violent act against Lana and Cliff’s son to level the playing field.
“David has gone through an extraordinary trauma: he’s isolated as can be, literally in space, without anyone to speak to, except for a guy who is reticent and won’t speak with him about anything meaningful,” Hartnett said. “Beyond any expectations that he’s ever had, he finds that little glimmer of hope, and that little possibility of love and connection with Lana’s character, and to have that taken away, again, to endure that trauma again, would be too much. So he does something awful, and thereby creating a potential for connection between him and Cliff.”
By the end of the episode, Cliff returns to space, with his wife and child deceased, finding himself in the exact state of grief and isolation David felt several months before — though knowing Cliff must spend time with the man who decimated his family adds another level of twisted complexity.
As David motions for Cliff to take a seat at the table, Hartnett notes that the installment’s conclusion leaves Cliff with a choice for how the rest of their mission — and their lives — will continue.
“Does he sit down and join David and their mutual isolation and mutual grief and find a companionship, or do they both die up there?” Hartnett said. “It’s not gonna be easy for Cliff to come back to Earth. Everybody thinks he killed his wife — it’s so horrible.”
“Black Mirror” Season 6 is now streaming on Netflix.
Note: The following Kate Mara and Josh
Bebe Rexha had to have ‘three stitches’ in her face after being struck in the face by a fan’s phone while in concert in New York City on Sunday.
The 33-year-old singer was playing a concert Sunday at The Rooftop at Pier 17 on her Best F’n Night Of My Life tour.
The Grammy-nominated artist had been performing and was making her way to the front of the stage when she was smacked in the face by the device.
After a moment of shock, the Brooklyn native fell to her knees with her head down as multiple crew members in the wings rushed to her aid.
Fans immediately alerted security to the man who allegedly threw the phone, who was then taken away by security.
The latest: Singer Bebe Rexha, 33, was struck in the face by a phone while in concert in New York City on Sunday, after someone at the event launched the projectile at her. Pictured in Cannes last month
Videos posted to Twitter showed the entertainer, whose full name is Bleta Rexha, being helped off the stage after the incident
Other fans were quick to shout ‘that’s assault’ at him as he was taken away, as others started to boo and called him an ‘a**hole’.
Some claimed that he had been arrested, but there has been no confirmation by authorities, and DailyMail.com has contacted the NYPD for comment.
Videos posted to Twitter showed the entertainer, whose full name is Bleta Rexha, being helped off the stage after the incident.
As she was being tended to by medics and being led behind the curtain at the venue, she gave the audience a wave.
‘This is Bebe Rexha being rushed out of the concert venue here in NYC after someone threw a f***ing phone and hit her face as she was leaving the stage,’ the Twitter user captioned the clip.
‘We were all having a hell of a good time and so was Bebe, we were all having a blast, I mean who would even do that??? We hope you’re ok @BebeRexha.’
A tweet from the account Pop Base read: ‘Bebe Rexha’s mother reveals that she had to get three stitches after someone in the audience threw a phone at her head during her concert.’
Dozens of Rexha’s fans took to Twitter to vent about the senseless attack on the pop star.
Rexha had advertised Sunday’s show with a frame on her Instagram Stories
Other fans were quick to shout ‘that’s assault’ at the man who was allegedly responsible, as he was taken away, as others started to boo and called him an ‘a**hole’.
Rexha shared a shot of a sign inside the venue prior to her concert on Sunday
A number of Rexha’s fans took to Twitter to vent about the senseless attack on the pop star
‘Bebe is literally one of the sweetest and most unproblematic people in the music industry she doesn’t deserve this… some of y’all really need to leave her alone omg,’ one fan wrote.
Another fan of the Baby, I’m Jealous performer wrote, ‘Absolutely great show ruined by a fan throwing their phone at @BebeRexha hopefully she is ok after that.’
One fan complained about the lack of decorum on the part of the fan who pitched the phone onstage, while another questioned why and how something like this could happen.
”Fans’ suck so bad because what do you mean Bebe Rexha had to go to the f***ing hospital and get stitches in her head because someone threw a phone at her and it hit her???? What the f***???’ the fan said.
Another fan called Rexha ‘literally one of the sweetest and most unproblematic people in the music industry,’ adding, ‘she doesn’t deserve this.’
Said another fan: ‘Bebe Rexha really deserves better… between this and the audience not showing any visible signs of care.
‘Like idc if they paid $6 to come see her, at the end of the day, they gotta show some respect…’
The singer recently made headlines after it was revealed she gained 30 pounds following a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome
She delved into more detail about the health issue during a May 25 appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show
Rexha said in the appearance, ‘I literally jumped, like, 30 pounds so quickly, maybe a little bit more. But we got to just be positive and just show people love’
It was not immediately clear if, or how long, the scary incident and resultant injury would sideline Rexha amid her tour.
She has four upcoming concert dates scheduled for the week ahead.
They include a June 20 date at The Fillmore in Philadelphia; June 21 at The Fillmore Silver Spring in Silver Spring, Maryland; June 23 at the Tabernacle in Atlanta; and on June 24 at the Hard Rock Live Orlando in Orlando, Florida.
The singer recently made headlines after she revealed she gained 30 pounds following a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome.
‘I went to the doctor last year – and a lot of women actually have this and they don’t know about it – but they diagnosed me with PCOS, which is polycystic ovary syndrome,’ the singer said during a May 25 appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show.
She delved into more detail about the health issue: ‘It’s one of the leading causes of why women gain weight and are obese.
‘I literally jumped, like, 30 pounds so quickly, maybe a little bit more. But we got to just be positive and just show people love.’
In the appearance on the talk show, Rexha opened up about how she processes the public scrutiny on her weight gain in the form of social media comments.
Rexha was seen on May 25 at the amfAR Cannes Gala 2023 at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d’Antibes, France
She was seen during entrances at the Cannes Film Festival last month
‘Listen, we’re in the public eye, so that’s bound to happen,’ she said. ‘I was a lot thinner and I did gain some weight – that comes with the territory. I’m not mad about it because it is true, but when you see things like that, it does mess with you.’
She continued: ‘You don’t know what somebody’s going through, what they’re going through in their life, so it kind of is tough.’
Rexha said that she feels in current times, ‘We should not be talking about people’s weight.’
LAST MONTH, the I’m Good (Blue) artist spoke about living with PCOS while appearing on Gayle King in the House on SiriusXM.
‘It’s tough – I think for me, I’ve been definitely struggling with my weight and I’ve been struggling with food forever,’ Rexha said.
She cited her past experience, noting the obsession with weight that music industry leaders had demonstrated toward her, with their suggestions.
‘I remember starting out and getting my first record deal, and ever since then, they kind of put it in my head, and they said to me when I first got signed, ‘Are you ready to get into bootcamp shape? Because you need to lose 20 pounds in order to do this career; like you have to lose weight,” she recalled.
Bebe Rexha had to have 'three stitches' in
And finally, I have to ask. This role is intense and to be honest, the way that you were fighting is kind of how I wished you beat up Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but it seems like you saved that fighting spirit for this role. How was it getting into that dark headspace?
Well Namor was actually after Surrounded so I put all my fury on our beautiful counterpart and co-leader Jamie Bell, he got a lot of things from me. It was like in every role that I play, I try to tap into what that character’s feeling. Simply put: this character has a dream and a desire for herself and there’s someone that’s blocking that, there’s someone that’s interfering with her dreams, and what do you do when your life is in danger? You’re in the middle of nowhere and all you have to do is defend yourself and think 10 steps ahead of everybody else.
I always just go straight to the script, straight to what I feel the character’s feeling and try to allow that to flow through me. Obviously, if you’re being provoked by your co-lead and he’s doing it really well, naturally those things will come up. I just always try to find the truth in every scene and everything that I do.
And finally, I
Big Pokey, the pioneering Houston rapper who helped transform the city’s hip-hop scene, has died after collapsing onstage Saturday. He was 45.
Big Pokey, whose real name was Milton Powell, died Sunday, a representative for the musician confirmed in a statement provided to The Times. No cause of death was given.
“It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of our beloved Milton ‘Big Pokey’ Powell,” the statement read.
“He was well-loved by his family, his friends, and his loyal fans. In the coming days, we will release information about his celebration of life and how the public can pay their respects. We ask that you respect his family and their privacy during this difficult time. Big Pokey will forever be ‘The Hardest Pit in the Litter.’”
News of Big Pokey’s death surfaced shortly after a video of the “Who Dat Talking Down” artist abruptly falling to the floor during his show in Beaumont, Texas, began circulating online.
Big Pokey was among the original members of influential Houston hip-hop collective Screwed Up Click. He was also known for his solo work, including his 1999 debut album, “The Hardest Pit in the Litter.”
“The City of Houston and I extend our prayers and condolences to our own Screwed Up Click legendary rapper #BigPokey family and friends,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted on Sunday.
“Though many called him ‘low key,’ his presence was larger than life in helping to catapult our hip hop scene nationally. We are grateful.”
In recent years, Big Pokey had remained active on the Houston hip-hop scene. He released his latest studio album, “Sensei,” in May 2021, as well as an EP with fellow Houston rapper J Dawg in March 2023. He collaborated with another Houston rapper, Megan Thee Stallion, on the song “Southside Royalty Freestyle” from her 2022 record, “Traumazine.”
Houston rapper Bun B, who has recorded with several members of Screwed Up Click in the past, paid tribute to Big Pokey on Instagram, hailing his contemporary as “one of the most naturally talented artists in the city.”
“Low key, humble mountain of a man who moved with honor and respect,” Bun B wrote.
“He was easy to love and hard to hate. He’d pull up, do what he had to do and head home. One of the pillars of our city. If heart of gold was a person. Iconic member of the SUC. There will never be another and will be missed dearly. We love and honor you Sensei. Rest in heaven.”
Big Pokey, the pioneering Houston rapper
The cast of Marvel Studios’ Deadpool 3, including the possibility of some X-Men-related cameos in the MCU, just got teased in a big way by Deadpool’s creator.
Deadpool 3 looks to break the MCU’s Multiverse more than any movie released thus far, starting by bringing Hugh Jackman into the franchise for his first full run as Wolverine under the Marvel Studios umbrella.
He’ll team up with Ryan Reynolds and a number of already-established actors from the first two Deadpool films, although the cast list will also include a number of fan-favorite characters from recent MCU stories as well.
Speaking with the Nuke the Fridge YouTube channel, Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld teased the various X-Men cameos that could become a reality in Marvel Studios’ Deadpool 3.
While he wouldn’t reveal any specifics, Liefeld exclaimed that the information he knows “will melt your face,” using that phrasing twice as he hinted at what’s on the way:
“The stuff I know, it will melt your face, alright? That’s all I’m going to say, it’ll melt your face!”
Liefeld was also asked about the rumors of legacy X-Men characters showing up in the movie and if the rumors ever get close to being right.
He looked back to a conversation he had with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who wanted the comic writer’s “input on some decisions” as Marvel considered its options for Deadpool 3:
“I see what you’re doing. Look, here’s the deal, guys. You know what, I was very honored. Mr. Feige reached out to me late last summer, wanted my input on some decisions. Then we had a follow-up meeting with the producers. I was just honored that they wanted to have my input and they would say, ‘We’re considering a lot of different roads, a lot of different paths.’
While he knew some of what was happening in Deadpool 3, including Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s reunion, he also teased that the cast list will blow fans’ minds when the entire thing is revealed to the public:
“Some stuff I was aware of, I had to be quiet before it was announced. I knew Hugh and Ryan were getting back together for ‘Wolverine 3.’ I’ve been very fortunate people put stuff in front of me. And trust me, all I’m saying is, I saw that cast list. I think people are just going to freakin’ get blown away, and I’m not saying shit more than what I just said.”
Besides rumors teasing the return of the X-Force team from Deadpool 2, fans are already imagining some of the big names from the classic X-Men movies that could reprise their roles again in Deadpool 3.
For example, Storm actress Halle Berry was recently seen donning a hairstyle that looked eerily similar to the one she rocked for Marvel and 20th Century Fox, hinting that she may be in line for a comeback as the weather-based mutant.
Additionally, this isn’t even the first time that Liefeld teased the cameo potential for this new outing, previously urging Marvel to let Deadpool interact with the MCU’s biggest names upon his arrival.
And with Owen Wilson and Tara Strong already heavily rumored to be a part of this movie as Mobius and Miss Minutes after their time in Loki, the sky is truly the limit for who else could pop up alongside the Merc with a Mouth.
Deadpool 3 is now set to release in theaters on May 3, 2024.
The Walking Dead: Dead City (we will simply call it Dead City) is finally here to further expand this universe. This spinoff series gets into action quickly with Maggie tracking down Negan just outside of New York City. As we already knew, Maggie needs Negan’s help to locate her son Hershel. He was taken by a new villain called the Croat (Željko Ivanek). The trailer revealed that the Croat has a connection to Negan. Many fans (including me!) suspected the Croat was a former Savior who eventually formed his own version of the Sanctuary… and we were right. Here’s what we know about the Croat and what he’s up to on The Walking Dead: Dead City so far.
In Dead City’s debut episode, Maggie finds Negan, who is traveling with Ginny, a kid whose trauma has rendered her silent. We know that a couple of years have passed in this universe, so there are some gaps that the show will eventually explain. Negan wants to know why she’s stalking him and Maggie says she needs his help with finding and defeating the Croat. Negan pretends to not know him at first. That is, until Maggie says that the Croat’s group came into her community and began to do that famous Savior whistle.
Negan admits that the Croat was “an exceptionally insane son of a b**ch” and that Hershel is probably already dead. Maggie insists that he must help her because he still owes her (does he, though?) and reminds Negan that he’s a wanted man on the run with nowhere to go. Negan agrees to help her find the Croat but only because Maggie promises Ginny refuge and education in a safe community. After watching Negan and Maggie running from falling walker bodies, massive bugs, and a ruthless Marshall (Gaius Charles), we meet the Croat himself.
At first glance, he looks more like someone’s grandfather than a ruthless leader. He confronts a bound Hershel, asking him what he knows about Negan. Hershel smart mouths him and The Croat prepares to torture him with a scythe-like instrument. But a worker interrupts him and his attention turns to an ill-fated prison escapee.
Right now, we know very little about the Croat and even less about his collective. We don’t even have a clear name for this group yet. The credits do list the guy that came into the room when he was with Herschel as a “Buraz underling.” The word buraz means brother in Croatian (the obvious reference for the Croat’s name), so having a group with that name would make sense. The Croat certainly wasn’t one of Negan’s main men during the time that Rick and company dealt with his wrath. So, at some point, we can assume that the Croat split from the Saviors. When he left, perhaps he took a few others with him to head north. But, his introduction truly speaks to the ripple effect that a single person can have in this world. It is very telling for the Croat and his group to do that Savior whistle years after Negan’s reign.
In a sense, this guy is a monster that is partially of Negan’s own creation. It is obvious he still subscribes to his conquering mindset. And if Negan—a man who bashed two people’s skulls to pulp with a barbed wire bat—thinks the Croat is a psychopath, then that is making a huge statement about what they are facing. Let’s see where Dead City takes us on this quest to save Hershel.
The Walking Dead: Dead City
Footage from Sonic Origins Plus has leaked early, and some fans aren’t happy with what they’re hearing.
Due to be released on June 23, Plus is an expansion pack for Sonic Origins which includes all 12 Sonic titles released on the Game Gear.
However, footage of some of these games has been shared online early (including by YouTuber belmont gr) and some are saying the audio emulation sounds strange (as spotted by The Gamer).
Specifically, the audio sounds like it has an echo effect, almost as if the game was playing in a large hall.
According to Twitter user kirisamemofo, the audio is the result of an attempt to create a faux stereo effect, and that by putting it into audio editing software and converting it back to mono it sounds like it normally would on any other emulator.
It’s a cheap stereo effect (sounds like it’s oscillating the panning on both sides?) Making it mono makes it sound normal again. pic.twitter.com/O5hvmjvcyG
— . (@kirisamemofo) June 18, 2023
Reaction to the audio on YouTube has been somewhat negative, with some fans suggesting that previous re-releases of Game Gear titles, such as in 2004’s Sonic Gems Collection, had better sound.
“Imagine being Sega and messing up audio emulation for Game Gear games,” said YouTube user Kaybee.
“What the hell is up with the Game Gear sound quality? Is this pre-patch or something?” added user OldSchoolGaming4Life.
Other users seem less bothered by the audio and are just happy to have the option to play the Game Gear titles on a modern system.
As well as the 12 Game Gear titles, Sonic Origins Plus will also add Amy Rose as a playable character in the compilation’s existing games – Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, 3 and Sonic CD – as well as making Knuckles playable in Sonic CD.
It will also include all previously released Sonic Origins DLC, and will also be released in a physical edition which includes a 20-page artbook.
Footage from Sonic Origins Plus has leaked
Warner Bros Discovery has announced three Thai HBO Asia Originals, including a third and final season of action fantasy Khun Pan and unscripted shows MarkKim + Chef and Deane’s Dynasty.
All three Thai-language shows will launch exclusively on HBO and HBO Go in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Set in 1950 after the Second World War, Khun Pan 3 is directed and written by Kongkiat Komesiri and produced by Sahamongkolfilm International. The story follows sorcerer cop Khun Pan in a mission to hunt down two bandits and uncover a conspiracy.
The cast is headed by Ananda Everingham, Mario Maurer, Phakin Khamwilaisak, Sarika Sathsilpsupa and Bhumibhat Thavornsiri. The first two seasons of Khun Pan will be streamed on regional on-demand service HBO Go ahead of the premiere of the third season.
Cooking show MarkKim + Chef follows soon-to-be married Thai television stars Kimberley Anne Woltemas and Mark Prin Suparat, neither of whom has much experience in the kitchen, as they learn to cook under the guidance of professional chefs. The show is produced by IFA Media.
Produced by 247 Pictures, reality series Deane’s Dynasty follows Thai celebrity power couple Lydia and Matthew Deane as they attempt to navigate the dramas of fame and family.
“This upcoming slate of HBO Asia Originals is reflective of the growing popularity of Thai content. We are proud to partner with Sahamongkolfilm International, IFA Media and 247 Pictures to champion homegrown creators, spotlight an incredible line up of Thai actors and bring local storytelling to audiences in the region and beyond,” said Magdalene Ew, Head of Content – Entertainment at Warner Bros Discovery, Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Warner Bros Discovery has announced three Thai
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