Co-produced by Brian Eno, the “Bright-Side Mix” of the song mixed by Mark “Spike” Stent, “Road to Joy” explores the reawakening of senses.
“I’m working on a project which is partly a story focused around the brain and how we perceive things and this song connects to that,” Gabriel said in a statement. “It deals with near-death experience and locked-in syndrome situations where people are unable to communicate or to move. It’s an amazingly frustrating condition.
“There have been some great books and films about this subject, but at this point in our story the people looking after our hero manage to find a way to wake him up,” he continued. “So, it’s a lyric about coming back into your senses, back to life, back into the world.”
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The track features Soweto Gospel Choir, and musicians from Gabriel’s current touring band, including longtime collaborators Tony Levin (bass), David Rhodes (guitar) and Manu Katché (drums), alongside newer members Don E (bass, keys) and Josh Shpak (trumpet). It also features a string arrangement from John Metcalfe.
In recent months, Gabriel has been revealing i/o singles at each full moon, including “Four Kinds of Horses and “Panopticom.” While the musician has yet to unveil his upcoming album’s release date, he has announced “i/o the Tour,” with North American dates kicking off in Quebec on Sept. 8.
Peter Simonischek, an eminent Austrian theater actor who found international fame as the shambolic prankster and adoring father in Maren Ade’s Oscar-nominated 2016 German film “Toni Erdmann,” died on May 29 at his home in Vienna. He was 76.
The cause was lung cancer, his wife, Brigitte Karner, said.
Mr. Simonischek was a member of the Burgtheater, the venerable Viennese institution otherwise known as the Burg, one of the oldest and largest ensemble theaters in the world.
“He was one of the last great stars of Austria,” said Simon Stone, the Australian director who is based in Vienna and cast Mr. Simonischek in his 2021 play, “Komplizen,” at the Burg. Mr. Simonischek, he said, was a beloved public figure, recognized by taxi drivers and passers-by in the streets of Vienna, where he was more of a celebrity than most film stars.
He was certainly easy to spot: a handsome, shaggy-haired bear of a man who used his physical heft to marvelous effect.
His size “lent his performances a hulking grandeur,” said A.J. Goldmann, who covers German theater for The New York Times, “that could be tragic or give them a Falstaffian absurdity.”
In the comedy “Toni Erdmann,” the story of a workaholic management consultant named Ines (played with brittle humor by Sandra Hüller), Mr. Simonischek is Winifried, Ines’s mortifying father, a retired music teacher who sets out to liberate Ines from her soul-squashing profession by camouflaging himself as Toni Erdmann, a loutish, lumbering corporate consultant to her boss, and upending all she holds dear.
The film, written and directed by Ms. Ade, enthralled critics at Cannes and the New York Film Festival and was nominated for a 2016 Academy Award for best foreign language film (losing to “The Salesman,” from Iran). A.O. Scott, writing in The New York Times, called it “a study in the radical power of embarrassment” and described Mr. Simonischek’s character as “a slapstick superhero.”
“Sometimes he’s a clown,” Mr. Stone said of Mr. Simonischek. “And sometimes he’s an authority figure or a debonair leading man. He was willing to completely humiliate himself. He used his beauty and his imposing physicality as a kind of canvas on which he could paint any kind of disgusting or extraordinary quality that any of his characters needed.”
In Mr. Stone’s play “Komplizen,” which he said translates not quite accurately as “Complicit,” Mr. Simonischek played an industrialist who is facing a reckoning as the world turns against him and his ilk.
It is Mr. Stone’s process to write his scripts in rehearsal, to encourage the actors to come to the material fresh and make room for improvisation. It’s a grueling process, he said, and Mr. Simonischek excelled at it, cheering on the younger cast members who struggled with the practice. Also, the production called for a rotating stage, making rehearsals even more grueling.
“Once you’ve got Peter in your corner, you can achieve anything,” Mr. Stone said. “His brilliance was infectious; he shared it with the cast on a daily basis. It’s a quality he has had from the beginning of his career — to make other actors brilliant while never becoming less brilliant himself.”
Peter Simonischek was born on Aug. 6, 1946, in Graz, Austria. His mother was a homemaker and his father was a dentist who had hoped his son would study medicine, as Mr. Simonischek told an interviewer last year. But after seeing a performance of “Hamlet” when he was a teenager, he said, “I was lost.”
He attended the Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, and found work as an actor in Switzerland and Germany. In 1979, he joined the Berlin Schaubühne, an innovative ensemble theater, where he became a star. He joined the Bur in 2000.
In addition to “Toni Erdmann,” for which he received the European Film Award for best actor, his most recent film roles include “The Interpreter,” a 2018 Slovak film, and “Measure of Men,” a German film about the country’s colonial atrocities in Africa; it came out in February.
Besides his wife, who is also an actor, Mr. Simonischek is survived by three sons, Max, Kaspar and Benedikt, and two grandchildren. His first marriage, to Charlotte Schwab, ended in divorce.
Just before his death, Mr. Simonischek had been playing the stage role of the patriarch of a Pakistani American family in a production of Ayad Akhtar’s “The Who and the What” at the Renaissance Theater in Berlin, following an enormously popular run at the Burg, where it opened in 2018. (The Renaissance stopped the show when Mr. Simonischek fell ill a few weeks ago.)
The play tells the story of a devout and charismatic Muslim man whose daughter has written a novel about the Prophet Muhammad, scandalizing their traditional community and upending their relationship.
Mr. Akhtar, who won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2013 and is the author of the critically acclaimed 2020 novel, “Homeland Elegies,” said that of all his plays this production is the longest running and most popular. And in contrast to its American run in 2014, it was staged with an all-white cast, only because that is the cultural and racial makeup of Burg’s ensemble. It’s a scenario that in years past might have given him pause, as he told Mr. Goldmann of The Times in 2018. But Mr. Simonischek and his castmates had won him over.
“What was remarkable was this weird alchemy,” Mr. Akhtar said in a phone interview, “because Simonischek at that point was the patriarch of Austrian theater, a father figure to the Austrian public, and he was playing this conservative Muslim father.
“On opening night the notoriously stoic Viennese audience was in tears,” he went on. “Maybe not as much as me” — Mr. Akhtar said he was sobbing onstage at the curtain call — “but not far from it. It was one of the peak moments of my career.”
At Mr. Simonischek’s death, Mr. Akhtar was in the middle of writing a play for him. Mr. Simonischek, he said, was “soulful, precise and enthralling — an actor whose heart and generosity were as wide as his talent.”
The animated Spider-Verse is back with more of the ground-breaking visuals the first movie was praised for and another highly-praised story from the creative geniuses of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The LEGO Movie).
But even with the endless praise and box office success Spider-Verse 2 is seeing, there has been one problem reported but certain audiences around the world.
Following the release of Across the Spider-Verse, some moviegoers have noted issues with the audio playback, particularly citing cases of the volume being too low or below average for a typical theatrical experience.
Producer Phil Lord took to Twitter to address issues with Across the Spider-Verse being played too quietly in certain theaters.
Lord explained what the reference volume (the intended volume level) for Spider-Verse 2 should be and encouraged moviegoers to “ask someone to check” it is set correctly at their theaters:
“Spider-Verse friends! if you get to the theater early and you want a fun mission ask someone to check that the theater volume is set at reference (7)! If it sounds a bit quiet, invite them to turn it up a touch to 7.5! If they give you flack… tell them we said it was okay.”
Lord has even gone as far as to get special stickers made to push theater projectionists to play Spider-Verse 2 at its “full volume,” indicating the volume issue is stemming from theaters playing the movie below its recommended level:
“Made some stickers for the projectionists out there keeping our eyes and ears happy.”
Phil Lord
The producer continued to explain how volume seven is recommended as it is “the standard [they] mix to,” allowing for the audio design to be “very dynamic and comfortable” for loud playback:
“7 is the standard we mix to. 7.5 might be better in a full house. It’s a very dynamic and comfortable mix so you can play it loud and proud”
He added in a follow-up tweet how, while “every house is different,” more packed theaters may find the standard volume “a bit quiet:”
“Every house is different. In my experience in a full house it’s a bit quiet.”
Lord appears to be sending these stickers out in mass to theaters to push the movie to be played at its intended reference level to ensure moviegoers can get the best experience possible going forward:
“PROJECTIONISTS!!! I’m sending you all a present.”
Phil Lord
Will Spider-Verse 2’s Audio Issues Be Resolved?
Fortunately, the audio issues with Across the Spider-Verse don’t seem to have been massively detrimental to the viewing experience for many. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t unfortunate many viewers won’t get to enjoy the movie with quite the same grandeur, especially with the opening weekend peak now passed.
Sony and the Spider-Verse 2 team will likely be striving over the coming days, as shown by these stickers from Phil Lord, to ensure these issues can be corrected as soon as possible, particularly in time for its second weekend.
These audio issues are particularly unfortunate for the hundreds of hard-working creatives who have spent months and years perfecting the sound for Spider-Verse 2, only for the biggest opening weekend audiences not to get the full experience.
Across the Spider-Verse is playing now in theaters worldwide.
In the long history of DC movies, many plot holes have propped up, several of which being hard to ignore. Since its inception in 1934, DC Comics has introduced hundreds of complex heroes and villains begging to be adapted into live-action. A series of short films in the 1940s led to the first feature, Superman and the Mole Men, in 1951, paving the way for the DCEU and now James Gunn’s DC Universe decades later. However, with so many projects produced under the DC label, there are also a massive number of glaring plot holes.
The 1960s and 1970s birthed some iconic representations of DC Comics’ heavy-hitters, Batman and Superman, both of whom received most of the focus in live-action adaptations in subsequent years. Most of these projects produced sequels, or even full-on franchises, meaning continuity was a major issue as the stories continued. Projects developed by DC between the 1970s and 1990s also leaned heavily into the campier aspects of DC Comics, allowing some ridiculous, fantastical, and oftentimes confusing storylines to emerge, but this is a problem that still prevails in more recent DC film as well. Here are 14 examples of some DC plot holes that are too huge to overlook.
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14 Superman Could Have Caught Both Of Those Missiles In 1978
Christopher Reeve starred in 1978’s Superman opposite Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor, with the latter formulating a plan to bomb the United States’ West Coast to create some prize real estate. In an effort to distract the Man of Steel, however, Luthor also sends a missile to the East Coast, which Superman flies to intercept first. In the film, his capture of one missile means he’s unable to stop the other, and the West Coast is destroyed. However, only moments later, Superman flies at incredible speeds around the planet to turn back time. If this were possible, surely Superman would have been able to fly and capture both missiles in time.
13 The Batwing’s Aiming Systems Are Useless In 1989’s Batman
While Superman dominated the 1970s and 1980s, Tim Burton developed Batman in 1989, bringing Michael Keaton’s iconic Bruce Wayne to the big screen, starting the Caped Crusader’s reign over superhero cinema. Batman pitted the titular hero against Jack Nicholson’s Joker, who planned to poison the citizens of Gotham at the city’s parade. Batman luckily used his Batwing to thwart the Joker’s plans at the last second, but when aiming his weapons at the Joker, he misses every single shot – only to be shot down moments later by one bullet from the Joker’s gun. Batman surely would have had some higher-tech aiming systems in his Batwing.
12 Hal Jordan Is Allowed To Keep The Green Lantern Ring
2011’s Green Lantern is widely regarded as one of the worst DC projects of all time, featuring Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, a human chosen to become a mystical Green Lantern. Despite undergoing vigorous training, the leader of the Green Lantern Corps, Sinestro, is doubtful of Jordan’s potential, so Jordan quits the Corps not long after being drafted. This decision perhaps should have prompted Sinestro to ask Hal Jordan for his Green Lantern ring and lantern back, but the human was allowed to keep these powerful and ancient objects. This seems like an incredibly misguided decision, as these important objects could have fallen into the wrong hands.
11 How Did Batman Make It Back To Gotham In The Dark Knight Rises?
During a battle against Tom Hardy’s Bane in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne finds himself defeated, his back broken, and imprisoned in an underground cave prison in India. Even so, five months later, Batman triumphantly returns to Gotham City – though this is completely unexplained. Bruce Wayne was left in India with no equipment, technology, or money, so it’s difficult to picture how he physically could have actually returned to Gotham, particularly since Bane had all but locked down the city. It’s unclear how Batman returned to Gotham, and since that franchise has ended, this plot hole is likely to remain unresolved.
10 Everybody Should Know That Clark Kent Is Superman
Man of Steel marked the start of Zack Snyder’s DC Extended Universe, introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. Despite being held in high regard among fans, there’s one glaring plot hole in Man of Steel concerning Superman’s human alter ego. Throughout the film, Superman and Amy Adams’ Lois Lane make no attempt to hide the fact that Superman is Clark Kent. Lane calls him by his name several times when he’s in his superhero costume, actively investigates Clark Kent before teaming up with Superman, and the Kryptonian visitors even land at the Kent farm, so it stands to reason that Superman’s civilian alter ego should have been exposed.
9 Lex Luthor Creates His Own Worst Nightmare In Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice
Despite a strong debut at the box office, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice went on to be unfavorably received by critics, due in part to its attempts to introduce too many new concepts in such a short space of time. This indeed lent itself to the creation of several massive plot holes, one of which was in the irony of Lex Luthor’s creation of Doomsday. Luthor created the Kryptonian monster in response to his fear of Superman, but Doomsday himself was in fact everything Luthor feared, hence why Doomsday’s origin doesn’t really make any sense. In fact, if Superman hadn’t killed Doomsday, the entire planet would have been at risk.
8 What Was The Suicide Squad’s Original Mission?
On paper, 2016’s Suicide Squad should have been a high point in the DCEU, but the reasoning for forming the anithero team never added up. In the film, the Suicide Squad band together to defeat Cara Delevingne’s Enchantress, but that wasn’t their original mission. In fact, the team were originally brought together simply to escort Amanda Waller, portrayed by Viola Davis, up some stairs and into a helicopter that she simply could have gotten aboard by herself. This mission made the team seem ridiculous and pointless, and detracted from a lot of the impact of Suicide Squad, with many regarding it as one of the DCEU’s weakest projects.
7 Wonder Woman’s Ludendorff Didn’t Die In WWI
Danny Huston appeared as Erich Ludendorff in 2017’s Wonder Woman, based on the real-life Ludendorff who was central to the German victories during World War I, and eventually helped the Nazis’ rise to power after WWI. This is a prime example of the problems with real-life figures being fictionalized for films, as Huston’s Ludendorff met his demise at the hands of Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman. But in reality, Ludendorff survived long after World War I, eventually dying in 1937. When dealing with such sensitive figures in a very specific period of European history, it’s probably best not to fudge the numbers this much.
6 Steppenwolf’s Mother Box Quest Doesn’t Make Sense
Early on in 2017’s Justice League, it’s established that Steppenwolf has a connection to the mystical Mother Boxes, which allows him to teleport to their exact locations and retrieve them on his mission to form “the Unity.” This should have posed an almost impossible task for the newly-formed Justice League: trying to beat an unstoppable villain. However, Steppenwolf later spends a good portion of Justice League interrogating various characters in an effort to find out the Mother Boxes’ locations. If he was already connected to them, surely he would have known where they were being hidden without having to waste time nailing down their locations.
5 Shazam’s Powers Aren’t Actually Shown Off In Shazam! & Shazam! Fury Of The Gods
Introduced in 2019’s Shazam!, Zachary Levi’s Shazam was a new DCEU hero, enhanced with the gods’ powers. After a meeting with the Wizard, Billy received the Wisdom of Solomon, the Strength of Hercules, the Stamina of Atlas, the Power of Zeus, the Courage of Achilles, and the Speed of Mercury. These powers should have made Billy the ultimate superhero, but instead, it seemed as though Wisdom and Courage were lost in the shuffle, as they were practically nowhere to be seen in either Shazam! or its 2023 sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, as Billy was goofy, scared, and bumbling both in and out of his adult form.
4 Why Was Arthur Fleck Still Raised By Penny In Joker?
2019’s Joker saw Todd Phillips develop a world separate to the often-poorly-received DCEU, marking Joaquin Phoenix’s powerful and memorable performance as Arthur Fleck, the man who would become the Joker. However, there’s one glaring mistake in Joker that simply doesn’t make sense. When Arthur was a child, his adoptive mother, Penny, allowed his stepfather to abuse him, which was later reported, leading to Penny’s incarceration in Arkham State Hospital. At this point, Arthur should have been put in foster care or adopted by a new family, but he was instead allowed to return to Penny after she was released from hospital, despite her frankly terrible parenting.
3 Rick Flag & Harley Quinn Were Expendable In The Suicide Squad
James Gunn took over the titular team for 2021’s The Suicide Squad, bringing a more colorful and entertaining version of the team to theaters than 2016’s iteration. In the film’s opening moments, Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag and Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn are part of a team sent to Corto Maltese who are gunned down in moments, revealed to be a decoy so a second team could come ashore safely. This perhaps means that Amanda Waller considered Flag and Quinn expendable, including them on the first team which was destined to be ambushed, despite them being heavy-hitters and valuable members of the team. That’s a bit hard to believe in light of their contributions to the first movie’s story.
2 The Police Should Have Unmasked Robert Pattinson’s Batman
Matt Reeves’ The Batman brought a new Caped Crusader to the big screen, now portrayed by Robert Pattinson, working alongside the Gotham City Police Department to track down the Riddler. After the bombing at Mayor Don Mitchell Jr.’s funeral, however, Batman is brought to the police station and locked inside the interrogation room, surrounded by officers – none of whom thought it might be a good idea to take off Batman’s mask to reveal his true identity, or perhaps confiscate some of the Dark Knight’s dangerous equipment and weapons. Instead, the police seemed to just wait for Batman to wake up before continuing on, none-the-wiser as to who he really is.
1 Why Didn’t DC’s Gods Take Back Black Adam’s Power?
After Black Adam, questions remain regarding the setup for the main plot. It was revealed that Adam was imprisoned during a battle with Shazam and DC’s gods 2,600 years ago, only to be awoken in the present day with all of his powers still intact. This seemed counterproductive on the part of the gods, who surely could have taken back Adam’s powers with ease, especially since he didn’t receive them the natural way. Black Adam’s entire story hinging on this illogical decision by the gods made this one of the DC movies’ biggest plot holes.
Sony‘s chief executive Kenichiro Yoshida has warned that technical issues remain with cloud-based gaming, calling the technology “very tricky.”
In an interview with the Financial Times, Yoshida mentioned that Sony would look to use “various options” in the future for streaming PlayStation titles over the internet.
“I think cloud itself is an amazing business model, but when it comes to games, the technical difficulties are high,” said Yoshida, citing latency, which refers to the time it takes for an action inputted on the controller to be reflected on screen, as the biggest issue. “So there will be challenges to cloud gaming, but we want to take on those challenges.”
Yoshida also highlighted that due to the fluctuating popularity of gaming during the day, for example, a high number of players all logging on when they finish work, it’s financially inefficient to run when there are few players, and that conversely, a high number of players logging on at the same time could lead to issues in performance.
Referring to these quiet periods as “the dark time,” Yoshida said, “The dark time for cloud gaming had been an issue for Microsoft as well as Google, but it was meaningful that we were able to use those [quieter] hours for AI learning,” said Yoshida.
“We observe mobility in gaming habits to be an increasingly important trend, and the cloud will be fundamental to allowing us, or indeed anybody else, to exploit that trend,” he said in a recent interview.
“We do have some fairly interesting and quite aggressive plans to accelerate our initiatives in the space of the cloud that will unfold over the course of the coming months.”
PlayStation has experimented with cloud features for over a decade, with its PlayStation Now service (now rolled into PS Plus) representing one of the early pioneers of the space.
Cloud gaming currently represents a small percentage of the global games market, but its viewed as a potential disruptor for the future.
Caleb Pike from DSLR Video Shooter made an awesome 3D-printed accessory for all sorts of mics and transmitters.
There are a ton of audio accessories out there. Sometimes you can even get away with a bit of gaff tape, and you’re good to go.
But for many solo shooters, the idea of having a bunch of cables and tape keeping your gear together isn’t only annoying, it can create a rig that is cumbersome to use.
Caleb Pike of DSLR Video Shooter started making small batches of 3D-printed mods and accessories for his gear, and his latest piqued my interest.
The MicBack
Through Camera Foundry, Pike newest venture, the filmmaker created what he calls the MicBack, a seemingly simple accessory that hides quite a bit of versatility.
The MicBack is a mod for your current Rode VideoMic NTG, Rode VideoMic GO II, or Deity V-Mic D3 Pro andDeity V-Mic D4 Mini that allows you to attach small form factor audio transmitters and recorders. This includes the Rode Wireless GO series, DJI Mic, Tascam DR-10L, and the Zoom F2.
Via this mod, your audio setup can remain compact and live either on your camera, boom pole, or C-Stand (if you’re a solo shooter like me).
That’s it. For about $15, your rig becomes more streamlined and usable, and installation is also a breeze.
But for me, the MicBack is more than a tool. It’s an idea that I can’t get out of my head.
Pike’s Inception
At its basic level, the MicBack is just a 3D-printed piece of plastic that connects two different tools together. But it works. The simple design has features that fit perfectly with all of the above audio equipment.
But the idea I can’t get out of my head is how much this simple tool is making me rethink my own camera rig, which is made of multiple accusers from multiple brands and a whole lot of cables and gaff tape. I’ve always rigged my setup to meet my needs but never considered my wants. What do I want as a shooter?
3D printing has always fascinated me, and I am currently shopping around for a printer of my own. The idea of not having to wait for a manufacturer to create something I need and having the ability to just create it on my own really opens up the world of want.
I want to be a shooter who has tools that work for me, not one that has tools I’m forcing to fit my style. While I can just go out and buy something that’s prebuilt for the experience, those tools can come at a cost. Costs that a lot of filmmakers can’t afford. So, why not make it yourself? Pike did.
Should You Get It?
If you use any of the above audio tools or have thought about purchasing some of them for your kit, just go and get the MicBack. You’re not only supporting Pike as an educator and creator, but I’m confident it’s a tool you’ll rely on more than you think.
Pike even sells the 3D files for $5. If you have a printer, it’s a no-brainer.
As the Writers Guild enters its second calendar month of a strike, a key alliance in its fight for increased residuals, wages and AI protections has struck a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
In a tentative deal that is poised to be submitted for approval Tuesday to its National Board, the Directors Guild of America spent all day Saturday at the table and reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP just before midnight Sunday. The three-year agreement sees the 19,000-member guild receive pay and benefits gains, increases in global streaming residuals and protections against the use of artificial intelligence, which sources say was the last sticking point to a deal that came after less than a month of negotiations with the AMPTP. The DGA’s current contract, along with that of SAG-AFTRA, expires June 30. The actors branch currently has members voting to authorize a strike, should its negotiating committee call for one.
As one of its key talking points, the Writers Guild of America has stressed unity with other guilds in its ongoing strike against the AMPTP over such issues as streaming transparency, wage increases and AI safeguards. While the DGA was wildly expected to close a deal with the AMPTP and avoid a strike of its own, the tentative deal — dubbed “historic” by its leadership — has not gone over well with members of the Writers Guild.
“Thrilled that the DGA was able to use the power of the WGA’s labor action to secure a deal that works for them,” writer Amy Berg (Jack Ryan, Warrior Nun) wrote early Sunday. “We proposed a number of these terms … before the AMPTP cut off negotiations in order to hand a deal to the DGA. They will continue to not speak to us, offering them next to SAG. But we have needs in areas they don’t, and will secure a deal that works for us. This isn’t it. Also keep in mind that SAG is due to announce the results of their strike authorization vote and getting this done quickly is an attempt to undermine its impact. Between that and the strike, the DGA was situated well to get something that works for them. For them, not us.”
The WGA issued a statement on the DGA’s tentative new deal on Sunday.
“We congratulate the DGA Negotiating Committee for getting a deal they are recommending to their National Board for approval and presumably will then send to their membership for ratification,” the WGA said. “Out of respect for the DGA’s ratification process and in recognition of not knowing the contract language they have negotiated, we won’t be commenting on their deal points. Our own bargaining positions remain the same as they were on May 1, 2023.
“Last week we sent an email about how the AMPTP divide and conquer strategy won’t work this time. The AMPTP will not be able to negotiate a deal for writers with anyone but us. Today that message and the video about the path to a deal with the WGA is even more timely.”
SAG-AFTRA issued its own statement via Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, national executive director and chief negotiator, who also congratulated the DGA but said it would be “premature” to comment on the tentative deal since the actors guild leadership hasn’t had time to review it. SAG-AFTRA begins its negotiations with the AMPTP on Wednesday; it has set a strike authorization vote deadline for 5 p.m. Monday.
“As we have done throughout this process, we will remain in close communication with our sister unions, especially the WGA and the DGA, and we will seek to capitalize on the insights we have gained from their bargaining process and progress they have made on common issues,” Crabtree-Ireland wrote to the guild’s members. “Of course, the needs of SAG-AFTRA members are unique, and each and every area of focus in our negotiations is directed to serving those interests.
“Our bargaining strategy has never relied upon nor been dependent on the outcome or status of any other union’s negotiations, nor do we subscribe to the philosophy that the terms of deals made with other unions bind us. We continue to stand in strong solidarity with the members of the WGA and with their strike, and we congratulate the DGA on their bargaining and look forward to reviewing the detailed terms of their agreement as soon as possible.”
Zero surprise. The AMPTP continues to use their tired old playbook. And the DGA sadly continues to toe the line, knowing that they can draft off of the WGA’s resolve to strike for a truly historic deal. Disappointing, but not surprising. https://t.co/BLQ4SvcQuO
I don’t know about the rest of you, but this DGA “historic deal” only makes me fired up to strike until we get every damn thing we asked for. I’ll strike for years. I’ll strike with a sign in my cold dead hand from my coffin at 100. It’ll say, “I’d rather die than rewrite AI” pic.twitter.com/UtowrUApeU
#typical. Now the #AMPTP will play up to the press that the #WGA is being difficult if they don’t accept the same terms, even though their membership’s needs are totally different from most #DGA members, who are below-the-line crew, not directors.https://t.co/CQrxksVJYp
We all draft off of each other. DGA gets a better deal because we’re striking. Then SAG, with, in theory, a strike authorization vote in hand, uses the the DGA deal to build on. And then we hopefully build on that.
How bad must the DGA negotiating committee be that the WGA strike gifted them all the leverage in the world and they only made demands that the AMPTP were comfortable agreeing to. https://t.co/1VjyRMo71T
Now that the #DGA has a deal, in part due to the leverage from the #WGAStrike, it would be classy if some of their members showed up on our picket lines with signage in support of their sister unions getting a fair deal. #WGAStrong 1/3
Honestly, I have zero feelings good or bad about DGA deal. A. Expected it. B. I was taught to always focus on taking care of my own yard. And so we march on with purpose and vigor and we don’t stop till we our satisfied and ratified. #WGAStrong
DGA gonna DGA, folks. Nothing new here. I think a lot of people who are really paying attention to this for the first time are surprised/disappointed but it’s important to internalize that the DGA will never save us – no matter how vocal their support. https://t.co/YTefTPm3SU
Day 34. Many of us are waking up to news of the DGA deal. Just as many (me ?♂️) went to bed with it and were up too late as a result. I have mixed emotions: happy for gains DGA members made, frustrated we were stonewalled on all our asks. My resolve is only stronger. #WGAStrongpic.twitter.com/deP7fepqGt
Just a reminder they made a deal with the DGA in hopes of pitting us against each other. Don’t fall for it. The enemy is not the DGA it’s the AMPTP. Mini ?
Historically, a DGA deal would be used as a template for the studios and streamers to apply to other guilds. That, however, is not expected to happen during the WGA’s negotiations considering a number of its proposals impact only writers and not actors or directors. While the WGA had been seeking AI protections as well, issues specific to writers include protections against “span” and the use of “mini-rooms,” among others.
“Since there isn’t a ton of overlap with us I don’t see this having a huge impact on the current WGA strike but only time will tell,” writer Phillip Iscove (Station 19, Sleepy Hollow) posted.
Seeing a bunch of folks saying the AMPTP cut a deal with the DGA and not the writers because “they don’t respect us.”
To me it feels like the opposite. Like they will do whatever they can to undermine and weaken us, because our solidarity is real power.
As a director, I’m glad to hear negotiations were fruitful. As a writer, I fear this means the strike will last a long time, though we’ll have to see what the actors do…https://t.co/HaducdVIat via @thr
“as well as securing essential protections for our members on new key issues like artificial intelligence – ensuring DGA members will not be replaced by technological advances.” So they’ll give that to directors but not writers, cool, we see where we stand. https://t.co/2TA5vG7Apf
— Text ACT to 644-33 Gun Safety Now (@JillianKJacobs) June 4, 2023
As a member of both @WGAWest and @directorsguild I’ll be happy with new “historic” DGA deal if it means it brings AMPTP back to the table & creates similar history for the writers
Waking up to find out the DGA and AMPTP cut a deal in middle of night on a Sunday that over 3 years with inflation looks like could be a pay cut, has a clause for AI we asked for in WGA and were refused, and how many friends in DGA wanted more solidarity with all of us, is a lot. https://t.co/9KDl2xmqVx
— Aaron Stewart-Ahn Strike‼️ (@somebadideas) June 4, 2023
As a DGA member this deal looks great. As a WGA member, this deal is proof the AMPTP just doesn’t respect writers. The fact that you can make an historic deal with the people who can’t even do their jobs until writers do theirs screams all you need to know about the AMPTP. https://t.co/2A6WwDsICt
The Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA congratulated the Directors Guild of America on reaching an agreement with the studios on Sunday, but both groups stressed that the deal does not change their own goals.
Both guilds are intent on pushing back against “pattern bargaining,” in which the terms of the DGA deal are typically applied to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.
The WGA has been on strike for a month, while SAG-AFTRA begins its negotiations on Wednesday.
“Our bargaining strategy has never relied upon nor been dependent on the outcome or status of any other union’s negotiations, nor do we subscribe to the philosophy that the terms of deals made with other unions bind us,” said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the executive director of SAG-AFTRA, in a statement.
The WGA has been making the same point for several days in anticipation of a DGA deal.
“The AMPTP will not be able to negotiate a deal for writers with anyone but us,” the WGA said Sunday, in a message titled “Onward.” The memo stated that the WGA’s positions remain the same as they were on May 1, when talks broke off.
Assuming the DGA deal is ratified, it removes the threat of a tri-guild strike. The DGA has only struck once in its 87-year history — and then only for a few minutes — so an agreement has been widely anticipated.
All three unions have made a strong point of emphasizing their solidarity in this round of negotiations, which they see as a marked departure from the 2007-08 writers’ strike.
Both SAG-AFTRA and the WGA said they would not comment on the DGA’s deal points, as only a high-level summary has been released so far. The DGA has stated that it obtained a 76% increase in foreign residuals on the largest streaming platforms, as well as language restricting artificial intelligence. The guild also received increases in minimums of 5%, 4% and 3.5% over the three-year contract.
The WGA and SAG-AFTRA also want to link streaming residuals to viewership of a show. The WGA is also looking for a mandatory minimum staffing level for TV writers rooms, as well as a minimum number of weeks of employment, among other goals.
SAG-AFTRA has set a strike authorization vote, with ballots due 5 p.m. on Monday.
Just when we thought things were good between Catherine Sarah Lancashire) and Clare (Siobhan Finneran), Happy Valley Season 3 Episode 3 promises to shake up their dynamic like never before.
In an exclusive first look at the next episode, we see the two sisters come to blows over Ryan’s (Rhys Connah) communication with Tommy (James Norton).
The sisterly bond hasn’t been as strong in recent years, and this latest bump in the road could change everything for them.
As viewers are well aware, Tommy is one of TV’s most despicable characters, and his actions have shaped the lives of everyone in Happy Valley.
As a result, it’s not easy to see why Catherine is so shocked by her sister’s actions.
In this final season of the multi-BAFTA award-winning BBC drama created by one of the UK’s most celebrated and critically acclaimed screenwriters, Sally Wainwright (Gentleman Jack), Sarah Lancashire (Julia) returns to her iconic role of Sergeant Catherine Cawood for six new episodes.
Also returning are James Norton (The Nevers) as Catherine’s nemesis, the murderer and sex-offender Tommy Lee Royce; Siobhan Finneran (Downton Abbey) as Catherine’s sister, the recovering addict Clare Cartwright, and Rhys Connah as Catherine’s sixteen-year-old grandson Ryan, eight years after he first played the role as a young boy.
The final season of the AMC+ Original series will also see the return of Happy Valley favorites Ishia Bennison as Joyce, Shane Zaza as Shaf, Chord Melodic as Sledge, and Mete Dursun as Gorkem.
They join the previously announced new and returning cast members Con O’Neill, George Costigan, Charlie Murphy, Derek Riddell, Karl Davies, Susan Lynch, Rick Warden, Vincent Franklin, Amit Shah, Mark Stanley, and Mollie Winnard.
Happy Valley newcomers Oliver Huntingdon (The Rising), Jack Bandeira (Sex Education), Alec Secareanu (God’s Own Country), and Anthony Flanagan (Gentleman Jack) will also appear in season three.
“When Catherine discovers the remains of a gangland murder victim in a drained reservoir, it sparks a chain of events that unwittingly leads her straight back to Tommy Lee Royce,” the logline reads.
“Her grandson Ryan is now 16 and still living with Catherine, but he has ideas of his own about what kind of relationship he wants to have with the man Catherine refuses to acknowledge as his father.”
“Still battling the seemingly never-ending problem of drugs in the valley and those who supply them, Catherine is on the cusp of retirement.”
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
Even if you haven’t watched CBS’ hit comedy Ghosts, chances are pretty good that you’d recognize Utkarsh Ambudkar — the actor-rapper best known for his breakout role as one of the Treblemakers in Pitch Perfect and as Mindy Kaling’s younger brother in The Mindy Project. But playing Jay Arondekar — the unseeing husband of Rose McIver’s Sam who can see the spirits who live inside their hotel — is his biggest achievement yet, and a job that should keep him busy for a long time. Here, the Maryland native talks about his start in rapping and acting and what’s so brilliant about playing a guy who can’t get spooked by spooky roommates.
DEADLINE: What happened while growing up in Baltimore that made you want to devote your life to acting and rap?
UTKARSH AMBUDKAR: I wasn’t like a tough kid, so I wasn’t gonna scare anybody around me. I think being South Asian in Maryland in the ’80s was still very much a new ethnicity to America. So a lot of people didn’t know what we even were. I had to find a way to fit in. One way was to entertain my friends. I had a proclivity at home for making my family laugh, and my mom and dad were very keen on pop culture. We had all the records, and we watched a ton of Bollywood movies, which are very over the top but beautifully made. I was the only kid who was making up songs on the spot and doing voices and making people laugh. And then, when I was nine or 10, we would sneak out and listen to the new Dr. Dre record, the new Snoop Dogg, Tupac or Notorious B.I.G., basically what is now considered the second golden age of rap. I feel like I got confidence and joy at Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland. I could go on stage and do a Shakespeare play and start improvising. No professor was gonna start yelling at me if I started adding monologues on stage, which I would do frequently because I would get caught up in the moment. I had a ball. I would get such a rush off of that, and the audience would love it.
Utkarsh Ambudkar as Jay and Rose McIver as Samantha in Ghosts.
Bertrand Calmeau/CBS
DEADLINE: How was your time studying at New York University?
AMBUDKAR: They still didn’t really know what to do with an Indian, if I’m being honest. They were very much like, “Well, I guess you could play the Prince.” I remember a teacher — and I won’t say his name because he’s passed on, and he was an incredible teacher — but the only note that he ever really gave me was that my brown skin looked really good under the lights. I started to take rap and freestyling really seriously. It felt like a place where I could really embody all of who I wanted to be. I could be the minority, the South Asian. I could be cool, I could be vulnerable, I could be political. And in New York City, you go to an open mic in the East Village every Monday and Wednesday night. On top of that, I could get into any cypher, which is like just a group of dudes rapping on a corner.
DEADLINE: What was your first job?
AMBUDKAR: My first real job was assistant directing a play at the Hip Hop Theater Festival in D.C. that Chadwick Boseman wrote. He was such a brilliant guy. The Hip Hop Theater Festival was just a bunch of broke dudes doing comedy raps. Little do I know that I’m walking into a room with Tommy Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Christopher Jackson. The amount of Tonys, Grammys, Oscar nominations and Emmys that are in that group! So we’ve all just stayed together. I joined Freestyle Love Supreme [the improvisational hip-hop group formed by Miranda and Anthony Veneziale], and then I remember we were in Seattle doing a show at some festival, and I get a call from my new agent at Gersh about Pitch Perfect. I end up being featured on every song as a vocalist, which for a first movie or a second movie is pretty freaking cool. Then Mindy Kaling sees Pitch Perfect and goes, ‘Oh, I have an idea for a rapping brother.’ I am flabbergasted. So Mindy kind of broke me into television.
DEADLINE: Is there something in those last two decades that you wish would’ve gotten more attention than it did?
AMBUDKAR: The one thing that I wish more people could have seen because I think it’s really, really good is Brittany Runs a Marathon [in which he played Brittany’s boyfriend, Jern]. It’s such a feel-good movie. And star Jillian Bell is so freaking funny. She’s my favorite. We’ve done four movies together, and it’s always the best working with her. In the way that people respond to Ghosts, I think the same people would love Brittany Runs a Marathon.
DEADLINE: Can you remember when Ghosts launched? Did any fear pulse through your veins about this show working because it’s so freaking hard to launch a comedy on a broadcast now?
AMBUDKAR: I don’t think so. Honestly, like when we did Pitch Perfect, you knew that something really, really good was happening, and people watching it knew it was gonna be good. Like, there was no question watching Rebel Wilson and Adam Devine, hearing the music, we were like, ‘Oh, this sh*t is gonna be good.’ Ghosts is the same way. When you see Rebecca Wisocky, Brandon Scott Jones and Devan Chandler Long, you’re like, ‘Oh!’ it was almost an immediate acceptance of like, ‘Wow, you’re here.’ It’s a successful show and these people are good and you found a spot to land. I’m married with two kids and one on the way. My priorities are different.
Ambudkar and Tristan D. Lalla in Ghosts.
CBS
DEADLINE: The writers could have made your character, who runs a bed and breakfast with his wife Sam, a disbeliever when it came to the ghosts. But they didn’t.
AMBUDKAR: What can you do with a character if he doesn’t believe his wife? He’s just always the antagonist and then the audience is like, “F*ck that guy.” Now, he’s either along for the adventure and pushing the adventure forward. Jay is sort of the glue guy. I’m there to facilitate, as much as I can, the ghosts’ stories and Sam’s story, and be the audience’s window into this world.
DEADLINE: So the second season ended with this pretty fun cliffhanger. Jay and Sam see a burst of light out of the mansion and think someone is going to be sucked out [Ghost-speak for a soul finally moving to the next dimension]. Does that mean it’s time to thin out the ghosts on Ghosts?
AMBUDKAR: I hope not. Anytime you lose a character, it feels like you’re losing a family member. So as a fan, I don’t really want that to happen. I don’t know who’s getting sucked off. I really hope it’s not one of our main ghosts.
Read the digital edition of Deadline’s Emmy Comedy issue here.
DEADLINE: Tell me about the Disney+ movie World’s Best. What’s it about?
AMBUDKAR: It’s about a young boy named Prem [newcomer Manny Magnus], who’s a math wizard. But he doesn’t want to be because he’s an outcast in school. He learns that his late father was a world-famous rapper and he wants to change his identity, so his father [played by Ambudkar] starts to visit him as an imaginary friend and teaches him how to become this great rapper. He has to realize that changing his entire identity may not be the best thing. It’s a family story about growth. I’m really proud of it.
DEADLINE: You’ve had a charmed career. Does it feel that way?
AMBUDKAR: My mistakes have been huge. Lin-Manuel originally wrote the role of Aaron Burr with me in mind for Hamilton. And I played that role in the first iterations. I’m sober now for eight and-a-half years, but my sobriety, or lack thereof at the time… I mean, I dropped it. Lin put it in my hands and I let go of it. [Ambudkar was replaced by Leslie Odom Jr.]. So, I understand what I have. Charmed? I guess if you look at it that way, it is charmed. They didn’t kick me to the curb. They loved me enough until I could love myself, and that’s really special.
But since Healy’s been rumored to be dating Taylor Swift, music fans have favored analyzing their apparent romance over his intimate onstage antics. Recently Healy was busy showing up for Swift during Eras Tour weekends in Nashville and Philadelphia, and now he’s back on the road with his band.
At The 1975’s performance at Denmark’s NorthSide Festival this weekend, the kiss returned. This time, Healy, bottle of alcohol in hand, knelt in front of a smiling security guard at the fest and smooched him on the lips — after asking for his consent. “Wanna kiss me?” he mouthed to him before going for it.
While Healy hasn’t dropped snogging from his routine, he did make it a point to not lock lips with anyone right in front of Swift when she made a surprise appearance at The 1975’s show at London’s O2 Arena in January. At the concert — where Swift gave an impromptu live performance of her own “Anti-Hero” and The 1975’s “The City” — Healy announced to the audience, “I’m not kissing anybody in front of Taylor Swift. Have some respect. In front of the queen? It’s not happening.”
During The 1975’s set at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend festival last weekend, Healy seemingly brought up the Swift dating rumors. He cleverly addressed them by revealing nothing at all.
“Is it all a bit? Is it sincere? Will he ever address it? All of these questions and more will be ignored in the next hour,” Healy quipped, presumably referencing his rumored relationship.
See Healy’s latest stage kiss in the fan footage below. The 1975’s upcoming tour dates can be found here.
The Writers Guild is congratulating the Directors Guild on achieving a tentative agreement on a new film and TV contract but says its strike will continue unabated and that its own bargaining positions “remain the same” as at the start of the strike on May 2.
“As always, we will see you out on the picket lines this week,” the WGA Negotiating Committee said in a message sent to members this afternoon. Titled “Onward,” the message is the WGA’s first public comment about the DGA’s tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
The DGA deal with the AMPTP, which was reached late last night, “achieves major breakthroughs in addressing the international growth of the entertainment industry and makes significant gains across key economic and creative rights while reaffirming the critical role of DGA directors and their teams,” DGA leaders said.
Its provisions include what the DGA is calling “groundbreaking gains in wages and benefits,” a 76% increase in global streaming residuals, language confirming that generative artificial intelligence “cannot replace the duties performed by members,” and the banning of live ammunition on sets in the wake of the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and the wounding of director Joel Souza in October 2021 on the set of Rust.
“As you have probably heard, the DGA announced they have reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP,” the WGA Negotiating Committee told members this afternoon. “We congratulate the DGA Negotiating Committee for getting a deal they are recommending to their National Board for approval and presumably will then send to their membership for ratification.
“Out of respect for the DGA’s ratification process and in recognition of not knowing the contract language they have negotiated, we won’t be commenting on their deal points. Our own bargaining positions remain the same as they were on May 1, 2023.
“Last week we sent an email about how the AMPTP divide and conquer strategy won’t work this time. The AMPTP will not be able to negotiate a deal for writers with anyone but us. Today that message and the video about the path to a deal with the WGA is even more timely.”
SAG-AFTRA, meanwhile, is currently conducting a strike authorization vote among its members and will begin contract talks with the AMPTP on Wednesday.,
“We are standing in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA membership as they complete their strike authorization vote, so they can go into their critical negotiation demonstrating the power and the leverage of their unified membership,” the WGA Negotiating Committee said.
During the last writers’ strike back in 2008, the DGA made a deal with the AMPTP on the 73rd day of the work stoppage. The main issue was residuals from what is now known as streaming. A few weeks later, the WGA agreed to similar terms, ending its walkout after 100 days.
This time around, the DGA made its deal on the 33rd day of the WGA strike, but the WGA says the companies’ “divide and conquer” strategy won’t work this time.
The actor, who plays Charlotte’s (Kristin Davis) husband Harry Goldenblatt, spoke to People on Saturday about Cattrall’s upcoming cameo in the sequel series.
“I think it is great. I do,” Handler told the publication. “Apparently, [her cameo] was shot in the garage somewhere with no contact with anybody, so the only place I have to welcome her is into my living room when it airs on television,” he joked.
As for when he found out she would be returning as the group’s iconic Samantha Jones, the Californication alum said he learned about it when the news broke on Wednesday.
Cattrall’s absence from the SATCreboot was explained in the first season, which noted that Samantha moved to London after a falling out with Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker). The two eventually reconnected via text message and made plans to meet up and talk through what happened.
The How I Met Your Fatherstar bowed out of the franchise after the second film, Sex and the City 2, resulting in Cattrall and Parker having a real-life falling out. After the news that Samantha would not be returning for the sequel series broke, the two actresses had different stories about what happened. Cattrall said she had no interest in revisiting the role of Samantha, while Parker said she and And Just Like That showrunner Michael Patrick King chose not to approach her about returning.
During an appearance on The Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatterpodcast in 2022, the Hocus Pocus star doubled down on the fact that the team decided not to reach out to Cattrall because she had been so clear about moving on from the franchise.
“It no longer felt comfortable for us, and so it didn’t occur to us,” Parker said. “That’s not ‘slamming’ her, it’s just learning. You’ve got to listen to somebody, and if they’re publicly talking about something, and it doesn’t suggest it’s someplace they want to be, or a person they want to play or an environment in which they want to be, you get to an age where you’re like, ‘Well, we hear that.’”
Former CNN President Jeff Zucker told students at Yale University that he was led to believe that the former owners of the network used his relationship with Allison Gollust as an excuse to terminate him, individuals familiar with his comments told The New York Times.
“I gave them a gun, and they shot me with it,” Zucker said, according to those sources.
Zucker’s abrupt resignation in February 2022 put a spotlight on Gollust, his longtime lieutenant and the network’s chief marketing officer. Gollust, who had worked with Zucker for decades and rejoined CNN in 2013 as his “closest colleague,” had been identified as the woman with whom he had a “consensual relationship,” which he didn’t disclose to CNN owner at the time, AT&T, in apparent violation of company policies.
Gollust resigned two weeks after Zucker’s ouster and following a WarnerMedia investigation into Chris Cuomo and his efforts to help his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said in a memo at the time, “The investigation found violations of Company policies, including CNN’s News Standards and Practices, by Jeff Zucker, Allison Gollust and Chris Cuomo.”
Since their terminations, Zucker and Gollust have continued their relationship out in the open, traveling to Las Vegas to see Taylor Swift in concert and attending the Sports Emmy Awards at the invitation of Bryant Gumbel and Matt Lauer.
Zucker’s frequent expression of frustration and dissatisfaction with the terms of his exit and criticism of the current CNN chief, Chris Licht, has become louder as time has passed. According to the Times, Zucker has become the go-to guy for current employees of the network who have grievances about Licht’s choice of direction.
But the network’s numbers legitimize criticism. The news division, once profiting $1 billion a year, generated just $750 million in 2022, $200 million of which Warner Bros. Discovery said was due to losses from the CNN+ streaming service. In addition, according to Nielsen data, ratings have dropped 30% compared to the first quarter of 2020 when Donald Trump was the big driver on cable news.
CNN’s town hall with Trump in May proved to be one of Licht’s more noteworthy slips in recent months. According to reporter Tim Alberta’s recent profile of the executive for The Atlantic, Licht knew that the crowd’s makeup skewed more towards MAGA enthusiasts than the “GOP-leaning independents” CNN originally claimed would occupy these seats. Ahead of the town hall, Licht even made a comment to his deputies about the crowd being “extra Trumpy.”
As Licht’s employees leak his organization’s failings to other outlets, many on the left have criticized the network’s renewed focus on the right. Meanwhile, many on the right remain skeptical of the network as a whole.
According to sources who spoke with The Times, Zucker’s criticism of the network has ruffled many feathers at WBD, who even suspect “Zucker has leaked unflattering information about the network’s operations to the press” and that he’s “waging a proxy war against” Licht.
Zucker’s spokesperson, Risa Heller, told the Times, “It is wholly unsurprising that Jeff Zucker, the architect of CNN’s unprecedented success, would have deep misgivings about the direction the network has taken since he left.”
Morgan Wallen was poised to have a 13th straight week topping the Billboard 200 album chart, but someone who more regularly weaponizes the number 13 had other plans. Taylor Swift stopped Wallen’s possibly historic run at 12 weeks, as her 2022 album “Midnights” reclaimed the top spot due to the release of deluxe editions with hotly anticipated new tracks.
All of the different variations of “Midnights” count as one for charting purposes. After never leaving the top 10 since it came out last year, and recently spending a number of weeks at No. 2, “Midnights” returned to No. 1 with 282,000 album-equivalent units for the week.
It wasn’t a close call, as Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” album registered 126,000 units to slip to No. 2. If it hadn’t been Swift toppling Wallen, it almost could have been somewhere else. The country star’s long-standing smash was nearly in a tie with Lil Durk’s “Almost Healed,” which came in third with 125,000 units.
According to Luminate data first published by Billboard, the gain registered by “Midnights” was 389% for the week. And those 282,000 units represent the second-best week that any album has had in 2023, trailing only the 501,000-unit week that Wallen’s album had in its debut more than four months ago.
As pure album sales go, though, “Midnights” just has the best sales week that any record has had this calendar year, as 196,000 of the units represent sales.
Several extremely high-profile variants — in digital, CD and/or vinyl form — contributed to Swift’s comeback in the top spot, as fans who already own at least one version of the album rushed to repurchase it for newly added bonus tracks.
Luminate did not break down which edition was responsible for which percentage of the new sales. But Swifties had several options. Last and probably least, the standard version of the album was issued in an additional violet color (just slightly off from the purple version previously exclusive to Target).
But there were two separately titled deluxe editions as well. One was a digital-only “Til Dawn” variation, which took all the tracks previously available on the “3 a.m.” deluxe edition and added three more: “Hits Different,” a track previously available only on a Target-exclusive CD, plus a version of “Snow on the Beach” with added Lana Del Rey lead vocals and a remix of “Karma” with rapping from Ice Spice.
The other new deluxe version, dubbed the “Late Night” edition, included most of the tracks that were previously part of the “3 a.m.” edition, added the fresh Del Rey/Ice Spice mixes, and then featured the most covetable song of all, as far as most fans were concerned: the previously unreleased “You’re Losing Me (From the Vault).” This particular edition was made available as a CD only at merch stands for Swift’s stadium shows, and as a download only for 24 hours at Swift’s webstore, although not many hardcore fans skipped that window. That particular track hasn’t been made available for streaming or separate download, so far.
This is the sixth (obviously non-consecutive) week that “Midnights” has spent at No. 1 since it came out in November, and the first time it’s topped the chart in 2023.
Wallen stands a strong chance of retaking the top spot next week, although this past Friday’s release schedule introduced plenty of contenders for the top 10, including a new Foo Fighters album, Jelly Roll’s debut as a country artist and Metro Boomin’s “Spider-Man” companion album.
I was today years old when I learned that Emmy Rossum is playing Tom Holland’s mom.
Apparently, they’re both starring in The Crowded Room, a new Apple TV+ limited series drama executive produced by Tom Holland. Tom stars as Danny Sullivan, “a man who is arrested following his involvement in a shooting in New York City in 1979.” Emmy will play his young mother, Candy.
But, the Shameless actor is only 36 years old.
And Tom just turned 27 a few days ago.
This means they have less than 10 years between the two of them. And while it seems a little unbelievable on paper — Emmy wasn’t fazed at all by the improbable age gap.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Emmy opened up about playing Tom’s “super young” mother. “It makes sense when I read the script,” she said. “Candy’s a super young mom, she’s almost a child in her own right when she becomes pregnant at age 16. You watch as I age from 25 to 35, which is actually younger than I am now.”
Emmy’s not focused on the small age gap because she “fell in love with the relationship between mother and son and the closeness and everything that they’re grieving in later episodes.”
She especially loved a scene with Zachary Golinger, who plays a younger version of Tom’s character. “Our relationship was so beautiful, and so I knew everything that we had that I had lost in the scenes with Tom. [It] was really fun,” she said.
It’ll be interesting to see how this dynamic plays out. The 10-episode limited series will be released on June 9, 2023.
Warning: This story contains spoilers for the series finale of “Succession.”
Logan Roy didn’t live to see the fate of his multibillion-dollar company so it’s only fitting that Brian Cox hasn’t seen the series finale of “Succession.”
Cox, who plays Logan, admitted Sunday that he hasn’t watched the final episode of the hit HBO drama after his character died earlier in the season. However, the Scottish actor claimed he already “knew how it was going to end because … Logan had already set it up.”
Asked by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg why he hasn’t kept up with the show, Cox joked, “I’m dead. Dead people don’t watch things like that.”
“I’ve never liked watching myself, for a start,” he elaborated in earnest.
“And somehow or other, because of what happened to Logan, I’ve been disinclined to watch the rest. … I gather that ultimately, in the end, Logan’s won through — even though he’s in the grave. But it’s a strange situation. … I don’t cling onto things. When I’m over, it’s over, and I go on.”
Five years after it began, “Succession” culminated last week in a climactic battle between the Roy children and tech mogul Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) over Waystar Royco — the media conglomerate that Logan founded and attempted to sell to Matsson before his shocking death in Season 4, Episode 3.
Despite the Roy siblings’ repeated attempts to ascend the Waystar throne, the deal finally went through with none of them on top — a devastating ending that satisfied Cox.
“They don’t deserve to [succeed],” he said on “Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg.”
“That’s the whole point of the show. The show’s been heading that way.”
Cox has had plenty to say about the series in the wake of his character’s demise. He previously divulged to the BBC that he “did feel a little bit rejected” when he found out Logan was getting the ax toward the beginning of Season 4.
“I felt a little bit, ‘Oh, all the work I’ve done. And finally I’m going to end up as a New Yorker on a carpet of a plane,’” he said.
The Emmy winner has since arrived at the opinion that “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong concluded Logan’s story “brilliantly” — albeit “too early.”
“It was bold of Jesse, and that’s where Jesse’s great,” he continued. “There’s no question he’s a writing genius.”
Up next, Cox is set to star in an Amazon reality series inspired by the “James Bond” franchise. The competition program bills Cox as an antagonist of sorts who will control the fates of the contestants.
“I got to see how ordinary people would cope with being on a James Bond adventure,” Cox said in a statement obtained by the Hollywood Reporter.
“As they travel the world to some of the most iconic Bond locations, it gets more intense and nail-biting. I enjoyed my role as both villain and tormentor, with license to put the hopeful participants through the mangle.”
While the R-rated franchise’s first two movies were released just two years apart, the threequel has been held up following Disney’s takeover of the original studio 20th Century Fox, with Deadpool now under the purview of Marvel Studios.
When Does Deadpool 3 Release?
Marvel
Having originally been announced with a September 6, 2024 release date alongside the confirmation of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine comeback, a delay was confirmed just a few short weeks later as part of a batch of MCU shifts.
Deadpool 3 is now placed to hit theaters on November 8, 2024 as the last of next year’s MCU movies, with it set to follow the releases of Captain America: New World Order, Thunderbolts, and Blade.
When Does Deadpool 3 Start Filming?
Deadpool 3 began filming on May 23 at Pinewood Studios in London, UK, with the production being forced to contend with the ongoing writer’s strike.
Fans have already caught their first behind-the-scenes look at the threequel production, revealing the beginnings of the movie’s makeup work.
Which Actors & Characters Will Appear in Deadpool 3?
Marvel
Deadpool 3 has already confirmed eight actors who will reprise their roles from the franchise’s last entry, along with Hugh Jackman finally reprising his role as Wolverine to team up with Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson. Those actors are:
Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool
Hugh Jackman – Wolverine
Stefan Kapicic – Colossus
Brianna Hildebrand – Negasonic Teenage Warhead
Shioli Kutsuna – Yukio
Rob Delaney – Peter
Morena Baccarin – Vanessa
Karan Soni – Dopinder
Leslie Uggams – Blind Al
On top of the returning icons, two new additions to the cast in undisclosed roles include Succession‘s Matthew Macfadyen and The Crown‘s Emma Corrin.
Rumors have also pointed to two Loki actors appearing due to the movie’s TVA connections, those being Owen Wilson’s Mobius and Tara Strong’s Miss Minutes.
Ryan Reynolds previously revealed his original plan for Deadpool 3 was for a “road trip” with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. With Fox’s iconic mutant actor confirmed to return, it’s likely this may still be the movie’s focus.
Deadpool 3 will still be holding onto its ties to the previous two movies as a number of X-Men return, potentially along with other unexpected mutants and past heroes from the Fox universe, thereby closing the book on that world.
Will Deadpool 3 Be Rated-R?
Marvel
When Marvel Studios took over the former 20th Century Fox characters, many expressed fears the studio may drop the Deadpool franchise from R-rated to PG-13 as the MCU has yet to put out a project with the mature rating.
Across his first two movies, Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool resided in the FoxVerse, but at the end of his second installment, he was using Cable’s time travel device to hop across the timeline and cause a whole world of chaos. So the Merc with the Mouth truly could have ended up in any universe by the end of his adventures.
Whether the movie actually takes place, at least partially, in the main Earth-616 timeline remains to be seen. But regardless, the movie is expected to have major consequences for the MCU and supposedly be the project to kick its Multiverse focus into gear as Phase 5 ends and Phase 6 begins.
Now that Deadpool is under Marvel Studios’ control, he may well end off his threequel in the main MCU timeline, setting him up for crossovers and other connections with a multitude of projects.
The threequel will reportedly also include appearances from several characters from Loki and the Multiverse-monitoring TVA. Deadpool 3 and Loki have a lot in common as neither takes place within the usual MCU timeline itself but still connects to the overall picture from outside that reality.
What Phase Is Deadpool 3 In?
As Deadpool 3 was only announced after Marvel Studios debuted its Phase 5 and 6 slates at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, it has yet to be formally placed into either of the two Multiverse Saga phases.
But given the threequel will release after all the confirmed Phase 5 movies and shows, one would assume it will fall early in Phase 6, perhaps even as its first project ahead of February 2025’s Fantastic Four.
When Will Deadpool 3 Release on Disney+?
Marvel
The MCU has recently changed up its Disney+ strategy to give movies slightly longer time in theaters and for home purchase before bringing them to streaming.
Looking at the current theatrical-to-streaming window of 80 to 90 days used by Black Panther 2 and Ant-Man 3, Deadpool 3 ought to come to Disney+ around late January or early February 2025, provided the movie faces no further delays.
Looking at 2023’s November MCU movie, The Marvels, the first trailer was released in early April, while 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever dropped its debut teaser in late July.
But as the MCU has a whopping four new movies to promote over the course of next year, with Deadpool 3 being the last of them, it’s likely its first trailer will come later than usual, perhaps toward the end of summer alongside Thunderbolts.
How Big Is Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Role in Deadpool 3?
Marvel
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine return announcement came alongside that of Deadpool 3 itself, with the Merc with the Mouth’s logo even being sliced through by Logan’s adamantium claws on the title card.
Even director Shawn Levy teased Hugh Jackman’s massive role as he shared excitement for the iconic duo of Deadpool and Wolverine to be “together in an entire movie for the first time” as he gets to “tell a story about that pair.”
All this evidence points to Jackman’s Wolverine playing co-star to Reynolds’ Deadpool, with the mutant pair seemingly being the co-leads.
How Long Is Deadpool 3?
Deadpool 3‘s runtime won’t become apparent until the weeks leading up to its November 2024 release, long after filming has wrapped and the long post-production process has been completed.
But as Deadpool clocks in at 1 hour, 48 minutes and Deadpool 2 at 2 hours, a length of around 2 hours seems likely. Although the many plot points and MCU connections to be explored could make the movie far longer than its predecessors.
Not only has Deadpool 3 been reported to be a Multiverse movie, but some also say it will be the project to “crack open” the infinite realities and turn it into a major plot point that will affect “everyone in the MCU.”
The Deadpool franchise’s fourth wall breaking already means almost anything can happen and anyone can appear, but the Multiverse makes that more true than ever as MCU, FoxVerse, and anyone from Marvel history can truly show up.
Will Kang Appear in Deadpool 3?
Jonathan Majors’ Kang has not yet been confirmed for Deadpool 3, but with it being a Multiversal movie set to release six months before Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him appear in some form.
That said, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was also an important Multiverse movie in the current MCU saga, and the writers still opted to omit Majors’ Kang from the blockbuster sequel.
Most are expecting Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool will find himself in the MCU timeline by the end of his third solo outing. So it would be surprising if he didn’t appear in either The Kang Dynasty or Secret Wars to join in the fight against Kang.
If Deadpool does team up with the Avengers, this would mark the first time this version of the fourth-wall-breaking character has appeared in a movie that was not his own, let alone one with a PG-13 rating as opposed to his usual R-rated space.
It remains to be seen how Marvel Studios would adapt the character’s comical personality and unique style to fit into a more traditional superhero setting.
Will There Be a Deadpool 4?
Obviously, as Deadpool 3 is only just entering production now, the news is sparse when it comes to the character’s MCU future. But given his immense popularity and how Marvel Studios is only just now getting its hands on the character, the studio likely has big plans for him and Ryan Reynolds going forward.
This ought to include crossovers with other characters, appearances in team-up blockbusters, and probably Deadpool 4. After all, the superhero comedy is currently Marvel Studios’ only foray into the R-rated space.
Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Flash.
Man of Steel star Henry Cavill holds no ill will towards The Flash and his iteration of Superman being left out in favor of Sasha Calle’s Supergirl, with the actress revealing that Cavill gave her his approval. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Calle revealed that she did indeed meet her fellow Super-hero, heaping praise on the actor and his portrayal of the DC icon.
“Yes, I met him. I met him actually after the movie was done, months later. I gave him a big hug. You know, it’s Henry Cavill, man! Our Man of Steel. He is kind and very proper, and it was a great experience.”
Calle was quick to ask the Superman actor whether he approved of her performance as Kara Zor-El aka Supergirl in The Flash, revealing that he described her role as “phenomenal.”
“I asked him, ‘Did I make you proud, cuz? Does Superman approve?’ And he was like, ‘Absolutely. You did a phenomenal job.’ I think, to me, that meant the world, because it’s Henry Cavill, Man of Steel.”
Cavill’s applause for Calle’s Supergirl comes quickly following the revelation that the Man of Steel and Justice League star has seen The Flash and “loved it.” While there had been whispers early on that Cavill’s Superman would cameo amid the multiversal madness of The Flash, this does not seem to be the case. Much to the chagrin of Cavill fans. However, The Flash will not be short on people sporting the giant “S” on their chests…
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAYSCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
Supergirl Is Just One of the Super Variants Due to Appear in the Flash
DC Comics
Worlds will collide in The Flash when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian… albeit not the one he’s looking for.
Be warned, SPOILERS incoming, as The Flash director Andy Muschietti has now revealed that Sasha Calle’s Supergirl will not be the only Kryptonian variant to feature. The filmmaker recently confirmed the ongoing rumor that none other than Oscar winner Nicolas Cage will don the red cape and cameo as an alternate Superman at some point during the multiversal chaos. “Nic was absolutely wonderful,” the director said. “Although the role was a cameo, he dove into it… I dreamt all my life to work with him. I hope I can work with him again soon.”
Directed by Andy Muschietti from a screenplay by Christina Hodson, The Flash sees Justice League star Ezra Miller return to the role of Barry Allen aka The Flash. The rest of the cast includes Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El aka Supergirl, Michael Shannon as General Zod, Antje Traue as Faora-Ul, Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, Ron Livingston as Henry Allen, and Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen, with Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton starring as variant versions of Bruce Wayne/Batman.
The Flash is scheduled to be released in theaters on June 16, 2023.
Speaking to Esquire, the 80-year-old revealed the biggest question that Star Wars fans ask him and why it drives him up the wall.
“Well, they usually ask me, ‘If there was a fight between Han Solo and Indiana Jones, who would f**king win?’ And I say, ‘Me, a**hole! I don’t want to f**king make s**t up like that. I mean, what are you asking me that crap for?’”
“They usually ask me, ‘If there was a fight between Han Solo and Indiana Jones, who would f**king win?’ And I say, ‘Me, a**hole!'”
“
It’s no secret that Ford is a bit prickly when it comes to his franchise roles. After all, he previously revealed that he has no idea what a Force ghost is when it was suggested he could return to Star Wars as one.
“A Force ghost? I don’t know what a Force ghost is,” he said. “Don’t tell anyone. I’m not talking loud enough for your recorder. I have no f**king idea what a Force ghost is. And I don’t care.”
Ford is about to return as Indiana Jones in the upcoming sequel, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which sees him square off against a Nazi threat once more – this time with added time-travel shenanigans.
Perhaps as one reason for his grumpiness, Ford was famously injured while shooting Star Wars VII, causing production at Pinewood Studios to shut down after his leg was trapped under the door of the Millennium Falcon. He was also injured while filming a fight scene for Indiana Jones 5.
IGN’s review of Indiana Jones 5 gave it 4/10 and said: “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny fails to recapture Spielberg’s magic. With uninspired action and conflicting themes and character motivations, it’s proof that some things should just be allowed to end.”
And while there are undoubtedly scary elements to AI when it comes to possibly replacing jobs and entire industries, there are also some new technologies that show promise for simply making the world of video easier and less complicated.
One of these new technologies comes to us from NAB and the Cannes Film Festival this year with the announcement of a new Invisible solution technology bundle for real-time markerless motion capture. Developed in a partnership with Move.ai, this new tool promises to remove the need for markers, wearable suits, or long calibration setups as a way to allow anyone the ability to mirror their movements onto a character rig in real-time.
Let’s take a look at this new real-time AI-driven motion capture tool and explore how it might work for you.
Motion capture happening in real-time.Credit: Disguise
The Invisible AI Motion Capture Tool
Built to work within the Disguise Designer software, this solution leverages the Move.ai patented Invisible real-time markerless mocap software to extract natural human motion from video using AI. Capable of tracking up to two people at once, this new tech promises to be a faster, easier, and ultimately more cost-effective live motion capture tool on your video sets—or perhaps on your live production (or even meta-production) stages.
For live broadcasts in particular, this app is really designed to help provide motion capture data which can then be used to drive feature-triggered graphs and scene changes—or even accurate shadows—for talent on set. A process that could also be used or shared in the metaverse as well… if that’s your thing, of course.
Also, for live events, the Invisible software can integrate with the scalable processing capabilities of other Disguise hardware to ensure a high-fidelity real-time output to any LED stages or virtual production volumes of all sizes, giving your virtual setups more advanced controls and features.
AI Motion Capture for Film and Video
However, the real exciting uses for this Invisible AI motion capture tool are really in the world of filmmaking and video production as it enables the capture of 3D characters that can seamlessly interact with real actors or even drive movement-triggered effects like smoke or fire when working on the right sets.
“We’re exceptionally excited to have created the demo for the Invisible solution showcase at Cannes. Working directly with disguise and Move.ai allowed us to create a visual experience which looked and worked brilliantly thanks to the seamless integration between both platforms. Markerless motion tracking in Unreal Engine opens up vast creative possibilities that allows directors, designers, and artists to achieve much more and in a faster and more reliable way, while seeing a final quality product at every stage of creation.” — Svet Lapcheva, Executive Producer / Client Partner at FutureDeluxe.
When then combined with other tools like Unreal Engine, this new markerless motion capture tracking technology opens up a whole world of custom environments and virtual production possibilities which have usually been reserved for only the biggest budget studio production with advanced equipment and gear.
This new AI-driven motion capture tool can be used for stages both live and virtual.Credit: Disguise
The Future of Motion Capture
Ultimately, like many video-adjacent industries, the future of motion capture is set to change rapidly with the coming advancements in AI.
If you’re looking to get started with this Invisible tool in particular, it might be best to explore one of the bundles Disguise offers for various setups. To enable real-time markerless motion capture with the Invisible solution, a minimum of one disguise vx or gx machine is also needed for graphics processing and one disguise rx II for real-time rendering.
However, if you’re simply looking to keep tabs on these new advancements and begin to gameplan how you might start to possibly integrate markerless motion capture into your own videos and projects, be sure to stay tuned for more updates and features as we find out more and more about this coming AI revolution.
Also, feel free to let us know your thoughts on this new AI motion capture tech in the comments below!
Reaction is coming in after the Directors Guild and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reached a tentative deal on a new three-year contract late Saturday night. Striking writers express some disappointment in their sister union while showing resolve in their own fight for a fair deal with the studios. And, with the Succession finale still fresh in everyone’s mind, many are using memes from the saga about corporate intrigue and backstabbing to illustrate their social media reactions.
“I wasn’t around in ’08, but this feels like that from what I’ve heard,” a writer working on streaming series told Deadline Sunday. “The WGA takes a stand, the DGA reaps the rewards.”
A veteran showrunner assessed the impact of the DGA pact while also looking ahead to the SAG-AFTRA strike authorization vote which concludes Monday.
“The two guilds have a lot of different issues this year, that’s a fact, but no one can say this deal doesn’t change things, the momentum,” a veteran showrunner told Deadline today. “The outcome of that SAG-AFTRA vote is the next big hurdle. If they vote against a strike … well, I don’t know, it’ll be hard.”
Added another WGA member, “We went on strike because the studios were devaluing us. From what I read this morning, the DGA agreement only touches on residuals for us. Otherwise, I think its impact won’t be much.”
Another writer had a slightly different take on how the DGA deal would impact the WGA.
“I mean, I just want to get back to work. This is the DGA’s deal — sucks, but I get they did it,” the person said. “It’s not going to change much for us. Actually, it will change something for us: make us more determined to fight for a fair deal for us.”
Here’s a sampling of Twitter reaction from striking writers and their supporters talking about the DGA-AMPTP deal:
It’s helpful to remember a little history: the DGA tried bargaining back in Feb and got nowhere.
So they called it off. Then they went back to bargaining once they had the leverage of writers on the picket lines.
Amy Berg posted a multi-tweet thread that began with, “Thrilled that the DGA was able to use the power of the WGA’s labor action to secure a deal that works for them.” She added: “We proposed a number of these terms… before the AMPTP cut off negotiations in order to hand a deal to the DGA. They will continue to not speak to us, offering them next to SAG. But we have needs in areas they don’t, and will secure a deal that works for us. This isn’t it.”
Oscar and Emmy winner Travor Free tweeted: “As a DGA member this deal looks great. As a WGA member, this deal is proof the AMPTP just doesn’t respect writers. The fact that you can make an historic deal with the people who can’t even do their jobs until writers do theirs screams all you need to know about the AMPTP.”
DGA sent us to war with a “we’re right behind you” then made a deal behind our backs. We should add to our list of demands & include “writers must go to set” to remind them of our hard won battle scars that they claimed heel spurs or whatever instead of joining us on the lines. pic.twitter.com/IOuBaGdkwB
When given the chance to stand with the WGA and negotiate together, they LEVERAGED the WGA and cut their own deal as they always do#writersstrikepic.twitter.com/6nEgSEGzLc
There were quite a few Succession-themed reactions:
And the tweets kept comin’:
Welp. It happened. The thing we knew would happen happened. I hope every writer/director straddling both guilds votes a big effing no on this undercutting deal https://t.co/EH4YpjuihS
Now that the #DGA has a deal, in part due to the leverage from the #WGAStrike, it would be classy if some of their members showed up on our picket lines with signage in support of their sister unions getting a fair deal. #WGAStrong 1/3
I’m sure the #DGA membership wants everyone to go back to work. We want that too. The best way for the DGA to make that happen now would be to stand with the #WGA and #SAGAFTRA in solidarity, rather than allowing the companies to use them as a tool to divide us. 3/3
Writer Amy Thurlow also posted a thread Sunday morning. It began with: “Just a reminder they made a deal with the DGA in hopes of pitting us against each other. Don’t fall for it. The enemy is not the DGA it’s the AMPTP.”
I don’t know about the rest of you, but this DGA “historic deal” only makes me fired up to strike until we get every damn thing we asked for. I’ll strike for years. I’ll strike with a sign in my cold dead hand from my coffin at 100. It’ll say, “I’d rather die than rewrite AI” pic.twitter.com/UtowrUApeU
Earlier in the morning, veteran writer-director DeKnight (Spartacus, Daredevil) wrote about the DGA deal on Twitter, “We expected thus. Changes absolutely nothing,” followed by several clinched fist emojis.
Just a reminder they made a deal with the DGA in hopes of pitting us against each other. Don’t fall for it. The enemy is not the DGA it’s the AMPTP. Mini ?
The Good Wife franchise and Evil co-creator Robert King was a little more optimistic about the DGA’s deal as it relates to the WGA:
We all draft off of each other. DGA gets a better deal because we’re striking. Then SAG, with, in theory, a strike authorization vote in hand, uses the the DGA deal to build on. And then we hopefully build on that.
The Fugees in 2021Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Global Citizen
Over the past few years, the Fugees have attempted a few reunion tours—something that the band had previously indicated would never happen—tied to the 25th anniversary of the release of groundbreaking album The Score. One tour was announced in September of 2021 and then canceled a few months later (ostensibly) due to new surges of COVID cases. The official story was that, if they were going to do it, they wanted to do it right and not put a bunch of people at risk (though there were also reports of low ticket sales at the time). Then, a few months later, plans for a reunion tour were put on indefinite hold due to Fugees member Pras Michel’s involvement in the 1 Malaysia Development Berhad scandal.
4 times Tina Turner reminded us why she’s the queen of rock ‘n roll
Michel was found guilty earlier this year of various federal charges stemming from his association with Malaysian businessman Jho Low, who had tried to influence American political figures on behalf of the Chinese government. According to CNN, the charges include “conspiracy to defraud the U.S., witness tampering, and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.” Michel hasn’t been sentenced yet, but he is facing up to 20 years in prison.
So it’s a pretty big deal that the Fugees all reunited onstage this weekend at the Roots Picnic music festival, because it now might really be the last time that ever happens. According to Deadline, Lauryn Hill was only announced for the headlining set, but she brought Michel and Wyclef Jean out for a six-song set that included “Killing Me Softly” and “Fu-Gee-La,” among other hits.
The Fugees have announced any potential plans for their future, for obvious reasons, but there is presumably a chance that Hill and Wyclef Jean could tour on their own at some point.
“Star Trek” fans are still buzzing about the music of the final season of “Picard.” That’s because the lavish symphonic score by Stephen Barton and Frederik Wiedmann references multiple themes from throughout the 57-year history of “Trek” movies and TV shows.
Barton, who scored seven of the 10 episodes and collaborated with Wiedmann on the finale, says that the idea belonged to showrunner Terry Matalas. “From the very beginning, we chatted a lot about the ‘Star Trek’ we grew up with. This was a moment in the franchise to take a step back, look at the whole picture, and say, how can we honor this?”
Matalas has “an amazing, vast knowledge” of “Trek” music, Wiedmann says. “He’s as enthusiastic about film scores as we are – which, in the end, was extremely helpful for us because Terry had such a clear idea on where to go with the music.”
Jerry Goldsmith’s themes for “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (originally written for 1979’s “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”) and 1996’s “Star Trek: First Contact” are omnipresent, but there are also quotations from James Horner’s music in “The Wrath of Khan” (1982), Leonard Rosenman’s from “The Voyage Home” (1986), Goldsmith’s “The Final Frontier” (1989), Cliff Eidelman’s “The Undiscovered Country” (1991), Dennis McCarthy’s “Generations” (1994), Goldsmith’s “Voyager” theme (1995) and, of course, Alexander Courage’s original “Trek” fanfare from 1966.
While these musical Easter eggs were fun for aficionados to identify, there was also a huge amount of original music to write as well. Orchestras ranged from 70 to 82 players every session.
“It’s just a massive endeavor,” says Wiedmann, “because everything had to be composed and recorded with a big orchestra every two weeks.” In fact, that’s why he was brought in. Barton had written four and a half hours of music for the first six episodes and, as he says, “I was just dead.”
Barton composed themes for the USS Titan, the ship that Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Riker (Jonathan Frakes) commandeer in their quest to confront the changelings that threaten Starfleet; a family motif for Picard, Crusher (Gates McFadden) and their mysteriously empowered son Jack (Ed Speleers); and a darker hued piece that represents the conspiracy.
Matalas brought on Wiedmann for three of the final four episodes but almost didn’t connect — that “monumental, life-changing email,” as Wiedmann puts it, went into a spam folder. Luckily, Matalas contacted the composer’s agent and drafted him into immediate service.
Wiedmann’s contributions include a seven-minute neoclassical piece for the villainous Vadic (Amanda Plummer), along with music for the Borg and a motif for Jack and Picard.
All told, the two composers wrote and recorded more than seven hours of music in four months, and both call it a high point in their careers. “‘Next Gen’ was the show I grew up with, and to be entrusted with this, it’s just a crazy honor,” says Barton.
Adds Wiedmann: “When you set out to become a film composer at 12 or 13, the one thing you dream about is working on ‘Star Trek’ or ‘Star Wars.’ That’s as good as it gets.”
Television is one of the greatest inventions of the 1920s and has been a major source of entertainment ever since. However, people are much busier nowadays, and due to that, many prefer watching movies and shows on their favorite television channels even when on the go. And with the rise in popularity, cable operators and companies have started offering better deals for people to consume entertainment in this form ranging from local stations to premium networks.
There are various providers with such services, and each of them offers different deals. You can either choose a cheap bundle with only basic channels or the option to buy premium ones. Or you can purchase a premium package for top-tier entertainment.
Considering this, DirecTV is a viable option for many. You can find tons of amazing channels with it based on the package you select. Also, not every package has all the channels, so it is better to check the DirecTV channels list to see which plan offers your favorite channels.
Other than that, we have put together this guide with some of the best movie channels in the US. These channels are also famous outside of the US because of the consistency and quality of their content. So, let the show begin!
AMC
AMC is an American cable channel under the flagship of AMC Networks. The channel primarily focuses on theatrically released movies and also a small amount of original programming. Some of the most popular films on AMC are Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Friday The 13th, Archenemy, and Child’s Play.
Cinemax
Cinemax is an American television, satellite, and cable channel under the authority of Home Box Office. The channel is mostly for extreme movie buffs with an amazing library of content and entertainment. Some top movies on Cinemax are American Psycho, Cloverfield, Ready Player One, Transformers, and Inglorious Basterds.
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is also an American pay cable television channel that comes under the wing of Disney Branded Television, a part of the Disney Entertainment section of The Walk Disney Corporation. Some popular movies on the Disney network are Turning Red, Spiderman: Homecoming, Peter Pan & Wendy, and If These Walls Could Sing.
FX Movie Channel
FX Movie Channel, or FXM, is an American pay network among other television channels and is owned by FX Networks, LLC. The channel features amazing movies from various categories. Some top movies on FX Movie Channel are Deadpool, Jason Bourne, The Equalizer 2, Ted, and Maze Runner: The Death Cure.
Grit
Grit is a free-to-air American channel under the authority of the Katz Broadcasting Agency. The channel streams both movies and shows from classic westerns that are best for people aged between 25 to 50. Some great films airing on Grit are Rio Bravo, Santa Fe Passage, Red Headed Stranger, and Broken Arrow.
Hallmark Channel
Hallmark Channel is owned by the Hallmark Media and is an American cable network. The channel broadcasts family-friendly entertainment programs, including television-exclusive movies. Some amazing movies on Hallmark Channel are Crown for Christmas, The Lost Valentine, North Pole, and Christmas at the Plaza.
HBO
HBO, or Home Box Office, is one of the most popular American pay television channels. The channel features all kinds of amazing movies and shows, including some originals as well. Some of the top films on HBO are Dune, The Batman, Spirited Away, Inception, Joker, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Dark Knight.
Paramount Network
Paramount Network is another basic American cable channel owned by MTV Entertainment, which is a group of Paramount Media Networks. The channel features great movies for everyone’s entertainment. Some top titles on Paramount Network include The Godfather, Interstellar, Top Gun: Maverick, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Saving Private Ryan.
STARZ Encore
STARZ Encore is an American television channel and is one of the multiple channels owned by STARZ Inc. under the name of STARZ. The channel has a great mix of classic movies and top hits. Some popular films on STARZ Encore are Spiderman Homecoming, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and You’re Next.
SyFy
SyFy is an American cable network owned by NBC Universal Television. The channel offers some amazing movie titles to enjoy with or without the family. A few SyFy movies include Edge of Tomorrow, Avatar, Copperhead, The Ark, and Ghost Shark.
Final Summary
DirecTV is a feature-rich television streaming platform offering a great collection of channels for epic entertainment. At any point, if you have any trouble regarding the DirecTV service or features, contact DirecTV customer service. They offer complete assistance from start to finish, so you can enjoy more TV and run less into trouble.
Streaming services have made a huge impact worldwide. Due to this, people are shifting their focus from traditional cable TV to streaming TV and services. However, it is for good reasons, as it offers more and better content, and according to the demand of the watcher. So what are you waiting for? Get a subscription and enjoy epic cinema-like entertainment right at your home.
“The entire Coastal Fire Centre is in a moderate to high danger rating. This has been one of the driest Mays into June on record so far for the coast,” Kelly said.
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“There are challenging conditions but our firefighters are expected to meet their objectives (today.)”
The BC Wildfire Service is reminding British Columbians to be responsible when they are in the backcountry areas and to handle open flames responsibly.
There is currently an industrial and backyard burning prohibition for the Coastal Fire Centre region.
Forget lipsuction and forget Ozempic — many celebrities are relying on natural methods to prepare for major events, slim down and feel their best. NYC-based skincare expert and founder of JTAV Clinical SkincareJoie Tavernisespoke to HollywoodLife.com about the rising trend of natural methods for shaping and shrinking the waist that celebrities are doing weekly! “These days celebrities want treatments that deliver quick and noticeable results, without having to take away from their busy schedule with downtime or recovery. With the busy event season here, the top treatments right now are EmSculpt Neo,Lymphatic Drainage Massage, and TruSculpt,” she explained in an EXCLUSIVE interview with HollywoodLife. “The beauty of these treatments is that they work with your body naturally to achieve a slimmer waist and flat tummy.”
Most recently, fans saw fitness expert Melissa Wood Tepperberg visit JTAV for a lymphatic drainage massage to prepare for her Sports Illustrated: Swim shoot. “Lymphatic drainage massage uses slow and steady pressure on the entire body to stimulate the lymph nodes and eliminate excess fluid and waste. The therapist uses their hands as well as various tools in a specific set of rhythmic movements with botanical extracts to encourage the flow of excess fluid and decrease swelling, bloating, and water retention from fluid buildup,” Joie explained the process of the treatment that helps the body detox toxins and reduces inflammation. “Lymphatic drainage massage can also improve circulation and boost the immune system.”
The expert advised for consumers to schedule a lymphatic drainage massage about 3-5 days out from your event; however, it is safe to do it even on the day of. She also noted that, if time permits, it’s recommended to schedule consistent lymphatic drainage massages 3-6 months out from your special event for optimal results. “The best way to maintain your results is to regularly schedule your appointments and stick to a homecare routine,” the JTAV founder explained. ” At home, I love dry brushing my body and using my new Lift & Sculpt Facial Roller for a self-care routine that not only feels wonderful and relaxing but also keeps any lymph or fluid in my face and body from becoming stagnant in-between treatments.”
Joie also suggested combining the EmSculpt Neo and lymphatic drainage massages to maximize your results. “EmSculpt Neo works deep in the muscles of the abdomen and buttocks to create rapid muscle contractions and burn fat with at a rate that is much higher than can be achieved through working out alone. A lymphatic drainage massage following EmSculpt Neo will release any lactic acid and prevent any soreness or muscle fatigue,” she told HL.
Unlike liposuction or even CoolSculpting, these treatments require no downtime and no risk, which is why they have become a more popular, natural choice for celebrities as of late. Additionally, as Joie pointed out, EmSculpt Neo, TruSculpt and lymphatic drainage massages “work naturally with your body to burn fat and build muscle, rather than simply removing the fat.”
For decades, Lulu Friesdat made election integrity her life’s work. Drawing support from activists and academics, she co-founded Smart Elections, a nonpartisan group that is opposed to some voting machines that Ms. Friesdat believes would increase wait times and cost a small fortune to purchase and maintain.
But since 2020, things have changed. Former President Donald J. Trump catapulted concerns about voting machines into the Republican mainstream by falsely claiming that the 2020 election was rigged, partly because of electronic voting machines.
Election integrity advocates, like Ms. Friesdat, now find themselves in an uncomfortable position, pushing for election security while sometimes amplifying claims made most vocally by conspiracy theorists, including those involved in the so-called Stop the Steal movement.
Some election activists warn that election machines could be hacked or compromised, for example, while some conspiracy theorists say, without evidence, that those hacks have already taken place. Election officials say no hacks have taken place.
Misinformation watchdogs say that the somewhat overlapping arguments illustrate another consequence of Mr. Trump’s false and exaggerated voter fraud claims, which have led to doubts about election integrity among a wide swath of the American public. Ms. Friesdat and other activists like her fear that their work may become too closely tied to conspiracy theorists and Mr. Trump’s cause, making potential allies, like progressives, wary of joining the fight.
“If you read an article that says that these voting machines are coming in, and people’s concerns about these issues are very similar to those of the Stop the Steal movement, then it makes it very hard for Democrats to work on this issue,” Ms. Friesdat said. “And it has nothing to do with that. It has nothing to do with the Stop the Steal movement.”
Misinformation watchdogs say that the two movements could erode trust in American elections even further, intentionally or not, because conspiracy theorists tend to exaggerate legitimate criticisms to rile up supporters and raise questions about the entire electoral system.
“You sow a seed of doubt, and that will grow and fester into a conspiracy theory,” said Tim Weninger, a computer science professor at the University of Notre Dame who studies misinformation on social media. “It always starts off with one untruth, and that grows into two untruths, and that grows into more, and before long you have an entire conspiracy theory on your hands.”
The debate has played out nationally as multiple states have faced pushback on electronic voting machines. It is now happening in New York, where officials are considering certifying new voting machines made by Election Systems & Software, a manufacturer based in Omaha. The company has been targeted in Mr. Trump’s voting fraud narrative, alongside competitors like Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic. Yet, ES&S and its machines have also come under scrutiny by election activists and security experts.
Ms. Friesdat and good-government groups like Common Cause, a nationwide watchdog focused on government accountability, have campaigned against the machines for years, saying they are costly and could lengthen voter lines. They also warn that voters may not always consult the summary cards, causing mistakes to sneak through.
But they have sometimes gone further, wandering into territory now dominated by conspiracy theorists. In one Facebook post, Smart Elections wrote that the machines can “add, delete, change votes on your ballot” — a claim nearly identical to those made by election deniers after the 2020 election.
ES&S wrote in an emailed statement that its machines were secure and that voters managed to complete their ballots quickly. It emphasized the ExpressVote XL could handle multiple languages at once and support voters with disabilities. Though the company said the machines cost about $10,000 each, on average, it added that states would save money over time because they would not have to preprint traditional ballots in multiple languages and because the new equipment would eliminate redundancies.
The machine is widely expected to be certified soon in New York after enduring a rigorous third-party security assessment.
ES&S has used the claims about potential hacks to attack those opposed to adopting its machines. ES&S said that the fear that its machines could get hacked is “a conspiratorial claim used in the aftermath of 2020.” It threatened to sue Smart Elections, calling its claims about the machines “false, defamatory and disparaging.”
Smart Elections responded that its views were backed by experts and otherwise protected as opinion.
The fear of hacking remains the most extreme risk highlighted by election activists, and it is among the false explanations offered by election deniers for how President Biden won in 2020. Election security experts say that election officials must behave as though a hack is possible, creating audits and transparent processes that allow vulnerabilities to be detected and fixed before they are exploited.
But there was no evidence that the 2020 election was influenced by hacking or compromised machines, and many officials said the threat of hacking should not be blown out of proportion.
“I compare it to saying that the gold stored in the basement of the Federal Reserve Bank on Wall Street is subject to be stolen,” said Douglas Kellner, a co-chair of the New York State Board of Elections, which is responsible for ultimately certifying the machines.
“Theoretically, if you aligned all of the attack elements against the numerous security protocols it would be theoretically possible to steal the gold out of the Federal Reserve,” Mr. Kellner said. “But it’s not particularly realistic.”
EXCLUSIVE: Hulu has dropped a trailer for their newest horror film Jagged Mind, a horror feature starring Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Shannon Woodward from 20th Digital Studio and Hulu Originals. The film was also recently included in Hulu’s “Pride Never Stops” campaign, which aims to amplify LGBTQ+ voices and representation as part of their ongoing Pride celebration in June.
Directed by Kelley Kali I’m Fine (Thanks for Asking), and written by Allyson Morgan (Sitting), Jagged Mind is about a woman plagued by blackouts and strange visions that lead her to discover she’s stuck in a series of time loops, possibly related to her mysterious new girlfriend. Maisie Richardson-Sellers (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow ) stars as Billie, alongside Shannon Woodward (Westworld) as her girlfriend, Alex.
The movie was developed by 20th Digital Studio with David Worthen Brooks, Arbi Pedrossian, and Jenna Cavelle as executive producers. Production services were carried out by the film’s producer Daniela Ruiz through her company, Palabra Productions. Kelley Kali and Congyu E also serve as producers.
Jagged Mind will have its world premiere at the American Black Film Festival (abff.com) in Miami Beach on June 14, and will debut exclusively on Hulu on June 15 and Disney+ internationally at a later date.
Ms. Weil was born on Oct. 18, 1940, in New York City, the younger of two children of Morris Weil, who owned a furniture company, and Dorothy (Mendez) Weil.
Growing up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and later on the Upper East Side, she trained as an actress and dancer and dreamed of a life in theater, a subject she later majored in at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y.
“I was always fixated on Broadway,” she said in a 2016 video interview with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “I wanted to write for Broadway, I had always pictured myself doing something on Broadway.”
She channeled those youthful longings into the lyrics for “On Broadway,” which she originally wrote from the point of view of a small-town girl dreaming of a future on the Great White Way — a dream that, the lyrics acknowledged, often comes with dashed hopes:
They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway
They say there’s always magic in the air
But when you’re walking down the street
And you ain’t had enough to eat
The glitter rubs right off and you’re nowhere
Ms. Weil eventually changed the song’s protagonist to a male for the Drifters’ version, which charted No. 9 as a single in 1962. Sixteen years later, George Benson lodged his own jazz-inflected version at No. 7.
In addition to her husband and daughter, Dr. Mann, a psychologist, she is survived by two granddaughters.
Veteran actress Sulochana Latkar whose acting career spanned over 300 films in Marathi and Hindi cinema passed away on June 4
Veteran actress Sulochana Latkar whose acting career spanned over 300 films in Marathi and Hindi cinema passed away on June 4, Sunday. She was 94. Reportedly, Sulochana was undergoing treatment at a Mumbai hospital. Her last rites will take place on Monday at Shivaji Park Crematorium along with the funeral at her residence from 11 AM to 5 PM.
Amitabh Bachchan’s granddaughter and entrepreneur Navya Naveli Nanda and Siddhant Chaturvedi have been rumoured to be dating each other for quite some time. Well, nothing has been made official till now. Amid this, they were spotted today at Mumbai airport. In no time, the video went viral. In the video, shared by Manav Manglani, we can see them coming out of the airport. Both are twinning in a white colour outfits. Siddhant is looking cool in a loose white colour t-shirt paired with joggers pants. Navya, on the other hand, is wearing a white colour crop top and black pants.
While 2022 was all about Ranbir Kapoor’s Brahmastra, the actor has so much in store for us this year. Currently, the actor is filming opposite Rashmika Mandanna for Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s film Animal. The film which has already hyped up everyone with anticipation has seen a number of exciting developments in the form of Bobby Deol joining the film and some leak glimpses of Ranbir Kapoor’s character from the film. However, in a recent one, it came to light that Ranbir Kapoor has gone clean shaven as part of the schedule.
Siddharth Anand has delivered one of the biggest hits of this year with Shah Rukh Khan in the form of Pathaan. The film-maker who has previously helmed War was later reported to be helming another film from the Yash Raj Spy Universe titled Tiger vs Pathaan. Now it’s come to the news that Siddharth Anand will be minting Rs 40 crore for the same making him the highest-paid director at YRF.
Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif are one of the most loved couples in BTown. The duo don’t shy away from expressing their love for each other with their thoughtful gestures. Having said that, Katrina had once tried to learn a romantic Punjabi song for Vicky, but ended up choosing the wrong song.
With the clock striking 10 p.m. in Philadelphia on Saturday night, the end of the second night of the annual Roots Picnic got a huge surprise when evening headliner Lauryn Hill welcomed her old friends and former Fugees bandmates Wyclef Jean and Pras Michél for a brief, but impactful reunion of the hit-making R&B-hip hop trio.
Classily dressed for the surprisingly cool breezes of June with an emerald-green cape and a gem-encrusted vest-shirt-and-tie ensemble, Hill mentioned the 25th anniversary of her 10 million-plus selling “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” (“I love saying those words,” she shouted) before launching into a husky-voiced rendition of “Everything Is Everything” and a jaunty “Superstar.”
Not long after Hill’s recent tour addition of her cover of Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” and a spirited take on her solo classic, “Doo Wop (That Thing),” the stage welcomed several members of the Roots — fellow former Fugees Pras and Wyclef.
Starting with “The Score” and ending with the sing-song-y “Fu-Gee-La,” the six-song set-within-a-set seemed like a fully-rehearsed, crisply executed session as opposed to an impromptu, last-minute thing. Perhaps the intuition of three old souls interacting as one, the frisky Fugees ran through the huff-and-puffing “How Many Mics,” a raga-tinged “Zealots,” and the supple rhythms of “Ready or Not” and “Killing Me Softly with His Song,” before its unified “Fu-Gee-La” finale.
What was most magical about the Fugees reunion, beyond its shock value to an audience already hung on every Hill thrill, was the fact that it happened at all.
Not only did the group abruptly cancel a planned 2021 world tour — ending up playing just one concert — but in April Michel was convicted on international conspiracy charges and seems to be looking at a long stint in prison. Credit the diligence of Questlove and Roots manager Shawn Gee (also the lead of Live Nation Urban) not only for making the reunion happen Fugees reunion happen under wraps.
Writing on his Instagram late into Saturday evening, the birth date of his father, Lee Andrews (of Lee Andrews & The Hearts fame) Questlove stated:
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse finally debuted in theaters this past weekend, and audiences couldn’t get enough.
No matter what’s happening with the rest of the MCU, everyone loves Spider-Man…and Spider-Gwen.
We’ll talk about all the great news in this week’s MarvelBlog News.
The Spider-Man Meme Writ Large
We’ve known since the first trailer how Sony Pictures would approach this film.
Even the earliest footage hinted at a kind of Spider-Verse civil war wherein various Spider characters work at cross purposes.
This past weekend, audiences finally watched the film, and they fully bought into the concept. And I mean everyone.
That classic Spider-Man meme of the two Spideys pointing at one another already led to a terrific photo op for Spider-Man: No Way Home.
This time, the concept functioned as the baseline for the entire animated movie, and I’m here to tell you it’s amazing.
I wasn’t alone in this opinion, either. It’s quite the contrary, as Rotten Tomatoes currently ranks Across the Spider-Verse as 95 percent fresh.
For perspective, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, a great film with exceptional word-of-mouth, currently grades at 82 percent.
Topping GotG3’s Audience Score of 95 percent sounds impossible, but Across the Spider-Verse has somehow managed to do so. It’s at 97 percent as I type this.
Folks, that means 32 out of every 33 fans enjoyed the movie! And Cinemascore reflects this fact, as Across the Spider-Verse claimed an excellent A.
That score falls just short of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Across the Spider-Verse matches the “worst” Cinemascore for a Spidey movie in the past five years, along with Spider-Man: Far From Home, which also scored an A.
Spider-Man is quite possibly the hottest and most reliable character in pop culture.
By the way, without providing spoilers, there’s an obvious reason for the A Cinemascore rather than A+. Audiences wanted…more.
What Went Right?
Also, I probably shouldn’t say this, but we should all feel fortunate that Sony controls this movie license.
I say this because the writers of this film, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, previously had a falling out with Walt Disney Pictures over Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Their genius drives the Spider-Verse saga. It wouldn’t be anywhere near the same without them…and may not even exist.
Sony largely maintains complete autonomy over the Spider-Verse, although a deal with Disney allows for some modest cross-participation.
Remarkably, while some aspects of Disney’s side of the MCU have faltered, Sony’s Spider-Man Universe continues to hit grand slams.
Well, Sony hits grand slams with Spider-Man and Venom’s box office and pretty much nothing else thus far.
Before you argue the point, please hear “It’s Morbin’ time!” in your head. I rest my case.
However, we shouldn’t be surprised by the performance of Across the Spider-Verse.
After all, the first film debuted in December 2018. The pandemic forced a delay that worked in Sony’s favor here.
The production team enjoyed four and a half years to perfect the stylish animation, which feels like a living comic book.
A new team of directors helms this project, most notably Joaquim Dos Santos, who helmed many episodes of Justice League Unlimited.
I have your attention now, don’t I? Yes, Across the Spider-Verse marries the wit and humor of Lord & Miller with the creative genius behind this:
Dos Santos also worked as showrunner on a little series called The Legend of Korra.
So, yeah. He was a good hire, although I should emphasize he’s only one of three co-directors here.
About the Box Office
By Friday morning, we already knew Across the Spider-Verse would overperform. Thursday sneaks grossed $17 million:
For comparison, Into the Spider-Verse managed $3.5 million on its first Thursday.
Combining those sneaks with Friday’s box office, the Spidey animated sequel earned $51.7 million on its first day in theaters.
For the weekend, the film dazzled with $120 million.
In other words, it earned as much in three days the weekend after Memorial Day as The Little Mermaid did during the long holiday.
Meanwhile, all the audience metrics suggest that glowing word-of-mouth will ensue.
Ordinarily, I’d expect a film like this to fall somewhere between a little and a LOT frontloaded. Across the Spider-Verse could surprise, though.
You just cannot find any viable criticisms of this film that stick.
Thus far, the only two I’ve seen are that the animation isn’t for everyone (which is true) and that the sound editing is a bit muddy.
Contrast that to Morbius, whose chief criticism was that it existed.
No matter what happens with other Sony-Marvel titles, this studio can make a spectacular Spider-Man movie.
Also, as a reminder, the sequel to Across the Spider-Verse will arrive in just nine months! So, we’ll get more sooner rather than later!
Marvel Miscellany
I fear this segment will be slow as long as the Writers Guild of America strike continues.
However, the lingering aspects of the strike will continue to create news in the short term.
Source: Marvel/ Sony
For example, Tom Holland just revealed that Spider-Man 4 production was well underway…until the strike started.
Sony understandably doesn’t want to create any awkwardness with its marvelous creative team by pushing them during the strike.
Source: Marvel Studios/ Sony Pictures
Thus, the project will remain on hold as long as the strike continues. We do know that Sony has a firm plan for the next film, though.
Originally, Sony had targeted a 2024 release for this project. Obviously, that’s unlikely now. Thankfully, 2025 remains likely, though.
Source: Marvel Studios/ Sony Pictures
Should that statement prove true, we’d enjoy new Spidey movies in 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025. Not bad, right?
Still, we can add Spider-Man 4 to the growing list of Marvel films and television series facing lengthy delays due to the writer’s strike.
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Actor Michael Shannon, the DCEU’s own General Zod, justified his character’s portrayal in 2013’s Man of Steel.
A decade on, Zack Snyder’sMan of Steel still feels like a divisive entry into the DC canon. It’s hard to argue that the film didn’t make some controversial choices, such as Superman ending his enemy’s life during the final battle.
That enemy, Zod, wished to convert the planet Earth into something more Kryptonian in nature in Man of Steel, forcing Clark to kill one of the last surviving members of his kind, as corrupted as he may have been.
Shannon Stands by Zod’s Characterization
Warner Bros.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Michael Shannon defended how Zod was portrayed in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, whilst arguing that the movie is “culturally” significant:
“I would argue that ‘Man of Steel’ is, in a way, this significant story, like, culturally, not just an entertainment thing. Because at the end of the day, what it was about, it was about a civilization, right, that ruins their own planet. I’ve never heard of that before. And then decides, ’Well, the solution to that is to go to another planet and take it, and then we’ll just go live there.’”
Shannon, of course, referred to the story thread in Man of Steel in which Zod and his forces invade Earth to make a new home for his people after Krypton is destroyed.
The actor explained how ”important” he found that particular narrative. He also drew comparisons to Terrance Stamp’s take on Zod from Richard Donner’s Superman films, mentioning that director Zack Snyder’s version of Zod was far more nuanced than Donner’s and Stamp’s:
And I thought, ‘Yeah, yeah, this story’s important.’ It was a totally different take on Zod. Terence Stamp was just mean, he was just being mean to everybody. And Zod was like, ‘Look, I just, my job is to protect my civilization.’ Like, that speech that he has, ‘And now I have no people.’ Like, I thought that was, like, beautiful and heartbreaking and…
DC
Finally, Shannon was sure to heap praise onto Snyder, remarking that he likes him “so much:”
But I also just like Zack so much. I really, really like Zack Snyder a lot.”
What’s Next for General Zod?
Michael Shannon will reprise his role of Zod in The Flash movie, where Barry Allen will encounter the Kryptonian villain in an alternate timeline. Shannon was initially a bit puzzled about how the character’s return was going to work but admitted that he had a lot of fun being back on a DC set.
The Flash brings the number of times Michael Shannon played Zod up to two. His dead body also cropped up in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but that apparently didn’t require Shannon to be on set.
So, where will Zod be making his presence known next? Well, for starters, with James Gunn and Peter Safran revamping the DC Universe, it’s unlikely that Shannon will have the opportunity to play him again.
Fans’ best bet to see him again in the short term would probably be in an animated movie or, naturally, on the pages of the comic books.
It sometimes feels like DC is a little reluctant to include Zod in its productions for whatever reason. Clark never fought him in Superman: The Animated Series, nor has he turned up in person on Superman & Lois. He did have a part to play in the fan-favorite Smallville though.
Whatever the case may be, Michael Shannon’s General Zod can be seen for likely the last time in The Flash, due out in theaters on Friday, June 16.
Diablo 4 is full of side quests, and while many of them simply ask you to mow down the forces of Hell, some of them require a bit more thought. One of those is a side quest called “Secret of the Spring” which can be found just north of the first major hub city Kyovashad. This quest is started when you find a small note with a riddle on it. Here’s how to complete it.
How to complete the Secret of the Spring in Diablo 4
The note can be found near the entrance to the Forsaken Quarry Dungeon.
First, you will need to collect the riddle note that starts the quest off. This note can be found north of Kyovashad near the entrance to the Forsaken Quarry dungeon, marked on the map above by the red circle. The quickest path here is to leave the city via the east exit and stick to the end of the map heading north. Once you find the note, the quest will start marking a small area on the map further north from where the note was found.
The spring itself can be found just a bit north of where the note is picked up.
The note itself reads “Beacon of warmth in winter’s embrace, patience rewarded by nature’s own grace.” Once you reach the location indicated on the map, you will find a small pool of water, which is the spring in the name of the quest. Like some other side quests in Diablo 4, you need to use a specific emote here. What might be confusing to some is that the “patience” noted in the riddle doesn’t match anything in the default emote wheel.
You need to use the Wait Emote next to the small spring to get the chest to spawn.
Instead, open the emote wheel and press the button for Customize and go down the list of unassigned emotes until you find the one labeled Wait. Add the Wait emote to your wheel and then use it next to the spring to spawn a chest. The chest only contained gold and resources for me, but that could vary person to person. The quest completes once you open up the chest.
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Melissa Viviane or Lizzo as she is fondly known, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter and Founder of Yitty, a shapewear brand. She is also a Grammy and Emmy winner. One of the main things to know about Lizzo, is that she is someone who never fails and never apologizes in being herself. Throughout her career, Lizzo has been subject to body shaming, due to her plus size. She is considered a role model and advocate for body positivity and self-confidence Which is something that her fans love very much about her, as she continues to inspire millions with her songs and her attitude towards bullies and self love. Lizzo’s profile is locked and she only has a certain amount of followers due to this very reason, but that doesnt stop her from being a target online.
Recently on May 31st, after a particular performance of her “Special” Tour, Lizzo took to social media to reveal that she had been bombarded with body shaming posts from trolls on the internet, the kinds of posts that she has to see everyday.
This is definitely not the first time, that this has happened to Lizzo, and whenever something like this this does, she usually finds an inspiring way to shut down the haters, but from the tweets that came next, you could tell these particular posts seemed to particularly affect our beloved Lizzo.
In heartbreaking fashion, Lizzo’s followers started to see a string of tweets, one after the other that clearly meant these posts, these terrible people who were attacking such an incredible human being like Lizzo were getting to her, and there it is, HUMAN BEING, sure she may be a star, she may be “Special”, but never forget that this talented individual is human too. The people attacking her for her body image will never understand. All they see when they look at her is body, but to quote Lizzo “Being fat isn’t my brand, being fat is what my body looks like.” If you can’t see that and still want to call yourself a fan, there’s the door. Lizzo is a body positivity advocate, yes but being fat is not who she is. Her music speaks for itself. Her brand is feel good music, championing all people and black girl liberation. She inspires all of us to be the best versions of ourselves.
After that Lizzo went on to talk about how she has always led with her talent. However
she says that when she released her hit “Good As Hell”, feel good and self love music was considered corny. “When I dropped Juice disco pop wasn’t “for them””. She goes on to to talk about how despite how she has been an ambassador of body positivity, it hasn’t always been easy, “when I was body positive in 2016 being body positive was “pandering””. Now everybody claims to be body positive themselves, everybody claims to support self love and yet Lizzo is still bullied for being who she is everyday. Everybody loves Lizzo’s latest hit “Special”, she has become somewhat of an icon for the plus sized community in the best possible ways, people praise her outgoing attitude and open nature. Then 3 years ago Lizzo formed her inclusive shapewear brand Yitty. Of course with all the good she was going came the haters, well let em say what they’re gonna say, cause Lizzo just takes it like a champ.
As for what happened recently, she stood up to the haters and on Twitter spoke her truth. In another post Lizzo simply wiped the skin off her back and used this as an opportunity to promote her incredible new line of Yitty clothing, check out her response here
Apart from being being an inspiring example of true body body positivity, self love, body image and self acceptance. Lizzo is also a shining example of someone who never lets fame get to her by remaining humble as you can see both through the person she is and through her music. Which is why we never continuously see her argue with narrow minded trolls on the internet, she always remains above the drama. This was one time we saw it really get to her, and she handled it with grace and sass as she always does.
Every camera manufacturer can now provide their own ProRes RAW processing pipeline.
As one of the two most popular universal RAW formats for video, ProRes RAW, has long been the holy grail for those looking to shoot and record digital video at the highest quality possible. While many cameras offer RAW recording in one form or another, this new innovation announced by Atomos promises to truly unlock Apple Pro RAW for all cameras everywhere.
Set to be released immediately, Atomos has announced support for Apple ProRes RAW plug-ins which should allow manufacturers the ability to create their own ProRes RAW processing pipelines to combine with the unique elements of their own cameras, sensors, lenses, etc.
With this new array of plug-ins, every camera manufacturer will be able to develop their own ProRes RAW plug-in to bring out the highest quality video recording from their own cameras, in theory eventually adding ProRes RAW to any camera which you currently own or plan to in the future.
Unlock the power of ProRes RAW with AtomosCredit: Atomos
ProRes RAW Recording
What’s cool about this news is that with ProRes RAW recording unlocked with Atomos, any ProRes RAW plug-ins should be fully supported in Final Cut Pro or any other editing apps or color grading software that licensed the ProRes RAW SDK. According to Atomos, getting set up with this new ProRes RAW plug-in should be easy for camera manufacturers, vendors, and eventually users in the future.
Canon is set to be the first brand to capitalize on this new innovationCredit: Atomos
Once released, you’ll be able to easily install a camera vendor’s ProRes RAW plug-in, and FCP will instantly be able to show all of the enhanced features of your supported camera—including all of the unique characteristics of your camera rig.
Also, using a ProRes RAW plug-in will unlock the ability to make camera-specific adjustments in your edit, like changing the white balance, adding noise reduction, fixing lens distortion, or even demosaicing footage, plus plenty of other controls in the future.
A New ProRes RAW Ecosystem
This is exciting news, of course, for any Atomos and Final Cut Pro users already, but it should also entice others to consider adopting either of these tools and workflows in the future or at least that’s what Atomos hopes comes out of this announcement.
“This new feature for the ProRes RAW ecosystem is absolutely going to change the way people think about recording ProRes RAW. For the first time the filmmaker literally gets the best of all worlds: shoot in ProRes RAW with the option to immediately apply camera-specific processing, use standard processing, or customise individual parameters to their own taste. You have to ask yourself: why wouldn’t you shoot in ProRes RAW?” — Trevor Elbourne, Atomos CEO.
As they were the first to the market with their 8K ProRes RAW compatible mirrorless camera with the Canon EOS R5, this is indeed another major step forward for the ProRes RAW format and unlocks tons of fun possibilities with high-end video recording and editing.
Try it Out with Canon Cameras
It also sounds like Canon is going to be the first camera manufacturer to deliver one of these new ProRes RAW plug-ins with capabilities already unlocked in the Canon EOS R5, the EOS R5 C, and the EOS R6 Mark II, which can now output RAW directly to an Atomos monitor-recorder. This ProRes RAW plug-in is in support of these aforementioned cameras and can be accessed in the latest firmware updates for the Atomos Ninja V, the Ninja V+, and the Shogun Connect immediately.
Is this a setup you’d like to use on your next project? Do you completely hate the idea?
Disney’s perennial hit “Frozen” is saying “let it go” to its spot as the second-biggest animated film in history. Over the weekend, Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” hit $1.3 billion at the worldwide box office, enough to bump the original adventures of royal sisters Anna and Elsa ($1.28 billion) to the No. 3 spot.
But the kingdom of Arendelle still reigns supreme in terms of all things computer-generated. The sequel “Frozen II” was even bigger than the original and stands as the highest-grossing animated movie of all-time with a mighty $1.45 billion. (Disney’s 2019 remake of “The Lion King,” which earned a staggering $1.65 billion, is technically computer-generated, but the studio has categorized the movie as live-action. Thus, it doesn’t have a place on the list of top-animated movies.)
A collaboration between Universal, Illumination and Nintendo, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” has resonated with audiences across the globe, generating $566 million domestically and $733.9 million internationally. So far, it’s the first and only movie of the year to cross the coveted $1 billion milestone. Outside of North America, top-earning territories include Mexico ($84 million), Japan ($80 million), the United Kingdom ($64 million) and France ($57 million).
When “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” opened in theaters on April 5, the film generated a towering $204 million in its first five days of release. With those ticket sales, it secured the largest opening weekend of the year and the second-biggest debut ever for an animated movie. Since its debut, “Mario” has become the highest-grossing movie domestically and globally of 2023, as well as the most successful video game adaptation of all-time. It’s also the biggest movie ever from Illumination, the animation empire behind “Despicable Me” and its “Minion” spinoffs, “Sing” and “The Grinch.”
Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic directed “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which follows Brooklyn-based plumbers Mario and Luigi on a mythic quest through the Mushroom Kingdom as they prepare to stop the evil Bowser from total domination.
In the month to come, Netflix in the United States will bid farewell to an eclectic mixture of genre movies, sketch comedy, reality TV and romantic comedies, as well as a beloved family feature and a documentary exploration of a peculiar corner of the entertainment industry. (Dates indicate the final day a title is available.)
‘Bathtubs Over Broadway’ (June 8)
One of the most delightful documentaries of recent years, this 2018 charmer chronicles how the “Late Show With David Letterman” writer Steve Young stumbled onto the long-forgotten world of “industrial musical theater”: original musical productions, created specifically for corporate events and solely to inspire sales, that nevertheless provided steady paychecks and opportunities for performers, composers and designers for decades. What begins as an ironic fringe interest, discovered while sifting through vinyl oddities, becomes something of an obsession for Young, and the film evolves into a quiet love letter to ephemeral art.
One of Netflix most unexpected (but enjoyable) resurrection projects has been the reboot of the reality competition series “The Mole.” The streamer premiered its latest season, hosted by MSNBC’s Alex Wagner, last fall — 14 years after the show’s fifth and presumably final season aired on ABC. And for nostalgia’s sake, it also licensed the third and fourth of the original seasons. Those were the “Celebrity Mole” years, so viewers can enjoy the host Ahmad Rashad (the original host was Anderson Cooper) guiding viewers in the hunt for the saboteur among a group of decidedly mid-2000s celebs, including Stephen Baldwin, Angie Everhart, Kathy Griffin, Dennis Rodman and Frederique van der Wal.
The writer and director Frank Darabont’s third adaptation of Stephen King’s work was a far cry from his earlier, emotionally hefty, Oscar-courting films “The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Green Mile”; if those were not what we think of as a “Stephen King movie,” this 2007 take on King’s 1980 novella certainly was. Set primarily in the supermarket of a small Maine town enveloped in a mysterious murky fog, the story features supernatural forces, killer creatures and protagonists cracking under pressure. It also features stellar performances from a stacked ensemble (including Andre Braugher, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Thomas Jane and Toby Jones) and one of the bleakest endings to ever sneak its way into a mainstream movie.
Say what you will about his current preoccupations (and there is much to say), but there’s no denying the impact, power and sheer comic virtuosity of Dave Chappelle’s Comedy Central sketch series, which scorched cable airwaves for these two brief seasons, from 2003 to 2004. (Chappelle notoriously walked off the show during production of its third season, with only enough material for three episodes in the can.) But in that brief time, a handful of memorable characters and sketches — including Chappelle’s impersonations of Rick James and Lil’ Jon and sketches about a blind Black white supremacist and a celebrity “racial draft” — became immediate comic sensations and pop culture reference points.
There may have been better early-2000s romantic comedies, but this 2003 hit from Donald Petrie may be the most early-2000s romantic comedy. All of the conventions are present and accounted for: an impossibly gorgeous, opposites-attract central couple (Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey); a plotline centering on a secret wager; Kathryn Hahn stealing scenes as our heroine’s BFF. But what it lacks in originality it makes up for in verve, with Hudson and McConaughey creating considerable sparks and Petrie directing with the proper, light-as-air touch.
In retrospect, it was really kind of genius — artistically and commercially — of the writer and director Cameron Crowe to combine the most stereotypically “dude flick” (the sports movie) with the most stereotypically “chick flick” (the romantic comedy). Yet by doing so, he proved how simplistic and suffocating such labels could be. In telling the story of a high-powered sports agent (Tom Cruise) whose nervous romance with a single mom (Renée Zellweger) makes him a better agent and a better man, Crowe drafted an unlikely Venn diagram, in which the common concerns of family, integrity and loyalty are of equal weight and audiences can’t help but root for both the underdog team and the unlikely couple.
The “Shrek” movies made untold truckloads of money, but strangely, their most lasting cultural footprint seems to have come in the form of a side character who didn’t even appear until “Shrek 2.” Yet the suave, swashbuckling, Puss in Boots, voiced by Antonio Banderas, became not only one of the most popular characters in the series but also the star of his own delightful adventures. This 2011 treat offered the expected thrills and giggles for the little kids as well as some Easter eggs for their parents, including Banderas’s reunion with his “Desperado” co-star Salma Hayek and energetic voice performances by the likes of Guillermo del Toro, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Sedaris and Billy Bob Thornton.
The original 1974 film adaptation of the crime novel “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” was so steeped in the specific circumstances of Fun City-era New York City that it was probably impossible for a remake to reanimate its specific, grimy thrills. But Tony Scott’s 2009 version offers up its own pleasures. Scott’s frequent leading man Denzel Washington brings tormented complexity to the grizzled hero, whose shift at M.T.A. dispatch is disrupted by a madman (John Travolta) whose crew takes over a subway car and holds its passengers hostage. And James Gandolfini is wonderful (and miles from Tony Soprano) as the city’s mayor.
Max Brooks’s 2006 novel about a zombie apocalypse was both a no-brainer for film adaptation (again, it details a zombie apocalypse) and a challenge, as so much of its power came from its epistolary-style, “oral history” structure. Those challenges made for something of a troubled production, and the stories of expensive reshoots and 11th-hour rewrites were so plentiful that it’s somewhat surprising the picture is as coherent as it is — well-crafted, tense and thrilling, alternating effective character beats with chilling set pieces.
In what has to be seen as a blow to solidarity with the writers who’ve been striking since the start of May 2023, the Directors Guild of America has reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP that will avert a strike of its own.
The DGA’s new three-year collective bargaining agreement with the studios appears to satisfy the guild’s demands for appropriate compensation related to streaming residuals and the international distribution of their work, as well as offer new protections for creative rights (including against AI) and safety issues.
The deal still needs to be presented to the DGA’s National Board, but includes these highlights:
A 76 percent increase on international residuals for work created for the largest platforms, so that a one-hour episode will now pay out roughly $90,000 in residuals over the first three years.
A new parental leave benefit.
Terms and conditions set for directors (as well as associate directors and stage managers) on non-dramatic (variety and reality) programs made for streaming.
Acknowledgement that “AI is not a person” and generative AI cannot replace actual directors.
New terms and conditions for directors (and unit production managers and assistant directors) working for free streaming services such as Tubi, Freevee, and Roku.
Compensation for “soft prep” period for feature directors.
Episodic directors given one additional guaranteed shoot day for a one-hour program.
Ban of live ammunition on set, as well as new requirements for safety supervisors and training.
Reducing Assistant Director’s day by one hour.
“We have concluded a truly historic deal,” said Jon Avnet, chair of the DGA’s Negotiations Committee, in an official statement. “It provides significant improvements for every Director, Assistant Director, Unit Production Manager, Associate Director and Stage Manager in our Guild. In these negotiations we made advances on wages, streaming residuals, safety, creative rights and diversity, as well as securing essential protections for our members on new key issues like artificial intelligence – ensuring DGA members will not be replaced by technological advances. This deal would not have been possible without the unity of the DGA membership, and we are grateful for the strong support of union members across the industry.”
“This deal recognizes the future of our industry is global and respects the unique and essentialrole of directors and their teams as we move into that future,” said Lesli Linka Glatter, President of the DGA, in a statement. “As each new technology brings about major change, this deal ensures that each of the DGA’s 19,000 members can share in the success we all create together.”
When the DGA made a similar deal in January 2008, it was widely believed to be a move toward forcing the then striking Writers Guild of America to resolve its own demands to the studios in a less satisfactory way for its membership. However, SAG-AFTRA has not announced any agreement with the studios in its own collective bargaining agreement renegotiation, which will likely be more fraught than the DGA’s given the critical threat of AI to actors’ rights to their own image and performances. It’s possible then that the DGA deal won’t have the same effect on pushing the writers to accept a lesser deal.
A poster-wrapped window for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which kicks off at State Farm Stadium on March 17 and 18, is shown next to one of the entrances to the stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on March 13, 2023. Entertainment Glendale Name Change
Taylor Swift is making the rounds with her Eras tour and each stop seems more extensive and better. Anyone who attends the concert always raves about how great it is.
Sadly, some fans such as myself weren’t able to snag tickets. That’s why I was happy to be able to look back into Taylor Swift’s discography and be able to look at her albums and their accompanying singles.
Moving onto the next round of this, we’re moving onto 1989. This is Taylor Swift’s 5th album and her first album that wasn’t known for being country. While some can argue when Taylor made the jump, it’s honestly a moot point as Taylor Swift doesn’t fit into one specific genre as evidenced by her long career.
1989 felt like the quintessential Taylor album though as it’s named after the year Taylor was born and felt like a reemerging of Taylor Swift. The album was released in 2014 and ended up having 7 singles during this era. Honestly, that’s a pretty hefty amount of songs so I don’t want to talk too much more so let’s not waste any more time and rank the singles from Taylor Swift’s 1989.
Let’s start this list off with an unexpected single featured on 1989.
7. “New Romantics”
To me, the most unexpected single from 1989 is easily “New Romantics.” Of all the songs that could have been chosen, that was the one. It still has me shaking my head considering it was the last single featured from the album. Even so, I can see why so many people loved it because it’s a really fun and catchy song. It’s a lot of fun and has some great lyrics, but I don’t feel like it had as much staying presence as a single or is even remembered as one.
NOW IN THEATERS! Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, would be a great film if it weren’t so damn long. That said, it’s pretty good. Screenwriters Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Dave Callaham start the adventure a few years after Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is now a senior in high school, and his future is daunting. Mainly because he’s never around due to all that crime fighting he does as Spider-Man. On a personal level, his parents, Jefferson (Brian Tyree Henry) and Rio (Luna Lauren Velez), are having a hard time letting their little genius go.
Meanwhile, the Spot (Jason Schwartzman) is causing havoc committing petty crimes through his dimensional portal powers given to him during the collider explosion in the first movie. The Spot is stopped thanks to the help of Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), who can visit Miles’ dimension thanks to a technologically-advanced “watch” given to her by Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac).
Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) and Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) in Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animations’ SPIDER-MAN™: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE.
“…an elite team of Spider-persons scours the Multiverse to plug up holes formed by dimensional jumping.”
Because of the events in Into the Spider-Verse, an elite team of Spider-persons scours the Multiverse to plug up holes formed by dimensional jumping. The team is led by Spider-Man 2099, Jessica Drew (Issa Rae), Gwen, Spider-Man India (Karan Soni), and Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya). Miles wants to be part of the team to prove himself to his parents, but there’s no more room on the team. Still, Miles follows Gwen to the sanctuary of Spidey 2099 and all the Spider-people, literally every single Spidey. All the Spideys now shun Miles because he’s on the verge of collapsing the entire Multiverse and must be stopped.
There’s a lot more to the story of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and I don’t have the word count or time to go through it all. Suffice it to say, the plot is dense and features all the 30-second backstories from one Spidey after the other. I’m OK with jam-packed, but there are storylines surrounding Miles and his parents that desperately needed to be tightened up, specifically the entire cake incident.
As a sequel, the art design picks up right from the first. The difference is instead of each Spider-character presented in their unique art style, the dimensions we jump to are in their unique art style. So, for example, Miles’ world resembles today’s high-quality comic book printing, while Gwen’s world is like an oil painting with dripping lines for effect. In other words, this is a visually dazzling delight.
Morris and Hurd met during a writing session for Tim McGraw’s song “Last Turn Home” in 2013.
“[Ryan’s] always been a creative collaborator in my life, that’s how we met,” Morris told Us Weekly exclusively in March 2019. “We were paired together six years ago to write a song. We didn’t know each other and it just kind of grew from there, so music has always been really intertwined in our love for each other, and now that we aren’t just songwriters, we’re artists.”
The duo were friends for two years before their relationship turned romantic. Hurd detailed their love story in his 2017 song “Love in a Bar.”
“We were just friends, just hanging / Just sitting ’round waiting for somebody to cross the line,” he sings. “And we’ve been saying it with our eyes the whole time / That you have my whole heart.”
After dating for nearly two years, Hurd proposed to Morris in July 2017. Less than a year later, the couple wed.
“I’ve learned so much from Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman,” Morris told Us about dealing with the long-distance relationship. “They’ve got the two-week rule; he’s got his kids out on the road. They just make it look so normal and it makes me and Ryan feel like this could be normal as well. We do a pretty good job at constantly keeping in contact, lots of FaceTime. We have the same manager now, so she helps our calendars really coalesce well and that’s helped it a good bit. Especially now that we’re married, it’s a little bit more important to us to see each other. We try to have a good balance.”
Morris and Hurd became parents in March 2020.
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Apple may have been at the top of the tech food chain a few years ago, but all of its big rivals have unleashed exciting innovations recently, from OLED displays to AI integrations and immersive stereoscopic 3D experiences to smart home solutions. There’s a lot riding on WWDC 2023 (June 5 through 9).
I’m not saying that Apple’s products are getting left behind, but it also needs to prove to the world that it is able to get out of its funk of rolling out derivative yet more expensive products and can indeed keep up with the new trends in tech. Because if we’re being honest, apart from its ARM-based SoC series, Apple’s technique these days seems to be to release pricier and better-powered versions of its already existing products, and most of those are unnecessary and inaccessible (price wise) for most users.
Not that I’m not excited at the prospect of a new iMac 2023 and the rumored Apple VR headset, but are they going to really change people’s lives in the way that Google is hoping to do by integrating AI in everything, for example? Or how Acer is evolving gaming experience with its SpatialLabs solutions? Or how companies such as Cooler Master and Thermalake are making computers fun again?
No, for Apple to drag itself back to the top, it needs to do a whole lot more.
AI as a part of the user experience
The AI race isn’t over just yet, but many would agree with the New York Times that Apple had already lost it. And it had the perfect opportunity to integrate it with its once-groundbreaking virtual assistant Siri, which now feels like it’s taken the mantle of the lamest of all the virtual assistants as a result of its buggy experience and slow responses.
Don’t get me wrong; Apple does use AI for features such as face detection and speech recognition; its own SoCs even have a neural engine chip that its developers can utilize. However, Apple doesn’t really have generative AI like ChatGPT, so it would be nice to see that arrive at WWDC, or maybe to have AI implemented into Siri and Safari at the very least. Apple could then follow that up later in the year by implementing it in other native apps in an end-user capacity.
The good news is, if we’re to go by some recent job postings, Apple is increasingly investing in generative AI, which means that it still plans on catching up and even getting ahead of everyone else, something it’s definitely done before. But will we see it at this year’s WWDC?
Make gaming a Mac thing
Apple’s attitude towards gaming is casual at best, focusing mostly on mobile games and leaving PC gaming to Microsoft. But it’s not because it doesn’t have the hardware for it, nor the infrastructure. On the contrary, the company makes a big deal about the sheer performance of its M chips, and it’s not as if it isn’t capable of implementing existing game APIs.
I think the problem is that Apple is just too wound up tight these days, and it’s forgotten to have fun – case in point, instead of rolling out vibrant MacBook Airs last year in different colors, it opted for that fingerprint-magnet Midnight shade that while elegant is also a bit of a snooze.
Let’s bring back the aughts, when Apple was the fun and adventurous brand, and bring PC gaming to the best Macs and MacBooks. There’s really no reason not to. You know what they all said about Jack.
Higher minimum specs
In this day and age, 8GB of RAM can feel sluggish, even when you’re just opening several browser tabs at the same time or doing casual photo editing. So, on an expensive device such as the MacBook Air or the iMac, it’s almost inexcusable to serve up a base model with 8GB of RAM to customers.
Both the current 13-inch MacBook Pro 2022 and the MacBook Air 2022 come with a base 8GB memory, plus only 256GB SSD of storage, which is ridiculous for how much you’re paying. That, combined with the lack of big innovations on its products, is making it harder and harder for Apple to justify the price.
If Apple hopes to keep its customers happy, it needs to either make its products more accessible, price-wise, or bring out the big guns, so to speak, to satisfy its audience.
WWDC 2023 gives it the perfect opportunity to do all of that – here’s hoping that it has a few exciting things in store for us.
When Kerry Washington signed on to play Paige Alexander, a therapist and single mother navigating her father Edwin’s release from prison and return to her life, she knew that she needed the perfect scene partner to pull off the complicated family dynamics.
So, she sent an email to Delroy Lindo, asking if he’d be interested in playing her dad.
“I have been a Delroy super fan forever. He’s one of my acting heroes,” Washington said, discussing the series with Lindo in Variety’s Streaming Room. “He also reminds me of somebody in my upbringing, one of my father figures, an uncle of mine who was really beloved.”
As an actor, Washington recognized that Lindo having “the essence of somebody that I already love” would help realize the story’s emotional stakes, and, as an executive producer, she recognized the role required top-notch acting chops.
“I knew that working with Delroy would bring out the best in me because I would want to meet him where he is which he’s up there. He is truly one of our greats,” Washington added. “What was required in this character was so complicated and so nuanced, we had to have one of our best.”
The father-daughter relationship is inspired by “UnPrisoned” creator Tracy McMillian’s experiences with her dad, Willie “Harold” McMillan, who was in and out of prison for an aggregate of 37 years.
“We had to have Delroy because I needed somebody who could be smart and charming and lovable, because when Tracy talks about her dad and the character of Edwin, she always said you wouldn’t know that he had gone to prison, you wouldn’t assume that,” Washington said. “When he walked in the room, everybody was like ‘He’s so charming and smart.’ So, we needed somebody who had all of those qualities, but who you also could believe might be a career criminal, and I felt like Delroy was capable of embodying that kind of complexity.”
“UnPrisoned” is the Onyx Collective’s most-watched Hulu premiere to date, but the real marker for the show’s success has been the response from audiences, who’ve connected to the family story at the heart of this dramedy. Since the show premiered, Washington and Lindo have been struck by the personal stories people have shared about their incarcerated family members.
“When we were in South by Southwest, we were interviewed by four sit-down journalists. … and three out of the four journalists that we talked to had a parent who was formerly incarcerated,” Washington recalled. “There’s no one in this country who hasn’t been touched by the criminal justice system, so for us to be able to engage with that segment or that part of who we are as a culture and as a society, it’s so gratifying to be able to tell a story that isn’t being told but that feels like it belongs to all of us.”
Lindo concurred, adding: “What moved me is the fact that they felt comfortable enough in a professional setting to divulge that about themselves. The fact that the work has impacted them in such a way that they felt moved to share that with us was also majorly significant. Gratifying, doesn’t begin to describe how moved one is, how rewarding that is.”
And it all stems from the vulnerability of “UnPrisoned’s” writers, Washington noted, crediting McMillan, showrunner Yvette Lee Bowser and the writing staff pouring their lives and experiences into the Alexander family’s story.
“It’s important to acknowledge at this time — especially right with what the Writers Guild is out there doing every day fighting for their ability to live and survive and be compensated fairly — that we would not be here having this conversation if it were not for the hard work and diligence and wisdom and insight and talent of our writers,” she said. “Everybody’s trauma was out there on the table in the writers room every day.”
In preparing for the show, Washington dissected McMillan’s memoir, while Lindo spent time with organizations that help formerly incarcerated individuals get back on their feet.
“There’s a theme throughout this work of generosity,” Lindo said of those who opened their lives to him and Washington to prepare. “They made themselves available. They sat and they talked to me generously, genuinely, authentically about their stuff, about their lives. And Tracy’s dad was the first — because when I signed on to do this, the first thing I said to Tracy was, ‘Can I meet your dad?’ and that was very quickly arranged.”
The series is dedicated to the memory of Harold, who died in January, a couple months before its Hulu debut. Shortly after learning the news, McMillan posted on social media.
“I created a show called ‘UnPrisoned’ to set myself free,” she wrote, going on to reveal that Pauline, the woman who raised her while her father was in prison, had also died the same day, hours and miles apart from her dad. “Now Harold and Pauline are helping me do that – all at once. I will always be grateful for everything they gave me. And forgive them everything they couldn’t.”
Being part of McMillan’s healing journey was particularly poignant for the show’s stars.
“One of the reasons why the title of the show ‘UnPrisoned’ is so powerful is because you think that it’s just related to this one character of Edwin, and that it’s just describing his physical existence,” Washington said. “What you come to realize when you watch the show is that it’s about everybody’s liberation and everybody’s freedom.”
While the idea of “freedom” is about breaking free of physical limitations and about fighting for equity in our culture, Washington explained, it’s also about divesting from “traumatic patterns of thinking and behaving that trap us in versions of ourselves that we no longer need to be.”
So, as a result of McMillan’s “walk toward freeing herself” with the show, “She’s told this story about a family freeing themselves. And we all get to get a little taste of what it might look like for ourselves or even just ask ourselves the question, ‘What would freedom look like for me?’”
Thanks to a post-NBC cancelation save from Netflix, Jeff Rake’s supernatural drama Manifest is making its final descent on its own terms. Flight 828’s passengers returned for Season 4, Part 1 in November 2022, and Season 4, Part 2 premiered on June 2, 2023 — a nod to the show’s dreaded Death Date, June 2, 2024. As noted in Decider’s full review, if you’ve been following Manifest‘s mysteries for four seasons, you’re not going to want to miss learning how “it’s all connected.” Manifest pulls out all the stops in its final hours to prove itself worthy of surviving its own Death Date back in 2021. Will the passengers figure out how to save their lifeboat — and the rest of the world — before it’s too late? Buckle up for Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh), Ben (Josh Dallas), Cal (Ty Doran), Saanvi (Parveen Kaur), Vance (Daryl Edwards), Olive (Luna Blaise), Jared (J.R. Ramirez), Angelina (Holly Taylor) — ugh! — and the rest of the passengers’ final chapter.
