Wherever there is content extolling the benefits of masturbation, so too will you find a whole onslaught of voices condemning it. The topic always comes along with conversations about frequency, namely: Doing it too much. “While anxieties and negative attitudes about sexuality can be found throughout history, masturbation has particularly been a behavior of concern,” says Sarah Melancon(opens in a new tab), Ph.D, a sociologist, clinical sexologist, and resident expert at The Sex Toy Collective.
Libido is built out of our reward system — and so the more positive experiences you have, the more you want. Masturbation and orgasms beget wanting more masturbation, sex, and orgasms. TL;DR: masturbation is amazing. Solo sex is a fantastic (and free!) way to de-stress, unwind, and boost positive neuro-transmitters(opens in a new tab). It can also help boost mood and self-esteem.
At the same time, there is nuance. Zachary Zane(opens in a new tab), author ofBoyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto(opens in a new tab) and sex expert forMomentum Intimacy(opens in a new tab), points out, you can do pretty much anything too much. “Masturbation only becomes an issue if it’s negatively affecting other aspects of your life,” he says. For instance, if your masturbation habits have you skipping work, ditching sex with your partner, or are causing pain or injury, then it may be worth it to reevaluate your masturbation habits. “But if it’s NOT negatively impacting your life in any way, then keep at it! Enjoy it,” Zane says.
In all likeliness, your wanking habits are probably completely normal and fine.
In all likeliness, your wanking habits are probably completely normal and fine. And so, for this glorious month that is Masturbation May, we will be doing away with the pervasive idea that if you’re getting off too much, you’re doing something wrong or shameful or might break your dick/clit. Let’s shift the mindset.
The roots of ‘dangerous masturbation’
Why are people so obsessed with how often you touch your junk? Melancon says that it’s pretty heavily based in religion. “Many religions condemn sexual activity(opens in a new tab) outside of heterosexual marriage, including masturbation,” she says. “In Judeo-Christian religions, masturbation is considered a sin.” This harks back to the “spilling the seed” story of Onan in the Bible. Onan was having sex with his brother’s wife and instead of climaxing inside her, he pulled out so that she wouldn’t carry his off-spring. You know, a really cute and chill situation. God obviously curses him for spilling his seed because, well, The Bible. Ironically, the story on which this concept is based actually describes Onan pulling out rather than masturbation.
In the Victorian era(opens in a new tab), masturbation was thought to cause mental illness. These pervasive views on the dangers and evils of masturbation may be more coded in 2023, but the ghosts of the past still seem to follow us.
Can you actually masturbate TOO much?
Basically, not really. As long as you’re not rubbing yourself raw or ditching work to pound it out 24-7, Silva Neves(opens in a new tab), an accredited psychosexual and relationship psychotherapist, says that getting yourself off is not an issue you need to be worried about. “There is no evidence to suggest that masturbation is bad, and there is no agreed definition on measuring what is ‘too much,’ because everybody’s limits are subjective and individual,” he says.
What’s more, there is no evidence that frequent masturbation is in any way bad or addictive. The idea that masturbating too much can become a problem is heavily steeped in shame and sex negativity. Neves tells us that using terms like “porn addiction” or “sex addiction” is highly problematic — as it both increases shame around sex and is not endorsed by either the ICD or the DSM-5 as an addiction.
Long story short: You can’t masturbate too much as long as you aren’t hiding away in your room, ignoring your friends, family, and obligations in order to get off constantly. It’s about cultivating healthy habits.
How you feel about masturbation informs how you feel about your behaviors.
It’s not usually about whether you’re masturbating too much, it’s about how you FEEL about the behavior. A recent study(opens in a new tab) found four groupings of individuals based on masturbation frequency and sexual satisfaction.
High masturbation frequency + Satisfied
Low/no masturbation frequency + Satisfied
High masturbation frequency + Dissatisfied
Low/no masturbation frequency + Dissatisfied
For those who reported high masturbation frequency and dissatisfaction, Melancon says that this group probably consists of people who view masturbation as being either bad or “less than” partnered sex. “This would likely include individuals using masturbation as a coping mechanism as well as individuals who are lonely and would rather at least some of their masturbation was actually partnered sexual activity instead,” she says. What’s more, studies have shown(opens in a new tab) that people who have higher levels of religious belief are more likely to view their masturbation habits as “addictive,” when the behaviors themselves are by no means clinically compulsive.
If you can shift away from the idea that masturbation = less than, gross, wrong, or addictive and into a mindset of masturbation = happy, healthy, and normal, you’re likely to see a massive improvement in how you perceive your habits. After all, masturbation is a healthy and OK form of sexual activity. Enough with the shame.
Dealing with death grip.
Like all good things in life, you might run into problems. Death Grip refers to masturbating in a repeated way, with a very tight grip on the penis. It can also refer to clitorises that are receiving the same, intense form of stimulation (often with a vibrator), leading to temporarily diminished effectiveness of other forms of sexual activity. The term “Death Grip” was originally coined by sex columnist Dan Savage in 2003. Savage was also the first person to coin the term “pegging” (when a cis-man is anally penetrated by someone wearing a strap-on or dildo).
Death Grip is not an official medical diagnosis — it’s a recognized phenomenon that has been seen in many clinical settings. But, the aim should be dealing with it without pathologizing people. Death grip is actually highly treatable and highly subjective. It’s only a problem if you believe it’s a problem and want to do something about it. There’s nothing wrong with preferring or even needing one form of stimulation to receive pleasure, if that’s what you want.
If you’re experiencing Death Grip and feel like you’re losing sensation, change up your masturbation habits. Kenneth Play, an international educator and the bestselling author of Beyond Satisfied: A Sex Hacker’s Guide to Endless Orgasms, Mind-Blowing Connection, and Lasting Confidence(opens in a new tab), refers to “Habit Loops That Rule Our Sex Lives.” He tells us that “The more you masturbate in a particular way, the more deeply ingrained a particular pathway to orgasm becomes, and our sexual identity forms around it. Our habits create a fast track to pleasure, and they can put up roadblocks to other forms of sex.”
“When we masturbate in different ways for a couple of weeks, we start to rewire our habit loops, and we can learn new ways of getting pleasure.”
It’s not that you’re damaging your penis/clit or causing permanent desensitization, it’s just that you’ve gotten used to masturbating in a certain way — and so other forms of sex don’t feel as intense. “We can break our habit loops by turning down the volume on them for a while. We can put the vibrator away or relax the death grip on our penises,” Play says. “When we masturbate in different ways for a couple of weeks, we start to rewire our habit loops, and we can learn new ways of getting pleasure.”
Melancon also suggests bringing in a mindfulness practice. “Mindfulness-style practices can help one expand one’s sensory awareness, so over time a lighter grip can become more pleasurable,” she says. Staying connected to our bodies can help to foster stronger connections between our genitals and our minds.
It’s not that you’re masturbating too much, it might just be that you’re masturbating in the same way a bit too much. It might mean that you’re masturbating in a way that isn’t super connected to your body and doesn’t foster a ton of awareness. Masturbation frequency doesn’t need to cause problems if we cultivate a creative and positive mindset around it. Death Grip isn’t permanent and it simply means a change-up might be in order.
All in all, your masturbation habits are probably completely fine and we’d do better to celebrate self-love, rather than demonize it.
Shah Rukh Khan starrer Jawan has been grabbing all attention ever since its poster was released. Helmed by director Atlee, the action thriller will also mark the Bollywood debut of Nayanthara. And now Sanya Malhotra has finally confirmed being part of a highly anticipated film.
In a recent interview with Instant Bollywood, Sanya revealed the news and called herself lucky. She said, “I am the luckiest actor in the Bollywood. Can we please make that a headline? It’s an insane feeling to have worked with actors that I always dreamt of, like as a kid and I feel very happy to share this news with everyone that I am part of Jawan.” The confirmation of Sanya Malhotra’s involvement in ‘Jawan’ has sent fans into a frenzy of excitement.
Watch the video here:
One of the fans wrote, “first amir now srk later salman n saif over all charo khan e chith.” Many dropped heart emojis.
Recently, Shah Rukh Khan did “Ask SRK” sessions where one of his fans shared a still of the duo from Nayanthara’s wedding day. In the photo, they both can be seen sharing a side hug with all smiles. The fan asked, “Sir one word for Nayanthara pls.” To which SRK responded and wrote, “She is lovely….too sweet and awesome to work with. A pleasure.”
Talking about Jawan, it is reported that Shah Rukh Khan will be seen in a double role. Apart from the lead star cast, the action entertainer also stars Priya Mani, Sanya Malhotra, Tamil actor Yogi Babu and Sunil Grover among others in significant roles. It is also said that Thalapathy Vijay and Deepika Padukone will be making cameo appearances in the film.
Jawan is backed by Gauri Khan under their home banner Red Chillies Entertainment. The film was earlier scheduled to hit the cinemas on June 1, however, the film’s team recently announced that it will now be released on September 7.
Following the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Marvel Studios will say goodbye to two of the franchise’s biggest stars as they leave the MCU behind.
With director James Gunn now on his way over to DC Studios as the co-CEO of the company, his time with the MCU is officially over following a successful run with this now-world-famous team of intergalactic misfits.
But since Guardians 3serves as the end of the line for this version of the team, it’s become clear that not all of these fan-favorite actors will be part of the story following nearly a decade of service.
Marvel Loses Two Stars After Guardians 3
Marvel
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director James Gunn revealed to the New York Times that Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista won’t return to the MCU after their work in this threequel.
When asked about how he crafted the characters’ endings, Gunn shared how “Zoe and Dave have been very clear they’re not going to continue,” marking the end of their MCU tenures. He also confirmed that Chris Pratt is open to continuing his time playing Star-Lord:
NYT: “When you’re crafting all these character endings, how much do you have to factor in the actor’s willingness to continue in the role? For instance, Dave Bautista has been pretty vocal about saying he’s finished. Does that affect the way you wrap up Drax’s story as opposed to Quill’s, since Chris Pratt is open to continuing?”
Gunn: “Yeah, a little bit. Both Zoe and Dave have been very clear they’re not going to continue — likewise, me, actually. Chris is open to doing more stuff, although I think he has to be convinced. It does change some things: Like, I wouldn’t have had Dave in the post-credits scene. But I’m not sure if much would have changed beyond that.”
He also admitted to not giving Zoe Saldana as big of a role as she had in Guardians 3, with other versions of the script featuring Peter Quill “dealing with her loss” much more heavily
NYT: “Was there ever an idea that Gamora would not come back in any form in ‘Vol. 3,’ and Quill would have to deal with her absence?”
Gunn: “That was a possibility, yes. He would be dealing with her loss, but she wouldn’t come back and confront him in this different way. I toyed with it a lot as I was writing the script.”
Bautista and Saldana’s Time with the MCU Done
Hearing about Dave Bautista’s departure is far from a shock for most fans, as Bautista hasn’t been shy in expressing his desire to move on from the role after Guardians 3‘s debut for most of the last couple of years.
The case was the same with Zoe Saldana after she announced her own retirement in the lead-up to Guardians 3, even noting that she thinks her role should be recast with somebody new for future movies.
But the real question now is who will continue on into future projects, especially considering that Guardians 3 introduced new characters like Adam Warlock and the High Evolutionary into the mix.
Who Will Continue With Marvel Post-Guardians 3?
The mid-credits scene from this movie confirmed a brand-new team of Guardians with Rocket, Kraglin, Groot, Adam Warlock, and the young newcomer Phyla, who were all seen protecting an undisclosed planet from invasion.
Kraglin star Sean Gunn is already confirmed to move over to the DC Universe as both Weasel and GI Robot in the upcoming Creature Commandos show, although there’s still a chance that Kraglin could show up in future cosmic entries.
Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper’s roles are both voiceover roles, which would likely make their comebacks easier should Marvel decide to include them in the story again, and neither of them has commented on whether they would return.
This article contains spoilers for Netflix’s BeefIt is given that the inclusion of Ali Wong and Steven Yeun as the main characters of a show would result in an explosion of comedy, as these two come off as a diabolical duo. Netflix’s Beef achieves exactly that. It might seem like a simple watch that focuses on the everyday life of two Asians in America but, in reality, the show has so much to say. Of course, anything that is related to A24 is expected to result in making the viewers rethink a lot of things, and that is also why their productions have received such rave reviews.
One cannot expect anything less than brilliance from Beef. A major reason for this is the way in which the miniseries focuses on real issues. Yes, the show does make Asian-ness inherent to its plot and characters, but this does not prevent it from tapping into some universal issues. If you are looking for a show that ends up giving you something important, Beef is a must-watch.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAYSCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
A social hierarchy system might seem like an archaic social structure, but in reality, we all live in a society where the binaries of class are prevalent. Beef takes this to heart and is not afraid to vividly illustrate this class system we are all a part of. The stark difference between the two protagonists, Amy Lau (Ali Wong) and Danny (Steven Yeun) is one way in which this is achieved. The former is seemingly so rich that she is obsessed with her house being so perfect.
The latter, on the other hand, is struggling to make ends meet. Their residences are a clear example of how different their lives are. So, it is very ironical when these two end up clashing with each other. Beef gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “when worlds collide”
Billionaires
Netflix
Maria Bello’s character, Jordan, takes the forefront in representing this theme. Not only is Jordan a billionaire, but her lifestyle is pretty absurd. Her house is situated in the middle of nowhere. Her dinners are not only lavish, but they are represented in such a way that you are taken to a whole new world. The show is quite sarcastic about this particular character, simply because of how she comes off as “holier than thou”.
Cultural Appropriation
Netflix
Jordan’s obsession with other foreign cultures, specifically that from Asia, is quite disturbing. Her house might even remind you of the British Museum and its “stolen goods tour” since she has a display of stolen artifacts, all headpieces from different countries. Funnily, she takes this obsession to a whole new level when she marries Naomi (Ashley Park). Her use of Naomi as a mere object is hard to ignore, as she is very ignorant of Naomi’s feelings.
Capitalism
Netflix
Obviously, if a story centers around America, the theme of capitalism is hard to ignore. Jordan’s wealth stems from her company, Forsters, as well as Amy’s start-up business, which caters to rich people, which are the best examples. What is interesting about the way in which Beef approaches this theme is that they use Danny’s character to show the effects of capitalism.
Danny’s struggle with buying a house and running his business shows how many low opportunities are there for a certain class of people. “Those who thrive will thrive” seems to be a key message the show focuses on.
Childhood Trauma
Netflix
As the show continues, we are given glimpses of Amy’s childhood. It is then revealed that, unlike her husband, George Nakai (Joseph Lee), Amy does not come from a well-off family. She built herself up. The show hints a lot at her childhood trauma, especially by bringing in a strange creature who is watching Amy.
It is an interesting reminder of how such childhood traumas can be carried on to adulthood, in turn, impacting one’s life. This incorporation comes with a bit of sadness, which gives the viewers more emotional elements to grapple with.
Guns
Netflix/A24
This might seem like a trivial element included in the show, but when looked at closely, Beef has a strong statement on the debate of guns. At one point, we see Amy pleasuring herself with her gun. Even though it might come off as a strange scene, it might be hinting at people’s obsession with firearms. It is sad to see how something so destructive and violent is handled with so much ignorance, and that is exactly what Beef shows with Amy’s weird “relationship” with her gun.
Art
Netflix
Art plays a significant role throughout the show. The title cards act as a hinting out of what the episodes entail. Within the show, there is also a criticism of “fine art”. The way in which the Nakai family’s artistic creation impacts their lives is quite interesting. On one hand, George’s vases are criticized while his father’s legacy of chairs is looked at and appreciated but never sat on.
Then there’s Fumi’s (Patti Yasutake) constant comments on the lack of beauty in Amy’s house. All these point to the fact that art fails to give the comfort it is supposed to simply because people have preconceived notions of what art should be. In reality, art is subjective. Funnily enough, Amy’s graphics on Danny’s car can also be perceived as art, and it gives her more comfort than the Nakai family’s chairs.
One of the best lines of the show. Danny points this out to George when they are hanging out. On one hand, we have Danny who refuses to accept he has depression and suicidal thoughts and on the other, we have George, a white-washed-Asian, trying to rely on therapy instead of being honest about his feelings. The show heavily criticizes the way many Asians tend to ignore their mental health. At the same time, the show also emphasizes the difference between the East and the West.
Facade of a “Perfect Family”
Netflix A24
The Nakai family is seemingly perfect. A happy couple with a beautiful daughter and, not to forget, extremely wealthy. However, in reality, each has their own issues and there is a very clear lack of communication between Amy and George. It is as if the two are leading double lives.
Amy’s “beef” with Danny acts as a source of happiness while George’s relationship with Mia, Amy’s employee, acts as an escape from the lack of emotions he finds in his relationship. This ultimately causes a huge rupture within the family. It is interesting to see how Beef uses an Asian family to focus on the bottling up of emotions and the hiding of one’s true self.
Loneliness
Netflix
We are all lonely, and that is something Beef tries to tell us. Yes, it is sad but at the end of the day, it is the truth. Almost all the characters in the show are finding it difficult to build genuine human connections. That is why they end up faking their happiness and leading double lives. However, Danny and Amy seem to have broken this curse by the end of the show.
Their “beef” ends up allowing them to develop a genuine connection that is simply based on their shared experiences and feelings. In a way, Beef‘s beautiful ending is a reminder of how genuine human connections can help us be less lonely.
Showbiz India prides itself on being one of the most beloved and trusted brands for South Asian communities in the United States. For more than 25 years, the television show founded by Executive Producer and Lead Anchor Reshma Dordi, and produced in Los Angeles, has been a staple in entertainment and lifestyle programming from India and South Asia.
This post was written by Lauren Adams and originally appeared on Adobe blog on May 8, 2023.
The show now reaches more than 25 million households across the U.S. and globally. For Senior Producer and Co-Host Ayushi Chhabra, joining Showbiz India was the thrill of a lifetime — but she also felt the responsibility that comes with upholding such an influential name.
“A lot of our viewers feel like Showbiz India is a part of their family,” explains Chhabra. “We started to have a very strong sense of responsibility to our audience. That’s why we’ve branched out beyond entertainment and lifestyle to create content that delivers a more meaningful impact to the South Asian community.”
Mental health is a particularly important topic for Chhabra. “Growing up in a brown family myself, I understand the pressure to be perceived in an idealized sort of way,” she says. “In our culture, mental health gets swept under the rug. We had a great opportunity to break that stigma and help people see mental health in a better light.”
I spoke with Ayushi and her team as part of the Adobe Changemakers series to discuss how digital media can have a positive impact on mental health for communities.
Starting the conversation around mental health
Born in India, Chhabra was raised in Nigeria and South Africa, giving her a great appreciation for the global reach of the South Asian diaspora. She has firsthand experience with the stress that comes with being an immigrant, from navigating visa issues to trying to thrive without local family to lean on. When the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health reached out for help creating content on mental health awareness, Chhabra quickly recognized the impact it could have on the South Asian community.
“There’s a saying ‘log kya kahenge,’ which basically means that we’re very invested in what other people think of us,” says Chhabra. “Because Showbiz India has such strong roots in the South Asian community, we’re in a position to get people talking and provide resources around mental health.”
Showbiz India created several PSAs for the Department of Mental Health around topics such as suicide prevention, post traumatic stress disorder, and the impact of racism on mental health. The program interviewed mental health professionals, conducted focus groups, and filmed man-on-the-street interviews to connect with the community.
“South Asian people can be hesitant to talk on camera, but when they see the familiar Showbiz India mic, they feel a bit more comfortable,” says Chhabra. “Not everyone wants to talk with us, and that’s okay. But there’s been many times where the more we listen, the more they will open up about feelings that they’ve been bottling up for a long time. That’s our job. To give people a platform to speak and let them know that they’re not alone.”
25 years of impactful programming
One of the reasons that Showbiz India is so trusted is that people can expect consistent quality programming on their screens week after week. Chhabra’s work starts on Monday, with the week’s segment filmed and edited by Wednesday. The show is then compiled and packaged for delivery to television stations across the U.S. by Thursday to make it on air every Saturday.
“We work with pretty tight deadlines,” says Chhabra. “The only way that we can meet our deadlines and deliverables is by working with Adobe Creative Cloud.”
Videographer and editor Shane Labowitz relies on Adobe Premiere Pro for all his editing. “What I love about Premiere is that it’s clearly made by people who use the app,” says Labowitz. “It’s great in terms of speed and efficiency so that I can get everything done — and done well within our production timeline.”
And Premiere Pro’s integration with Frame.io is particularly helpful during tight turnarounds. “I can get my supervisor online with me and she can give me notes, even looking at it on her phone,” says Labowitz. “Frame.io is very efficient in the news business when you need something fact-checked or reviewed right away.”
Graphics editor Sushmita Kohli works with Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and Express to quickly create graphics for the show or assets for social media. “People are the link between creativity and technology,” says Kohli. “Adobe gives us innovative technology that allows us to be our most creative and share it with the world.”
Chhabra and the staff at Showbiz India are using their creativity to produce content that tackles heavy-hitting issues affecting people throughout the South Asian diaspora, from mental health to immigration, Asian hate, and domestic violence.
“I believe that digital media can affect change,” says Chhabra. “It’s a platform that can be used to spread false information, but it can also be a tool to make a difference in people’s lives. At Showbiz India, we understand what people are going through. If we can use our influence to change even one person’s life for the better, then we’ve done our job.”
*This episode originally aired on January 7th, 2023.
This week on The Treatment, Elvis sits down with Diallo Riddle, co-creator and one of the stars of the series “Sherman’s Showcase” and “South Side.” Next, director Todd Field joins to talk about his latest film, “Tár,” starring Cate Blanchett. And for The Treat, comedian Chris Redd talks about another legendary funnyman who helped Redd see the comedy in his struggles.
Промокоды Вавада декабря 2023 лучшие акции и скидки
Промокод Вавада декабрь 2023 лучшие предложения и скидки
Если вы ищете способ приумножить свои шансы на выигрыш, обратите внимание на специальные предложения в этом месяце. Не упустите шанс воспользоваться уникальными условиями, которые могут значительно увеличить ваши шансы на успех в играх. В этом материале представлены самые привлекательные варианты, которые стоит попробовать.
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Не забывайте проверять актуальные предложения и следить за новыми поступлениями. Каждый новый бонус и акция могут стать вашей удачной возможностью, которая не упадет на ваш счет дважды. Играйте с умом и наслаждайтесь процессом!
Промокоды Вавада декабря 2023: лучшие акции и скидки
Для получения увеличенных бонусов при первой регистрации рекомендуем использовать специальный код, который обеспечит 100% увеличение на стартовый депозит. Это отличная возможность сразу же увеличить баланс и начать игру на более выгодных условиях.
Обратите внимание на регулярные турниры, где можно заработать дополнительные призы. Участие требует лишь небольшой ставки, но награды могут быть весьма значительными. Проверяйте раздел с турнирами на сайте, чтобы не пропустить выгодные предложения.
Если вы планируете активную игру, обратите внимание на кэшбэк, который предоставляется за проигрыши на протяжении недели. Это очень приятное подспорье, так как часть израсходованных средств может вернуться на ваш счёт.
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Не забывайте проверять раздел с промо-акциями. Часто там появляются временные предложения, которые могут включать в себя бесплатные вращения на популярных слотах. Такие акции – шанс попробовать новые игры без риска для своих средств.
Для постоянных игроков доступны уникальные предложения. Например, за активную игру в течение месяца можно получить эксклюзивный бонус. Просто поддерживайте свою активность, и вы сможете воспользоваться этим предложением.
Не упустите возможность подписаться на новостную рассылку. Каждый месяц участники получают новости о предстоящих событиях и специальные коды, которые могут существенно увеличить шансы на выигрыш.
Где найти актуальные промокоды для Вавада в декабре 2023 года
Проверьте официальный сайт казино. Чаще всего там размещают специальные предложения и бонусы, которые актуальны для пользователей. Откройте раздел новостей или акций, чтобы быть в курсе всего самого свежего.
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Форумы и сообщества – еще одна возможность. На них часто обсуждают свежие предложения и делятся советами. Загляните на тематические ресурсы, где игроки активно обсуждают свои находки.
Социальные сети – не забывайте проверять аккаунты казино. Там могут публиковать уникальные коды и специальные условия для своих подписчиков.
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Into the Subway – The Italian Job (5/8) Movie CLIP (2003) HD
Director F. Gary Gray drove moviegoers into theaters in, well, droves with his surprise hit remake of the 1969 action-heist flick, The Italian Job. It stars Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Jason Statham, Mos Def, and a trio of Mini Coopers. As part of one extended, bravura sequence set in Los Angeles, Theron, Wahlberg, and Statham each steer a Mini down the steps to the Metro subway, outrace a train, and hurtle onto the train tracks to lose the surveillance of Norton, who looms above the city in a helicopter. The Minis make for maximum entertainment.
Can the eighth season of AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead TV show bring the story to a satisfying ending? As we all know, the Nielsen ratings typically play a big role in determining whether a TV show like Fear the Walking Dead is cancelled or renewed for season nine (in this case, we know season eight is the end). Unfortunately, most of us do not live in Nielsen households. Because many viewers feel frustrated when their viewing habits and opinions aren’t considered, we invite you to rate all of the eighth season episodes of Fear the Walking Dead here.
An AMC post-apocalyptic horror drama series, the Fear the Walking Dead TV show stars Lennie James, Kim Dickens, Rubén Blades, Colman Domingo, Danay García, Jenna Elfman, Karen David, Austin Amelio, Christine Evangelista, and Zoey Merchant. The show’s story begins in Los Angeles with a dysfunctional and blended family as they search for a safe haven in a horrifying new reality. The eighth season begins after Morgan (James) and Madison’s (Dickens) hopes to rescue Mo from PADRE did not go as planned. Now, Morgan, Madison and the others they brought to the island are living under PADRE’s cynical rule. Demoralized and dejected, they realize that the task of reigniting belief in a better world rests with the person Morgan and Madison set out to rescue in the first place — Morgan’s daughter, Mo (Merchant).
What do you think? Which season eight episodes of the Fear the Walking Dead TV series do you rate as wonderful, terrible, or somewhere between? Do you think that Fear the Walking Dead should be ending or would you have watched a ninth season on AMC?
Check out our status sheets to track new TV series pickups, renewals, and cancellations. You can find lists of cancelled shows here.
David Johansen wasn’t an easy sell on a documentary about his music, even from director Martin Scorsese. Johansen says it was his family that talked him into letting Scorsese film his performance for the documentary Personality Crisis: One Night Only.
Now, he’s happy with the result — relatively.
“I only cringed two or three times during this film,” Johansen said at Deadline’s Sound and Screen: Television event. “I do live shows, they go up into the ether and they’re gone. So this is like a document of who I was at that moment.”
Record producer Jack Douglas joined Johansen onstage for the panel conversation. Douglas, the film’s music producer, has produced Johansen’s music going back to his time in the New York Dolls in the ‘70s.
“I’ve always been impressed by the lyrics,” Douglas said. “This band musically was more professional so they supported the lyrics. We had some guest stars come in every once in a while.”
Johansen said the New York Dolls formed for one show only but then continued to perform. “I just got tired of singing the same songs over and over,” he said. “I said, ‘If we’re going to keep doing this, we have to make new songs.’ We made new songs and then Jack produced it. It’s a beautiful record.”
He acknowledges he was more present with Scorsese and co-director David Tedeschi for Personality Crisis: One Night Only. He has only fleeting memories of recording with the New York Dolls.
“I don’t remember so much about the first record we made in the early ‘70s, but I know the lights were blinking on the board. It was very pretty,” Johansen said. “This time I was a little more corpus mantis you might say.”
Douglas also recalled a funny anecdote about Johansen telling off producer Todd Rundgren in the studio.
“Todd said to him, ‘You know it’s going to be really great when we put a lot of harmony on it,’” Douglas said. “He goes, ‘Harmony? Are you accusing me of having melody?’”
Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon knows her team has it good. They just concluded their second day of training camp for the 2023 season in a gleaming new $40 million, 64,000- square-foot facility, the first standalone practice site and headquarters for a WNBA team in the league’s 26-year history. Amenities include TVs and Mac mini-computers in each locker, hot and cold plunge pools, massage tables, an infrared sauna, and cryotherapy.
But as per the unwritten commandments of her profession, Hammon takes a minute to bring up the negative. “I wasn’t happy about the defense out there,” she says during an elevator ride to her still largely unfurnished office, where the Aces playbook and other pieces of paper with offensive sets drawn on them overrun her desk. She’s hung a few small basketball hoops on the wall so that visitors, especially her two children, ages 7 and 5, can shoot a Nerf ball at the plastic rims.
“Have you seen this?” she asks, directing me to a space right outside overlooking the two practice courts. Her players are still milling about, taking foul shots, chatting, getting treatment from trainers. Hammon beams. The scene at Aces headquarters feels so distant from the days when women’s pro players wrapped their own knees and, if they were lucky, got to share training spaces with their NBA counterparts. Candace Parker, one of the greatest players in WNBA history, has said one reason she signed with the Aces this year was that for the first time in her career, she’d have a permanent locker with her name on it.
“At the end of the day, these players just want places they can go to just get shots up whenever they want,” says Hammon, 46, leaning against a railing. “Be in a safe environment and have rebounders and whatnot. Stuff in the locker. It’s just these little simple things that you think are so basic. But they just haven’t had ‘em.”
Hammon, who last season became the first rookie WNBA coach to take a team to the title, leads an organization pouring unprecedented investment into women’s basketball, at a moment when the sport feels especially ascendant. Another WNBA team, the Seattle Storm, has broken ground on its own $64 million practice space. Both the Aces and the New York Liberty made splashy off-season moves. The Aces inked Parker and forward Alysha Clark, a two-time WNBA champion (while also adding Tom Brady as a minority owner). New York signed former WNBA MVP and two-time champion Breanna Stewart and point guard Courtney Vandersloot to free-agent deals and traded for 2021 WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones. The flurry of activity sparked debate about the costs and benefits of WNBA “superteams”—a conversation that has boosted fan engagement for the NBA for years and appears to be doing the same for the W. Viewership for April’s WNBA draft was the highest in 19 years, up 42% over last year’s total. Brittney Griner’s return to the court for the Phoenix Mercury, after her 10-month imprisonment in Russia, should draw more eyeballs. Plus, momentum for women’s basketball is growing at the college level: this year’s women’s Final Four, capped by LSU’s Angel Reese talking trash to Iowa’s Caitlin Clark in the championship game, created more buzz than the men’s event.
Adding to the intrigue is Hammon, a trailblazing force in American sports. After 16 years as an underestimated, 5 ft. 6 in. WNBA point guard, she was hired as an assistant coach by the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, making her the first female full-time coach in the history of the four major North American sports leagues (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB). In 2015, she served as head coach for the Spurs’ summer-league team and won a championship, the first woman to do so. In 2020, she became the first woman to serve as head coach during the NBA regular season when she took over for longtime Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, a five-time NBA champion, in a game after he was ejected.
Assistant coach Becky Hammon and head coach Gregg Popovich on the court during a San Antonio Spurs game in 2017.
David Zalubowski—AP
Hammon spent eight years as an assistant for the Spurs and interviewed for so many head-coaching positions, she’s lost count. “I can’t even guesstimate,” she says, reclining in her cushy desk chair. While many Popovich lieutenants have secured head-coaching gigs, she’s been passed over every time. She notes that she’s spent a quarter-century in professional basketball. “It’s just people that want to discount 16 of them,” says Hammon, referring to her years suiting up in the WNBA. “If you give me my 16 years as a player that you do to any of these other people, all of a sudden I jump to the top of the list right away.” Former NBA point guards like Doc Rivers (13 seasons), Jason Kidd (19 seasons), and Chauncey Billups (17 seasons) all got their first head-coaching gigs with little to no assistant-coaching experience. “If I had a 16-year NBA career and my name was Brian, I’d probably be hired and fired a couple of times by now,” she says.
So Hammon made the jump to the WNBA last season, scrapped the Aces’ antiquated playbook to install a flowing pace-and-space style familiar in the NBA, and immediately won the first title in franchise history. (The Aces played in Utah as the Starzz from 1997 to 2002, then relocated to San Antonio as the Silver Stars, and later just the Stars, from 2003 to 2017 before moving to Las Vegas.) Hammon will enter the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in August, along with NBA greats Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, and her mentor Popovich. “She is overqualified,” says Aces guard Kelsey Plum, “to be an NBA coach.”
The new season starts May 19, with the Aces returning as champions but also facing two investigations by the WNBA, one related to the salary cap and the other related to allegations of mistreatment by a pregnant player who was traded. Meanwhile, Hammon remains on the NBA’s radar. In April, days before the start of WNBA training camps, the Toronto Raptors reached out to Hammon’s agent about their vacant head-coaching position. In the immediate or near future, it would seem, Hammon may have to make a choice. She can play a key role in growing the popularity of the WNBA. Or she can embrace the role of historic figure, breaking a glass ceiling and becoming the first woman to coach a group of men in a major sports setting.
Hammon insists the latter isn’t necessarily the obvious call. “My happiness is most important,” she says. She points out that the NBA’s 82-game grind, for example, is punishing for any parent of young children; the WNBA’s 40-game schedule, which spans summer vacation, is much more family-friendly. “I love being here,” she says. “I love being back on the women’s side. I don’t need the stamp of approval from the NBA.”
Hammon grew up in Rapid City, S.D., near the Black Hills mountain range. Her father Marty ran a fire-sprinkler company, and her mom Bev was a realtor. The Hammons were an outdoorsy family; they hunted, fished, and went camping. “Her and her brother used to take off into the wild and ride four-wheelers, three-wheelers,” says Marty. “Gone all day. Back of the woods. Come back covered with mud.”
She’d spend hours playing basketball with her dad and older brother Matt on a concrete slab in their front yard. On snowy days, she’d grab a shovel to clear the court. Her first memory of organized basketball was sixth grade, losing a game to one of the better schools in the area. “I remember that one because my mom thought we were getting screwed by the refs,” says Hammon. “She was next-level hot.”
Despite her stellar high school stats—Hammon averaged 26 points, 5 steals, and 4 rebounds per game as a senior—few college recruiters journeyed to Rapid City to scout her. Some dismissed her as too small and slow. “Average white girl,” one assistant coach wrote in his evaluation. “It’s the story of my life,” says Hammon. “Not getting picked.”
Hammon playing for Colorado State in a first round game of the NCAA tournament in March 1996.
David Madison—Getty Images
Colorado State, however, took a flier on Hammon, and in 1996 she was the highest-scoring freshman in the nation, averaging 19.2 points per game. Hammon led the Rams to three NCAA tournaments, including a Sweet 16 appearance. “She had endless range,” says Los Angeles Sparks coach Curt Miller, who was an assistant at Colorado State during Hammon’s senior year. “She was a tremendously accurate three-point shooter. But the underrated part of her game was her uncanny ability to be crafty and creative around the rim. To use angles and spins to finish so well in traffic for someone that was only 5 ft. 6 in. Her offense was off the charts.” She scored 2,740 points at Colorado State, still the most in Western Athletic Conference history, woman or man. She was named first-team All-American in 1999.
Those honors weren’t enough, however, for a WNBA team to select her in that year’s draft. “I remember going with my assistant coaches at the time to Perkins or Applebee’s or whatever,” says Hammon. “I was just crying.” The Liberty invited her to camp as a free agent and she played her way onto the roster. Over the next eight seasons, Hammon emerged as the face of the franchise, helping New York reach three WNBA finals. The Liberty traded her to San Antonio in 2007; that season, she finished second in MVP voting.
Still, Team USA did not initially invite her to try out for the 2008 Olympic team. Russia, however, wanted her to play on its squad: Hammon was spending her WNBA offseasons playing there on lucrative contracts and had become a naturalized citizen. She decided to play for Russia. U.S. women’s basketball coach Anne Donovan called her unpatriotic. Others piled on. “My biggest mistake was reading the comments online,” says Bev Hammon. “All the negativity and degrading remarks. That is tough for a mom. Very tough. Especially when you know her heart.” During one conversation, Bev told her daughter how people were calling her a traitor. In her day, you were better dead than red. “I was like, ‘Mom, is one thing they’re saying true?” says Hammon. No, Bev responded. “‘So what are you doing? Quit reading it.”
Russia won bronze in Beijing; the U.S. took gold. But Hammon believes the backlash she faced gave her thicker skin that would serve her well when she entered the NBA. “It taught me how to be comfortable in other people’s uncomfortable,” Hammon says.
Hammon’s Russian passport has expired, and she has no plans to go back. “Right now, it’s embarrassing what Russia is doing,” she says. “Just a murderous rampage over there.” The Olympic experience, however, was directly responsible for Hammon, four years later, sitting next to Popovich on a flight home from the London Olympics (Hammon helped Russia finish fourth in 2012; Popovich was in London checking on some Spurs, like Tony Parker of France and Manu Ginóbili of Argentina, who were competing at the Games). Popovich quizzed her on life in Russia, asked her if she’d tell him the truth in a basketball setting, and resolved to hire her as a coach when her playing days were over. A torn ACL ended Hammon’s season in 2013. She retired a year later; Popovich gave her a job.
Hammon scoring for the Russian national team during the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Mike Segar—Reuters
While Hammon can’t think of a single player who disrespected her because of her gender during her eight years in San Antonio, she still faced hostility. Personnel in other organizations, who were competing against her for leadership spots, weren’t exactly thrilled with the attention she attracted. “I hand somebody a clipboard and I’m on SportsCenter,” Hammon says. “Somebody who’s been working in the NBA for 20 years, has been a great assistant, does the same thing, nobody knows his name. So you get some passive aggressiveness or just flat-out fakeness because everybody’s supposed to be so happy that I’m there. But really, it’s kind of like, ugh.”
In NBA head-coaching interviews, she says, executives asked her why she thinks guys will follow her. “It’s like, I don’t know if you’re asking that to all the male coaches, but it seems like a weird question,” says Hammon. “Why am I here if you don’t think athletes would follow me? Because you wouldn’t follow a woman, you’re saying, ‘Why would they follow you?’”
They also asked how she’d conduct her coaching in a men’s locker room. “You learn how to reverse the conversation and be like, ‘Well, why is nobody throwing a fit over Geno Auriemma coaching women?’” she says. “You’re looking for a reason for me not to be there. Sometimes when you put it differently, it’s like, ‘Oh, well, that’s dumb.’”
While Hammon isn’t closing off the possibility of a move down the line, she insists her focus is on the Aces. “You’re going to have to come after me,” she says. “I’m not going to beg for a job anymore.”
It hasn’t escaped Hammon’s notice that men with allegations of misconduct in their past have received opportunities before she has. In 2021, the Portland Trailblazers picked Chauncey Billups, who was accused of rape in 1997 and settled a civil suit with the accuser out of court, as its coach (he has denied the allegations and never faced criminal charges). Also in 2021, the Dallas Mavericks hired Jason Kidd, who in 2001 pleaded guilty to spousal abuse, to his third head-coaching position. Ime Udoka just got a job with the Houston Rockets after the Boston Celtics suspended him due to an improper relationship with a female subordinate.
Hammon considers Billups and Udoka friends and says she doesn’t think anyone should be judged by their worst moments. But, she says, when it comes to hiring decisions, “it’s still better to not be a woman.”
Hammon and Spurs guard Patty Mills on the bench next to head coach Gregg Popovich, right, and assistant coach Ime Udoka, now the head coach of the Houston Rockets.
Edward A. Ornelas—Getty Images
In the WNBA, Hammon hasn’t altered her leadership style. “At the end of the day, leadership is genderless,” she says “And competitive athletes are competitive athletes. If they feel like you can give them information to help them gain an advantage, to help them win, I don’t care if it’s Kermit the Frog telling them, they will listen.”
She’s convinced that NBA front offices, for the most part, are risk averse. “When something’s never been done, or they don’t know how it looks, they’re scared,” says Hammon, with a Texas twang she picked up over all those years in San Antonio. “People don’t like different. And look, I’ve been different my whole life. I don’t look the part. I’m telling you, it helps to look the part.” There’s only so much Hammon can control at this stage. “If I walk in the room and I have the biggest set of balls in the room, it’s not going to work,” she says. “Because it’s going to take somebody that is not afraid to make a hard choice.”
I push back on this point a little bit. The NBA dismisses coaches with impunity; heck, three of the coaches who’ve won the last four NBA titles got fired. An organization that hires Hammon will receive a ton of positive press for breaking barriers. Her appointment is more than justified, given her experience working with Popovich and her championship pedigree in her first year as head coach. And if Hammon doesn’t work out? Well, when it comes to coaching hires, teams whiff more than Little League right fielders. Where, really, is the risk?
“That’s a fair point,” Hammon says. “I guess it’s just the scrutiny.” She mentions the social media buzz over Toronto’s interest: the chatter, Hammon figures, puts undue pressure on the organization. Perhaps they don’t want to deal with it. Plus, other factors could be at play. “You’re going to have a gay woman running your only professional men’s basketball team?” says Hammon. “Probably not. At the end of the day, there are certain parking slots I’m not going to fit in no matter what.”
It’s not that she feels entitled to a top NBA job. “It’s difficult for anybody to get a job in the NBA,” says Hammon. But that doesn’t negate the injustice of the situation and she’s just kind of over it. “You’ve got to get to the point where you’re like, ‘I don’t give a f-ck what you think.’ I know what I know. And I know who I am. And you just keep it pushing.”
The Aces gave Hammon a chance to lead a team, as well as financial security. Mark Davis, who owns the Aces and the Las Vegas Raiders, offered Hammon a deal that pays seven figures per year. Hammon also needed a change of scenery. “Quite frankly, I just got tired of hanging out with guys all the time,” says Hammon. ”All … the time. I do guy vibe. I do guy things. I know guy code. I’ve spent thousands of hours with men. I like men things. Hunting, fishing, diving, shooting things. But I wouldn’t say I’ve ever had a really close colleague.” She mentions former Spurs assistant coach Chip Engelland, who’s now with Oklahoma City, as one of her favorite people. “But it’s just different,” she says.
There’s a lightness to Aces practices. Mistakes aren’t treated as fatal, by either the players or the coaching staff. When Aj’a Wilson, the defending WNBA MVP, misses a three-pointer in a drill, she doesn’t dwell and instead just preps for the next one. “This team just has happy people,” says Hammon. “And you feel that.”
On the men’s side, says Hammon, “I just think they’re more reserved. They kind of have a too-cool-for-school card.” She lists a bunch of former Spurs—Danny Green, DeMar DeRozan, Dejounte Murray, Tony Parker—with whom she had rich conversations. “I love kicking it with them off the court, on the court,” says Hammon. “But it’s a different dynamic.” Salary discrepancies between men and women surely play a role. The average WNBA salary for 2023 is around $105,000, according to Spotrac. In the NBA, it’s $6.6 million. “Each one of them are their own corporate businesses,” says Hammon. “So there’s a team vibe that I really enjoy with the women.”
Her tenure hasn’t come without some controversy. The WNBA is investigating the Aces for circumventing the salary cap. Davis has denied that the team made under-the-table payments to players in violation of league rules. The league is also looking into allegations made by Dearica Hamby that she was “lied to, bullied, manipulated and discriminated against” by her former team. She claims the Aces accused her of signing her contract extension last June knowing she was pregnant. She announced her pregnancy in September and was traded to Los Angeles in January. “To be treated this way by an organization, BY WOMEN who are mothers, who have claimed to be ‘in these shoes,’ who preach family, chemistry, and women’s empowerment is disappointing and leaves me sick to my stomach,” she wrote on Instagram.
When I ask Hammon if she believes she was one of the moms Hamby referred to, she says yes. The trade, says Hammon, “probably feels like very much of a betrayal from me, probably more than anyone, because I had such a great relationship with her. On a personal level, it hurt her feelings and it hurt mine. It’s the worst part of my job, cutting a player or trading a player.” Hammon says she and the organization acted appropriately and the deal was a business decision that would allow the Aces to sign other players.
She may want to cultivate good vibes among the team, but she’s still the boss. Hammon patrols the season’s opening practices in an unzipped hoodie, dirty-blonde hair tied up in a bun. She talks strategy in a firm but conversational manner. “One stat I don’t care about is offensive rebounds,” she tells the Aces. “I love them. But the emphasis is getting back on D.” During a scrimmage, she barks about the less than stellar defensive effort of her starting five. “There’s zero physicality,” she says, chomping on gum. While Hammon stays calm throughout the first two practices, she’s not afraid to lose it on occasion. “She’ll be screaming at us, then she’s like calm and laughs with us,” says Wilson. “Then she goes back to screaming. We don’t know whether to laugh or not.”
“Are there times where I have to step on them and be like, ‘Shut the f-ck up and listen?’” says Hammon. “Yes. And I’ll do that. But overall, I want people that want to come to work every day.”
A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces celebrates with head coach Becky Hammon after defeating the Connecticut Sun in game four to win the 2022 WNBA Finals.
Maddie Meyer—Getty Images
When rumors popped up before training camp that the Raptors were interested in Hammon, Wilson tweeted a link to a report about the outreach, accompanied by the unsmiling emoji. “Becky has been in the game for X amount of years, and she’s been bomb at what she does, and they overlooked her,” says Wilson. “All of a sudden, she comes to us and we’re rocking and rolling and we win and now it’s like, ‘Oh my God, let’s give this woman a chance.’ That’s why I put out the stone-cold straight face. Because she’s been a pot of gold at the rainbow forever. And now that you see a little leprechaun come along, everyone wants the gold.”
On the one hand, the Aces get it. “I am for what is best for the game,” says Parker, who herself has occupied space typically reserved for men, as a studio analyst for NBA games. “It would be huge for women.” On the other hand, Wilson has a point. “Every time she’s texting, I look over her shoulder and go, ‘F-ck Toronto,’” says Plum.
Hammon’s system has unleashed the team’s many talents. She often moved Wilson out of the post to the top of the offense, where the 6 ft. 4 in. forward can use her agility to drive around defenders. She imported the NBA’s love of long-range shooting: Wilson had taken two three-pointers in the four seasons in which she played for former Aces coach Bill Laimbeer. In 2022, under Hammon, Wilson took 83, converting 31 of them—or a respectable 37% of her attempts. (As a team, the Aces shot 96% more threes than they did the previous season, and hit 86% more.)
“When she came, it kind of exposed me to more things I could do on the court,” says Wilson. “I can get my teammates open. I can get myself open. It made me unlock a whole other level of basketball.”
Hammon’s floor-spreading offense relies less on set plays and more on trusting her players to read the defense and make smart decisions. “There were definitely moments, especially at the beginning of the year, where she would pull me aside and be like, ‘Don’t you ever pass up that shot, are you kidding me?’” says Plum, who averaged a career high 20.2 points per game in 2022. “You know she believes in you, so you kind of believe in yourself more. We didn’t have that before.”
Hammon’s Xs and Os acumen was on full display in the playoffs, especially during Game 3 of semifinals against the Seattle Storm. With the best-of-five series tied 1-1 on Seattle’s home court, Hammon called time-outs and drew up three out-of-bounds plays in the last 12 seconds; they all led to Aces baskets. The final hoop came with 1.8 seconds left and Las Vegas down two. Jackie Young ran toward Plum in the corner, as if she were going to screen for her; instead, Young deftly juked her defender, cut toward the basket, took a pass, and banked a layup at the buzzer, forcing overtime.
The Aces dominated in the extra session and closed out the series two nights later to clinch the Finals berth. “She literally probably won us that series,” says Plum.
Now as defending champions and with some flashy new players, the Aces will be a target around the league. If they can win back-to-back titles, they would be the first team in 21 years to do so. On Hammon’s desk, her phone is dinging. She assumes her assistant coaches are wondering why she’s late to a meeting. Opening day—in the WNBA—is approaching. “I know I put in the work,” says Hammon. “And if somebody wants to come and find me, they know where to find me.”
The May 14 episode of American Idol is Disney night, with the top five contestants being mentored by Sofia Carson. After a performance from Sara Bareilles, it’s time to kick off the competition. Up first is We Ani, who sings “Into The Unknown” from Frozen 2. The powerful performance earns a standing ovation from the judges. “What a way to start the show,” Lionel Richie gushes “You look like a star, you sound like a star, you act like a star, your stage presence is amazing. You did a fantastic job.”
Next up is Zachariah Smith with a performance from The Lion King. He sings a fun rendition of “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King” with the perfect outfit to match. “That was incredible. I love when you don’t think about it and just embody it,” Katy Perry says. Luke Bryan also raves over Zachariah’s comfort level onstage.
The next performance is from Colin Stough. He performs “Real Gone” from Cars and absolutely crushes it. “I didn’t realize that a Cars song was going to get you that comfortable!” Luke says. “That’s the most let loose, have fun [performance]. Great song choice!” Lionel tells Colin it’s his favorite performance that he’s done on the show so far.
Megan Danielle is up next with a rendition of “You Can’t Stop The Girl.” Her effortless performance is stunning, as always. “Do you have any idea how much you’ve grown?” Lionel asks That was a stellar performance. The voice is going to another level.” The final round closes out with Iam Tongi singing “Lava.” The judges rave over Iam’s authenticity. “You just come out, have your thing, and people just gravitate like I’ve never seen. You make a room light up,” Luke compliments.
Megan Danielle on ‘American Idol.’ (ABC)
Next, it’s time for We to return to the stage. This time, she performs “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus, slowing the song down to show off each note. The judges are on their feet to applaud the performance. “Once again, you delivered perfectly. I loved your arrangement,” Luke gushes. Zachariah returns to the stage next, singing “Life Is A Highway.” The judges applaud Zachariah’s song choice and rave that he did a “great job.” Even Ryan Seacrest admits that it’s a “different level” of performance.
Back with another performance next is Colin. He gives a stripped down performance, playing guitar while singing “Nobody Knows.” “I feel like you were giving everybody their own special performance. You drew us so in,” Katy admits. “You just controlled it so well. You are showing us so many different things. You are growing before our very eyes.”
For her second performance of the night, Megan sings “Carry Me With You.” It’s an absolutely beautiful song and rendition. “A light switched inside of you,” Katy tells Megan. “You can see it and you can hear it. I was so enjoying you take me to that beautiful and angelic place.” To close out the performances, Iam returns to the stage to sing “Father and Son.” Once again, the judges are on their feet, giving Iam a standing ovation to end the show. Katy even declares Iam the “next American Idol.”
Now, it’s time to find out who America wants to see in next week’s finale. The first person to be called safe is Colin Stough, followed by Megan Danielle and Iam Tongi. That meansWe and Zachariah are eliminated.
Emmy Award-winning director Adam Bernstein (“30 Rock,” “Fargo,” “Better Call Saul”) is set to helm new Prime Video Italy original “Costiera,” an English-language action drama set on Italy’s iconic Amalfi Coast.
The high-end show is being co-produced by Amazon Studios and Luca Bernabei for Lux Vide, the prominent Italian company behind financial thriller “Devils” that is owned by Fremantle. Though production on “Costiera” is set to start on location this summer, the international cast is being kept under wraps.
Under a highly innovative deal structure, Fremantle will handle global sales on “Costiera” in all territories outside of Italy, France, Spain and Portugal where Amazon is holding on to full exclusive rights.
In interviews with Variety, Nicole Morganti, who is Amazon Studios head of originals in Italy, and Lux Vide CEO Luca Bernabei (pictured above) hailed the groundbreaking aspect of the “Costiera” business model.
“Up until now we always did deals that were buyouts, or in any event co-productions,” said Morganti. “But in this case we had the great fortune – thanks to approval from our U.S. headquarters – to try instead to be more flexible and to innovate: to be open to the possibility of working with an international distributor,” she went on to point out.
Morganti also underlined that, while buyouts and co-productions remain a fundamental way of doing business at Amazon Studios, “I am certainly happy that Amazon has had the foresight to look beyond the short-term result [of having exclusivity on a show around the world]. “Though it remains key for us to maintain IP, there is a desire to give talents and production companies, and everyone in the industry, more opportunities,” she said. Morganti also noted that this new business model “Is being looked at by Amazon not just in Italy but in the rest of the world.”
Marco Azzani, who is director of Prime Video Italy, called “Costiera” “A great example of how we at Prime Video approach our business – collaborating with the Italian production and creative industry to constantly innovate for our customers.”
“I think it’s a watershed moment” said Bernabei, commenting on how the financing and sales aspects of “Costiera” are structured.
As for the show itself, Bernabei explained that “Costiera” takes its cue from wanting to put one of the world’s most charming and elegant places on screen. “The British writer Osbert Sitwell used to say: ‘Those who don’t know Amalfi, don’t know Italy.’,” he said. “But of course the location isn’t enough.”
In “Costiera” an Italian-American former marine named Daniel De Luca is a problem-solver in one of the most exclusive hotels of the world in Positano, a gem resort between Sorrento and Amalfi. He is a guest of the owner because DD, as everyone knows him, is the only person who caught a glimpse of the face of the man who may have kidnapped his daughter and therefore the only person who may be able to hunt the kidnapper down. Aside from that storyline, basically DD solves a case in each episode.
Jens Richter, who is CEO of commercial and international at Fremantle, in a statement called “Costiera” “An intoxicating thriller set in the sun-drenched Amalfi Coast” and “The ultimate blue-sky drama that ticks all the boxes.”
The show was developed by in-house at Lux by the company’s head of drama Elena Bucaccio (“Devils”) and its head writer Francesco Arlanch (“Medici”).
“It’s a great meeting of the minds between two great Italian screenwriters and a great American director [Adam Bernstein] who fell in love with the story,” said Bernabei who pointed out that Bernstein is fluent in Italian.
Barry Walsh is editor-in-chief and content director for Realscreen, and has served as editor of the publication since 2009. With a career in entertainment media that spans two decades, prior to Realscreen, he held the associate editor post for now defunct sister publication Boards, which focused on the advertising and commercial production industries. Before Boards, he served as editor of Canadian Music Network, a weekly music industry trade, and as music editor for HMV.com. As content director, he also oversees the development of content for the brand’s market-leading events, the Realscreen Summit and Realscreen West, as well as new content initiatives.
Wes Anderson’s films have premiered at a wide variety of festivals, but after “Moonrise Kingdom” (2012), “The French Dispatch” (2021) and his upcoming ensemble comedy “Asteroid City,” Cannes is the fest he keeps coming back to. Last week, I asked Anderson what he finds so compelling about a debut on the Croisette.
“The reason to go to Cannes, I think, is because they said yes,” he deadpanned. “After that, there isn’t really much to contemplate.”
Well, there’s a little more to it than that, Anderson admitted: For cinema lovers, there is no holier pilgrimage to make than to the Cannes Film Festival, where movies are treated with the utmost reverence and routinely given marathon standing ovations.
It is a place where great auteurs have been canonized, like Martin Scorsese, who won the Palme d’Or in 1976 for “Taxi Driver” and will return this year with his new feature “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and Quentin Tarantino, a Palme winner (for “Pulp Fiction” in 1994) and Cannes habitué who’ll be back at the fest this year for a wide-ranging conversation that may touch on his upcoming final film.
“I look at Cannes in relation to the other movies I know showed there, and I feel lucky enough to be included in the program that debuted those films,” Anderson said. “For me, it’s a chance to be involved in this movie history, which I love.”
A Cannes launch can be awfully expensive for a studio to bankroll, since the airfare, star entourages and five-star hotels alone all add up. Still, the return on investment can be major. Last year, “Top Gun: Maverick” launched with a fawning Tom Cruise summit and sent fighter jets flying over the south of France, while Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” threw a rock concert on the beach where drones traced Elvis Presley’s silhouette in the sky. Both films leveraged their splashy debuts to become some of the best-performing global hits of the year, and were nominated for the best-picture Oscar, to boot.
This year, several star-driven films will attempt to capitalize on a Cannes bow, including “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” which is being billed as Harrison Ford’s final appearance in his most iconic role. Can it overcome the tepid response to the last sequel, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” and the substitution of James Mangold (“Ford v Ferrari”) for Steven Spielberg as director of the series? At least the addition of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, in her most high-profile role since “Fleabag,” will add a welcome jolt to the franchise.
The director Todd Haynes, who premiered “Carol” at Cannes, returns to the festival with another female-driven two-hander: “May December,” which stars Julianne Moore as a teacher whose scandalous relationship with a former student is scrutinized by a movie star (Natalie Portman) preparing to play the teacher in a film. Other star-heavy films include “The New Boy,” featuring Cate Blanchett as a nun in her first role since “Tár,” and “Firebrand,” with Jude Law as Henry VIII and Alicia Vikander as his last wife, Katherine Parr.
And then there are “Asteroid City” and “Killers of the Flower Moon,” the fest’s two most anticipated premieres. The former takes place at a 1950s retreat for space-obsessed youngsters and stars Anderson staples like Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson and Tilda Swinton, as well as new recruit Tom Hanks, about whom Anderson said, “I couldn’t have had a better time working with anybody.” Scorsese’s Apple-backed film charts the mysterious murders of the Osage tribe in the 1920s and will bring stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro to the red carpet.
(Still, weep for what might have been: Greta Gerwig’s candy-colored July release “Barbie” will skip an early premiere at Cannes, depriving us of a red-carpet fantasy to trump all others.)
In recent years, the winner of the prestigious Palme d’Or award has often gone to a film with breakout-hit potential, like “Parasite” and “Triangle of Sadness.” The director of the latter film, Ruben Ostlund, will preside over this year’s competition jury, a group that includes Brie Larson and Paul Dano, and they’ll be picking their favorite from an auteur-heavy lineup that includes several former Palme winners.
Among them are Wim Wenders, who took the Palme for “Paris, Texas” and returns with “Perfect Days,” about a Tokyo toilet cleaner, and Hirokazu Kore-eda, whose new film “Monster” is the first film he has shot in Japan since his Palme winner “Shoplifters.” No director has ever taken the Palme three times, though Ken Loach could this year, if his new working-class drama “The Old Oak” proves as acclaimed as “The Wind That Shakes the Barley” and “I, Daniel Blake.”
This year’s Cannes has its fair share of long films — “Occupied City,” Steve McQueen’s documentary about Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, runs four hours and six minutes — but not every buzzy premiere will be feature-length. The fest will also premiere shorts directed by Pedro Almodóvar (“A Strange Way of Life”) and the late Jean-Luc Godard (“Phony Wars”), while launching “The Idol,” an already-controversial HBO series from the “Euphoria” mastermind Sam Levinson starring Abel “the Weeknd” Tesfaye.
And though the festival will offer G-rated pleasures in the form of Pixar’s new film “Elemental,” it wouldn’t be Cannes without a few envelope-pushers. Keep an eye on Catherine Breillat, whose sexually explicit filmography (“Fat Girl,” “Romance”) gets a new entry with “Last Summer,” about a lawyer who falls for her teenage stepson.
Then there’s the film I’m most curious about: “The Zone of Interest,” an Auschwitz-set drama from the director Jonathan Glazer. Rumor has it that Cannes passed on Glazer’s audacious “Under the Skin” back in 2013 and was eager to make up for that mistake. Since Glazer’s films (“Birth” and “Sexy Beast”) are infrequent but stunning, a new project from the director is reason enough to say yes to Cannes — and after that, there isn’t really much to contemplate.
Megyn Kelly has seemingly challenged her “Bombshell” big-screen counterpart, Charlize Theron, to a fight over the actor’s drag allyship.
Last weekend, during a “Drag Isn’t Dangerous” telethon, Theron drew a line in the sand and said she was willing to throw down with anyone who opposes drag performers.
“I will f— anybody up who‘s like trying to f— with anything with you guys,” Theron said at the Sunday event, which was streamed online.
The former Fox News and NBC News personality acknowledged she has been to “fun drag queen shows” but criticized ones that are done in front of children.
“Even she should be against it, trans kid or not,” Kelly said, referring to Theron’s child Jackson, 10, who is a trans girl.
Throughout the episode, Kelly and one of her guests, conservative political commentator Sara Gonzales, repeatedly made anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ comments. Gonzales invalidated transgender and nonbinary identities as “not normal and not true,” while Kelly described transitioning genders as “something that will really eff you up.”
At Sunday’s telethon event, Theron and the “Drag Isn’t Dangerous” campaign opposed the slew of bills recently introduced or signed into law that target the LGBTQ+ community. There are more than 470 such bills in this current legislative session alone, according to the ACLU.
“There’s so many things that are really hurting and killing our kids … and it ain’t no drag queen,” Theron said during the telethon. “Because if you’ve ever seen a drag queen lip-sync for her life, it only makes you happier, it only makes you love more, it makes you a better person.”
While calling out Theron, Kelly mentioned her cinematic ties to the actor and said, “I feel like I have some weird connection with this person because she played me in a movie.”
Theron played Kelly in the 2019 film “Bombshell,” which was based on the real-life accounts of the women who exposed the late Roger Ailes, then-chairman of Fox News, for sexual harassment. During the podcast, Kelly said she had never met Theron, who said she didn’t talk with the anchor before doing the film because she thought it would put too much pressure on both of them.
However, some reminded them of Theron’s “movie training for fight scenes.” Theron has starred in various action flicks, such as “Hancock,” “Atomic Blonde” and films in the “Fast & Furious” franchise.
TV screenwriter Barbara Marshall kept her defense of Theron simple, posting a GIF of Theron as the deadly, one-armed heroine Furiosa of “Mad Max: Fury Road,” captioned, “Dont start none, wont be none Karen.”
Times staff writer Emily St. Martin and audience engagement editor Kenya Romero contributed to this report.
This marks the best-ever second-weekend for a Marvel Studios-produced sequel, and it’s also the lowest drop for an MCU movie since 2018’s Black Panther.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is one of only five MCU movies to ever drop under 50% in their second weekend, the rest of which can be seen ranked below:
Sure, Marvel Studios has had only one true flop financially over the past couple of years (Marvel Studios even made a profit from Thor: Love and Thunder), but seeing this kind of success shows how strong the franchise’s staying power truly is.
Even considering the delays that may hit the franchise thanks to extenuating circumstances like the ongoing writers’ strike, Guardians 3 serves as a refreshing relief to fans’ worries that the franchise was in real trouble.
And with mutants officially on the way in 2024 with Deadpool 3 along with a pair of massive team-up movies for the Avengers closing this saga of stories, Guardians 3 could be the start of another great run for the red brand sooner rather than later.
The beauty of modern video gaming is all the many layers of fun players can make for themselves. You have the intrinsic joy of playing the game as intended. That is, after all, what the devs toiled over for sleepless nights on end. Next is the goofy fun of finding unintended styles of play that nevertheless work out in your favor. Then there are the people who are so godlike they manage to break the game the day it comes out. Yes, someone has already beaten Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, by most estimations a 70-80 hour game, in just over 90 minutes.
Nintendo
We saw this first at VideoGamesChronicle. The gamer gymnast86 posted their playthrough of the newest open-world Zelda game mere hours after release. In just that time, they already found a speedrun path to completion. They did not use an amiibo for this playthrough, either. The gamer notes that many of the glitches present in Breath of the Wild are not in Tears of the Kingdom. Those glitches helped speedrunners decimate that massive game in a matter of minutes. So while 94 minutes seems incredibly fast, especially in the first 24 hours, gymnast86 hastens to add this number will only go down.
The speedrunning community has come to the fore in the past decade-plus. People spend hundreds of hours practicing with games to get the runtime of any individual playthrough as low as it can get. It never ceases to amaze me. Any little misfire can end a run in failure. We should note, it is, like Breath of the Wild, possible to go straight to the final boss in Tears of the Kingdom. You can do it; just most people will die from under-leveling. But if someone can beat it in 94 minutes on day one, just think of how fast it’ll be next month.
Apple’s iPhone 14 Emergency SOS satellite feature launched last year in the US and Canada, then came to France, Germany, Ireland and the UK shortly afterwards. Now, it’s finally launching elsewhere on the planet, coming to New Zealand and Australia — two countries with large wilderness areas lacking any cellular service. As before, it’s available to all iPhone 14 users ( iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max) on iOS 16.4 or greater and is free for two years following activation.
“Australians know full well the importance of remaining connected in regional, rural, and remote areas, particularly when they need emergency services,” said Australia’s minister of communications, Michelle Rowland, in a statement. “The ability to contact Triple Zero with Emergency SOS via satellite when there is no mobile coverage is a strong backup to keep Australians connected in an emergency.”
Emergency SOS via Satellite is activated by a long press on the power and volume buttons, or rapidly pressing the power button five times. The interface guides you on the best direction to point your iPhone for the best signal. Once connected, you can open a message interface with emergency service providers, and the phone will also communicate your location. If everything goes to plan, you’ll receive a message that responders have been notified, and to stay where you are.
You can also share your location with family members in a non-emergency using the Find My app. Users simply open the Me tab, swipe up to see My Location via Satellite, and tap Send My Location. It also works with iPhone and Apple Watch Crash and Fall Detection features. There’s even a demo mode that lets you practice using Emergency SOS so you can act quickly if a real emergency arises.
“Since launching last year, Emergency SOS via satellite has already helped save lives in the 12 countries where it has been available,” Apple noted. It added that users should be patient if they use the feature, as “it can take a few minutes for even short messages to get through” due to the low bandwidth and rapid speeds of satellites.
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EXCLUSIVE: The Coven (Terrifier 2) has boarded sales on the all-female anthology Give Me An A responding to the 2022 overturning of Roe V. Wade and is bringing the film to the Cannes market under the title of Objection.
The horror-sci-fi-dark comedy film, created by Natasha Halevi, comprises 16 segments tied together by one wraparound film, directed by different female filmmakers, with the work exploring issues including reproductive rights, women’s rights, mental health, and human rights.
The cast includes Alyssa Milano (Brazen), Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Gina Torres (9-1-1: Lone Star), Milana Vayntrub (This Is Us), Jennifer Holland (Peacemaker), Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), Molly C. Quinn (Castle), Jason George (Grey’s Anatomy) and Jackie Tohn (Glow).
The film began principal photography in July of 2022, less than a month after the June 24, 2022 Supreme Court ruling and had its first screening at Fantastic Fest 2022 less than two months later.
It went on to win awards at numerous domestic film festivals and had its first international screening last month in Brazil at Fantaspoa, the largest genre film festival in Latin America.
The response from the audience revealed the international relevance of the film.
“Until Fantaspoa, I didn’t realize the international appeal and thought it was only an American issue, but, in Brazil, where abortion has always been illegal, the film received the warmest welcome yet. We were honored to have a dialogue with the community there and realized this film matters to everyone, everywhere,” said Halevi.
The Coven co-head Priscilla Ross Smith said: “It’s a perfect partnership for The Coven. Women supporting women in art and life.”
Fractal Clouds Productions lead produced the film with an all-female producing team including Giselle Gilbert, Jordan Crucchiola, Jonna Jackson, Jessica Taylor Galmor, Stephanie Williams and Charlene Fitzgibbon.
The segments are directed Natasha Halevi, Meg Swertlow, Bonnie Discepolo, Danin Jacquay, Erica Mary Wright, Monica Moore-Suriyage, Sarah Kopkin, Caitlin Hargraves, Megan Rosati, Hannah Alline, Avital Ash, Mary C. Russell, Valerie Finkel, Kelly Nygaard, Loren Escandón and Francesca Maldonado and include additional writers Trevor Munson, Matthew Vorce, Annie Bond, Madison Hatfield, Savannah Rose Scaffe, Danielle Aufiero, Laura Covelli and Lexx Fusco.
In addition to the $15M success Terrifer 2, The Coven’s horror-focused slate also includes She’s Not Gone, starring Angela Sarafyan (Westworld) and Oscar-nominated actress Shohreh Aghdashloo (The Expanse), which will also launch at the Cannes market.
The Coven is comprised of Ross Smith, Kendall Anlain and Andi Jackson.
Milano is represented by UTA, Range Media Partners and Skrzyniarz & Mallean; Madsen by Buchwald, Untitled Entertainment and Weintraub Tobin Chediak; Torres by Realm Talent, Framework Entertainment and Schreck Rose Dapello; and Vayntrub by Artists First and Ziffren Brittenham. Holland is repped by CAA, Atlas Artists and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; Gunn by UTA, Mitch Clem Management and Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz; Quinn by Paradigm, 11:11 Entertainment and Brecheen Feldman Breimer; George by APA and Yorn, Levine, Barnes; and Tohn by CAA, Armada Partners and Myman Greenspan Fox.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for the final season premiere of Fear the Walking Dead.
Time flew in Sunday’s eighth and final season premiere of Fear the Walking Dead. One minute, Madison was backing up Morgan in his attempt to rescue baby Mo from PADRE, and the next, their plot had failed, she’d spent seven years (!) as an imprisoned blood bank, and he’d become a kidnapping Collector!
Interestingly, although the passage of the better part of a decade hadn’t even slightly changed Madison, aka “Lark,” it had allowed Mo to grow into a spunky 8-year-old who loved to say that she could handle herself but most definitely could not. Rechristened “Wren” by PADRE, who turned out to be an enigmatic person as much as a place, she was too traumatized by her last night with Morgan and Grace to utilize her training and defend herself against walkers Carrion. (Do infants really remember stuff that well?)
Once Mo stumbled upon a suicidal Madison’s cell, the telltale scar on the girl’s wrist tipped off Nick and Alicia’s mom to the child’s identity. Again, Madison felt that she had a reason to live: to get Morgan’s daughter the hell outta there, whether she wanted to go or not. Being one of our leads, Madison pulled off this feat with relatively little difficulty. Until, that is, her getaway speedboat reached the shore, and she and Mo encountered Morgan. Er, “Nightingale.” (At what point would PADRE run out of cool-ish bird names and have to call someone “Ostrich” or “Whooping Crane”?)
Madison, not seeming to have noticed that characters on this show switch motivations at least twice an episode, was stunned that Morgan wanted to return Mo to PADRE. What’s more, he seemed ready to put a bullet in his old friend’s head because PADRE no longer had any use for “Lark.” “Seriously?” we exclaimed right along with her.
Despite panting off and on like an obscene phone caller, Madison succeeded in disarming Morgan and coercing him into leading her and Mo into the swamp toward the site of the makeshift family’s fateful last stand seven years ago. Along the way, Morgan revealed that, last he knew, Madison’s old drinking buddy Strand had gone MIA. At the boathouse, decorated with a callback to a more dramatically resonant era of the franchise (Duane and Jenny’s names painted on an inner wall), Mo found a cassette of Grace singing “In Dreams.” Suddenly, the youngster’s memory returned in full. As a tot, she had been afraid that walkers were going to pull the boathouse underwater — just like it appeared that they were about to now.
Back then, Morgan had radioed PADRE to come get Mo in order to save her. This time, since Madison had chucked their only walkie-talkie, he and his daughter made their way through the water as best they could while “Lark” did her damnedest to draw walkers to the boathouse. It looked for a moment as if they might get her. (Sure, Jan.) But at the last second, Grace came zooming up in a speedboat, guns a-blazing. (What a surprise, eh?)
Moved after seeing her parents in action — and what concept of “parents” would “Wren” even have gotten in PADRE? — Mo no longer wanted to go back. She wanted to go forward with her folks and Madison. Tough s—t, Morgan and Grace said, basically. “Wren” was returning to PADRE — for her own good, they reasoned. As for Morgan, he was ready to get back to work but was told that — ruh-roh — PADRE was retiring “Nightingale.” (Wonder what blood type he is… )
During a debriefing with PADRE, “Wren” promised the group’s mysterious leader that he’d have no more trouble from her. This was music to his ears, he said, as she was to play a crucial role in their next steps. Whatever those might turn out to be, Mo would be ready, it seemed. In her next attempt to take out a walker in practice, she beaned the zombie with no trouble at all. (After that, it would be like riding a bike, right? Riding it over the undead’s heads, but still.)
So, what did you think of the final season premiere? Grade it in the poll below, then hit the comments with your observations, questions, quibbles.
The 76th Tony Awards are scheduled to celebrate the best work of the 2022-23 Broadway season on June 11 — but, The Hollywood Reporter has learned, a number of decisions over the next few days will determine if the ongoing writers strike will force the ceremony, which is supposed to air on CBS and stream on Paramount+, to move forward in a non-televised format or to be postponed.
According to multiple high-level sources, a script for the Tony Awards was completed before the Writers Guild of America declared a strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, of which CBS and Paramount+ are member companies, on May 2. (The Tony nominations were announced just hours later.) But without a waiver from the Writers Guild granting special dispensation for the show, guild members would almost certainly show up to picket outside the venue: New York’s United Palace theater in Washington Heights. And prominent members of the Broadway community — such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, who was on the picket lines this week in New York — have made it clear that they will not cross a picket line in order to attend. (It seems unlikely that Ariana DeBose, who hosted last year’s show and is scheduled to host this year’s, would do otherwise, although she has yet to comment on the situation.)
This week, this season’s Tony Awards Management Committee — which comprises eight representatives of the Broadway League, including president Charlotte St. Martin and well-known producers Jordan Roth and Scott Sanders, and eight representatives of the American Theater Wing, including president Heather Hitchens — formally petitioned the Writers Guild for such a waiver, noting how much financially struggling Broadway shows depend on exposure from the Tonys telecast for a box office bump. (This season, shows hanging on in hopes of a Tonys bounce include the front-running musicals Some Like It Hot and Kimberly Akimbo and the play Leopoldstadt.)
An answer from the Writers Guild is expected before Monday, and virtually nobody from the Broadway contingent expects special dispensation to be granted. So the management committee has set an emergency meeting for Monday morning to determine the best path forward.
The two alternate courses of action apparently being weighed are: (a) stick with the date of June 11 and hold a non-televised presentation of the awards, perhaps in the form of an intimate dinner or press conference with nominees and media in attendance; or (b) postpone the ceremony until the strike comes to an end and the show can be televised.
Representatives of the Broadway League, which includes many producers and theater owners and operators, are more inclined to support the first option, as many shows may not be able to survive for months on end without the imprimatur of a Tony on their marquees and promotional materials.
The American Theater Wing, however, is apparently more open to a delay, as that organization is seen as the guardian of the Tony Awards brand, which would not be helped by a non-televised presentation.
The 74th Tonys, honoring the 2019-20 Broadway season, took place in September 2021, 15 months after it was originally scheduled — partly because the pandemic prevented large gatherings for many months, but also partly to coincide with the reopening of Broadway. In the meantime, many of the nominated shows had closed.
“We can’t have another weird Tonys,” says one Broadway producer who is a part of this season.
The Eurovision Song Contest has been an annual fixture in the global pop calendar since 1956 — with the exception of 2020, when the competition took an enforced Covid-19 gap year — and this month, the competition takes place in Liverpool, England.
Organized by public broadcasters gathered in the Switzerland-based European Broadcasting Union, Eurovision is a colorful, fiercely contested competition in which each participating country sends an act to perform an original song that’s no longer than three minutes. The winner is decided by vote at the end of the “grand final.”
More than 160 million viewers from across the world watched last year’s contest — for comparison, the Super Bowl this year drew 113 million viewers — and Eurovision’s popularity continues to grow steadily. Eurovision has even begun to make inroads in the United States, a country generally immune to the event’s flamboyant celebration of pop music.
Below are rundowns on this year’s hotly tipped acts, advice about how to watch from the United States and why the event is being hosted in England this year.
Who gets to compete?
Only seven European countries competed in the first Eurovision Song Contest, which was staged as an experiment in live, international TV broadcasting.
Today, 52 countries have participated in Eurovision at least once. To narrow the field before the grand final, since 2008 there have also been two semifinals. This year, the top 10 countries at each semifinal move on to the grand final.
The 2023 edition of Eurovision features a total of 37 entries, including the “Big Five” — France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Britain — who are the top financial contributors to the E.B.U. These five countries go straight to the final, skipping the treacherous elimination round.
Eurovision has a history of inviting seemingly unlikely participants, provided they are members of the E.B.U. Morocco, for instance, joined the fray in 1980; Israel has won four times since its first appearance in the contest, in 1973.
Those two countries are at least nearer Europe than Australia is. But Australians have long viewed the contest in impressive numbers, even though it airs live at 5 a.m. Sydney time, and they have competed in it since 2015. Australia’s current agreement with the E.B.U. is supposed to end after this year, however, so who knows what will happen next time.
How can U.S. residents watch?
As in 2022, Peacock hosted livestreams for both semifinals, and will do the same for the grand final on Saturday, from 3 p.m. Eastern.
For the final, viewers can opt to watch with commentary from the Olympic figure skater and longtime Eurovision fan Johnny Weir, who made an assured debut hosting last year’s livestream.
How has the war in Ukraine affected the competition?
Traditionally, the country that wins Eurovision holds the event the following year. Ukraine won last year with Kalush Orchestra’s track “Stefania,” but since the country is still at war, Britain — last year’s runner-up — stepped in to host. (And not for the first time: Britain has won five Eurovisions but hosted nine, including this year’s.)
Russia was disqualified from the 2022 edition after its invasion of Ukraine. The E.B.U. then suspended Russia, so it will not be competing this year.
Since openly political songs are forbidden at Eurovision, some acts are using generic messages of empowerment, like the Ukrainian duo Tvorchi’s song “Heart of Steel,” about bravery. Flirting more brazenly with disqualification was the Croatian entry, Let 3’s “Mama SC,” a bonkers, highly theatrical antiwar number that employs one of Eurovision’s favorite creative devices: allegorical satire.
How does the voting work?
Eurovision’s notoriously complicated voting rules and protocols have changed many times over the decades, and again this year. Previously, each country was awarded points based on a combination of votes from viewers at home and by juries in each competing country.
After the contest’s organizers found “voting irregularities” among six countries’ juries in last year’s semifinals — many of whom seemed to be voting for one another — the rules were tweaked, with the semifinals now being decided exclusively by viewers and the grand final results combining points from viewers and juries.
Oh, and all this voting happens live, which helps explain why the grand final broadcast takes about four hours.
Can American viewers vote?
Traditionally, voting was limited to viewers in countries participating in the contest — who couldn’t vote for their own act — meaning American Eurovision fans couldn’t cast a vote.
But in a change that’s indicative of Eurovision’s world-spanning ambition, this year nonparticipating countries can vote for the first time, via an official online hub. That includes viewers in the United States.
Who are this year’s favorites?
The bookmakers’ favorite to take the title is “Tattoo” by Loreen, from the Eurovision powerhouse Sweden. Loreen is a known quantity, having won the contest in 2012 with “Euphoria” — a 21st-century Eurovision classic. There are no restrictions on acts competing several times, and other familiar faces this year include Italy’s Marco Mengoni and Moldova’s Pasha Parfeni.
Were Loreen to grab the top spot again, she would become the second performer to win twice, after Johnny Logan, who won for Ireland in 1980 and 1987.
Finland is another favorite, with a demented entry, Kaarija’s “Cha Cha Cha,” which is basically electronic body music, set in a glittery thunderdome. For Weir, who presents Peacock’s Eurovision coverage, this all shows the daring tastes of Eurovision viewers. “The fact that the oddsmakers think that Finland will do so well this year shocked me just because I didn’t know if everyone could get behind that kind of wild, over-the-top character of Kaarija,” he said in a recent phone conversation.
The competition’s dark horses include Spain, which has not won since 1969; this year bookies are placing a few euros on Blanca Paloma and her song “EAEA,” which sounds a bit like Cocteau Twins experimenting with flamenco.
Who are the more surreal acts?
It’s often countries most Americans would struggle find on a map that deliver Eurovision’s most memorable performances, even if they don’t necessarily make it out of the semifinal.
“The response I got last year was just how impressed people were that there was an act for Moldova that had them standing on their couches and dancing,” Weir said.
This year, the eye-popping numbers include the Austrian song “Who the Hell is Edgar?,” in which Teya and Salena sing about being possessed by Edgar Allan Poe, and Germany’s outré mini-rock opera “Blood and Glitter,” by Lord of the Lost.
Competition for the most awkward Eurovision lyrics is close, as always, but let’s give Israel’s Noa Kirel a nod of approval for coming up with a tongue-twisting rallying cry in her song “Unicorn”: “It’s gonna be phenomen-phenomen-phenomenal/Phenomen-phenomenal/Feminine-feminine-femininal.”
That hard drugs like heroin, crystal meth, and cocaine lead to terrible consequences is a time-honored cinematic tradition. With The Junky Warrior, directors Kay Rocknroll Brown and James Edward Todd add an AWOL (absent without leave) soldier into the sordid mix of drug abuse. Ron Baskets (Jeray Reed) is a troubled man. A regular user of heroin, Ron is constantly trying to find some external source that will straighten him out. Having settled on the military as a last-ditch effort to stay clean, Ron enlists to fight in Afghanistan. As you might imagine, the psychological toll of the losing effort out there in Asia, combined with the neverending count of dead and injured marines, leads the never-do-well Ron to decide to abort his tour of duty.
After going AWOL, he runs home to Las Vegas. One thing leads to another, and after a night of debauched drug abuse, Ron wakes up to find a dead party girl in his motel’s bathroom. This leads to the downward spiral of even more terrible decisions committed by Ron and his ex Scarlett (Kay Rocknroll Brown). As the bodies pile up and police investigations ensue, it becomes quite clear that the worst possible thing is for Scarlett and Ron to remain together. Their combined toxicity powers the terrible mistakes that litter this movie, like the bodies in the desert outside the working class part of Las Vegas.
While having a co-director, The Junky Warrior is Brown’s uncompromised vision, from beginning to end, as she stars, wrote, produced, and edited the film. She also held down a bunch of other jobs on set as well. I have to say, while it clearly features the hallmarks of a first feature-length film, it’s a tight, well-planned, and executed one. The promise demonstrated by Brown is immense. This is a very hard story to tell, let alone act in, and the filmmaker demonstrates a complete commitment to following the wretched twists and turns of this melodrama wherever it might go.
“After going AWOL…Ron wakes up to find a dead party girl in his motel’s bathroom.”
Jeray Reed does a wonderful job bringing the blend of trauma and need for relief that embodies many of the warriors wounded in the most recent U.S. war efforts. Between the well-documented burn pits, missile strikes, and guerilla warfare they face overseas, it’s no wonder most of our combat veterans come back less than whole, either physically, mentally, or both. Ron clearly depicts a man who’s made one of the worst decisions of his young life, and the cycle of destruction is clearly spinning out of his control.
It is worth mentioning that the title intentionally uses the adjective form of “junky.” This version of the word refers to objects or things that are worthless. The noun “junkie” is a slang term for someone addicted to harder drugs. In this way, the filmmakers are commenting on how returning vets feel on the outs of society, one they strived to help make better. But after the war, what is there for them? Are they now just junk left on the sidelines until a new battle begins?
The Junky Warrior will sit in my memory as a testament to the horrible decisions some people make. That the attempt to recover from those terrible acts is thwarted by themselves suggests for some people, this is a cycle without end. Seek this drug-fueled drama out if you want to see a really well-crafted parable of a downward spiral.
A British tourist who escaped a Poseidon Adventure-style shipwreck has told of his ‘deep feeling of dread’ as he watched the boat capsize in the Red Sea.
The Carlton Queen yacht, a 42-metre liveaboard vessel, sank on April 24 after rolling on to its side off the coast of Hurghada, Egypt.
David Taylor, 53, a tourist on the boat, told The Telegraph: ‘I knew something was wrong when I could see fish swimming outside my cabin room’s window.’
He described the ‘horrendous’ realisation that the vessel had capsized, adding: ‘We were shouting for help and heard crashing above us and had this deep feeling of dread that something terrible was happening.’
Incredibly, all 26 guests and nine crew on board the Carlton Queen managed to escape the wreckage, with three taken to hospital for minor injuries.
The vessel was en route to the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt when it sank in late April
Terrified crew are seen clinging to the side of the yacht
Image shows the vessel on its side as guests successfully escaped with help from the crew
A diving team stands by near the sinking boat in Egypt
Mr Taylor described the terror of realising he and his son, Christian, 21, could not escape by the stairwell and that nobody had come to help them.
As the ship sank, they met Fernando Suarez Meilla, an experienced diver who moved with them from room to room checking for anybody else trapped in the boat.
Without panicking, Mr Suarez Meilla helped Mr Taylor and his son out of the hold on to the top deck after finding the handle on an emergency hatch was broken.
Unable to hoist himself out, the diver told the others to go on as he looked for another way out.
He eventually found a way out through an open hatch at the bottom of the boat after finding all other routes impossible to get through.
Mr Taylor expressed concerns as to why a recently refitted boat would sink on calm waters.
Reports suggested the boat, built in 2002 and launched in 2022after refurbishment, was ‘listing‘ – or tilting to one side – from the moment the guests boarded, getting worse until it capsized.
He said it had reached 20 to 30 degrees a couple of days into the trip as he woke up for an early dive.
When the vessel sank, guests were stranded without passports or their belongings.
The Carlton Queen carried two 20-person life-rafts and two Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs).
One of the rafts was launched, the other reportedly deployed automatically and swept away.
Witnesses also one of the RIBs had crushed the other when the vessel capsized.
Hanson said there were more than 30 people in the remaining raft at one point, and the group was fortunate that two RIBs from another ship came to evacuate them.
Families had to be rescued from the side of the sinking yacht
The Carlton Queen carried two 20-person life-rafts and two Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs)
Tourists who survived the sinking of the Carlton Queen near Hurghada in Egypt in April
The Carlton Queen was said to have sunk on calm waters despite being recently refitted
Speaking to Divernet, the Carlton Queen said it would not comment on the cause of the accident until the investigation was over.
They did praise the ‘crew members’ effective management of the situation, which spared the lives of all passengers’.
They said in a statement they were working with the Egyptian authorities to determine the cause of the accident.
Divers have organised a fundraiser to replace lost possessions, as well as medical and legal expenses.
Jeremy Allen White and Addison Timlinat FX’s ‘The Bear’ premiere in Los Angeles on June 20, 2022.Stewart Cook/PictureGroup for FX/Shutterstock
A new chapter. Jeremy Allen White’s estranged wife, Addison Timlin, broke her silence after filing for divorce in a candid Mother’s Day tribute.
“Being a single mom is not how I pictured it. It is so fucking hard. It is all out covered in s—t crying on the floor kick you in the shins screaming with no sound coming out hard,” Timlin, 31, wrote via Instagram on Sunday, May 14, alongside a series of throwback photos of herself and her two children. “It’s not the natural order of things. It can be exhausting but more than anything it can just be so lonely. When something magical happens and you have to tell yourself ‘don’t forget this’ because there’s no witness by your side.”
The Pennsylvania native — who shares daughters Ezer, 4, and Dolores, 2, with White, 32 — called solo parenting a “painful” experience, but shared that the lows are “demolished by the staggering heights” and happier moments.
“To live with young children is an eyes wide open, wondrous and joyful place to be,” she continued. “It’s to be surrounded by a daily expression of their authentic selves and I wonder if without their example I would have been able to do the same.”
Timlin filed for divorce from The Bear star on Thursday, May 11, after more than three years of marriage. The All Roads to Perla actress submitted a divorce petition categorized as “dissolution with minor child” with the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. The filing falls under the “family law division” in L.A.
The estranged spouses — who tied the knot in October 2019 — met in 2008 on the set of their film, Afterschool, and were together for nearly 15 years before they called it quits.
Sunday’s social media upload marks the first time Timlin has spoken out since filing for divorce. In her post, the Fallen star shared that being a mom was “the only thing I ever wanted.” She added that parenting her two little ones is “the most remarkable being on the planet” and “doing it alone has given me more strength and more empathy and more tears than anything else in my life ever has.”
The mother of two concluded her message by thanking the people, places and things that have helped her “these last nine months” — including “Mac and cheese,” “lollipops,” “pirate’s booty,” “my friends,” my neighbors” and “soap & water” — giving a special shoutout to anyone who “turned and said to me, ‘I’ve got you.’”
Following her heartfelt message, the American Horror Stories alum’s friends quickly took to the comments section to show their support. “We love you ? here’s to glorious glittering honest powerful you ?,” Kate Bosworth wrote, while her fiancé, Justin Long, replied: “I love you so big, bug. So grateful to know you and those little bugs ❤️.”
Courtesy of Addison Timlin/Instagram
Keleigh Teller, for her part, wished Timlin a “Happy Mother’s Day,” while Kevin McHale simply commented three red heart emojis.
The Shamelessalum and the Feast of the Seven Fishes actress have notoriously played coy about their relationship over the years — even while Timlin was pregnant with both of their children — but White has often gushed about his children. In August 2022, he shared how they’ve helped him in his relationship with the Life Like star.
“I learn a lot from them,” he told InStyle at the time. “I feel like in a lot of ways, they’re teaching me all the time how to be better: how to be better to them; how to be better to my wife, my friends, my parents, my sister. I think I’ve been ready to domesticate for a long time, and I’m so happy to be in the house all the time with them.”
The After Everything later sang their praises — along with Timlin’s — after winning the 2023 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a TV Musical/Comedy for his role as Carmen “Carmey” Berzatto on The Bear.
“[Dolores], Ezer, I love you so, so, so, so, much,” White said at the January awards show. “Addison Timlin, I love you deep in my bones. Thank you for all that you do, thank you for everything that you’ve done.”
Podcasting’s major advertising power players are set to descend in New York City this Thursday for the IAB Podcast Upfronts, where studios and marketers will look to revitalize the audio industry with an influx of new ad dollars after a slower period of growth.
The day-long event will feature presentations from iHeartMedia, Wondery, NPR, Acast, Sony Music Entertainment, WNYC, Cumulus Media and SiriusXM, among others. In typical Upfront fashion, the audio giants are bringing out podcasting stars like Conan O’Brien (Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend), Ashley Flowers (Crime Junkie), Alaina Urquhart and Ash Kelley (Morbid), Emily Ratajkowski (High Low With EmRata), Heather McDonald (Juicy Scoop) and Kelsey McKinney (Normal Gossip) to make their pitches.
This year’s Podcast Upfronts will follow a period of massive spending driven by companies like Spotify, where talent commanded multimillion-dollar exclusive licensing deals, and audio ad revenue surpassed $1 billion for the first time in 2021, according to IAB. But in the year since then, most major digital advertising–reliant companies have laid off staff and curbed spending in response to a slower market; in podcasting, that has resulted in show cancellations and staffing cuts at companies like Spotify, NPR, Sony Music, SiriusXM and iHeartMedia.
The showcase also arrives in the midst of the WGA strike, where picketing writers in Los Angeles and New York have taken over studio entrances and city blocks to advocate for improved contracts with the studios. Though fiction podcasts are included in the WGA’s strike guidelines, few productions have been impacted by the work stoppage because the rules essentially only bar work on “virtually all self-produced fiction podcasts made for self-owned independent signatory productions companies, with the exception of a few one-offs done by Marvel,” a WGA East spokesperson toldVulture.
But the optics appear to have compelled at least one presenter, Paramount, to drop out at the last minute from the showcase. The company was previously scheduled to present in the late morning but will no longer be doing so, with the time slot remaining empty as part of an extended morning break, a representative for IAB told The Hollywood Reporter. (A spokesperson for Paramount did not immediately respond to a request for comment. THR is a media partner of the IAB Podcast Upfronts.)
Ahead of the company presentations, the Podcast Upfronts will kick off with IAB’s 2022 report on podcast advertising, which will include the latest figures for last year’s podcast advertising spending and projections for the coming years.
Though growth may not have matched the boom seen during the earlier years of the pandemic, Eric John, vp of IAB’s media center, says podcasting is still relatively in its “infancy” and is continuing to attract a wider range of advertisers in part due to the diversity of podcast creators and the medium’s rapidly developing ad technology.
“It’s a lower bar to entry for creators, and that has done amazing things for the depth and breadth of content. You can go deep in ways with podcasting that you simply can’t with other types of media, and that’s by virtue of the wide range of creators,” John tells THR. “The Podcast Upfront this year is going to highlight a lot of, I think, great case examples of how advertisers are working closely with hosts — that’s the alchemy that is continuing to drive the space. It’s the relationship of a listener to a topic that a creator is passionate about and the community building that happens around that.”
Presenters at the Upfronts may touch on the topic du jour — artificial intelligence — as advertisers seek out different ways to engage with prospective buyers at scale. “We’re interested in how AI can begin to inform the creative process,” John says, noting how AI has already been used to create translations of show episodes in multiple languages. “We believe in the importance of a host’s IP and their own voice, but I expect that when it is permissioned, we will start to see use of AI in [podcast content] as well.”
But the most evident through line will be buyers and sellers looking to be reassured of podcasting’s advertising strength at the Upfronts. “Despite the economic headwinds that we saw in Q4, everyone’s looking for the signal of what’s going to happen in the coming months. Podcasting has been extraordinarily resilient, and the growth has continued,” John says. “It’s all pointing to ROI. No one continues spending if they’re not seeing results, so yes, [there are] economic challenges, but I think brands are learning more, as the podcast base continues to mature, how … [podcasting] really gets them to their target audience.”
It’s been almost nine years since comedy legend Joan Rivers died following complications during a minor throat procedure. On that day, her daughter Melissa Rivers not only lost her mother but also lost a business partner. They publicly shared their personal lives on the reality series “Joan Knows Best,” on the red carpet every awards season and as critics and producers on “Fashion Police.” If that sounds like the formula for a complicated relationship, you’re right.
“Anyone who says that mother-daughter relationships aren’t complicated is lying,” Melissa told TheWrap. “They can be amazing and you can be close and you can have wonderful relationships with mothers and daughters, but no matter what, they’re complicated.”
Although we got to see them standing on opposite sides of every red carpet during awards season with mic in hand interviewing celebrities who were dressed to the nines and asking “Who are you wearing?,” it was their We TV reality series “Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best” that really bared the complexities of their relationship and the deep connection they had. They would talk bitingly to each other, but then they would laugh and hug. It was a window into a relationship that a lot of people recognized from their own mother-daughter relationship.
“I think that chemistry between my mother and I is also why the red carpet worked and also why ‘Fashion Police’ worked,” Rivers said, referring to the E! series that had the duo (along with George Kotsiopoulos, Giuliana Rancic and Kelly Osbourne) commenting on celebrity fashion. “I think that that was a broader connection than just the reality show.”
But did exposing their relationship on camera have the same effect on Rivers as it did on their fans?
“Did it affect me? You know, when you’re in something you’re not so reflective,” Rivers said. “I think what people always respond to is that everyone always says, ‘That’s my relationship with my mother.’ That, ‘I saw myself even on the red carpets in your relationship.”
“Obviously I missed and I still miss my mom for being my mother,” she continued. “But I will never have another professional relationship like that. I’ll never have another partner like that, where the chemistry was so easy and knowing where the other person was going on a professional level. And knowing how to set each other up…I miss her professionally and I miss her personally. Very few people that I have worked with since where it’s like a great tennis match.”
For the first year and a half or two years after her mother’s death, Rivers couldn’t hear that unmistakable, raspy voice that Joan’s fans came to know and love. “I couldn’t hear it; I couldn’t listen to anything. I couldn’t hear her voice. It would make me…just…it would spin me out. Now I’m comfortable with it,” she said.
Joan’s voice – meaning her blunt, acerbic style of comedy – would most certainly be hit with harsh criticism in this hypersensitive time in our country, which has been rough on comedians who have been canceled for material deemed callous to some. If Joan were alive today, she would have nothing to do with that nonsense, her daughter said.
“I think she’d be very upset. I think she would be very frustrated. I think she would be, I guess the best word is ‘dismayed,’” Rivers said. “And I think it’s more, in a way, it’s bigger than just comedians and cancel culture. I think she would be so deeply saddened by the state of the world. I think it would really stretch beyond just comedians. I know that she would not be happy with comedians being attacked and the physicality of what’s happened. Her whole thing was like, we’re all ‘something.’ Everyone just needs to take a deep breath.”
If Conor McGregor would ever throw down in a ring without gloves … BKFC star Houston Alexander tells TMZ Sports the dude would be a problem!!!
Alexander — a former UFC and Bellator fighter who’s been brawling professionally without mitts since 2021 — says Conor is so skilled with his hands … he thinks there’d be no issues for The Notorious if he chose to eventually go from the UFC to the BKFC.
Of course, the topic came up because Conor sure appeared to be interested in making the switch after watching Mike Perry‘s BKFC fight againstLuke Rockhold back on April 30.
You’ll recall, McGregor stepped into the ring following the tilt … and he seemed to be down to fight Perry without mitts at a future date.
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Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship
Alexander clearly believes it’d be a great fight despite Conor’s inexperience without gloves … something that seems to be quite the compliment, considering Alexander doesn’t feel that way about most MMA guys.
“If you’ve got MMA guys who just concentrate on just kicking or jiu-jitsu, please don’t get in this type of sport,” Alexander told us. “Because it’s going to expose your boxing and you’re going to get hurt.”
As for Alexander’s own fighting career … the 51-year-old is still going strong — he’s got another big BKFC fight on May 19 against Jeremy Smith — and he tells us he has absolutely zero desire to retire anytime soon.
“I know Father Time is undefeated,” he said. “We know this already. But, until then, let me hold Father Time off a little bit, man, and enjoy me!”
During this moment, while hiding from the heavens, they share a memory from their youth, remembering their dedication to one another. It’s heartbreaking to see how time has wreaked havoc on George, but he will always, always, ALWAYS remember his love for Lottie.
Netflix has unveiled the first trailer for hard hitting crime drama series “Scoop” from acclaimed filmmaker Hansal Mehta (“Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story”).
Based on journalist Jigna Vora’s 2019 memoir “Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison,” the series is created by Mehta and Mrunmayee Lagoo Waikul (“Thappad”). The book recounts how renowned journalist Jyotirmoy Dey was murdered by members of the Chhota Rajan gang in 2011. A few months later, fellow journalist and crime reporter Vora was arrested in connection with the murder.
“Scoop” marks Mehta and Netflix’s maiden partnership and the series is set up as the first season of a franchise. Mehta has directed all six episodes of the first season.
The series follows Jagruti Pathak, a headline-writing journalist who is caught between the nexus of the police, the underworld and the media. “It explores that nexus through a personal story,” Mehta told Variety.
“The book is primarily based in the prison, I wanted to expand the scope of the book because I found the world that led her to prison very fascinating,” Mehta said. “It became this larger drama about a middle-class girl in Mumbai with the middle-class aspirations of being the best crime reporter, having pieces on page one. She blindly chases those ambitions not realizing that in the bargain, the reporter becomes the reported, so that fascinated me. I found the elements of a thrilling, investigative procedural drama.”
Karishma Tanna plays the lead role of Jagruti Pathak. Mehta says that in her audition she had “the X factor” and that she “lights up a room.” The cast also includes Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub who has been working with Mehta since “Shahid” (2012) and the director describes him as a “constant collaborator.” “You can rely on him to make sure that your characters become more dignified, and that they become more human, he’s one of my favorite actors,” Mehta said, also extolling the virtues of Tannishtha Chatterjee (“Joram”) and Tanmay Dhanania (“The Rapist”).
The cast includes veteran Prasenjit Chatterjee (“Jubilee”). “On camera, he dominates, there’s something about him that is so overpowering. You don’t look at anything else in the frame. That’s his charm. You realise what a star he is and why he’s been around for so many years,” Mehta said.
The most left field casting is that of Harman Baweja, who debuted as a Bollywood leading man with “Love Story 2050” (2008) and wasn’t seen much after a couple of more films that underperformed at the box office. “Scoop,” where he plays a senior police officer, is Baweja’s comeback show.
“He has nothing to lose, which is why he’s so good. He’s so surprising, he’s done it with so much of ease ease,” Mehta said. “He is a very mature actor, his understanding of the character was good. And he came with no baggage that he had to be presented in a particular way, that he is a hero, that whole hero baggage is not on the table anymore. It took some convincing for him to do it as he had not acted for 15 years.”
Monika Shergill, VP content, Netflix India, described “Scoop” as “a powerful, untold story of the unexpected cost of ambition that can make a victim out of a winner in a second.”
Next up for Mehta is a film currently titled “The Buckinghamshire Murders,” starring Kareena Kapoor, which is complete. There’s also the next season of “Scam,” for streamer SonyLIV. His series on Mahatma Gandhi for Applause Entertainment is due to start filming at the end of July.
“Scoop” is produced by Matchbox Shots, Sarita Patil and Dikssha Jyote Routray. It streams from June 2.
But while it’s no surprise to see Gunn’s influence on the cosmic side of the MCU, he recently revealed that he helped to make a number of other projects better that were a little more Earth-based.
Gunn’s Influence on MCU’s Spider-Man
James Gunn
During an interview with The Wrap, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn revealed the work he did to help bring Spider-Man’s MCU debut to fruition.
Gunn admitted that he was “consulting on all the Marvel movies” before his unceremonious firing, even reading the script for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: Homecoming when Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige sent it his way. He consulted in similar ways on Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel‘s scripts as he worked hard to be “a team player” for the MCU:
“I was consulting on everything. I was consulting on all the Marvel movies. Kevin would send me the script for ‘Spider-Man’ and I’d give my notes. He’d send me the script for ‘Doctor Strange,’ ‘Captain Marvel,’ and I’d give notes on all of those scripts. It was really as a friend and as somebody who was a part of the team and a team player.”
Gunn also confirmed that there were “a lot of things [he] was creating and setting up” to bring into “the rest of the cosmic universe” with the Guardians of the Galaxy coming back in a new form at a later date in the MCU timeline:
How James Gunn’s Marvel Experience Helps Him
Considering Gunn’s input on both Spider-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy, it’s no surprise that he was so heavily invested into the MCU as a whole, with Marvel losing out on even more influence from him on the cosmic and Earth-bound sides of the story.
Had he not been let go after his Twitter controversy, there was a chance that Gunn could have taken on more of a position of power alongside Feige and the rest of Marvel’s top brass to make more impactful story choices for the MCU as a whole.
And looking at the way he gave input on more than half a dozen MCU projects, including his own major trilogy, his work on nearly a dozen new DC entries should have many excited for what’s on the way.
James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy is looking for a new Superman actor, and five possible candidates have reportedly been revealed. New reports detailing the search for a new Superman actor as well as for other Superman: Legacy roles help predict what James Gunn’s Superman reboot will look like. Unlike Man of Steel, Superman: Legacy will not be an origin story. However, the film will follow Superman at the beginning of his superhero career, meaning that it will likely feature a relatively young actor as Clark Kent. Henry Cavill was 30 years old when Man of Steel premiered, although Clark Kent was 33 when he became Superman in the DCEU.
Henry Cavill will not return as Superman in James Gunn’s DC Universe, and Superman: Legacy will work as a reboot not only for the character but for the DC cinematic universe as a whole. Cavill’s exit from the role was surprising, as the actor had announced his return to the role following Black Adam‘s post-credits scene.The next Superman actor will have the difficult mission of replacing the previous version only a few years after Cavill’s last appearance as Superman. Here are the reported 5 new Superman actor candidates, ranked by excitement, and what they could bring to both Clark Kent and Superman.
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5 Andrew Richardson
31-year-old British actor Andrew Richardson was reportedly in the early mix for the role of Superman in the James Gunn reboot. Richardson’s most recent roles include Alfonse in A Call To Spy, Martin Eden in Martin Eden, Vince in Killer Among Us, Josh in Daughter of the Bride, and Kevin Conrad in The Independent. Richardson’s relatively new career includes both drama and comedy roles, suggesting a promising range that could make for an interesting Superman. It is difficult to predict in what direction Richardson would take Superman, but some of the most inspired superhero casting choices involved actors whose careers had just started. Henry Cavill as Superman itself is an example.
4 Tom Brittney
British actor Tom Brittney, 32, was also reportedly in the early mix for the role of Superman in James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy. Brittney is best known for playing Will Davenport, the vicar of Grantchester, in the ITV drama Grantchester. Other Tom Brittney roles include Roger Lockwood in the UnREAL series, Billy in the Make Me Famous film, Jeremy Foster in Outlander, and Lt. Watson in the Tom Hanks-led Greyhound. Tom Brittney was reportedly among the actors considered for the role of young Alfred in DC’s Pennyworth show. Brittney’s recent roles indicate that he could deliver both the seriousness and the levity that an early-career Superman asks for.
3 Jacob Elordi
While Jacob Elordi reportedly did not submit an audition for the role of Superman in Superman: Legacy, the Euphoria star was apparently considered as the next Superman actor. The 25-year-old Australian actor had his breakout role in The Kissing Booth, where he played Noah Flynn. Elordi would reprise his role as Noah in The Kissing Booth 2 and The Kissing Booth 3. The actor currently stars in Euphoria as Nate Jacobs, the show’s main antagonist. Recently, Elordi played Charlie alongside Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas in Deep Water. One of the most popular Superman fan-casts, Jacob Elordi as Superman would fit Superman: Legacy’s young Clark Kent concept.
2 Nicholas Hoult
The most experienced actor in the reported list of Superman candidates, Nicholas Hoult would make for a great Superman in the James Gunn reboot. The 33-year-old British actor had Skins‘ Tony Stonem his breakout role and has since been in multiple movies and shows. If Hoult is cast as Superman in Superman: Legacy, it would be the second superhero role in his career. Nicholas Hoult played Hank McCoy, the X-Men’s Beast, in FOX’s X-Men universe. After debuting in X-Men: First Class, Hoult reprised his role as Beast in X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, Deadpool 2, and X-Men: Dark Phoenix. Curiously, Hank McCoy’s personality in First Class was very Clark Kent-ish.
Even though multiple actors have played two different comic book characters, Hoult going from Beast to Superman would be quite interesting. Hoult’s run in the X-Men films means that he is already used to superhero blockbusters, which can sometimes be challenging for actors. In addition, Nicholas Hoult screen tested for the role of Batman in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which eventually went to Robert Pattinson. Hoult’s filmography, which includes movies such as Mad Max: Fury Road, Tolkien, Those Who Wish Me Dead, The Menu, and Renfield, exemplifies how much range the actor has. After playing Beast and almost playing Batman, Nicholas Hoult would be a solid choice for Superman.
It must be noticed that there have been conflicting reports on whether Nicholas Hoult is being eyed to play Superman or Lex Luthor. The original Superman: Legacy casting report by The Hollywood Reporter mentioned that Hoult was the top contender for the role of Lex Luthor, Superman’s arch-nemesis. However, a subsequent report by Deadline’s Justin Kroll stated that Nicholas Hoult is among the names considered for Superman. Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor would be a good choice for the Superman villain, but Hoult as Superman himself could be even more interesting.
1 David Corenswet
American actor David Corenswet, 29, is reportedly among the top contenders for the role of Superman in James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy. Corenswet has been fancast in the role of Superman for a while now, meaning that he could join the list of popular fan-casts that came true. Corenswet’s breakout role happened in Ryan Murphy’s The Politician, where he played River Barkley. Corenswet would then star in Hollywood, also by Ryan Murphy, of which he served as an executive producer. In 2022, David Corenswet played David McDougall in We Own This City, the HBO sequel to The Wire. Also in 2022, David Corenswet played The Projectionist, an antagonist in A24’sPearl.
The list of David Corenswet roles is quite impressive, especially for a relatively young actor. While casting unknown actors in major roles such as Superman or the Joker has worked great in the past, Superman: Legacy might benefit from an already-established name like Corenswet. The actor would embody a young Superman perfectly, allowing the new DC Universe to follow this new version of Clark Kent as he becomes the Man of Steel who audiences are used to. Corenswet’s experience in dramas and comedies can result in the perfect combination for a new Superman, even more so in a movie directed by James Gunn.
Interestingly, David Corenswet once addressed the Superman fan casts. During an interview withEW in 2019, Corenswet revealed that he was aware of the Superman fan casts. The actor mentioned that playing Superman was his “pie-in-the-sky ambition,” noting that he would love to see an “upbeat, throwback” Superman version. Corenswet also commented how he is a fan of “the Henry Cavill dark and gritty take,” but that he would like to see the next Superman film as “very bright and optimistic.” Corenswet’s hopes for the next Superman movie fit into whatSuperman: Legacy is expected to deliver. In conclusion, David Corenswet as Superman is the most exciting of the mentioned scenarios.
According to GfK figures shared by the head of GamesIndustry.biz’s Christopher Dring, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom sold 54% higher than Hogwarts Legacy, the other large release of 2023.
At the time of writing it’s the fourth biggest Zelda game ever in terms of revenue in the UK.
Nintendo do not share digital sales data, so it’s not an entirely clear picture of the overall success of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom due to the higher adoption of digital downloads.
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On the Hogwarts Legacy comparison, it’s worth noting that Hogwarts Legacy launched on PS5, Xbox Series and PC earlier in the year, and late last month on last-generation consoles, while Zelda is a Switch exclusive.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom isn’t quite the biggest UK Switch launch, reportedly managing less than Pokemon Scarlet and Violet did when it was released last year.
Other critics have heaped praise on the game in their write-ups too, with most agreeing it’s a worthy sequel to one of the generation’s best games and one of the long-running franchise’s high points.
Traci Hays is a DGA Award-nominated director, production designer, and art director who has received numerous awards for the various shorts she has directed.
From her feature directorial debut, Tangled, to her most recently directed feature, Blood, Sweat and Cheer, Hays has found her stride as a director with her love letters to films like Heathers, Mean Girls, The Breakfast Club, and Clueless.
In this episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins and director Traci Hays, discuss:
Traci’s dream of becoming a pro soccer player before becoming a director
Being rejected from film school
Meeting incredible collaborators and established mentors in the industry
All the lessons Traci learned as a production designer
Kelsey Asbille (Yellowstone, Fargo, Wind River) and Finn Wittrock (American Horror Story, The Big Short, La La Land) have been tapped to lead the upcoming horror thriller Don’t Move from Sam Raimi’s Raimi Productions, Christian Mercuri’s Capstone Studios and Alex Lebovici’s Hammerstone Studios. Principal photography on the feature will commence in Europe in June.
The announcement comes hot on the heels of the runaway success of Raimi’s latest outing, Evil Dead Rise, which has already surpassed $125 million at the global box-office in only its third week of release.
Adam Schindler and Brian Netto, who recently helmed episodes of Raimi’s horror anthology series 50 States of Fright, are set to direct Don’t Move, which follows a seasoned killer who injects a grieving woman with a paralytic agent. She must run, fight and hide before her body completely shuts down. It was written by T.J. Cimfel and David White, who penned the horror thriller Intruders starring Rory Culkin, which was also directed by Schindler.
The film is produced by Lebovici, Raimi and Zainab Azizi and marks the second collaboration for Hammerstone Studios, Raimi Productions and Capstone Studios, who recently partnered to produce the action-thriller Boy Kills World starring Bill Skarsgard, currently in post-production.
Executive producers are Christian Mercuri, David Haring, Ruzanna Kegeyan, Sarah Sarandos, Marc Manus, Adam Schindler, Brian Netto, Petr Jákl and Ara Keshishian.
“We are beyond thrilled to make this absolute white-knuckle ride of a film with talents such as Kelsey and Finn,” said Schindler and Netto. “On top of that, we get to team with the teams at Raimi, Capstone and Hammerstone — companies operating at the top of the genre game. We could not be more excited to get to work.”
Capstone Studios is financing Don’t Move, with Capstone Global handling worldwide rights. The company will continue sales at the upcoming Marche du Film in Cannes.
“The fiercely talented Kelsey and Finn have taken starring turns in some of the most beloved suspense-driven projects currently in the market, making the perfect pair to bring this visceral, pulse-racing story to life,” said Lebovici, who produced last year’s horror smash Barbarian, which took more than $45 million globally. Lebovici’s other credits include Bill & Ted Face the Music while he recently announced a partnership with Hideo Kojima’s Kojima Productions to develop and produce a film adaptation of hit videogame franchise Death Stranding. He is also exec producing Mel Gibson’s first directorial project since Hacksaw Ridge, the action-thriller Flight Risk starring Mark Wahlberg.
Raimi Productions is repped by CAA and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller & Gellman L.L.P. Hammerstone Studios is repped by Neil Sacker at Sacker Entertainment Law. Netto & Schindler are represented by World Builder and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis; Cimfel & White are also represented by World Builder, Ginsburg Daniels Kallis and, additionally, by Gersh.
The season finale of ABC’s “American Idol” will include performances by Ellie Goulding, Jazmine Sullivan and Pitbull, host Ryan Seacrest announced on Sunday’s penultimate episode.
The stacked lineup of guest performers marking the end of the season on May 21 also includes TLC, Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard, James Blunt, Jelly Roll, Kevin Cronin from REO Speedwagon, Kylie Minogue, Lainey Wilson and Lauren Daigle.
As previously announced, Keith Urban, who served as a judge on the competition show Seasons 12-15, is set to serve as a mentor for the remaining three finalists before he hits the stage for his own performance. Judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie will also each perform during the three-hour episode.
The season’s Top 12 singers will also return to the “Idol” stage to perform as fans decide which Top 3 contestant will rise to become the next American Idol.
Last week’s episode featured a royal surprise as King Charles III and Queen Camilla made a guest appearance on the show the day after the coronation. The royal couple appeared alongside judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie after they attended the royal festivities and performed at the King’s Coronation Concert last weekend.
The segment features Perry and Richie checking in from across the pond before being interrupted by King Charles III, who jokingly asked the judges when they might wrap up their broadcast before thanking them for their performance.
With Perry and Richie performing alongside Andrea Bocelli and other musicians during the concert, which was attended by a 20,000 guests, Alanis Morissette and Ed Sheeran stepped in as guest judges for last week’s episode.
The season finale of “American Idol” will air live on Sunday, May 21 from 8-11 p.m. ET and 5-8 p.m. PT on ABC.
A placeholder before the Callen-Anna wedding. That’s appropriate, right?
To remember that NCIS: Los Angeles is a procedural, there had to be one last case with a name guest star, in this case, mixed-martial arts star Randy Couture.
Couture has been making a name as an action actor over the past two decades (and let’s not forget Dancing With the Stars). But this was his first visit to the NCIS universe.
Hey, how about this as a spin-off? NCIS: Chokehold, starring Couture and Bill Goldberg. Fill out the cast with a diverse handful of lesser-known actors and bring in Hulk Hogan as the squad’s wily leader.
If the writers’ strike lingers, the producers could go heavier on the action scenes, a vital part of any NCIS show.
Anyhoo, this outing didn’t showcase Couture using the trademark NCIS wisecrack-filled dialogue much. So the jury’s still out on that front. But, no surprise, he did kick ass when given the opportunity.
Couture got to play that TV trope, the agent who has been undercover for too long and may have turned to the dark side.
It also was enjoyable to see CSI alumnus Liz Vassey in another new role this season, following her portrayal of psychology professor Dr. Craft in the final season of A Million Little Things.
Vassey’s Kerry Adams gave Kilbride someone to bond with, a rare creature who understood riding herd on stubborn but effective agents who insisted on doing things in their own way.
It’s a shame that perception didn’t hold up.
Adams was concerned about her undercover asset, Newsome, who had been out of touch for far too long. She wanted the OSP to be the team that investigated the investigator.
From the first introduction, Newsome appeared too straight-edged to be crooked, regardless of how Adams painted him as being on the edge of turning.
The hole Fatima found in his financials proved to be as weak as it seemed.
Fortunately, Nina Barnes made one last appearance.
Nina jousted with Callen (even though she didn’t hear him call her pastry truck a “roach coach”) and cozied up to Sam. She also came through with the tidbit that the gunrunners were receiving solid intel, which spotlighted any law-enforcement types involved with the case.
Since only one other law-enforcement officer had been introduced, Fatima, without any legal authorization, sneaked a peak at Adams’ financials and figured out she was dirty.
This left Sam and Callen racing to cut off Adams and the anonymous gunrunners’ leader. They brought a handgun to a semi-automatic gunfight, with Sam’s Challenger destroyed and their backup stranded high above Malibu, serving as overwatch for Newsome.
This left Sam and Callen in mortal peril as the first half of the series finale ended.
But seriously, they need to wrap this case up by the first commercial break next episode because there’s so much personal ground to cover in the conclusion.
Callen and Anna tying the knot is the biggest storyline that needs to be tied up.
Now that Grisha has made peace somewhat with his past, he still proved to be pretty useless when it comes to wedding planning, murmuring that things will come together before running off to chase bad guys.
Luckily, Anna still had Arkady at her beck and call to help her with wedding problems. Let’s hope Arkady isn’t performing the ceremony after he offered his negative views on marriage. He did manage to line up a DJ that they couldn’t afford for the reception, so that’s something.
The one guest that everyone wants to see, who didn’t come up in this episode, is Hetty. There isn’t time to rescue her, so let’s hope she miraculously appears at the ceremony, as she did for Kensi and Deeks’ wedding. Having Eric and Nell attend is likely too much to ask for.
The direction of Sam’s storyline was intimated in Richard’s wandering to the park and then calling Sam at work.
Richard was slipping, and Sam was right to be concerned about their future.
It was great Sam got through to his father, and Richard agreed to participate in the drug trial Sam had been promoting.
What wasn’t at all clear was what this change would mean for Sam and Richard. Will Sam accept Kilbride’s offer to be the assistant operations director? Or does that offer hold now that Callen is through with DRONA?
Trouble ahead was hinted at for Kensi. First, she got food poisoning thanks to Deeks’ ancient leftovers. Then something seemed to be bothering her while she was serving as overwatch. Is there a medical emergency looming in her immediate future?
Rountree’s civil suit appears to be coming to a head. What will he do with his award and how will that affect his future remains up in the air.
That leaves Fatima and Kilbride with no apparent resolutions. But their stories need to be resolved as well.
So there’s plenty to accomplish in a short time before the greatest hits special that’s planned after the conclusion.
Chris Stapleton took home the coveted Academy of Country Music entertainer of the year honors, while Lainey Wilson was named female artist of the year and Morgan Wallen was male artist of the year at tonight’s 58th annual ACM Awards.
Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks hosted the show, held in Texas this year and streamed via Amazon.
On Mother’s Day, the former NFL player shared a series of family photos in honor of his own mom, Galynn, as well as the mother of his three children, Moynahan and Bündchen. Brady and Moynahan dated from around 2004 to 2006 before welcoming their now-15-year-old son, Jack, in 2007. Brady also shares a 13-year-old son, Benjamin, and a 10-year-old daughter, Vivian, with Bündchen, whom he was married to from February 2009 to October 2022.
“Happy Mothers [sic] Day to all these amazing women who have given our family so much throughout their lives,” Brady captioned his Instagram post. “Thank you all for your love, compassion and kindness, and for setting such an amazing example for all of our little ones.”
He added, “We are all so grateful for your support and helping us all achieve our dreams. I wish all the mothers in the world a special day with the people that love them the most.”
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Prior to the end of their 13-year marriage, Gisele Bündchen publicly expressed her desire for Tom Brady to be “more present” in his children’s lives. “I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again,” she said in an Elle interview, which was published in September 2022—just a month before she announced their divorce.
In late March, the 42-year-old model got candid about their split in an interview with Vanity Fair. “It’s tough because you imagine your life was going to be a certain way, and you did everything you could, you know?” Bündchen said. “You give everything you got to achieve your dream. You give a hundred percent of yourself, and it’s heartbreaking when it doesn’t end up the way you hoped for and worked for, but you can only do your part.”
The Edmonton Oilers’ season ended Sunday night at Rogers Place with a 5-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Vegas wins the best-of-seven 4-2. They’ll play either Dallas or Seattle in the Western Conference Final.
“There were two teams that were taking swings at each other in every game,” Oilers Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said.
“It feels like a failure or a wasted year almost,” Leon Draisaitl said after the loss.
The Golden Knights took an early lead when the puck bounced in front to Reilly Smith, who snapped a shot past Stuart Skinner 24 seconds into the game.
Connor McDavid provided a quick response, 31 seconds later, when his shot from the right wing eluded Adin Hill.
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Just 1:48 after that, Derek Ryan centered the puck to Warren Foegele, who connected for his second of the post-season.
Vegas came out strong in the second and went ahead on a pair of goals by Jonathan Marchessault in the first eight minutes of the period.
“I thought we played a good first period,” Woodcroft said. “I thought in the second period there were situations we could handle better–specifically around our net–and I thought we pushed very hard in the third period but it didn’t fall for us tonight.”
With the teams playing four-on-four late in the second, Marchessault completed the natural hat trick with a shot from the right side, making it 4-2 Golden Knights after two.
Jack Campbell replaced Skinner (13 saves) to start the third.
“They did a lot of good things. They shut it down–their third period was clinical,” McDavid said. “We still had our looks and didn’t find a way to get one past him.”
“This is obviously part of the book that one day we’re all going to write,” Skinner said. “This is a chapter where it stings, it sucks, and it’s painful.”
“The older you get, it stings more,” Darnell Nurse said.
Hill made big saves on Evander Kane and Mattias Ekholm in the first half of the third.
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William Karlsson scored into an empty net in the final minute.
Hill stopped 39 straight shots after being beaten on the first two of the game.
This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email transcripts@nytimes.com with any questions.
kevin roose
Our Uber is going to get here in four minutes.
casey newton
Perfect.
kevin roose
And that will be my second Uber of the day —
casey newton
Do you Uber hear from your house?
kevin roose
— to the place where I catch the self-driving car. Yes. Do we want to share our ride and save $3? I personally don’t.
casey newton
Can you imagine? You’re trying to get to work and two guys get in your car. And they’re like, we’re making a podcast. You would jump out of that car so fast. And you’d probably sue Uber.
kevin roose
Yeah. That’s like the cursed version of Cash Cab.
[LAUGHING]
I thought I was saving $3 but I actually —
casey newton
You’re in the Cash Cab!
[LAUGHING]
kevin roose
The Cash Cab.
casey newton
You’re in Cash Cab!
kevin roose
Oh, god. Someone is pitching that to Netflix.
casey newton
Yep. It’s happening.
[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]
kevin roose
I’m Kevin Roose. I’m a tech columnist at The New York Times.
casey newton
I’m Casey Newton from Platformer.
kevin roose
And you’re listening to Hard Ford. This week, Casey reports from Google’s AI bonanza. Then we hit the streets of San Francisco in a fully self-driving car. And finally, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt stops by to tell us why the autonomous vehicle revolution is taking so damn long.
Casey, where are you?
casey newton
I am in a booth in the press area at Google I/O at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View.
kevin roose
And what’s going on there?
casey newton
I mean, what isn’t going on, Kevin? Did you even watch the keynote?
[LAUGHING]
kevin roose
I didn’t. I had a conflict. How was it?
casey newton
Well, people are milling around. It’s a few hours after Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, and recent Hard Fork guest —
kevin roose
Friend of the pod.
casey newton
— spoke, along with his colleagues, for about two hours and laid out everything that the company has been working on over the past year or so. Google I/O is their annual developer conference where they show off what they’ve been cooking.
And as you might expect, most of what they showed off today had a lot to do with artificial intelligence and how they’re going to try to use that in their products going forward. So compared to other years, this felt more eventful.
kevin roose
Yeah. I mean, I’ve missed this years. But I’ve been to previous Google I/Os. And it’s sort of like a combination product reveal and, like, party. Can you just describe the pageantry of Google I/O? Because it is a pretty big budget involved event.
casey newton
Oh yes. It’s quite a spectacle. They’ve taken over the Shoreline Amphitheater, which is an outdoor concert venue here in Mountain View. They’ve filled it up with colorful tents and drawings. I wish I could tell you that there were, like, fire dancers or sword swallowers. But it’s —
[LAUGHING] It is a tech conference at the end of the day.
kevin roose
This is still a corporate conference.
casey newton
Yeah.
kevin roose
So then I imagine, as happens most at these things, a series of executives come onto stage and make their presentations about the thing that they are announcing that day. So what were the big announcements from Google I/O?
casey newton
Well, I think the biggest one is just that generative AI results are coming to Google. So things that you might have been using ChatGPT for up until now, you’re going to be able to start using in Google itself.
So one of the examples they showed off was asking, “Of two national parks, which one would be better for a family with children and a dog?” And that’s not something that you would normally ask Google, because the core Google search engine isn’t good at parsing that many different variables. But this generative AI model that they have is able to say, well, of these two parks, you might want to go with this one because at that one dogs actually aren’t allowed.
kevin roose
Got it. So this is coming to Google search when and for how many people? And how drastically do you think it will change what people see when they go to google.com?
casey newton
So they’re starting small. It is going to be in the United States first. And it is going to be rolling out in the coming weeks. They’re keeping some of the details vague, I think because they want to give themselves the flexibility to slow it way down if something goes disastrously wrong. But my expectation is that I will probably be able to use it within the next few weeks, and I bet you will too.
kevin roose
Wow. Yeah, what could go wrong? OK. We’ve got this Google change to update its search results to have more generative AI answers. What else did they announce today?
casey newton
Well, I have to tell you about the thing that I thought was the coolest. Because I did have a moment where I basically wrote down curse words in my journal because I was so taken aback. Have you ever heard of Project Starline?
kevin roose
No.
casey newton
So this is essentially the fanciest Zoom you have ever seen in your entire life.
kevin roose
I’m intrigued. Go on.
casey newton
OK. Do you remember the metaverse?
kevin roose
I have a vague recollection that in the year 2022 people were talking about something called the metaverse. Yes.
casey newton
Right. And one of the big ideas was what they called telepresence, the idea that people in your life, you would be able to interact with them in a way that felt very realistic. And the main thing about this vision, which was mostly being advanced by Meta, was that you had to wear a giant helmet on your head. You remember this?
kevin roose
Yes. We in fact did an episode where we actually wore these clunky VR headsets on our heads and did a podcast in the metaverse.
casey newton
You can actually go back in the archives and hear the episode where we have headsets on. OK. Here’s why I’m telling you about Project Starline. Imagine if you could have an experience that was 100 times better and you didn’t have to wear a headset.
kevin roose
I’m sold. Tell me more.
casey newton
OK. So I go into this demo. And you sit down in front of what looks like a TV, like, a big screen TV. OK. And it has little speakers on the sides and something on the top that’s clearly some cameras.
And right before I had gone into this booth I had met this man who works on Project Starline for Google and saw him in the flesh. And he’s like, “I’m just going to go into my booth and you’re going to go into your booth and we’ll start talking.” I was like, “Great.”
I go and I sit down. And then this man shows up on the screen. And I am not kidding when I say the resolution of his face is as high as if he were standing in front of me. OK? So that was the first thing that was cool.
The second thing he does, Kevin, he reaches through the screen and gives me a fist bump.
kevin roose
No. Come on.
casey newton
Yes. There is something 3D about this technology. And so you can — it looks like you’re reaching through the screen.
kevin roose
No, no, no. I’ve seen “The Ring.” I don’t want anything coming through my screen. [LAUGHING]
casey newton
The horror movie potential is high. After he did that, he had an apple. He reaches through the screen and he shows me an apple. He starts turning the apple around. And I’m moving my head around. And I can, like, see different sides of the apple. I am not kidding you. I have not seen a tech demo that I think was this cool in a super long time. I’m all in.
kevin roose
That’s amazing. And it also reminds me of, like, do you remember the stories from when, like, motion pictures first came out? And people would run screaming from the theater because they thought the train was going to jump out of the screen and hit them?
casey newton
Yes!
kevin roose
You were the person —
casey newton
Yes!
kevin roose
— in the theater, running from the train.
casey newton
Completely. Completely. If you put a horror movie on this thing, you’re going to traumatize people. It was so amazing. So, look, I mean, the technology — of course I’m asking. I’m like, how expensive is one of these rigs? Well, you’ll never believe it but they don’t want to talk about it. But, you know, I was asking around afterwards. And they told me that the number one issue with getting this thing into more people’s hands is the cost. So let’s just assume it’s like some astronomical amount.
kevin roose
Yeah. Your $5 million dollar fancy Zoom call is maybe not coming to an office near you.
casey newton
But they told me that they have given some of these to Salesforce, T-Mobile and WeWork. And they are testing them at Google. And they told me that right now they’re just trying to figure out, basically what they’re good for.
And I’m like, bro, they’re good for everything. Like, put it in my house now. This is how I want to talk to my family now and my friends. I’m not even kidding when I say, like, you could have a beer with a friend on a Friday evening and you would truly feel like you hung out with them instead of having a Zoom call. It was —
kevin roose
Wow.
casey newton
Anyway. This thing was amazing.
kevin roose
I got to try this. I mean, between the fully self-driving car and the $5 million fancy Zoom, I feel like we are really living in the future this week.
casey newton
Truly, we’ve gotten a glimpse at some of the happier parts of the future, which is nice to do every once in a while.
kevin roose
But as fun as your fancy Zoom was, it is not, strictly speaking, an example of generative AI. So —
casey newton
No.
kevin roose
— bring us back to generative AI, which was the sort of focal point of this. What else did Google show off that it has been working on in some of those areas?
casey newton
Sure. So they have something called Help Me Write in Gmail. It’s exactly what you think it is. You give it a few keywords of what you want to do. It’s going to write your email for you. I think within a year lots of people are going to be using this to draft lots of emails. So.
kevin roose
And it happens right in the Gmail window itself? Or do you have to go to an app and write and then copy and paste it into Gmail?
casey newton
It happens right in Gmail. And then on the dorky side, they showed off this presentation that consisted only of slides. And they took the slides and they said, “Write speaker notes for the slide.” So essentially write the presentation based on the slides. Snap your fingers and it showed off a bunch of things.
So think of how lazy you can be as an office worker now who has to deliver — you don’t even have to write your own speaker notes anymore.
kevin roose
Right. I mean, I can see how this is all potentially very exciting and lucrative for Google. At the same time, some of these features have already existed in Microsoft products now. Is this Google playing catch up with what Microsoft has done with its products and generative AI? Or were there things that happen today that struck you as, like, oh, man, they actually are breaking new ground here?
casey newton
You’re absolutely right. Microsoft has been rolling out similar features in their office products. They call their set of features Copilot. Google is calling its features Duet. And there is a lot of tit for tat that’s happening here.
But the honest answer to your question is that my life is in Google products, not Microsoft products. And so this stuff is just hitting me harder. Because I look at this stuff and I already know how I’m going to use it.
kevin roose
Another issue that we talked about, actually with Sundar Pichai is, like, Bard just didn’t feel very powerful when it was released. By comparison to ChatGPT it wasn’t giving people the kinds of answers and problem-solving abilities and coding abilities that ChatGPT and other generative AI products were.
So did they talk about Bard at all at this event today? Are they making it smarter? Is it changing in any way? And do you think it’s actually going to be competitive with ChatGPT?
casey newton
Yeah. So a couple of things. Number one, they have added buttons, or I should say, they are adding buttons to this that lets you export the output to Sheets and Docs. And I know what you’re thinking. You’re, like, Casey, that is the most boring thing you’ve ever said on this podcast. But I’m telling you, like, this is the actual secret sauce of what is going to make this successful.
The past six months have just been a Lollapalooza of copying and pasting. Everybody’s going to ChatGPT and they’re generating text and they’re bringing it over to some other app. And the smart and obvious thing that Google did was said, hey, come use our thing and click one button and we will pre-populate a Google Sheet for you, a Google Doc for you.
The second thing that they’re doing is they’re upgrading the language model that powers it called PaLM. And so PaLM has now gone from PaLM to PaLM 2. Now can I tell you on a query by query basis what that’s going to mean? No. But in recent weeks Google has said a lot about how much better they think Bard is at coding challenges, at mathematics, which we’ve talked about in the past, as these models being really bad at doing. So it is improving over time. Their positioning that as a major upgrade.
kevin roose
OK.
casey newton
Wait. I want to make a point.
kevin roose
Yeah.
casey newton
Kevin, I read a super interesting story today in the information about where Microsoft is at with Bing. And there’s a research firm called YipitData. And they told the information that Bing’s share of global search has grown 0.25 percent since it launched the new Bing.
kevin roose
That’s it?
casey newton
That’s it. Meanwhile, the OpenAI chat bot, which launched six months ago, already draws more visitors on desktop devices than Bing does. And Bing is 14 years old.
kevin roose
Wow.
casey newton
Now why am I bringing this up? This is Google’s advantage, right, is you’re already using Google’s products. And so as the AI starts to creep into m I think they’re just going to have this tailwind that Microsoft doesn’t, because people aren’t used to using Bing. Right. And so to the extent you want to think about this as a horse race, this is where Google really could not just catch up, I think, but pull ahead is that they just have the stuff that everyone’s already using.
kevin roose
Huh. It’s basically, like, this idea that where AI is, is just as important as how good is is. Right?
casey newton
Absolutely.
kevin roose
Maybe more important. You know, I was of the mind, when these chat bots first came out, that all that mattered was the quality of the AI model. That people were really going to only use the state of the art thing that they had access to, and that you would want the most powerful AI.
But I think there’s a convenience trade-off to. Where if I’m asking about something that’s sort of the kind of question that you don’t actually need the state of the art for, you’re probably just going to use the AI that is closest to you, right. The one that is in your Gmail already or your Docs already or your Microsoft Word already. And you’re not necessarily going to go shopping for the most powerful model that can maybe refactor a code base, but maybe that’s not what you’re doing anyway.
casey newton
Absolutely. I think the most natural home for all of this stuff is inside the tools, the operating system that you’re already using. And I think Google realizes that too and they’re moving full speed ahead.
kevin roose
So one recurring theme that we’ve talked about on this show now for several months is this sense of panic inside Google about the generative AI arms race, and the fact that they are, by many accounts, behind OpenAI and Microsoft when it comes to getting these tools into people’s hands. Obviously they had their code red last year.
But I also read a story this week based on a leaked internal Google document that was written by a Google employee. And it was called, “We Have No Moat.” And it was basically an argument that, despite all of the progress that Google is making, despite the fact that they’ve invented a lot of this fundamental AI technology that’s going into these products, this person, this Google employee in this leaked document was basically sounding the alarm and saying, we don’t actually have an advantage here and neither does OpenAI.
Because there’s this third threat that we don’t have a strategy for. And that is the open source AI movement. That basically there are these open source models like the ones that have been coming out from Stable Diffusion for images, more recently like the ones that have come out of Meta, the llama models and the spinoffs of that.
And that basically these tools that people are downloading and running on their own computers, their own hardware, are rapidly catching up with the state of the art AI models from Google and OpenAI and other labs. And ultimately that Google is not positioned to stay competitive in a world where everyone can just download AI models and run them on their laptop.
So how are you thinking about that threat, the open source threat after listening to this Google event today?
casey newton
Well, so that memo is super interesting and people should check it out. But I just fundamentally disagree with the person who wrote it. Kevin, are you familiar with Linux?
kevin roose
Yes.
casey newton
Linux is an open source operating system. You could probably install it on your computer right now. Except you wouldn’t. And you want to know why? Because it’s a huge pain in the ass. And then after you install it, you spend the rest of your life wondering, can I install that on Linux? Is there a Linux version of that? That is the open source world. OK.
So for the same reasons that I don’t think Linux poses a threat to Microsoft Windows or iOS, I don’t think that these open source models pose a threat to Google, at least not in the way that we’re talking about, right, for all the reasons that I just said.
The underlying technology piece is a huge part of the problem that needs to be solved. We’re seeing a lot of progress there. But there’s also a product problem. You have to make something that is easy to use, that is pleasant to use. Right. And Google, by the nature of the fact that it makes these tools used by billions of people, just has a huge advantage there.
Now, look, could someone come along and take a bunch of open source components and make an incredible new company that winds up challenging an incumbent? Yes, absolutely.
And Meta, in particular, has released a bunch of open source stuff, which I think it thinks is going to benefit them hugely by just essentially helping people create a bunch of content that is going to populate Facebook apps. But does the existence of a bunch of open source models running around on phones and laptops mean that people are less likely to use Google search with generative AI? I don’t think so.
kevin roose
Right. And what about this other threat that people inside Google have been sounding the alarm on for months now, which is the threat of releasing generative AI to the world before it’s safe and harmless? What did Google say today about the safety of its AI tools? And were you reassured that they’ve actually done what they need to do to make sure these things are safe?
casey newton
Yes and no. Yes, they did talk about it. They talked about their responsible AI principles. It came up several times during the keynote. I was briefed on a few of these things before the event. And everyone I talked to made sure to talk to me about how responsibly they’ve developed everything.
But I do feel like, on some fundamental level, nobody really knows if it’s safe or not. You know. They’ve done their tests. They’ve done their red team exercises. They’ve tried to identify obvious misuses and to mitigate those. But at the same time I think that they know that once you give these tools to a billion people, you’re just not going to be able to predict user’s behavior.
So the approach that they’re taking is to roll it out slowly. And I do think that if there is some immediate, massive, obvious harm, they will stop the thing in its tracks and they will pull it off the market.
But at this point, basically everyone I know — including I think a lot of high ranking executives at Google do wish that things would slow down a little, both to give society a chance to adapt to what’s happened so far, and to give them a chance to just kind of see, OK, like, you can do this with this now. Is there some obvious harm that we missed?
kevin roose
Well, but they’re clearly not that interested in slowing down or they wouldn’t be holding events and showing off all the generative AI they’re shoving into their products.
casey newton
That’s exactly right. It’s a fair criticism. But at the same time, even us — both of us believe that very deeply. And both of us were also like, why is Google moving so slowly on this stuff? They’re losing.
[LAUGHING]
Right? So everyone talks out of both sides of their mouth on this, I think, except for maybe some of the most diehard AI safety researchers.
kevin roose
Yeah. So I’m curious, just taking sort of a step back at this whole event that you’ve seen today, what is the vibe there? Is it a company that was caught flat footed and is now mobilizing everything in its power to catch up with OpenAI and Microsoft? Like, what is the vibe of Google I/O this year? And how are you feeling? Have you changed your mind at all about where the company is headed?
casey newton
So I would say two things about the vibe. One is constant reminders that they’ve been doing this for a long time. So basically everything that Google announced was prefaced by a statement that was something like, in 2017 we did this. In 2019 we released this.
And the point that they’ve tried to make is, we truly have been laying the groundwork. That, you know, you jackals and hyenas in the press who accuse us of being asleep at the wheel are ignoring the fact that we’ve been laying the foundation for years. So that’s kind of the first thing.
When it comes to the products themselves though, Google’s vibe is a little bit more understated. Right. They’re less likely to come out and say, we’re the most path-breaking, innovative company in history. Instead they’re going to tell you, we have made a thing that we think is really helpful and we can’t wait to show it to you. So that’s kind of the vibe.
There’s a third thing about the vibe that — maybe this is more of a tech event thing than a Google thing, but it just really struck me, which is that every time something would be announced during this keynote there would be — somebody would, like, scream. Like “Woo!” Like at the top of their — just like outrageously excited about a development in a language model followed by laughter from everyone else in the audience. Like, look at this nerd.
And it’s such a weird, kind of whipsawing between joy and shame. And you can really only find that at a tech event. I’m just so glad they’re back for that reason.
kevin roose
Wow. This is like the tech reporter version of Coachella. This is good stuff.
[LAUGHING]
Casey, thank you for attending Google I/O on behalf of the Hard Fork podcast. Did they announce that they are renaming their chat bot Bard Fork?
casey newton
They did not. But I’m told that Hard Fork is now available on Google Podcasts. So that’s an exciting development.
kevin roose
Your $5 million Zoom call from heaven could never approach that level of excitement.
casey newton
Truly.
[ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYING]
kevin roose
When we come back, self-driving cars made by Cruise are now running around the clock in San Francisco. So Casey and I hailed a ride in one to find out if the driverless car revolution we’ve all been talking about and waiting for for years has finally arrived.
kevin roose
OK. I’m going to open up the Cruise app. I want to propose that we go to a coffee shop called Rise and Grind.
casey newton
You know what? That’s so great, because I think no one exemplifies the rise and grind mindset more than we do.
kevin roose
OK. It’s saying, can you meet us on Ashbury Street?
casey newton
We are on Ashbury Street. We’re at Ashbury and Waller.
kevin roose
OK. We’re getting picked up in a car called Banana Slug.
casey newton
They all have names?
kevin roose
Yes, I guess.
casey newton
You know banana slug is the mascot of UC Santa Cruz.
kevin roose
OK. It’s giving me some reminders. It says, use your phone to unlock the car.
casey newton
OK.
kevin roose
Sit in one of the back seats, and cameras will record inside the car for safety and support. So no funny business.
casey newton
It doesn’t say anything about horseplay hijinks? Antics?
[LAUGHING]
Are antics aloud?
kevin roose
I don’t know. Unclear.
casey newton
So I should say, I’ve never actually been in a self-driving car without a driver in the driver’s seat. Have you?
kevin roose
I haven’t either. No, I haven’t either.
casey newton
Are you scared?
kevin roose
I’m a little scared, although I’ve heard that these things can only go, like, 30 miles an hour, which makes me feel a little better.
casey newton
That’s exactly right. And if we get in a crash, just think how good that’ll be for the podcast. Can you imagine?
kevin roose
Oh, I think I see it.
casey newton
Oh, I think I see it too. It’s white, headlights are on.
kevin roose
And it’s got two little, like, nubbins on top. Those are the sensors.
casey newton
Let’s see if it makes a complete stop at the stop sign. It did.
kevin roose
OK. We’ve got a car. It’s pulling up.
casey newton
Hi.
kevin roose
Hi.
casey newton
There’s Banana Slug.
kevin roose
Banana Slut.
casey newton
It says Banana Slug.
kevin roose
We got a Banana Slug. OK. So now we have to go get in the car.
casey newton
Yeah.
It’s happening.
kevin roose
There’s no driver. There’s like a little Plexiglas partition like you see in taxis sometimes.
casey newton
Well, they’ve anticipated the first thing that I wanted to do, which was climb into the front seat. But you can’t actually do that in this car.
kevin roose
OK. So I have to buckle up before it’ll let me start. Good safety feature.
casey newton
Yeah. There’s like a touchscreen that we have to confirm that everyone is buckled up before Banana Slug will start moving.
kevin roose
I got to say, I’m a little nervous.
casey newton
Yeah.
kevin roose
How is this going to go? OK. So now I just push start.
casey newton
Start this ride.
kevin roose
And it’s going to take us. OK. Let’s cruise, it says.
automated voice
A few things to remember during your ride. Please keep your seat belt buckled. Always keep your hands and arms inside. For Cruise support, press the square button on the ceiling in view. To end your ride early, press the larger round button on the ceiling and we’ll pull over. Enjoy your ride.
kevin roose
OK. And now we’re just going. Holy cow.
casey newton
There’s a cute little tablet on the back that is showing us our route. It says we’re going to be dropped off in 12 minutes. We could — if we wanted we could play a trivia game or listen to the radio.
kevin roose
Do you want to do either of those things?
casey newton
I would like to play trivia and see who’s better. OK. Number one —
[LAUGHING]
kevin roose
We can’t get distracted.
casey newton
And get into the rhythm when 10 questions about music. Which band did not originate in the Bay Area? Lynyrd Skynyrd, Green Day, or Jefferson Airplane? Obviously Lynyrd Skynyrd.
kevin roose
Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Sweet Home Alabama.”
casey newton
Yep. I think it’s funny that, like, within 30 seconds of entering the car you were like, I no longer care about the driverless car that I’m in with no driver. I want to play trivia. OK. Every time I’ve bet in one of these before, I think as with you, there has been a safety driver in the front seat. And there is something a little spooky about just watching the steering wheel turn itself.
kevin roose
Yes.
casey newton
Like it sort of feels like you’re at the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, you know?
kevin roose
Or, like, watching a player piano. You know?
casey newton
Yeah, right. Exactly.
kevin roose
OK. So we’re going downhill now. We’re coming to a stop sign at the bottom of the hill. So we’re turning right. We’re waiting for a pedestrian to cross the crosswalk.
casey newton
And this person probably has no idea that this car’s driving itself.
kevin roose
There’s a —
casey newton
And there’s a dog.
kevin roose
— man walking a dog. Oh, please don’t hit the dog.
casey newton
Don’t hit the dog.
kevin roose
Oh. Oh. OK.
casey newton
Oh, wow. That dog just looked the car straight in the eye. I think on some level it knew.
[LAUGHING]
kevin roose
We’re not getting as many weird looks from pedestrians as I thought we might.
casey newton
Well, here — because these cars have been driving around the city for years at this point. And I think — I don’t blink when I see one anymore either. Although it is true that often they do have a driver in the front seat and this one doesn’t.
kevin roose
Yeah. Oh god! We’re crossing the double yellow line.
casey newton
Oh wait. OK. That was super interesting. What just — OK. So we were sort of driving straight and the car just sort of veered into the left lane for no apparent reason.
kevin roose
Yeah.
casey newton
So that was a surprise.
kevin roose
It’s going very slowly.
casey newton
Yeah.
kevin roose
And we did not hit anything. But that was a —
casey newton
It was like the kind of move you do when you’re stuck in traffic and you want to peek out to see how much traffic is ahead of you. Like it kind of felt like that.
kevin roose
Yep. Yep. Yep. Or like a pothole that you’re trying to avoid.
casey newton
Yeah. But, like, look at — do you see the steering wheel is like rotated all the way to the left for some reason?
kevin roose
Yeah. It is strange though that they have the steering wheel. Like —
casey newton
Yeah.
kevin roose
Because technically in a fully self-driving car, you don’t need a steering wheel.
casey newton
Unless — can these things maybe be, like, remotely taken over by customer support? Like could the CEO of Cruise take over the wheel if he wanted to?
kevin roose
Oh. Oh god! Oh!
casey newton
Oh god!
kevin roose
We, like, actually just almost got driven into a sign.
casey newton
This thing just made the most erratic, sort of leftward squiggle into a median basically, and then quickly corrected. But —
kevin roose
Woo.
casey newton
— it definitely made no sense whatsoever.
kevin roose
Oh.
casey newton
Yep. This is a self-driving taxi.
man
I know. I know.
casey newton
Yeah.
man
Did you see that what happened, right?
casey newton
Yeah, how it swerved to the left?
man
Yeah.
casey newton
Yeah.
man
It almost hit. I’m like, yeah. So you probably wonder. We bought that thing.
casey newton
We’re going to. We’re going to bring this to justice. [LAUGHING]
man
Yeah. Be here for me. OK?
casey newton
Yeah. OK.
[LAUGHING] Thank you. That was a close one. This guy’s onto us.
kevin roose
I got to say, he had his kid next to him, like, in the passenger seat. And the kid just looked really jealous.
casey newton
He was so jealous.
kevin roose
He wanted to be in the car.
casey newton
How excited are you as a parent to never have to drive your kid to soccer practice in five years?
kevin roose
Honestly I’m like, I don’t know if my kid is going to ever drive. Like, he’s young enough now. I would bet that he never gets a driver’s license.
casey newton
Really?
kevin roose
Or that if he does it’s like a novelty. It’s like doing, you know, equestrian or something.
casey newton
Right. Well, frankly that’s for the best. I heard he just got into a huge tricycle accident. So —
[LAUGHING]
— I’m not sure I trust him on the road. [LAUGHING]
kevin roose
You seem much more relaxed than I am right now. I’m finding it hard to just sit back and enjoy the ride.
casey newton
I mean, I will say, like, this feels like the future to me. It just seems so obvious to me that was in a couple of years, like, people are going to be taking these taxis. They’re never going to think twice about the fact that the car’s driving itself. They’re just going be on their phones. They’re going to be playing trivia, playing the radio.
kevin roose
Yeah. I think for a lot of people they sort of gave up on driverless cars, or at least I did. Several years ago it was like all you could hear was like, these things are coming. They’re going to be everywhere. And then they didn’t. And a lot of the companies that had invested billions of dollars into developing self-driving cars sort of retrenched on those efforts.
Like, Uber sold off its self-driving car division. Lyft sort of closed down its self-driving car project. Ford had a big investment in self-driving cars that it sort of shuttered. And so Cruise and Waymo, which is the thing that’s spun out of Google, they’re really the last two standing in San Francisco at least.
casey newton
Well, I never gave up on self-driving cars for one main reason, which is, I just always saw them everywhere in San Francisco. In my neighborhood I see a self-driving car every single day, endlessly cruising around gathering data. And I just always believed at some point this is going to turn into a taxi. And indeed, here we are. We’re in a taxi.
kevin roose
Yep. That’s true.
casey newton
It’s going very slowly, due to traffic.
kevin roose
Yeah. We’re in —
casey newton
We should say, we’re in rush hour.
kevin roose
Yeah. We’re in rush hour in San Francisco. So things are crawling.
casey newton
Now do you have any way of telling Banana Slug to floor it?
[LAUGHING]
Yeah. You know, I’m going to say, if I’m getting this as a taxi, I want it to be going the speed limit and maybe even two to three miles faster, not six miles slower.
kevin roose
No. I’m fine with this.
casey newton
Really?
kevin roose
Honestly, the experience we had a couple of blocks ago of almost getting plowed into the median, I’m fine with us going as slow as this thing — as Banana Slug needs to go.
casey newton
Do you think it heard that guy and was like, oh my gosh, I’m going to —
kevin roose
Wait. Why is it, like — oh, it’s turning. OK. We’re turning.
casey newton
We’re going right. We must be getting close to coffee.
kevin roose
It slows down for the speed bump. That’s kind of impressive actually.
casey newton
Really? Feels like that would be easy to see. [LAUGHING]
kevin roose
I love how this thing that we both had never experienced until 10 minutes ago, and now you’re like, I’m over it. OK. Now we’re making a left at a four-way stop sign.
casey newton
And once again —
kevin roose
Oh. We’re doing a little game of, like, footsie with the other car.
casey newton
Yeah. It’s extremely cautious at the stop signs, which I guess is what you want.
kevin roose
And we did just get a horrified glare from the person who just saw that —
casey newton
They are not happy.
kevin roose
— there’s no one driving this car.
casey newton
Oh, they’re talking to us now.
kevin roose
So it’s saying it’s arriving soon. OK. We’re here.
casey newton
We’re here.
kevin roose
I’m impressed. Are you impressed?
casey newton
I’m impressed.
kevin roose
OK.
casey newton
Let’s see if it lets us out.
[LAUGHING]
kevin roose
Banana Slug, let us go. Please. It says you have to solve a puzzle before I’ll let you — [LAUGHING]
casey newton
Answer me these questions three! [LAUGHING]
kevin roose
OK. Arrived at our drop off stop. Here we are.
casey newton
All right.
kevin roose
OK. Now it wants a rating. How would you rate that, one to five stars?
casey newton
Three.
kevin roose
Three? No. Really?
casey newton
It would have been much easier and faster to take an Uber.
kevin roose
You know, I’m going to overrule you. I’m going to give that a five star review.
casey newton
OK. Wow. I mean, we’re safely at our destination, and maybe I have low expectations. But that’s sort of all I could hope for.
kevin roose
True. OK. Let’s go get some coffee.
glenn
Sorry. … been hearing you guys.
kevin roose
Yeah.
glenn
Seeing those things —
casey newton
Yeah.
kevin roose
Yeah.
glenn
— and they’re training.
kevin roose
Yeah. We’re making a podcast. Can I interview you about this?
glenn
Yeah. Sure.
kevin roose
OK. So what’s your name?
glenn
My name’s Glenn.
kevin roose
Glenn.
casey newton
Hi, Glenn.
kevin roose
And Glenn is sitting — a nice man sitting next to us here at the coffee shop. And Glenn, you were just saying something about self-driving cars.
glenn
Yeah. I used to be a taxi driver.
casey newton
Oh really?
glenn
Yeah. So I wonder how those are going to affect taxi drivers. Because they’re already under enough pressure from Uber and Lyft —
kevin roose
For sure.
glenn
— for years. I know when I was driving cab they really cut into our business. And it was hard to make a living.
kevin roose
Do you get, like, what do you feel when you see a self-driving car on the street?
glenn
Suspicion —
casey newton
Yeah.
glenn
— you know, in terms of safety factor. You know, I’ve been driving cars for, like, 50 years. And the other day I was over by my apartment and I was crossing the street. And I saw one of these cars going to make a turn onto the street. So I thought, you know, I’m going to stand in front of this thing.
kevin roose
You actually stood in front of the car?
glenn
Yeah.
kevin roose
To stop it from making the turn?
glenn
Yeah.
kevin roose
Why is that?
glenn
I wanted to see if it would stop. I left myself enough room to, if it didn’t, to get the hell out of the way.
casey newton
Yeah.
glenn
But it did stop.
casey newton
Oh good.
kevin roose
That’s why you’re here.
casey newton
That’s why you’re here with us today.
glenn
Yeah, exactly.
[LAUGHING]
So I was impressed with that.
kevin roose
Well, we’re about to interview the CEO of the company whose self-driving car that was, Cruse. So what should we ask him, from a former San Francisco cab driver?
glenn
One, what’s the expected impact on cab drivers in terms of making a living? Two, how is it going to impact the Lyft and Uber drivers? And many of those people depend on that income for a living. And I wonder how they intend to address that. And also, how are they going to set the rates? So I’m real curious about that.
kevin roose
Yeah.
casey newton
Yeah. It’s interesting to me to think that, sort of, first Uber and Lyft came along and disrupted folks like yourself who are driving cabs. But now it seems like the self-driving cars are going to come along and disrupt all the people who are driving these Ubers.
glenn
I know. It seems like it’s going to disrupt the cab industry. It’s going to disrupt Lyft. And it’s going to disrupt Uber.
casey newton
Yeah.
kevin roose
I remember talking with the president of Lyft, John Zimmer about this, many years ago. Because I sort of asked this. Like, I said, like, what happens to all the drivers when the car is just driving themselves? And he says, well, they can do other things. Like maybe there’s a self-driving restaurant and they can be servers in the self-driving restaurant that sort of help you get your food as you’re driving along the street. So he had other ideas.
glenn
I think that’s ridiculous.
[LAUGHING]
I don’t buy that. That does not —
kevin roose
Oh look. There’s Wren. There’s another self-driving car. They’re all over the place. Yeah.
casey newton
Sometimes I feel like they hear us talking about them and they like to swing over and check it out.
[LAUGHING]
glenn
So that’s basically my feelings about the whole situation.
kevin roose
All right.
glenn
So we’ll see how it shakes out.
kevin roose
Yeah. We’ll see. We’ll see.
glenn
I’m not diametrically opposed to it. But at the same time there is some serious economic impacts on other people who drive for a living.
kevin roose
Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. We’ll ask him about that.
casey newton
That’s great.
kevin roose
Thank you.
casey newton
What a stroke of fortune we bumped into you.
kevin roose
Yeah.
glenn
Yeah. Thank you.
[ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYING]
kevin roose
We’ll be right back.
[ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYING]
This is our podcast studio. And this is Casey.
casey newton
Hi.
kyle vogt
Hey, good morning.
casey newton
How’s it going? Nice to see ya.
kevin roose
Kyle Vogt, welcome to Hard Fork.
kyle vogt
Hey. Thanks for having me.
kevin roose
So we wanted to talk to you because Cruise has just recently announced that you’re are operating 24/7 in San Francisco. And we actually just this morning took a ride in one of your cars named Banana Slug.
casey newton
Yes. I don’t know if that one. But —
kyle vogt
I’ve seen Banana Slug out there on the roads. Yeah.
casey newton
Yeah, yeah.
kevin roose
What was the naming convention? Like, how did you decide on the names for the cars?
kyle vogt
I mean, one of our interns named one of the early AVs, like, for fun. I think the theme then was bird names. And that stuck. And so we really leaned into it and let people suggest names. And I have no idea where Banana Slug came from. But it’s not the weirdest one that’s out there.
kevin roose
What’s the weirdest one that’s out there?
kyle vogt
I’d have to come up with a list. But people have a very emotional attachment to the first AV that they rode in. Like, Mary Barra, the CEO of GM, her first car was Tostada. And every time she comes to San Francisco she’s like, how’s Tostada doing?
[LAUGHING]
kevin roose
Actually it’s been a rough few months. She’s out for repairs. We don’t like to talk about it.
[LAUGHING]
It’s a sensitive subject. So, Casey, what were your impressions of the ride?
casey newton
Well, I mean, overall it’s super fun. This was the first ride that we had taken in self-driving cars where there was not a safety driver. We’ve each probably taken half a dozen or so rides in self-driving cars in the past but there’s always been a human. And there is something amazing about just seeing the steering wheel turn itself. Kevin was sort of likening it to a player piano, sort of watching that for the first time.
You know, at the time it made some herky jerky movements and it drove, like, six miles per hour slower than the speed limit. So we do have some questions.
kyle vogt
Yeah. And it did almost swerve us into a median at one point, which led the human driver on the other side of us to roll down his window and say, you guys should report that thing. So here we are reporting it.
casey newton
Yeah.
kyle vogt
You guys are hilarious. You are moving through San Francisco in a technical marvel that took you across the city with no one behind the seat, in probably half an hour or more, and you found three relatively small things to pinpoint. [LAUGHING]
Meanwhile —
kevin roose
This is what I told Casey. Because he wanted to give it three stars at the end of the ride. And I was like, we got safely to our destination during rush hour in a car with no driver. That’s a five star.
casey newton
I’m just trying to help them improve. But you’re right. It is a technical marvel. Yeah. Yeah, we want to talk about that.
kevin roose
So first of all, I want to ask, like, what does it mean that you’re operating 24/7 in San Francisco now? Because as we discovered when we were trying to set up this ride, it’s actually like, not everyone can just whip out their phones and start hailing autonomous drives.
kyle vogt
Yeah. So we’ve been rolling things out in phases. Our approach is — we call it envelope expansion where we operate in a small area. We basically have done the analysis. We believe it’s ready. And then we operate there. We check all the indicators. When everything is green, we expand it.
And so this can refer to the area, whether it’s the full city or a part of the city. It could refer to the hours of the day or the number of people that we allow on it. So right now we’re operating 24/7. There are a small number of cars that are out there all the time available to employees. And then over the next few weeks or months we’ll open that up to everyone else.
kevin roose
And how do prices compare right now to what people might be used to paying for an Uber?
kyle vogt
Pretty similar. And, in fact, if for whatever reason the AV takes a longer route, we charge you for what the route should have been.
kevin roose
Got it.
kyle vogt
Today though we’re pricing it at parity with rideshare as it exists. And we expect that — well, rideshare right now, it’s already about as cheap as it’s going to get. These companies have optimized it, and they’ve found that basically the minimum amount of money they can pay the drivers to keep drivers on the road.
But that’s limited by the cost of a human wage. Self-driving cars don’t have the human. So as we drop the cost of the technology and the cost of operating these cars and increase the size of the fleet so it gets more efficient, we can get way, way, way below the cost of what exists today.
And we also know from the data that people who use rideshare are very price sensitive. They want to save a buck on that ride.
kevin roose
Yeah.
kyle vogt
What that means is when you drop the cost a little bit, the number of people using rideshare as their primary mode of transportation is going to go up, which we’re excited about, because I think it helps with congestion and traffic in cities.
kevin roose
So the last time I really paid attention, close attention to the self-driving car market was in 2017, 2018. At the time there was a huge wave of sort of hype and excitement about driverless cars. Uber was investing tons of money into it. Lyft was telling people that rolling restaurants, you know, self-driving hospitality vehicles were just a couple of years away. You know.
And Casey and I both went on a number of rides at that time. And the line that we got then was like, yes, they only work on a predetermined route during certain hours now. But just wait a couple of years. They’ll be everywhere.
So we waited a couple of years. And with the exception of a couple cities, they’re not everywhere. So what happened between, let’s say, five years ago and now to make you convinced that these vehicles are ready for prime time? Is it some technical breakthrough that made them safer and more reliable? Or is it just that you’ve had more time to kind of work out some of the kinks?
kyle vogt
I want to answer that in two ways. First of all, they are scaling up rapidly and appearing in more cities now. Like, that’s starting to happen. And so we’re on the verge of that rapid scale. We launched two new cities last year. There’s going to be a lot more big announcements in news on expansion this year.
So why did that just happen now instead of five years ago? Two things. First of all, when you have a person behind the wheel and they’re in charge of taking over in all those tricky edge cases, the last one percent of the problem where the system isn’t ready, 99 percent of the time it feels like it’s done.
And so you can take an investor or a potential partner or someone on those rides and they’re like, oh, this is here. We need to invest now. Like, throw all the money at it. And that went crazy. It was like a gold rush, like maybe like crypto a couple of years ago or probably like AI and large language models right now.
kevin roose
Yeah.
kyle vogt
Maybe people are a little more excited about that than they should be. And then the rest of the time between then and now was the hard work to continuously grind away at those edge cases, that last one percent of the problem until you can safely remove that human out of the car. And that’s just what it took.
kevin roose
So it really was mostly a data collection issue then.
kyle vogt
Data collection was a piece of it. But there’s just a lot of engineering challenges that go into things like, what if someone leaves a car door open after they get dropped off? Or, like, what happens if the lane markers have been repainted and there’s a police officer waving around traffic? What’s the car supposed to do? Like, these things that don’t happen that often, but when they do, the car just can’t sit there. You actually have to find a way through it.
kevin roose
So wait, what does happen if somebody doesn’t close the door at the end of a ride?
kyle vogt
We just launched this last week. We have auto-closing doors.
kevin roose
Nice.
kyle vogt
So the doors will just like — someone logs in with a camera. When the vehicle says, hey, my door is open, they check that the coast is clear and then the door will slam shut.
kevin roose
What other things did you see in your testing? What other edge cases have you seen that maybe threw you for a loop or caught you by surprise?
kyle vogt
Yeah. So, I mean, there’s a lot of things that are weird, like situations. We see sideshows in San Francisco when people will block down an intersection and just do donuts in the middle of an intersection. Didn’t have that in our test cases early on. Right. Had to think through that. A lot of stuff with swarms of people rollerblading in the street or segues or bikes.
But that stuff, in a way, is kind of expected. Like you’d expect a large city to have a diversity of stuff, including some weird things. What I didn’t see coming is that a lot of people would essentially risk their lives and try jumping in front of a moving car to see if it’s going to stop.
casey newton
We literally talked to someone today who did this.
kevin roose
Yes. We were at a coffee shop and there was this guy there who heard us talking about self-driving cars. And he says, oh, I’m a retired cab driver in San Francisco, and starts telling us about how he once jumped in front of a self-driving car just to see if it would stop.
casey newton
And great news, it stopped.
kyle vogt
Yeah. I mean, it’s terrifying to me. Because we want to improve road safety, not create situations where people are creating new opportunities for themselves to get hurt. So I hope that this is a short lived thing and that we all understand that these cars are going to stop and don’t need to be being reckless like that.
casey newton
Have you ever thought about just, like, putting like some sort of device that shoots a beanbag at people if they’re —
kyle vogt
We thought about water guns.
casey newton
Yeah.
[LAUGHING]
kyle vogt
Maybe those, like, exploding ink things.
casey newton
Yes! Like if you’re trying to rob a bank. I’ll tell you, if that happened to you, that’d be the last time you ever mess with a Cruise robotaxi. [LAUGHING]
kevin roose
I want to ask a series of questions about safety. Because I think this is first and foremost on people’s minds. And in San Francisco most of the rides, maybe the vast majority of rides go off without a hitch. But there have been some incidents.
Earlier this year officials in San Francisco sent letters to state regulators asking them to either halt or slow the expansion of Cruise and Waymo because some of the cars had blocked traffic or gotten in the way of emergency vehicles. How do these incidents affect public support for driverless cars?
kyle vogt
You know, when there aren’t that many driverless cars, and the only thing you hear about are these relatively rare incidents. Remember, we’ve gone almost two million driverless miles at this point. On a typical night we’ll do 1,000 rides for people. There’s a lot of stuff happening without incident. But when we do have a stumble or a misstep we’ll apologize for that. Or if appropriate we’ll do a recall and inform members of the public about what we changed to improve these systems.
And so, if that’s the only thing you hear about, I think that’s going to slow things back. But on the other hand, at this point we have tens of thousands of people who have ridden in this and are starting to question, OK, is this what’s happening all the time? Or is this sort of the rare events that get sensationalized and picked up and get lots of coverage?
And our view is that over time I think people will start to see more that these things do happen, but they’re rare. And I think more importantly, we’re starting to see evidence that the presence of these vehicles on the road actually is having a positive impact on road safety. And that’s priority number one for us.
kevin roose
These cars — not on our ride thankfully, but in some cases they are making very high stakes decisions. Like, do you swerve out of the way of an oncoming car if it means swerving into another car? If it means choosing between hurting one passenger or maybe the driver of a different car?
So this is the classic trolley problem where you have to decide who to run over in a hypothetical trolley. But you’re actually dealing with a real version of this with your car. So is there any programming in your cars that has to make decisions about which humans to protect in the event of an accident and which not to? How are you approaching these more philosophical debates that you actually have to then build into real products?
kyle vogt
So, a fair question. It’s not one we’ve seen yet in two million miles of driverless operation or in the several million that we did in testing before we went driverless. But I accept that it is a possibility.
Right now we program based on trying to minimize injury on the road. And so that generally means we want to give more space to pedestrians and vulnerable road users, even if that means getting closer to a vehicle. And that’s because occupants in a vehicle generally have better protection mechanisms, like airbags and seatbelts and other things, than people on the road. So that’s a good starting point. And that generally has led to good performance and good decision-making.
We have not — because there hasn’t been a need to engage in these ethical philosophical debates on if you are in this situation where it’s equally necessary to go one way or the other, which one are you going to do, which lever are you going to pull? Because the reality is, in almost all the situations we’ve come across so far, there’s a clear choice that you can make that minimizes risk of injury. And it hasn’t really been a choice that we need to make.
But what I think people should know is that we’re using all the best research that exists to try to make these cars as safe as they can be on the road, recognizing that there are situations where there will be collisions, and it’s unavoidable.
kevin roose
One of the things that I’ve been struggling with is figuring out what our societal fault tolerance is for self-driving cars. I think if you had asked me 10 years ago, you know, when will society accept self-driving cars, I think I would have said, they just need to be safer on average than human drivers. Right. If they cause a few fewer crashes or fatalities every year then society will say that’s a good thing.
It seems like, from the evidence we have so far, like, it’s actually got to be much better than a human for society to say, OK, I want to get into that thing. How do you think about society’s, sort of fault tolerance for driverless cars. And does a self-driving car need to be 100 times safer than a human driver before we will feel safe all riding in them every day?
kyle vogt
Yeah, look. I think it’s a really interesting philosophical debate. And I’ll tell you, there’s a bunch of different lenses to try to look through to come up with an answer. One is, what do our federal safety regulators look at? And when it comes to any new technology, they’re looking for unreasonable risk and aggregate improvement on road safety.
Even our Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, was out there saying exactly the problem you highlighted. Like, even if robots do result in far fewer people dying on our roadways, even a small number of them is going to have people go nuts.
And I guess the last way to look at it is, if you forget the fact that there is no person in the car, but think about it like segmenting different groups of the population, old drivers from young drivers or other things, like, if old drivers are 50 percent worse than new drivers, how do we feel about that? And I think the same could be said for just a different category or grouping of drivers.
So I think where we’re going to land on this is that we want safer roads. And it’s a really interesting thing to talk about now when humans and robots are maybe relatively close in performance. But over the next couple of years, given the rate of improvement that these systems have had — talking about five years ago they weren’t ready yet now they’re out there and scaling. I think this is going to be a conversation that’s in the rearview mirror. Because they’re going to be so much better than humans and we’re not even going to have this debate.
kevin roose
And when do you say rearview mirror, is that kind of a self-driving car joke, or?
kyle vogt
That was a good automotive pun. I have too many of those programmed into my head right now. [LAUGHING]
casey newton
Kyle, I have to say, like, I disagree with you. Because I think that the minute that Kyle can get me across town for $3, like, I’m not looking at the safety report for a Cruise. I’m saying, that is the cheapest way to get from point A to point B. And if the thing shows up with three wheels I’m still getting inside because it’ll probably be fine. Don’t you think most people are going to be that way?
kevin roose
I don’t know. If you got on a plane and there was no pivot in the cockpit, even if you knew intellectually that plane is just as safe as a human sitting in the cockpit —
casey newton
Yeah.
kevin roose
I think you’re still thinking twice about getting on that plane.
casey newton
Well, it is different for me because I have been driving in these things for admittedly only a handful of times. But because it’s gone back so far in my mind now that it weirdly has lost the novelty a bit. Which as you sort of alluded to earlier is an incredible moment, right, just in the history of technology that a thing that is driving itself feels a little bit boring.
But I truly think that after you take your first self-driving car taxi and it’s basically fine, you’re just going to take them a lot more. You don’t think that’s true?
kevin roose
I don’t think so. I think humans are not perfect risk assessors, right. Like that’s why we should all be a lot more scared to drive than fly, because flying is much safer statistically. But a lot more people have fears of being in an airplane.
So I just think you’re working on a problem that is as much about psychology and human, sort of comfort as it is about technology. Would you agree or disagree with that?
kyle vogt
Yeah. I mean, there will be an interesting test for society to see what happens the first time that a driverless car gets into an incident and someone gets hurt, severely hurt. It’s not a question of if but when.
And even with all the data showing evidence of positive safety impact and other things, we as a society will have a choice at that moment to decide whether we ban something that could potentially save tens of thousands of lives per year over the next several years, or we decide that this is a horrible situation and something awful, but this is something that we need. And we’re going to learn from this and keep moving forward.
And I don’t think that’s really something that I can say as a CEO of a company in the space. It’s really going to be up to our society and our regulators and our government decide what we do in that moment.
casey newton
When we were riding in Banana Slug today, I had the strong feeling that banana slug has been told, please be more cautious than the average car. Is my sense accurate?
kyle vogt
Yeah. It’s easier to drive cautiously and slow than really fast while also maintaining safety. And so as the performance of these systems improve, you’ll see them start to drive in more human-like ways in terms of assertiveness.
There are moments when cruise AVs already are at that point. And there are moments when they are around a mid-block crosswalk or a narrow street with lots of parked cars where it’s hard to see around the corner, that they’ll go slower than a human. We’re working on that. But we’re not going to move faster than we’re comfortable.
kevin roose
You mentioned a second ago that you’re seeing evidence that your driverless cars are having a positive impact on road safety. Can you just flesh that out a little bit? Like, are your vehicles safer on average than a human driver? Or are they less safe? Or about the same?
kyle vogt
Well, I’ll start by saying it’s a hard question to answer. Like, what exactly is human driving and under what circumstances? What we have done is partnered with VTTI and UMTRI, which are these transportation research institutes, and try to produce an estimate of how well the human drivers drive in San Francisco, specifically.
casey newton
Horrible.
[LAUGHING]
kyle vogt
I mean, actually yes. Because the commonly cited national statistic on collisions is off by a factor of 10 to 20 compared to what we see in San Francisco. And so what we have seen so far — and this is still early. It’s only across — we analyze our first million miles of driving. So that’s a lot, but also not a lot. Is that the AVs are getting involved in far fewer crashes, 50 percent as many crashes compared to what we observe humans doing in a similar driving environment.
What’s more exciting, though, is the more severe crashes that would be more likely to lead to injury. AVs are doing significantly better at avoiding those, I think something like 70 percent fewer.
casey newton
I think you could probably drive way safer than a human just by never going 70 miles an hour.
kevin roose
Right. And never checking your phone while you’re driving.
casey newton
Yeah.
kevin roose
I mean, that was my main thought about San Francisco, why it has worse drivers than most cities, because everyone’s constantly checking for new Bluesky invite codes or whatever.
casey newton
That really should be your whole marketing campaign is, like, Cruise robotaxi, check your phone all you want.
kevin roose
Right.
[LAUGHING]
kyle vogt
There it is. There it is.
kevin roose
I mean, is that — that’s sort of a joke, but that’s sort of not. Like, I feel like a killer moment for the AV industry is when you can actually just watch Netflix in the car —
casey newton
Yep.
kevin roose
— like, while you drive to work. Is that something that you’re thinking about? Are you putting in — I mean, we saw the trivia system in Banana Slug today.
casey newton
Which we crushed. I crushed it out, I have to say.
kyle vogt
It’s pretty hard. If you did, nice.
kevin roose
So anyway. Are you doing more with entertainment inside the cars?
kyle vogt
Yeah. I mean, so the new car we’re building, it’s a six-seater. The seats face each other. It’s more of this living room on wheels configuration. We’re testing that in Austin right now. And that really makes it clear that, OK, if you don’t need the front seat and the seat’s facing forward and the ghost steering wheel that’s moving, this becomes a really social space.
And I think that is time that we get to reclaim. And whether you want to watch Netflix or do work or talk to your friend or whatever it is, I think that’s pretty compelling. Because these days so many people in companies are competing for our attention and our time and sucking it away from us. And I think the notion of giving that back to people is really exciting.
kevin roose
Kyle, I want to ask you about the other big question, in addition to safety that I think is on people’s minds when it comes to autonomous vehicles, which is jobs and job displacement. Millions of people drive for a living, whether it’s Uber drivers or cab drivers or delivery drivers, truck drivers. How do you think about the effect that autonomous vehicles could have on those people?
kyle vogt
I mean, I think with any new technology like this you’re going to see a shift in the distribution of jobs that people have. And I think actually one of the nice things about self-driving cars, as compared to maybe like, LLMs or ChapGPT — that happened very fast and very suddenly and could be very disruptive in a very short period of time. I think with self-driving cars, you know, almost a nice side effect of the fact that five years ago we thought they were right around the corner and it took longer than people hoped, there’s a lot of people know this is coming.
And so, anecdotally, when I talk to an Uber Lyft driver in San Francisco, no one is saying this is my long term career. This is the thing I’m doing now. When the self-driving cars are here, I’ll do something else I think for maybe truck drivers and other things, it’s maybe a bit more work to enter a different job or change the distribution of jobs.
But on the other hand, like, I think we do have to take a step back as a society and say, do we wish the Industrial Revolution never happened? Or do we wish that computers didn’t come out and displace a whole bunch of manual data entry jobs? I can’t say that we do. And so I think each one of these things looks scary at the beginning, but on the other side it makes a ton of sense.
kevin roose
Yeah. I remember talking with one of the co-founders of Lyft many years ago about this. And he was saying, well, you know, yeah, people won’t be driving the cars. But you’ll have rolling restaurants and rolling gyms and you’ll need people to staff all of that. And so he was sort of — he did seem to feel some responsibility for making sure that the people who are currently driving for a living and may get displaced by this technology actually found other work.
Do you feel a similar sense of responsibility for the people who are currently driving for a living to find them new work or to create new work for them?
kyle vogt
I think we have to contribute to it, for sure. You know, I think — and that could take the form of to the extent we’re able providing training programs or alternate jobs for people. But more than that, I think it’s interacting with our government and our regulators and letting them know this is coming, when and how, and giving them some notice so we can plan ahead a little bit.
There are a lot of things that can be done if people or states or the federal government makes us a priority to ensure that this is a smooth transition. But some of that’s beyond the reach of any one individual company.
casey newton
Can you say more about these rolling gyms?
[LAUGHING]
This is like a box truck with a Peloton in it and it’s driving itself?
kevin roose
Yeah, I guess. I don’t know. I didn’t really ask for more details.
casey newton
Kyle, I would maybe move that one down lower on your product roadmap. I don’t know if that’s where the consumer demand is at the moment.
kyle vogt
How do showers work for that?
casey newton
Right. That’s what I want to know.
[LAUGHING]
Like, they have fresh towels?
kevin roose
You hit a bump, all of a sudden the weight plate is crushing you. I want to do some future-casting. But first I want to ask about the business model of self-driving cars. So Cruise, your company, is a subsidiary of General Motors. Last quarter Cruise reportedly lost $561 million, or about $6 million a day in the last quarter. It’s a lot of money. A lot of self-driving car companies have lost billions of dollars over the years.
So how long do you think you can sustain those kind of losses and when do you expect to be profitable, if ever?
kyle vogt
Well definitely not —
casey newton
Definitely ever. Yeah.
kyle vogt
Yeah, it’s happening. So it is a lot of money. And I think this is a really unique situation, because you have — typically, like, an independently funded startup would not be able to go after a capital intensive initiative like this.
And so what we’ve seen is that the only companies out there who are willing to invest the necessary capital, kind of the activation energy to make this new technology exist, are a company like the major tech companies who can afford to invest in something on a longer time horizon or an automotive company that understands that this is the future and wants to be on the right side of history when things inevitably shift to people being driven by their cars rather than driving them.
On the other hand, we do feel a really strong sense of, I guess, gratitude towards General Motors to getting us to where we are. And we want to return that capital and make sure that GM is wildly successful, financially for making this bet.
So we do have an eye towards profitability. And one of the key factors there is driving down the cost of the vehicles, which we’re doing through investments like building our own chips and machine learning accelerators to take costs out of the vehicle, and then also increasing the scale, which actually makes the cost per ride much, much less.
And so if it is the case that this is really hard to do well, only a couple of companies crack it, and you have that opportunity to go after that market, just in the US, that’s worth a big investment up front, I think, if you have conviction that we can get there.
casey newton
I mean, my pitch is, like, I probably was never going to buy a GM car. Not because I have anything against GM. But just, like, I don’t want to buy a car in general. It’s annoying to have a car in the city.
But if you guys come up with some sort of subscription program for, like, I don’t know, a couple of hundred bucks a month and you give me 40 miles of rides, you’re going to make $200 a month off me for the rest of my life. So, I mean, to me it just seems obvious that there’s a lot of money in it. It’s just insanely expensive to get there.
kyle vogt
I think a lot of people are going to say, why do we even bother owning a car? As long as it’s there when I need it and it can do everything I want to do with a car, I’m not going to own a car. Or at least I won’t have so many cars in my driveway.
kevin roose
casey newton
I think one thing that we’re sort of very bad at as people who write and think about tech for a living is thinking about second order consequences. Right. Like, the car was invented, and we didn’t know it at the time but it was going to sort of invent the suburb and change the entire fabric of American civic life.
What are some changes that you think this era — if you are correct and autonomous vehicles are coming to cities all over the country, what other effects do you think that could have beyond sort of the obvious, like, it’ll change the way you get to work?
kyle vogt
Well, I think from a city planning perspective there’s a lot of things that, I think, if you had a clean slate we would do differently than what we did decades ago when most of our city plans were laid out. I don’t think we’d have as much space for parking cars, like inventory or garage inventory on the streets for people.
I think we’d do a lot more public transit and walking paths and biking paths as a general matter. And I think that AVs will make us a little bit easier for us to do that in the future. If cities do decide that certain parts are AV only, just like the streets in Europe that don’t allow cars, walking only. If there are certain streets that are AV only, what that will let you do is get a lot more throughput for a lot less square feet of city space.
If you have roads that are only AVs that can travel in caravans, like maybe just three feet apart going at high speed, you can fit, maybe three of them in every two lanes of city traffic that you use today. And so I think we’ll be able to reclaim a lot of that space for other purposes, while still being able to move a large number of people through our cities per square foot of road area that we allocate.
kevin roose
So you think there will be some highways or something where it’s like, this is the robot only highway. You can’t go on that if you’re driving the car.
kyle vogt
Yeah. It depends. If a goal of a city is to optimize the efficiency of its transportation system, the benefits of AVs is that they can sort of go at high speed on these AV only highways, but they can go point to point. They can show up at your doorstep, which a bus system won’t do and mass transit won’t do. So it’s a pretty powerful tool if we design cities in the right ways.
kevin roose
And one final question that I always like to ask CEOs, which is, if five years from now we call you up and things have not gone according to your plan, if Cruise was never able to reach mass adoption, if GM has shut you down to save money, if none of this comes to pass, why will that have been in your best estimate?
Is it because regulators didn’t make concessions to the industry? Is it because the hardware costs just never come down? If you fail, what do you think the reasons for that will be?
kyle vogt
Well, I’m very confident in the cost coming down. I’m confident in the capabilities of the technology improving. I’m confident in how attractive and preferential this is going to be, in terms of a ride experience compared to the status quo. And I’m confident in the safety performance.
And so if it doesn’t get there, it would be for something that is valid but maybe not in the best interests of society. Like maybe we do struggle with how to rationalize collisions caused by robots instead of humans, even though there are fewer of them. Like, that could cause delays or cause, like a shift of this deployment to going to other countries first.
In particular, if you at China, they’re wide open. The government gets it. They’re going full speed. I think that is a risk to the US economy if we’re caught a decade behind on that. Or it could be, if not for that, then maybe one of these other forms of transportation, like electric vertical takeoff and landing plane comes in and we’re not really talking about cars anymore.
But, I mean, you tell me. Like, it really seems like at this point we’re past the critical gate. We’ve gone from R&D to these products scaling out there in the field. And it just seems very obvious that this is the way the world is going. And it’s a matter of time. And I think from a pure system of constraint standpoint, unless we as a society do something to block this or slow it down, I think it’s going to happen really soon and I think we’re all going to benefit.
kevin roose
I think that could be true. I mean, I also felt that way six or seven years ago. So maybe I was just too eager. But when I have friends come in from out of town or colleagues from other cities, one of the most reliable things they say about San Francisco is like, oh my god, there are so many self-driving cars. I didn’t realize these things were so ubiquitous in San Francisco.
casey newton
Also, like, the only thing that prevented your enthusiasm from becoming a reality was just that the technology hadn’t caught up. Which I think happens to tech reporters all the time. We are constantly seeing stuff that is just not ready to be deployed. But now it actually is being deployed.
And I don’t know. I think the minute that people can take these taxis, and they’re cheap, they’re going to do it. I think the minute you can own a self-driving car, that becomes such a status symbol. Think of all of the people who are going to be thrilled to be like, oh, you’re still driving your car?
[LAUGHING]
Sucks for you. So the market is ready. You just got to get more of these things on the road, Kyle.
kyle vogt
On it
casey newton
All right. [LAUGHING]
kevin roose
Kyle Vogt, thank for coming.
casey newton
Thanks for coming.
kyle vogt
Yeah. Thanks for having me.
[ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYING]
kevin roose
Hey. Before we go, we wanted to say thank you to everyone who has sent in voice memos for our segment, Hard Questions. This, of course, is our segment where we hear your tech dilemmas related to ethics and technology, points in your life where you’re struggling to decide what to do with respect to tech. We’ve gotten a lot of great submissions already, and we’re eager to hear more. If you have one, you can send it to us at hardfork@nytimes.com.
Hard Fork is produced by Davis Land and Rachel Cohn. We’re edited by Jen Boylan. This episode was fact checked by Caitlin Love. Today’s show was engineered by Alyssa Moxley. Original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, and Rowan Niemisto. Special Thanks to Paula Szuchman, Pui Wing Tam, Nell Gallogly, Kate LoPresti, and Jeffrey Miranda. You can email us at hardfork@nytimes.com. And if you see us in a self-driving car, say hi.
It’s Election Day! Episode 8 of the final season of “Succession” finds the Roys and crew navigating the momentous occasion, the first that American Television Network will be covering without its late founder Logan Roy at the helm.
Though titled “America Decides,” the nail-biting hour is really about network boss Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) figuring out how to spin the night’s news for ATN’s rabid conservative audience base, all the while fighting interference from the business and partisan considerations of Roy’s children Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin), Connor (Alan Ruck) and Siobhan (Sarah Snook), who also happens to be the wife Tom had an earth-scorching argument the night before.
May the best candidate win. SPOILER ALERT: They won’t.
“I’ve got to deliver the best election numbers ever,” Tom says of the night’s ratings, “because my bosses want to rip my heart out as a peace offering to all comers. So I’m a little bit tense.”
In an upper suite at ATN, Tom’s boss Kendall calls him to demand gangbusters. Tom assures good numbers from below and asks news manager Pam (Lori Wilner) how things are going. She mentions a news van in trouble in Portland, something going down in Milwaukee. He asks about a woman who claims to have voted 40 times for Democratic candidate Jimenez. He’s told she was checked out and judged crazy. Tom tells Pam she’s not a doctor and to get the nut on air. Pam makes fun of his dress shoes.
“I’m perfectly comfortable, Pam,” he replies. “I’ve got good arches, they’ve been remarked upon.”
Walking into a group meeting, Tom asks Darwin (Adam Godley) — who’s apparently the only actual journalist employed by ATN — if they wear adult diapers on these long, crucial nights. He’s told there’s always time for the bathroom.
Darwin issues the night’s instructions. Greg whispers to Tom about going out on the town with Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) and his GoJo Swedes, who are in position to buy ATN’s parent company Waystar.
“Pretty monstrous,” Greg trembles. “His crew knows some unseemly venues. I danced with an old man! I drank things that aren’t normally drinks. And I got the impression… Do you know about Matsson with Shiv, and their sort of, like, their business alliance agreement?”
Tom does now.
“Well, I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he feigns. “Information, Greg, it’s like a bottle of fine wine. You store it, you hoard it, you save it for a special occasion. And then you smash someone’s f—n’ face in one.”
Darwin says they’re hearing Republican candidate Jeryd Mencken may be overperforming in Georgia and Arizona. It’s privileged information; no leaks that could affect turnout allowed. Upstairs, Ken gets a call from Tom saying exit polls show the Democrat, Daniel Jimenez, leading. Shiv and Roman Roy argue over the emojis they’re getting from their favored campaigns, hers Jimenez and his Mencken’s.
“I’m feeling sick,” the still secretly pregnant Shiv says.
“Oh why? It’s fun,” Roman taunts. “My team’s playing your team. It’s only spicy because if my team wins they’re going to shoot your team.”
Shiv mentions Nazi vans. Rome calls them fun buses. In Florida they’re picking people up, lying that they’re taking them to polling places and leaving them by the highway. Shiv calls it kidnapping. Roman snaps “false flag.”
Shiv sneaks off and calls Matsson. Jimenez should be good for his buyout deal, but he doesn’t want to announce GoJo’s hinky India numbers as soon as she thinks he should. She’s surprised to hear he discussed it with Greg last night. He calls her cousin a “normalist.”
Former lover and Jimenez operative Nate (Ashley Zukerman) calls Shiv with all of his election worries, including “disturbance in Wisconsin.”
Roman and Kendall discuss what a Jimenez win will mean for the GoJo deal that they don’t want. Today’s the moment of maximum leverage. Mencken’s people call Roman; they want to see him. He leaves and Ken’s ex-wife Rava (Natalie Gold) calls him. An SUV is following her car; she’s with their adopted, South Asian daughter Sophie, who was kinda maybe assaulted by a Mencken follower earlier. Ken sent the pursuing vehicle to guard them. Rava’s pissed he’s surveilling them.
“It’s an extra layer of bubble wrap,” he rationalizes. “She OK?”
“She’s scared, Ken. I’m scared. There is shit burning, there is intimidation…”
“Relax,” Ken says, emphatically and ineffectively. “Tell Sophie I love her and that is why I do everything I do. Hey Soph? I love you, sweetie. Are you OK? Nothing’s going to happen. Exit polls say Jimenez, OK? I won’t let the world push you.”
Ken hangs up and calls Nate. The Democrat mentions Victory Vans and s—theads in Milwaukee, does ATN want to cover? Ken says he’ll talk, but has to let the network do its thing. He wants to talk to Jimenez (Elliot Villar). The candidate takes his call. Ken tries to put an anti-tech bug in his reluctant ear, promises to make sure tonight’s coverage will be “fair as f—k.”
Elliot Villar in a still from “Succession.” (HBO)
Roman goes to Mencken’s hotel suite. The Republican (Justin Kirk) busts him for not getting his brother, independent libertarian candidate Connor Roy, to drop out of the presidential race; and asks ATN to run fraudulent coverage of his opponent. Rome says he keeps his hands out. They go off to a side room.
“We still think we can win,” the not-so-crypto-fascist tells the media heir. “But I am very focused on losing. Winning’s easy, winning will take care of itself. But if I lose, I need to work on what assholes would call the narrative. If I lose, I want it correctly characterized as a huge victory. Overperformed. I wanna be a president. I want you to be a partner in that. And if it isn’t tonight, it will be next time.”
“Even if you’re not going to be THE president, you’re going to be our president,” Roman understands.
“Exactly. You and me, we’ll go far.”
“Over the road and into the bar.”
Mencken gives Roman a hearty shoulder pat.
Ashley Zukerman in a still from “Succession.” (HBO)
Touchscreen Trauma
Greg wants to talk about how he should play Matsson. Tom wants his coffee.
“Tom, I don’t do coffee anymore.”
“No Greg!” Tom rants. “I have to be clear. I have to! If I get drowsy and I miscall Colorado, instability, right? Then the U.S. loses credibility, China spots an opportunity, invades Taiwan, tactical nukes, s—t goes kablooey and we’re back to amoeba. It’s a long way back from pond life because you failed to get me a double shot.”
And this is before Greg talks him into a couple of cocaine bumps. Greg’s reluctant to snort with Tom, though, having railed it up with the Swedes the night before.
“Don’t be Mom, c’mon! It’s medically good for your brain. It is! What’re you saying, all Aztecs are stupid?
Don’t be a racist little bitch about it,” Tom wheedles, mislabeling Incas.
Greg snorts. Returning to his desk, Tom’s appalled to see containers of bodega sushi stacked up for dinner. Greg tries to blame it on someone named Sampson.
“Not Sampson! Not! I want you Greging for me! You’re busted back down to Greg tonight.”
“Nooo,” Greg squeals.
“Yes! Tonight, my digestive system is basically part of the Constitution, OK?”
Connor calls Tom. He complains there’s an ATN camera crew in his hotel suite but no footage of him on air.
“I expected to be frozen out by all those other mooks,” the one-percent polling candidate says. “But you guys? C’mon! Gimme some sugar, Man. I mean, maybe everyone voted for me, we don’t know.”
Connor’s playwright/ex-call girl wife Willa (Justine Lupe) whispers “Schrödinger’s cat” in his ear. He babbles about boxes and presidencies into the phone.
After Tom hangs up, CoWilla happily agree that anything can happen.
“I’m so glad I didn’t drop out,” Connor tells the air. “It makes an election so much more interesting when you’re in it.”
ATN anchors announce 7 p.m. ET poll closings. Mencken beats Jimenez in Kentucky, the one state where Connor imagined he had a chance. Willa pats his back.
“F—k Kentucky, Con.”
“No,” he mewls. “I shan’t become that. Alas Kentucky, Willa. Alas vanity.”
Alan Ruck and Justine Lupe in a still from “Succession.” (David M. Russell/HBO)
Pam asks Tom how much airtime he wants to give to reports of intimidation. A fire in Milwaukee could be nasty. Could be electrical. Tom shakes his head no. The on-air touch screen showing Pennsylvania county votes suddenly malfunctions. F—k Milwaukee, this is a real disaster. Tom explodes, runs into a control booth. Upstairs, Ken and the Waystar execs see it too. Ken makes the wtf call to Tom, who says he’s on it. Ken says he’s not. Tom hands his phone to Greg. It’s 9 p.m. ET and a batch of new numbers are about to come in. If it’s not fixed Ken threatens to put someone’s head through that touchscreen.
Pam tells a panicking Tom they have three touchscreens lined up and no one will notice anyway. He says he noticed. “Do I look like no one? Do I?”
Ken notices that ATN is behind social media on the Wisconsin fire. Shiv calls Tom about it, Ken wonders aloud why they aren’t covering it.
“Well, because we always have to choose what to focus on,” Tom says. “Just because something is on fire, it doesn’t make it news.”
Nate’s on another phone on Shiv’s other hand. He says Jimenez’s camp is hearing it’s not an electrical fire. Ken says they need to be all over this.
“I just think it’s important to keep our unique perspective because we are getting conflicting reporting,” Tom equivocates.
“What about the actual photos I can see of it happening on my f—g phone?” Shiv asks.
“Look, there are many many things happening in this nation right now,” reports Tom, accurately but beside the point. “There are a million data points and we have to select the ones that are consequential.”
“If these nut jobs are going paramilitary, we can say that?” Ken proposes.
“Yes. We just need to respect our viewership,” Tom says, mimicking a Fox News lawsuit deposition.
“By not telling them anything they don’t want to hear?” Shiv, saying the quiet part out loud.
“You guys get this about the Antifa firebombing in Milwaukee?” Rome, walking in, asks his siblings. Nate says they’re hearing it was Mencken’s people. Shiv mentions that the fire is at a vote-counting center. Ken tells Tom it’s a story. Tom asks not to be micromanaged. Tom hands off his phone to Greg again. Ken says “We’re not talking to Greg! Amateur Hour down there.”
An ATN report on the fire appears. Shiv and Roman hear from each of their favored campaigns that ballots have been lost in the flames. Rome marches onto the newsroom floor, closely followed by Shiv. Tom tells him no brass on the battlefield, that was one of Logan’s “Geneva conventions.” Ken’s now there too. Tom asks Greg to help the Roys back upstairs. While Greg tries to wrangle his male cousins, Shiv leads Tom down a hallway for “a word.”
“I just wanted to apologize for some of the things I said last night,” she tells him while he shuffles multiple phones. He doesn’t take the opportunity to reciprocate and asks if his wife is scared he’s going to blab about her and Matsson. She wants a little consideration, her father having just died and all.
“Sure,” the husband says. “It means you hated him, Siobhan.”
She says no, the opposite.
“Well, it was complicated,” Tom concedes, “but sometimes you certainly hated him. And you also sorta killed him.”
“Oh. Yeah. ‘Sort of.’ That’s the part I’m going to remember,” Shiv says, shocked and pissed. “Thank you. You know what, actually? Also, I’m pregnant. By you. And there’s never a good time to say, but you need to know so, OK! Now ya know.”
“That even true?”
Shiv fights becoming a tear puddle, walks away biting her hand. She joins her brothers, who Greg’s still trying to move upstairs. She tells them things are tough with Tom. Rome offers to have him killed.
“Maybe,” she says half-heartedly. “He’s just a piece of filth and there’s stuff I’d like to tell you, but…” Tom walks between them as Greg follows, saying, “I’ve been trying to get them to move. Not in an aggressive way, but…”
ATN reports all workers escaped the burning Milwaukee building safely.
“Who’s responsible is the story, right?” Ken asks a roomful of ATN senior staff. “Who burnt this place down?”
Jeremy Strong in a still from “Succession.” (HBO)
“To me it always comes down to a couple of old favorites,” Roman says. “The Blacks or the Jews?” Everyone shoots him appalled looks. Tom asks Greg to please get the Roys out of there. Connor calls Rome as they’re walked through the newsroom again. He wants to know if Mencken’s earlier offer of an ambassadorship if he dropped out of the race was still valid.
“That was kind of a yesterday offer, Connor,” Rome explains. “You know if he doesn’t make this you’re gonna be partially f—g responsible.”
Connor pleads that he spent $100 million on his stupid campaign.
“Couldn’t I get a sniff of even a little guy?” the eldest Roy cajoles. “Organize a coup down in old Peru? Put me in a van to Tajikistan? Couldn’t I just be our fun guy in Uruguay?”
“Your rhymes are compelling but what’s in it for him, Con?”
“Oh, maybe just one of the finest political operators of his generation sorting s—t out.”
“I’ll get back to you.”
11 p.m. on the East Coast. Shiv’s told that under Wisconsin state law, the vote can’t be certified until the absentee ballots are counted. 100,000 of those are missing in Milwaukee. Mencken leads in the state without them. Shiv insists every vote must be counted. Roman makes a dismissive “Eh” face. He argues with her about whose “f—ks” burned the ballots.
“If Mencken wins it’s the end of the world!” Shiv genuinely feels.
“Jimenez won’t block the GoJo deal,” Roman counters. “So f—k the guy, right?”
“That’s not the thing,” Shiv asserts. “Right Ken?”
Awkward silence until her older brother finally says “I don’t know.”
Tom comes into the room to announce that lesser right-wing networks are calling Wisconsin for Mencken.
“Great, the maniacs,” Shiv characterizes them.
“Can’t get outflanked,” Roman insists. “We need to be fast. I think we should call it.”
Shiv says no. Ken asks for Decision Desk input.
Jimenez, on TV, says a decision in Wisconsin will have no legitimacy if it does not account for all the ballots cast.
Sarah Snook in a still from “Succession.”
Just a Hint
Darwin is brought into the Roys’ room and tells them Mencken has an unbeatable lead with existing Wisconsin votes, not counting the ones destroyed. A revote would be incredibly rare and not covered by state laws. Roman says that means Mencken. Shiv holds out. The term “do know,” related to how the heavily Democratic district’s burned ballots probably went, gets bandied about and redefined with each mention.
Shiv starts repeating “bulls—t.” Tom says she sounds unhinged. Ken tells his brother-in-law to watch it. Roman leaves. Ken remains noncommittal. An ATN pundit broadcasts right wing rhetoric. It quickly degenerates into talk of guns being confiscated and sons turning into daughters. The Roys are back in the newsroom. Greg calls security. On a stairway Rome marches past Ken, who says he doesn’t feel good about the “powerful commentary” his little brother rushed on air. “Shucks,” Roman says, not slowing his upward stride.
Matsson calls Shiv. “Feels like it’s getting hairy in there,” he says. “Don’t let ‘em break my toy Shiv, OK?” She says she can handle it.
The pundit is making fun of the idea that the fire only burned Democratic votes as Shiv takes Greg into a storage room. She wants to know about his night out with the Swedes, then provocatively asks, “Do you find me attractive, Gregory?”
“I don’t, uh, think of things such as that,” he stammers back.
“Oh. I thought you were a Disgusting Brother. Is that too disgusting for you?”
“This is not appropriate.”
“I’m just letting you know that if you try to f—k me, I’ll kill you.”
Greg nods, asks how golden silence is. “Is there an offer?”
“Yeah,” Shiv purrs. “How about I offer for you to keep all of your internal organs on your insides rather than I pull them out your asshole?”
Kendall’s alone in a conference room when Roman walks in and tells him if Mencken wins, he’ll straight up block the GoJo deal — in exchange for their support tonight. Roman goes into Tom’s office, says to call Wisconsin for Mencken. Darwin is there. Greg is eating the bodega sushi.
“On what authority?” Tom wants to know.
“By the power of me,” Rome orders. “The CEO of Waystar, telling you what to put on the telebox mouth people.”
“I don’t think we can do that, guys,” Darwin says.
Rome thinks they can. Darwin enumerates all of the political and legal implications of the incomplete Wisconsin vote.
“That’s great,” Roman appreciates/doesn’t. “But I’m just gonna say we’re good and that’s on me. The votes that exist have been tallied and that gives Mencken the state.”
There’s a three-way argument between Rome, Tom and Darwin about who gets to make the call. The term “call it” gets bandied about, redefined with each mention. A “pending” call could be done, with a camera on Darwin to explain it to the audience.
“Could there be a graphic that makes it clear the call isn’t a call call?” the closest thing to a real journalist in the room asks. Assured, Darwin sits down, opens his laptop, accidentally touches Greg’s nearby sushi tray and rubs his eyes. Wasabi blindness ensues, as does panic. Shiv walks in, asks “What did you do to him?” Greg opens a can of water, pours some in Darwin’s eyes, makes it worse.
“That’s lemon!” Tom screams.
“It’s clear. It’s LaCroix,” Greg says in his defense. “It’s lemon-y. It’s natural. It’s medical.” Greg takes a sip. “It’s not that lemony. It’s just a hint of lemon.”
Rome asks if Darwin is good to call it. Shiv says he can’t. Tom says they just did. As he and Roman walk out, Tom tells Greg “Do not put any more lemon water or wasabi in his eyes, OK?”
Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy in “Succession” (HBO)
A Good Guy
Connor and Willa enter ATN as Tom and Roman come down the stairs. Tom tells him he shouldn’t be there. Roman greets him with “Hey, El Presidente.”
“How about I concede in his direction?” Connor asks Rome. “I scratch his balls, he scratches mine.”
“That’s interesting,” Roman replies, half meaning it. He’ll check with Mencken.
A teleblonde announces that “ATN is projecting that Jeryd Mencken has won the state of Wisconsin.”
Nothing “pending” is mentioned. The three brothers watch on monitors in a conference room. Roman tells Connor Mencken will make his deal, he wants to keep the momentum going. Connor’s immediately in hair and makeup, telling Willa “Slovenia.”
“I am torn, he’s very right wing,” Willa pouts. “But, Vienna for lunch, Venice for dinner…” “…. And Dubrovnik for breakfast,” Connor completes.
Waystar execs watch Connor make his concession speech in a viewing room. “Connor was running for president?” COO Frank (Peter Friedman) cracks in perfect deadpan.
Ashley Zukerman in a still from “Succession.” (HBO)
ATN projects Jimenez wins Michigan. That leaves both candidates with 262 electoral votes. Alaska and Arizona, which has the kingmaking 11 electors, are the only states that remain to be called. Tom and Darwin tell Ken and Rome that their data nerds say Arizona is gonna go red. Darwin doesn’t feel comfortable calling the election for Mencken because of the Wisconsin situation. Roman, of course, is eagerly all-in. Ken asks for a minute with his brother.
“I dunno, maybe we revisit Wisconsin,” he haltingly tells Rome.
“I get it, you’re gonna, like, big brother it right now,” Roman responds. “Like when you wanted roast chicken and I wanted steak, we’d always have chicken.”
Chicken and steak are further debated as if they were Democrats and Republicans. Roman finally makes the argument that if they don’t call it and Mencken wins anyway, the lesser right wing networks will leave them dickless eunuchs. Plus, Mencken will block Matsson if ATN gives it to him.
“I dunno, Dude,” Ken shakes his head. “My kids. The whole thing…”
“Ooh, America,” Rome parodies concern.
“It is kind of a nice idea, y’know? All of the different people, together.”
Rome looks at the upside for them of wrecking the country. Ken tells him one of Mencken’s nativists pushed his daughter. Rome makes vulgar sexual references to the historic moment and why they have to take advantage of it.
Ken enters another conference room where Shiv is watching. She says they called, so they’re f—d. She hopes ATN can recant. Ken tells her Mencken was very direct about squelching Matsson’s deal.
“We call it for him, that gives him legitimacy to declare,” Ken explains. “I mean, we’re in bed with him.” Ken wants to be totally honest, about his ambitions, their family connections, Mencken’s relationship with Roman threatening that – which is why he may want to pull away from that.
“Also, you’re a good guy,” Shiv adds.
Ken’s not so sure. But we all want to stop Matsson, right? Shiv nods.
“Mencken’s the nightmare,” she pleads. “Plausible in a decadent era. He says the bad s—t, he believes the bad s—t.”
“We wouldn’t actually be making him president.”
“Sure, we might not be able to crown him, but we can stop him. He has momentum tonight, it makes it possible. He needs our call.”
“I don’t think I’m a very good father,” Ken deflects after a thoughtful pause. Shiv tells him he’s OK, he tried, that’s all we can do.
“Maybe the poison drips through,” he muses.
“No. No! You know what? I don’t think Dad would even back him tonight.”
“He basically picked him.”
“Sure. But we throw the whole thing in for him and then in a month, a week from now the courts go the other way, we’re essentially done as a news organization.”
“It’s just hard to think we’d give it all away to Matsson. Could you try, once, direct to Nate, to get something from them to block the deal?”
Shiv gives an unconvincing “yeah.” They hug, she tells her brother he’s a good guy, goes into a side room dialing her phone. Ken can barely hear her end of a conversation with “Nate,” but not an out-of-service recording playing into Shiv’s ear.
Deals for Crap
Shiv follows Ken into another conference room where Tom and Roman wait. Tom leaves. She tells her brothers Jimenez is willing to think.
“That sounds like horses—t,” Rome accurately notes. It’s too “probably” for him, while Mencken is rock solid. She says even Dad would’ve respected the process in this situation.
“No!” Roman insists. “Dad did whatever the f—k he wanted. Want facts?” He took out a government.” Shiv argues Logan liked stability. Ken wants to know what Nate actually said. Shiv tells more vague lies.
Ken walks out onto a catwalk, dialing Nate. Roman’s telling Shiv they can’t have uncertainty b/c China, while she nervously watches Ken through the room’s windows. Ken hangs up, glares at Shiv as he walks over to Greg, asks him if there’s something going on. There’s discussion, Ken re-enters the room.
“Really?” he says to Shiv. “’I think you’re a good guy?’”
She dissembles.
“Smart. Really good, Shiv. But you lied.”
She scratches behind her ear. Ken tells Roman she didn’t speak to Nate and she’s in with Matsson. Shiv says no three times, she got close to him as they agreed. Ken says she’s f—g him and Rome. More nos and a bunch of “I’s” from her. Ken repeats the latter.
“I f—n’ asked you some real questions, Shiv! I wondered why you looked like a goose trying to s—t a house brick, you piece of dirt!”
“You got yourself a little f—g side deal here?” Roman asks.
“I have some options…” Shiv says.
“We-elll, Mencken!” Rome cuts her off. Ken echoes “Mencken.” Rome shouts for Tom. More recrimination between Ken and Shiv. Rome makes fun of her concerns for the state of the republic and pluralism. She threatens to go to the papers.
“Well, if you’re going to be hysterical, we’ll have to ask you to leave,” Roman sneers. “We’re trying to do some serious work in here.”
“F—k you! This is about the future of the country.”
“No, I think it’s because you broke up with your boyfriend,” Roman demeans his sister.
Tom comes in. Roman and Ken tell him to call Arizona and the election. Shiv says no.
“Hey guys, it’s not my call,” Tom lifts two hands washed in phones. “It’s your call.”
Shiv makes the required Pontius Pilate accusation.
Tom calls Greg, says to tell him he’s coming down to call it for Mencken. The brothers praise his work as he walks out. Shiv has never looked so devastated. Tom joins Greg in the booth, calls it for Mencken. Darwin looks appalled, defeated.
The ATN Decision Desk announces Jeryd Mencken will be the next President of the United States.
Grinning like a gargoyle, the candidate makes his fascist-friendly victory speech. ATN staff and management watch with uniformly unhappy faces. Mencken says the election’s been called for him “by an authority of known integrity.”
As Darwin turns his back and walks out of the control room, Tom says to Greg: “Maybe we should get, like, a history guy? Y’know, like a real brainiac to say why this sort of thing has happened in the past and that it’ll all be fine?”
Ken says, “He’s a guy we can do business with.” Roman agrees, adding “He’ll play ball.”
“We just made a night of good TV,” Roman continues. “That’s what we’ve done. Nothing happens.”
“Things do happen, Rome,” Shiv gravely pronounces from a doorway and walks away. Roman takes out his cellphone, flashes the screen at Ken.
“President calling,” he says.
“You and me, Man! We’ll go far,” we hear Mencken say to Roman.
“Over the road and to the bar,” Rome says back.
In the control booth, Pam tells Tom the legal process could go on for months. Greg tells him his phone is red hot, “A lot of very important people want to scream at you.” Monitors show other networks are blasting Tom for premature projectulating.
“Darwin wants to know when to do his caveats,” Greg tells Tom. “Is there time for him to do it?”
Tom wags a finger and shakes his head no.
Matsson calls Shiv with a JFC as she exits through the ATN building’s revolving doors. “Crazy” is pronounced several different ways.
“Yeah, well, we’re gonna do a number on them,” Shiv assures him once outside. “We’re gonna f—k them so hard! We’re gonna fix this, yeah?”
In his rain-spattered limousine, Ken calls Rava, asks to come see his kids. They’re asleep. He says he’ll see them at Logan’s funeral tomorrow. He hangs up, sighs and to himself says, “Some people just can’t cut a deal for crap.”
Best One-Liners:
For such a presidential special, we think the historical record demands both Connor Roy’s self-pitying Libertarian concession and Jeryd Mencken’s Goebbels-inspired victory speeches should be recorded in full.
Connor Roy:
“My fellow Americans, it’s becoming clear tonight that as far as we can tell, Mr. Jeryd Mencken will likely be the next President of the United States, and I for one wish him well.Although I set a clear and compelling path the divine wisdom has chosen to take another. Well… good luck. And I’d like to say to my first running mate, who I will not dignify with a name check, but had that woman not dropped out, and then had I not had to replace her with another figure who turned out not to be able to bear the weight of public scrutiny… Had I not been betrayed by those two jackrabbits, who knows? Politics of envy. Ugly game. I happen to be a billionaire. Sorry. But honestly America, you flunked it. I guess you’re gonna have to find some other poor mug’s paps to suckle on. The bipartisan zombie marches on. And so I call out to my friends tonight, to my people, I say Conheads I salute you and America be afraid. Be warned. For the Conheads are coming.”
Jeryd Mencken:
“To my critics: I am not a demagogue. I am a defender of democracy. But democracy, it has this tendency, that we have to beware to become mere transaction. I give you this, you give me that. I come begging for your vote, welfare checkbook out. Crowning the welfare kings and queens ‘til everyone’s become a little tyrant crowned by the state. The model that I follow isn’t from the scorched marketplace where cunning men haggle for the best price. That’s not me. The democracy I believe in is where a leader emerged from the people, willed almost into being, brought forth by the great sweetness of the virtue of the combined wisdom of the good people of this republic. Don’t we long sometimes for something clean, once, in this polluted land? That’s what I hope to bring, not something grubby with compromise. Something clean and true and refreshing. Something proud and pure. Thank you very much, and God bless the United States of America.”
Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook and Kieran Culkin in a still from “Succession.”
Stray Observations:
It’s classically tragic how Shiv’s secrets and schemes come around to destroy the thing she may care most about, American democracy.
Seems like quite a coincidence that this episode awash in self-serving media cynicism comes within a week of CNN’s much-criticized Trump Town Hall. Could cross-promoting their corporate cousin HBO’s show have been part of the news network’s rationalization?
The wordplay in this one is stellar even by the “Succession” writers room’s high, natural-sounding yet fiercely intelligent standards. The way words and phrases are repeated to mean different things in the same arguments is a tribute to both their writers and the actors speaking them. WGA solidarity at its best.
After ending the last several episodes depressed and uncertain, Roman is the undisputed winning Roy sibling this time around. The most despicable, too, but we already knew that.
Fire Island and Anything’s Possible tied for best streaming/TV film and We’re Here won for best reality series.
Other award recipients announced Saturday night include The Problem With Jon Stewart (best variety or talk show episode), “Logo’s Trans Youth Town Hall” (outstanding online journalism, video or multimedia), Heartstopper (best live action kids and family programming), Dove Cameron (breakthrough music artist) and A Strange Loop (best Broadway production).
Those projects and the other award recipients named at the New York GLAADAwards ceremony at the Hilton Midtown join the winners announced in a Los Angeles ceremony on March 30, where prizes went to Bros, A League of Their Own, What We Do in the Shadows, The White Lotus and more.
At the New York event, hosted by What We Do in the Shadows‘ Harvey Guillén, Jonathan Van Ness was recognized with the Vito Russo Award, presented by ALOK, and Maren Morris received the Excellence in Media Award, introduced by Cynthia Lee Fontaine and Alyssa Edwards.
The ceremony, where Idina Menzel performed, featured appearances by Bowen Yang, Karine Jean-Pierre, Joel Kim Booster, Colman Domingo, Tamron Hall, Amrit Kapai & Nicholas Kouchoukos, L Morgan Lee, Raquel Willis, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, Frankie Grande, Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka and GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis.
A complete list of winners announced at the New York GLAAD Media Awards ceremony follows.
Outstanding Film – Streaming/TV: Fire Island (Hulu) and Anything’s Possible (Prime Video) (TIE)
Outstanding Reality Series: We’re Here (HBO)
Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode: The Problem With Jon Stewart (Apple TV+)
Outstanding Online Journalism – Video or Multimedia: “Logo’s Trans Youth Town Hall” (LogoTV.com)
Outstanding Kids & Family Programming – Live Action: Heartstopper (Netflix)
Outstanding Kids & Family Programming – Animated: Dead End: Paranormal Park (Netflix)
Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist: Dove Cameron (Columbia Records)
Outstanding Broadway Production: A Strange Loop
Outstanding Video Game: Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)
Outstanding TV Journalism Segment: “HIV in the Deep South” In Real Life (Scripps News)
Outstanding TV Journalism – Long-Form: “PRIDE | To Be Seen” Soul of a Nation (ABC)
Outstanding Live TV Journalism – Segment or Special: “The Last Thing Before We Go: Stephanie Ruhle Talks Spirit Day” The 11th Hour (MSNBC)
Outstanding Print Article: “Pediatricians Who Serve Trans Youth Face Increasing Harassment. Lifesaving Care Could Be on the Line” by Madeleine Carlisle (Time)
Outstanding Online Journalism Article: “Alabama Is Trying to Raise the Legal Driving Age for Trans People to 19” by Nico Lang (TheDailyBeast.com)
Outstanding Blog: Mombian
Outstanding Podcast: TransLash Podcast with Imara Jones (TransLash Media) and Sibling Rivalry (Studio71) (TIE)
Outstanding Spanish-Language Online Journalism Article: “Proyectos de ley anti LGBTQ+ en Florida son una ‘licencia para discriminar’ y reviven el dolor de Pulse, dicen grupos locales” por Jennifer A. Marcial Ocasio (OrlandoSentinel.com)
Outstanding Spanish-Language Online Journalism – Video or Multimedia: “Las abuelas trans buscan dignificar su vejez” por Liliana Rosas y Silvana Flores (ReporteIndigo.com)
Eleven years after actor Saif Ali Khan and two others allegedly assaulted a South African businessman and his father-in-law at a hotel in Mumbai, the trial in the case is likely to begin from next month.
Eleven years after actor Saif Ali Khan and two others allegedly assaulted a South African businessman and his father-in-law at a hotel in Mumbai, the trial in the case is likely to begin next month.
The additional chief metropolitan magistrate, Esplanade court, on April 24 read out charges against Khan and his two friends– Shakeel Ladak and Bilal Amrohi. It also issued summons to witnesses for the recording of evidence, paving the way for the trial which is likely to begin on June 15, the next date of hearing in the case.
The accused were arrested following a complaint filed by businessman Iqbal Mir Sharma after an alleged fight at the Wasabi restaurant inside the Taj Hotel on February 22, 2012. The three accused were later released on bail.
Saif Ali Khan was accompanied by his wife and actor Kareena Kapoor Khan, her sister Karisma Kapoor, actors Malaika Arora Khan, Amrita Arora and some male friends at the time.
According to police, when Sharma protested the raucous chatter of the actor and his friends, Saif Ali Khan allegedly threatened them and subsequently punched him in the nose, fracturing it. The NRI businessman had also accused Saif and his friends of hitting his father-in-law Raman Patel.
On the other hand, Saif Ali Khan said Sharma made provocative statements and used abusive language against the women accompanying him, which led to the ruckus.
The police filed the charge sheet on December 21, 2012. Saif Ali Khan and his two friends have been charged under Indian Penal Code Sections 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) and 34 (common intention).
Saif Ali Khan is known for his work in films like Hum Tum, Kal Ho Na Ho, Tanhaji and Omkara. His recent release, Vikram Vedha has is now available on an OTT platform too. Next, Saif will be seen in Adipurush along with Prabhas and Kriti Sanon. Om Raut’s directorial will hit theatres on June 16.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
Chirag Sehgal, Sub Editor at News18, covers Bollywood, television and K-pop group BTS. Apart from digging deep into the world of television and Bollyw…Read More
Moved after seeing her parents in action — and what concept of “parents” would “Wren” even have gotten in PADRE? — Mo no longer wanted to go back. She wanted to go forward with her folks and Madison. Tough s—t, Morgan and Grace said, basically. “Wren” was returning to PADRE — for her own good, they reasoned. As for Morgan, he was ready to get back to work but was told that — ruh-roh — PADRE was retiring “Nightingale.” (Wonder what blood type he is… )
