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Funny videos 2016 - funny videos 2016 funny vines try not to laugh challenge

2017-11-28T14:32:00.000-08:00

Natural Penis Enlargement

2017-05-05T00:36:00.001-07:00

The Penis Enlargement Bible is your guide to the most
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Superhero Bits: Marvel Lip Sync Battle, Guardians of the Galaxy VFX & More

2017-05-04T21:49:00.001-07:00

Which Marvel movie will get their own Lip Sync Battle episode this weekend? Want to see Dafne Keen training for her role as X-23 in Logan? Which new Thor: Ragnarok character is currently shooting Avengers: Infinity War in Scotland? What do women like about Wonder Woman? All that and more in this edition of Superhero Bits.

Taking a cue from the second episode of the first season, the next episode of Arrow is called “Honor Thy Fathers.”

In a recent interview, Patty Jenkins said she thinks the Wonder Woman movie honors the spirit of the 1970s series.

.@Zendaya brings some "24k Magic" to her #LipSyncBattle with @TomHolland1996! Sunday at 7:30/6:30c on @MTV followed by the #MTVAwards. pic.twitter.com/DcwsraQrp3
— Lip Sync Battle (@SpikeLSB) May 3, 2017

There will be a Spider-Man: Homecoming face-off on Lip Sync Battle between Tom Holland and Zendaya.
A couple images from the set of Avengers: Infinity War show the Rocket Raccoon stand-in model involved.

Watch how this Marvel fan becomes Yondu from Guardians of the Galaxy in a new cosplayer spotlight video.
Some women were surveyed about what they love about the DC Comics superhero Wonder Woman at Womanista.

Gal Gadot looks stunning as Wonder Woman in this cover image from SciFi Now magazine available now.

ScreenRant put together a list of the alien races you need to know about in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Best Movies We Saw at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival

2017-05-04T09:48:00.001-07:00

Another Tribeca Film Festival has come and gone, bringing a new slew of films you should look out for. This year’s festival was particularly jam-packed, with some incredible special events, including a 25th anniversary screening of Reservoir Dogs (using Quentin Tarantino’s personal 35mm copy) and cast panel, talks with industry legends such as Tom Hanks, Kathryn Bigelow and Dustin Hoffman, VR showcases, the premiere of The Handmaid’s Tale, and the literal godfather of all events, an all-day screening of The Godfather and The Godfather II with the cast and director Francis Ford Coppola assembled for a 45th anniversary retrospective panel and reunion to close out the festival.
Sandwiched in-between these star-studded events were some truly incredible films which I had the pleasure of screening and discovering during this sleepless stretch of two weeks. Here are the narrative titles that stood out, that shocked me, thrilled me and left me in dumbfounded awe by the end credits. Here are my Best of Tribeca 2017 films!

Pilgrimage

On the surface, Pilgrimage is a film about a group of monks attempting to carry a sacred relic to Rome, which might normally sound like a dull affair, except this period-piece also stars Tom Holland, Jon Bernthal and Richard Armitage, turning into a rugged road movie with hints of Silence as well as Game of Thrones. When a Cistercian monk (Stanley Webber) shows up at a remote Irish coastal monastery, he brings an order from the Pope: the monastery’s mysterious relic must be transported despite the immense danger. Diarmuid (Holland), a young novice joins the group of older monks as well as The Mute (Bernthal), a mysterious man who assists with hard labor at the monastery as a means of penance.
The Irish countryside is filled with danger, filled with bands of warring clans as well as Norman conquerors, like Raymond De Merville (Armitage), who has agreed to accompany the ragtag group, providing them with the security needed for safe passage. But De Merville has his eye on the gilded chest housing the holy relic, curious about the power it’s said to wield. And he’s also suspicious of the past that The Mute is trying to hide, igniting brutal conflict that will test the limits of young Diarmuid’s faith. Chock full of unapologetic violence and a stunning use of the rugged scenery, including a tense cat-and-mouse hunt in dense swamp fog, Pilgrimage is a stunning film worth keeping an eye out for.

Saturday Church

Admittedly, I’m not one for musicals, but Saturday Church is more of a coming-of-age story with occasional musical interludes sparingly sprinkled throughout. Ulysses (Luka Kain) is a teenage boy dealing with the recent death of his father as well as understanding and accepting his own burgeoning sexuality. Ulysses likes trying on his mother’s high heels and steals panty hose to wear under his jeans, behavior which perplexes and outrages his mother, Amara (Margot Bingham), who tells him to be normal. Due to a chaotic work schedule, Amara leaves Ulysses and his younger brother under the after school care of Aunt Rose (Regina Taylor), who zeroes in on Ulysses.

As a means of escaping his stifling household, Ulysses flees to the West Village, where he meets and falls in with a group of gay and transgender teens who take him under their wing. They introduce Ulysses to Saturday Church, an outreach program for at-risk LGBTQ teens and finally Ulysses begins to discover the joy in his identity — which sets him at odds with Aunt Rose back home. Saturday Church is a beautiful, heartfelt look at the struggle for acceptance and the beauty of queer love that centers the LGBTQ community of color. When the songs creep into the film, they can feel jarring at times, but only because the narrative is so engrossing you almost forget that there’s an musical element to it. But the songs pack a punch, allowing them to feel important rather than a distraction and making Saturday Church feel like so much more than just a musical.

Blame

One of the breakouts of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival comes courtesy of Quinn Shephard, the 22-year-old writer, director, producer, editor and star of Blame. A twisted look at high school life under the lens of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Blame follows Abigail (Shephard) upon her return to school after an undisclosed incident lands her briefly in a mental hospital. In drama class, Abigail bumps heads with Melissa (Nadia Alexander) when she is chosen by their new, handsome substitute teacher, Jeremy (Chris Messina) for the lead role in The Crucible.
Meanwhile, Melissa escapes an unstable home life by acting out at school, cutting class to hook up with her best friend’s crush, and manipulating everyone around her as a means to get what she wants, even if she isn’t entirely sure what that is. As the year progresses, Jeremy and Abigail grow dangerously close, infuriating Melissa, who begins seeking a revenge that will have consequences she could never have imagined. A sharp and stinging look at how high school rumors and jealousy can destroy lives, Blame is an impressive and debut for Shephard and filled with top notch performances by the supporting cast, including Alexander, who won the Best Actress Jury Prize at the festival.

The Endless

As stated in our full-length review, The Endless is one of the best films of the festival and a triumph for directing duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. The Endless follows two brothers (played by Benson and Moorhead) who return to the cult they once left behind after receiving a strange message from the group. While Aaron is drawn back into his former life, one filled with campfires, home cooked meals and home-brewed beers, Justin remains skeptical, sensing something sinister hidden beneath the group’s cheery facade.
Pretty soon, weird things begin to happen, including the appearance of more strange and shocking messages — like the videotape that lured them back to the site in the first place — that begin to make both Justin and Aaron question whether or not the cult beliefs that they had shunned were actually more prescient than they imagined. Suffused with eerie tension, gorgeous cinematography and sharp banter between Benson and Moorhead, The Endless is sure to be a crowd-pleasing favorite.

Your guide to the primetime network finales

2017-05-04T06:24:00.001-07:00

As TV starts to shut the door on another season, some of your favorite shows — well, at least those that weren’t cancelled — will be airing their season finales.

Here’s a handy guide to some notable season-enders — and what to expect as these series head to the beach for the summer.

May 8

“Superior Donuts” (9 p.m. on CBS)

Franco (Jermaine Fowler) and Randy (Katey Sagal) are determined to learn the truth about where a tight-lipped Arthur (Judd Hirsch) really spends each Sunday.

May 10

“Criminal Minds” (9 p.m. on CBS)

Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) squares off with an old nemesis, and Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore) provides a lead that might help catch Mr. Scratch — the elusive fugitive that has been tormenting the team all season.

“Black-ish” (9:30 p.m. on ABC)

Dre (Anthony Anderson) wants Bow’s (Tracee Ellis Ross) baby shower to be unforgettable. However, his plans are put on hold when Bow stops by the OB/GYN with a headache — and discovers she’s having complications.

May 11

“The Big Bang Theory” (8 p.m. on CBS)

Sheldon’s (Jim Parsons) former admirer, Dr. Ramona Nowitzki (Riki Lindhome), resurfaces while Amy (Mayim Bialik) is away at Princeton.

Ramona (Riki Lindhome) and Sheldon (Jim Parsons) on “The Big Bang Theory.”

“Chicago Med” (9 p.m. on NBC)

Dr. Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) and Dr. Manning (Torrey DeVitto) work together to diagnose a Syrian refugee without a medical record. A new hotshot on the scene gives Dr. Rhodes (Colin Donnell) a run for his matinee-idol money.

“Life in Pieces” (9:30 p.m. on CBS)

Joan (Dianne Wiest) and John (James Brolin) rush their dog to the vet after he swallows Matt’s (Thomas Sadoski) wedding ring. When Colleen (Angelique Cabral) and Matt miss all the flights to Mexico for their wedding, they question if they will ever get married.

May 12

“Hawaii Five-0” (9 p.m. on CBS)

McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) risks his life to rescue young girls trapped in a sex trafficking ring. Also, Kono (Grace Park), deeply affected by the case, makes a life-changing decision.

May 15

“Man With a Plan” (8:30 p.m. on CBS)

Adam (Matt LeBlanc) and Andi (Liza Snyder) toy with having another baby when Don (Kevin Nealon) and Marcy’s (Kali Rocha) newborn grandson comes for a visit.

Bailey (Chandra Wilson) on the season finale of “Grey’s Anatomy.”

May 16

“NCIS” (8 p.m. on CBS)

Gibbs (Mark Harmon), McGee (Sean Murray) and Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) travel to Paraguay to locate a missing Navy Seal who disappeared during an unsanctioned trip. Cue the local group of violent rebels.

May 17

“Modern Family” (9 p.m. on ABC)

Manny’s (Rico Rodriguez) father, Javier (Benjamin Bratt), shows up for his graduation and takes him out on a wild night, and then Jay (Ed O’Neill) steps in to pick-up the pieces.

May 18

“Grey’s Anatomy” (8 p.m. on ABC)

Disaster strikes, but that’s nothing new for a “Grey’s Anatomy” season-ender. A dangerous patient escapes from a hospital room. Who gets hurt? Who dies? Meanwhile, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) has some big news for Nathan (Martin Henderson).

“Supergirl” (8 p.m. on The CW)

Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) challenges Rhea (Teri Hatcher, below left, with Chris Wood) to a battle to save National City.

“Scandal” (9-11 p.m. on ABC)

Olivia (Kerry Washington) risks everything to make sure Mellie’s (Bellamy Young) inauguration goes off without a hitch. In the second hour, Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) uses his power to make some unexpected changes before leaving the Oval Office.

It's Time to Dissect the 'Dark Tower' Trailer

2017-05-03T22:26:00.001-07:00

There are other worlds than these — and thanks to the Dark Tower trailer, we have finally glimpsed them.
Heat Vision has assembled three writers of varying familiarities with the Stephen King book series to break down the trailer: Kimberly Nordyke (an uber fan), Aaron Couch (liked the first seven books, but hasn't read them in years) and Graeme McMillan (hasn't read anything and only vaguely knows what's going on). Here we go...
Aaron Couch: Kimberly, as the person most invested in this franchise, how are you feeling after the trailer?
Kimberly Nordyke: I am cautiously optimistic about the movie — I say "cautious" because I've been disappointed by most Stephen King film adaptations, and this movie obviously is not a faithful adaptation of the first Dark Tower book. The trailer provides a good sense of who Roland and the Man in Black are. In my opinion, Idris Elba is a good choice as Roland, and true to the books, we don't get much dialogue from him. I am generally a fan of Matthew McConaughey, but I'm not sure how I feel about him as the Man in Black just yet.
Couch: I am a McConaughey true believer, but I'm not super digging the newfound emphasis on the Man in Black vs. his more guy-in-the-background vibe in the books. I saw extended footage at CinemaCon in March, and was surprised there was a bit of a Matrix vibe to it — the Man in Black literally catches a bullet from behind. Those bits didn't quite feel right to me. But what I loved about this new trailer is there's a better sense of narrative by having Jake be our entry into this story. A young boy travels to a new world, meets a larger-than-life hero and joins his quest to kill the bad guy and prevent the end of the world(s). Pretty simple … at least as a book reader. Graeme, is that about right? As someone who knows very little about The Dark Tower, is that what you got from it?
Graeme McMillan: More or less. I have to admit, my first thought on watching the trailer as someone who's never read the books was, "Oh, so it's kind of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe but with iconography from Westerns and dumb bullet tricks like someone just watched a double bill of The Matrix and Wanted?" ... which is not necessarily the most inviting premise. I was left unconvinced (or uneducated, perhaps) about what made this series so beloved, because it felt like a very serious take on lots of overfamiliar ideas. There didn't seem to be anything special there.
[Warning: spoiler ahead for 2004's The Dark Tower novel.]
Nordyke: Purists are likely to be upset about this trailer, given that the movie clearly takes parts of many of the books and combines them. But I'm encouraged that Stephen King has been involved with the script throughout the process and has approved it (which reassures me that there will be no The Shining-like off-course veering that King hasn't at least had a say in). However, director Nikolaj Arcel has called this a "sequel" of sorts to the books. Could this, in fact, be what happens after (spoiler alert) Roland opens the door at the top of the Tower in the last book? It's unclear, since we don't see the Horn of Eld (which Roland has with him at the end of the series) anywhere in this trailer (even though, as fans recall, King himself tweeted out an image of a horn teasing the movie a year ago).

McMillan: I am having a "This is what it's like for people watching the DC movies who don't get who the Parademons are, isn't it?" feeling right now, because so much of that went over my head. But if this is a sequel, it's probably smart of them not to really push that fact. Speaking for myself, the idea of stepping into a story knowing that it's actually Chapter Nine or whatever is pretty off-putting. It feels like there's a lot of homework to do before sitting down and watching it. (That said, there's a nerdy part of me that loves the idea. It's like the ultimate Easter egg for fans who do want more!)
Couch: Part of what makes the book series so great are the other characters — Eddie and Susannah — that we don't glimpse here. Kimberly, is that a problem that they aren't in this movie, given that it is borrowing from the books they are in?
Nordyke: I am not opposed to this first movie incorporating elements from some of the other books; quite honestly, I don't think the first book has enough in it to sustain an entire film. But at the same time, with the knowledge that this is the route the screenwriters chose to take, you do feel the absence of Eddie and Susannah. And heck, even Oy. One can only hope that this movie does well enough at the box office — and is good enough! — to warrant a sequel and give the rest of Roland's ka-tet some screen time.
Couch: The movie is budgeted at a lean $60 million — so it'd really have to go south not to warrant more. Now, I'm not the biggest Stephen King expert in the world, but those balloons and the sign reading "Pennywise" were a reference to It, right?
McMillan: If you're telling me that Idris Elba is going to shoot scary clowns in this movie, Aaron, I am in.
Nordyke: I love the sly references to other Stephen King books, including It and The Shining (there was a picture of the Overlook Hotel in the therapist's office). Fans of the author know that's a trademark of his — to pepper references from previous books into new ones, showing how many of his stories are interconnected in even the smallest of ways — and this is a nod to that. He does this quite a bit in the Dark Tower series, especially in the later books. In blink-and-you'll-miss-them moments, we also get glimpses of Roland's father (played by Dennis Haysbert); the "Breakers," telepathic individuals who are trying to break the beams holding up the Dark Tower, who appear in Jake's drawings posted on his wall (but aren’t mentioned until later in the book series); and, wait, is that little statue in Jake's therapist's office that's holding a horn actually a nod to the Horn of Eld? We also see Jake entering the portal to Roland's world through the house on Dutch Hill, which actually occurs in the third book in the series, The Waste Lands, after Jake died in the first book.
McMillan: That's one of the best things for me about trailers for adaptations of beloved material: the ability to have all those nods to things that newcomers like me just don't even notice, but fans get to geek out about. I want to revisit the trailer now, which I wouldn't have said after the first viewing. Your (cautious, measured) excitement has made me reconsider my initial skepticism and disinterest, and that never happens!
Nordyke: The last moments of the trailer, where Roland shoots whomever (or whatever) has taken Jake without even looking — while Elba in voiceover recites the gunslinger mantra, including the line: "I do not kill with my gun, I kill with my heart" — were amazing. I actually got chills, and that's pretty rare for me when it comes to trailers, or anything onscreen, other than The Walking Dead.
The Dark Tower is set to open in theaters Aug. 4.

Heat Vision

It's Time to Dissect the 'Dark Tower' Trailer
'Get Out' Filmmaker Jordan Peele Signs First-Look Deal With Universal (Exclusive)
'Star Wars': The Impossible Task Facing 'Episode IX'

2017 Summer Movie Wager: A Game of Box Office Predictions

2017-05-03T21:47:00.001-07:00

It’s that time of year again — the Summer movie season is upon us. And the /Filmcast team have once again gathered to compete in the 2017 Summer Movie Wager. Every year in the past I would make a guest appearance on the Totally Rad Show for this segment, but with that show now disbanded we have taken on the job of hosting this contest on /Film. This is the eleventh annual edition of this game.
Last two years, David Chen won the wager. This year the competition includes Devindra Hardawar, David Chen, Germain Lussier, Jeff Cannata and myself in a game is to decide what will be the highest grossing films of the Summer. It’s a free-for-all; the person with the best score wins. But it isn’t just that easy — not only do the participants need to predict what ten films will be the highest grossing films domestically, but we need to place them in order. After the jump, you can listen to the full episode of the show with our predictions.

2017 Summer Movie Wager Podcast:

Download or play now in browser:

2017 Summer Movie Wager Rules

The rules for the game come from TimeTravelReview’s Summer Movie Pool:

The object is to pick the films that you think will be the top-ten grossing films of the summer, in order of box-office performance. As I’ve said, that means only films released from May 1st 2016 to the Labor Day weekend, counting only the money those films make domestically (US and Canada) in that period. In other words films from March or April might still be making money after May 1st, but they don’t count; films released from May on could start racking up foreign B.O., but that doesn’t count; films released from May on could still be making money into September, but that doesn’t count either. Box Office numbers are generally available late Monday or Tuesday after the weekend closes. For the last seven or so years, I have been using box office numbers from Yahoo Box Office which gets their numbers in turn from Box Office Mojo. So what you will be doing is figuring out what 10 films will make the most money, and putting them in order of what you think they will gross at the box office. BUT, in addition to your top 10, you get to pick 3 “Dark Horses”- films you think *might* make it, but that you are not confident enough about to put into the top 10 proper.

2017 Summer Movie Wager Scoring:

Getting number 1 or number 10 dead-on gets you 13 points (each).

The rest of the scoring goes like this:

10 points for numbers 2-9 dead-on
7 points if your pick was only one spot away from where it ended up
5 points if it was two spots away
3 points if your pick is anywhere in the Top 10
1 point for each dark horse that makes it into the Top 10

The scoring is tabulated so that you get the SINGLE HIGHEST point value for each pick- that is, if you get number ten right, you don’t get 13+3, you only get 13. This year your can play along with us by submitting your list on thesummermoviewager.com. Anyone who submits their list by Friday will be counted in the updated scoreboard.

Peter Sciretta’s List:

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Despicable Me 3
Spider-Man: Homecoming
War for the Planet of the Apes
Wonder Woman
Transformers 5
Cars 3
Pirates of the Caribbean 5
The Mummy (2017)
Dunkirk

Darkhorses:

Alien: Covenant
The Emoji Movie
Valerian

David Chen’s List

Despicable Me 3
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Wonder Woman
Transformers 5
War for the Planet of the Apes
Cars 3
Dunkirk
Pirates of the Caribbean 5
The Mummy (2017)

Darkhorses:

Alien: Covenant
Baywatch
Captain Underpants

Germain Lussier’s List:

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Despicable Me 3
Transformers 5
Pirates of the Caribbean 5
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Cars 3
Wonder Woman
Alien: Covenant
Dunkirk
War for the Planet of the Apes

Darkhorses

The Mummy (2017)
Baywatch
Captain Underpants

Jeff Cannata’s List:

Spider-Man: Homecoming
Transformers 5
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Despicable Me 3
Cars 3
War for the Planet of the Apes
Pirates of the Caribbean 5
Dunkirk
Alien: Covenant
The Mummy (2017)

Darkhorses

Rough Night
Baywatch
Wonder Woman

Devindra Hardawar’s List:

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Despicable Me
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Wonder Woman
Dunkirk
Transformers 5
Pirates of the Caribbean 5
War for the Planet of the Apes
The Hitman’s Bodyguard
The Dark Tower Aug 4

Darkhorses:

Atomic Blonde
The Mummy (2017)
King Arthur

The Undertaker goes straight from WWE to the hospital

2017-05-03T14:22:00.001-07:00

WWE star The Undertaker has been pictured entering a New York hospital with his wife Michelle McCool.

The Wrestling legend — real name Mark William Calaway — was visiting the Hospital for Special Surgery amid a Wrestling Observer report that he would require hip replacement surgery.
The Undertaker, 52, retired after his loss to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33.
It is believed he had been delaying the operation until he quit the squared circle and is now expected to undergo a number of procedures.
Fans were left in floods of tears after he called time on a 27-year career.
The Phenom was involved in a brutal final match, a defeat to Roman Reigns that ended his Wrestlemania record at 23-2.

Gary Miller

After the loss he took off his hat, coat and MMA-style gloves and placed them in the middle of the ring — a sign that he has ended his in-ring career.
The Undertaker then made his way up the long ramp, raised his arm in the air and disappeared slowly down the trap door he came from earlier.

Melissa McCarthy to Star in Puppet Thriller ‘The Happytime Murders’

2017-05-03T09:46:00.001-07:00

If you’ve ever wanted a movie that married the reality-blending dark comedy of Who Killed Roger Rabbit with a classic Jim Henson muppet production, you’re in luck. Puppet noir The Happytime Murders is in the works (again) with an incredibly capable comedy actress.
Melissa McCarthy will star in The Happytime Murders, a noir puppet comedy directed by Brian Henson about a world in which humans and puppets warily co-exist. McCarthy will play a human detective who is forced to work with an alcoholic, disgraced puppet detective to figure out who is brutally murdering the former puppet cast members of The Happytime Gang, a beloved children’s show.

McCarthy will star and produce The Happytime Murders alongside her husband Ben Falcone. Henson is still attached to direct the dark puppet comedy, after reports that Jamie Foxx would star as the lead actor as recently last year.
Happytime Murders has had a long and arduous journey to the big screen, with The Jim Henson Co. attempting to get the project off the ground since 2008. It was until STX Entertainment, the studio behind the surprisingly candid coming-of-age movie The Edge of Seventeen, picked it up in 2015 that the ball got rolling again on the reportedly R-rated dark comedy.
Some striking concept art from 2012 shows that the ideas are already fully formed, at least visually. It was just a matter of getting the right star.

Melissa McCarthy to star in STX's adult puppet caper, THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS. Jim Henson's son Brian will direct. Here's some art, circa 2012 pic.twitter.com/UPFtA1WngF
— ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) May 2, 2017

But with McCarthy confirmed to star and personally producing the film via her On the Day Productions company, it looks like the cast and crew of The Happytime Murders are committed. McCarthy said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter:

“When a really good script combines puppet strippers, Los Angeles’ underbelly and comedy, it’s like my fever dream has finally come true.”

Todd Berger and Dee Robertson wrote the initial drafts for the screenplay, with the latest draft by Red 2 scripters Erich and Jon Hoeber. Here’s the description of the 2012 version of the script, which will probably undergo significant changes with McCarthy overseeing further revisions:

In a world where puppets co-exist with humans as second class citizens, puppet private eye and disgraced ex-cop, Phil Phillips, is hot on the trail of the serial killer who murdered his brother and is now targeting the cast members of the famous 80s television show, “The Happytime Gang.” As the killings continue, Phil’s former flame, Jenny, is next on the list. It’s up to Phil and his ex-partner, Detective Edwards, to find the culprit, but as bad blood and old resentments resurface the clues start pointing to the only viable suspect, Phil himself. Now he’s on the run with only his wits and hard headed determination, as he tries to solve The Happytime Murders.

‘Wonder Woman’ TV Spot: ‘You Will Soon Find Out’ Who Wonder Woman Is

2017-05-02T09:45:00.001-07:00

“Who is this woman?” “You will soon find out.” That dialogue exchange has been echoing throughout the spate of TV spots promoting Wonder Woman, the newest film in Warner Bros.’ DC Extended Universe and the first solo female superhero movie of the modern age.
And we will, with Wonder Woman hitting theaters in a month. But first, the newest TV spot shows us more of Diana of Themyscira than we’ve ever seen before.

The @WonderWomanFilm looks amazing! ???? Here’s an exclusive first look that aired during #Gotham. pic.twitter.com/KJGn9zpgxm

— Gotham (@Gotham) May 2, 2017

The one-minute TV spot is closer in length to a trailer, though it keeps the snappy pacing of a TV ad. It follows the fun back-and-forth that we’ve seen before between American World War I pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), as he wraps his head around her sheltered upbringing on a secluded island of Amazonians, and her inception through the godly intervention of Zeus.
There are a few new shots that have never before been seen in the Wonder Woman marketing blitz, including Diana declaring on a war-torn battlefield, “The gods made the Amazons to restore peace to the world, and it’s what I’m going to do.”
We get another glimpse of Diana in civilian clothing — much like the new stills we got yesterday — trying out 1910s-era skirts and boots as Etta Candy (Lucy Davis) moons over her, before we cut back to a few new epic action shots of Wonder Woman on the battlefield, Etta mooning over her still.

This latest spot really nails the fun, upbeat tone that the ads and trailers for Patty Jenkins‘ superhero have shown off lately, balancing Diana’s fish-out-of-water antics with her capability on the battlefield, capped off with enthusiastic reaction shots from Steve and Etta.
In addition to Gadot, Pine and Candy, the cast of Wonder Woman is rounded out by Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Connie Nielsen, Danny Huston and Saïd Taghmaoui. Wonder Woman is the fourth movie in the DC Extended Universe, which was kicked off by Man of Steel in 2013. Gadot made her debut as Wonder Woman in last year’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and will appear again in this year’s Justice League, out November 17. But first, we get to see her origin story, which takes us back to World War I Europe — when Diana is first made aware of the plights of the world and takes it upon herself to protect humanity.
Wonder Woman hits theaters June 2, 2017.

Jimmy Kimmel details newborn son’s ‘terrifying’ surgery in emotional monologue

2017-05-01T22:20:00.001-07:00

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel revealed on Monday’s broadcast that his newborn baby son had to undergo open heart surgery.
The comedian got emotional as he described how he and his wife, writer Molly McNearney, were faced with the terrifying ordeal of learning their son William “Billy” Kimmel was born with a heart disease.
“It’s a terrifying thing,” Kimmel explained on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
The baby was taken to Children’s Hospital where he received cardiac surgery.
“The operation was a success,” Kimmel said. “It was the longest three hours of my life — but it was a success.”
Kimmel thanked all the hospital staff by name and urged his viewers to support their efforts.
He also managed to crack a few jokes about the newborn after showing an image of the beaming baby.
“Poor kid. Not only did he get a bad heart, he got my face,” Kimmel said.

10 TV Pilots Likely to Score Series Pickups

2017-05-01T13:23:00.001-07:00

Getty Images

From left: Shemar Moore, Zach Braff, Reba McEntire and Auli'i Cravalho

As broadcast network executives screen pilots and pour over focus group testing results on more than 80 pilots, scores of showrunners, writers and actors are on standby as the decisions on which comedies and dramas will land slots on the 2017-18 schedule are expected to arrive in the coming weeks.
The Hollywood Reporter dialed up industry insiders and has compiled 10 of the family comedies, military dramas, soaps and comic book fare that stand the best shot of earning series pickups. Of course, these are in addition to several dramas and comedies that have already landed series orders. Those include Marvel's The Inhumans (ABC), Big Bang Theory prequel Young Sheldon (CBS), Seth MacFarlane live-action dramedy Orville (Fox) and the Will and Grace revival (NBC).
Development season's slow start has again impacted production, with many pilots wrapping late or being pushed off-cycle. Meanwhile, networks hope writers will avoid a strike and viewers will help deliver another breakout hit like NBC's This Is Us.
With a pilot season filled again with reboots and interchangeable concepts, several frontrunners emerged early and continued to remain ahead of the pack throughout production. Here's a look at the pilots most likely to land series orders, which — as always — should be taken with a grain of salt, as buzz changes like the wind this time of year.

1. Ghosted (Fox)
With not one, but two marketable stars in Craig Robinson and Adam Scott, the comedy is said to have surprised insiders with an impressive finished product. The single-camera comedy — produced in-house at 20th Century Fox TV — centers on a cynical skeptic (The Office's Robinson), and a genius "true believer" in the paranormal (Scott, Parks and Recreation), who are recruited by The Bureau Underground to look into the rampant "unexplained" activity in Los Angeles — all while uncovering a larger mystery that could threaten the existence of the human race. Elsewhere, execs are eager to stay in business with Eva Longoria, currently recurring on Empire, with workplace comedy Type-A also considered a network favorite. Buzzy Lauren Graham starrer Linda From HR — picked up with a cast contingency given its Mr. Robot meets family comedy premise — is said to have had problems and is, as multiple sources called it, "not a network comedy."
2. Untitled Marvel (Fox)
As one top agent said of Fox's drama pilots, "If they're English, they're going." The network has six dramas in the works and rolled two of them off-cycle (Neal Baer's The Beast and Matt Reeves' The Passage), leaving its Behind Enemy Lines reboot, Sheldon Turner's timely campus rape entry, Emily VanCamp medical pilot The Resident and its untitled Marvel drama. Of those, the clear frontrunner has been Matt Nix's don't-call-it-X-Men X-Men drama, with the rumor mill buzzing that it could nab an early series pickup.

3. Rise (NBC)
Jason Katims' high school-set musical (formerly Drama High) has been a frontrunner since it was first announced. With a creative team that includes Kleenex TV King Katims (Parenthood, Friday Night Lights) and Hamilton's Jeffrey Seller, the Josh Radnor starrer (featuring Moana breakout Auli'i Cravalho) already has been given orders to begin staffing up its writers room. Military drama For God and Country also has been given the same marching orders as it, too, remains on target for a series pickup. Elsewhere, Sarah Shahi vehicle Reverie is considered likely.
4. The Sackett Sisters (NBC)
The family comedy about estranged sisters has pretty much everything going for it: marketable stars (Casey Wilson, Happy Endings; Busy Philipps, Cougar Town; Bradley Whitford, The West Wing) and 30 Rock's killer producing team (Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, Luke Del Tredici). Plus, it's produced in-house at Universal Television. Sources note the single-camera comedy could be held for midseason to accommodate Wilson's pregnancy. NBC also has 12 episodes of Will and Grace, a full season of Superstore and short order The Good Place already locked in for fall, with few new comedy slots available. (Unless the network adds another hour of comedy, that is.) It's unclear how many comedies the network will order, but other contenders include Mindy Kaling and Charlie Grandy's Champions, which has a clear shot, as does What About Barb, with the latter's leads (Jessica Gunning and Leah Remini) said to be great.
5. 9J, 9K and 9L (CBS)
Mark Feuerstein's semi-autobiographical comedy also has been a frontrunner since the get-go and continues to maintain its position as the leader of the CBS comedy pack after coming in well. The family comedy co-starring David Walton and Elliot Gould also boasts a family connection behind the scenes, with the Royal Pains grad and his wife, Dana Klein (Friends, Fresh Off the Boat), writing the script. With Big Bang Theory prequel Young Sheldon already on the air, look for the network to add one of the remaining five — possibly Carter Bays and Craig Thomas' Chris Distefano comedy — potentially for midseason.
6. S.W.A.T. (CBS)
With 10 dramas already renewed for next season, CBS doesn't have a lot of space in its schedule. While Elementary's fate remains tied to how pilots come in and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders is not expected to return, the network could clear room for one of the season's military dramas. At the top of the pack is its Shawn Ryan take on S.W.A.T., which would bring Criminal Minds favorite Shemar Moore back to the network. A series pickup to the Sony Pictures Television drama would follow a similar trajectory CBS found success with this season in Bull, which brought Michael Weatherly back to the network a year after he exited NCIS. S.W.A.T. is said to have the strong edge over the network's similarly themed, untitled Navy SEALs drama — which is produced in-house by CBS Television Studios and comes with bankable star David Boreanaz. Jeremy Piven's Wisdom of the Crowd, timely journalism drama The Get and Noah Wyle legal drama Perfect Citizen are still in the mix as well.

7. Untitled Marc Cherry (ABC)
Lighter hours are the top priority for ABC following Channing Dungey's comments that the Disney-owned network's roster may not appeal to Middle America. With that in mind, the untitled Marc Cherry drama starring Reba McEntire is said to be effectively on the air already. The drama stars McEntire as a small-town sheriff in Kentucky whose red state outlook is changed by a young FBI agent of Middle Eastern descent. As one insider said, "This is Marc Cherry's best yet — better than Desperate Housewives." Lighter hour Gospel of Kevin, about a man (Jason Ritter) tasked by God with saving the world, is said to have tested through the roof as well. Shondaland's medical drama (dubbed Black's Law) is already checking upfront availability for its cast, including leading lady Britne Olford.
8. Start Up (ABC)
Could ABC wind up without a multicamera comedy? All eyes are on Carol Burnett starrer Household Name, produced by Amy Poehler and Universal Television. The taping drew NBC boss Bob Greenblatt to its taping and could jump from ABC to NBC if the former passes on the multicamera comedy. Sources note the network is putting a priority on workplace comedies to counterbalance its roster of family fare like Black-ish, which could mean a pass for comedy legend Burnett. Multicam Last Man Standing, from 20th TV, is rumored to be on the wrong side of the bubble, and sources note Dr. Ken didn't so much as pitch a season three. Either way, Household Name is on the air somewhere. Meanwhile, single-camera comedy Start Up, starring, exec produced and directed by Zach Braff, is said to be a lock given the Scrubs grad's status as a marketable star. Also garnering good buzz is The Mayor, from EP Daveed Diggs (Hamilton).
9. Black Lightning (CW)
After getting a pass from Fox, who developed the DC Comics drama, Greg Berlanti is likely to land another superhero show on the younger-skewing network. The Cress Williams starrer from Salim and Mara Brock Akil produced a short pilot presentation and is being eyed for a midseason run, sources say. That would bring Berlanti's CW haul to six shows on the network's schedule alone. It's unclear if The CW, which has yet to make a decision on Warner Bros. Television-produced bubble shows The Originals and iZombie, will pick up two or four pilots. If the network goes for four, the other WBTV slot is between Berlanti's other CW pilot, Searchers, which is said to be in good shape after a challenging taping, or Lucy Hale's Life Sentence, with the latter considered more likely get the call.
10. Dynasty (CW)
The CBS Television Studios-produced reboot, which would bring Gossip Girl's Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage back to the network, already is making staffing offers ahead of a likely pickup. Of the other two CBSTVS pilots, Debby Ryan dramedy Insatiable — about a bullied teen turned beauty pageant contestant — is the stronger candidate.
Keep track of all the broadcast renewals, cancellations and series pickups with THR's handy scorecard.

‘American Gods’ Premiere Review: ‘The Bone Orchard’ is One of the Most Fascinating TV Pilots in Ages

2017-05-01T09:43:00.001-07:00

16 years after the publication of Neil Gaiman‘s original novel and after three years of development at the hands of Bryan Fuller (Hannibal), Michael Green (Logan) and Starz, American Gods has finally arrived on television. And it’s spectacular. The only reason it’s not the television event of 2017 is because Legion has already arrived and was similarly refreshing in its refusal to play by the standard rules. With the age of “peak TV” still going strong, American Gods is carving out its own alcove: it’s weird and funny and twisted and unapologetic. It’s the kind of show that would have been a cult item a decade ago. Now, it feels poised to be the next big thing.
I previously wrote about the pilot episode, titled “The Bone Orchard,” so this week’s review will focus on a few elements that feel like they need extra consideration. We’ll be covering American Gods on a weekly basis – this is a show that demands your full and undivided loyalty after the first episode.

Those Opening Credits

American Gods really does launch itself out of the gate with its opening credits, which are haunting and beautiful and totally unskippable. The titles feel like the series in a nutshell: ancient symbols of power and faith, rendered in neon and plastic. Cheaper, mass produced, handled without care or simply handled too much. And mingling with those older symbols are unnerving symbols of Americana. An astronaut takes Jesus Christ’s place on the cross while “Vegas Vic” stands alongside the likes of Buddha. It’s surreal, it’s garish, it’s…well, imagery that feels like it was torn straight from the dark heart of America itself. And then the camera pulls back, revealing that all of these symbols, some ancient and some modern, form a makeshift totem pole. Meanwhile, that discordant theme music rattles your bones, existing somewhere between a religious chant and a rave.
In its opening moments, American Gods is blasphemous and colorful, disorienting and pleasing to the eye. Like the best opening credits sequences, it sets the tone for everything you’re about to see…mainly by completely throwing you for a loop. What is this show? What the hell is this?

What the Hell is This?

So let’s go ahead and address that question. What the hell is American Gods, besides an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s celebrated fantasy novel from executive producers Bryan Fuller and Michael Green? While poking around Starz’s press releases will give even a novice a sketch of the bigger picture, “The Bone Orchard” is deliberately, slyly obtuse in its presentation. It presents a buffet of mysteries and questions, but it won’t let you approach quite yet. There’s a confidence here – if you like what you see, come back next week and maybe you can eat something. It sure does look good, right?

That’s not to say American Gods is boring or even unapproachable. The first episode, for all of its quirks and narrative digressions, is a thoroughly engrossing hour of a television, one that feels as comfortable lingering on the gallows humor of a lousy funeral and a violent encounter with a god-like figure who seems to live inside a VR headset. Every scene deepens the mystery of what’s going on here, but every scene if also funny and sad and wickedly entertaining. I’m reminded of how Game of Thrones viewers acknowledge how each season takes about four episodes to move the pieces into place so things can get really good – American Gods, which will certainly share plenty of overlap with fans of Westeros, ensures that the cranking of the narrative gears and the maneuvering of the pawns is a joy to behold. Every performance is on-point and every line of dialogue sings. We don’t know the rules of this world yet, but yeah, we’re certainly ready to learn them alongside these characters.
So what the hell is American Gods? If you want the quick answer, read the back of the book’s cover. Or read our extensive primer. Or, if you’d rather just luxuriate in the show’s magnificently gonzo and sometimes giddily grotesque tone, that’s looking like a perfectly acceptable option.

Mr. Wednesday and Shadow Moon

“The Bone Orchard” leans heavily on its two leads and, at first glance, they seem to be powerful enough pillars to carry the entire show. As ex-convict Shadow Moon, Ricky Whittle is the kind of soft-spoken, no-nonsense hero you want to see slowly lowered into a bizarre fantasy world. While the series allows him to be a genuine physical presence, Whittle’s surprisingly gentle demeanor and his willingness to wear his emotions and intelligence on his sleeve transform Shadow into a unique hero: a tough guy bruiser who won’t snitch (even to supernatural beings who live in virtual worlds) who is also sweet and smart and believable as a perfectly ordinary fellow who can be as surprised as anyone that he’s surrounded by gods and monsters.
This makes him the perfect foil for Ian McShane‘s Mr. Wednesday, the charming con man who hires Shadow following the death of his wife and proceeds to drop him into a big and totally unexplained mess. The news that McShane is great in this role isn’t really news at all (he’s Ian McShane!), so the real joy here is watching the chemistry between him and Ricky Whittle, two mismatched men from very different worlds who seemingly gel because they shouldn’t gel at all. American Gods is full of surreal imagery and graphic violence and even a scene where an ancient goddess devours a man with her vagina, but those scenes are the bait – these two really lure you in. It’s the dynamic between Wednesday and Moon that seals the pact and promises that yes, there is an actual television show here.

Haunting Imagery

But yes, there is a scene where an ancient goddess devours a man with her vagina and it is spectacular. In an episode filled with eye-popping insanity, the introduction of Yetide Badaki’s Bilquis feels like the kind of thing people are going to be talking about around water coolers this morning. It’s a three-minute horror movie, a darkly hilarious cautionary tale for any middle-aged man looking to get lucky on the first date. The frankness of the scene, and director David Slade‘s unwillingness to turn his camera away, feels like a dropped gauntlet. American Gods isn’t going to mess around and it certainly isn’t going to avoid the fact that the tales of older gods and deities from around the world are gloriously fucked up. Nothing is off limits. World culture is a smorgasbord of amazing stories, some chilling and some charming and some just plain bizarre. So why not embrace it?
Beyond that sequence, “The Bone Orchard” is a visual treasure. The opening prologue, exploring the first vikings to land in North America (and how they introduced Odin to the shores) is gruesome and hilarious, a Looney Tunes cartoon with gore and brain matter. It’s presented as a tall tale rather than reality, with each act of violence rendered as an exaggeration. In a brilliant touch, a severed limb flies beyond the aspect ratio – this is a story that is literally too big for the screen.
It all comes to head with the introduction of Bruce Langley‘s Technical Boy, a mysterious figure who lives inside a virtual limo, dresses like a Silicon Valley douchebag, and vapes like there’s no tomorrow. He also employs faceless henchmen who look like they wandered out of A Clockwork Orange and, every so often, reveals his true form: a unsettling visage that looks like digital claymation, like something that simultaneously can and cannot be touched.

Lingering Mysteries

When the credits roll on “The Bone Orchard,” Shadow Moon finds himself barely alive, saved by an unseen force that violently cleaves his enemies into pieces. His expression says it all: “What did I just get myself into?” The audience may be thinking the same thing. But like Shadow himself, who is going to be drawn back to Mr. Wednesday (there would be no series otherwise), this show has us in its grasp. It’s not a comfortable grasp, but it’s a unique one. A fresh one. A weird one. It’s safe to say that I’ve never seen a TV show quite like American Gods and the fact that I can’t even try to predict what will happen next week fills my stomach with dread and anticipation.

How to Keep Your Pet Alive on a Plane

2017-05-01T03:21:00.001-07:00

Another week, another United P.R. disaster. This time, a giant pet rabbit died on a United flight from London to O’Hare, and the airline’s ... not exactly sure what happened. The news is enough to make any responsible pet owner pause and ask “how can I best protect my pet when he or she has to fly in cargo? What are the best practices for making sure my darling is going to 1) live and 2) be as comfortable as possible?”

I spoke to Dr. Ann Hohenhaus, staff doctor at New York City’s Animal Medical Center for her thoughts on how to best prepare your pet—and yourself—for a happy, healthy trip.

Reconsider putting your pet on a plane in the first place.

Dr. Hohenhaus says, “I would say to the family: Does the pet really need to go at all? If you’re moving, of course. But for a weekend trip? No one’s watching them [in cargo], no one can get to them.” It’s a risk that might be worth taking for a move or a substantial trip, but Dr. Hohenhaus asks her patients’ families to consider boarding the animal, or having it driven, rather than fly. “I recently put the kibosh on a 15-year-old dog flying to Palm Beach. It would have been a three-hour flight, so six hours in the carrier, and he needs to get up and move around. They ended up having the dog driven to Florida.”

Start planning early.

At least a month early, if you’ve never flown with your pet before, says Dr. Hohenhaus. “The regulations are not uniform across airlines, and they’re not uniform country to country. It’s a nightmare.” She recommends, for international travel, starting by gathering information from the USDA site on pet travel, and for domestic travel, with the web site of the airline you’re flying. “and find out what kind of airplane you’re flying—not all carriers will fit in all planes.” And make your reservations early; there will be limits on the number of animals permitted on each flight.

Hire a pet-transport company.

Look for a member of IPATA, or the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association, to help facilitate your trip. They know the ins and outs of pet travel and can take a complicated logistical problem off your hands.

Take two planes.

“You know how crazy you are when you travel—the bags, the kids,” she says. She suggest sending the pet a day ahead, or having it follow you by a day, with the help of a friend or pet-transport company for logistical support. You’ll be less stressed, and the animal will be less stressed.

Get a checkup.

“All airlines require that a vet examine a pet before travel, but each airline has its own set of rules about when the pet has to be examined,” says Dr. Hohenhaus. Most airlines won’t allow very young puppies or kittens, or “squish-nosed animals” like bulldogs or Persian cats. And your vet may not sign the certificate if the animal is elderly or in poor health.

Don’t drug anyone.

You might think you’re being kind by giving your pet a tranq, but “I say no and Delta and American say no too,” says Dr. Hohenhaus. “A sedated animal can’t respond to a stressful situation.”

Eat a normal meal, at home.

The airlines have different rules about when the animal should have last been fed before boarding. Dr. Hohenhaus says “Don’t feed the pet a whole day’s food and then shove it in a crate. It’s better to eat a normal meal at home ahead of time.” Some airlines require that you affix food and water to the outside of the crate, along with a 24-hour feeding plan in the event of unexpected delays. Again, check the airline web site.

Microchip and zip ties.

“United is in the news right now, but every year pets get lost or escape their carriers [on all airlines],” Dr. Hohenhaus notes. Make sure the animal can be returned to you by having it microchipped (for international travel, the requirement is a 15-digit microchip) and reinforcing the door and corners of the carrier with zip ties.

Put a spare leash and collar in your carry-on.

“If you somehow lose the the leash [that’s stashed in the carrier] or the animal slips its collar, you’re in trouble when you get to the destination and it needs to tinkle.” Redundancy is key here.

Put absorbent bedding in the crate.

“If the dog has an accident, the carrier will be a lake,” notes Dr. Hohenhaus, who says she’s seen some pet owners line the crates with absorbent shredded material like one finds in gerbil cages.

But really, the moral of the story here is start early and read every bit of information on the USDA site and the airline’s site. If you’re calm on travel day, your pet have a better shot at staying calm too.

New Look at ‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’ Reveals Gipsy Avenger’s Weapon Upgrades

2017-04-30T21:42:00.001-07:00

Back in February, a piece of promotional art for Pacific Rim: Uprising (formerly known as Maelstrom) revealed three new designs for the jaegers we’ll see battling giant monsters in the sci-fi sequel. One of those jaegers appeared to be an upgraded version of Gipsy Danger, the eventual hero robot of the first Pacific Rim, and now that assumption has been confirmed.
Collectible toy company Tamashii Nations will be making some products tied in with Pacific Rim: Uprising, and at an event in New York City this weekend, they revealed the first official look at their toy version of the new jaeger known as Gipsy Avenger. There are even some details on the upgraded weapons that the new jaeger has hidden in its body.
Get a first look at the Pacific Rim Uprising Gipsy Avenger jaeger after the jump.

The fan website PacificRim2-Movie.com collected the following images from Twitter:

As you can see in the blueprint images, Gipsy Avenger appears to be a new version of Gipsy Danger, though it’s not clear if it’s an entirely new jaeger, or if some of the original robot was salvaged and upgraded after the first movie. Gipsy Avenger comes equipped with the familiar Chain Sword and Elbow Rocket, as well as an Airborne Launch System, but this time the jaeger has a dual vortex turbine in its chest as opposed to the single turbine that Gipsy Danger had. In addition, the jaeger’s hands have an upgrade Plamacaster and something that appears to be called a Gravity Sling in the other hand, whatever that means.
These images confirm that the previously discovered promotional art gave us a pretty accurate depiction of what some of the new jaegers in Pacific Rim: Uprising will look like. However, we don’t know for sure who will be piloting the jaeger. Presumably it will be John Boyega as Jake Pentecost (song of Idris Elba’s character from the first movie) and Scott Eastwood as Nate Lambert, but we can’t say for sure.
Otherwise, the rest of the Pacific Rim: Uprising cast includes new characters played by Cailee Spaeny, Jing Tian, Nick Tarabay, and Zhang Jin. as well as returning cast members including Rinko Kikuchi as Mako Mori, Charlie Day as Newt Geiszler and Burn Gorman as Dr. Hermann Gottlieb. They’re all under the direction of Daredevil’s Steven S. DeKnight, taking over with the full blessing from Guillermo del Toro, who recently explained why he decided not to do the sequel.
Pacific Rim: Uprising arrives February 23, 2018.

While You Were Offline: Hey Please Don’t Call Trump’s New Hotline to Report UFOs

2017-04-30T10:37:00.001-07:00

Source : wired[dot]com

Sequel Bits: ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2,’ ‘Kingsman: The Red Diamond,’ and ‘Austin Powers 4’

2017-04-30T09:41:00.001-07:00

Sequel Bits: ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2,’ ‘Kingsman: The Red Diamond,’ and ‘Austin Powers 4’

Posted on Sunday, April 30th, 2017 by Jack Giroux

In today’s edition of sequel bits:

J.K. Rowling teases Newt Scamander’s Patronus spell.
Mike Myers comments on Austin Powers 4.
Mark Millar reveals a new “Kingsman” comic.
Dave Bautista talks Bond 25
What’s Emma Watson’s idea for a Beauty and the Beast sequel?
All that and more.

Only two weeks ago we all learned Jude Law is going to play young Professor Dumbledore in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2. He’ll face off against Gellert Grindelwald in the sequel, played by Johnny Depp, unfortunately not Colin Farrell. Law has the honor following in the footsteps of Michael Gambon and the late Richard Harris with the role.

J.K. Rowling‘s character is beloved all over the world by more fans than we would care to count. For that reason, Law acknowledges there’s a little fear in playing the grand wizard, but he’s more excited than anything else about taking on the role as he told BBC:

Excited. Only excited, by the whole prospect. Yeah, Curious, excited. Actually you know that’s a good point. I think all good jobs have an element of fear, because you want to do well by it. […] You want to please people and you want to please yourself.

Rowling is currently revising the sequel’s script. A fan asked her which “animal is Newt’s Patronus” in the sequel, but Rowling replied it’s a “big spoiler” on Twitter. The Patronus spell is incredibly tough, one Harry Potter mastered in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to combat the Dementors who guard the titular wizard prison.

What animal form the Patronus spell takes depends entirely on the wizard. Harry Potter’s animal was a stag, while we’ll have to wait until November 16, 2018, to see which animal is Newt Scamander’s (Eddie Redmayne) Patronus. Probably a sweet and innocent one, perhaps strong in nature.

For years and years, we’ve heard “we’d love to do it” in regards to Austin Powers 4. It all comes down to whether Mike Myers feels it’s the right decision, though. While discussing the 20th anniversary of Austin Powers: International Man of Mister with The Hollywood Reporter, he said he’d love to do another movie about the character influenced by his father, who introduced Myers to the world of comedy and passed away in 1991:

I would love to do another, but you just have to see. I was devastated by my father’s death. But to have that turn into something that makes people happy is unbelievably satisfying. It’s that kind of stuff you never get used to or get tired of.

As for director Jay Roach, he maintains his position on another Austin Powers sequel, which is he only wants to do it if it can live up to its potential:

We have talked about [making a fourth movie] for 15 years. We have also always said we don’t want to do it unless we came up with something that lived up to the concepts in our mind.Until Mike feels like he has a concept that earns a fourth, it won’t happen. But if it did, we have all agreed that we would be delighted to get back into it.

Only five more months to go until Kingsman: The Golden Circle hits theaters. We recently saw a trailer for the sequel, but it’s not only Kingsman sequel happening. Comic book writer Mark Millar posted on Twitter a new Kingsman comic book is on the way, titled Kingsman: The Red Diamond.

This would probably be a good time to mention that a new Kingsman comic starts in September too. Kingsman: The Red Diamond. More later :)

— Mark Millar (@mrmarkmillar) April 25, 2017

The comic is significantly less poppy and playful than Matthew Vaughn‘s film, but like the movie, it sets up a world of espionage we wouldn’t mind revisiting.

One spy sequel we know next to nothing about is the next Bond film, which may or may not star Daniel Craig. One actor who’s definitely up for returning? Dave Bautista, who’s even funnier and more lovable in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – a heartfelt, soulful, and vibrant sequel with a third act problem.

Bautista told Metro he’s keeping his fingers crossed about playing Mr. Hinx – the seemingly indestructible henchman – in Bond 25:

Yeah! Believe me we’re talking about it a lot. We’re waiting at home with our fingers crossed…we’re waiting for the news to see if Daniel will sign up for Bond 25, because then there’s a chance that Hinx will come back…I’m reading the rumours just like everyone else.

The last time we saw Blofeld’s henchman, he was departing from a speeding train, but in the world of James Bond, a fall like that might not be enough to put an end to a villain as massive as Mr. Hinx.

After over a month in theaters, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast reimagining has made over $1.1 billion at the box-office. That’s more money than Alice in Wonderland and The Jungle Book pulled in, making it the studio’s biggest live-action remake to date.

The story of Beauty and the Beast is a timeless one, with an unforgettable beginning and end, but could the story continue with Emma Watson as Belle? Sounds unlikely, but while promoting The Circle, Watson told Access Hollywood she “would love to do a sequel.” She does have an idea for what Belle would be doing after Beauty and the Beast, too:

I always thought that Belle would become a teacher and she would run the library in the castle and open it up to the village. This was where I was going.

Keeping things in the Disney wheelhouse for just one more minute, the Descendants 2 will debut on July 21. The sequel to the hit Disney Channel film will air across five networks that night: Disney Channel, ABC, Disney XD, Freeform and Lifetime. The first Disney movie was the fifth most-watch TV movie in cable history. I wouldn’t have expected that either from the ads, but apparently kids tuned in to watch their favorite Disney villains’ kids go to school. A total of 12.2 million viewers watched the first Descendants.

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Is Trader Joe's Pour-Over Bag the Ultimate in Coffee Convenience?

2017-04-29T23:20:00.001-07:00

Is Trader Joe's Pour-Over Bag the Ultimate in Coffee Convenience?

Claire Lower

Yesterday 3:00pm

Filed to: Coffee

29 5

Photos by Claire Lower

People who really love their coffee are always looking for ways to drink good coffee in spaces that are not conducive to brewing good coffee, and Trade Joe’s seeks to fill this need with a handy little brew-in-the-bag coffee pouch, complete with spout.

This bag will set you back about two bucks.

The concept is simple: you just twist off the tip of the spout and open the top of the bag, pour hot water in up to the fill line, let it sit for four minutes, and pour the coffee into cups. It’s a great idea, but the product is really only as great as the coffee it makes, so I called in my snobby coffee friend—you may remember Chris from this little experiment—to help me evaluate the situation.

Here you can see the filter the coffee has to pass through before hitting the spout.

The first thing Chris pointed out to me is that, while it is called a “pour-over coffee brewer,” the system is actually more of filtered/French press hybrid, which TJ’s acknowledges on the back of the bag. In terms of customizing your brew, there are a few things you can adjust to affect the flavor and strength. Though you can’t adjust grind size—which is finer than the typical French press grind but coarser than drip—you can adjust the temperature and amount of water, and you can leave it in the pouch for a longer or shorter amount of time than the recommended four minutes.

Trader Joe’s doesn’t give a specific brewing temperature—just “hot”—so we boiled our water before pouring it in. We also eschewed measuring cups, because we assumed anyone using this pouch—whether they be camping or at work—wouldn’t want to deal with an extra piece of equipment. We had two bags, so we filled one to the “10-ounce” line, and one to the “mild” line.

Because the bags weren’t exactly rigid, it was hard to know when exactly we had “hit” the targeted lines.

That’s all she brewed.

We waited the recommended four minutes and then poured the coffee into mugs. Though the bag claims to make enough coffee for “about two cups” we found both batches to make just enough to fill a single mug. Then we took our sips.

“Ugh. I hate it!” I said, surprised by my overly-emotional reaction. Chris had a much softer take. “It’s like diner coffee,” he said, “which is kind of comforting in a way.” I took another sip, and noted that it reminded me of the Folgers my grandmother would make before church. The package boasts tasting notes of “dark chocolate and nuts,” but it’s unclear exactly which nuts we’re supposed to be tasting. I named some nuts in an effort to help us identify the flavor, and finally settled on unshelled peanuts, like you would get at a Five Guys or a bar. As for the chocolate, we got more cocoa nibs than chocolate, which is okay, I guess. Comparing the two batches, I couldn’t tell a difference between the two even a little bit, and neither could Chris.

Basically, this little system makes a mediocre cup of coffee fairly easily, and I wouldn’t buy it again. If you really like diner coffee though, and want to have it while you’re camping in the great out doors or while seated at your desk, this may be the product for you.

Claire Lower claire.lower@lifehacker.com @clairelizzie

Staff writer

Reply 29 replies

Musician Johnny Flynn transforms himself for breakout ‘Einstein’ role

2017-04-29T22:15:00.001-07:00

Entertainment

Musician Johnny Flynn transforms himself for breakout ‘Einstein’ role

By Robert Rorke

April 29, 2017 | 8:00pm | Updated April 29, 2017 | 8:00pm

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Johnny Flynn on location in Prague (left) and at the New York "Genius" premiere. Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

Genius

Tuesday, 9 p.m, National Geographic

Johnny Flynn walks into the lobby lounge of the Mandarin Oriental carrying a guitar case, his uncombed blond hair and blue eyes a stark contrast to the way he looks as the young Albert Einstein in “Genius.” Flynn’s hair was dyed and he hid his baby blues behind brown contact lenses for the show. He also had some help from the makeup department in making his small nose look more like the physicist’s famous schnozz. Obviously, director Ron Howard could have hired someone who didn’t need so much cosmetic camouflage, and Flynn, 34, tells The Post he nearly didn’t go up for the role because he thought “they can’t make me look like Einstein.” When he’s not touring with his band, Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit, he lives in London with his wife, set designer Beatrice Minns (“Sleep No More”), and their son and daughter.

Flynn as a young Einstein.

Do you wear contact lenses?
No, I don’t. They are really irritating the first week or two. Because they’re brown, you start to see around the edges in sepia.

Was it difficult to learn all the mathematical and scientific terminology?
I learned the equations almost phonetically. Then I went to a physics professor to learn the actual meaning [of them], otherwise it would have sounded flat. By the end I sort of knew what I was talking about. I could hold [them] in my mind for the half day that we would shoot the scene.

Einstein has a couple of women chasing after him. Who knew he was such a player?
The newspaper headlines about him would look pretty bad in terms of his relationships with women, but we get to explain it, not necessarily justify it. What’s great [in Episode 2] is that we get to tell Mileva Maric’s (Samantha Colley) story because nobody really knows who she is. And she’s the most important person in his life. One of the key figures for his early breakthroughs. She was the only female physicist in his college class.

Where did you go to drama school?
It was called the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. I was at college with Rupert Friend (“Homeland”) and Tom Mison (“Sleepy Hollow”). I was a year below them.

You make your living mostly as a musician. What do you play?
People describe it as folk music or folk rock. I’m a big Bob Dylan fan. I’m also a blues geek. My guitar is a 1934 National Trojan. They call it a resonator, which is the guitar guys played in the honky-tonks before amplification. It’s very loud. It’s the type of guitar that Son House and Robert Johnson played. I have a classical music background. I studied violin and trumpet.

And here’s what else to watch this week:

The Handmaid’s Tale

Wednesday, 12 p.m., Hulu
Punished by Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski) after failing to conceive, Offred (Elisabeth Moss) begins to unravel and reflects on her time with Moira (Samara Wiley) at the Red Center. Meanwhile, a complication during the Ceremony threatens Offred’s survival with Serena Joy and the Commander (Joseph Fiennes).

Guerrilla

Sunday, 9 p.m., Showtime
The gang moves to a secret countryside location. Jas (Freida Pinto) is inspired by Canadian radical Eliette (Bella Dayne), but the strain of being on the run takes its toll on her relationship with Marcus (Babou Ceesay). In London, Pence (Rory Kinnear) turns to Kenya (Wunmi Mosaku) for help as the gang becomes more notorious, and a rival force tries to circumvent his authority.

Chicago Justice

Sunday, 9 p.m., NBC
An anti-environmentalist alderman is killed during a vicious hit-and-run. Antonio (Jon Seda, below right) and Nagel (Joelle Carter, below left) go all out to track down the driver, who turns out to be a frantic mother desperate to save her supposedly kidnapped daughter. With Philip Winchester.

Superstore

Thursday, 8:30 p.m., NBC
Season finale. Glenn (Mark McKinney) decides which employees to lay off. Jonah (Ben Feldman) struggles with the fallout of an admission he made to Amy (America Ferrera). Meanwhile, a tornado warning goes into effect, forcing the staff into uncomfortable pairings.

Lucifer

Monday, 9 p.m., Fox
Two weeks after Chloe’s (Lauren German) near-death experience, Lucifer (Tom Ellis, inset) has gone off the grid, cutting off all contact with his family and the police department. He materializes just in time to help solve a murder and introduces the department to the new woman in his life, a ditzy stripper named Candy Morningstar (Lindsey Gort). While Lucifer’s mom (Tricia Helfer) desperately tries to contact her son, Chloe tries to push him away.

NCIS

Tuesday, 8 p.m., CBS
After a Marine Sergeant is found murdered in a National Park, Gibbs (Mark Harmon, below left), and the NCIS team partner with Mounted Police Sergeant May Dawson (Elisabeth Röhm, below right) to solve a string of related crimes.

Silicon Valley

Sunday, 10 p.m., HBO
Richard (Thomas Middleditch) butts heads with Dinesh (Kumail Nanjiani), whose new position goes to his head. Meanwhile, Erlich (T.J. Miller) makes a play to be involved in Jian-Yang’s (Jimmy O. Yang) new app; Jared (Zach Woods) sets ground rules in his friendship with Richard, and Gavin’s (Matt Ross) paranoia over Jack’s (Stephen Tobolowsky) enthusiasm causes him to make a rash decision.

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How Would ‘Furious 7’ Have Ended If Paul Walker Hadn’t Died During Production?

2017-04-29T21:40:00.001-07:00

How Would ‘Furious 7’ Have Ended If Paul Walker Hadn’t Died During Production?

Posted on Saturday, April 29th, 2017 by Ethan Anderton

The cast and crew of Furious 7 were thrown a pretty serious curveball when Paul Walker died in a car wreck while the sequel was still in production. Shooting shut down for awhile to allow everyone time to grieve and process this tragedy, but also to allow director James Wan and writer Chris Morgan figure out how they were going to salvage the movie without one of the main actors around to finish many pivotal scenes that had still yet to be completed.

In the end, Paul Walker’s character Brian O’Connor was given a touching send-off by his on-screen brother Vin Diesel. But how would the movie have ended if Paul Walker hadn’t died and didn’t need to be written out of the future sequels? Chris Morgan recently took the time to explain how the original Furious 7 ending would have been different from what we saw in theaters.

In an interview with Collider, Chris Morgan talked about the original ending of the movie:

“Well, the original ending, if I remember correctly, was our guys end up solving the problem and then kind of becoming—again, going more outlaw, it was sort of a happier ending that kind of ends with the insinuation that they were gonna go off onto this heist or this job.”

He goes on to explain the the core issue of Brian trying to settle into the life of a family man who doesn’t have to drive fast cars and dodge bullets was wearing on him a bit. As we know now, little story nugget gave Chris Morgan a good reason to write Brian out of the franchise entirely when Paul Walker passed away. But if the actor hadn’t died, the balance was just something that Brian would have dealt with at different times throughout the rest of the sequels. Morgan explained:

In regards to the story, the story actually kind of was the same. The only difference is that whereas we let Brian and Mia and their family kind of go off to just be a family and drop the action-y elements of their lives and stop risking everything when family is so important to them, otherwise we would’ve just kind of continued with Brian learning and adjusting his character a little bit.”

It’s sad that it took a tragedy like Paul Walker dying for the franchise to take such a sharp turn, but in a way, having Brian leave the crew brought a new layer of significance and emotion to the story. It forced the crew to confront responsibility for themselves and their family, to think about whether the life they’ve chosen is the one they want rather than just having them head off and be outlaws without little to no consequences.

Of course, trouble always ends up finding the crew anyway, so even if they chose to lay low, they likely wouldn’t have kept still for very long. The Fate of the Furious is evidence of that since Dom and Letty had their honeymoon interrupted by Cipher (Charlize Theron). Now we’ll have to wait and see how the franchise continues with Fast and Furious 9, slated to arrive on April 19, 2019.

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Source : slashfilm[dot]com

This Week In Trailers: My Life Without Air, Hounds of Love, Raising Bertie, SCORE: A Film Music Documentary, Machines

2017-04-29T09:40:00.001-07:00

This Week In Trailers: My Life Without Air, Hounds of Love, Raising Bertie, SCORE: A Film Music Documentary, Machines

Posted on Saturday, April 29th, 2017 by Christopher Stipp

Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: What better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? This week we hold our breath until we turn blue, get snatched while trying to get home, try to make something of ourselves, talk movie scores with film’s best and brightest, and get a real lesson in slave labor.

My Life Without Air Trailer

Hell. Yes.

One of the first real cinematic experiences of my youth didn’t really come in the form of seeing something sweet and cuddly that forever was washed in a halcyon patina. I was 13 and the movie was The Big Blue and was introduced to it by a friend, interestingly enough, who would later open my third eye when he showed me Spinal Tap. The Big Blue, though, is a vision. Honestly, if you haven’t checked it out it’s Luc Besson’s best work. It’s about, among other things, free divers who go down deep into oceans without oxygen tanks. The movie’s a straight up masterpiece but understanding why anyone would submit themselves to this kind of endurance has always held my fascination. This documentary, by filmmaker Bojana Burna?, immediately grabbed my attention. Whether this is a short or a full length feature I could not be more in the cheering section for this as the trailer captures that sense of intense physicality one has to possess in order to dominate in a sport that could end as tragically as this could.

Hounds of Love Trailer

Disturbing.

Sometimes you come across a trailer like this and you hope, pray, that the person who made this got a raise. Director Ben Young isn’t treading on ground that’s particularly novel or fresh, after all we had Room come out about a woman who was kidnapped, held against her will, but, like any good story, how you position it and how you sell it is what can make or break a release. Fortunately, here, this is just maddeningly intense. I love the energy, the slowing down of the action on the screen, the music that pulsates beneath it all. The pain and misery index is off the chart as our antagonists simper and saunter to and fro without impunity. That’s what makes this so dangerously delicious. Pain is perfectly captured before our eyes.

SCORE: A Film Music Documentary Trailer

Interstellar.

Interstellar has been my go-to soundtrack for getting work done that I’ve somehow managed to make that movie even greater inside my mind’s eye simply because of how much I embrace Hans Zimmer’s score. Director Matt Schrader might be playing a game of inside baseball by talking on film scoring but who cares if this gives us a glimpse into the world where it’s all about musical orchestration and not so much about the most current pop hits you can turn into a montage. The use of film clips and accompanying insights from the people who made moments even more effective by improving scenes through careful musical accompaniment. That’s what’s being sold here and I couldn’t be more thrilled at the concept of getting these titans to talk. I mean, you have Zimmer, Reznor, Cameron, Williams, Elfman, Newman, Shore, Desplat, a veritable all-star team. Stoked, to be sure.

Machines Trailer

Slave labor.

One of the things that made the revelations about Apple’s use of labor inside the walls of Foxconn in China wasn’t so much that low wage workers were being used to help manufacture the very luxury items consumers tout as representations of mankind’s advancement, intellectually, but that the stories that came back were represented in one-dimension. They were reports, they were news stories. Horrific as some of them were, there’s something of a visual/aural/kinesthetic component where the use of visual storytelling could have made it that much more devastating. Director
Rahul Jain’s documentary here, then, takes that step towards visually contextualizing the conditions some people find themselves in as they find a way to feed themselves, their families. The trailer is stark in how it doesn’t present any of this narrative information but it does make you want to find out more about what we’re seeing and what we’re witnessing. Somehow just being reminded that there are stories out there like this that need to be told is reason enough to at least put it on one’s personal radar.

Raising Bertie Trailer

Purposeful.

When it comes to stories about people trying to make it in America today, I’m always wanting to hear the story. I don’t know what it is, what makes me so attune to the narratives of individuals who are looking to make their lives better, or are down on their luck in life, somehow there’s a quiet part of myself that wonders if that could have been me. Director Margaret Byrne seems to have taken a very personal look at three young men’s lives after their alternative school closes in North Carolina. It’s compelling viewing when you cut through the chaff of our collective experience. When you dial into a person’s essence you are seeing them the way they deserve to be seen and this trailer is more dramatic than I would give some other fictional films credit for being. It’s a little depressing but speaking truth to one’s own situation and letting that narrative bubble up can be life-altering if you’re listening the right way.

Nota bene: If you have any suggestions of trailers to possibly be included in this column, even have a trailer of your own to pitch, please let me know by sending me a note at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com or look me up via Twitter at @Stipp

In case you missed them, here are the other trailers we covered at /Film this week:

Batman and Bill Trailer – A too common story, unfortunately
Churchill Trailer – Full of blowhards and bombast
Kingsman: The Golden Circle Trailer -I’m in
The Exception Trailer – Jai bless
One Upon a Time in Venice Trailer – Painful
Cars 3 Trailer -Seems like kind of a bummer
Baywatch Trailer – What you see is what you get
Tulip Fever Trailer – Nope
47 Meters Trailer – Move along

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Source : slashfilm[dot]com

Your Best Weird Food Habits, Securing Online Accounts From Shady Apps, and the Appeal of Conspiracy Theories

2017-04-29T09:19:00.001-07:00

Your Best Weird Food Habits, Securing Online Accounts From Shady Apps, and the Appeal of Conspiracy Theories

Andy Orin

Today 11:00am

Filed to: highlights

0 1

This week we confessed our favorite freaky food concoctions—think Doritos peanut butter sandwiches and buttered ramen—secured our online accounts by revoking access from shady apps, looked at the ramifications of Trump’s tax plan, and more. Here’s a look back at this week’s most popular posts.

We Tried Your Secret, Somewhat-Shameful Food Concoctions

Remember a few weeks ago, when I asked you all for your strangest, slightly-shameful, secret food habits? It turns out that you people are dirt bag geniuses, and were able to open my eyes to new and exciting ways to eat mac and cheese, instant ramen, and spam.

Beware These Risky Cocktail Ingredients When You Go Out Drinking

While cocktails aren’t exactly good for you—alcohol is a toxin after all—some drinks can be more dangerous than others. These dicey craft cocktail ingredients can be found in bars all over the place.

What to Expect After Surgery for Diastasis Recti (That Post-Pregnancy Pooch)

Of all the physical indignities of having a baby—the delivery, the breastfeeding, the mesh undies that made me feel like an enormous wounded sea creature snagged in a tiny net—the postpartum stomach pooch is among the worst.

How to Secure Your Online Accounts By Revoking Access From Third-Party Apps

Every once in a while, an app like Unroll.me pops into the spotlight to remind usthat we all tend to authorize a lot of apps to access our email and social media accounts without much thought. Sometimes, as in the case of Unroll.me, those apps get busy selling off our data. Now’s a good time to audit any other third-party apps you’ve given access to your accounts.

Go Ahead, Have That Fourth Cup of Coffee

If you’re one of the millions of Americans that downs coffee or other caffeinated beverages to get through the work day, here’s some good news. A new scientific review on the safety of caffeine says drinking up to four cups of coffee, or about 400 milligrams of caffeine, is pretty safe.

What Trump’s Tax Plan Proposes and Who It Will Benefit Most

We told you what to expect from Trump’s Tax Plan, which was released this Wednesday. While it wasn’t very detailed, the plan more or less includes what everyone expected. Here’s a breakdown of who stands to benefit the most.

The Grown-Up Kitchen: How to Time Your Cooking So Everything Is Ready at Once

When preparing a “square” meal—you know, the kind with a protein and at least two sides—I rarely struggle with the actual cooking. I can cook a chicken, mash some potatoes, and roast a sheet pan of broccoli without any issue, but timing it all so everything ends up on the table simultaneously—hot and ready—is what gives me trouble.

The FCC’s New Plan Dismantles Net Neutrality to Rely on the Free Market

Today, chairman of the Federal Trade Communications Commission, Ajit Pai outlined his new plan to loosen the FCC’s oversight of internet service providers. As expected, his dream plan effectively kills off many of the ideas of net neutrality.

How to Actually Enjoy the Painful Pleasure of Spicy Food

Spicy food is the best food, but between the painful capsaicinoids, the bloating from drinking too much water, and the inevitable sweating, spicy food can also be uncomfortable to eat. Here are some tips to enjoy the spice without the bloating, sweat, and tears.

The Hotel Chains With the Best Customer Satisfaction Ratings

When choosing a hotel, it’s good to consider amenities, hospitality, and quality in addition to price. These brands and chains are the hotels with the highest customer satisfaction marks for 2017.

Why Conspiracy Theories Are So Appealing

Put on your tin-foil hat, cover your webcam with a piece of tape, and wait for the imminent arrival of the lizard people because it’s time for some conspiracy theories. Over half of American adults believe in at least one wacky theory, but why are these absurd and complex ideas are so appealing?

Why Does Every Car Infotainment System Look So Crappy?

User interface design is hard, but we’ve been getting better at it over the years to the point where even a thermostat is easy to use. Automakers, however, seem to have their heads in the sand, taking their design inspiration for their infotainment consoles from old Winamp skins instead of any type of modern interface.

This Is How Long Certain Drugs Actually Stay in Your Body

We’re not encouraging anyone to do drugs, but we’re also not going to pretend that our readers don’t do any. If you do and have to, say, take a drug test for a job, it may be helpful to know how long certain drugs stay in the places they’re most likely to check: your urine, blood, and hair follicles.

What Lethal Injection Drugs Actually Do

The drugs used in lethal injections were not designed to kill people, and they are on the market today because of their use in medicine. Pharma companies don’t allow them to be used for executions, but Arkansas got their hands on some anyway. Here’s what the three drugs in the state’s lethal injection cocktail actually do.

Andy Orin andy@lifehacker.com @andyorin

Staff Editor at Lifehacker

Source : feeds[dot]gawker[dot]com

Neil Gaiman Wishes American Gods Wasn’t Quite So Relevant Right Now

2017-04-29T08:36:00.001-07:00

Source : wired[dot]com

2017-04-29T05:21:00.001-07:00

Source : feedproxy[dot]google[dot]com

Hacker threatens to release stolen copies of ‘Orange is the New Black’

2017-04-28T22:13:00.001-07:00

Entertainment

Hacker threatens to release stolen copies of ‘Orange is the New Black’

By Associated Press

April 29, 2017 | 12:24am

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A still from Orange Is The New Black Everett Collection

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SAN FRANCISCO — A hacker claims to have stolen the upcoming season of Netflix’s hit series “Orange Is The New Black,” and is demanding that the video streaming service pay an unspecified ransom to prevent all the new episodes from being prematurely released online.

The hacker, operating under the name The Dark Overlord, has already purportedly uploaded the first episode to an illegal file-sharing service. The Associated Press could not legally confirm the authenticity of that uploaded file.

New episodes of “Orange” are scheduled for official release on June 9.

Netflix said that a small production vendor that works with several major TV studios had suffered a breach. The Los Gatos, California, company described it as an “active situation” that’s being investigated by the FBI and other authorities.

Pirated copies of “Orange” could dent Netflix’s subscriber growth and the company’s stock price.

In the ransom note, The Dark Overlord claimed to have stolen series from other studios, too, by breaking into a single company. The purported hacker promised to also release those titles unless “modest” ransoms are paid.

Rumors of a massive leak of Hollywood films and TV episodes have been circulating online for months, fed by purported screenshots of the footage and a copy of a proposed deal to delete the stolen material in return for tens of thousands of dollars in electronic currency.

When the AP contacted The Dark Overlord in February, the hacker said the purloined video wouldn’t be made publicly available after all, making the far-fetched claim that “no one really (cares) about unreleased movies and TV show episodes.”

It’s not clear what triggered The Dark Overload’s renewed ransom demands.

Netflix is counting on “Orange” to help it add 3.2 million subscribers from April through June. That’s substantially higher than the company’s average gain of 1.8 million subscribers in the same period over the past five years.

Whenever Netflix’s quarterly subscriber gains fall shy of management’s projections, the company’s stock usually plunges.

filmrasco

Funny videos 2016 - funny videos 2016 funny vines try not to laugh challenge

Natural Penis Enlargement

Superhero Bits: Marvel Lip Sync Battle, Guardians of the Galaxy VFX & More

The Best Movies We Saw at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival

Pilgrimage

Saturday Church

Blame

The Endless

Your guide to the primetime network finales

May 8

“Superior Donuts” (9 p.m. on CBS)

“Criminal Minds” (9 p.m. on CBS)

“Black-ish” (9:30 p.m. on ABC)

May 11

“The Big Bang Theory” (8 p.m. on CBS)

“Chicago Med” (9 p.m. on NBC)

“Life in Pieces” (9:30 p.m. on CBS)

May 12

“Hawaii Five-0” (9 p.m. on CBS)

May 15

“Man With a Plan” (8:30 p.m. on CBS)

May 16

“NCIS” (8 p.m. on CBS)

May 17

“Modern Family” (9 p.m. on ABC)

May 18

“Grey’s Anatomy” (8 p.m. on ABC)

“Supergirl” (8 p.m. on The CW)

“Scandal” (9-11 p.m. on ABC)

It's Time to Dissect the 'Dark Tower' Trailer

It's Time to Dissect the 'Dark Tower' Trailer

'Get Out' Filmmaker Jordan Peele Signs First-Look Deal With Universal (Exclusive)

'Star Wars': The Impossible Task Facing 'Episode IX'

2017 Summer Movie Wager: A Game of Box Office Predictions

2017 Summer Movie Wager Podcast:

2017 Summer Movie Wager Rules

2017 Summer Movie Wager Scoring:

Peter Sciretta’s List:

David Chen’s List

Germain Lussier’s List:

Jeff Cannata’s List:

Devindra Hardawar’s List:

The Undertaker goes straight from WWE to the hospital

Melissa McCarthy to Star in Puppet Thriller ‘The Happytime Murders’

‘Wonder Woman’ TV Spot: ‘You Will Soon Find Out’ Who Wonder Woman Is

Jimmy Kimmel details newborn son’s ‘terrifying’ surgery in emotional monologue

10 TV Pilots Likely to Score Series Pickups

‘American Gods’ Premiere Review: ‘The Bone Orchard’ is One of the Most Fascinating TV Pilots in Ages

Those Opening Credits

What the Hell is This?

Mr. Wednesday and Shadow Moon

Haunting Imagery

Lingering Mysteries

How to Keep Your Pet Alive on a Plane

Reconsider putting your pet on a plane in the first place.

Start planning early.

Hire a pet-transport company.

Take two planes.

Get a checkup.

Don’t drug anyone.

Eat a normal meal, at home.

Microchip and zip ties.

Put a spare leash and collar in your carry-on.

Put absorbent bedding in the crate.

New Look at ‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’ Reveals Gipsy Avenger’s Weapon Upgrades

While You Were Offline: Hey Please Don’t Call Trump’s New Hotline to Report UFOs

Sequel Bits: ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2,’ ‘Kingsman: The Red Diamond,’ and ‘Austin Powers 4’

Is Trader Joe's Pour-Over Bag the Ultimate in Coffee Convenience?

Musician Johnny Flynn transforms himself for breakout ‘Einstein’ role

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Genius

And here’s what else to watch this week:

The Handmaid’s Tale

Guerrilla

Chicago Justice

Superstore

Lucifer

NCIS

Silicon Valley