Instagram has now added the ability for Live users to mute their audio and even turn off their video when broadcasting. This appears to be the latest in a number of moves made by Facebook and its respective services to further embed their presence within the growing audio features space. In other words, another attempt to directly capitalize on the recent success of Clubhouse.
Since the arrival of Clubhouse, many services have suddenly seen the value in focusing on audio-first services and features. Almost as suddenly, this has led to many of the major names in social media developing and releasing their own cloned versions of Clubhouse features. Just recently, Facebook announced a number of new audio-based features, including more seamless access to podcasts, while Instagram launched Live Rooms in March, a feature that allows up to four users to broadcast live together.
Following on from the launch of Live Rooms, Instagram is now further looking to add more control to the ‘going live’ experience by offering users the option to mute their audio or disable their video completely during a live broadcast, as confirmed by Facebook’s Alexandru Voica on Twitter. According to TechCrunch, the new features are already in the process of rolling out on both Android and iOS platforms. Also according to TechCrunch, while hosts are unable to turn off audio or video for others taking part in a livestream, the option to do so, along with similar advanced controls, may become available in the near future.
The new feature tweaks appear to be simple enough to use. Those live on Instagram can quickly tap on the mic or video button at the bottom of the screen to disable either or even both at the same time. Although not uncommon for a service where people engage with each other over video, it is hard to differentiate the new features from Facebook’s wider attempts to integrate Clubhouse-like experiences. After all, in spite of Instagram being a service that’s heavily focused on visuals, it now offers a way for users to chat and engage within an audio-only setting.
With so many services trying to capitalize and replicate the success of Clubhouse, the original service is starting to feel the increased pressure. Besides the attempts of Facebook and Instagram, Twitter, Discord, and even Reddit are in the process of introducing audio-first and audio-only features. In some cases, many of these services are rolling out features many want to see on Clubhouse quicker than Clubhouse can. Of course, these are already established players within the space and that does make it easier and quicker for them to develop, test, and deploy new features. Not to mention, with services like Instagram already available on both Android and iOS, unlike Clubhouse, the faster they can release these new features, the more chance they have of establishing themselves as audio networking players.
A new study has provided an answer to the question of the world's favorite superhero universe, as it's been revealed Marvel is more popular than DCin terms of search traffic.However, just because those whose search data was used in the study listed the Marvel Universe as their top preference, it doesn't mean DC's Universe didn't get high marks as well, as both universes have proven to be wildly popular across the globe.
Earlier this month, Game.co.uk released its findings of a survey that analyzed the Google Search results across the entire planet in an effort to find out the most popular universes, heroes, supervillains. The data not only shows the most searched universes and characters by country but also took a closer look at the most popular universe by the U.S. states, as well as which characters are most searched from every individual country. While some of the answers are less than surprising, others are particularly interesting and show how much the MCU and DCEU have impacted which characters are being searched the most. Let's break down some of the most interesting points coming from the data.
In data in over 60 countries, Marvel was the most searched in 51 of them - dominating North America. It's important to note these results are likely related to recently released projects from Marvel and DC - as the MCU has rolled out WandaVision and The Falcon and Winter Soldier over the past few months, while the DCEU has only released Wonder Woman 1984.
Leading the charge was the United States, having more than 300,000 monthly searches for Marvel. Rounding out the biggest fans in terms of searches was India with 110,000 searches, Brazil with 110,000 searches, the United Kingdom with 90, 500 searches, and France with more than 90,000 searches. With more than 85% of the countries searching Marvel over DC, it was an overwhelming victory for the Marvel side.
DC Comics actually did extremely well in Europe and Asia. South Korea accounted for more than 200,000 monthly searches - the second most on the list. Meanwhile, the United States had 165,000 searches (more than 140,000 less than Marvel), India had 110,000 (the same as Marvel), Brazil had 60,500, and Turkey had 60,500 as well. The search data shows DC is more popular than Marvel in some overseas markets, but even still, Marvel has statistically done better in the box office in those locations.
In the United States, Marvel properties and characters were searched more in 28 of 50 states, leading DC to nab 22 of the most popular states.
In this case, the data reveals California has the most Marvel searches, with more than 50,000, while Texas is the biggest DC fans with more than 40,000 search queries. While DC has much more searches in New York, North Carolina, and Indiana, Marvel has received more searches in the Mountain States and captured more searches overall in states all across the United States.
Here's where the data gets particularly interesting.
Across the planet, the most searched hero overall was Spider-Man by a wide margin. The web-slinger ranked atop 57 different countries' most searched heroes, which accounted for nearly 50% of the study's share percentage. Spider-Man was the most searched hero in the United States and Sweden but also was popular across a number of smaller countries including Mongolia, Kazahkstan, Algeria, and Madagasgar.
Checking in second among the most-searched heroes is DC's Wonder Woman. Diana receiving a 12.8 share in the study, which might be slightly higher than usual with Wonder Woman 1984's release. Wonder Woman was Russia's most-searched heroes while being atop 15 different countries lists in total, including Egypt and Belarus.
Completing the top three was Batman, who ranked atop searches in 11 different countries, earning 9.2% of the share in the study. Iron Man just ranked below him with 10 countries and an 8.5% share. Noteworthy data includes Captain America, the patriotic U.S. hero, being the most searched in Canada and Australia, despite only ranking atop four total countries. Meanwhile, Groot was a top hero in search results in just one country, Turkey.
This might be the most surprising data on the list, not because of who ranks at the top, but because a couple of comic book-only characters made the list - with one ranking atop searches in 11 countries.
Unsurprisingly, Thanos the Mad Titan, the big villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ranks as the most-searched villain in 66 countries, grabbing more than 55% of the total share in the study. Thanos dominated across the globe while being the most searched in Canada and Australia. Meanwhile, Joker ranked second and was the most searched in 21 countries capturing nearly 18% of the total shares among villains, being the most searched in the United States. Ranking in third was Venom, who captured 13.6% of the shares in the study, leading in 16 countries including Russia and Brazil.
The fourth-ranked supervillain is the most surprising name on this list, Emplate. Marius St. Croix is the brother of Monet St. Croix and has been a villain in the comics. With diamond skin and the ability to take energy from the bones of mutants, the monstrous mutant has been an antagonist of the X-Men for more than 15 years - with his most notable arc coming from his time in Generation X, a still popular X-Men run to this day. He was recently invited to the mutant nation of Krakoa and has been featured in the X-Men's current reboot. But, for a character who's never appeared in any live-action projects, the fact Emplate ranked atop 11 countries lists (getting more than 9.6% of the study's shares) is a complete surprise. Apparently, Emplate is huge overseas.
The rest of the list is rounded out by Ultron (2 countries), Catwoman (2 countries), and another surprising face, Daken - the son of Wolverine. Daken, who also has never appeared in a live-action project for Marvel, was the most popular villain in terms of total searches in Germany. It's likely Daken ranked at the top because a handful of his stories are set in Berlin. Compared to some of the names expected to make this list that didn't, such as Marvel's Kilmonger, Loki, or Mysterio, or DC's Lex Luthor, Darkseid, or Scarecrow, Daken is certainly an outside-the-box choice. If you'd like to check out the study, you can find it here.
New concept art for Iron Manhas been found in a debug version of 2007's Spider-Man 3video game. This was right before the Marvel Cinematic Universe launched, but Marvel Studios was already relatively knee-deep into the first Iron Man film, while at the same time Sony's Spider-Man films were actively independent and disconnected. That said, a new discovery suggests that Iron Man was at one point planned to be a part of Spider-Man 3's game.
Spider-Man is a key character in Marvel, especially now, but previously the character was largely in a closed-off universe on film. Although Doctor Strange was named dropped in Spider-Man 2, references in Sam Raimi's movies were kept minimal and didn't acknowledge other films like X-Men and Fantastic Four. That said, there was a possible chance that the Spider-Man 3 game would've expanded Sam Raimi's corner of the Marvel universe in a big way.
One fan who goes by Allosaur Hell on Twitter concept art for a rather odd-looking Iron Man in the files of a debug version of Spider-Man 3. It's been debated whether or not it was actually intended for the movie adaptation, as there's also a debug version of Spider-Man 3 that was dated almost a month after its release that features some missions and assets that clearly resemble Web of Shadows. The latter released a year and a half later and featured characters like Wolverine. Spider-Man exists within a world with the Avengers now, thanks to Insomniac Games, but it used to be a bit more ambiguous due to legal reasons.
It's possible some version of Iron Man was slated to appear alongside Tobey Maguire's virtual counterpart as there's also cut dialogue from Spider-Man 3 where Maguire's version of Peter Parker mentions other characters like Captain America. However, given this debug is a mish-mash of two games, it's hard to say for sure. Activision, the former publisher of the Spider-Man games, held the rights to Iron Man but lost them to Sega around the time of Spider-Man 3's development, likely to prepare for MCU tie-in games.
Nonetheless, it's an interesting peek into what could've been as Iron Man was about to become an overnight sensation. Given Spider-Man now co-exists with the Avengers in two different game universes and the films, it's wild to consider Tobey Maguire could've possibly interacted with other Marvel heroes at some point, even if it wasn't on the big screen. The former web-head is heavily rumored to reprise his role later this year in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but nothing has been confirmed and it's unknown if other Marvel heroes will appear.
Jordan Verroi was noticeably absent from season five of Summer House. In previous seasons, Jordan was included in standout storylines due to his fabrication of past sexual encounters and in-house flings with Jules Daoud. With him fading into the distance in season four, Jordan realized it was his time to go.
Jordan joined the crew in the Hamptons in season three as a friend of Hannah Berner. He quickly became a target for Lindsay Hubbard, who felt the newcomer came off as a womanizer due to his cocky demeanor. The NYC entrepreneur also rubbed his housemates the wrong way when he shared sex tales that everyone found hard to believe. During his second season, he and newcomer Jules engaged in a number of hookup sessions that fueled gossip inside the house. Jules' account of their intimate moments didn't help change the cast's awkward feelings towards him.
By season's end, Jordan decided to leave the show after he heard rumors of being demoted to a friend role, TMZ reports. The former Bravo star reportedly exited the set three weeks before production wrapped due to his frustration with the demotion. Despite being the friend to introduce him to the cast, Hannah agreed with his departure. "I think that it was the right decision because it would've just been the same thing over and over again," she told Bravo. But Jordan was battling a lot more behind the scenes that he said threw him off while filming.
Following his debut in season three, Jordan spoke with Hollywood Life and explained how stressful the time was for him. “The way the summer played out, unfortunately, you guys don’t get to see the reason why I was stressed out so much — finding out that my dad had cancer and that my grandmother and my grandfather were sick," he recalled. "And I’m working on my business while I’m filming, I'm worried about my family with cancer, and then coming back from the Hamptons to work during the week, it was a lot." Since leaving the show, Jordan has put his focus into his business, Gap Genius, a caption keyboard app.
With him appearing on two seasons of the popular reality show, Jordan has also branded himself as a social influencer. Some of his Instagram pictures include promotional posts where he advertises a variety of products. Though he's no longer a current show star, Jordan has the looks and experience to land himself on another show if he chooses to make a comeback.
The Mitchells vs. The Machines cast is loaded up with big name celebrities, so who are the main players? Produced by Oscar winners Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), The Mitchells vs. The Machines follows a family during a road trip from Michigan to California. Along the way, they get caught up in robot revolution and team up with their fellow humans.
The Mitchells vs. The Machines was directed by Mike Rianda, who co-wrote the animated comedy with Jeff Rowe. The storyline focuses on familial dynamics and all the personal quirks that make each individuals so unique. The filmmakers incorporated numerous Easter eggs for Netflix audiences to locate, and feature two different styles of animation for the humans vs. technology narrative.
Overall, The Mitchells vs. The Machines cast is comprised of the four focal family members, along with their "squishy" pug. In supporting roles, however, various Saturday Night Live alums deliver voice performances, in addition to some popular actors and actresses from Netflix movies and TV shows.
Abbi Jacobson voices Katie Mitchell, an 18-year-old aspiring filmmaker who produces YouTube videos starring her pug, Monchi. During a tech uprising, she channels her inner action hero. Jacobson starred as Abbi Abrams in Broad City and portrayed Jessica Baiers in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising. She also voices Bean in Disenchantment.
Danny McBride voices Rick Mitchell, Katie's father. He despises technology and isn't surprised by a robot uprising. McBride starred as Kenny Powers in Eastbound & Down and Neal Gamby in Vice Principals. He also portrayed Red in Pineapple Express and Jess Gemstone in The Righteous Gemstones.
Maya Rudolph voices Linda Mitchell, Katie's mother. She a teacher with an optimistic outlook and will defend her family at all costs. Rudolph was a Saturday Night Live cast member from 2000 to 2007. She portrayed Lillian in Bridesmaids and Petunia Leeway in Inherent Vice. She also voices Connie the Hormone Monstress in Big Mouth.
Mike Rianda voices Aaron Mitchell, Katie's younger brother. He's a dinosaur enthusiast who doesn't have strong social skills. Aside from directing The Mitchells vs. the Machines, Rianda voiced Mike in Gravity Falls.
Eric Andre voices Dr. Mark Bowman, a tech entrepreneur who created PAL Labs. He fails with his safety precautions and inadvertently causes a Pal Max uprising. Andre hosted The Eric Andre Show from 2012 to 2020 and voiced Azizi in The Lion King (2019). He also voices Luci in Disenchantment and starred as Chris Carey in the 2021 Netflix movie Bad Trip.
Olivia Colman voices PAL, a virtual assistant operating system. She leads a revolution against her creator and all humans. Colman portrayed Doris Thatcher in Hot Fuzz and Queen Anne in The Favourite. She also stars as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown and headlined The Father as Anne.
Chrissy Teigen voices Hailey Posey, the Mitchell's neighbor. Teigen is a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model and currently hosts Lip Sync Battle. She also voiced Crystal in Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation.
John Legend voices Jim Posey, Hailey's husband. Legend is a popular recording artist and the husband of the aforementioned Teigen. He portrayed Keith in La La Land and starred as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.
Charlyne Yi voices Abby Posey, Hailey and Jim's daughter who forms a bond with Aaron. Yi portrayed Jodi in Knocked Up and Dr. Chi Park in House. She also voiced Ruby in Steven Universe and Pennywhistle in the 2020 movieTrolls World Tour.
Doug the Pug voices Monchi, Katie's pet. A celebrity dog branded as "The King of Pop Culture," Doug the Pug has millions of Instagram followers, and appeared in Katy Perry's 2017 music video "Swish Swish." The Mitchells vs. the Machines marks the movie debut for the Nashville canine.
Warning: SPOILERS (from the trailers) ahead for The Handmaids Tale season 4.
After being recaptured for a short period of time, The Handmaid's Tale season 4, episode 3, "The Crossing" ends with June and Janine escaping the clutches of Aunt Lydia and making another break for freedom. But unlike previous efforts to smuggle June out of Gilead, this time they have no plan and no back-up. So, where will June and Janine go next?
The trailers for The Handmaid's Tale season 4 included some big reveals - including the fact that June will eventually make it into Canada. One trailer opens with June being interviewed as a refugee from Gilead, and asked whether she'll be "in danger of torture, a risk to your life, or a risk of cruel or unusual treatment of punishment" if she returns. Other shots show that June will be reunited with her husband, Luke Bankole, who has been caring for baby Nichole ever since she was brought across the border and into Gilead by Emily. Rather worryingly, Janine is not shown in any of these scenes set in Canada.
Before June can make it out of Gilead, the trailers indicate that she and Janine will first rendez-vous with members of Mayday and try to fight the system from within. In one shot, Janine appears to be being given firearm training, and in another clip she and June are arguing over whether or not they should join the fight. There may well be some friction between the two survivors, given that Alma, Brianna and the other handmaids were killed in the escape attempt, and they were recaptured in the first place because June gave up their safe house location.
In the immediate future, things will be very hard for June and Janine. Mayday purposefully keeps its members and safe houses a secret so that no individual member knows too much about the network, so while June knows that Mayday is somewhere "out west," finding it may be a challenge. Scenes from the trailer for The Handmaid's Tale show June in a war-torn part of the country, so she and Janine may well decide to head to the front lines in Chicago to try and find American soldiers to link up with.
In the long-term, June will never be completely free of Gilead until Hannah is out of the country and safe from a future as a wife or even a handmaid. June has already been briefly reunited with Hannah in season 4, and found that her own daughter was afraid of her because of their time apart and Gilead's brainwashing of children. The reunion will surely have only renewed June's determination to liberate her oldest daughter from Gilead, no matter what it takes.
RuPaul is expanding his queendom to Australia and New Zealand with the brand-new series RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under, and the fans are dying to get to know these queens better. After more than a decade into the Drag Race franchise, the series has yielded spin-offs such as All Stars, Drag U, Secret Celebrity Drag Race, and Vegas Revue, as well as international editions for the United Kingdom, Canada, Thailand, Spain, Holland, and now Australia and New Zealand. RuPaul has always had a close connection with Australia given that he's been in a relationship with an Australian man - who is now his husband - for nearly 30 years. Australia has also been a very welcoming country to Drag Race queens, as even the earliest world tours that came off of the show would sell out tickets in the country. Now, it's time for the world to get to know the Down Under drag performers.
From Auckland, New Zealand, Anita Wigl'it is a veteran drag queen who is ready to snatch the crown on RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under. At 31 years old, Anita is the owner of Caluzzi Cabaret and has hosted her own TV shows before, House Of Drag and Drag Wars. On Instagram, Anita has over 11,000 followers as of this writing.
28-year-old Art Simone is from Geelong, Australia. She is the current "Queen of Australia" titleholder and has been crowned the Drag Performer Of The Year for the last two consecutive years. It's no surprise that Art Simone already has 143,000 followers on Instagram before Down Under even premieres. Among her TV appearances, this queen made a cameo on The Bachelor Australia and was featured in several commercials.
Also joining this international cast of Drag Race is Coco Jumbo, who is 30 years old and lives in Sydney, Australia. This queen has won many titles in the past, such as Entertainer Of The Year in 2017 and Sydney's Favorite Showgirl in the years between 2016 and 2019. On Instagram, Coco currently has 16,000 followers.
From Auckland, New Zealand, Elektra Shock is 27 years old and is known as the Dancing Queen of Tāmaki Makaurau. She is best known for her dancing skills, which she regularly highlights on her Instagram profile.
Etcetera Etcetera is the youngest contestant in the Drag Race Down Under cast, at just 22 years old. This non-binary drag performer is from Sydney, Australia, where she is also known for being an activist. On Instagram, Etcetera has 18,000 followers right now.
Jojo Zaho is here to prove that homosexuality can also be a part of indigenous culture. She is from Newcastle, Australia, has 30 years old, and has already gotten 13,000 followers on her Instagram account. Jojo started her drag career in 2015 in response to a politician that made problematic remarks.
With 70,000 followers on Instagram, Karen From Finance is one of the most famous queens going into this season of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under. As her name would suggest, Karen's aesthetic and sense of humor are based on her "office-themed character drag" style. She is from Melbourne, Australia, but has attended DragCon events in the United States for many years now.
Kita Mean is another Down Under queen from Auckland, New Zealand. She is 34 years old and has been doing drag for many years after one night getting dressed up for New Year's Eve. Fun fact: Kita was in a drag duo with Anita Wigl'it, who is a dear friend and a close peer to her. On Instagram, Kita has nearly 17,000 followers as of this writing.
Maxi Shield has been doing drag for 23 years, making her one of the most veteran contestants on Drag Race Down Under. A queen from Sydney, Australia, Maxi worked as the official hostess for Madonna's Rebel Heart Tour and kickstarted an Olympics-like competition called Gay Games. She is also known for the "Drag Storytime" series of events where drag artists read books to kids. On Instagram, Maxi has 18,000 followers.
From Perth, Australia, Scarlet Adams works as a burlesque performer, pole dancer, and costume designer. In fact, she was the first drag queen in history to win the Miss Burlesque Australia title. Scarlet has 17,000 followers on Instagram.
The latest PC update for Crysis Remastered, Version 2.1.2, adds an "experimental" Ray Tracing Boost Mode that enables ray tracing across nearly every surface. Crytek has been working towards improving the remaster's visual quality and overall performance on all platforms since its release last year. One recent example of said improvements came via Crysis Remastered's PS5 and Xbox Series X|S upgrade that launched a few short weeks ago.
Thanks to the free next-gen update, PlayStation and Xbox Series X players can access three different graphics/performance modes - Performance, Quality, and RayTracing - each of which targets 6o frames per second. The Series S boasts the same modes, though Performance is the only one that shoots for 60fps capabilities; the other two are locked at 30fps. While the RayTracing option gives console players a bit of a lighting and reflections boost, such enhancements will now pale in comparison to what the latest PC update brings to users on higher-end platforms.
Crysis Remastered Version 2.1.2 went live today on PC. In a post on the franchise's subreddit, Community Manager Ic3man2k revealed the patch notably introduces the experimental Ray Tracing Boost Mode that adds ray-traced reflections to "nearly all surfaces in-game." Additionally, "ray randomization" enables better support of rough surfaces. And, by default, the update coats all surfaces with about 5 percent of "specular reflectance." A note from the developer explains that accessing this mode is only possible in the in-game Graphics settings menu when users activate the "Global Raytracing option." Version 2.1.2 also unleashes a host of bug fixes and changes, including the return of motion blur - disabled in 2.1.1 to combat an issue with motion blur's graphical effects.
This "fun/experimental" option, as the developer's note describes it, is targeted at players who may consider themselves ray tracing enthusiasts. Admittedly, the idea of ray-traced reflections making every in-game surface shiny sounds a bit out of left field. But if any game is going to experiment with the technique in such a manner, Crysis arguably constitutes the best choice.
Crysis Remastered launched last year on consoles and PC, Nintendo Switch included. Unfortunately, the game across all platforms had more than its fair share of issues, though consoles especially suffered due to myriad graphical issues and frame rate hiccups.
The relationship experts on Lifetime’s new show, Unmatchables, know how to cultivate a successful relationship. Not only do Dr. Viviana Coles and Pastor Calvin Roberson both have years of experience counseling couples even before doing it on TV, but they have both been married to their spouses for over ten years. When they sat down with Screen Rant, we asked them about how they met their matches. Both of them have sweet stories about how they met the loves of their lives and what it has taught them about love.
Dr. Coles worked as a relationship expert on Married at First Sight since season nine. Pastor Cal has been on the series since season four. The experts clearly enjoyed their experience trying to help people find love because now they’ve jumped onto Unmatchables, which gives them a chance to work even more hands-on with individuals. Unlike the people they set up on MAFS, the people on Unmatchables need serious interventions before they’ll be ready for a long-term relationship. But what did it take for the experts themselves to find their special someones?
Dr. Coles has been married for 14 years, but their love story started back when she and her husband were in middle school. “We actually first dated when we were in middle school. We were each other’s first kiss. We did not stay together our entire upbringing. But about 10 years later we re-met and eloped 6 months later.” Dr. Coles and her husband now have two kids. Most relationships that start when people are younger don’t pan out, but in this case, it was magical. As Dr. Coles put it, “Puppy love isn’t always puppy love.” She helps others have successful relationships in her work in relationship therapy.
Married for 13 years, Pastor Cal was smitten with his wife from the moment he saw her, but even a relationship expert can be awkward. “A mutual friend saw me creeping. I was oogling her. I was just looking at her and a mutual friend grabbed me by the arm, took me and stood me right in front of her and said, ‘You two need to meet!’ And that’s how it started.” But it wasn’t easy. His now-wife wasn’t sure about him at the start, so he worked to prove himself to her. “I was persistent and she saw my charm. And the rest is history!…I think I married up, way up!”
Everyone wants a happily ever after, whatever that looks like in their life. Pastor Cal and Dr. Coles were able to create it in their own lives and now they’re doing what they can to help other couples make it as well. Their new challenge on Unmatchables is to help people who struggle to even make it through a successful first date. With years of experience counseling couples as well as cultivating their own marriages, Pastor Cal and Dr. Coles seem to be ready for the challenge.
A talented Minecraft decorator came up with a brilliant design for a hide rug, which looks like the End Dragon’s scales. That’s quite an interesting way of turning a hard-earned battle trophy into an artistic decoration, although it is worth noting that Minecraft’s art knows no limits as demonstrated by a recent machine.
An ingenious Minecraft modder managed to turn a simple TNT block into an art-making machine, which is able to “draw” giant pictures on the surface of a flat world. The images are being created with explosions as the machine throws TNT blocks all around itself in a chaotic order, which in fact is just cleverly programmed by the player.
Reddit user named GWashingtonsGhost has put on display an intricate design of a hide carpet, which is shaped and colored after the End Dragon, the final boss in Minecraft. That is a brilliant solution to give the adventurer’s living room a more heroic look indicative of former acts of bravery. Although the room itself is yet to be finished, the rug is already tying it together. According to the author, a combination of carpets, wool blocks, and concrete powder was used to give the object some interesting texture and a feel of depth. Interestingly, the design is not completely original as the player outright admitted that it was inspired by similar creations. The gamer, however, improved upon earlier attempts by other players to make a dragon rug, enhancing the overall shape and using a richer variety of resources and details.
Some players suggested that GWashingtonsGhost could treat the Wither, another Minecraft’s boss, in a similar way, but that would’ve hardly worked. Ultimately, the spawnable three-headed monster is just used to collect specific resources and get accompanying achievements, although sometimes, a boss battle against the Wither might not go as intended. One Minecraft player decided to summon the powerful creature in the middle of the ocean so as to prevent the Wither from damaging the world. It all went wrong pretty fast, though, as the monster flew high up in the skies forcing the gamer to join a spectacular dogfight.
Although primarily a decoration, the End Dragon hide carpet is not just a boring display case for the dragon’s head but rather an interactive art object well-written in the interior. It’s also a representative case of turning an ordinary living area into a place with a unique character. Usually, Minecraft creators tend to invest their skill in perfecting the exterior of impressive builds, completely ignoring the insides of fantasy castles and mighty strongholds. Hopefully, GWashingtonsGhost’s inventive example will inspire gamers to decorate their projects appropriately.
The recent reunion episode of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers took an entire month to shoot, says the series’ executive producer, Steven Brill. Now halfway through the 10-episode arc of its first season, the new Mighty Ducks series has been receiving favorable reviews from both fans and critics alike, ushering in a new era for the celebrated franchise.
It’s been more than 30 years since the first Mighty Ducks film arrived, kicking off a franchise that became so popular it even influenced the creation of a professional hockey team. With three films to its credit, the concept has also been turned into an animated series, video games, theme park attractions, comic books and more. Throughout all of this, the franchise has never been particularly well-received among critics, and because of this, its celebrated status is so much more impressive. It was due to the devotion of fans that Disney made the decision to bring the franchise back – this time as a TV series. Enlisting the aid of Emilio Estevez, who starred in all three films as Coach Bombay, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers has already become a welcome return to form and yet another hit for Disney+.
In Spirit of the Ducks, the most recent episode of Game Changers, members of the film version of the original Mighty Ducks team will return. According to ET Online, Elden Henson, Matt Doherty, Vinny La Russo, Marguerite Moreau, Garette Henson and Justin Wong will join Estevez’ Gordon Bombay on the series for a special gala honoring the ice hockey team’s past, present and future. And while this is great news for long-time fans of the film franchise, the amount of work it took just to get Spirit of the Ducks off the ground was considerably more than most TV series’ face. Said Brill:
The Mighty Ducks reunion was something we have been planning for a long time. From the minute we knew we were going to do 10 episodes, it was a question of figuring out how many of the old Ducks we could get back into the flock. I think had COVID not hit, we would've had different ways to have more Mighty Ducks characters coming in and out of the show throughout the 10 episodes we shot. With the restrictions of COVID, we were constrained to using a certain amount of Ducks in the course of one episode, which actually took a month to shoot.
There’s no doubt that Covid has created a continuous struggle for productions of all sizes, but the fact that the Mighty Ducks reunion episode could have potentially included more characters from the original film had it not been for the pandemic is unfortunate. Still, fans can remain content to know that there is a reunion episode, and considering the favorable reviews the show has been getting so far, there’s a strong possibility that a second season of Game Changers will be in the cards. Of course, a second season hasn’t been confirmed at this point, but Disney clearly wants the decades old franchise to continue to grow, and this first season proves the demand for The Mighty Ducks is still strong.
It’s hard to say just how much of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers’ current fanbase is made up of those who have been following the franchise from the beginning. With its new cast and different approach to the Mighty Ducks mythology, there’s definitely a new generation of fans in 2021, and if the series continues to do well, it’s hard to imagine Disney not moving forward with a new film at some point. All of this is conjecture, but it’s worth remembering that the reason the film series came to an end was due to lack of interest. If that interest is reignited once again, then the sky very well could be the limit.
For a story about a horrific subject matter, Spontaneous ends on a cautiously optimistic note. Although it never answers any pressing questions, the dark comedy guides its heroine Mara (Katherine Langford) away from a terrifying situation few of friends escaped from. Here's a look at everything that happens in Spontaneous' ending.
Based on the book of the same name by Aaron Starmer, the movie follows a love story amidst a horrifying phenomenon. Mara and Dylan (Charlie Plummer) meet and instantly fall for each other during their senior year of high school. As their young love begins to blossom, a terrifying occurrence begins to take place suddenly among their classmates — members of the senior class begin to spontaneously combust with absolutely no explanation at all. Mara and Dylan have to fight to survive in a situation that is completely out of their control.
Despite the fact that Spontaneous's characters are exploding around them, Dylan and Mara manage to fall in love with each other while somehow managing to avoid exploding. But tragically, near the end of Spontaneous's ending, Dylan combusts right before Mara's eyes. Mara understandably spirals after Dylan's sudden death and pushes her friends and family away. But after a meaningful conversation with Dylan's mom, Mara sets off after graduation to live the life that Dylan would have wanted for her.
In Spontaneous, the phenomenon of the exploding students takes the nation by storm. One student explodes in the beginning of the film, and an increasing number of spontaneous combustions follow. Things get to the point that federal agents swarm the town and isolate the students in order to keep the rest of the school safe from a potentially contagious disease. Despite the fact that agents believe they have found a solution to the problem, a domino effect of mass combustions takes place during Spontaneous's climax, further devastating the town. As Katherine Langford states in Mara's monologue during the movie's final scenes, the combustions stop just as suddenly as they started. Ultimately, no one ever figured out what caused them in the first place.
While the lack of answers may make for a frustrating viewing experience, the truth of the matter is that the reason behind the combustions actually doesn't matter. Spontaneous is more about the lesson learned from those random explosions than why they happened. The book adaptation takes a drastic approach to the idea that tomorrow isn't guaranteed and underscores why it's important to live with that concept in mind before it's too late. The surviving students in Spontaneous are sure to take that message with them after the events of the horror-comedy movie.
Once the combustions grow out of control in the horror-comedy, the authorities intervene in the hopes of saving the surviving students. Agents quarantine the remaining students and begin drug trials to suppress the explosions. Students are subjected to a series of failed tests until one seems to finally do the trick. The drug is nicknamed "the Snooze Button" as it delays students from exploding. Unfortunately, the first batch of the Snooze Button drug is defective and eventually leads to about a dozen students exploding within a matter of minutes. Mara reveals in her final monologue that the government claims the drug is truly effective, but they just got the first batch manufactured. As the explosions suddenly stop for no reason, it's hard to say whether or not it was the drug really did the trick. Yet that just reinforces Spontaneous's message of seizing the day. The Snooze Button may or may not have helped and will continue to help the remaining students survive, so they need to continue to live each day like it's their last.
Both Mara and Dylan survived the initial round of explosions. That gave them the opportunity to fall deeper in love with one another. They confided in each other about their plans after high school and Dylan even told Mara he loved her. But Dylan was tragically a victim in the final wave of spontaneous combustions. As it happened right before Mara's eyes, she was initially inconsolable. She couldn't leave bed for days and once she could, she turned to alcohol to cope. She essentially became a functioning addict, stealing alcohol in order to numb the pain. Making it worse is that the combustions in Spontaneous became known as the "Covington Curse." As Mara was the only person present for multiple explosions, she and her classmates became convinced the may have been the curse herself. Those accusations only pushed her spiral further.
Dylan's sudden death reminded her that nearly all of her friends were gone, as well. For a while, Mara didn't want to live anymore, herself, lost in her understandable grief and depression. Things changed when she ran into Dylan's mom at his grave. The two had a meaningful conversation about how much they missed Dylan, which caused her to finally acknowledge her feelings. Once Mara let herself feel everything she had been pushing down, she finally began to heal. That put her on the path to climbing out of her despair and trying to live again.
Once the combustions stop with no explanation, Mara decides to move on. She takes Dylan's old car and hits the road. But what happens after that isn't quite clear. Kathering Langford's Mara delivers a monologue that ultimately has a note of hope, declaring that after the tragic events at their school, her future is her own, even in her heartbreak. She imagines a life in which she can spend her days with her best friend, find success in a future career, fall in love and get married. Ultimately, Mara made the active decision to be happy and optimistic about her future, while always keeping the memory of Dylan with her. Her realization is the culmination of Spontaneous's overall theme. And while the idea of living like there's no tomorrow is a well-known concept, Spontaneous takes that concept to an extreme by showing people's lives cut unexpectedly short right at the point at which their entire lives are still ahead of them. The students who survive got to see firsthand just how precious life is. Thematically, it could also be seen as an allegorical story about the emotional intensity of the teenage years and how things like breakups can feel utterly devastating and life-ending during high school. Eventually, however, life moves on.
It's also important that there is no explanation for why some students combusted and others survived. The show doesn't explain it, and that's the point: Sometimes, awful things just happen and there's no reason for it. A person can either learn to accept the things that have happened in their lives after their grief and choose to move on (or at least, seek help to), or they can dwell in the past forever and allow tragedy to break them. While Mara's final monologue is a little too on the nose, she still summarizes this idea quite nicely. Spontaneous encourages its audience to live every day as if they could literally spontaneously combust at any moment. Living with no wasted time opens up a world of possibilities, just as Mara sees for herself at the end of Spontaneous.
Yasukehas now officially been added to the growing list of Netflix's original anime. Yasuke tells the story of a boatman, previously known as the Black Samurai, who returns to a life of violence in order to protect a girl with mystical powers. The series has been long-awaited by fans who have been asking for more Black representation in anime for a long time. Despite the sci-fi and fantasy elements, Yasuke is named for and based on the true story of one of the very few foreign Japanese samurai to ever exist. So what is the story of the true Yasuke, and what happened to him?
Yasuke's story unfolded during the Sengoku period of Japanese history, a period of about 150 years where Japan was in a constant state of civil war, upheaval, and strife thanks to the collapse of its feudal system in the mid-1400s. After that, samurai warlords and various clans fought for control of territory in the sudden power vacuum. Meanwhile, rebellious groups of Japanese citizens known as Ikkō-ikki cropped up to fight against samurai rule. When Europeans started arriving in Japan in the mid-1500s, it threw things into even further turmoil.
Yasuke, voiced by Lakeith Stanfield of Judas and the Black Messiah, first arrived in Japan in 1579 with an Italian Jesuit named Alessandro Valignano. There is very little information on Yasuke's life before Japan, but it's speculated that he came from Mozambique, Ethiopia, or South Sudan. When he was presented to Oda Nobunaga, a Japanese damiyō (one of those powerful feudal samurai lords), Nobunaga was immediately enamored with Yasuke. Yasuke entered Nobunaga's service, likely as a bodyguard, and rose to the honored rank of samurai in 1581. Only a year later Nobunaga was forced to commit ritualistic suicide in the form of seppuku during a coup staged by his formerly trusted general, Akechi Mitsuhide. After Nobunaga's death, Yasuke continued to serve Nobunaga's son, Nobutada.
During his service to Nobutada, Yasuke served to defend the castle that Nobutada inherited from his father against Mitsuhide's forces. Unfortunately, their forces were eventually overwhelmed, and Nobutada committed seppuku just as his father had. Yasuke was captured by Mitsuhide, and that's where the historical records become speculative. There are multiple theories surrounding what ultimately happened to Yasuke after his capture.
Ultimately, Yasuke was exiled to the Jesuit mission in Kyoto by Mitsuhide. Because recordings of Yasuke's life end at this point, historians can only speculate on why. Some say he was exiled because he surrendered his sword instead of committing seppuku. Others theorize that Mitsuhide claimed that Yasuke was more beast than a man because of his origins and that he took pity on him because of this and spared his life, sending him to the Jesuits instead. Another running theory is that Mitsuhide feared killing Yasuke would tarnish his reputation with the Jesuits, so he sent Yasuke back to their church instead. Written records on this era of Japan are scant, which means we may never know for sure why Yasuke was exiled or what his post-samurai life was like.
While Yasuke is only loosely based on the true story (there are robots, after all) the anime serves to bring this nearly-forgotten historical figure back into the modern discourse. Fans are hopeful that Yasukeis only the beginning when it comes to Black representation in anime. So far, no official announcement has been made on a second season.
Warning: major spoilers ahead for Batman/Superman #17!
DC Comic's new Penguin is transformed into an actual bat-eating monster in the newest issue of Batman/Superman. This comic has asked questions like what would happen if Batman and Superman never met and what if Lois Lane never met Superman. It also addresses what new threats Batman and Superman could face in their own alternate realities.
The Penguin is one of Batman's most well-known villains. Debuting in Detective Comics #58 in 1941, Oswald Cobblepot has always been a subject of mockery to people. His height, nose, and build have caused him to be bullied, eventually causing him to become a villain. The Penguins often uses money as an influencing power and has even tried to run for mayor. He is the kind of villain who always wants respect and strives toward upward mobility after the degradation he dealt with in his youth. The character is easily recognizable though Batman/Superman #17 has created a new iteration.
Batman/Superman #17 by Gene Luen Yang and Ivan Reis takes the Penguin, and a couple of other villains, and turns them into experimental monsters. In Batman's reality where Superman never made it to Earth, Penguin is still locked up in Arkham Asylum, with a couple of cellmates. Not having Superman around didn't change the villain's fall into crime, but it does change the people who are able to have access to him. The inmates of Arkham Asylum are under the watch of a man known as the Warden, who is none other than Lex Luthor himself. Luthor cloned Penguin and his cellmates, using them to experiment on. Now, in this issue, they are making their villainous - and monstrous - debut. As a result of Luthor's experiments, a more menacing version of the Penguin has been created.
This version of the Penguin is a massive monster whose sole purpose in the issue is to fight Batman when the Dark Knight and his companions reach the Spider's Nest - Spider Lady's headquarters. He has been turned into a hulking mass with horrifyingly enhanced penguin-esque features. His hair has grown out from his head to his back, making him look more like his namesake bird. His beak-like nose appears even larger and sharper in proportion to his face. His teeth are larger, though not sharpened, which is only a small relief. His three-fingered, webbed hands have also been enlarged. Penguin has become a behemoth of evil ready to devour his usual foe - Batman.
While it is no surprise that the Penguin would still be a prominent villain in a world where Batman is the main hero, it IS surprising that Superman's absence had an effect on Batman's rogues gallery. Due to Metropolis becoming a crime-ridden cesspool, it is easier for some characters to reach new levels of villainy - like in the case of Lex Luthor. Superman is still his obsession, but in a different way, and now he has new resources for his schemes. He found the spaceship that Superman was in, but the Kryptonian didn't survive the trip.
Instead of building himself power suits and robots, Lex Luthor has a different focus and arguably more evil aspects. Without Superman, Batman's villains are not their usual selves - they are tools to be turned into more grotesque versions. Batman doesn't have a better handle on his villains either, since they're being duplicated in the one place that serves as their prison. DC Comics has lots of new tricks up their sleeves with this Batman-only alternate reality where even the Penguin can't escape Superman's existential influence.
