Month: June 2021

Joe Biden arrived in the UK on Wednesday, marking his first overseas trip as president. One of the main goals of his trip is to let European leaders know that America is back after Donald Trump mocked our closest allies and promoted an “America First” agenda during his presidency.

The White House says this trip will focus on America’s commitment to rallying world democracies and defending shared values.

He’ll participate in the G7 and NATO summits and meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his trip.

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First Lady Dr. Jill Biden backed up the president’s message of unity on Thursday by wearing a black jacket with the word “LOVE” emblazoned on the back when the couple met with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife, Carrie.

When asked about the meaning of the jacket, Dr. Biden didn’t mince words.

Q: “Can you explain the message on the back of your jacket?”

.@FLOTUS Jill Biden: “Oh, the love? I think that we’r… https://t.co/a00eXdpLe7

— CSPAN (@cspan)
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“I think that we’re bringing love from America,” she told reporters. “This is a global conference, and we’re trying to bring unity across the globe. And I think that’s important right now that people feel a sense of unity for all the countries and feel a sense of hope after this year of the pandemic.”

If the jacket looks familiar, it’s the same one she wore two years ago to kick off her husband’s presidential campaign.

This isn’t the first time Dr. Biden has sent a direct message through her clothing. Last year, during a campaign trip to Iowa she wore black skinny jeans with the word “VOTE” written on each calf.

It’s hard not to juxtapose Dr. Jill Biden’s message of “LOVE” with a notorious jacket worn by former First Lady Melania Trump in 2018 that read: “I really don’t care, do u?”

Trump wore the jacket while visiting children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. The message appeared to be incredibly callous given the Trump administration’s cruel treatment of migrant children.

Former First Lady Melania Trump with her “I really don’t care, do u?” jacket vs. current First Lady Jill Biden with… https://t.co/tExU7hITfs

— Emily C Rodvold (@EmilyC_R)
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A spokesperson for the former First Lady said that she hadn’t intended to send a secret message through her jacket. Her husband later tweeted that the message was directed at the press.

President Biden shared his message of unity during a speech at the Royal Air Force Mildenhall on Wednesday.

“We’re going to make it clear that the United States is back and democracies of the world are standing together to tackle the toughest challenges and the issues that matter most to our future,” the president said. “Our alliances weren’t built by coercion or maintained by threats. They’re grounded in democratic ideals, a shared vision of the future, where every voice matters.”

Before his speech, Dr. Biden made some remarks about supporting the U.S. military and their families. She got a big laugh from the crowd when she demanded her distracted husband “pay attention” to her speech.

Most principals give heartfelt speeches to the outgoing senior class at high school graduations. Most principals do not, however, sing a heartfelt song to them as they prepare to make their way in the world.

North Carolina principal Marcus Gause did just that, singing an impressive rendition of “I Will Always Love You”—a song written by Dolly Parton but most famously performed by Whitney Houston—to the students leaving his care. Not only is his a capella perfomance at the podium sweet, but the man can seriously sing.

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In North Carolina, this principal stood at the podium on Graduation Day.

Instead of just a speech, he performed Wh… https://t.co/EmmHpdTBDo

— Goodable (@Goodable)
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The graduating class of T. Wingate Andrews High School in High Point cheered on their principal as he crooned to them and pointed to them repeatedly, changing the words “my darling, you” to “my Red Raiders, you.” They knew he was singing directly to them as he sang, “I hope you have all you’ve dreamed of, and I wish you joy and happiness. But above all this, I wish you love.”

Even North Carolina’s Attorney General, Johs Stein, praised Gause’s performance, tweeting, “Mr. Gause has just raised the stakes for every NC principal this graduation season,” North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein tweeted Wednesday.

Gause told ABC News that he was a bit nervous because “nobody sings behind Whitney Houston and the greats like Dolly Parton.” However, he said, “the lyrics were really what I was trying to portray to my students.”

“One of the things that the pandemic has really taught us is that we need more love, that students know that we love and care for them,” he added.

Indeed. Beautiful performance with a beautiful message for your students, Principal Gause.

Principal sings ‘I Will Always Love You’ in farewell to students | WNT

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In the midst of the Summer Game Fest kickoff, Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red quietly let it slip that its February data breach was quite a bit more damaging to the company — and it’s employees — than previously thought. While the studio previously stated the code source for both The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 had been stolen during the cyber attack, the company now has reason to believe the stolen information is now circulating the internet and is not solely related to its games, but rather contains “current/former employee and contractor details in addition to data related to [their] games.”

In an effort to put an end to this breach, CD Projekt is reportedly “working together with an extensive network of appropriate services, experts, and law enforcement agencies, including the General Police Headquarters of Poland.” The company also confirmed it has contacted both Interpol and Europol to help with the investigation.

Furthermore, CD Projekt included a list of actions its taken to prevent a data breach from happening again, including an IT infrastructure redesign, a new “remote-access solution,” a limitation on several account’s access, an internal security team expansion, and more. The developer is also assuring former employees and “involved parties” — most likely referring to contracted workers and various PR contacts — it will be doing “everything in its power” to protect their privacy as the details of the breach unfold.

“We would also like to state that — regardless of the authenticity of the data being circulated — we will do everything in our power to protect the privacy of our employees, as well as all other involved parties. We are committed and prepared to take action against parties sharing the data in question.”

It is officially video game trailer season! For a long time, this time of year was dominated by E3. Game developers from all over the world would head to Los Angeles so they could show their games, but as time has gone on, many developers have realized they didn’t need to be a part of E3 to showcase their games. Companies like Nintendo, EA, and Sony have started to do events away from E3, choosing to host their own or hold a virtual showcase of trailers.

Geoff Keighley, the host of The Game Awards, decided to start his own event. Summer Game Fest, a competitor to E3, is an event for developers to show off their games. It features interviews with some of those developers, gameplay, and even a concert or two. It all started on Thursday with Summer Game Fest Kickoff Live.

Games were coming at us left and right. Some of the announcements were gigantic, while others were smaller, but all of them were equally important. The best part of this time of year is there’s very little to be negative about. It’s all exciting! Here’s what we learned from the Summer Game Fest Kickoff Live event.

Elden Ring

For some people, this has been a video game years in the making. Elden Ring is a game created by A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin and Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki. The trailer itself looks very similar to Dark Souls, and for some, that might be a turnoff because those games can be intensely difficult. However, that’s not going to be enough to stop people from experiencing a game made by those two. It was a game that some fans were worried was never going to come because it sounded more like rumors than anything else, except it’s real, and now we have a January 2022 release date. This was how Summer Game Fest capped off the event, and what a finale it was.

Death Stranding Director’s Cut

When Death Stranding came out, it wasn’t exactly a beloved title. Many people were frustrated by the gameplay mechanics. It was commonly called a “walking simulator” and the plot was kind of absurd. Well, for anyone that wanted to see if developer Hideo Kojima had more to say about it, he did. A director’s cut is on the way and the teaser trailer for it was legitimately the funniest moment of the entire showcase. Metal Gear Solid fans in particular will love it.

Back 4 Blood

Left 4 Dead spiritual successor Back 4 Blood had a new teaser trailer get shown during the event and that was exciting for a multitude of reasons. Anyone that’s been excited to play some new Left 4 Dead has been eagerly anticipating this title’s release, and this trailer has it all. Gameplay, some scenes showing how powerful the engine can be, and of course, an October release date. Back 4 Blood looks better every time we see it.

Solar Ash

Most of the indie games that were being showcased during Summer Game Fest would be shown during the Day of the Devs portion of the stream that followed the kickoff, but Solar Ash was a part of the main show and we can see why. This beautiful and interesting-looking world has an incredible art style and extremely intriguing gameplay. This is a game that we can’t wait to see more of soon.

Tales of Arise

The Tales of… games are extremely popular and for good reason. These JRPG’s are classics and beloved by fans worldwide. The latest gameplay trailer may be a little too anime for some, but fans of the series are going to love the gameplay teasers that were throughout the trailer. This looks to be one of the more fast-paced games in the series which is going to add some real intensity to combat.

Concerts and non-stop trailers

One aspect of Summer Game Fest that was a little odd was the random concerts thrown in during the event. Weezer played a new song and advertised that it can be played on streaming services like Twitch without being DMCA’d.

In one sense, these random concerts were a little odd, but the speed of the event was incredibly fast. There was little time to breathe during announcements which at times made it all feel very overwhelming. These concerts ended up being nice break to reflect on everything they’ve seen so far.

Crossovers

There were a lot of crossovers shown during the event — Gen: Lock and Paladins, Fall Guys and Nier Automata, Smite and Stranger Things, Fast & Furious and Rocket League. One of the best ways to bring fans of a series into a new one is to have a crossover and Summer Game Fest was proof of how many licenses and companies are getting into this idea.

How is the event compared to E3?

There were A LOT of video games in the opening showcase of Summer Game Fest, so much so that everything above isn’t even a third of all the trailers we’ve seen. This is great, because it means everyone can go back and see even more video games to get excited about.

The big question is how does all of this compare to E3? Honestly, it doesn’t feel that different. It will maybe feel bigger and more different next year when these events are back to being in-person, but as far as a hosted event showing off game trailers, that’s exactly what we expect out of E3. Of course, most people don’t really care if it’s called E3, Summer Game Fest, or a Direct. They just want to see video games and that’s what Summer Game Fest did best. It showed us the video games we wanted to see. So for that reason, it’s a success so far.

Although being a musician seems like a much less physically demanding job than, say, being a professional athlete, in many ways, both demand a similar dedication to fitness for a practitioner to really excel. For instance, Lizzo has detailed her strength-training-and-cardio-heavy workout routine a few times (playing flute, dancing, singing, and rapping all require a LOT of lung capacity), while any number of rappers hit the basketball court to stay in shape when they’re not on tour. However, one performer elicited an amused reaction on Twitter when a video of her routine surfaced on social media.

Summer Walker appeared in a video going through a boxing routine at the gym putting in what looks like less than a hundred percent effort as she punches her trainer’s gloves in practically slow motion while being goaded by a friend off-camera who calls her a “grandma” and notes she has a lot of videos to get ready to shoot in coming months. While Summer is generally less dynamic on stage than many peers, her lackadaisical effort amused fans who brought out a wealth of jokes to tease the singer’s uninspired swings.

For what it’s worth, though, it’s only a clip of one workout, so for all we know this could have been a light day, the end of a more vigorous routine, or a warmup before she got into more intensive exercises. Heck, even light or slow activity can be beneficial over time; many trainers will start clients off with light exercises to ease them into tougher workouts down the line. Either way, it seems that Summer is gearing up to get back out into the world with new music and a fitter physique after having her first child and taking music by storm with her first two albums.

All of us face challenges in life, but some people also face challenges to life itself. For 30-year-old singer Jane Marczweski, who goes by Nightbirde when she sings, those challenges are real and immediate in the form of her third round of cancer. Prior to her America’s Got Talent audition, scans showed cancer in her lungs, spine, and liver. Her prognosis was daunting—six months to live and a two percent chance of survival.

But to hear her tell it, that small chance is a gift. And hearing her sing about the last year of her life is enough to inspire even the most cynical among us.

She doesn’t mention it on the show, but her husband also left her in the midst of her cancer journey. In her blog, she writes powerfully and poetically about these struggles, describing her hours spent curled up on the bathroom floor and the raw, painful conversations with God that have ultimately strengthened her faith. Her positive outlook has been hard-won, which makes it all the more relatable.

As she told the judges of America’s Got Talent, “It’s important that everyone knows that I’m so much more than the bad things that happen to me.” She also said, “You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy”—a philosophy that actually means something coming from someone in the depths of heartbreak and hardship.

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Nightbirde’s performance of her original song, “It’s OK,” created one of the most moving moments in the history of a show known for moving moments. When you get notoriously hard-nosed Simon Cowell wiping the corners of his eyes, you know you’ve hit a universal emotional chord. And when he gives the Golden Buzzer, automatically moving a performer to the final round of competition, you know you’ve truly got talent.

Moreso than the thunderous applause or even the judges’ glowing remarks, the weighty pause before the audience erupts in a standing ovation testifies to the power of her performance. Her clear voice, authentic presence, bright smile, and upbeat attitude all come together perfectly here:

Golden Buzzer: Nightbirde’s Original Song Makes Simon Cowell Emotional – America’s Got Talent 2021

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The video has gone incredibly viral, and Nightbirde woke up today to her song hitting number one on iTunes.

“Living in a dreamland,” she wrote on Instagram as she shared a screenshot of the iTunes song chart.

Nightbirde spoke to NBC4i News in her native state of Ohio to discuss the Golden Buzzer moment and her cancer experience. She said it was just over a year ago that she was given a prognosis of three to six months.

“I’ve been on a really hard journey,” she said, “and a lot of that journey I’ve walked alone, or at least in secret. There’s a lot of hard battles you fight within yourself to be positive and stay present in the world, even when it hurts really bad to do that.”

When asked about the overwhelming response to her song. “It’s really amazing to see the lessons that I’ve learned and the person that I’ve become…it’s now able to be a gift to other people.”

And she shared the beautiful story of how she chose her professional name, Nightbirde. Definitely worth a watch:

You can find the recorded version of Nightbird’s song, “It’s OK,” on YouTube and iTunes. You can also follow her on Instagram.

As the streaming giant continues to draw eyes this week with its “Geeked Week” event, Netflix officially launched its first online store on Thursday, which will feature limited edition items from some of its hit original series. The streaming service announced its plans for Netflix merch shop in a blog post on its official site.

“We love it when great stories transcend screens and become part of people’s lives,” Consumer Products VP Josh Simon wrote. “We’re always looking at how we can extend the world of our stories for fans, from apparel and toys to immersive events and games. And it’s why today we’re launching Netflix.shop as an exciting new destination combining curated products and rich storytelling in a uniquely Netflix shopping experience.”

As of now, the merchandise is only available in the U.S. and has a very small selection of items. However, Netflix.shop’s offerings will expand to series like Bridgerton, Money Heist, The Witcher and Stranger Things as the streaming giant takes a cautious approach to not over-extending itself on product spending. Via Deadline:

Netflix plans to look to compress the development cycle and more nimbly and selectively leverage titles delivered by the company’s massive content machine. As certain shows or films gain traction, as evidenced by indicators like social media buzz, the company hopes to be able to quickly cash in on customer appetites.

Netflix.shop is apparently open for business, but again, its selection is mostly limited to merchandise for the Yasuke and Eden anime series. Lupin throw pillows will reportedly be available, but as of this writing, they’re not appearing on the merch site. Yet.

(Via Netflix)

After years of anticipation, we now have a full trailer and release date for Elden Ring, the upcoming action RPG from developer FromSoftware (Dark Souls, Demon Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice…) and A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin. First announced in 2019, this full reveal comes as a part of the Summer Games Fest Kickoff livestream, which started earlier today and is running throughout the month. Elden Ring comes to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on January 21, 2022.

Based on the above trailer, Elden Ring looks like what we’ve come to expect from FromSoftware, with environments equal parts intricate and endless, a gothic aura, colossal monsters, and grueling combat. In addition, it appears that the game will feature FromSoftware’s unique multiplayer element that allows players to jump into games and assist fellow heroes, as well as leave helpful (or perhaps mischievous) messages for other players to read.

However, it’s clear Elden Ring will be quite a bit bigger than their previous entries, making us extra thankful for the ability to ride mounts while traversing the doomed-looking land filled with werewolves and other big baddies. With Game of Thrones’ George R.R. Martin assisting with the game’s narrative, we’re expecting even more deep lore and tragedy than ever before, which is saying a lot. And hey, here’s hoping the game’s not-so-far-off release date means Martin is now freed up to get back to A Song of Ice and Fire, the keyword here being “hoping.”

Tyler The Creator has long been known for his unconventional approach to making and promoting his new music, from pretending to eat a roach in the self-produced “Yonkers” video that introduced him to the world, to adopting the Andy Warhol-esque alter ego that marked his Igor era. Now, fans are convinced he’s promoting the follow-up to Igor thanks to a massive pastel billboard in Hollywood leading to a cryptic message from Tyler and — of all people — his mom.

As you can see, the billboard exhorts passersby to “call me if you get lost” with a phone number appended. Dialing the number leads to a recording of Tyler’s mom boasting about her fighting ways. “I’d kill a mothaf*cka over this one right here, n****,” she proclaims. “I’d stand in front of a bullet, on god, over this one. My son used to record me beating *itches’ ass.” Tyler can be heard affirming these statements before she continues, “I would beat your whole family and didn’t give a f*ck. They’d be like, ‘Tyler’s mama crazy. Tyler’s mama crazy.’ Yep. F*ck with my kid. Tyler would be like, ‘Get ’em, mom.’ They’d be like, ‘No, don’t do it.’”

At the very end of the recording, some music starts to play and it’s very much in the mode of the synth-heavy style that has defined Tyler’s music since Cherry Bomb. The conjunction has fans convinced that the rollout to a new Tyler The Creator album has begun, but with Tyler, anything is possible. Check out the audio above.

Infinite (Paramount+ film) — As hard as it might seem to believe, Mark Wahlberg stabs an airplane in this summer blockbuster movie, directed by Antoine Fuqua, that’s coming straight to your living room tonight. Wahlberg is going up against reincarnated warriors known as “Infinites,” and he might be having flashbacks from multiple lives as well. He’s self-medicating, too, and driving a motorcycle off a cliff, so yeah, get your microwave popcorn ready.

Starstruck: Season 1 Premiere (HBO Max series) — Comedian Rose Matafeo stars in this comedy show about a young London woman who’s juggling two dead-end jobs and accidentally sleeping with a famous movie star, portrayed by Nikesh Patel. What could have been an amusing anecdote ends up being much more than that, and the cast also includes Sindhu Vee, Emma Sidi, and Minnie Driver.

Full Bloom: Season 2 Premiere (HBO Max series) — The botannical-battle series returns with a whole new crop of up-and-coming florists from around the U.S. They’ll leap into individual and team challenges to highlight their vibrant creative visions and compete for a $100,000 nest egg to jumpstart their own business.

Trese (Netflix series) — The anime game grows bolder on this streaming service with a Manila-set series where mythical Philippine creatures (who are both malevolent and of supernatural nature) live among unaware humans. The title character, a detective named Alexandra Trese, finds herself going up against these creatures, who are apparently the rulers of the criminal underworld.

The Cube (TBS, 9:00pm) — The so-called “World’s Toughest Gameshow” is jumping across the pond with Dwayne Wade as host of the U.S. incarnation. He will preside over 15-square feet of plexiglass, which will hold contestants while they attempt epic challenges that would otherwise be simple tasks.

Rebel (ABC, 9:00pm & 10:00) — A double-dose of rebellion arrives with Rebel’s personal life making the headlines, and then she, Cruz, Lana, and Ziggy bring the Stonemore Medical case to a conclusion.

From Cradle To Stage (Paramount+ series) — This Dave Grohl-directed series follows Dave and his mom, Virginia, meeting up with another artist and their mom each week.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — USAID Administrator, Samantha Power, Maroon 5, Seth Rogen

The Late Late Show With James Corden — Desus & Mero, Mother Mother

In case you missed these streaming picks last Thursday:

We Are Lady Parts: Season 1 (Peacock series) — A Muslim female post-punk band called Lady Parts looks for a lead guitarist in this subversive series, which follows the ups and downs of the group as they seek a real gig. A geeky, hard-sciences Ph.D. recruit named Amina Hussain ends up being the unlikely lucky lady to pick up the ax, and she’s soon swept up into the group’s anarchic energy. Naturally, Amina’s caught between two worlds, that of her conservative friends and the irresistible lure of the band’s joyful spirit. Together, they’re fearless, rowdy, and sexual and every ultra-religious family’s nightmare. As a show, it’s silly and irreverent and inspiring; for sure, you’ve never seen women like quite this on your TV screen.

Why Women Kill: Season 2 (Paramount+ series) — This round of new episodes is set in 1949 and digs into the meaning of beauty, along with an exploration of the masks people wear for the world and exactly what extravagant lengths one women will go to while attempting to match society’s expectations.