Chris Pine has a whole lot of love for his latest film, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. While the actor is no stranger to playing brash adventure heroes thanks to his role as Captain James Kirk in the latest Star Trek films, there’s just something special about D&D that Pine can’t stop revisiting. Namely, that it’s a stark contrast to the real world, which has been pretty crappy lately.
“I’ve seen this film probably more than I’ve seen many of my other films because I love watching it with an audience,” Pine told Variety at the Hollywood premiere. “To come out and see audience’s faces, you see exactly what cinema should do, which is people are, like, alive. They want to talk about it. They’re in a great mood. The world is so sh*tty so why not use this vehicle — big budget cinema — to make people feel better.”
Pine plays the dashing rogue Edgin in the film, and he was particularly drawn to the ’80s vibes that came with the role:
“I’m an ‘80s baby. So all of my references were ‘80s. So this movie to me was like ‘Goonies,’ ‘NeverEnding Story,’ it was a bit of ‘Indiana Jones.’ Fast forward, and maybe it’s a bit of ‘Pirates.’ All kind of mashed together with his big heart. That really more than anything is what I loved about it. I felt like it was just really honest, it was sweet.”
According to Pine, movies could use a little more sweet, presumably to make up for the aforementioned sh*tty-ness.
“Sweet has gotten a bad rap,” Pine told Variety. “Everything’s got to be really cool nowadays, and I’m really over cool. I think cool is super boring. I want something that’s genuine.”
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves rolls into theaters on March 31.
Broadcasters who have to report on tragedies as they are happening have a tough job. On the one hand, they have to maintain their professionalism and inform the public of what’s happening in a factual way. On the other hand, they’re still human and sometimes humanity trumps the traditional perception of what’s “professional.”
Such was the case for WTVA meteorologist Matt Laubhan, who found himself live on the air staring at a radar scan of a deadly tornado as it moved towards the small town of Amory, Mississippi. He, more than anyone, understood the severity of the situation, and he did his best to convey that to his viewers.
“This is a strong, life-threatening tornado that’s going to move either extremely close to Amory or in through the northern part of the city of Amory.”
He added, “Y’all trust me too much,” explaining that people sometimes take his predictions of where the tornado will go as hard fact, but the reality is that tornados can change directions at any time. “So Amory, we need to be in our tornado safe place,” he said.
Just after he told people they needed to be in their shelters, a new scan came in that clearly affected him.
“North side of Amory, this is coming in,” he said. And then the reality of how strong the tornado was clearly hit. “Oh, man,” he said, leaning down on the table with his hand over his mouth. After a deep breath, he stood and said a brief prayer—”Dear Jesus, please help them. Amen.”—before continuing to explain where the tornado looked like it was going to track.
“I can’t say that I was intending on praying,” he said. “It was kind of a situation where we knew that something extremely bad was happening, and we knew that it was possible, maybe even probable, that people were being hurt and about to die. I’m very rarely at a loss for words, and I was feeling a little bit overwhelmed, honestly. And it just kind of came out.”
He added that many people who were watching live have told him his spontaneous prayer helped them to “realize the seriousness of the situation.”
After one commenter on Twitter said that the meteorologist “should have been focused 100% on his weatherman job at that point,” others chimed in to support Laubhan’s display of compassion and humanity—including many who are not people of faith themselves.
“I’m not a believer. He’s just having a human reaction,” wrote one person. “There’s nothing else he could’ve done in that moment. Let him cope how he can. From the short clip it seems he takes his job incredibly seriously. The two seconds it took to say that are inconsequential.”
“It’s his genuine human reaction to what he knows is going to be a horrible event,” wrote another. “He’s warned people, can physically do no more, so he draws on his faith. I don’t pray, exactly, because I don’t believe in Micromanager God, but I do think positivity helps even if only the doer.”
“I’m not a believer but positive vibes are positive vibes,” wrote another. “It was well meant. Give him a break, people.”
“Not religious but I found this very touching and showing true concern for people,” shared another.
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Resident Leah Ann Hubbard told The Independent how helpful Laubhan’s reporting was as she prepared for the tornado.
“Everybody watches him around here to find out if they need to shelter for a tornado,” she said, adding that his urgency made her think, “Hmmm, maybe we should take this seriously, maybe we should really get prepared.” She pulled out her mattress and hid in the bathtub with her two dogs.
“The last thing I heard him say was, ‘Debris is 7,000 feet in the air,’ and then the lights go off, the phone service dies, and you’re in the dark with the dogs,” she said.
Hubbard’s description of feeling helpless as the tornado raged over her town seems to reflect what Laubham experienced as he saw the tornado bearing down on the radar.
“You know that there is a monster swirling over your house and over your town, and there’s nothing you can do. And you’re just praying for yourself and for everybody else,” she told The Independent.
As one person wrote about the tornado and Laubhan’s reaction, “There’s tornadoes and then there’s tornadoes. Some will take the roof off your house and some will take your town off the map. This was the latter. He knew in that moment that in a few minutes, that town would no longer exist.”
The town of Amory was hit hard, but the next-day footage from Rolling Fork, a few hours away from Amory, is utterly apocalyptic. The rare, long-track tornado path stretched across western Mississippi through the night of March 24, 2023, killing 25 people and injuring dozens of others.
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Seeing the aftermath from this storm system, it’s clear why Matt Laubham took a moment to pray for those in the tornado’s path. When a storm is that powerful, there’s really nothing else anyone can do, and his moment of genuine care and concern for his fellow humans was deeply appreciated.
It’s always a treat when Nicolas Cage has a movie coming out, not just because he is a talented actor, but because he has very little filter when it comes to the wild stuff he says while out and about during a press cycle. So when there is a Reddit AMA scheduled with the actor, you know it’s going to be filled with absurd anecdotes mixed with thoughtful movie critiques. And that’s exactly what happened with Cage’s latest AMA alongside his Renfield costar Nicholas Hoult.
One of the questions involved another universally loved actor, Keanu Reeves. One fan asked Cage for his favorite Reeves movie, and he had a surprising reply (no, it isn’t The Watcher). “Well…Keanu kicked my ass at billiards one night. He came up to my house on his motorcycle, and he was making these impossible shots,” Cage explained. It seems like Reeves might have hustled Cage, just a little. “He said ‘Now I dunno if I can get that shot or this shot’ and he made every single shot.”
It’s not surprising that Reeves would be good at these things, as he notoriously became “too good” at performing car stunts. That seems threatening to Cage, who is also good at car stunts…in his own way. He continued, “So I have mixed emotions about the skill that Keanu has because he completely dominated me at pool.” Maybe he didn’t watch the behind-the-scenes feature from Point Break where it became apparent that Reeves is a bit of a professional when it comes to pool. Maybe he’s not a real fan, then.
So what is Cage’s favorite Keanu Reeves movie? Cage is a fan of the older stuff, “I like some of the early stuff like Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. I thought he was great in River’s Edge. He was just great in that movie.” Maybe if Cage explored the John Wick universe he would find that he has a lot in common with his characters. They both went on a horrendous rampage when their beloved pets were killed, so they should have stuff to talk about.
Hoult, on the other hand, had a simpler answer to the question: “I liked the first John Wick. Speed as well.” And both the Nicks are correct! Nothing about Speed 2, though.
In John Wick, Keanu Reeves, as the titular assassin, says 484 words, 13 of which are “I’m going to kill Theon Greyjoy for what you did to my dog.” That’s how I remember it, at least. It’s been awhile since I’ve watched the movie.
As the sequels have gone by, John Wick has gotten less chatty, and it’s not like he was Lorelai Gilmore to begin with. In John Wick: Chapter 4, he’s down to 380 words. His longest “speech” in the film, according to the Wall Street Journal: “You and I left a good life behind a long time ago, my friend.” For that one sentence, Reeves got paid $552,622. Honestly? Worth every penny.
“Keanu Reeves said just 380 words in John Wick: Chapter 4, and he reportedly made $15 million. Trusting reports of his pay, that’s $39,473 per word,” Morning Brew tweeted. Emphasis on the “reportedly” with Reeves’ salary, but it’s hard to imagine him making anything less considering he’s the face of a franchise that gets bigger with every installment.
Reeves also played every part in Chapter 4, at least in pre-production.
Script meetings for Chapter 4 were the opposite of pithy. Mr. Stahelski and Mr. Reeves, the main architects of the movies, presided over writing sessions running nine hours or longer. “Keanu would do all the characters. He was a one-man show,” recalled Michael Finch, who wrote the screenplay with Mr. Hatten.
If Keanu Reeves wants to do a one-man show that recreates the plot of the John Wick franchise, I would pay $39,473 for a ticket.
When the entertainment history books are written, 2023 might very well go down as the Year of Harrison Ford. In addition to dusting off his iconic brown fedora and bullwhip to play Indiana Jones for the fifth time, the Oscar-nominated actor has been popping up all over your TV — first alongside Helen Mirren in the Yellowstone prequel 1923, then opposite Jason Segel in the Apple TV+ series Shrinking, which is the brainchild of Segel and Ted Lasso co-creators Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein.
Shrinking has been a hit with critics and viewers alike, as its Rotten Tomatoes’ scores attest (it currently holds an 81 percent rating with critics and a slightly higher 86 percent with audiences). But has it done well enough to earn it a second season? The answer is a resounding: yes!
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Apple TV+ does not make its viewer stats public, but they’ve apparently been strong enough to earn the freshman series a second go at it. Which is very good news for the trio of co-creators, who — back in January — shared that they have a three-season plan for the series with THR’s TV’s Top 5 podcast.
Though the first season of Shrinking has yet to conclude, Apple TV+ execs were excited to share the early renewal news.
“We have loved the engaging, touching and hilarious world of Shrinking since the beginning, and it has been wonderful to watch as audiences around the world continue to connect with these big-hearted characters,” Matt Cherniss, Apple TV+’s head of programming, shared. “We can’t wait for viewers to experience what the cast and creative team have for season two.”
Saturday Night Live has announced the next round of hosts, and it’s a killer line-up. Abbott Elementary star and creator Quinta Brunson will kick things off this Saturday followed by SNL alum Molly Shannon and Blonde star Ana de Armas.
Brunson is, of course, riding high from the award-winning success of her sitcom. Shannon is currently in theaters with the Florence Pugh-starring film, A Good Person, and she’ll next be seen in the third season of The Other Two on HBO Max. De Armas will be on hand to promote Apple TV’s Ghosted starring her Knives Out co-star Chris Evans.
April 1 – Quinta Brunson with Lil Yachty
April 8 – Molly Shannon with Jonas Brothers
April 15 – Ana de Armas with Karol G
While this is Shannon’s second time hosting at her old stomping grounds, it is the first time for both Brunson and de Armas. As for their musical quests, Lil Yachty will be performing from his new album “Let’s Start Here,” The Jonas Brothers will be performing from their new album with the super-original title of “The Album,” and Karol G will be performing from her all-Spanish album “Mañana Será Bonito.”
Saturday Night Live airs Saturday on NBC with new episodes live-streaming on Peacock.
Rick Astley has to be the luckiest ’80s musician on the planet. The whole “Rickrolling” phenomenon has given his hit song “Never Gonna Give You Up” a reach far beyond its natural life span, and kept the guy a household name far longer than he probably would have been.
(For those who are unfamiliar, Rickrolling is when you make someone think they’re being sent to a website, but the link goes to Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” video instead as a joke. It’s a silly viral bait-and-switch gag that’s been going since 2006.)
But what people may not realize, because his most famous song has become an internet joke, is that Rick Astley is actually a really freaking great musician. The man can saaaang and it seems he’s only gotten better with age.
If you were to choose the most unlikely combo of musical mashups, it might just be Rick Astley and Foo Fighters. Right? Like who would put them together?
Oddly enough, they put themselves together in 2017, when Foo Fighters brought Astley on stage during a concert to sing “Never Gonna Give You Up.” Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl even created his own Rickroll-inspired meme, the Dave G’Roll, with the band’s song “Best of You.” So there’s a history there.
But nothing has been more surprising than hearing Rick Astley do an acoustic cover of Foo Fighters’ “Everlong.” It’s so good. Like, so good.
Not to knock Rick Astley of the 1980s, but that strangely deep voice on a young man was sort of his signature thing. Ergo, you’d think it would be easy to recognize Astley’s voice no matter what he was singing. But you’d be wrong. If you close your eyes and listen to this, you’d likely never guess it was Rick Astley.
Maybe it’s because the song itself isn’t something you expect from the “Never Gonna Give You Up” guy. Maybe it’s because you had no idea that Rick Astley was still making music. Who knows. All I know is that my jaw dropped watching him knock out an awesome version of a grungey rock song with just his voice and acoustic guitar.
Seriously, that was amazing, right? Even hardcore Foo Fighters fans gave Astley props in the comments:
“As a huge Foo Fighters fan, all I can say is this cover didn’t let me down.”
“Tbh I could listen to a whole album of Rick Astley doing grunge covers.”
“Are you kidding me?????? That voice from the 80’s… And one of the greatest numbers of all times…. Didn’t think you could pull that of…. But you did….. Respect to you Rick.”
And, of course, some had to make jokes:
“I love this cover. It feels like the singer is never going to give you up or never gonna let you down. He doesn’t run around and desert you. He will never make you cry and never say goodbye. He doesn’t tell a lie and hurt you. I think that is special.”
“This guy should stop making memes and stick to music! He’s got talent!”
“I’m glad he’s never given up. This did not let me down.”
But this comment perhaps best summed up what most of us walked away thinking:
“God now I feel bad that we’ve ridden on Rick Rolling for so long that we missed the part where Rick Astley is actually a badass musician…”
Reading is a fundamental tool of learning for most people, which is why it’s one of the first things kids learn in school and why nations set literacy goals.
But even those of us who are able to read fluently might sometimes struggle with the act of reading itself. Perhaps we don’t read as quickly as we wish we could or maybe our minds wander as our eyes move across the words. Sometimes we get to the end of a paragraph and realize we didn’t retain anything we just read.
People with focus or attention issues can struggle with reading, despite having no actual reading disabilities. It can be extremely frustrating to want to read something and have no issues with understanding the material, yet be unable to keep your mind engaged with the text long enough to get “into” what you’re reading.
But what if there were a font that could help you stay focused? That could help you not only read faster but better retain what you’ve just read?
That’s what the creators of Bionic Reading claim is possible with their font tool.”Bionic Reading revises texts so that the most concise parts of words are highlighted,” the Swiss company’s website reads. “This guides the eye over the text and the brain remembers previously learned words more quickly.”
Give it a try:
The gist is that our eyes don’t need to focus on the entire word because our brains can fill in the rest for us. By bolding the first part of the word, we’re more quickly able to move from word to word.
“Bionic Reading aims to play a supporting role in the absorption of volume text,” states the website. “We see technological progress as an opportunity for all those who want to increase the pleasure of reading in a noisy and hectic world in a focused way and without distraction.”
While there are no studies cited on this method of reading, there are plenty of anecdotes about it being helpful. The example shared by @WhattheADHD on Twitter got people’s attention and many people responded with enthusiasm at how much easier the bionic reading text was for them to read.
“This is amazing! I have ADHD and I didn’t even realize that I was having trouble fixating when I read,” wrote one person. “My eye latches right on to the bold face. Can’t wait to try reading a book again. It’s been all audiobooks for a while.”
“It’s incredible how reading this feels like finally unlocking 100% of your brain,” wrote another.
However, not everyone was impressed or thrilled with the sample. Some people said that they had a harder time reading the bionic text or that it distracted or slowed them down. Both positive and negative responses came from a diverse pool of people. Some who described themselves as neurodivergent said that they loved it and some said it was harder. The same went for people who said they were neurotypical, so it’s hard to say who this tool may specifically help the most. Everyone’s brains work differently, and different people will find different things helpful.
Bionic reading might be a game-changer for some, but it’s not the only tool of its kind. There are speed-reading programs that train you to stop reading each word and allow your brain to read visually instead of auditorily. There are also various methods of making reading easier by adjusting how your eyes move across the text.
For instance, check out this “space reading” technique:
Bionic Reading has a free text converter on its website that you can use to try out its font changes. A YouTube clip from the company also shows possibilities for how the font can be adjusted to individual preferences, making more or less of the initial letters bolded.
And again, if this doesn’t work for you, then it’s probably not made for you. For people who struggle with reading, something like Bionic Reading could make a huge difference.
Three cheers for technology being used to help people overcome difficulties and make learning easier and more efficient.
Lately, there has been a lot of talk about method acting, what it is, and why everyone seems to be all frazzled by it. There are many different types of acting styles from the Jeremy Strong-type, to the “send your co-stars a series of disturbing packages” type that Jared Leto is so used to. But then there is Nic Cage.
Cage has been in over 100 movies throughout his very diverse career, even playing himself at one point, so he’s not one to just phone it in. His latest film Renfield follows Cage as Dracula, who is accompanied by his long-time servant Renfield, who is trying to make his own way in the vampire world. In order to really stay in the zone, director Chris Mckay said that Cage was always on point as Dracula, even when the cameras weren’t rolling.
McKay told Insider, “Whatever scene we did, [Cage] would still be 100% living in that attitude after we stopped shooting,” the director explained, adding that Cage’s character was often present in between shoots. “So if he’s a little frosty in the scene he’s going to have a little bit of that between takes. But still up for whatever we were doing.” What do you think a “frosty” Nic Cage would be like?! Probably something like this.
It might seem a little stressful to have Dracula breathing down your neck all day, but McKay said that it was more of a logistical choice than a methodic one. “You also have to remember, he’s covered head to toe in Dracula makeup and costume, so it’s a different thing,” McKay said. “Sometimes he couldn’t even bend his body very much because he’s got a whole body appliance on. So he’s Dracula whether he wants to be Dracula or not.” He opted to be Dracula a lot, it seems.
Cage even said he would be open to revisiting the character after Renfield debuts. As long as his method of acting doesn’t involve actually drinking people’s blood, it should be fine.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has quickly become one of the NFL’s best quotes, as he’s willing to show a little more of his quirky personality to the masses than most coaches who seem to prefer to act more as football robots than people in press conferences.
On Monday, McDaniel spoke with the media, as did all of the NFL’s coaches at the annual league meetings, and he was asked for his thoughts on the impending sale of his former employer, the Washington Commanders. McDaniel seemed to not want to indulge much into talking about Dan Snyder and what it was like working for him, but he couldn’t help but offer an incredible quote (and say plenty about Snyder and how he runs the team) by noting that he was shocked when he learned the value of the Commanders when he remembered they wouldn’t even provide free coffee to the coaching staff.
Dolphins head coach, Mike McDaniel, coached in Washington for three seasons.
McDaniel was part of the now legendary offensive staff that had current head coaches Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur and McDaniel all aboard, and apparently in the early 2000s, the franchise wasn’t exactly providing a lot of perks in the workplace. That tracks with just about everything we know about Snyder and how he runs the team. He’s reportedly asking for $6 billion from the sale of the franchise, and there are probably plenty more former employees of his a little frustrated at his penny-pinching ways given the windfall he’s about to receive.
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