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For years Dev Patel has been floated as a potential candidate for the next James Bond. With his directorial debut, Monkey Man, the actor has made it clear that he has far more up his sleeve than being a stuffy British spy.

Thanks to a hard-hitting trailer and feverish word of mouth coming out of SXSW, Patel looks to have delivered the next evolution in action cinema. In addition to directing and starring in Monkey Man, Patel also developed the story, making the film something of a passion project for the actor. Based on early reactions, it shows in every frame and brutal punch.

Here’s everything we know about Monkey Man including when you can catch it in theaters and another look at the badass trailer in case you missed it the first time around.

Plot

Described as John Wick in Mumbai, Monkey Man marks Dev Patel’s directorial debut as well as his first turn as an action star in this brutal fighter inspired by the legend of Hanuman.

According to Hindu mythology, Hanuman was a fierce monkey god who commanded his own monkey army that performed heroic feats and battles across India where he’s still worshipped to this day. Hanuman also stars in his own wildly popular series of comic books, but Patel has chosen to take the legend to a much more bloody and gritty place as the actor/director dons a monkey mask to pummel the ever-living crap out of his opponents.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.

According to early reviews coming out of SXSW, Monkey Man is a brutal experience that’s quickly cementing Patel’s credentials as both an action star and director.

“Dev Patel comes out swinging, stabbing, and pulverizing in his hard-hitting debut,” Matt Donato wrote. “Dev’s adoration of action cinema shines as clear influences meld with his fiery storytelling.”

“MONKEY MAN is brutally violent, against the villains, but also against the hypocrisy of religion, the tyranny of caste, and the oppression of a corrupt government,” writes Josh Hurtado. “Dev Patel nailed it, bloody as hell and intense as f*ck.”

Cast

In addition to Patel, the Monkey Man cast includes Sharlto Copley, Sobhita Dhulipala, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Ashwini Kalsekar, Adithi Kalkunte, Sikandar Kher, and Makarand Deshpande.

Release Date

Monkey Man slams into theaters on April 5 thanks to producer Jordan Peele, who was so blown away by Patel’s directorial debut that he swooped in to give it a wide release.

Trailer

You can watch the official trailer for Monkey Man below:

Monkey Man hits theaters on April 5.

Beyoncé is officially welcoming fans to the Cowboy Carter era. The star made the announcement simply by changing her website’s homepage today, which features a saddle and a sash that bears the album title’s name. Considering it had been previously dubbed “Act II” as a follow-up to Renaissance, there’s certainly a lot of excitement now that she’s confirmed the clear country inspiration.

Along with the official announcement of the album title, Beyoncé added some new merch so fans can get prepared.

Here’s what to know about how to pick up a new item (or many!) from Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter collection.

How To Buy Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Merch

Beyoncé’s new merch for Cowboy Carter is currently available for purchase simply by accessing the “Shop” section at the top of her website. Once there, she offers a few different options. There are two box sets at the moment. One is a white t-shirt with an image of her posing in a cowboy hat, and on the back, it has “Cowboy Carter” in a vintage Marlboro-style font. This also has “Radio, Texas” and “100,000 Watts Of Healing Power” in a smaller type on the bottom of the shirt’s back.

The second shirt set option is a white and red ringer tee. This time, it has “Cowboy Carter” on the front in red, with a cutout image of Beyoncé posing with two finger pistols. The back of this one says, “Act II Cowboy Carter.” Both box sets are $40 and include a CD copy of the album with the respective shirt.

Other merch available in her store includes three limited vinyl copies in red, white, and blue for $40 each and two CD options for $12 each.

More information can be found here.

The wonderful thing about the early months of the year is that The Beekeeper, a terrifically dumb (complimentary) movie where Jason Statham blows up buildings, Josh Hutcherson plays a pouty rich boy who skateboards around offices, and Minnie Driver shows up for like three minutes for no particular reason, is currently the third highest-grossing movie of 2024. Third! Behind Dune: Part Two and the Bob Marley biopic! It should stay there all year.

But if you were waiting to watch Statham (who “embraced the zen of beekeeping”) in The Beekeeper on streaming, you’ll unfortunately have to hold out a little longer. The David Ayer-directed movie doesn’t have a streaming premiere date yet, but you can buy or rent it on digital platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Fandango At Home. Then you can enjoy a bad guy with an impossibly over-the-top accent asking “the question is, to bee or not to bee?” as many times as you’d like.

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

In The Beekeeper, one man’s brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as “Beekeepers.”

You can watch the trailer for The Beekeeper below.

Back in January, Neve Campbell quipped to The Hollywood Reporter that she wouldn’t be surprised to get a call from the troubled Scream franchise, so you’ll never guess who’s back.

Campbell had publicly walked away from the series when she received a low-ball offer for Scream 6 that left her feeling undervalued after being the face of the franchise for so long. Since then, Scream 7 turned into a chaotic mess after Melissa Barrera was reportedly fired from the franchise followed by news that Jenna Ortega had stepped away. The situation only got worse as director Christopher Landon also exited the project shortly after.

Obviously, there’s been some scrambling behind the scenes to get the film back on track. Not only is Campbell returning to the horror series as Sidney Prescott, but original Scream director Kevin Williamson will now helm the newly-revamped Scream 7. Before the debacle with Barrera and Ortega, Williamson had championed bringing Campbell back to the series and said the smart thing to do is “pay her the money.” It looks like the studio listened.

Campbell announced her return with a post on Instagram:

Hi All. I’m so excited to announce this news!!! Sidney Prescott is coming back!!!! It’s always been such a blast and an honor to get to play Sidney in the Scream movies. My appreciation for these films and for what they have meant to me, has never waned. I’m very happy and proud to say I’ve been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn’t be more thrilled!!!

Campbell went on to share her excitement for Williamson returning to “his baby.” You can see her full post below:

(Via Neve Campbell on Instagram)

Beyoncé has surprised fans by seemingly unveiling the name of her Act II country-inspired album. Titled Cowboy Carter, at least based on a new logo and a merch drop of shirts and CD boxes she put on her website, it will include likely the previous “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” singles.

With just a few more weeks to go until Beyoncé releases the record, here’s everything to know.

Release Date

Cowboy Carter is out 3/29 via Parkwood. Find more information here.

Tracklist

The tracklist for Beyoncé’s next album has yet to be announced.

Singles

So far from Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé has released “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” as singles — both of which dropped right after the Super Bowl last month.

There’s also been speculation that she’s covered Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” for the project, which Parton herself seemingly confirmed. “I think she’s recorded ‘Jolene,’” Parton shared with Tennessee’s Knoxville News Sentinel. “I think it’s probably gonna be on her country album, which I’m very excited about.”

Features

Right now, there are no features on Cowboy Carter. However, this could change once the official tracklist is revealed.

Artwork

Beyoncé has not revealed the cover art for Cowboy Carter yet.

Tour

Beyoncé has no current tour dates planned. Given she just wrapped the massive Renaissance World Tour, it’s still unclear if she’ll return to playing shows so soon.

Taylor Swift has performed in some of the world’s most iconic venues over the years. Now, it appears she’s getting ready to take over another recognizable landmark: the famed Hollywood Sign.

TMZ reports that per a notice nearby residents received, the filming is going down along Mulholland Highway, which is right near the Hollywood Sign. The notice also notes the filming will be for “Disney + TS” (“TS” presumably meaning “Taylor Swift“). Prep for the shoot is happening today, March 12, while the shoot itself is set to happen tomorrow.

This is apparently being perceived as a headache locally: TMZ notes, “We’re told residents in the vicinity feel like this is a massive eyesore, and not just that — but it’s creating a bunch of foot traffic and ruckus that’s disturbing their peace and way of life. We’re told there’s been a lot of internal communication among different home associations and other orgs … and let’s just say, folks there aren’t happy with Taylor’s incoming presence.”

Given that “Disney + TS” is on the notice, it would seem the shoot has some sort of connection to Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version), a new extended version of Swift’s concert film that’s set to premiere on March 14 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT via Disney+. Whatever’s happening, let’s hope it goes better than “RAMS HOUSE.”

Willow may not care about how the public views her, but when it comes to matters of the heart, her partner’s opinion is not to be taken lightly. Today (March 12), the musician dropped a new single, “Symptom Of Life,” which shows off Willow’s more vulnerable side. As the long-awaited follow-up to “Alone,” the bar was set high, to which she shattered.

“Pushing and peeling myself out of my disguise / Looking at you now, I am wondering who I am/ If I could try to take you back, I couldn’t define / Feeling the absence of time, know all is decided / There’s nothing left to find,” sings Willow.

That sense of emotional exposure is the perfect dose fit to heal your inner hopeless romantic. “Symptom Of Life” isn’t your find to aimlessly fall for just anyone because the sheer pain heartbreak can cause can alter your value for self. The self-directed video forces viewers to vicariously sit in that harsh truth as Willow picks up the pieces of her life.

In a statement, Willow discussed the track’s production. “[“Symptom Of Life”] has a very beautiful, whimsical nature but holds a lot of mystery. There’s this beautiful light coming in through the piano, but also this syncopated rhythm of the bass, bringing in that mysterious element — a juxtaposition of light and dark.”

Watch Willow’s video for “Symptom Of Life” above.

If it seems like Sydney Sweeney has been trending on Twitter/X more than normal than lately, that’s because she has.

Ever since she hosted SNL, the Anyone But You actress has broken everyone’s brains. One day, her breasts are too big; the next, they’re too small. There’s also been thousands of tweets like, “I will send the Sydney Sweeney leaks to anyone who likes this post, follow me so i can dm you the video,” but not only is there no leak, clicking through might give your computer a virus.

404 Media reports that a lot of the links for the supposed “leak” video “go to Linktree sites, which contain links to sites like thaudray.com and waufooke.com—both make malicious popup adware that hijacks browsers.”

Naturally, this is largely Elon Musk’s fault.

Twitter should moderate these sites better, and while it was never perfect (or even especially good) it used to be better than this. The site’s engagement bait and scam problem got worse since Elon Musk bought it; with a monetization incentive system that pays users for popular but low-quality content, more bots than ever (especially porn bots), and advertising in the absolute gutter, it’s not surprising that this is what the site is reduced to.

You won’t see boobs (or her underrated “booty”), but you will see a Genius Bar employee when you have to pay someone to unjunk your laptop.

(Via 404 Media)

When we think of bullying, we might first picture wedgies, dunking heads in toilets, stuffing folks in lockers…the kind of stuff you’d see in virtually every kid’s movie in the 90s.

But in real life, bullying can be much more insidious.

Ms. C, a teacher who previously went viral for sharing the high school cliques that have endured the test of time, recently coined a term for this type of behavior, which she called “subtle bullying,” and explained what it might look like in a classroom.

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“Here’s what it looks like, a student that is less popular, maybe has a disability, will be talking and a kid who is a bully will be looking at all of his friends across the room and snickering and making little faces,” she says in the video.

“I will lose it if I see that,” she continues, saying that while she is “chill” with a lot of things, like cursing, eating in class, student’s addressing her by her first name, even sass to a certain degree, this is her “number one” behavior that will not be tolerated.

To address the issue, Ms. C usually stands “directly by the bully’s desk and stares them in the eyes the whole time that other student is talking.” Or she’ll throw them out of the room. The only other time she might do that is if there’s a safety threat. And it seems clear that in her opinion, subtle bullying is a safety threat.

“If you are a teacher and you are not fiercely protecting your most vulnerable students, what are you doing?” she concludes.

@stillateacher basically we’re gonna learn and respect each other #teacher #teachertok #teachersoftiktok #highschoolteacher #teacherlife ♬ original sound – Ms. C

Subtle bullying, according to Ms C, also includes “racism, sexism, homophobia,” which warrants “an intense one-on-one conversation” that hopefully resolves the issue. But if it doesn’t, she gets others involved until the student recognizes the comment was “unacceptable.”

Ms C’s video got a lot of comments from fellow teachers confirming how common this type of bullying is, or anecdotes from folks who were on the receiving end of it.

“The subtle bullying is such an issue. I saw it so much when I subbed,” one person wrote.

Another added, “I’m so glad you can actually spot subtle bullying like that. My teachers would actively tell me it wasn’t happening when I’d try to talk to them about it.”

“Subtle bullying is so bad! We did karaoke in class and had to stop because of popular bullies ‘encouraging’ and recording,” one person shared, while another wrote, “Subtle bullying for seven years took me most of a decade to get over. Ruins your self confidence. You are changing lives!”

Subtle bullying might be harder to spot, but it’s every bit as damaging as physical violence or name-calling, and therefore every bit as important to address. In a follow-up video, Ms C. offers a helpful tip for teachers when it comes to spotting this type of behavior.

She suggests giving students a survey where they answer if there’s anyone one they’d rather not sit by (tell them it is completely confidential). If there is a student who has been bullying others, their name will come up repeatedly. Obviously it’s not a foolproof perfect strategy, but it’s a starting point.

The one constant in bullying, whether it’s subtle or overt, is that it’s not acceptable. And it’s the responsibility of the adults in a child’s life—parents, faulty, teachers—to make sure that it doesn’t become a habit that carries over into adulthood.

In June 2015 The Supreme Court of the United States declared same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states.

The legalization of gay marriage granted over 1100 statutory provisions to same-sex couples, many of them granting rights and privileges previously only afforded to heterosexual couples.

After the decision, President Barack Obama said the ruling will “strengthen all of our communities” by offering dignity and equal status to all same-sex couples and their families.

He called it a “victory for America.”

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However, the law didn’t just benefit same-sex couples who want to get married, it also had a dramatic affect on LGBT youth. Two years after the legalization of gay marriage, the suicide attempt rate among LGBT youth declined significantly according to the Associated Press.

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for U.S. teens. LGBT teens are five times more likely to make an attempt than their straight peers.

The study was conducted with over 26,000 LGBT youth participants in the 32 states where gay marriage was legalized up through the 2015 Supreme Court decision. The study found that suicide attempt rates dropped 7% among all students and 14% among gay kids after same-sex marriage was legalized in each state.

Part of the drop in suicide attempts by kids who didn’t publicly identify that they were gay could be because they were closeted or questioning.

There was no change in states where same-sex marriage wasn’t legalized.

While the change in suicide attempts doesn’t prove there’s a direct connection, researchers believe that the law made LGBT kids feel “more hopeful for the future.” They also believe the measures increased tolerance among their straight peers while reducing the stigmatization felt by gay kids.

A study out of Denmark and Sweden published in 2019 found similar results among married gay couples.

Same-sex marriage was made legal in 2009 in Sweden and 2012 in Denmark.

The study found that couples in same-sex unions saw a 46% decline in suicide suicide, compared to 28% of those in heterosexual unions.

“Although suicide rates in the general populations of Denmark and Sweden have been decreasing in recent decades, the rate for those living in same-sex marriage declined at a steeper pace, which has not been noted previously,” researchers noted.

These studies show the power that societal recognition can have on stigmatized minority groups. When one is protected by the “law of the land” it means a lot more than what happens in a courtroom or at city hall.

It shows that you are accepted by the community and protected by those in power. For to love flourish — whether it’s loving oneself or sharing it with a partner — first it must first be protected.

This article originally appeared on 01.24.20