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Last year, The Weeknd’s acting career was temporarily cut short when Max canceled The Idol. Surely that means the“False Idols” singer has more time for music. Will The Weeknd drop a new album in 2024?

According to a recent post online, it appears that so. On January 7, The Weeknd took to his official X (formerly Twitter) page to tease his next album. In a gallery shared to his account, The Weeknd uploaded the covers of his 2020 album, After Hours, and 2022’s Dawn FM. The last image in the gallery was a blank black canvas marked by a question mark.

The Weeknd didn’t provide any further information, but the post’s caption “three” signaled that whatever he is secretly cooking up will close out the chapter of his career. He first teased the album during an interview with Variety in June.

“I’m finishing the third part of this saga, of this trilogy,” he said. “The name of it will come out soon, but it’s not called what some fans think it’s called… what they think it’s called is actually a song on the album, but that’s not what the actual album is called [some fans speculated that it would be titled ‘After Life’]. So I’m just gonna say that.”

The Weeknd has not revealed when the unnamed project is set to hit streaming services.

Martin Scorsese movies have been long for a long while now. Unlike some, we don’t mean that as a complaint. Pictures like The Wolf of Wall Street (three hours on the dot), The Irishman (just shy of 3 ½), and Killers of the Flower Moon (only three minutes shorter than that) all earn their butt-numbing lengths. What may prove to be his next film, though, will probably be one of his shortest.

In a new chat with The Los Angeles Times (in a bit caught by Variety), the legendary filmmaker talks up a film he announced semi-recently: He wants to make another film about Jesus Christ. The idea was partly inspired by his meeting with Pope Francis, but it won’t be a straight biopic, nor an epic like The Greatest Story Ever Told.

For one thing, it will be set mostly in the present day, because he wants the film to feel timeless. For another, it won’t cover his whole life — just his core teachings, focusing, as the L.A. Times puts it, “on Jesus’ core teachings in a way that explores the principles but doesn’t proselytize.”

Then there’s the bit that will appeal to those who complain about his films’ lack of (sanctioned) intermissions: It will only run about 80 minutes.

Not all Scorsese movies are long. His debut, 1968’s Who’s That Knocking At My Door, runs a scant 86 minutes. Taxi Driver’s under two hours, Raging Bull’s a couple hairs over two, and one of his finest, his 1985 dark comedy After Hours, is a lean, mean 97. Still, that was his last feature narrative that was under two hours (though Bringing Out the Dead is “only” 121 minutes).

But if the picture hits the 80-minute mark, it will be his shortest-ever feature narrative, maybe even shorter than his Fran Lebowitz HBO doc Public Speaking (82 minutes). It’s his attempt to make not only Jesus but religion itself more palatable to a wider audience.

“I’m trying to find a new way to make it more accessible and take away the negative onus of what has been associated with organized religion,” Scorsese explained. “Right now, ‘religion,’ you say that word and everyone is up in arms because it’s failed in so many ways.”

He continued:

“But that doesn’t mean necessarily that the initial impulse was wrong. Let’s get back. Let’s just think about it. You may reject it. But it might make a difference in how you live your life — even in rejecting it. Don’t dismiss it offhand. That’s all I’m talking about. And I’m saying that as a person who’s going to be 81 in a couple of days. You know what I’m saying?”

Should the film get off the ground like he says, it will be Scorsese’s second Jesus movie. The first got him in a lot of hot water. Back in 1988, the filmmaker became persona non grata with the Catholic Church, who condemned The Last Temptation of Christ, his loose reinterpretation of the Gospels featuring a self-doubting, self-hating son of God (Willem Dafoe), who struggles staying holy in a world full of human pleasures. Perhaps this time it will be stress-free.

(Via L.A. Times and Variety)

Netflix struck streaming gold with Tim Burton’s Wednesday series starring Jenna Ortega. The unblinking Addams daughter’s show currently qualifies as the most streamed series in all of Netflix history (sorry, Suits), and the streamer also saw fit to greenlight an Uncle Fester sideshow starring Fred Armisen.

So naturally, Netflix wants more of the main attraction and has confirmed a second season with plenty of details still shrouded in secrecy. Still, some hints have dropped here and there, so let’s discuss what could be lurking around the corner, including a heretofore unseen member of the Addams fam who could surface outside of a portrait at Nevermore Academy.

Plot

The show certainly didn’t take the predictable path and put the title character on an investigative path to clear the Addams family rep of Garrett Gates’ murder. As well, Wednesday rebelled against taking the path of her parents, but ultimately, the finale left open a major question: whether or not Tyler (and Hydes in general) was able to act of his own volition, or if he was simply acting at Thornhill’s behest. Whether or not Tyler’s true nature will be further dealt with in Season 2 remains unknown, but at least we know (among the many dangling threads) that Wednesday has gained character depth and begun to realize that she cannot simply achieve her goals by acting alone.

With that said, the overstuffed first-season finale didn’t leave straightforward clues about what comes next. However, Jenna Ortega has gone on record with ET to hope that Wednesday will be “darker” when she resurfaces. The actress also wants the script to go deeper into Wednesday’s motives, including why “her main drive with the monster was a kind of competitiveness.”

Will Ortega receive her wish? No one knows — her previous comments about the show’s writing weren’t a hit — but the show will soon pick up production again in Romania, so we will watch for developments.

Cast

This should wouldn’t exist if Jenna Ortega wasn’t returning as the gothy lead character. Presumably, Morticia and Gomez will still be portrayed by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzman. Ideally, we will see Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome, Hunter Doohan, Jamie McShane Emma Myers, and Joy Sunday again. Will Fred Armisen drop in as Uncle Fester again, or will he simply be starring in his own series from here on out?

No one can say, but Netflix has confirmed that there will be a new member of the Addams clan to surface in Season 2, and Ortega has crossed her fingers in favor of this being Cousin Itt.

Release Date

Netflix has not publicized a release date, but with filming ongoing in spring 2024, it’s possible that we’ll see the show return in early 2025. In the meantime, Ortega will surface in Tim Burton’s next Beetlejuice movie.

Trailer

C’mon, there’s no trailer yet, but you can be miserable again with Ortega’s character below:

As the tech giant tends to do every year, Apple revealed a sweet new gadget for its loyal consumers last June at its Worldwide Developer Conference. The Apple Vision Pro was unveiled as the company’s first step into the VR headset industry. The product delivers a 4K display for each eye which lets users switch between augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Navigation with the headset can be done without a controller thanks to the Vision Pro’s ability to track the eyes, head, and hands. Users will be able to use FaceTime, watch movies, view photos and so much more with the headset. With these cool features and so much more, what does the price tag look like for the Apple Vision Pro?

How Much Will The Apple Vision Pro Cost?

Today, Apple announced that the Apple Vision Pro would begin shipping to users on February 2 with Pre-orders for the headset beginning on Friday, January 19, at 8 am EST/5 am PST. The price tag for the Apple Vision Pro is a whopping $3,499 which is more than the newest version of the iPhone and most editions of the MacBook laptops. The $3,499 price tag is also just for the base model. In partnership with Zeiss, Apple will also offer prescription lenses for the Apple Vision Pro. Readers will be an extra $99 and prescription lenses will be an extra $149.

The base model of the Apple Vision Pro offers 256 GB of storage and comes with the following: Solo Knit and Dual Loop Bands, a light seal and two light seal cushions, an Apple Vision Pro cover, a polishing cloth, a battery, and a USB-C charging cable and USB-C power adapter.

You can read more about the Apple Vision Pro here.

On Sunday night, Emma Stone won her second Golden Globe. It was for Poor Things, in which she plays a Frankenstein’s monster-like creature who learns the pleasures of the flesh and the annoyances that are men. It’s a fearless performance and any actress would be glad to have it out in the world. Thing is, it’s not the only out-there Stone performance skulking about the pop culture landscape. While Poor Things plays multiplexes, she can also be seen every week on Showtime, teaming up with Nathan Fielder and one half of the Safdie brothers for The Curse.

The satirical show began airing episodes in earlyish November. It has one more episode left. But when is it airing?

The answer: Sunday, January 14. That’s when viewers can watch the capper, called “Green Queen,” which will bring the whole crazy tale of a couple who simply wanted to break into the home renovation TV landscape and instead upended their lives.

The Curse stars Stone and Fielder as Whitney and Asher Siegel, a newly married couple who team up with an HGTV producer, played by Benny Safdie, for the show Fliplanthropy. After Asher offers a cool hundred to a young girl on camera, only to ask for it back when the shot is completed, the girl puts a curse on them, which leads to all manner of havoc. And their wild journey is nearly at an end.

You can watch The Curse on Sunday, January 14 at 9pm.

What do you do after you win an award? You usually go to a party. They probably have fancy hors-d’oevres there. But perhaps you’re not hungry for canapés or roasted lamb on a stick or a chocolate fountain. Maybe you want a greasy-ass burger. A decade ago, after winning his second Best Director Oscar for Life of Pi, Ang Lee was seen housing an In-N-Out burger, sparkly new trophy in his other hand. After his win at Sunday night’s Golden Globes, Paul Giamatti had much the same idea.

Per The Wrap, after Sunday night’s show, after winning Best Actor in a Comedy for The Holdovers, the beloved actor (who definitely needs to play a shouty Bond villain) was spotted in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, inside one of the southwest fast food chain’s locations. Still clad in his tuxedo, he could be seen staring at his phone at a random seat, just like anybody else. It’s not clear what he’s eating. Did he get his burger animal style? We may never know.

It was Giammati’s third Golden Globe, following the HBO miniseries John Addams and the 2010 comedy Barney’s Version. Somehow he’s only received an Oscar nomination once, for the 2005 boxing saga Cinderella Man. Perhaps his work in The Holdovers — in which he reunites with Sideways director Alexander Payne, playing a grumpy, alcoholic private school history teacher prone to calling his students “philistines” and “snarling Visigoths” — will be his first. If he wins that one, maybe he can switch things up and hit Fatburger instead.

But anyway, yes, everyone loved it. As they should.

(Via The Wrap)

In addition to being the star of Marvel franchise “Thor,” actor Chris Hemsworth is also a father-of-three? And it turns out, he’s pretty much the coolest dad ever.

In a clip from a 2015 interview on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Hemsworth shared an interesting conversation he had with his 4-year-old daughter India.

“My daughter’s kind of envious of my boys,” Hemsworth told Ellen. “She came to me the other day, and she’s like ‘You know, Papa, I want one of those things that Sasha and Tristan have.’ And I’m like, ‘What do you mean?’ She said, ‘You know the things in between their legs that you have.'”

Hemsworth said he tried to explain the differences between male and female bodies, but his daughter wasn’t having it.

“She goes, ‘I really want one!’ Hemsworth said. “I’m like, ‘A penis?’ And she’s like, ‘I want a penis!’

And then, Hemsworth had the best possible response. He recalls:

She’s four and I’m like, ‘You know what, you can be whatever you want to be.’ And she goes, ‘Thanks, Dad.’ Runs off into the playground and that was it.

And then, I cannot confirm, but I’m pretty sure the Ellen audience did this:

Major kudos to Hemsworth for taking a potentially awkward parenting situation and turning it into a lesson about love and acceptance.

You can watch the full clip here:

This article originally appeared on 08.27.18

When Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi both landed their high jumps at 2.37 meters, they were in the battle for Olympic gold. But when both jumpers missed the next mark—the Olympic record of 2.39 meters—three times each, they were officially tied for first place.

In such a tie, the athletes would usually do a “jump-off” to determine who wins gold and who wins silver. But as the official began to explain the options to Barshim and Tamberi, Barshim asked, “Can we have two golds?”

“It’s possible,” the official responded. “It depends, if you both decide…” And before he’d even told them how sharing the gold would work, the two jumpers looked at each other, nodded, and then launched into a wholesome and joyful celebration guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

Just watch:

None

— (@)

(If you are unable to view the video above, check it out on NBC’s YouTube channel here.)

The two jumpers have been competing against one another for more than a decade and are friends on and off the field, so getting to share the gold is a win-win—literally—for both of them. It’s also a historic choice. According to the BBC, the last time competing track and field Olympians shared the gold medal podium was in 1912.

The friendship and camaraderie between the two athletes are palpable and their immediate decision to share the gold truly embodies the Olympic spirit.

“I look at him, he looks at me, and we know it,” Barshim said, according to the CBC. “We just look at each other and we know, that is it, it is done. There is no need.”

“He is one of my best friends,” he added, “not only on the track, but outside the track. We work together. This is a dream come true. It is the true spirit, the sportsman spirit, and we are here delivering this message.”

Barshim was the silver medalist in the event in the Rio 2016 Olympics, and Tamberi suffered a career-threatening injury prior to those games, which took him out of medal contention.

“After my injuries, I just wanted to come back,” Tamberi told CNN. “But now I have this gold, it’s incredible. I dreamed of this so many times. I was told in 2016 just before Rio, there was a risk I wouldn’t be able to compete anymore. It’s been a long journey.”

What a beautiful display of sportsmanship, excellence, and genuine human connection. This is what the Olympics are all about. Love to see it.

This article originally appeared on 08.02.21

A father-daughter snowboarding session takes the cuteness up a notch, thanks to dad’s brilliant idea to attach a mic to his 4-year-old. Sweetness ensued.

Sporting an adorable dinosaur onesie, the “powder-saurus” glides through their “secret path,” warning dad of intruders. Cause clearly, it’s THEIR secret path.

As she does, she sings her song of resilience and courage.

“I won’t fall … maybe I will … that’s okay … cause we all fall.”

Truly powerful wisdom in such a tiny package.

@chasing.sage We mic’d up our 4 year old while snowboarding.🥰 #fatherdaughter #dadlife #snowboarding #micdup #cuteness #wholesome #familytime #raddad #fatherhood ♬ original sound – Chasing.Sage

One person astutely wrote in the comments, “this is the mantra we all need in 2022.” I mean … it’s accurate.

Another added, “this child gave a TED Talk about the power of positive self-talk.”

Indeed, “Shredder Dad” shares footage of our loveable snowboarding dinosaur making a few face plants, but she quickly bounces back. Nothing can stop her from her “weewhoos.” Nothing.

That is, until she becomes a “stuck-asaurus.” A truly relatable moment for all ages. Aren’t “indiscernible verbal struggles” part of the soundtrack of life? Still, she takes it all in hilarious stride, laughing all the way, and the positivity is heartwarming.

This video quickly put a smile on more than 6 million faces, and even got a comment from Walmart, which agreed that “we all fall sometimes.”

Turns out that there’s even more wholesome adventure content on the family’s TikTok. They even have a very thorough guide for teaching a toddler to snowboard here.

And by the way, yes, that dinosaur outfit does come in an adult size.

Next time you’re feeling down, just think of the powder-saurus song, and you’ll be back to “weewhoo” in no time.

This article originally appeared on 02.11.22

Optical illusions are wild. The way our brains perceive what our eyes see can be way off base, even when we’re sure about what we’re seeing.

Plenty of famous optical illusions have been created purposefully, from the Ames window that appears to be moving back and forth when it’s actually rotating 360 degrees to the spiral image that makes Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” look like it’s moving.

But sometimes optical illusions happen by accident. Those ones are even more fun because we know they aren’t a result of someone trying to trick our brains. Our brains do the tricking all by themselves.

The popular Massimo account on X shared a photo that appears to be a person and two dogs in the snow. The more you look at it, the more you see just that—two dogs and someone who is presumably their owner.

But there are not two dogs in this picture:

This is how optical illusions mess with your mind. nnFirst you see two dogs and their owner, and then…

— (@)

There are three dogs in this picture. Can you see the third?

Full confession time: I didn’t see it at first. Not even when someone explained that the “human” is actually a dog. My brain couldn’t see anything but a person with two legs, dressed all in black, with a furry hat and some kind of furry stole or jacket. My brain definitely did not see a black poodle, which is what the person actually is.

Are you looking at the photo and trying to see it, totally frustrated?

The big hint is that the poodle is looking toward the camera. The “hat” on the “person” is the poodle’s poofy tail, and the “scarf/stole” is the poodle’s head.

Once you see it, it fairly clear, but for many of us, our brains did not process it until it was explicitly drawn out.

@Rainmaker1973 That one took me AGES to see. nOwner is is a 3rd dog closer to the camera. The black fur hides the contours.

— (@)

As one person explained, the black fur hides the contours and shadows, so all our brains take in is the outline, which looks very much like a person facing away from us.

People’s reactions to the optical illusion were hilarious.

One person wrote, “10 years later: I still see two dogs and a man.”

10 years later:
I still see two dogs and a man

— Farhad (@farhadge) January 8, 2024

Another person wrote, “I agree with ChatGPT :)” and shared a screenshot of the infamous AI chatbot describing the photo as having a person in the foreground. Even when asked, “Could the ‘person’ be another dog?” ChatGPT said it’s possible, but not likely. Ha.

@Rainmaker1973 I agree with ChatGPT 🙂

— (@)

One reason we love optical illusions is that they remind us just how very human we are. Unlike a machine that takes in and spits out data, our brains perceive and interpret what our senses bring in—a quality that has helped us through our evolution. But the way our brains piece things together isn’t perfect. Even ChatGPT’s response is merely a reflection of our human imperfections at perception being mirrored back at us.

Sure is fun to play with how our brains work, though.