Crossovers are a mainstay of pop culture, but they rarely address the deepest questions posed by their fictional universes. “What if Guy Fieri was Han Solo?” you might ask. “What if the Joker had a beard?” Thanks to a criminally deranged Skype bot named Murphy, you needn’t wonder any longer.
According to Microsoft, Murphy is an experiment that uses “the knowledge of Bing” and “the intelligence of Microsoft Cognitive Services” to answer imaginative hypotheticals. According to our own tests, Murphy is a window into the darkest corners of one’s mind.
“Murphy will try to respond with an image that visualizes an answer to your question,” writes the company, vastly underselling the fearsome power of its mashup tool.
When we asked Murphy “What if Jon Snow was a Teletubby?”, for instance, it generated this monstrosity:
But Murphy isn’t limited to questions about movies and TV. When our conversation turned to matters of politics and religion, the bot proved to be just as adept.
“Did you ever think you’d betray your family the way you did today?” the villainous Cipher—played by Charlize Theron with extremely questionable white braids, which verge on dreads—asks Vin Diesel in the first trailer for The Fate of the Furious a.k.a. Fast and Furious 8.
The latest in the franchise promises more fantastical car wrecks, Vin Diesel gone totally rogue, guns, many more shiny bald men, guns, dancing girls with butts, guns, Charlize Theron pressing high tech buttons to make explosions, guns, death, and more guns. Also, Tyrese sports some sweet camo and Vin Diesel and white lady braids smooch.
I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if hundreds of Star Wars gifts cried out and were suddenly discounted. Amazon has taken a lightsaber to the prices of a sarlacc pit’s worth of Star Wars merch for one day only. Odds are, you’ll be able to find the perfect thing for that budding Jedi in your life and yourself too, but never tell me the odds.
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A big star might have joined Alien: Covenant. Meet the new characters of Humans season two. The Justice League sequel has been pushed back. There’s a ton of crazy cameos in new footage from The Lego Batman Movie. Plus, new clips from Rogue One, and Sigourney Weaver has an update on the Avatar movies. Spoilers!
Power Rangers
The Wrap reports that big bad Lord Zedd will indeed appear in the movie, with interesting links to future incarnations of the Rangers themselves. Apparently, Rita is searching for the Zeo crystal—the artifact that would eventually let the Rangers become the Zeo Rangers in Power Rangers Zeo—on behalf of Zedd, who was horribly disfigured in a previous attempt to acquire the crystal.
The same report also says that Rita is also trying to resurrect her favorite henchman Goldar, who gets “ vaporized into a cloud of microscopic gold particles” in an opening action sequence set on Earth thousands of years ago. She apparently does this by collecting gold, which sounds an awful lot like very early reports about the basic premise of the film we heard last year. Rita Repulsa’s Quest For Gold starts here!
Alien: Covenant
According to AVP Galaxy, James Franco has joined the cast as Branson, the captain of the starship Covenant and husband to Katherine Waterson’s character, Daniels. The character allegedly only appears in the first 10 minutes of the film, outside of occasional minor appearances throughout the film after that (perhaps in flashback form if, say, he horribly dies 10 minutes into a horror film, as characters are wont to do).
Puff the Magic Dragon
A live-action/animation hybrid is in development at Fox. Trolls director Mike Mitchell is set to direct. [Deadline]
Spider-Man: Homecoming 2
Surprise! A sequel to the new Spider-Man movie has already been slated for July 5th, 2019. [Deadline]
Justice League 2
A new report by THR says that the film—which Zack Snyder still intends to direct—has been pushed back further to make space in Warner Bros.’ schedule for The Batman. Justice League 2: Justice Boogaloo had previously been set for a June 14, 2019 release.
Jurassic World 2
J.A. Bayona says the film will have a political undercurrent with regards to the treatment of animals—specifically, dinosaurs.
I think there’s a lot of that in the new Jurassic. I think there’s a lot of possessiveness towards our creations. I think it’s very interesting where the new movie is heading. It’s so different from the other films, it talks a lot about the moment we live in right now. It’s darker… but at the same time it’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s a blockbuster, you have Chris Pratt, it’s a great adventure, but it’s very interesting the way the film is darker than the other ones.
Sigourney Weaver spoke to Coming Soon about James Cameron reportedly having already shot various bits of his tetralogy.
I think what he’s been doing is trying to develop the technology. We’re going to do all four simultaneously, so I think he’s trying to make sure that he has really done all the groundwork so when he really starts these four we’ll be able to hit the ground running. So I don’t think he’s actually… he IS experimenting. I don’t know if any of that would end up in the movie ’cause it’s not actually any of the story, but I’m sure he’s trying to figure out how to photograph an animal in this situation, things like that, so on the day he doesn’t have to waste time finding that out.
When asked if she’s been a part of this “experimentation,” Weaver replied:
Conversationally, yes. I’ve read three of the four scripts and if you liked the first one hold onto your hat. It is so ambitious and it is so moving. Nothing like it.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
James Gunn took to Twitter to discuss criticism that the insanely adorable baby Groot was kept in his young form for the film to sell more toys:
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Team Rogue has a bumpy landing and Jyn Erso escapes Imperial detention in two new clips from the film.
Meanwhile, you can hear even more of Michael Giacchino’s score in this new featurette:
The Lego Batman Movie
Here’s an extended TV spot, featuring new shots of some delightfully obscure villains (Condiment King!), the Justice League (and some Superfriends), and... Daleks?
Game of Thrones
After we first heard rumors, and then character details, now we have Dana White seemingly confirming it UFC fighter Conor McGregor will appear in an episode this season. What a long, strange trip it’s been. [TV Line]
Transcience
The CW is developing a new series with Ian Somerhalder (producing, rather than starring) about a near future world where the ability to transfer consciousness between bodies has become a legal practice. Naturally, things start going wrong real fast. [Deadline]
Arrow
Producer Wendy Mericle discusses how Felicity moves on from Prometheus setting up Oliver to kill her boyfriend:
One thing Felicity is not going to do, I can tell you for sure, is blame Oliver. She recognizes the manipulations that have led to this situation. Her heart is broken in that last moment for Oliver and for Malone and for herself. Felicity has set her sights on Prometheus. This season we have said we’re going to take her to a darker place, and you’re seeing the genesis of the reason why, right here.
A new synopsis for the show’s fourth season premiere, “Columbia,” has been released.
Crane and Jenny begin to navigate life following the unexpected death of Abbie Mills. When he finds himself in the nation’s capital, Crane must forge unlikely partnerships in his quest to find the next Witness, as he discovers that there is more evil at play than he realized was possible.
Need something to do if you’re an ardent Kingdom Hearts fan that’s still waiting for Kingdom Hearts III? Well, we’ve got something for you that might help ease the arduous wait just a little bit. Manga publisher Yen Press is coming to Comixlogy, and to celebrate, we’ve got the first chapter of their Kingdom Hearts ongoing series right here.
Starting today from 10:00 am ET, 1200 translated manga titles from publisher Yen Press will be available to purchase and download through Comixology’s web store for the first time, bolstering the site’s already pretty solid offering of manga titles. Aside from the ongoing Kingdom Hearts adaptation—which covers the incredibly lengthy lore established throughout the Disney/Square-Enix mashup video game franchise—titles available from Yen Press include fan favorite series like Fullmetal Alchemist, Sword Art Online, Akame ga KILL!, and several more will be available.
“I’m thrilled comiXology will deliver an even greater selection of fan-favorite manga like Fullmetal Alchemist, Black Butler, Kingdom Hearts and so many others from Yen Press,” said David Steinberger, comiXology’s co-founder and CEO, in a statement provided to io9. “Yen Press is bringing a massive catalog of wide-ranging manga titles to comiXology’s best-in-class shopping and reading experience, and I can’t wait to dig into it.”
“Since 2006 Yen Press has focused on bringing outstanding popular and unique manga titles to English-readers – so we couldn’t be happier introducing comiXology readers to the Yen Press digital catalog” Kurt Hassler, Yen Press’ Publisher & Managing Director, continued. “With over 1200 titles to choose from–including Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Akame ga KILL! and Sword Art Online–we’re sure there’s a title here for everyone.”
Without further ado, here’s the first chapter from Shiro Amano’s Kingdom Hearts II, available in its entirety here on io9.
You can grab the rest of Kingdom Hearts II and Yen Press’ other manga titles from Comixology as of today.
The Golden Globes, given out annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, has released its nominations for this year. And there are some great surprises (Deadpool! Catriona Balfe of Outlander!) and some well-deserved obvious choices (Westworld! Game of Thrones!).
Here are all the nominations; yell about the snubs in the comments.
Best Motion Picture – Drama
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Amy Adams, Arrival
Jessica Chastain, Miss Sloane
Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Ruth Negga, Loving
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Joel Edgerton, Loving
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington, Fences
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
20th Century Women
Deadpool
Florence Foster Jenkins
La La Land
Sing Street
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Annette Bening, 20th Century Women
Lily Collins, Rules Don’t Apply
Hailee Steinfeld, The Edge of Seventeen
Emma Stone, La La Land
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
Deadpool, Fox
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Colin Farrell, The Lobster
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Hugh Grant, Florence Foster Jenkins
Jonah Hill, War Dogs
Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
Viola Davis, Fences
Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Nicole Kidman, Lion
Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams, Manchester By the Sea
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Simon Helberg, Florence Foster Jenkins
Dev Patel, Lion
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nocturnal Animals
Image: Moana, Disney
Best Motion Picture – Animated
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life as a Zucchini
Sing
Zootopia
Best Director – Motion Picture
Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Tom Ford, Nocturnal Animals
Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Can’t Stop The Feeling,” Trolls
“City Of Stars,” La La Land
“Faith,” Sing
“Gold,” Gold
“How Far I’ll Go,” Moana
Best Screenplay
Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Tom Ford, Nocturnal Animals
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Taylor Sheridan, Hell or High Water
Best Original Score
Moonlight
La La Land
Arrival
Lion
Hidden Figures
Best Foreign Language Film
Divines
Elle
Neruda
The Salesman
Toni Erdmann
Image: Game of Thrones, HBO
Best Television Series — Drama
The Crown
Game Of Thrones
Stranger Things
This Is Us
Westworld
Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical
Atlanta
Black-ish
Mozart in the Jungle
Transparent
Veep
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Gael Garcia Bernal, Mozart in the Jungle
Donald Glover, Atlanta
Nick Nolte, Graves
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
Image: Westworld, HBO
Best Performance by an Actress in A Television Series – Drama
Caitriona Balfe, Outlander
Claire Foy, The Crown
Kerri Rusell, The Americans
Winona Ryder, Stranger Things
Evan Rachel Wood, Westworld
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical
Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Sarah Jessica Parker, Divorce
Issa Rae, Insecure
Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
Image: Mr. Robot, USA
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Matthew Rhys, The Americans
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Billy Bob Thorton, Goliath
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Sterling K. Brown, The People v. O.J. Simpson
Hugh Laurie, The Night Manager
John Lithgow, The Crown
Christian Slater, Mr. Robot
John Travolta, The People v. O.J. Simpson
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
If you’ve been as bored watching The Walking Dead twiddle its decomposing thumbs this season as I’ve been, then last night’s mid-season finale was probably equally satisfying to you. It was a pretty low-key episode—with a few violent exceptions—but one that finally got Rick out of his funk and put Alexandria and the other groups on the path to war with Negan and the Saviors.
I get why the show felt it needed to slow things down after the premiere—give time for the characters to feel the repercussions of Negan’s arrival, of their subjugation, of making Rick’s desire to fight back feel earned—but that doesn’t mean it was riveting to watch. With the exception of introducing the Kingdom, which was weird enough that it needed an entire episode, everything felt like it took twice as much screentime as it actually needed.
Which it why it was great and kinda frustrating that “Hearts Still Beating” did most of the things that the show could have (and should have) been doing all season. For starters, it gave a bevy of good moments to its lesser characters: Aaron is rightly miffed at Rick when asked if he wants to skip paddling in a leaky boat to the cabin in the zombie lake, and then talks about how he’s okay with the deal Rick made with the Saviors in what seemed to me a passive-aggressive way. Rosita opens up about how she feels like a useless member of the group and thus should have been one of Negan’s victims instead of Glenn or Abraham, which is both meta and very effective; Father Gabriel, who has been dispensing good advice all season while still being creepily intense, continues his streak by agreeing with her that Negan needs to die, but she doesn’t need to throw her life away in the attempt. Even Spencer has a good moment when Rosita catches him bringing a bottle of booze to Negan in hopes of ingratiating himself and forming a relationship that he can eventually use to improve the lives of the Alexandrians. She tells Rosita he thinks it’s what his mom would have done, which is probably true.
Of course, part of Spencer’s plan is telling Negan that he should be in charge of Alexandria instead of Rick, because Rick is crazy and will inevitably try to cross Negan, which is definitely true. Alas, the cruel irony of Spencer is that even when he’s 100% correct, he’s still an enormous douchebag. Negan takes offense at the cowardly way Spencer is trying to take over—instead of just killing Rick himself—and spills his guts out on the streets. This is when Rosita decides to be stupid and tries to shoot Negan with her one bullet.
To be perfectly fair to Rosita, she was standing right in front of Negan with no one in her way. Also, the fact that Negan somehow blocked the bullet with Lucille is as unlikely as it is ridiculous. Still, though, given that Alexandria was still full of armed Saviors at the time meant god knows how many people would die in retaliation, which seems like a pyrrhic victory at best. As such, it’s a minor miracle that Negan only has poor Olivia murdered in retaliation.
Of course, it’s only the fact that Negan recognizes the bullet casing as homemade which stops him from murdering her and others, because he wants the person who made it. Although terrified, Eugene admits it was him before Negan starts killing more bystanders, even though he knows full well Negan is going to drag him off to be his one-man ammo factory. One hopes that Rosita feels extra-terrible for calling him a coward last episode, especially when her “act of courage” got people killed, and his saved people’s lives.
Rick finally returns just in time to see Eugene dragged away, Olivia dead on his front porch, and Spencer gutted in the street, and Negan greets him with, “How about a thank you?” It’s perfect, because in Negan’s mind he’s completely right: Rick’s son did attempt to kill him and killed two of his men in the process, but he dropped Carl off at Alexandria unharmed; one of Rick’s people tried to kill him again, but Negan only killed one person in turn; and Spencer did try to overthrow Rick, but Negan took care of him. Given what Negan did to Oceanside, he’s practically magnanimous in leaving without doing more harm.
Somehow, these deaths are even more horrible than Glenn and Abraham’s. It all goes back to that damned raid on the Saviors’ compound. Glenn and Abraham were there, they knew what they were doing, and they made their choices. I’m not saying they deserved to die, but they knew the score. Likewise, by trying to kill Negan, Carl and Rosita had accepted their deaths. But Olivia was as innocent as anyone on this show. Even Spencer, douchebag though he was, genuinely (and quite reasonably) thought Rick had screwed over the town by tangling with the Saviors in the first place. I don’t think he was trying for a power grab as much as he was doing what he thought would be most likely to keep Alexandria safe. He tried to work with the Saviors, but Negan killed him, too.
So when this makes Rick realize there can be no peace with the Saviors, it actually feels like Rick’s the good guy again. Rick didn’t want to fight them, but even when he tried to play by Negan’s rules, people still died—innocent people. So when Rick and the others fight back in the second half of the season, it’s not going to be tainted by their belligerent, hubristic compound raid. (Or at least not as much.)
All this is augmented by a speech that should have come much, much earlier in the season, when Richard (the knight) implores Morgan and Carol to convince Ezekiel to fight the Saviors before things go bad. Like Alexandria before the compound assault, the Kingdom hasn’t technically been attacked by the Saviors yet. But Richard makes a far more compelling case for a preventative attack than Gregory and Hilltop ever did:
Right now we have peace with the Saviors, but sooner or later something’s going to go wrong. Maybe we’ll be light on a drop. Or maybe one of ours will look at one of theirs the wrong way. Or maybe they’ll just decide to stop honoring the deal. Things will go bad... I know what the Saviors are and I know what they do. And I know they cannot be trusted.
Even then, Morgan and Carol are still reluctant to talk Ezekiel into starting a war. (Carol actually tells everyone to get the hell off her lawn). But that’s good—making a concerted effort to murder a bunch of bad guys is something that should be approached with reluctance. It shouldn’t be done for a pile of vegetables.
The end of “Hearts Still Beating” is one of the more… I won’t say moving, but one of the more satisfying scenes The Walking Dead has produced. Rick, Michonne, Carl, Tara, and Rosita come to Hilltop, where Maggie spots them. Having been separated in the premiere, they all reunite, including Sasha and Enid—even Daryl, who used his key and Jesus’ help to escape Sanctuary. All the close-ups on smiling faces were silly, but if you weren’t moved by Rick and Daryl’s tearful man-hug, I mean come on. Seeing them all come together again, knowing they’re going to take on a common enemy, and that their fight is finally justified… well, I just wish this moment had come two or three episodes ago.
Now the question is if The Walking Dead will continue spinning its wheels in the second half of the season, or, now that the denouement of WhoDoesNeganKillGate is finally, truly over, if it will use this as the starting point of its true new chapter. I’m actually optimistic. TWD often alternates between slow and fast, so things are due to speed up. And I truly think that the show’s dropping (but still incredible) ratings will rouse the showrunners out of their stupor. They’d gotten cocky and paid for it; now they’re ready to do things right. Go figure,
Of course, they still have to get the Kingdom involved. And as Michonne has seen first-hand, the Saviors’ compound is huge and Negan’s army vast. And the Alexandrians have no weapons. And Eugene, the only person who could have made them bullets anyway, has been taken.
But on The Walking Dead, nothing good ever comes easy. Even for the viewers.
Assorted Musings:
• I have no idea why, but Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan looks far more sinister shaved than with a beard,
• That said, Negan playing “Leave It to Beaver” with Carl will never not be funny to me. I bet Negan makes a good spaghetti sauce, too.
• Everyone at Hilltop loves Maggie and Sasha and hates Gregory. I know this is going to end badly for everyone, but it’s still funny watching a Hilltopper browbeat Gregory into giving Maggie an apple, whether she actually wanted it or not.
• Uh, was the person with the boots watching Rick and Aaron loot the houseboat? There was apparently an after-credits scene with him/her/it that my recording cut out. Feel free to describe in the comments.
• The Savior that Michonne took hostage decides to let Michonne kill her, even telling her there’s a silencer in the glove compartment. I assume this means that life under Negan is so unbearable she’s okay dying, but it seems like Michonne could have taken her hostage or something, right?
• Likewise, I suppose Daryl could have let Fat Joe go, but Daryl had some shit to work out.
• Hey, I thought Jesus had left with Negan’s convoy to Alexandria. Why was he there to help Daryl?
• I’ve knocked The Walking Dead a few times on VFX this season—and Maggie’s standing in front of the Hilltop mansion looked pretty fishy—but Spencer’s guts spilling out of his stomach when Negan knifed him was great.
• Uh, did you guys see that crazy spike zombie at the end of the “next on The Walking Dead” preview? That thing looked like it was out of Resident Evil.
‘Tis the season to recreate classic pop-culture references using the age-old medium of gingerbread, frosting, and candy, but Redditor ejustice has boldly gone where no gingerbread engineer has gone before.
The U.S.S. Enterprise, and other Starfleet ships, have made emergency crash landings on random planets and worlds countless times, so it’s hard to pinpoint the exact movie, TV series, or comic book which this edible scene is based on. It also doesn’t look as if the smoke from the burning wreck is made from edible cotton candy, which is a little disappointing.
All that said, this gingerbread creation is undoubtedly still a masterpiece, and certainly worthy of at least a few moments of internet fame.
DC’s crossover game is strong lately. Not only have we got stuff like Justice League/Power Rangers on the way, along with the next Batman/TMNT crossover, the company has now announced that several of its weird (and very wonderful) comic takes on Hanna-Barbera characters will now host a series of team-ups with DC’s own finest heroes.
DC has announced a new series of annuals set to launch in March next year, which will first pair up the ongoing Flintstones and Future Quest series with Booster Gold (from Mark Russell, Rick Leonardi, and Scott Hanna) and Adam Strange (from Marc Andreyoko, Jeff Parker, and Steve Lieber), respectively. On top of those two, there’ll be two new mashups not currently associated with one of DC’s ongoing Hanna-Barbera comics: Green Lantern/Space Ghost, from James Tynion IV, Chris Sebela, and Ariel Olivetti, and (most amazingly) Suicide Squad/Banana Splits, by Tony Bedard and Ben Caldwell.
On top of all that, each annual will also feature a backup story based on a different Hanna-Barbera property—The Jetsons, Snagglepuss, Ruff and Ready, and Top Cat—that DC hints as “a sneak peek at what’s upcoming from [our] new takes on classic Hanna-Barbera animated characters.”
The current crop of Hanna-Barbera comics has done some pretty ridiculous stuff with these characters, so honestly, we can’t wait to see what DC has in store for this. All four annuals will be available from March 29th, 2017.
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I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if hundreds of Star Wars gifts cried out and were suddenly discounted. Amazon has taken a lightsaber to the prices of a sarlacc pit’s worth of Star Wars merch for one day only. Odds are, you’ll be able to find the perfect thing for that budding Jedi in your life and yourself too, but never tell me the odds.
When it comes to finding the right pair of shoes that won’t hurt your feet after an hour but are still pretty okay looking, Rockport should be on your radar. Amazon has a few styles on sale right now that, if you’re in need of some new kicks, you should take advantage of.
One of the best gifts you can give someone is a cure for battery anxiety, and this 22,000mAh battery pack from RAVPower should do the trick for just about everyone.
Today only, you can pick one up for an all-time low $30 in either black or white. The battery’s sufficient to charge smartphones at least five times, and can even juice up an iPad Mini twice. And since there’s plenty of power to go around, you also get three ports to share. Just note that like all Gold Box deals, this price is only available today, or until depleted.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided was available for $25 around Black Friday. But if that wasn’t enough to convince you, how’s $20 sound? If you’re still on the fence, be sure to check out Kotaku’s review.
iPhone and iPad owners can never own enough Lightning cables, especially when you can get two for $10. As an aside, Apple still charges $19 for a single cable.
Clip-on smartphone lenses are fun little stocking stuffers, and this set from Aukey is marked down to a measly $5 today with promo code UBVIXNZ2. We never really see these things dip below $10, so this really is a spectacular discount.
With physical buttons and a touch screen, the ability to control up to 15 devices, a handy charging cradle, and more compatibility than any other brand, the Harmony Ultimate One is a worthy addition to your home and home theater, and today’s $100 deal is easily the best we’ve ever seen.
Best Buy also has the discontinued Harmony 700 marked down to $45, but its screen isn’t touch-capable, and it can only control eight devices.
This particular version of the ZenWatch 2 features a quick charging technology that allows you to give it a 60% charge in just 15 minutes. That means instead of charging it overnight, you could wear it to track your sleep and wake you up with a silent alarm, and fill up the battery while you shower and get dressed.
Sewing is one of those things everyone should at least try to learn, and this popular Singer sewing machine is marked down to just $85 today as part of a Gold Box deal.
The Singer 4411 includes 11 built in stitches, a fully automatic buttonhole mode, and the ability to do 1100 stitches a minute. If this seems familiar, that’s because it was a Gold Box deal back in October, except that time, it was $102. What I’m saying is, today’s discount is easily the best Amazon’s ever listed, and it could very well sell out early.
The Philips Norelco Multigroom is actually three shaving tools in one: A beard trimmer, a hair cutter, and a body groomer. No matter what you’re using it for, you get your choice of 17 different length settings, and a battery that lasts for over an hour per charge. Today’s $40 deal is $25 less than usual, and the best price Amazon’s ever listed.
It’s actually part of a larger Gold Box deal that includes some proper Philips shavers, plus a couple of grooming tools for women. No matter which one appeals to you, just remember that these prices are only available today, or until sold out.
The Amopé is an electric foot file that literally files down the gross calluses on your feet until they slightly resemble that of a modern human. Today only, the Amopé Gift Set, which includes the foot file, extra roller heads, foot cream, and a bag for only $35.
In case you missed out during Deals Week, several of Amazon’s most popular gadgets are back on sale for one last push during the holiday shopping season.
The Echoes and Paperwhite are back down to the same prices at Black Friday, while the $40 Fire Tablet deal is $7 higher than it was before. Interestingly, the Fire HD 10 actually didn’t get a Black Friday discount, so today’s $200 deal is your first chance to save on that model in quite some time.
While it doesn’t print in color, it more than makes up for that with the ability to spit out 32 pages per minute, duplex printing, and inexpensive toner cartridges that can last for years without being replaced. We’ve posted a lot of Brother deals in the past, and we’ve heard nothing but good things from readers about them. Plus, this particular model has a sterling 4.4 star review average on Amazon, a built-in scanner, and AirPrint and Google Cloud Print support, so it should serve you well for years.
Tile is the ultimate gift for your friend who can’t stop losing her things, and the super-thin Tile Slim is down to its lowest price ever today, whether you buy one, four, or eight.
Around Black Friday, we saw a deal on the keychain-friendly Tile Mate, and the Tile Slim is basically the same product, but with a larger footprint, and a case that’s as thin as two credit cards.
If you aren’t familiar, you just stick these in your wallet, attach them to a laptop, keep them in your car, slide them into your luggage...anything you frequently misplace, and the Tile app on your phone can ping them over Bluetooth and cause them to beep. And if your lost item is outside of your phone’s Bluetooth range, it’ll show up on a map automatically any time another Tile user comes into range.
When you cook with olive oil, you have three choices: You can pour imprecisely, you can make a measuring spoon dirty, or you can use Vremi’s $18 olive oil dispenser, which measures out a precise amount of oil before you pour it. I know which one I would choose. Needless to say, this would also make a great gift for the cook in your life.
Unlike cheaper travel pillows that you have to inflate with air, the Evolution is made of memory foam, and wraps all the way around your neck to provide support no matter what direction your head falls when you nod off. You won’t win any fashion awards while you’re using it, but you won’t care, because you’ll be asleep.
We’ve been waiting for a deal on these ever since the Co-Op over six months ago, and this is the first we’ve ever seen (though there have been a couple on the Cabeau Evolution Cool). There’s a good chance you’ll be making a plane trip or long car journey for the holidays in the near future, so there’s never been a better time to splurge on one of these. You even get to pick from all of the available colors (sold by Cabeau).
You’ve got two choices when it comes to checking on the progress of your dinner in the oven. You could poke at it with a kitchen thermometer until you think it’s done, or you could sit on the couch and wait for your phone to tell you when it’s ready.
The highly-rated iDevices iGrill Mini Thermometer uses a leave-in probe to monitor the progress of your meal on the grill, on the stovetop, or even in the oven, and connects to your iPhone or Android device over Bluetooth to alert you as soon as it reaches the proper temperature. I actually gave a slightly different iDevices thermometer to my dad for his birthday a few years ago, and it worked as advertised. Today’s $24 price tag is an all-time low, so be sure to grab yours before this deal overcooks.
In addition to the films themselves, you’ll get access to bonus features for each movie. The best part though? You can watch them any time you want on any device that supports Amazon Instant Video. We don’t know how long this will last though, so lock in your price before Amazon alters the deal.
Perfect for the film buff on your holiday shopping list, if you buy a $50 Regal Cinemas gift card, you’ll get a $10 bonus code via email. If you keep that code for yourself, we won’t tell.
Anker’s home goods brand, Eufy, put its new set of copper string lights back on sale today for their lowest price ever, complete with adjustable brightness and multiple effects. A version of these lights without the remote was on sale for $7 last week, but the remote’s convenience and added lighting options make it well worth the price premium.
Hot off the heels of its $10-off-$25 physical book sale last weekend, Amazon’s now taking $5 off any $15 book purchase (including multiple, cheaper books) with promo code GIFTBOOK.
Just like last time, this deal excludes Kindle titles and audiobooks, but if there are any commemorative coffee table-type books or collector’s editions that you’ve been eyeing, this is a great opportunity. Just choose carefully; you can only use the code once per account.
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Artist’s impression of a rapidly spinning supermassive black hole surrounded by an accretion disc—one consisting of the shredded remains of a Sun-like star. (Image: ESO, ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser)
Last year, astronomers recorded the brightest supernova explosion ever seen. Follow up observations now suggest this cataclysmic event wasn’t a supernova at all, but rather, an extremely rare celestial phenomenon involving a supermassive black hole and a rather unfortunate star.
In 2015, astronomers participating in the the All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) witnessed what they thought was an unusually bright supernova. Dubbed ASASSN-15lh, it was twice as bright as the previous record holder, shining 20 times brighter than the total light output of the entire Milky Way galaxy. A supernova is the brilliant, dying gasp of a large star that can no longer balance the tremendous forces keeping it together, producing a shockwave that blows the star’s outer shell into space with tremendous force.
A new follow-up study published in the journal Nature Astronomy casts doubt on this initial assessment, proposing that ASASSN-15lh isn’t a superluminous supernova at all, but instead the consequence of a Sun-like star that ventured too close to a rapidly spinning supermassive black hole—an exceptionally rare cosmological event known as a tidal disruption.
Artist’s impression of the Sun-like star as it careens towards the supermassive black hole. (Image: ESO, ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser)
“We observed the source for 10 months following the event and have concluded that the explanation is unlikely to lie with an extraordinarily bright supernova,” noted lead investigator Giorgos Leloudas, an astronomer at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science, in a statement. “Our results indicate that the event was probably caused by a rapidly spinning supermassive black hole as it destroyed a low-mass star.”
During a tidal disruption, the extreme gravitational forces of a supermassive black hole “spaghettifies” and rips apart a star when it wanders too close. The shocks produced by the colliding debris, along with the tremendous amount of heat generated, produces an incredibly brilliant burst of light. This particular event transpired in a galaxy four billion light-years from Earth, and it’s only the tenth tidal disruption ever recorded.
Above: An animation showing how the ASASSN-15lh most likely happened.
During the ten months that followed the outburst, the astronomers watched as ASASSN-15lh went through a series of phases consistent with a tidal disruption. The object lit up in ultraviolet light and experienced a temperature increase—features that are not consistent with a supernova event. What’s more, the location of the outburst in a red, massive and passive galaxy is not the usual home for a superluminous supernova explosion, which typically happens in blue, star-forming dwarf galaxies.
The researchers based these conclusions on observations made from the Very Large Telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory, the New Technology Telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory, and the Hubble Space Telescope.
Above: This simulation shows a star getting torn apart by the gravitational tides of a supermassive black hole. The star gets “spaghettified,” and after several orbits creates an accretion disc. The view on the right is from the side, and at left from face on. (Credit: ESO, ESA/Hubble, N. Stone, K. Hayasaki)
That said, this particular tidal disruption—if that’s what it really is—is quite unique, requiring a special set of circumstances to make it happen.
“The tidal disruption event we propose cannot be explained with a non-spinning supermassive black hole,” explained Nicholas Stone from Columbia University. “We argue that ASASSN-15lh was a tidal disruption event arising from a very particular kind of black hole.”
The supermassive black hole at the core of this galaxy features a mass about 100 million times that of our Sun. Normally, a black hole of this size wouldn’t be able to disrupt stars outside of its event horizon—that fateful boundary within which nothing is able to escape. But if this black hole happens to be a so-called Kerr black hole—a black hole that features a rapid spin—this limit no longer applies, and the black hole is able to suck up any star that ventures within a certain radius.
The researchers aren’t fully confident that the outburst came from a tidal disruption, but the clues certainly fit that scenario. Further observations will be needed to make a definitive case.
Poor Yamcha, the butt of 90 percent of all Dragon Ball jokes. The poor guy has had his ass kicked time and time again—and hell, infamously got killed off by a nameless grunt—and can’t really keep up with his friends. But a new official manga spinoff imagines a world where Yamcha is the greatest hero in the Dragon Ball universe.
Shōnen Jump Plus has just started running a new miniseries by Dragon Garow Lee, based on Akira Toriyama’s iconic Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z series called Dragon Ball Gaiden: Tensei-shitara Yamcha Datta Ken (or, in English, “Dragon Ball Side Story: The Case of Being Reincarnated as Yamcha”). The premise revolves around a Japanese high schooler who is somehow reincarnated as the hapless Yamcha following a mysterious accident.
Using his foreknowledge of the events in the Dragon Ball manga, the high schooler—as Yamcha—starts influencing events to make sure Yamcha is prepared to... well, not get taken out like a chump all the damn time. But no matter what he does, can Yamcha become a hero to rival his superpowered friends? It’ll be interesting to see how the manga twists and turns throughout Dragon Ball history in order to have Yamcha come out on top... or at least try to. At least this time it seems like Yamcha survives that Saibaman attack:
In Hollywood, the prevailing thought is an R-rating holds a film back. The feeling is, by limiting the audience to people over 17, studios aren’t allowing films to live up to their full financial potential. Forget the fact forcing a rating hinders creativity and kids will see a movie anyway, it’s just the way some executives think.
That’s why you rarely see R-rated movies that cost as much as our biggest PG and PG-13 movies. For example, the main reason 20th Century Fox made Deadpool with an R-rating is because it was cheap by their standards—about $60 million, according to Box Office Mojo. Which means, if you want your movie to get an R-rating, concessions have to be made.
And that’s exactly what Hugh Jackman did for the third and final Wolverine film, Logan. According to director James Mangold, Jackman took a pay cut to help bring the film down to a budget the studio was comfortable with making an R-rated release.
Mangold said this at Butt-Numb-A-Thon, a 24 hour film festival held in Austin, TX, where 40 minutes of the film were screened. It was the same footage that played in New York last week, and got insanely good reactions.
So how much less did Jackman make? We don’t know. But even if Logan doesn’t live up to the early reactions, you have to think the goodwill and artistic freedom the pay cut gives him will end up paying off in the long run. Maybe not monetarily, but in history remembering that Jackman sent the character out in style.
Sometimes, really cool-looking TV shows appear out of nowhere. The freshly revealed Netflix drama The OA is one of those and it looks eerie and good.
Debuting this Friday in an eight-episode chunk, The OA comes from Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, the filmmakers behind the excellent Another Earth and Sound of My Voice. It looks like it’ll focus on the mysterious disappearance and return of a young woman who may have crossed onto other planes of existence.
The show’s official Instagram page offers a few more teases but it mostly worth scrolling through as a fun, clever use of the platform.
Rob Reid’s 2012 novel Year Zero drew from his experiences as the founder of the music-streaming service that became Rhapsody. His new book, Forever On: A Novel of Silicon Valley, is similarly tech-obsessed—though from what we can tell, there aren’t any aliens in this one. But we’ve still got an exclusive excerpt to share below.
Here’s a synopsis of Forever On:
Meet Phluttr - a diabolically addictive new social network, and a villainess, heroine, enemy, and/or bestie to millions. Phluttr has ingested every fact and message ever generated by, to, from, or about her innumerable users. Her capabilities astound her makers - and they don’t know the tenth of it.
But what’s the purpose of this stunning creation? Is it a front for something even darker and more powerful than the NSA? A bid to spawn a trillion-dollar market by becoming “The Uber of Sex?” Or a reckless experiment that could spawn the digital equivalent of a middle-school bully with enough charisma, dirt, and cunning to bend the entire planet to her will?
Phluttr has it in her to become the greatest gossip, flirt, or matchmaker in history. Or she could cure cancer, bring back Seinfeld, then start a nuclear war. Whatever she does, it’s not up to us. But a motley band of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, VC’s, and engineers might be able to influence her.
And here’s the excerpt, which reveals just how eerily familiar “Phlutter” really is.
They’re still discussing how to handle tomorrow’s board meeting when it’s time to surrender their table to the next reservation. The bar has a huge library-themed back room where front-room evictees can mingle, so they adjourn to it.
Mitchell’s midway through his next Imperial Eagle when a hipster in chunky glasses approaches with a buddy. Both hoodied and sideburned, they look somewhat similar in the dim light, only the second one lacks spectacles. “S’cuse us,” Specs says to Danna, “but we’re having a little debate about prohibition-era literature.”
“How very strange,” she answers warily. Her ‘Achilles bicep’ of paranoia is already kicking in – and Mitchell’s normally calm limbic system is going into overdrive! He senses a threat, and all these years after graduation, the blood of a high school defensive tackle still courses through his veins. He’s instinctively protective around Kuba, due to years of sticking up for him before the kids in their town finally accepted him. He’s also no less protective toward Danna, because knowing part of her history, he suspects some fragility lies beneath that tough, fearless surface.
Specs gestures at the surrounding shelves. “Well, these books are all from the period, so we couldn’t help ourselves. Anyway, my buddy here says the era’s best novel is The Beautiful and the Damned by Fitzgerald. But I’m holding out for The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein.”
Danna’s eyes widen slightly. “Wow – I’d say you win!”
“What do you like about Stein?” Danna asks, still a bit suspicious.
Specs rises to this. “Well, her work really broke with the narrative, linear, and temporal conventions of the 19th century. And she started experimenting with all that long before Faulkner, Woolf, or even Joyce.”
Danna nods aloofly. “She really doesn’t have any antecedents.”
Specs nods. “I’d say she was more influenced by Picasso than by any actual writers. She’s almost literature’s response to Cubism.”
This shatters the ice. “Holy crap! I wrote a whole thesis on Picasso’s influence on Stein!” Danna turns to Mitchell. “Former life,” she explains.
Mitchell nods politely. As if 23-year-old’s have those, he thinks. But he knows what she’s talking about. Danna majored in comparative literature, and minored in philosophy (she picked up design and coding in her spare time, the brat). Because literature’s up there with color palettes in her pantheon of passions, it’s now on Mitchell to be the paranoid one, and he’s amped. You’d never know it to look at him, though. The flip side of his particular form of charisma is an ability to mask his agitations just as deftly as he can infect others with them.
“So where’d you discover your passion for Stein,” Danna continues, quite a bit more warmly.
Specs grins. “It’ll sound weird, but in Morocco, of all places. I did Peace Corps there, and dated another volunteer who was a huge reader.”
“Wait –” Danna says. “You did Peace Corp in Morocco? When?”
“Three years ago.”
“Whoa! Well, this is random. But did you know a woman named Madison Parker while you were there?”
Specs gives her a stunned look. “Knew her? Madison was the girlfriend who taught me how to read!”
Danna breaks into delighted laughter, then explains that Madison was the older sister of a dorm mate of hers. “I had the biggest girl crush of my life on her!” she says. “We all did. She was so smart, and gorgeous, and funny. And going to Morocco for Peace Corp? That was fierce!”
“Well, thank you,” Specs jokes.
Danna laughs. “It was fierce for a blond woman. But you? I’ll give you ‘feisty.’ ” She’s beaming now, her features utterly vibrant, and drawing besotted looks from guys who hardly noticed her moments ago.
Soon, No-Specs jabs his buddy. “Time to go, man,” he says.
“We’re off to see The Black Keys at the Warfield,” Specs explains apologetically.
“Holy crap, I hate you!” Danna says, beaming even more incredulously. “They’re my favorite band ever! How’d you get tickets?”
No-Specs cups a hand around his mouth and mock whispers, “He’s buddies with their bass player,” as if spilling a secret his chum is too humble to share.
Specs glares at him facetiously. “Why you rattin’ me out? We’re supposed to say StubHub, remember?” He turns back to Danna – who’s suddenly regarding him very oddly. “But yeah, I do know their bassist. And they’re on in nine minutes. If they stick to the schedule he texted me this afternoon.”
“Got it,” Danna says, now gazing very intently into his eyes. “One last thing,” she enunciates very loudly and clearly. “Who is winning the Warriors game right now?”
Specs is suddenly very nervous. “Warriors are up by five,” he says sheepishly.
With that, Danna suddenly flicks her drink right into No-Specs’s unshielded eyes. He gasps and jumps back as her other hand flies to Specs’s face, snatching for his glasses. “What the hell?” Specs yelps, folding into a protective crouch. This smashes his face right into Danna’s grasping fingers, and his glasses go flying.
Danna dives for them, yelling, “cover me,” to no one in particular. Lunging toward her, Specs is instantly slammed to the floor by Mitchell, who’s stunned to find his football training so useful in this CEO gig. Danna uses the ensuing chaos to briefly snatch the glasses. But No-Specs has recovered, and bats them from her hands, sending them skittering under a thicket of legs midway across the room. Mitchell then agilely drops No-Specs to the floor, which leaves everyone sprawling but Kuba, who casually strides into the now-gawking huddle of drinkers, plucks the glasses from the carpet, and looks at them reeeeeeeal close as a mountain of Mississippi muscle and fist closes in on the scene.
“The hell?” the bouncer asks, effortlessly plucking Danna and Specs from the floor by the scruffs of their jackets.
“She assaulted me,” Specs whines shrilly.
The bouncer hoists Danna to eye level, like a picky shopper appraising a melon. “This’n? Hell, she ain’t a hundred pounds soakin’ wet. If she can whup you, you oughta learn some Kung Fu.” He releases them both.
Figuring Danna’s about to clam up and stare daggers at everyone, while Kuba catatonically ponders those high-tech glasses, Mitchell surges to his feet. “He’s a glasshole,” he declares pointing at Specs. “He was recording us, and everyone else in this bar!” This is only a guess. But it’s an educated one, and could just win the bouncer over.
“Hey, those are mine!” Specs practically shrieks, seeing his glasses in Kuba’s hands and lunging for them. Kuba dangles them out of his reach, then hands them peaceably to the bouncer.
“Glasshole,” the giant grumbles, examining the thick lenses. This term dates back to the early heyday of Google Glass – the famously clunky first-generation attempt to embed heads-up data displays in eyewear. Priced at fifteen hundred bucks, Glass categorically failed to set the world alight. It then largely vanished from the wild, but not before its built-in camera sparked a small wave of local paranoia. Reasoning that nothing could stomp a buzz quite like a herd of sly geeks sneaking candid photos of profitable revelry, several barkeeps banished Glass from their premises. “I got me a powerful allergy to glassholes! No wonder I got the sniffles tonight.” As the drawling quip hints of a playful wit beneath the gruffness, Mitchell decides on the tone he’ll take with this guy.
“I wasn’t recording anything,” Specs whines petulantly. “Those are prescription.”
“Sure,” Mitchell says, giving the bouncer a chummy glance. “Diagnosis: asswipe.” His delivery’s impeccable, so this comes across much funnier than you’d think.
Guffawing cheerfully at this, the bouncer peers at an arched bump on the temple of the frame, which looks a lot like a power button. A new wave of data glasses is starting to circulate, and digerati bars like this one want nothing to do with them. “Or maybe, glasswipe,” he parries, and Mitchell chuckles politely. Then he hands the glasses back to Specs, saying, “You two get your peepin Tom asses outta here now, and I don’t ever wanna see you again.” With that, Specs and No-Specs slink out, the bouncer gives the Giftish.ly crew a merry wink, and they’re left in peace.
“That hardware was amazing,” Kuba whispers once they’re alone. “They looked exactly like normal glasses. And I mean, exactly.” Everyone knows that smart eyewear will one day be indistinguishable from the real thing. But Glass itself fell comically short of this, and while the new Magic Leap gear is way better, it’s still pretty easy to spot in a crowd.
“It’s the software that freaks me out,” Danna says, clearly shaken. “That guy didn’t know crap about me, Gertrude Stein, or my friend’s big sister. But his glasses were … telling him what to say. Kind of.”
“That’s what I guessed,” Mitchell says. “How’d you figure it out?”
“The guy without the glasses blew it when he tried to ad lib about the Black Keys.”
“You mean when he said they knew the bass player?”
Danna nods. “The Black Keys don’t have a bass player.”
“Seriously?” Mitchell asks. “They sure sound like they do.”
“Trust me. They’ve been my favorite band for years. Just like Stein’s my favorite author. And Toklas is my favorite book. It was one coincidence too many. Meanwhile, I thought I’d seen a couple weird flashes of light in that guy’s lenses. So when they blew the bassist thing, I suddenly put it all together.”
“Ahhh,” Mitchell says. “So when you leaned in close and asked him about the Warriors game…”
“It was on a hunch. I figured smart glasses would have built-in voice recognition. And if I asked really clearly about something really basic, like a sports score, the system might flash up the answer.”
“So you saw the score pop up in his glasses?”
Danna shakes her head. “Just a glimmer of light. But that was enough.”
“But how did he learn all that stuff about you?” Kuba asks, more wide-eyed about the technology than disturbed by the privacy rupture.
“Well, first he had to figure out who I was, so let’s start with facial recognition.” Danna says. “I’ll bet those lenses ID everyone he looks at.”
Mitchell rolls his eyes. “Oh, come on.” This strikes him as just a bit paranoid – and, at least ten years into the future.
But Kuba’s nodding. “Think of all the pictures of you online. Of all of us. Each tagged with our names. Any system that’s scanned them all could do it. Facebook’s been ID-ing faces in photos for years. ID-ing someone from a live feed through those glasses wouldn’t be much harder.”
Danna shudders. “I’m sure it’s a layup for the NSA.”
“Please, those guys weren’t NSA,” Mitchell says (although he wouldn’t mind being wrong, because it would be pretty badass to’ve flattened a pair of government agents like that!)
“They wouldn’t have to be, to pull that off,” Kuba says. “Five years ago, maybe. But today? No. Facial ID just isn’t that hard or exotic anymore.”
“Then how’d the system come up with all that stuff for him to say about Danna’s friend’s older sister?” Mitchell asks.
“It probably didn’t,” Kuba guesses. “The operator just picked Danna as a target. Maybe randomly. Maybe because he liked the way she looked. Then, the system pulled up a bunch of facts about her. She wrote a thesis on this book. Here’s her social graph. Here are some distant acquaintances of hers you might credibly pretend to know. That sort of thing. Then the guy pieced together his own story and approach. I mean, he was pretty smooth. He wasn’t reading a teleprompter or anything.”
“Except for his initial description of Stein’s writing,” Dana says. “That was pretty wooden. Almost like he was reading from Wikipedia. But after that, he was real smooth. And, he was also having fun with it. Which made it believable, because small-world conversations like that actually are fun. If I didn’t feel so violated, I’d be kind of impressed with the whole performance. And he could’ve done something much creepier if he wanted to.”
“Like what?” To Mitchell, this shit was about as creepy as it gets.
“Well, let’s see. It would’ve been illegal, but once the facial recognition did its thing, there’s a bunch of databases the system could’ve hit to figure out where every cute girl in the bar lives, right? Then it could’ve told him which ones live in walking distance. And which ones are single, and live alone. Then it could’ve fed him a bunch of facts to help him seem all trustworthy to the unsuspecting target of his choice. Kind of like it did with me. He could’ve come off as being the brother of an old friend of hers. Or maybe, ‘hey, we took that history class together junior year! Wasn’t Doctor Bernstein the best?’ Enough trust that she lets him walk her home at the end of the night, because it’s a crap neighborhood, and she thinks they have a dozen friends in common. And then? Use your imagination.”
Mitchell shudders. “That’s sick.”
“I agree. But our guy only tricked me into thinking we had a bunch of weird things in common. Pretty harmless by comparison.” Danna is actually less put off by the episode than Mitchell or Kuba. As she’s already plenty paranoid, it didn’t surprise her. Nor did it reduce her faith in the average stranger, which for years has had nowhere lower to go.
“But we still loathe him, right?” Mitchell confirms. If Danna and Kuba are right about everything, those glasses make the guy half-omniscient – and like some real world supervillian, he’s noxiously abusing his powers. “And what the hell was the point of all that anyway?”
“They were alpha testing something new,” Kuba says softly. “Something radical. Taking it for a spin in the real world. That hardware’s pre-release, and very special. You saw how they fought. They did not want it getting out of their hands.”
“Do you seriously think that spying system is gonna be someone’s product?” Mitchell asks. “It can’t possibly be legal! It’s like … weaponized information.”
“Any more weaponized than a handgun?” Dana asks. “Those seem to be legal everywhere.”
Mitchell nods grimly. “I can hear the lobbyists now. Magic glasses don’t spy on people – people do.”
“Yes, they’ll say that,” Kuba agrees. “And they won’t be entirely wrong. Cynical. But not wrong. Because the tech itself could be used for practically anything, good or bad. It’s as value-neutral as a smart phone. Or a computer.”
“And every bit as inevitable,” Danna adds. “We’ve seen that dozens of times. Today’s million-dollar prototype is tomorrow’s $99 gizmo.”
Mitchell nods. “I just wish the guys who invented it didn’t go straight to the gutter with their first application.”
“Agreed,” Danna says. “Why build something that amazing just to creep on people in bars?”
“Completely twisted,” Mitchell agrees. “I mean, seriously. Who would do that?”
“A super-rich organization,” Kuba muses. “God only knows how much R&D that took.”
“Make that a brilliant rich organization,” Danna says. “That shit was incredible.”
“Make that a brilliant, rich, evil organization,” Mitchell adds. “Just to state the obvious.”
They all fall silent. Then Danna inevitably guesses, “Stanford?”
Mitchell grins. “Spoken like a true Berkeley girl. But sorry – not evil enough. He falls silent, then hazards, “North Korea?”
Kuba shakes his head. “Not rich enough.”
Then Danna guesses “Iran?”
“Not brilliant enough,” Mitchell points out.
As if on cue, their pockets all hum with an in-bound digital coupon.
The briefest of intervals, then Danna’s eyes widen and she snarls, “No!”
This baffles Kuba. But Mitchell’s right there with her. “It was fucking Phluttr!!!” he barks.
CBS All Access’ show has added three new castmembers—all reportedly playing Klingons—to Star Trek: Discovery. This tells us that instead of the traditional rotating cast of Klingons, we’re going to have an ongoing focus on specific members of the Klingon Empire.
Deadline reports that Shazad Latif (Penny Dreadful) will be playing Kol, a Klingon “commanding officer.” According to Deadline, Kol was mentored by T’Kuvma, who will be played by Chris Obi (Roots and soon to be seen in Bryan Fuller’s American Gods). K’Kuvma is a leader trying to unite the Klingon houses which, if memory serves, isn’t an easy thing to do.
Mary Chieffo has been cast as a third Klingon, L’Rell, the “Battle Deck Commander” of what I’m guessing is Kol’s ship.
This lines up with rumors we’d heard previously that Discovery was looking for a “Klingon captain,” which sounds very much like Kol. This whole thing sounds like we’ll be getting to see the period before the Original Series from the perspective of both the Federation and the Klingons, and see what lead to the sometimes-cold-but-sometimes-hot conflict of that time period.
On the Starfleet side, we already have Michelle Yeoh as Captain Georgiou; Doug Jones as Lt. Saru, Science Officer; and Anthony Rapp as Lt. Stamets, a scientist. If the rumors are true, we’ve still got a few admirals and a doctor left to cast.
Ash (Bruce Campbell) fights Henrietta (Ted Raimi) in the season two finale. All images: Starz
The first season of Ash vs Evil Dead was nonstop insane mayhem, continuing a story that began 35 years ago in the most rewarding way possible. How could the second season possibly top that? Sam Raimi had the answer: raise the stakes, allow certain characters to evolve, and make everything at least 10 times gorier.
Last night’s finale wrapped up this season’s overarching homecoming theme by bringing Ash back to the cabin where it all began—again. It’s the same place where season one ended, but this time the circumstances were quite a bit different. Instead of Ash, Kelly, and Pablo making the trek to return the Necronomicon and defeat Ruby (which isn’t at all how things turned out), Ash, Kelly, Ruby (now an ally), and Pablo’s bisected corpse finally worked in that Army of Darkness reference we’ve been waiting for, and time-traveled back to 1982. The plan, dreamed up by a very drunk Ash, would be to prevent the younger version of Ash from ever cracking open the cursed book, thus preventing him from becoming a perpetual Deadite target—and saving Pablo’s life several years down the line. But Ash is “El Jefe,” the chosen one, and while changing history is a tough enough task, changing one’s fate is another thing entirely.
Ruby and Kelly went from enemies to friends this season. But will it last?
One of the things Ash vs Evil Dead does most brilliantly is create supporting characters who are broad enough to fit into Ash’s crazy, cartoonish world—but are also capable of nuance. We saw Ruby, last season’s villain, lose her immortality and, more importantly, shift her perspective on the whole good vs. evil thing after birthing demon spawn that eventually turned against her. Kelly proved herself a more than capable brawler—but also wondered if maybe she should be fighting her own battles rather than just being Ash’s sidekick. Pablo had the hardest time of all, spending all season mentally bound to the Necronomicon, something that he knew he wouldn’t be able to survive.
That said, this show is called Ash vs Evil Dead, and the main reason to watch—other than the wonderfully repulsive special effects, and the clever call-outs to the movies that came before the TV show—is Bruce Campbell as Ash. His performance on the series is the perfect blend of a guy who’s seen everything before, and is therefore ready for anything, and yet still manages to be taken by surprise every time. (Never untie anyone or anything that’s trapped in the cabin basement, Ash—you should know that by now!) And though he acts like a blowhard most of the time, he’s also no dummy, and he’s constantly being underestimated.
This quality was used to great effect in episode seven, “Delusion,” which spent the entire time trying to convince the viewer that Ash had been institutionalized for 35 years after killing all his friends at the cabin. Though it was rather obviously an illusion orchestrated by “Bill,” the skin-stealing demon, it was the first time Ash vs Evil Dead has slowed its traditionally breakneck pace and focused itself on one specific high concept. Amid a sea of other stakes-raising moments this season—introducing (and then killing off) Ash’s father, in the form of a perfectly-cast Lee Majors; the Delta 88 becoming possessed; Ash fighting an undead human colon; Ash regaining his hand, only to lose it again—it was an interesting experiment that might not have totally worked, but proved the show is interested in more than just rivers of blood and bile.
That’s not to say it didn’t spend an awful lot of time dreaming up plenty of new and disgusting scenarios that have rightfully become the show’s trademark. I thought the colon scene mentioned above was going to be my top pick for season two’s most-repulsive moment, but then I saw Deadite Henrietta forcibly breast-feed our squirming hero—which made me both shriek in horror, and thank the TV gods that there’ll be a season three of Ash vs Evil Dead. What could possibly top that nightmarish sight? No doubt we’re going to find out when the show returns.
Free Comic Book Day is already a good deal—after all, there is no better deal than “free comics.” But it’s an even better deal when the comics made available for the annual event sound absolutely incredible, and 2017's output is shaping up to be very interesting. Three words, you guys: Mirror. Universe. Picard.
The “Gold Sponsor” publishers for next year’s Free Comic Book Day—taking place on May 6, 2017—have announced the special issues they’ll be releasing for the event, and there’s definitely some intriguing titles in there. There’s the ever-wonderful Boom Summer Blast (a regular for FCBD that was thrown into doubt earlier this year by claims the event wanted to cut down on anthology offerings). Dark Horse is lifting the lid on the Avatar ongoing series it announced at NYCC this year. Skottie Young’s I Hate Fairyland star Gertrude is making her way to the rest of the Image universe. And then yes, IDW is totally doing a Next Generation mirror universe story. EVIL FACIAL HAIR FOR ALL.
DC and Marvel also “revealed” issues, by which I mean they released black covers displaying logos and not much else. At least we know that Marvel’s will be related in some form to Spider-Man (and something else secretive), but neither company is quite ready to lift the lid on their respective offerings. That might be a good thing—last year’s Marvel offerings teased Civil War II and the ongoing Clone Conspiracy Spidey event, among other things—but given that DC’s top secret offering last year turned out to be a rerelease of a not-great issue of Suicide Squad, it could be a bit of a bust. We’ll have to wait and see.
In the meantime, here’s a complete list of all the titles revealed so far—there’ll be more from “silver sponsor” publishers later this month, before they’re all collated in the December 28th issue of Previews Magazine.
FCBD 2017 Betty & Veronica #1
ARCHIE COMICS
(W) Adam Hughes (A) Adam Hughes, Jose Villarrubia, Jack Morelli (CA) Adam Hughes
IT’S BETTY VS. VERONICA! Betty and Veronica are America’s sweethearts… until they turn on each other! “Pops’ Chocklit Shoppe is being taken over by a huge coffee company. When Betty and Veronica go head-to-head over the issue, all bets are off! Friendships will shatter. Cities will burn. Nails will be broken. Betty and Veronica are back in this ALL-NEW #1 from comics legend Adam Hughes (Wonder Woman, Catwoman)!
32 pages, FC
2017 Free Comic Book Day Bongo Comics Free-For-All!
BONGO COMICS
(W/A/CA) Matt Groening
Get in line for the foremost Free Comic Book Day four-color giveaway of the year! When Bart injures his back and has to use a rolling backpack, he turns weakness into strength as the “Leader of the Backpack Pack.” Then, Homer and Bart pull an all-nighter and put themselves on high alert to prevent a potential home invasion. Rod and Todd Flanders get separated from Ned Flanders in downtown Springfield and find themselves on an odyssey fraught with many mostly imagined dangers. All that and much, much more, and it’s all free!
32pgs, FC
BOOM! STUDIOS SUMMER BLAST FCBD 2017 EDITION
BOOM! STUDIOS
(W/A) David Petersen & Various (CA) Kyla Vanderklugt
BOOM! Studios Summer Blast is jam-packed with three stories of mice, monsters, and one supernatural punk band. In an original Archaia short story of David Petersen’s Mouse Guard, a pair of youngfurs learn a lesson from a grizzled guardmouse on what it means to be a hunter. Next, get a sneak peek of the upcoming KaBOOM! series Brave Chef Brianna. To prove herself as a great chef, Brianna starts her own restaurant… but the only town she can afford to set up shop in is Monster City! Finally, the Lumberjanes introduce your new favorite BOOM! Box series Coady and the Creepies. Coady and her sisters are members of a band heading for the gig of their lives… so long as no one realizes that Coady is actually a ghost!
(W) Sherri Smith, Brian Wood (A) Doug Wheatley, Werther Dell’Edera
Return to the wilds of Pandora and the world of the Nav’i from James Cameron’s groundbreaking film Avatar as Jake Sully connects with the flying Toruk, the majestic Great Leonopteryx, by remembering the depth of his bond with his twin brother and great partnerships of history and legend. Also included in this issue: Set in a secessionist community in rural America, Grace Briggs is trying to guide her family peacefully through trying times. But when confronted with armed milita running an opioid ring on her land, she must take commanding steps. Briggs Land is currently in development for television at AMC.
MATURE THEMES
32pgs, FC
DC COMICS GOLD BOOK—FCBD 2017 EDITION
DC COMICS
(W/A/CA) TBD
A special, Top Secret project too big to announce! Please check back in the February issue of PREVIEWS and at freecomicbookday.com for future updates!
32pgs, FC
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION: MIRROR BROKEN — FCBD 2017 EDITION
IDW PUBLISHING
(W) Scott Tipton, David Tipton (A/CA) J. K. Woodward
Space… The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the I.S.S. Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to conquer strange new worlds, to enslave new life and new civilizations… to boldly go where no one has gone before! Return to the Mirror Universe with the Next Generation crew in a way you’ve never seen them before in this prequel to the upcoming Star Trek: The Next Generation miniseries, Mirror Broken! Captain Jean-Luc Picard will stop at nothing to get his hands on the Terran Empire’s newest starship, the Enterprise-D. And no one had better stand in his way!
32pgs, FC
I HATE IMAGE — FCBD 2017 EDITION
IMAGE COMICS
(W/A/CA) Skottie Young
Gertrude has been stuck in Fairyland for decades when she finally hears of a secret passage that may be her way back home. But reaching it is easier said than done as she crosses the border into IMAGE where she’ll have to chop her way through you favorite characters from Saga, The Walking Dead, Savage Dragon, Spawn, Descender, Black Science, Southern Bastards, and any other character I can add to make sure the original art for this issue sends my children to college!
MATURE THEMES
32pgs, FC
FCBD 2017 MARVEL SECRET
MARVEL COMICS
Top Secret
32pgs, FC
RICK & MORTY — FCBD 2017 EDITION
ONI PRESS
(W) Zac Gorman, Tini Howard (A) CJ Cannon & Various (CA) Maximus Pauson
Dan Harmon & Justin Roiland’s hilarious hit Adult Swim animated show Rick
and Morty has its own critically-acclaimed comic book series from Oni Press!
Join degenerate superscientist Rick Sanchez as he embarks on all-new insane
adventures with his awkward grandson Morty, his teenage granddaughter Summer,
his veterinary surgeon daughter Beth, and his hapless son-in-law Jerry. Catch
up on their escapades with this special Free Comic Book Day issue, which
includes the story that started it all: Part One of “The Wubba Lubba Dub Dub of
Wall Street.” Plus, an exclusive first look at the upcoming miniseries Pocket
Like You Stole It!
32pgs, FC
DOCTOR WHO — FCBD 2017 EDITION
TITAN COMICS
(W) Alex Paknadel (A) Mariano Laclaustra (CA) Photo
Take a spin through the past, present, and future of Doctor Who universe, in the company of the twelfth Doctor and his brand-new companion, Bill! Featuring Bill’s first Titan Comics appearance, this all-new story is an unmissable experience for fans new and old, with plenty of tantalising teases from Doctors past and present, including incredible clues to the year ahead for all of Titan’s Doctor Who series! Keep your Sonic Screwdriver at the ready and unlock a world of adrenaline-fuelled time traveling adventure!
32pgs, FC
X-O MANOWAR SPECIAL — FCBD 2017 EDITION
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT
(W) Matt Kindt, Jeff Lemire (A) Tomas Giorello & Various (CA) Tomas Giorello
First: The biggest Valiant debut of all time begins with an all-new prelude to X-O Manowar from visionary storyteller Matt Kindt and blockbuster artists Tomas Giorello, Doug Braithwaite, Clayton Crain, Ryan Bodenheim, and Mico Suayan! Then, comics superstar Jeff Lemire begins the march toward Bloodshot Salvation with the first appearance of A Major New Character! Plus: Faith, Harbinger Renegade, Ninjak, Psi-Lords, Secret Weapons, Shadowman, and surprise revelations for Harbinger Wars 2!
32pgs, FC
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS/OCARINA OF TIME — FCBD 2017 EDITION
VIZ MEDIA
(W/A/CA) Akira Himekawa
Once upon a time, wizards tried to conquer the Sacred Realm of Hyrule. The Spirits of Light sealed the wizards’ power within the Shadow Crystal and banished them to the Twilight Realm beyond the Mirror of Twilight. Now, an evil menace is trying to find Midna, Princess of the Twilight Realm, and the fragments of the Shadow Crystal to gain the power to rule over both the Twilight Realm and the World of Light. This FCBD special features excerpts from the manga adaptations of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Image: Deleted scene found on the Roddenberry Vault, CBS Home Entertainment
With Star Trek: The Original Series celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, you wouldn’t think there was still more new footage to be found. You’d be wrong, and the experts behind the Star Trek Encyclopedia have spent nine years working to show it to us. io9 spoke with Denise and Michael Okuda about what there still is to discover about Star Trek.
“To be honest with you, this was a passion project. It was a lot of work and we’ve been working on it on and off for nine years and we did it because we wanted to get this footage out so that fans of Star Trek could see it, too,” Denise Okuda told us at the end of the conversation. After talking to her and Michael, we believe it.
io9: How are there still new things to find about Star Trek?
Michael Okuda: We were as shocked as anybody. We had hoped that this kind of footage existed, but every place we looked, everyone we asked—dead ends. But Denise kept believing that there was something.
Denise Okuda: I did. I believed that there was all lost footage because we had seen still photographs of things we had not seen in the aired episodes. Particularly at the end of an episode called “Operation: Annihilate!” there’s a scene where Peter Kirk comes on the bridge and we’ve seen stills, so we knew it was filmed. But we had no idea for years [if it still existed]. We would ask people and no one would know. Nine years ago we were contacted by Rod Roddenberry and met him at a warehouse, we signed a non-disclosure and we went in and we saw these rows and rows and rows of film cans and in the film cans were these tiny—some bigger, some little—rolls of film. And bingo! It was the holy grail and here we are so excited to talk about the Roddenberry Vault.
What was the most exciting discovery?
DO: There were quite a few. I think the Peter Kirk validation—that it was filmed, that we do have it. I mean, Mike and I were watching the disc and we literally came off the couch and then we called Phil Bishop over at CBS Home Entertainment and we said, “We found it!”
MO: We started babbling to him.
DO: We did, he’s been very patient with us. So that was really a neat one.
MO: And another one that we’re so excited about was that we knew there was a scene written for “Who Mourns for Adonais?” in which we would have learned that Carolyn Palamas, Lieutenant Palamas, was pregnant from the Greek god Apollo. And we knew it was written and we knew it was scripted but we had no idea if it was filmed. Now we didn’t actually find the scene, but we found one shot of Spock from that scene in which he’s reacting to off-screen lines being read by the script supervisor. And he reads McCoy lines, and bingo! We found out after all these years that it was actually filmed.
DO: And that was very exciting and then when we traveled to talk to Leslie Parrish, who was the actress who played Lieutenant Palamas, she said, “Yes, indeed it was filmed.” And we found a little bit of coverage of Nimoy. So that was a lot of fun.
What do you think the canon status of these are?
MO: That’s a really good and surprisingly complicated question. As authors of the Star Trek Encyclopedia, we don’t consider them to be official scenes if they weren’t in a final cut of an episode. But obviously, your mileage will vary. And we’re just so excited the material is out there.
DO: We kind of feel these deleted scenes, alternate takes, are icing on the cake. They’re footage that we were never meant to see, it was meant to be swept away with the trash on the cutting room floor. The footage was rescued and preserved and here we are, almost 50 years later, and we’re able share with everyone this amazing treasure trove.
What do you think the value of the physical Star Trek Encyclopedia and actual DVDsis in a time where everything is online?
MO: For a lot of fans, the physical media is an icon that represents their love and affection for the show. That I have this, and it’s my expression to myself of something that I love. In the case of the encyclopedia, sure you can look stuff up [online] and a lot of people do that, and it’s fine. But we find a lot of people simply enjoy curling up with a good book while they’re watching the show. And similarly, with the Roddenberry Vault we were able to deliver a lot of pieces that you wouldn’t typically include in streaming episodes.
Do you feel like these discoveries keep the original series alive 50 years later?
MO: Well, for us, absolutely. Even though a lot of the stuff is similar to what was on the air, it’s another moment, another angle, it’s another way of doing something that we love. So yes, absolutely.
DO: We’ve been involved with this off and on for nine years and pretty intensely. It took us three years to go through and catalogue all of the footage. And then we spent the last year with our producer and our coworker, Roger Lay Jr., making documentaries. We interviewed people who worked on the Original Series and also contemporary fans of the show like Bill Prady, the co-creator of the Big Bang Theory, who’s a big Star Trek fan. And in doing this and weaving the lost footage into these documentaries we hope that we give the viewer context. Because a lot of the footage was what was on the cutting room floor, not entire scenes, but snippets of dialogue that was omitted. Perhaps because of time. So we hope that the viewer will be guided through the footage given context so it will mean something to everyone.
Image: The Roddenberry Vault, CBS Home Entertainment
The Roddenberry Vault set focuses on 12 episodes, how did you pick those?
MO: We picked the 12 episodes that we felt were most relevant to the material we had. But, in addition to the 12 episodes we have a three-part documentary called “Inside the Vault” and there are also documentaries called “Revisiting a Classic” and “Strange New Worlds.” We also have a standalone feature that we call “Swept Up: Snippets From the Cutting Room Floor,” in which we have clips and snippers and alternate lines from a lot of other episodes. So we’re not restricted to the 12, even though we’re focused on them.
How much of the footage you found is in the set?
MO: Honestly, we never figured out exactly how much footage we used in the thing. I will say that we tended to use as much as possible of the most interesting and best stuff.
DO: What we remind people is that these are snippets, very rarely do you get an entire scene. We have a couple, but they’re mostly deleted lines, alternate takes, so we have the best stuff in The Roddenberry Vault.
What do you think is the reason the show is still remembered, 50 years later?
DO: I think a lot of people have a lot of opinions. For Mike and I, yes it’s good entertainment. You’ve got great characters, you’ve got wonderful stories. But for us, it’s the Roddenberry philosophy of hope and that we are all as humans, who are, really, on this fragile planet together, and someday we will reach for the stars and we will meet other beings and to know that there is that hope and that optimism, I think that that is crucial. Especially today.
There’s so much negativity, you turn on the news and you hear about hateful things, and to us Star Trek represents the positive and the good in people. And I think that keeps it alive for many.
Image: The Roddenberry Vault, CBS Home Entertainment
What would someone new to the show get out of this footage—someone not as obsessed with knowing everything about Star Trek as, say, I am?
MO: Let me first entirely agree with you about Roddenberry’s vision of the future. Roddenberry created a world in which if we’re smart, if we’re ethical, if we’re compassionate, we can reach for the stars together. And I think a lot of fans, including ourselves, want to be a part of that vision. You want to live in that universe.
For us as Star Trek fans looking through the Roddenberry Vault footage, we worked on a lot of Star Trek but we didn’t work on the original series. And the insight you get into the footage is that you come away with an even greater amount of admiration for these writers, these directors, these actors, for the designers, for the visual effects people. What an audacious, stunning achievement this was.
Some people look at the original Star Trek and say, “That’s kind of dated. The effects are very simplistic.” But, in fact, for the 1960s they were at the absolute bleeding edge of the technology at the time. They used state-of-the art photo-chemical, optical, and visual effects, and it was such an incredibly brave thing to do, to attempt that kind of work on a weekly television schedule. So our respect for and admiration for what people did has grown.
DO: One of our goals in creating The Roddenberry Vault was to reach fans of all levels. If you know the show so well that you can tell the difference between one take and another, you’re going to have a blast. But if you only have a passing familiarity with the Star Trek universe, with the Original Series, that’s what the documentaries are there for. Besides being fun, they give you context. And you can watch it, even if you’re not familiar with Star Trek, you can watch it and you can be guided through the process and I think that can be enjoyable for all different levels of fans.
MO: We talked to all kinds of fascinating people working on these documentaries, from Bill Shatner to Dorothy Fontana and David Gerrold. A fair number of actors and behind the scenes people, and all of them lent fascinating viewpoints and information about the episodes.
Outside of Roddenberry’s vision, which we talked about earlier, what would you say is Star Trek’s biggest legacy?
MO: I think that it really was among the first science fictions that truly was mass media. It put forth the notion of what science and technology and human ingenuity could do for us in the future. And you see that whenever there’s some new invention, science writers will bend over backwards to say, “Yes, it’s something like what we saw in Star Trek.” Star Trek has become the touchstone of what the future can be, and the future that we strive for.
Star Trek: The Original Series - The Roddenberry Vault is released on Blu-ray tomorrow.
