“You didn’t think that was the end of the story, did you?” That closing line has become somewhat of a tradition with Disney’s “Descendants” franchise, and its latest installment — “Descendants: Wicked Wonderland,” which premiered July 16 on Disney Channel — is no exception. This time around, that all-important question is asked by Chessy, the troublemaking daughter of the Cheshire Cat (voiced by Awkwafina). The moment comes, as it always does, in the movie’s final moments, after Red (Kylie Cantrall) and her motley crew have battled their way through Wonderland to rescue…
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Epic poems like The Odyssey weren’t written down, at least not at first. They were told and retold, over and over as part of an oral tradition. As such, their impact had as much to do with the storyteller as the story itself.The same can be said for the new film of The Odyssey. This ancient tale, familiar to everyone who passes high school English, is rendered new again by writer/director Christopher Nolan’s craftsmanship and thoughtfulness, which turns this dusty legend into a meditation on what holds civilizations together, and what tears them apart, including our own.In typical Nolan style, it’s also a cinematic epic — epic in scale…
This post has been updated to include a statement from Spotify.Lorde would prefer to let her music speak for itself, especially when it comes to misleading AI descriptions. In an Instagram story posted on July 16, the singer expressed frustration over Spotify’s new About the Song feature, which uses AI to generate a summary of whatever song the app is playing. Tagging the streaming platform, she wrote: “I’m gonna go out on a limb and say we don’t want this.”The summary in question appeared alongside the Virgin track “Current Affairs,” and incorrectly cited it as the song Lorde performs during…
Stephanie Palazzolo / The Information: Runta, which provides isolated sandboxes and guardrails for AI agents to prevent operational risks, raised a $20M seed led by a16z at a $100M+ valuation — As a father to two young kids, Guanlan Dai sees a lot of similarities between AI agents and precocious children. View Original Source Here
How Eating Crayons and Glue to Survive in the Desert Inspired A Novel | BookTrib. Skip to main content View Original Source Here
Listening to the “ringing” produced by black holes after they collide and merge could allow scientists to test Einstein’s theory of general relativity under the most extreme conditions in the universe while unlocking the secrets of these mysterious objects. View Original Source Here
JC Olivera/FilmMagic Sam Neill’s cause of death was pneumonia, his longtime manager Philip Grenz revealed Thursday to the BBC. The actor died Monday at a Sydney, Australia hospital at the age of 78. Grenz chose to report Neill’s true cause of death in order to correct “inaccurate and outright falsehoods” spreading in the media. Neill had been battling a form of blood cancer since 2022, but revealed in April that he was cancer free. According to Grenz’s statement, Neill’s family said his death was “sudden and unexpected.” “As Sam Neill’s longtime rep,…
With regards to the dialogue and American/British accents used in place of more accurate speech – Emily Wilson, whose translation of ‘The Odyssey‘ was Nolan and Damon’s north star, has succinctly hit that nail on the head. Similarly, it’s hard to get too worked up about the historical realism of the costumes in a film where a 60ft cyclops puppet chomps on Odysseus’ shipmates like they’re fun-size Mars bars. Nolan and van Hoytema work in the familiar moody colours which have come to define their collaboration; blues, greys and browns with the occasional flourish of red and orange. Those seeking the impressive colours that Ancient…
Coincidence or a reaction to the trend? Each of the top 5 singles on the Hot Country Songs chart dated July 11 are by female artists, or a female-male collaboration. And 11 of the top 20 fit that description, too. With women suddenly getting equal treatment in the top layers of the country chart, they also make up almost half of the genre’s new solo artists putting out key inaugural products in the next six months. At least 20 acts have their debut album or EP on the way in the last half of 2026, and of the 16 solo…
A closet full of quality basics goes a long way, no matter the season. Whether it’s a simple pair of trousers or jeans to wear with tank tops and T-shirts, the styling options are versatile and endless. However, the fashion set has turned its head to a trendier bottom trend to wear with tank tops and tees, and Dua Lipa’s recent look is the perfect example.While out in NYC, Lipa was spotted wearing a pair of trousers from Helsa with a chic twist: a skirt attachment. She kept it simple by styling her pants with a plain black tank top.…
The headphone company Skullcandy has a reputation for lackluster audio quality. For the past year or so, it’s been on a mission to improve that reputation.Its efforts started with a Bose partnership in 2025 and the release of the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC, a $130 pair of wireless earbuds that have surprisingly decent audio quality and noise cancellation for the money.Next on the upgrade list are Skullcandy’s notorious Crusher headphones. These wireless cans have been around for more than a decade, and they are notable for letting users crank up the bass vibrations using a physical thumb wheel on the…
What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book? Over thirty years ago, I watched an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show about a little girl whose mother drove their car into the water. Years later, Oprah reunited the now-grown woman with the man who dove in and saved her life. I don’t remember all the details anymore, but I remember how deeply that story stayed with me. I found myself wondering what happened after the cameras stopped rolling. How did surviving something like that shape her? Her family? Her future? Those questions stayed with me…
Scientists have identified a new species of monkey that has orange lips and makes unique roars and snorting sounds. The distinctive monkey lives in a remote region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).It is only the fifth new monkey species to be identified in Africa in the past 75 years, and there might be more unknown monkey species in the region, scientists behind a new study suggested. Researchers named the newly identified species of monkey Colobus congoensis, after the region, and it is known by the common name “likweli” in the local Kilanga language.”This is remarkable because it’s…
Mike Taing/Disney “The Rookie” is serving fans an amuse-bouche to tide them over until Season 9 by releasing an extended version of one of Season 8’s most intense hours. Beginning Monday, July 20, Hulu will stream a supersized cut of Episode 10, “His Name Was Martin,” featuring five-and-a-half minutes of never-before-seen footage. The extended cut will be available in the Extras section of the ABC drama’s Hulu landing page. Penned and directed by series creator Alexi Hawley, the hour finds John Nolan & Co. racing to contain an outbreak at…
La La Land is heading back to theaters for its 10th anniversary. The rerelease of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone‘s musical has thrilled longtime fans while also reigniting discussions about the film’s legacy and its place in Oscar history. La La Land returns to theaters as fans revisit its divisive legacy Directed by Damien Chazelle, La La Land will return to theaters on August 16, 2026, as part of its 10th anniversary celebration. This time, the film will be presented in Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos immersive audio for the first time in Dolby Cinema. Now, a decade after…
During a recent podcast appearance, Jason Newsted recalled the time Metallica stopped a show after darts were thrown at them onstage.Newsted and Blackberry Smoke frontman Charlie Starr joined Rolling Stone for an episode of the publication’s “Nashville Now” show to discuss their current tour together. During the conversation, the topic of fans throwing things at the stage at concerts came up and Newsted shared a story from his time in Metallica.The incident took place in the late ’80s, as Starr had referenced a Metallica show he saw with The Cult after their 1989 album Sonic Temple had come out. Newsted said around that time,…
Tamara Djurickovic / Tech.eu: Amsterdam-based Monumental, which develops autonomous robotics and software for the construction industry, raised a $32M Series B led by Khosla Ventures — Monumental develops autonomous construction robots and AI software to help builders address labour shortages and increase construction capacity. View Original Source Here
There are currently three bills in Congress that would permit widespread book censorship nationwide. All three originated from the House of Representatives. They are as follows: HR 7661, also known as the “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act.” This would modify the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 by prohibiting the use of funds under the act “to develop, implement, facilitate, host, or promote any program or activity for, or to provide or promote literature or other materials to, children under the age of 18 that includes sexually oriented material, and for other purposes.” It was introduced by Mary…
European astronomers have conducted optical and radio observations of an enigmatic radio source designated GRS 0917+75. As a result, they found that GRS 0917+75 is a giant radio galaxy and determined its properties. The new findings were published July 3 on the preprint server arXiv. View Original Source Here
Paramount+ (2), MovieStillsDB A serial killer who only kills serial killers. When “Dexter” debuted on Showtime in 2006, that basic premise was all we needed to get sucked into the titular antihero’s world of bloodshed. Based on the crime/thriller book series by Jeff Lindsay, “Dexter” tells the story of Dexter Morgan, a forensic blood spatter analyst working for the Miami Metro Police Department. But what his colleagues didn’t know is that he worked in the shadows as a vigilante serial killer, satisfying his “dark passenger” (his term for his urge to kill)…
I’ve always wanted to be the very best that no one ever was. I’m an Aries, after all, and we’re as competitive as they come.This arbitrary desire for greatness has bled into my hobbies over the years, driving me to complete niche toy collections and excavate rare dolls and collectibles from garage sales, flea markets, and overpriced antique malls. My Pokémon card collection, as specific as it is — I pride myself on my sprawling arsenal of ultra-cutesy cards some might label “girly,” to no great personal offense — is no different.I’ve been collecting Pokémon cards since they were first…
Beck has announced Ride Lonesome, his first new album in seven years. The 12-song collection is due out on September 18th through Capitol Records. Along with sharing details of the LP, he’s also revealed a new single called “In the Night.” For the new album, Beck recorded with Smokey Hormel, Joey Waronker, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Roger Joseph Manning Jr., and Jason Falkner, a group who previously accompanied him on albums including Sea Change, Morning Phase, and Mutations. Nigel Godrich, who also worked on Sea Change and Mutations, mixed all of the songs. Get Beck Tickets Here “It had been a decade…
The best part about getting dressed is adding those amazing finishing touches with the coolest accessories. Planning for this summer is no different. I’m not sure about you, but a fun shoe, a pretty handbag, or even a lovely piece of jewelry can transform my favorite clothing items. Since I don’t believe in gatekeeping, I’ve done what I do best and scoured the internet for some amazing summer 2026 accessories worth grabbing today.In the mix, you can expect a carefully curated selection of summer shoes, carry-all handbags, hats, scarves, and jewelry. On-trend styles like wedged thong sandals, raffia totes, jelly…
The United Kingdom will require social media companies to implement a default block for adolescent users aged 16 and 17 at certain hours, the country’s Department for Science, Innovation & Technology revealed on Tuesday evening.This automatic new curfew would theoretically lock older teens out of social platforms between the hours of midnight and 6 am—though the feature can be turned off. The nonmandatory restriction is to be imposed along with a looming total ban on these services for children under 16, expected to come into force in spring 2027. Both measures come after the Online Safety Act, a controversial set…
Day of Wrath by Otho Eskin With its richly layered mystery, intelligent plotting and one of the genre’s most compelling detectives, “Day of Wrath” is the kind of thriller that reminds you why conspiracy fiction is so captivating in the first place. There are thrillers that ask you to race through the pages, adrenaline pumping through your veins, and there are thrillers that invite you to look twice at every clue, every conversation and every seemingly insignificant detail because it all matters. Day of Wrath by Otho Eskin belongs primarily in the second camp, while still providing enough…
Researchers have extracted DNA from a 50,000-year-old tooth belonging to an African antelope, setting a record for the oldest DNA ever retrieved from sub-Saharan Africa, a new study reports.The finding suggests that DNA preservation in sub-Saharan Africa is possible for tens of thousands of years. In most cases, the region’s hot climate breaks down the molecule and prevents researchers from understanding the evolution of numerous species, including ancient human ancestors and relatives.While some temperate regions are known for preserving ancient human DNA — for instance, the Sima de los Huesos (“Pit of Bones”) in Spain preserved DNA from a mysterious…
Thanks to Sunday’s “House of the Dragon,” we’ve got a new entry in the “Game of Thrones” bath-matic universe. Continuing in the tradition set by Jaime and Brienne’s bathtub scene in “Game of Thrones” Season 3, this week’s “House of the Dragon” gave us more insight into Ormund Hightower (played by James Norton) via dialogue delivered both in and out of the bathtub at his Tumbleton quarters. As the Hightower leader holds an audience with some disgruntled local nobles, he steps out of the water and dries himself leisurely as he announces that…
On Truth & Movies this week, we discuss Sébastien Vaniček’s Evil Dead Burn and Karim Aïnouz’s Rosebush Pruning. For Film Club, we revisit Marco Bellocchio’s incendiary debut Fists in His Pockets. Joining host Leila Latif are Anton Bitel and Katherine McLaughlin. Truth & Movies is the podcast from the film experts at Little White Lies, where along with selected colleagues and friends, they discuss the latest movie releases. Truth & Movies has all your film needs covered, reviewing the latest releases big and small, talking to some of the most exciting filmmakers, keeping you across important industry news, and reassessing…
Toronto singer-songwriter Charlotte Cornfield is going on tour with Friendship this December. No, not the concept of camaraderie—the Philadelphia band whose latest record, Caveman Wakes Up, came out in 2025. The co-headliners will spend the last month of 2026 traversing the U.S., making stops in New York, Atlanta, Nashville, St. Louis, and more. (Requisite hometown shows in Toronto and Philadelphia are also on the docket.) Support on select dates will come from More Eaze and Fred Thomas, respectively. Check out a full list of shows below.Cornfield shared her most recent album, Hurts Like Hell, back in March. Her first release…
Aditya Soni / Reuters: Flex, which offers AI-based payment tools, credit, and more to mid-sized companies, raised a $70M Series B1 led by Halo Fund, a source says at a $1.2B valuation — Flex, an AI startup pitching itself as a one-stop shop for the banking needs of mid-sized business owners … View Original Source Here