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Following the passing of legendary actor Ed Asner, his Cobra Kai co-stars William Zabka and Ralph Macchio both paid their respects and gratitude for Asner gracing the show with his presence. The late actor played Sid Weinberg, the emotionally abusive step-father to Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence, and recently popped up in Season 3.

“Devastated to hear this news,” Zabka wrote on Twitter. “What a legend. What a beautiful human and special friend. I learned so much from him. My love and deepest condolences to the Asner family #RIP Dear Ed”

Macchio also offered his condolences. “So saddened by this news,” the Karate Kid star wrote. “A legend and icon in the acting world. Endless respect for his body of work on so many levels. Ed had graced the Cobra Kai series and am grateful to have had a moment or two to meet and connect with him. An absolute privilege. #RIPEdAsner”

In addition to Zabka and Macchio’s tributes, Cobra Kai creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg issued the following statement to Deadline:

“What performer could more perfectly embody the love/hate nature of playing Johnny Lawrence’s father than Ed Asner? When we dreamed up the character, there was no discussion – it was only Ed.”

Asner was clearly a beloved presence on set. Just a few months ago, Zabka had stopped by Marc Maron’s WTF podcast where he shared an anecdote about how the very first words Asner said to him was “Oh go f*ck yourself” after being asked if he needed anything.

“He did it in character,” Zabka told Maron, “and he rattled me, and he got me in this place, and I’m like, ‘Sh*t! Did Ed Asner really say that to me? But no, he was doing this device, which he does all the time off-camera.”

(Via William Zabka on Twitter, Ralph Macchio on Twitter, Deadline)

Billie Eilish has become one of music’s biggest stars in recent years, and like many ambitious people, Eilish has multiple interests. For example, if the situation is ever right, she’s like to give acting a show.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Eilish was asked about her potential acting ambitions, and she responded, “If I fall in love with something, I would love to act in it. It would only have to be the right thing because I’m not an actor and I’m not… It’s not my calling, but I’ve always loved acting. I loved acting as a kid. I would have to really, really feel a connection and have a moment of just, I don’t know, love for it.”

If Eilish got into acting, she wouldn’t be the first person in her family to do so. Finneas has a solid film and TV resume, which includes multi-episode roles in Modern Family, Glee, and Aquarius, as well as an appearance in the movie Bad Teacher. On top of that, he and his mother Maggie Baird starred in Life Inside Out together. Speaking of Baird, she is an actor as well who has had roles in As The World Turns, Seinfeld, Bones, The X-Files, and a number of other recognizable shows, movies, and video games.

Check out the full Eilish interview here.

For a minute, put yourself in the shoes of Destin Daniel Cretton. For the most part, his films have been critical hits and usually, like Short Term 12 and Just Mercy, revolve around the emotional bonds between human beings. None of his films come close to being anything that would ever be described as “action.” When he tells the story of how he even came to be the director of a Marvel movie, he admits he wasn’t sure this was the right time in his career to take on such a big movie like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (which is arriving in theaters on September 3). But after what sounds like some informal meetings with Marvel turned into very serious formal meetings where this might actually happen, he decided, alright, it’s time to do this.

Then a couple things happened. Cretton’s wife, Nikki, told him they were going to have their second child only two months into production. And then a month after that, the pandemic hit. So, now, here’s this huge movie that Cretton debated about doing under normal circumstances, and he’s making it under some of the most unusual circumstances in the history of cinema. Anyway, yes, for our whole interview, Cretton had this kind of smile on his face. It’s the kind of smile that you only really get to have after something like this particular situational feat is accomplished.

In Shang-Chi, the title character (Simu Liu) most cope with his past and one again face his father, Wenwu (Tony Leung), who happens to be the leader of an international crime syndicate called the Ten Rings and, also, he is the owner of the mystical Ten Rings, which gives him unbelievable powers. It’s also important to note that Wenwu is a new character, not from the comics. (In the comics Shang-Chi’s father is, well, complicated and bad and too much to get into right here.) Wenwu, at times, has also gone by the name The Mandarin, among many other names. Yes, it’s all potentially confusing.

What’s interesting here is what Cretton is doing is trying to take the parts of The Mandarin from the comics that are interesting, then disposing of the parts that are dated or stereotypes or all around awful. And, no, the movie does not forget how Iron Man 3 dealt with The Mandarin, and Cretton explains why he decided to salvage certain aspects. Cretton also talked to us about an almost forgotten 2014 Marvel One-Shot, in which Trevor (Ben Kingsley) from Iron Man 3 learns that The Mandarin may not be made up after all.

This is my joke: as someone who has seen your past movies, there’s something just a little different going on in this one. At least, there are a lot more fights.

Could you find any similarities between them?

Your movies deal with the bonds of friendship and family, which I think run through a lot of your movies and certainly this one. Even Glass Castle, that is a fraught family.

Right. Yeah. It’s funny, because, I mean, obviously I’ve never done anything like this before. But what I found throughout the process was how familiar it felt. Yes, it was daunting to step into making the decision to do this movie. But, throughout the process, it really didn’t feel like a creative process that I was not used to. It was actually very fun.

You say “step in the decision.” What does that mean? Do you pitch Marvel? Do they come to you? Because I could see that going either way.

I mean, there’s a point, sometimes, it starts with a conversation. In this case, it started with a conversation. Where I went in to just kind of chat with Jonathan Schwartz, the producer of this movie, and find out what they’re up to. But I wasn’t thinking that I would even get to a pitching point. But there’s a point when that conversation turned into two and then three. And then he asked me to come in and pitch what I would do for the movie, if I wanted to direct it.

Why did you not think it would get to a pitching point?

I wasn’t sure I wanted to get to a pitching point. I honestly didn’t think at this point in my career that I wanted to go and do a giant movie like this. But my conversations with Jonathan and the team at Marvel was actually very inspiring and really fun. And so, it kind of got me excited to go in and actually try to get the job. So that’s when I put together the pitch of what I would actually do in the movie. And I mean, I didn’t think I would land it, but I did. But I was very happy that I did.

So you weren’t sure you wanted to make a giant movie. Then you go for it, then the pandemic happens, and I know you had your own scare. This seems like an extraordinarily difficult situation.

Yeah. It was like so many things were piled onto my plate that it just became laughable. And my wife, Nikki, we would just sit and laugh sometimes at the number of things that we were juggling. After I actually got the job for Marvel and knew when we were going to go shoot, my wife started laughing when she told me, “Surprise! We’re pregnant! And we’re going to be having a baby two months into production.” And that child, our second child, was born one month before the pandemic hit. And we all found ourselves together in a house in Sydney for three months when production shut down. And it was like everyone in the world were just shifting their lives to push through it. And it actually, coming out the other side of this movie, I felt in a lot of very aligned with the emotional ride of Shang-Chi and his journey of learning to redefine the hard parts of his life: The pain of his life, the difficulties. And redefine them and refocus them and turn them into his super powers. And that, I think, is something we’re all kind of striving to do right now.

I remember interviewing Jon Favreau for Iron Man 2 and him saying The Mandarin wouldn’t work at that point and, “The Mandarin would probably need to be interpreted with a large degree of creative license because it will not look like what’s in the comics.” Then Iron Man 3 turned a version of that character upside down. In Shang-Chi, it feels like you took parts of that character, like the Ten Rings, and forged it into something that can work.

Yes. I mean, that was the number one challenge of this creative process, was redefining and giving a clear context to the questions that were posed in previous movies around the Ten Rings and this idea of “The Mandarin.” As soon as we decided to go out to an actor like Tony Leung, I think that was the tone setter for what we wanted to do. And the caliber of the character that we needed to create, in order to get somebody like Tony, needed to be a character that was breaking stereotypes, not contributing to them. Showing people a version of this character that they have heard of and surprising them, in a way, with how human they are – how much they might actually relate to this villain of our movie. And I’m so excited for people to see what Tony brought to this character.

I’m curious how much the One-Shot All Hail the King fed into Shang-Chi. In that, “we can really play off this and do some interesting stuff,” just based on that short they set up seven years ago?

We definitely. … I mean, I know Drew [Pearce] and I love that One Shot that he wrote and directed. And it was a sharp film and that’s part of the MCU. And so, we want to be true to that story as well. And including that storyline in this movie I think was not only just really fun, I think it’s essential to hear that character admit how ridiculous that whole situation was.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

At 71 years of age, iconic singer-songwriter Elton John is crossing the globe for one last time on his farewell tour.

U.K. retailer John Lewis & Partners is celebrating his life and music with a Christmas ad that takes viewers on a two-minute journey through his entire life.

For the past decade, John Lewis’ memorable Christmas ads have become a part of the holiday tradition in the U.K.

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According to The Standard, “The annual advertising campaign from the department store has become so ingrained in the public consciousness since its launch in 2007 that some believe the festive season only truly starts when it has been released.”

John Lewis Christmas advert 2018 featuring Elton John

www.youtube.com

The ad begins with current-day John tinkling the ivories and reflecting on his past. We see how his hit, “Your Song” has evolved from John’s current-day performances back to its original recording in 1970.

The ad also boasts some spectacular effects. It perfectly recreates John’s iconic performance at Dodger Stadium in 1975 and features uncanny CGI versions of John through his various looks and phases as an artist.

But what does it have to do with Christmas? You’ll see in the end.

Here’s what people are saying about the ad on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on 09.12.17

Whether it’s a traffic stop that turns into “We smell something in your car” or a “driving while black” situation, you have rights when you’re pulled over, and it’s for the best if you actually use them. So how does this work, anyway? Well, you have rights when you’re pulled over. These have been established via case law, and ultimately, some stem from the Constitution itself. In order, here are the magic phrases, along with some graphics to help you remember.

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1. “Am I free to go?”

In any situation involving the police, you can ask this question. Some people ask it slightly differently: “Am I being detained?”—which is a version of the same question. Basically, if they’ve got nothing on you, they have to let you go. If they answer no to that question, you are in fact not free to go. In that case, you are suspected of doing something, and it’s their job to try to get you to admit to it or to say a bit too much and incriminate yourself.

2. “I do not consent to any searches.”

One of the trickiest things that some law enforcement folks try is to talk you into letting them search your vehicle—or house, for that matter. “So if you haven’t done anything, then you’re ok with us searching your car … right? I mean, if you’re innocent. We’ll go easier on you if you let us.” Do NOT give up your rights that easily. Are you certain your buddy didn’t leave a bag of weed in the glove box? Are you sure your boyfriend took his target pistol out of the trunk after he went to practice shooting the other day? Are you absolutely certain that the body in your trunk was removed and buried in that farm fiel … whoops. Did I say that last one out loud?! The point is, don’t give up your rights easily. And believe me, cops are gooooood at trying to play psychological games. Which leads to #3.

3. “I want to remain silent.”

You have that right, and if things start getting thick, you need to use it. “We clocked you going 60 in a 50, but when you opened your window to give us your license, we smelled marijuana.” The correct answer to something like this is, “I want to remain silent.” The temptation is to say, “Yeah, my buddy and I smoked in my car this morning but I wasn’t driving, blah blah blah”—but then you’re already nailed. Time for them to get the dogs and search. Congratulations, you’re on your way to the pokey for the night.

4. “I want a lawyer.”

If you’ve reach this particular point, then you’re in deep doodoo anyway, so go ahead and ask for one, and say nothing until he or she arrives. Remember these four things. It will be hard in the moment, with your adrenaline pumping, your freedom in question, and when you’re possibly in physical danger, depending on the cops involved and your skin color.

“Am I free to go?”

“I do not consent to any searches.”

“I want to remain silent.”

“I want a lawyer.”

Perhaps a word involving the first letter of the four statements will help you remember: FoSSiL (Free, Searches, Silent, Lawyer)

Or maybe a mnemonic:

— Fiscal Suns Scramble Lives

— Fresh Sushi Smell Lemons

— Flexible Straws Sell Lobsters

— Free Subjects Steam Lobsters

And here’s a graphic to help you remember.

This article originally appeared on 01.26.15

When blizzards line up to rip through the Northeast, schools close, flights are canceled, and people even board up their houses. Though missions and homeless shelters do what they can to provide safety to those who have no homes to go to, thousands of people still have to weather the cold outside.

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At Carnegie Mellon University’s 2015 Impact-a-Thon, students were challenged to provide a temporary low-cost shelter for homeless people during the winter. One team of students came up with the “Satellite Shelter,” an insulated sleeping bag that converts into a tented structure. The students used mylar, a reflective material frequently used in greenhouses and space blankets, and wool blankets to ensure the shelter would keep anyone in it safe from the cold.

“We wanted to make sure it was super-portable and durable so that it’s easy to carry,” said student Linh Thi Do, who worked on the project. “We have wheels on it so it’s easy to move from place to place.”

Solutions like this one are handy in an emergency. Perhaps, however, other cities should take note of the city of New Orleans’ success in providing long-term housing solutions for its homeless veterans. The only perfect solution to homelessness is giving people permanent homes to go to at night.

This article originally appeared on 12.10.15

Imgur user “mollywho” felt her life was falling apart. Not only was she battling clinical depression, but she had her hands full. “I’ve been juggling a LOT lately,” she wrote on Imgur. “Trying to do well at work. Just got married. Couldn’t afford a wedding. Family is sparse. Falling out with friends, yaddadyadda.” She was also upset about how she treated her new husband. “I’ve not been the easiest person to deal with. In fact, sometimes I’ve lost all hope and even taken my anger out on my husband.”

When she returned home from a business trip in San Francisco, mentally exhausted, she collapsed on her bed and cried. Then she noticed some writing on the bedroom mirror. It was a list that read:

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Reasons I love my wife

1. She is my best friend
2. She never quits on herself or me
3. She gives me time to work on my crazy projects
4. She makes me laugh, every day
5. She is gorgeous
6. She accepts the crazy person i am
7. She’s the kindest person i know
8. She’s got a beautiful singing voice
9. She’s gone to a strip club with me
10. She has experienced severe tragedy yet is the most optimistic person about humanity i know
11. She has been fully supportive about my career choices and followed me each time
12. Without realizing it, she makes me want to do more for her than i have ever wanted to do for anyone
13. She’s done an amazing job at advancing her career path
14. Small animals make her cry
15. She snorts when she laughs

Image via Imgur

This amazing show of support from her husband was exactly what she needed. “I think he wanted me to remember how much he loves me,” she wrote. “Because he knows how quickly I forget. He knows I struggle to see good in the world, and especially the good in myself. But here it is. A testament and gesture of his love. Damn, I needed it today…”

She ended her post with some powerful words about mental illness.

“I’m not saying mental illness is cured by nice words on a mirror. In fact, it takes professional care, love, empathy, sometimes even medication just to cope. Many people struggle with it mental illness – more than we probably even realize. And instead of showing them hate or anger when they act out. Show them kindness and remind them things can and WILL get better. Everyone needs a little help sometimes. If that person can’t be you – see if you have any resources for therapy.”

This article originally appeared on 09.08.17

A new camera developed at MIT can photograph a trillion frames per second. Compare that with a traditional movie camera which takes a mere 24. This new advancement in photographic technology has given scientists the ability to photograph the movement of the fastest thing in the Universe, light. In the video below, you’ll see experimental footage of light photons traveling 600-million-miles-per-hour through water. The actual event occurred in a nano second, but the camera has the ability to slow it down to twenty seconds. For some perspective, according to New York Times writer, John Markoff, “If a bullet were tracked in the same fashion moving through the same fluid, the resulting movie would last three years.”

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It’s impossible to directly record light so the camera takes millions of scans to recreate each image. The process has been called femto-photography and according to Andrea Velten, a researcher involved with the project, “There’s nothing in the universe that looks fast to this camera.”

Super Fast Cameras

youtu.be

(H/T Curiosity)

Back in 2018, Drake used a streak of seemingly random acts of charity as the basis for his video for “God’s Plan” ahead of the release of his album Scorpion. At the time, some fans saw it as a cynical vehicle for drumming up buzz for his album and while that might have been the case, it was still good to see. Even better, though, is that Drake has apparently continued to see it as a viable strategy, as over the weekend, a viral post demonstrated Drake’s generosity ahead of his Certified Lover Boy release date announcement.

As Instagram user @rocketrob_90 posted on Saturday, Drake apparently donated a brand-new wheelchair-accessible van to the fan to help his sister Dora. “God is good,” he wrote. “This has been a wild year, to say the least. My sister, Dora, was gifted a 2021 Dodge Pro Master wheelchair conversion van by @champagnepapi!
Those that know me, know he’s my favorite rapper/artist of all time. He has been a HUGE blessing for me and my family. Glad to call him brother and friend. I don’t have to use the pickup truck to take her to her appointments anymore. We can all ride comfortably, especially Dora, to her doctor appts with little effort. This has changed our lives for the better.” In response, Drake commented, “Love my g love to the family!!! Big wheels keep rolling!!!”

Earlier this year, one of the recipients of Drake’s altruism posted her graduation pictures after Drake gave her a $50,000 check in 2018. As it turns out, even if Drake only gives to benefit his public image, those gifts still have solid benefits for the people receiving them.

Kacey Musgraves has announced a run of 2022 North American tour dates — “Star-Crossed: Unveiled” — in support of her upcoming Star-Crossed album, which arrives September 10. The country-pop crossover will hit the road starting January 19 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and wrap up in February at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Supporting Musgraves will be King Princess and Muna.

So far, Musgraves has shared two singles — “Justified” and “Star-Crossed” — from the new album, which she has described as a “Greek tragedy in three acts.” Star-Crossed follows its author’s experience through her divorce from fellow country star, Ruston Kelly, the chapter that comes after her record-breaking album, Golden Hour, which was mostly inspired by their love story and marriage.

Check out the dates below.

01/19/2022 — Saint Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
01/20/2022 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
01/21/2022 — Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center
01/23/2022 — Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
01/24/2022 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
01/26/2022 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
01/27/2022 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
02/03/2022 — Washington DC @ Capital One Arena
02/05/2022 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
02/09/2022 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
02/11/2022 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
02/14/2022 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
02/16/2022 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
02/19/2022 — Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
02/20/2022 — Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center

“Star-Crossed: Unveiled” tickets go sale to the general public 9/9 at 10 a.m. local time. Get them here.

Star-Crossed is out 9/10 via Interscope Records/UMG Nashville. Pre-order it here.