58.3 F
San Francisco
Sunday, March 15, 2026
Home Blog Page 2213

‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8 Will Film Until Next Summer

Jonathan Antonio
-
0
‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8 Will Film Until Next Summer

Earlier this year it was reported that Game of Thrones season 8 may not air until 2019, thanks to the extensive production schedule for the hit HBO TV series. Now, Liam Cunningham, the actor who plays Ser Davos Seaworth has confirmed this report.

According to an interview with TV Guide, Cunningham revealed that the shooting schedule, which only lasts around six months and wraps in December, will be longer than ever before:

“[The episodes are] definitely going to be bigger and what I hear is longer. We’re filming right up until the summer. When you think about it, up until last season we’d have six months to do ten episodes, so we’re [doing] way more than that for six episodes. So that obviously will translate into longer episodes.”

This news comes after Game of Thrones is reportedly casting several speaking roles for the new and final season of the hit TV series. According to Project Casting, casting directors are now casting several new parts for the last season. These characters reportedly include:

  • Mercenary, aged 35-50. This guy is “an authoritative, fit, cool and charismatic military type.” He needs to to be able to ride a horse and will appear in two episodes of season 8. Since there are only six episodes to go around this year, every one counts.
  • Northern farmer, aged 25 – 35. This guy is a “straightforward honest man of simple tastes.” He’s just folk, y’all. He’ll shoot the week of November 17th.
  • Sassy and attractive girl, aged 18 – 25. This is another small Northern role; this character will film the week of November 6 and play opposite leading cast members in a “memorable” scene.
  • Northern sentry, aged 18 – 25. This is another role with scenes opposite leading cast members. HBO wants “a characterful young Northern actor with great timing.” He’ll shoot in the first week December.
Game of Thrones HBO
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 20, 2015: “Game of Thrones” star Peter Dinklage at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theatre LA Live.
  • Sailor, aged 35- 50. “He’s a rough-and-ready sea-faring type with a weathered face and strong presence.” This character will film scenes the week of December 11. With Euron still in the mix, odds are he’s a member of the Ironborn.
  • Guard #1 is a physically fit 20-something who’s good in a fight. He’ll be shooting the first week of December. 
  • Guard #2 is a tall, athletic 30-something. He’s professional, dependable and has one line opposite leading cast members. He’ll shoot on November 1 and 2 in Spain, which is notable because it lets us know that the production will return to Spain.

There is a lot to expect in the final season of Game of Thrones, especially if the show wants to live up to its huge fan base, excite and standards it has set over the past seven seasons.

Hey Confederate Statue Supporters, John Oliver Has a Message for You (VIDEO)

Jonathan Antonio
-
0
Hey Confederate Statue Supporters, John Oliver Has a Message for You (VIDEO)

Statues of Confederate soldiers and leaders is still a hot-button issue in many Southern states, cities, and community. Some groups support the monuments saying the Civil War is not about slavery and should be honored to recognize previous historical figures.

John Oliver had something to say to those groups. On Sunday, the HBO late night host spent the night program explaining why they are wrong. Oliver called out the issues with that argument and also came up with a perfect solution for Confederate statue supporters.

You can check out the video above.

McDonald’s Stock Rises After ‘Rick and Morty’ Szechuan Sauce Promo Campaign

Reginald Edward
-
0
McDonald’s Stock Rises After ‘Rick and Morty’ Szechuan Sauce Promo Campaign

McDonald’s faced the wrath of Rick and Morty fans when the fast-food chained didn’t provide enough Szechuan McNugget sauce on Saturday.

On Saturday, October 7th, several McDonald’s locations across the U.S. gave away Szechuan Sauce, in response to an episode and outcry from fans of the Adult Swim cartoon. That said, the demand for the sauce far exceeded the supply.

According to Business Insider, by 1:45 p.m. at a McDonald’s in New York City, teens exited the restaurant screaming that there was no sauce left. Many people lined up the stores to get a taste of the Szechuan sauce. That said, there was a report of only 20 to 40 packets per locations.

McDonald’s took to Twitter to respond to the public outcry for more of the Szechuan sauce. “The best fans in the multiverse showed us what they got today. We hear you & we’re sorry not everyone could get some super-limited Szechuan,” the company explained.

The demand was so intense; police had to be called to at least one location to handle angry crowds.

McDonald's Snapchat
CHICAGO, IL – MARCH 31, 2016: inside portrait of the worker in the Rock N Roll McDonald’s. The Original Rock N Roll McDonald’s is a flagship McDonald’s restaurant located in Chicago, Illinois (Sorbis / Shutterstock.com)

This news comes after an increasing demand for the sauce following the Rick and Morty episode debuted on Adult Swim, with the restaurant chain releasing three jars of the rare Mulan sauce in a Twitter contest. One fan ended up selling his jar of Szechuan sauce to DJ Deadmau5 for an undisclosed amount after an auction for more than $4,000 fell through.

While the move may seem unexpected for those, who do not watch Rick and Morty, which featured a joke about the sauce in a season three premiere that aired on April Fool’s Day. Ultimately, the sauce went viral with demands for McDonald’s to bring the sauce back.

Despite the public backlash, Wall Street seems to see the demand for a packet of sauce as a good sign to invest in the company as the company’s stock is trading higher by afternoon trading with a rise of 0.50% to a stock price of $160.21

Report: Google Discovers Russia-Backed Ads on YouTube, Gmail

Jonathan Antonio
-
0
Report: Google Discovers Russia-Backed Ads on YouTube, Gmail

Google has discovered Russians spent thousands of dollars on advertisements on YouTube, Gmail and other Google advertising to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election, according to a new report by Reuters.

On Monday, Reuters revealed that Russian operatives purchased advertisements to influence the 2016 Presidential election. In the report, the Russian affiliated group that bought ads on Facebook, Inc. were different than the team that purchased ads on Google.

Reuters’ source told the news agency that less than $100,000 in advertisement spending was linked to Russian operatives.

Donald Trump Protestor
Photo by Capturing the human heart. on Unsplash

This will most likely add fuel to the fire surrounding the role Silicon Valley tech giants may have had on the U.S. presidential election. U.S. intelligence agencies have previously concluded Moscow wanted to help elect Donald Trump and both Twitter and Facebook have found Russian operatives used their platform to buy ads and post content to influence the election.

A content farm called the Internet Research Agency in St. Petersburg, Russia used these social networking platforms as a way to influence Americans during the Presidential election. According to Reuters, the Internet Research Agency hired hundreds of “trolls” to post pro-Kremlin content under fake social media accounts that posed to be American or European.

YouTube Ads
Stock Photo:
Man using Youtube application on his smartphone, a background is an image from the projector – photography from social media meeting in the city of Lodz, Poland 07.11. 2014 (Michal Ludwiczak / Shutterstock.com)

Facebook revealed last month that the company had found $100,000 in spending by the agency and has since pledged to become more transparent about their ad transactions.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that Google plans to have a more thorough investigation than Facebook or Twitter. In a statement to Reuters, a Google spokeswoman explained, “We are taking a deeper look to investigate attempts to abuse our systems, working with researchers and other companies, and will provide assistance to ongoing inquiries.”

Congressional committees have launched several investigations into the Russian interference in the U.S. presidential elections.

Hollywood Mega-Producer Harvey Weinstein Fired After Sexual Harassment Allegations

Jonathan Antonio
-
0
Hollywood Mega-Producer Harvey Weinstein Fired After Sexual Harassment Allegations

Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was fired on Sunday from the company he co-founded.

“In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company — Robert Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar — have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately.”

Weinstein is a legend in Hollywood and perhaps one of the most powerful producers in the game. Weinstein’s studio has produced some of the biggest movies in Hollywood including The King’s Speech, The Artist and whose TV business division was behind Lifetime’s Project Runway among other hit TV series. That said, Weinstein is accused of having sexually harassing women for years.

Harvey Weinstein
Miramax Films Co-founder Harvey Weinstein attends 18th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival Chairman’s Reception on October 9, 2010 at the home of Stuart Suna in East Hampton, New York. (Photo © Nick Stepowyj)

That said, Weinstein is accused of having sexually harassing women for years. Several women including Ashley Judd revealed their stories in an article published by The New York Times on Thursday. Weinstein has been placed on indefinite leave of absence after the company said it would investigate the allegations.

According to NBC News, on Sunday two sources close to the company revealed that it was considering changing the company’s name to distance the production company from business’s co-founder. That said, Harvey’s brother, Bob Weinstein, is resisting that decision.

Weinstein’s allegations follow a series of sexual harassment scandals including comedian Bill Cosby, Fox Chief executive Roger Ailes, and host Bill O’Reilly. All of the men have disputed the claims.

Sen. Bob Corker: Trump Is Leading The US “On the Path to World War III”

Reginald Edward
-
0
Sen. Bob Corker: Trump Is Leading The US “On the Path to World War III”

Republican Senator Bob Corker called out President Trump on Sunday evening, saying the president is running the country like a “reality show.” Then, Sen. Corker added that Trump could set the United States on “the path to World War III.”

The comments appeared in an interview with The New York Times. In the interview, it seems the war of words between Corker and Trump have escalated after the Tennessee senator announced he would not seek reelection in 2018.

Corker told the Times, “He concerns me. He would have to concern anyone who cares about our nation.

Corker added that Trump might not understand the power of the presidency.

“I don’t think he appreciates that when the president of the United States speaks and says the things that he does, the impact that it has around the world, especially in the region that he’s addressing,” he told The Times. “And so, yeah, it’s concerning to me.”

Sen. Bob Corker Donald Trump
Karl W. Eikenberry, the US ambassador to Afghanistan, discusses progress in Garmsir district, Helmand province, Afghanistan, with Tennessee Senator Bob Corker, Feb. 21, 2011 while walking through a bazaar just outside the Garmsir District center. (Image Credit: ResoluteSupportMedia/Flickr.com)

On Sunday, Trump called out Corker on Twitter, claiming he denied the senator an endorsement and rejected him as a candidate for secretary of state. Trump also blamed Corker for what he called the “horrible Iran Deal.” Trump added that Sen. Corker “didn’t have the guts” to run for reelection.

But Corker did not take those comments sitting down. Corker took to Twitter to fire back saying, “shame the White House has become an adult day care center.” Corker also told the Times Trump encouraged Corker to run for reelection and even offered to endorse the Senator, only for Corker to decide not to run again.

“I don’t know why the president tweets out things that are not true,” he told The Times. “You know he does it, everyone knows he does it, but he does.”

The public disagreement between the President and the Tennessee Senator, who lead the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, all started on Wednesday when Corker criticized the president for undermining Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s strategy for easing relations between North Korea and the United States. Corker described Tillerson as being someone that can “help separate our country from chaos.” Also, Corker also criticized Trump’s tax plan, saying last Monday it could increase the deficit.

Dove Apologizes After Ad Sparks Backlash: ‘Dove is Racist’

Reginald Edward
-
0
Dove Apologizes After Ad Sparks Backlash: ‘Dove is Racist’

Dove deleted a “three-second video clip” from their Facebook page and admitted on Saturday that the company had “missed the mark in thoughtfully representing women of color” in an ad for body wash.

Consumers had reacted angrily to images of a black woman removing a brown shirt and appearing to transform into a white woman removing a similar shirt.

One Twitter user tweeted that the ad showed a “black woman turning white after using @Dove.”

Dove issued statements on Twitter and Facebook saying the company had, “missed the mark in thoughtfully representing women of color and we deeply regret the offense that it has caused. The feedback that has been shared is important to us and we’ll use it to guide us in the future.”

According to The Guardian, makeup artist Naomi Blake was able to grab a screenshot of the ad before Dove deleted it. Blake posted the ad on Friday, “So I’m scrolling through Facebook and this is the#dove ad that comes up…. ok so what am I looking at….”

Nearly 1,000 people agreed that the ad was offensive and racist. But some felt that it was not racist. One user said, “there was nothing wrong with the commercial … Lets do better and not over think things.” Another user commented, “For people to say black woman are reaching and being sensitive lemme break this down….. Dove is advertising bodywash, which means that this product removes dirt/ has the ability to get you clean, POINT BLANK!”

‘Blade Runner 2049’ Falls Flat in the Box Office

Jonathan Antonio
-
0
‘Blade Runner 2049’ Falls Flat in the Box Office

Things are not looking great for Blade Runners 2049 box office premiere. The highly anticipated sci-fi sequel is on track to gross an estimated $31.5 million in the U.S. and Canada during its opening weekend, beating the competition but falling short of industry’s projections, which predicted the movie would make between $45 to $55 million.

Blade Runner 2049 Box Office

2049 received stellar reviews had a large number of advance ticket sales and included an all-star cast including Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling. Even the movie’s director had a stellar track record as Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Sicario) directed the project. Not to mention, the movie’s original filmmaker Ridley Scott joined the production as an executive producer.

According to reports, for those who did show up and watch the movie over the weekend, men predominately made up the demographics of the movie’s audience as 71% of men watched the film with 63% being over the age of 35, 86% over the age of 25. 

Also, viewers gave it a solid A-minus Cinemascore. While $31.5 is a box-office record for Villeneuve and Gosling, it’s a disappointing start for a movie that cost $150 million to make. The movie’s premiere draws comparisons to Ridley Scott’s Alien Covenant, which was another sci-fi reboot that required a lot of money to make and made approximately the same at the box office.

Produced by Alcon Entertainment and released by Warner Bros. domestically, the movie is estimated to make an additional $50.2 million overseas over the weekend.

The original Blade Runner, which hit theaters over 30 years ago was not a box office hit either. But, a cult following for the movie slowly grew. The original film starred Harrison Ford as a cop hunting down robots in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Fox’s romance thriller The Mountain Between Us made $10.1 million in the box office. The new movie, which stars Idris Elba and Kate Winslet center around strangers stranded by a plane crash in the wilderness.

Overall, box office is down 4.8 percent year-to-date. Here are the box office’s top 10 movies this weekend:

1. Blade Runner 2049 — $31.5 million

2. The Mountain Between Us — $10.1 million

3. It — $9.7 million

4. My Little Pony: The Movie — $8.8 million

5. Kingsman: The Golden Circle — $8.1 million

6. American Made — $8 million

7. The Lego Ninjago Movie — $6.8 million

8. Victoria and Abdul — $4.1 million

9. Flatliners — $3.8 million

10. Battle of the Sexes— $2.4 million

Here’s Why Reddit Reportedly Hired Lobbyists

Jonathan Antonio
-
0
Here’s Why Reddit Reportedly Hired Lobbyists

Reddit is one of the most visited websites in the world. Last week, The Hill reported the message board website hired their first federal lobbyists.

The federal disclosure filings indicate Reddit hired the Franklin Square Group in July to lobby on behalf of “Internet issues, including net neutrality and liability protections for online platforms.”

The Hill reports their decision to lobby for liability protections may stem from a reference in a Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act, a bill pushed by Sen. Rob Portman that would crack down on websites that help facilitate sex trafficking. Facebook and Google have been reportedly hired lobbyists to fight and drive back on the bill as it could open the companies to potential lawsuits.

Reddit
CHIANGMAI, THAILAND – February 26, 2015: Photo of Reddit homepage on a ipad monitor screen through a magnifying glass. (GongTo / Shutterstock, Inc.)

It is also important to note that Reddit has been called into the Congress’ investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections. Sen. Mark Warner, the leading Democrat on the committee, said that he is worried the site is vulnerable to Russian political influence campaigns.

Reddit’s History

It is important to note, analysts claim several false news stories originated on Reddit. For instance, as The New York Times points out, four hours after someone posted on Twitter about anti-Trump protesters being shuttled into Austin, the tweeted was posted to Reddit, where it link was rapidly “upvoted” by users. Several hours later, the story was shared on Facebook where over 300,000 users shared it. However, the busses were, in fact, part of a corporate conference and not protesters. In addition, earlier this year the company’s CEO Steve Huffman admitted to altering comments made by users. He said he edited comments that were posted by users because a significant number of them were abusive, arguing he was a pedophile and mentioned him by name.

Facebook’s Chief of Security Defends the Company’s Algorithms

Jonathan Antonio
-
0
Facebook’s Chief of Security Defends the Company’s Algorithms

Alex Stamos, Facebook’s chief security officer, defended the social networking company against recent coverage of the platform on Twitter.

Stamos was responding to an article by Quinta Jurecic of Lawfare who criticized Facebook’s decision to have human editors oversee more ads as an excuse saying it should fix their algorithms instead.

Stamos responded on Twitter by saying the company is being attacked for not doing enough to combat misinformation spreading on the social network. Stamos added that journalists underestimate the difficulty of filtering content for the site’s billions of users. Facebook’s chief security officer later added that the company should not become a “Ministry of Truth,” a reference to George Orwell’s propaganda agency in the book 1984.

“If your piece ties together bad guys abusing platforms, algorithms and the Manifestbro into one grand theory of SV, then you might be biased,” Stamos wrote. “If your piece assumes that a problem hasn’t been addressed because everybody at these companies is a nerd, you are incorrect.”

“If you call for less speech by the people you dislike but also complain when the people you like are censored, be careful,” he added. “… If you call for some type of speech to be controlled, then think long and hard of how those rules/systems can be abused both here and abroad.”

This news comes after reports of targeted Facebook advertisement purchases by organizations linked to the Russian government before the 2016 elections.

Ultimately, the results of the Presidential election and recent investigations into how individuals, government agencies or even hackers can manipulate some of the most popular websites in America has draw scrutiny. But, where does responsibility lie? Should users be at fault for choosing to get their news information from a social networking application, forum, or news feed? Or should the companies hosting and providing the platform for the content hold the blame? Either way, tech companies are facing a new challenge, and it is something that an algorithm may not be able to fix.

1...2,2122,2132,214...2,281Page 2,213 of 2,281

Explore

Trending

Follow us

© All Rights Reserved, Newspaper Theme.