The Batman director Matt Reeves has revealed a new image of Zoë Kravitz’s Catwoman/Selina Kyle ahead of the upcoming trailer for the film. Kravitz will play the iconic Batman character alongside Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne, Paul Dano’s Riddler, Jeffrey Wright’s Jim Gordon, John Turturro’s Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard’s Gil Colson, Andy Serkis’ Alfred Pennyworth, and Colin Farrell’s Penguin. The Batman is scheduled to release in theaters on March 4, 2022.
Catwoman has been a common inclusion in the modern era of live-action Batman films, having been played by Michelle Pfeifer in Batman Returns and Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises, in addition to a solo Catwoman film in 2004 starring Halle Berry. Kravitz is the latest star to bring Selina Kyle to the big screen, though she’s previously voiced the character in The LEGO Batman Movie. Depending on how The Batman performs at the box office, she could be playing the character for years to come.
A new image released on Twitter by Reeves shows Kravitz’s Selina Kyle sporting a shoulder-length haircut and a white tank top, staring intently at someone out of frame. It’s not the full shot of her Catwoman costume that some may have been hoping for, but it’s still a fun look at what’s sure to be a fierce new version of the character. Check out the new Catwoman image below.
Hailee Steinfeld compares playing Kate Bishop in Hawkeye to the young poet in Dickinson. Created by Alena Smith for Apple TV+, the first season of Dickinson premiered in 2019 along with the debut of the streaming service itself. It was quickly renewed for a sophomore season and now, the Dickinson season 3, its last, is set to air on November 5. Starring Steinfeld in the titular role, the series has received rave reviews for its exploration of 19th century society with a millennial sensibility and tone.
Dickinson isn’t the only series Steinfeld is starring in that airs this November, with the other being Hawkeye on Disney+. The Marvel show is set after the events of Avengers: Endgame as the MCU’s famous archer, Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), heads back to New York City for a fun Christmas with his family, but becomes sidetracked when is he confronted by enemies from his past as Ronin. Barton is then forced to join forces with a young super-fan named Kate Bishop, portrayed by Steinfeld in her MCU debut.
Now, in an interview with Screen Rant, Steinfeld talked about how her Marvel character isn’t so much different from the audacious writer that she’s been playing on Dickinson over the past three years. Steinfeld described the young poet she plays as a “strong and determined and independent and driven female character,” which made the transition to playing Kate Bishop a little easier, since she shares a lot of those same qualities. Read what Steinfeld had to say below:
I am so excited to have gone from playing a character like Emily Dickinson for the last three years — and because I feel I’ve spent so much time with her in playing this very strong and determined and independent and driven female character — going into one that has those same qualities was a very exciting thing for me. And entering the world of Kate Bishop and entering the world of the Marvel Universe has been absolutely incredible and a rollercoaster ride to say the least and I cannot wait for the show to come out.
After her breakthrough role at the age of 13 in the Coen Brothers’ True Grit (for which she was nominated for an Academy Award), Steinfeld went on to land a number of prominent leading roles like the coming-of-age drama The Edge of Seventeen and Bumblebee. Her career is certainly set to take off in an even bigger way now that she’s been cast in the MCU and possibly taking over the Hawkeye mantle as Kate Bishop.
While Emily Dickinson and Kate Bishop might not appear to have much in common at first glance, it’s certainly hard to argue with Steinfeld’s assessment. The Christmassy vibes and dynamic between Clint and Kate are two of the most anticipated parts of the Hawkeye show. Coming over from Dickinson surely made the transition easier for Steinfeld, but Kate will still have her work cut out for her as she attempts to earn Clint’s approval and become his successor.
A clip from the 2007 movie Lions for Lambs is circulating the internet due to its eerily accurate predictions about events surrounding America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Lions for Lambs features an all-star cast with names like Tom Cruise, Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, and Andrew Garfield. Although the movie’s cast is impressive, it still struggled at the box office when it was released and also faced a barrage of bad reviews by critics.
Lions for Lambs centers around the war in Afghanistan, analyzing the government and personal responses to a Taliban attack that leaves two American soldiers stranded in enemy territory. Cruise plays a senator from Illinois who tries to use his plan for the situation to increase support for an upcoming presidential bid. He invites a liberal reporter to interview him about his ideas in hopes that he can win her and her devoted readers over.
In one of the movie’s more memorable scenes, the journalist suggests that the United States should simply remove its troops from Afghanistan. The response he gives is a surprisingly accurate foresight detailing the insurrection and lasting effects that would occur if the US withdrew from the nation. Television actor and director Kevin Sorbo pointed out the uncanny resemblance to recent international events by reposting the clip on his social media. Watch below to see why Sorbo found the scene to be so relevant in regards to current events.
In the clip, Cruise’s character explains that abandoning Afghanistan will result in Taliban rule and further repercussions. He goes on to state that the Taliban would retaliate against those loyal to the US and grow emboldened by their victory, escalating further conflict with the nation and its allies in the future. Movies like American Sniper and Lone Survivor have depicted actual events from the war but few have mentioned what the end of the conflict in Afghanistan would look like.
In August, many of the events foreshadowed in Lions for Lambs came true. The Taliban took control of Afghanistan when the US left the country, insurgents televised parades flaunting abandoned US military equipment, and several deadly attacks were carried out on civilians. Even The Simpsons, a show notorious for foretelling events, would be hard-pressed to depict the future this accurately.
Reality in the Middle East has reflected many of the statements in the video but there are a few differences to note. ISIS-K has claimed responsibility for the attacks that killed civilians, not the Taliban. While both are Islamic extremist groups, they are actually enemies. The US has also not yet entered further conflict in the region as the clip suggested. Only time will tell if Tom Cruise’s Lions for Lambs scene will continue to be fulfilled.
The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sent out a notice to over 700 companies — a list that includes the likes of Apple, Google, Amazon, and Tesla — warning them about the menace of fake reviews and misleading ad practices using social media, and has asked them to abide by the rules or face penalties. Over the years, fake online reviews have become a menace, and many brands have actually been caught paying for favorable or false reviews on e-commerce platforms.
An Amazon data breach earlier this year revealed that a number of vendors negotiate terms with buyers who are paid to purchase their products and then post sham five-star reviews to boost the star ratings. But it’s not just e-commerce platforms where such practices thrive. In the ballooning world of social media marketing, influencers are often paid to praise a particular product or brand. But the problem arises when these influencers don’t actually disclose whether they are endorsing a particular product after inking a deal, and are just commending it from their personal experience. Pyramid schemes and crypto frauds find a lot of mention on the internet where people with influence — deliberately or unwillingly — often end up promoting a scam.
To combat the rising problem of misleading marketing and shady advertising tactics employed by brands, the US FTC has issued a notice to hundreds of companies to keep their ledgers clean and make proper disclosures if they are engaged in influencer-driven marketing. FTC clarifies that sending a notice to these companies doesn’t mean the agency is charging or alleging them of any wrongdoings. It just serves as a warning signal that it will take strict action against any brand that violates its fair marketing and advertisement policies. However, the US FTC makes it clear that for every violation, a company will be charged a civic penalty of up to $45,792.
The regulatory body — which has lately been at the helm of a heated antitrust campaign against Big Tech — outlined five types of red flags that will incur punitive action. They include wrongfully presenting an endorser as an actual user, making false claims about their products in ads, hiding financial connections with an endorser, peddling an endorser’s views as genuine user experience, and falsely claiming another individual’s endorsement. Back in June of this year, multiple Chinese electronic gadget brands were booted off Amazon for giving customers incentives to post favorable reviews. The most recent example of legal action covering alleged misleading advertisements is Apple. The company recently settled a class-action lawsuit for telling users that ‘remanufactured’ devices under AppleCare coverage are “equivalent to new in performance and reliability,” but actual user experience tells otherwise.
FTC’s latest notice will definitely put big names on edge thanks to the accountability dilemma. For platforms such as Amazon or Apple’s App Store, the onus might fall on their respective owners if fake reviews end up hurting customers, even if they were paid for by third-party vendors. Amazon has historically struggled with the problem, and even though it has designed tools that identify suspicious behavior and remove thousands of fake reviews each year, the issue persists. But there is more to the picture than appears on the surface. For example, Amazon recently asked Apple to take down an app that allowed users to check the legitimacy of reviews. With each passing quarter, companies like Instagram and TikTok are adding new marketing tools for influencers, and it is going to be increasingly difficult for regulators to identify misleading endorsements on social media and hold companies accountable.
Early Eternals box office projections indicate its opening weekend will be higher than Black Widow and Shang-Chi. While the box office still has a long way to go before it gets back to 2019 levels, theaters are very much on the road to recovery amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This year saw a number of high-profile titles leave an impression at the box office, with Shang-Chi even breaking the pre-pandemic record for highest Labor Day debut. Venom: Let There Be Carnage was another strong showing, posting $90.1 million domestically in its first three days.
One of the next major projects on the horizon is Marvel’s Eternals, which is set to open in November. The film introduces a bevy of new characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, many of whom are largely unknown to casual audiences. However, Marvel has demonstrated a knack for turning obscure properties into household names before, so the belief is they’ll have similar success with Eternals. If the box office estimates are anything to go by, the MCU will be rewriting the record books again.
Per Box Office Pro, Eternals is projected to earn between $82-102 million domestically in its opening weekend. Even the low end of those figures would be the highest opening in Phase 4 to date. Shang-Chi posted $75.3 million in its first three days ($94.6 million for the four-day Labor Day weekend), and Black Widow earned $80.3 million in its debut.
There’s still a few weeks before Eternals premieres, so these estimates could fluctuate. Still, this is a good sign for the film’s commercial prospects, indicating audiences are well aware of its impending release and are looking forward to it. In fact, Eternals was voted the fall’s most-anticipated movie in a Fandango poll, beating out the likes of No Time to Die, Dune, and others. That shows the strength of the Marvel brand, and illustrates even when some viewers are still wary about returning to the theater, the allure of seeing the latest MCU entry on the big screen is enough of a draw. It will be interesting to see how Eternals’ projections change as reviews come in and word-of-mouth spreads.
In the pandemic era, no movie has opened with $100+ million domestically, and the high end of the Eternals estimates would have it hitting that mark. That would be an impressive feat, especially considering Eternals’ long runtime, which pegs it as the second-longest MCU movie after only Avengers: Endgame. This factor limits the number of daily screenings theaters can show, which could impact Eternals’ box office prospects. Regardless, it looks like all things considered, the film should be another winner for Marvel.
Connor Trott has taken to Instagram to show off his new girlfriend, Sage Sunner, which follows the breakup with his Love Island USA season 2 co-star Mackenzie Dipman. Both Connor and Mackenzie were introduced to Love Island fans as day-one islanders as they walked into the Las Vegas villa of season 2. Mack and Connor coupled up right away on that first day just based on first impressions of each other.
As the days went by, Connor and Mackenzie actually started to develop feelings for each other and take their relationship seriously. A lot of viewers questioned whether their relationship had what it took to survive outside the villa, which prompted fans to vote for Connor and Mack to be tested time and time again on the show. After Mackenzie had her head turned for Jalen Noble at Casa Amor, it was only a matter of time for her and Connor to be dumped from the villa. With that said, they reunited post-show and dated for many months, only breaking up in early 2021.
Now, Connor is showing off his brand-new girlfriend, Sage Sunner. As seen in the many Instagram posts included below, Connor and Sage have been all over each other as of late. On her Instagram profile, Sage describes herself as a Pittsburgh-based model. She appears to be signed to Docherty Model & Talent Agency. She also identifies herself as the mother of two adorable chihuahuas called Russ and Rambo. This is Connor’s first public relationship since breaking up with Mackenzie earlier in 2021. Even before their breakup, Mack and Connor talked openly about the challenges that came with their long-distance relationship.
There’s no denying that Love Island USA fans will be happy to see Connor moving on with his dating life after things didn’t work out with Mackenzie in the long run. It appears that Mack has yet to move on with a new partner, or at least that information hasn’t been shared with the public yet. She seems to be focusing on herself and her career as of late, but it’s possible that there’s already someone new in her life that Mack just chose not to publicize yet. Nonetheless, these are young individuals on their paths to find real love. Things didn’t work out on reality TV for them, but it’s great to see them happy with where they are now.
CBS had another successful run of Love Island USA in 2021. In fact, this American edition keeps picking up steam since breaking out into the mainstream last year. Hopefully, the inevitable Love Island USA season 4 will be even more exciting for viewers.
During the “Baited” quest in New World, players are tasked with catching two aquatic creatures for crafting bait — a Snail and a Clam. The quest starts after players speak with Dena Ruby, an NPC near the Stolen Shores. Snails, in particular, can be found in freshwater, meaning New World players should fish in lakes and rivers. Although it is entirely possible to catch a Snail with a basic fishing pole and no lure, using a higher-tier rod along with special bait will undoubtedly increase the chances of catching a Snail.
While players may wish to cast their line out into the deeper areas of a lake or river to catch a Snail, keep in mind that characters in New World currently cannot swim if submerged. As mentioned above, Snails can be found within about any freshwater area; however, some places may yield better results than others. Continue reading to learn how to catch Snails in New World.
To catch a Snail in New World, players should use the proper bait to increase their chances of capturing one. Two excellent choices are Woodlouse Bait and Firefly Bait. These lures can be obtained by harvesting Bushes, Bulrush Plants, and Briar Plants in New World. While the baits do not guarantee a successful Snail catch, they will significantly boost the chances of fishing one out, particularly Firefly Bait.
After procuring bait and equipping a decent fishing rod, players should be able to easily catch Snails in New World freshwater areas. A recommended freshwater spot would be a small lake near Faith’s Bounty within Everall. Cast in the line and wait patiently for a bite. It’s essential to carefully take time while reeling in a catch, as tugging too quickly will lose the fish. Players may have to fish several times before capturing a Snail. After some patience and perseverance, players should be able to catch a Snail within a couple of minutes.
Return to Dena after catching a Snail and Clam to earn the quests reward. Completing the “Baited” quest will net players with XP, Coins, Territory Standing, and a small amount of Azoth. Additionally, players will receive Battered Fisherman’s Gloves. Using the Snails they’ve collected, players can salvage the creatures into bait. This action will also produce a by-product known as Snail Slime, a material that can be used in Alchemy crafting in New World.
After studying years of old Hubble space observations, a scientist just discovered all-new signs of water vapor lingering on Europa. When it comes to our Solar System, there are certain destinations that tend to take up the spotlight. Mars is the focal point for many people right now, there’s a reemerging interest in the Moon, and everything else tends to take a backseat in mainstream conversations. One location that’s quickly rising in interest, however, is Europa.
Europa is one of four Galilean moons orbiting Jupiter. It’s the sixth-largest known moon in the Solar System, has a surface covered in ice, and is widely believed to have vast liquid oceans beneath its harsh exterior. Many people in the space and science communities believe that alien life is living in that ocean deep beneath Europa’s surface. Europa may not receive the same attention as its Mars and Moon cousins, but it has countless secrets just waiting to be uncovered.
This latest discovery comes from the hard work of Lorenz Roth — a member of the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Space and Plasma Physics in Sweden. After analyzing observations Hubble made of Europa between 1999 and 2015, it was revealed that there’s a constant stream of water vapor in one particular hemisphere of the moon. Hubble previously found water vapor on Europa in 2013 when it captured plumes coming up through the ice (similar to geysers on Earth). However, this latest finding suggests water vapor is much more prevalent than anyone realized.
The observations that led to this discovery included numerous images and spectra Hubble captured over that 16-year period. Specifically, Roth looked at ultraviolet readings Hubble took of Europa in 1999, 2012, 2014, and 2015 — choosing these years to look at Europa while it was in different orbital positions. This is the same technique NASA used to find water vapor on the Jupiter moon Ganymede back in July. According to Roth, “The observation of water vapor on Ganymede, and on the trailing side of Europa, advances our understanding of the atmospheres of icy moons. However, the detection of a stable water abundance on Europa is a bit more surprising than on Ganymede because Europa’s surface temperatures are lower than Ganymede’s.” Even though Europa is about 60°F cooler than Ganymede, these findings confirm that water vapor is forming on Europa in the exact same way.
As mentioned above, the water vapor was discovered in just one hemisphere of Europa — specifically, its ‘trailing hemisphere.’ As NASA explains, this is the part of Europa that “is always opposite its direction of motion along its orbit.” Europa’s second ‘leading’ hemisphere is the one that moves in the direction of its orbit. NASA doesn’t fully understand the reason for this split in motion. For whatever reason, the trailing hemisphere is home to an abundant amount of vapor that the leading one lacks.
Even with the oddities surrounding this discovery, this is still a huge win all around. Scientists and astronomers now have a clearer understanding of Europa’s atmosphere and the water vapor that’s present there. This information will also prove extremely valuable for future Europa missions. The European Space Agency plans to explore Europa as part of its Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission, as does NASA with the Europa Clipper mission in 2024. There’s a lot that remains unknown about Europa, but so long as we keep moving in this direction, many of its biggest questions will soon be revealed.
Tania Maduro will be joining 90 Day: The Single Life season 2 as a cast member with 90 Day Fiancé husband Syngin Colchester after their split. South African man Syngin first ignited rumors of a messy married life with his cryptic Instagram posts. Soon enough, Syngin was spotted with a new woman from Arizona whom fans thought was his girlfriend. While the 90 Day Fiancé season 7 couple kept TLC viewers confused about their relationship status, Syngin was announced as a cast member for The Single Life. And as it turns out, the discovery+ show will also have Tania joining the likes of Big Ed Brown, Jesse Meester and Natalie Mordovtseva.
Interestingly, Tania was never meant to meet Syngin in South Africa as she had traveled there for a date with a different man. But Tania ended up rejecting her man and walked into a bar, where Syngin worked as a bartender and thus began their 90 Day Fiancé relationship. The road to the altar wasn’t an easy one for Syngin with Tania away in Puerto Rico for a month out of his K-1 visa’s 90 days. And later came a time when Tania confessed that her husband wasn’t her soulmate as Syngin felt that he did not belong in the United States. Still, no one expected that Tania and Syngin’s next spin-off after 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? season 5 would be 90 Day: The Single Life.
Recently, Tania shared an Instagram post saying, “I am single, [Syngin] is single – we’re all single!!” But neither Tania nor Syngin shared the reason behind their breakup. A curious TLC fan reached out to Tania while she was attempting to make zucchini noodles on Instagram and asked her why she and Syngin had split. Blogger @90daythemelanatedway posted a recording of Tania’s Instagram Live, where she revealed that she is also a cast member of the 90 Day Fiancé spin-off. “Well, November 12 on Discovery+, you will get the inside scoop on that,” said Tania.
“Even though they haven’t mentioned me at all being on it, but I’m on it,” the Connecticut resident confirmed. According to Tania, fans will get to see the reasons behind her separation from Syngin. “I don’t know when it will be on TLC, but it will be on TLC, so make sure you watch out for it,” Tania told her followers. Meanwhile, Syngin’s official bio for 90 Day: The Single Life on Us Weekly notes that after two years of a rocky marriage, he and Tania have agreed to divorce. For this to happen, Syngin will first have to move out of the shed. And that’s when Syngin decides to go across the country and start again.
If one watches closely, Tania is featured in the trailer for 90 Day: The Single Life with Syngin. The video started off with Syngin confessing that she’s open to meeting a gothic girl or a nun, “if nuns even date.” It later showed an angry Syngin asking Tania to stop blaming him for things. “Like I’m not here to make you happy anymore,” he told Tania, who then stormed off as Syngin muttered the classic 90 Day Fiancé line, “I’m done.” Even though Tania and Syngin seem to have stayed friends after their split, the fights that occurred on HEA season 6 had seemingly not ended when they came back to Connecticut. Yet, Syngin is perhaps the only cast member on the show that fans are not calling a villain, so his and Tania’s journey might be the one that keeps them entertained.
Mojang recently revealed the three new Minecraft mobs available for Minecraft Live 2021’s mob vote, and one Reddit user compared the options to Pokémon starter choices. Like last year, Mojang is allowing the Minecraft community to decide which mob will be added next to the 3D voxel sandbox. During Minecraft Live 2021 on October 16, fans will choose between the Copper Golem, Allay, or Glare, three new mobs with their own unique abilities. Mojang did the same thing last year, allowing the community to pick Minecraft’s new mob during Minecraft Live 2020. The choice then was between the Glow Squid, Iceologer, and Moobloom. The Glow Squid ultimately came out on top and arrived alongside the Caves & Cliffs Part 1 Update earlier this year.
For this year’s Minecraft mob vote, Mojang first introduced the Glare, a passive mob that shows players dark spots where other mobs can spawn. This utility will be especially useful when the Caves & Cliffs Part 2 update drops later this year, because the update adjusts light level requirements for dangerous mobs to spawn. The second new mob was the Allay, a flying creature that delivers gifts to players in exchange for music. Upon receiving a collectible, craftable item, or block, the Allay looks for more of said item and gives them to players if a music note is nearby. The Copper Golem is a completely buildable mob and would bring with it a brand new copper button.
Following the announcement of the vote, Minecraft’s new mobs were compared to Pokémon starter choices. Reddit user shyamadash posted a picture of the Copper Golem, Allay, and Glare that reflected more of a Pokémon art style. Underneath each mob was a description that compared them to the starter choices available at the beginning of Pokémon video games. The Copper Golem was listed as a fire/steel type, the Allay was listed as a water/flying type, and the Glare was listed as a grass/ghost type Pokémon. Just below the three mobs were Poké Balls. This piece of artwork prompted other Reddit users to note the resemblance between the three mob choices and starter Pokémon.
Starter Pokémon are the Pokémon a trainer picks at the beginning of their adventure. In most mainline games in the franchise (though not all of them), trainers get to choose between three starter Pokémon. Usually, the three starter Pokémon to choose from fall into either grass, fire, or water types. Sometimes, like with Bulbasaur, the starter Pokémon will have a secondary type. Shyamadash pointed out that the Copper Golem, Allay, and Glare seemed to fit the three starter types. Another fan, however, suggested that the Allay fall under the water/fairy type instead of water/flying, due to its pixie-like appearance.
It’s certainly possible that Mojang took a bit of inspiration from Pokémon to design the three mob choices for this year’s Minecraft Live event. As for which mob will join the ranks in a future update, fans will have to cast their vote on October 16 when Minecraft Live 2021 begins.
