NEWS OF THE WEEK: Lily Allen apologises for 'being mean' about Katy Perry space flight
She is walking back her criticism of the pop singer's involvement in the Blue Origin space flight. Allen issued an apology during the Monday episode of her Miss Me? Podcast, during which she blamed her "own internalised misogyny" for making negative comments about the trip. 'I would actually like to apologise for being mean about Katy Perry last week. There was actually no need for me to bring her name into it.' Allen admitted she had regrets about her past commentary. 'I've been thinking about it a lot, and it was just completely unnecessary to pile on with her.'
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The Verge
2 hours ago
- The Verge
Mission to Zyxx's creators are laughing their way through the sci-fi spinoff boom
Charles Pulliam-Moore is a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years. When Mission to Zyxx debuted in 2017, the podcasting space was very different. There were fewer shows, and more money was being spent as companies rushed to figure out how to capitalize on the growing medium. At a time when many big podcasts were focused on news and investigative reporting, Zyxx — an improvised comedy about a group of alien diplomats journeying across the galaxy in search of adventure — felt like an oddity that was channeling the spirit of classic radio dramas. The show was a loving sendup of Star Wars and Star Trek 's most iconic (and ridiculous) narrative beats. And while nostalgia was a big part of Zyxx 's appeal, meticulous sound design and inspired, on-the-spot performances made each episode sound like something from podcasting's future. When Mission to Zyxx came to an end in 2022, the show's creators — Alden Ford, Jeremy Bent, Allie Kokesh, Seth Lind, Winston Noel, and Moujan Zolfaghari — needed a break and time to figure out what they wanted to do next. Eventually they landed on The Young Old Derf Chronicles; it's set in the same universe as Mission to Zyxx and features many voices from the original, but it's a very different kind of (mini)series, one that's lampooning something much more modern about sci-fi. When I recently sat down with Ford and Lind ahead of The Young Old Derf Chronicles ' debut at this year's Tribeca Film Festival, they told me that their new podcast is, in part, a response to the way that studios have become obsessed with expanding their established franchises with prequels. But The Young Old Derf Chronicles is also the creative team's way of showing fans how important their continued support has been. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Looking back, how has the Zyxx fandom evolved, would you say, and how has fan engagement impacted the show? Alden Ford: When we started in season 2, we started a Patreon to help fund some of the more ambitious aspects of the show and pay [sound designer] Shane [O'Connell] for the work that he was increasingly putting into every episode to make them bigger and crazier. That really connected us to our listeners in a way that I don't think we really would have expected in season 1 when it was just a show that was out there and people liked it. Seth Lind: Something that surprised us was just how deeply so many of the fans care about the show. When we set out to make it, we wanted it to be funny, we wanted people to like it, and we wanted it to be popular. But we didn't really dare to hope that it would become so important and meaningful to people. We heard from people saying, 'I was in the deepest depression of my life and this was the thing I would look forward to,' or 'My partner passed away and this is the first thing that made me laugh.' Right around the time the show was ending, a group of fans made us this thick book they called Mission to Zine that was a collection of art and letters saying what the show had meant to them. Things like that made us feel a responsibility to our fans. The show is violent and it can get very blue, but we always worked to protect its heart and make it feel like it was coming from a good place. If there was something that seemed like it was punching down, we'd cut it out, and while characters could be mean as individuals, but like the show as a whole couldn't. I think those instincts led to us cultivating a fandom that really cares for each other. And having that community made it so much more meaningful to make the show. AF: As fans of sci-fi, we all know very, very intimately how disappointing it can be when you're a fan of something that doesn't land the plane or gets canceled too soon. And so for us, once we got a few seasons in we got invested in making it as good as possible. Especially in the back half of season 5, we were like, 'What are the ways to wrap up this show so that everyone who listens and cares about it is going to be satisfied by it?' Of course, that's an impossible task because you're never going to do something that makes everybody happy. But I think we ended it on our own terms, which is more than a lot of shows can say. Why Derf? AF: There's a couple different reasons. The fun reason is that we all know how much Star Wars there is now. I'm not complaining, but I do think it has become its own kind of cliché that no character, no matter how silly or tertiary, deserves their own fully fledged miniseries where you explain every possible aspect of their backstory. You're not hype for a Glup Shitto series? AF: [ Laughs ] I mean, yes, I'm looking forward to the Salacious B. Crumb trilogy and the show chronicling Max Rebo's rise to stardom. But yeah, we thought that if we were going to do something else in the Zyxx universe, it'd be fun to do exactly the things Star Wars would do — something like an Obi-Wan, or a Mandalorian, or a Boba Fett series. Parodying the genre and the tropes around it felt very true to us generally. But the other reason is that Justin [Tyler] is a guy we all love and he's a fan favorite. SL: Derf is the closest thing to being the Obi-Wan of this universe, and just being able to call him 'Young Old Derf' completely sold me on the idea of doing a show about him. Because, like, that's so stupid, and 'the story of Derf when he was slightly less old' is a spinoff no one asked for. But I also remember Justin very early on in the first couple episodes, he gave Alden some feedback about the show, saying that, like, 'Pleck has to be important.' Especially in the early seasons, Pleck — who's the audience surrogate — was kind of a punching bag, and it was kind of a joke that he was important. But Justin was like, 'As silly as this all is, this guy actually has to be someone who ends up being significant and he has to have an arc to follow.' I think that really helped the show find its voice, and is a big part of what helped us last so many seasons. Did Andor inform your approach to crafting The Young Old Derf Chronicles? AF: One of the challenges we gave ourselves is making a new kind of show. Not that we wanted to reinvent the wheel or anything, but we wanted to make Derf distinctly different in substance and structure from the original show. With the new show, it's essentially a first-person narrative where pretty much everything is pretty being told from Derf's perspective. And from an improv standpoint, we approached it way less from the typical Zyxx format where we start on the ship, we get a mission, and then we're on the planet of the week. With Derf, we thought, what if we treated it more just like a 'fuck around' where we're just having fun with Derf in these new settings with a lot more walk-ons, digressions, and longer scenes where weirder stuff happens and we're not as worried about the propulsion of the plot or a strict three-act structure? It's been way harder to make and way harder to edit and produce, but it's really fulfilling for us especially because we're not just palette-swapping Mission to Zyxx. I don't know if Andor was trying to do that by mixing up the structure and the style, but I do think that's been the key for getting us creatively excited about making this thing. Would you be open to more Zyxx beyond The Young Old Derf Chronicles? AF: Absolutely. I think doing this show as a limited series has really felt like a good and sustainable way to keep things going. We've all talked about doing this new show, you know, seeing how listeners respond, and then reassessing our workload to see if doing more in the future makes sense with our lives now. If we continue to make shows in the Zyxx world, it will probably be in ways like this where we'll come up with something, we can produce 10 episodes, work for a year to actually make the thing, and then regroup to see what the next thing is. The Young Old Derf Chronicles does not yet have a firm release date. But if you're interested in seeing the Mission to Zyxx crew perform and produce an episode live, tickets are still available for their upcoming live show at Caveat in New York City, which will also be livestreamed. Featured Videos From The Verge Can a redesign save Apple's software? | The Vergecast It's a slowish news week ahead of some very busy news weeks, so of course Nilay and David start the show with a long discussion about party speakers. Eventually, they get into the news, beginning with some of the huge Apple redesigns planned for WWDC in June. For the first time in a long time, the stakes for Apple's software teams feel really high. After that, the hosts talk about Nilay's recent interview with Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and what the AI-ification of everything means for the future of the web. Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for another Brendan Carr is a Dummy, plus some talk about the Nintendo Switch 2, a bit of confusing tariff news, and more.
Los Angeles Times
9 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Debbie Allen
When Debbie Allen opened the doors to her dance academy in 2000 inside of a revamped Marie Callender's restaurant in Culver City, there was no other place in town like it that catered to disenfranchised Black and Latino communities. The school became a haven for dancers of all backgrounds wanting to learn from the multifaceted performer, who chasséd into the Hollywood scene with her career-defining performance as Lydia Grant in the 1980 musical 'Fame.' Allen went onto become an award-winning director and producer for shows like 'Grey's Anatomy' (which she also stars in), 'How to Get Away With Murder,' 'A Different World,' 'Jane the Virgin' and 'Everybody Hates Chris.' Fast forward 25 years, the Debbie Allen Dance Academy now resides in a 25,000-square-foot 'arts' palace in Mid City at the Rhimes Performing Arts Center (named after Allen's longtime friend and colleague Shonda Rhimes). It's more active than ever with a newly accredited middle school, a summer intensive program, a tap festival and annual 'Hot Chocolate Nutcracker' holiday show. Next up, Allen is hosting her third free community block party on June 8 on Washington Boulevard, featuring dance classes with world-renowned choreographers like Marguerite Derricks and a breakdancing competition with Silverback Bboy Events. And on June 22, Allen will host Dancing in the Light: Healing with the Arts, a bimonthly event that features free dance lessons for those impacted by the wildfires. The event will take place at the Wallis in Beverly Hills and will feature classes taught by choreographers Lyrik Cruz (salsa), Angela Jordan (African) and Anthony Berry (hip-hop). 'It's been wonderful that this community has been able to see each other and have a bit of joy,' Allen said during a Zoom call from Atlanta, where she was working on a new TV pilot. We caught up with Allen, who's lived in L.A. for nearly 40 years, to learn about how she'd spend her perfect Sunday in the city. Much like when she was a child growing up in Houston, Sundays are centered around family and spending time with her four grandchildren who 'own' her weekends, she said. On the call sheet is getting breakfast in Santa Monica, hosting a free dance class and catching a movie at Westfield Century City. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. 7 a.m.: Wake up the grandbabies On a typical Sunday, I would wake up at 7 a.m. My [eldest] grandchildren spend the night with us every Saturday. I have four grandkids who are 6, 4, and two who are 6 months old. The little ones are just now getting to where their parents might let us keep them overnight. My room has turned into a nursery. First, we deal with our dog CoCo. We have a beautiful black German shepherd who is amazing. She's such a good family dog and incredible guard dog. She just glistens, just pure black, and she's wonderful with the kids. So we have to let her out and she wants to play. Then we get ready to go to breakfast. 9 a.m..: Time for breakfast We always go out somewhere for breakfast. We either go to a nearby hotel or we go to Marmalade in Santa Monica. They have very fresh croissants, little biscuits with currants and scones. They also have really good omelets and turkey bacon. Then the neighborhood people are there, so we see people that we've met and have gotten to know over the years. There's one man in particular who is always reading books and we can always get a new idea of a book to read. 11 a.m.: Host a free dance class Then we'd come back and on any given Sunday, I might be on my way to Dancing in the Light: Healing with the Arts, where I've been doing these dance classes for all the people who have been impacted by the fires. We've been doing this for months and it's been amazing. We've had tremendous support from Wallis Annenberg, United Way, Shonda Rhimes, Berry Gordy, just so many individuals who have supported. We do classes all over, which start at 11 a.m. But if we're not doing the Dancing in the Light event, sometimes we like to go to the California Science Center, which the kids love. It's great because there's so much going on there now. 2:30 p.m.: Tennis time I'll head back home to catch the kids having their tennis lesson. They are starting to play at this young age and it's so cute. 5 p.m.: Early dinner and a movie We'd either start preparing family dinner because I have a son who has his 6-month-old and my daughter, Vivian, who has her three kids. Or we'd go out to dinner. We love to go to Ivy at the Shore because it's very family-friendly and they have a lot of options. We also like going to Chinois. It's a Wolfgang Puck spot. We'd have an early dinner around 5 p.m. If we don't go out to eat, we might go to the movies. We love going to the movies. We're really close to AMC Santa Monica, but sometimes we'll go to [Westfield] Century City because they have a fantastic food court and the kids like to go up there and pick what they want to eat. 7:30 p.m.: Quality time with MaTurk We'd come back home and spend time with my mom, who we call MaTurk. She's 101 years old. We'd play her favorite music because she was a concert pianist. I did a beautiful piece for her at the Kennedy Center this year based on her book, 'Hawk,' which we republished. It's on sale now. But Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' is her favorite. She played it for me when I was 4 years old, going to sleep on her lap. And my granddaughters are the cutest things with MaTurk. They like to pretend they are the caregivers and they want to brush her hair. They want to massage her legs. It's a sweet thing. 8:30 p.m.: Catch up on our favorite shows After that, it's time to say goodbye to the grandkids. Then my husband and I will nestle in. We're always reading books and watching various series. We've been watching Shonda Rhimes' 'The Residence' lately. We love it! And he also is addicted to 'Power Book.' If I could pick, I'd be in bed by 9:30 p.m.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Truly pioneering Southampton cruise ship celebrates 10th anniversary
It's hard to believe it's been a decade since Anthem of the Seas first graced the waters, a true titan of the seas that quickly became synonymous with groundbreaking innovation and unforgettable voyages. Calling Southampton her cherished home, this second jewel of Royal Caribbean International's esteemed Quantum Class has continually pushed the boundaries of what a cruise experience can be. Codenamed "Project Sunshine," Royal Caribbean's ambitious vision for a new class of ships started to take shape in February 2011 with an order placed with Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. The excitement with the subsequent order for a second ship, and finally, in January 2013, the world learned the official names: Quantum of the Seas and her sister, Anthem of the Seas. The keel of Anthem was laid on a crisp November day in 2013, marking the physical commencement of what would become a truly extraordinary vessel. A momentous day arrived on April 10, 2015, when Anthem of the Seas was officially delivered to Royal Caribbean. Just five days later, she sailed into her first homeport of Southampton, ready to embark on her maiden European summer season. The city embraced her with open arms, and it was in Southampton that a truly unique christening ceremony unfolded on April 20, 2015. Read more: Photos show night club that later became a strip club and then Junk Robbers threatened to set pub landlord and wife alight in terrifying ordeal Forgotten Southampton star who shunned the club in search of fame Breaking from tradition, Royal Caribbean sought a godmother who embodied grace, beauty, social consciousness, and an adventurous spirit, ultimately selecting Emma Wilby, a British travel agent and military wife known for her singing prowess in the Military Wives Choir. The christening itself was a spectacle befitting a ship of Anthem's stature. Held in the vessel's Royal Theatre before 1,300 distinguished guests, the ceremony was a vibrant tapestry of tradition and modern flair. It began with a captivating procession, followed by stirring performances from the Reading Scottish Pipe Band and the enchanting Welsh boys' choir, Only Boys Aloud. The highlight, however, was Emma Wilby's powerful rendition of Katy Perry's "Firework," culminating in her pressing a button that sent a bottle of Perrier-Jouët champagne soaring down a zipline from the ship's iconic North Star gondola, smashing against a wall bearing the ship's name. From her very inception, Anthem of the Seas was designed to be a pioneer. Boasting 16 passenger-accessible decks and an impressive 2090 passenger cabins, her facilities were, and still are, revolutionary. Her towering rock-climbing wall offered panoramic views, while the RipCord by iFLY skydiving simulator provided an exhilarating taste of flight. Read more: "Marry Her": Judge's verdict for labourer who reported himself over teen love Rare video shows large Southampton family - and it's MASSIVE! Huge crowds descended on Southampton park for major youth festival One of its most iconic features is the "North Star," a jewel-shaped glass capsule that rises over 300 feet above sea level, offering stunning panoramic views, which have provided unique perspectives of Southampton and the Solent many times. She also boasts a bar where robots mix cocktails. Passengers order their drinks via tablets, selecting from a menu of classic cocktails or getting creative with their own designs or concoctions from a wide selection of spirits and mixers. Robotic arms get to work. They can select ingredients from the inverted bottles above them, muddle, stir, shake, and strain drinks with impressive precision. Beyond these adrenaline-pumping attractions, Anthem offers an array of swimming pools, a tranquil solarium, a state-of-the-art Spa and Fitness Centre, a grand theatre for world-class entertainment, and a casino. Over her ten years of service, Anthem of the Seas has navigated both serene waters and challenging conditions. While the vast majority of her voyages have been seamless, she has encountered a few notable incidents that have only highlighted the robust design and safety protocols in place. In February 2016, she faced extreme wind and sea conditions off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Despite the severity of the storm, which caused damage and minor injuries, the ship and crew admirably managed the situation, prioritising passenger safety. Read more: Life 100 years ago on the outskirts of Southampton - it was TOTALLY different! The 'death' of Southampton: When the city was in deep decline Why this Southampton pub had TV cameras rolling and thousands in queue Similarly, in September 2016, she encountered stormy weather from Hurricane Hermine, again showcasing her ability to weather nature's challenges. More recently, in February 2020, Anthem of the Seas was part of a global conversation when a coronavirus-related quarantine was implemented as a precautionary measure. Swift action by Royal Caribbean, in collaboration with health authorities, ensured the safety and well-being of all onboard. The situation was quickly resolved, with guests testing negative and the ship cleared to sail. As Anthem of the Seas celebrates her tenth anniversary, her legacy as a trailblazer is firmly cemented. She continues to be a beloved home away from home for countless travellers, embarking on incredible journeys from Southampton among other places.
