From Florida's finest writers, some sunshine for our times
Between them, Dave Barry and Carl Hiaasen are authors or co-authors of more than 70 books,with many millions of copies sold. Their works have been adapted into movies, TV shows and plays. Yet their latest offerings — a memoir by Barry, another novel by Hiaasen — feel especially timely. This matched set of Florida's finest writers comes at our fraught, conflicted times with confidence and clear eyes.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fast Company
9 minutes ago
- Fast Company
Gavin Newsom is having his social media moment
'Fuck around' and 'find out,' read a TikTok post, following a screenshot announcing that California is suing President Donald Trump for deploying the National Guard to the streets of Los Angeles. But the TikTok wasn't shared by a typical meme account—it came from California Governor Gavin Newsom. 'I damn near fell over when I realized this was Gov. Newsom's page,' one user commented. Since Friday, demonstrations have erupted across Los Angeles in protest of the president's immigration policies and the ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. Although many of the demonstrations have remained peaceful, there have been violent incidents including authorities deploying tear gas and rubber bullets, and protestors setting Waymo vehicles ablaze throughout the city. As tensions escalated, the Trump administration deployed the National Guard and Marines—despite objections from local officials—sparking a lawsuit from the state, threats of arrest against Governor Newsom, and a surge of defiant memes. 'And remember kids, the next time anybody tells you 'the government wouldn't do that', oh yes they would,' says the popular TikTok sound used on Newsom's official account video, playing over screenshots of news headlines and images of armed forces confronting demonstrators. In another viral video from the governor's page, which amassed over 5.4 million views, Taylor Swift's 'You Need To Calm Down' plays over a series of photos of the two politicians. 'r u ok?' the post asks, with a caption reading: 'America's keyboard warrior.' Newsom's clapback drew widespread praise in the comments. 'I do disagree with Newsom a lot but him standing up to tyranny and standing with your state takes some serious guts. Hats off to you Newsom,' wrote one user. He's also taken to his personal account to deliver meme-laced messages to Trump—one featuring a photoshopped image of the president wearing a crown, captioned 'send in the troops.' The slideshow ends with a shot from the musical Hamilton, with text reading: 'Democracy is under assault right before our eyes. It's time for all of us to stand up.' The online showdown has significantly boosted Newsom's social media presence, growing his personal TikTok account by approximately 397,000 followers and his official Governor account by 479,000 since Friday. Newsom is the latest in a growing number of politicians leveraging memes and social media to bypass traditional media and speak directly to the public through humor. Famously, Kamala Harris gained momentum during her presidential campaign with ' Brat summer ' and the coconut tree trend, while Joe Biden leaned into the viral ' Dark Brandon ' meme during his reelection campaign. Although meme strategies can generate enthusiasm and visibility, the 2024 election results suggest that online popularity doesn't always translate at the polls.
Geek Tyrant
18 minutes ago
- Geek Tyrant
James Gunn Spills New Details on Ultraman, Metamorpho, and the Engineer in SUPERMAN — GeekTyrant
James Gunn's Superman is shaping up to be a character-packed, morally complex, and slightly chaotic reintroduction to the Man of Steel's world. While Lex Luthor remains the film's central antagonist, Gunn recently shared new details on how characters like Ultraman, Metamorpho, the Engineer, and even Eve Teschmacher fit into the mix. Let's start with Ultraman. Fans have been scratching their heads over this one. Some have speculated he's a clone of Superman, others guessed a reimagined Parasite or even a proto-Bizarro. When Entertainment Weekly asked if Ultraman is Lex's own twisted version of Superman, Gunn said: 'I think that's close. Ultraman is sort of Lex's thug, and is pretty powerful.' He expanded on the moral gray areas the movie explores: 'There are some characters that are really almost saintly, like Superman. There are some characters who are almost pretty terrible, like Lex Luthor. But I don't think Lex is all bad, and I don't think Superman is all good. 'All those people in between, the Guy Gardners and the Jimmy Olsens of the world, are even more complex in their moralities and what they think is okay.' It sounds like this complexity will extend to Metamorpho, played by Anthony Carrigan. In the film, Rex Mason can transmute his body into any natural element, including Kryptonite. That's a power Lex Luthor clearly wants to exploit, even if it means bending Metamorpho's will. Carrigan described the struggle his character faces: 'You're in a situation where it's having to hurt someone, having to be an agent of the bad guy. And at the same time, there's this struggle to want to be good. 'What the film does brilliantly is it puts you in this situation of, 'Oh! He has no choice.' He has to be doing this, and you see how painful it is.' Baby Joey might have something to do with that, a mysterious figure yet to be revealed, may be at the heart of how Lex manipulates Metamorpho. As Gunn bluntly put it: 'Lex is connected to everything. There's nothing bad happening in Metropolis during this movie that doesn't have some connection to Lex Luthor.' Then there's Angela Spica, a.k.a. The Engineer, played by María Gabriela de Faría. A character known for her nanotech-enhanced body, Angela has a strangely intimate dynamic with Lex. While it's not overtly romantic in the movie, de Faría shared her thoughts on what's simmering under the surface: 'I imagined that Lex and Angie had this work relationship where they respect each other so much. Angela highly believes in Lex's idea of making the world a better place. She's practically given her life to Lex for this greater good. 'But at the same time, I feel like there's an element of an underlying relationship going on between the two of them. It's not in the movie… I feel like these guys f***!' Enter Eve Teschmacher, Lex's actual girlfriend, played by Sara Sampaio. But don't expect a supervillain as Teschmacher is more of a selfie-snapping influencer than a mastermind. Sampaio said: 'She's just very for herself and her content. She's sometimes out of notion with what's happening or what's appropriate, but she does have a heart. At the end of the day, everything is just so exciting for her. She's just in a whole different world.' Gunn seems to be building a Superman world where even the side characters have internal conflict, rich dynamics, and layered motivations. Metamorpho may eventually lean toward heroism. The Engineer's fate remains uncertain, especially with The Authority movie now off the immediate DC slate. As for Ultraman… Whether he sticks around will likely depend on who's under that mask. Superman flies into theaters July 11, 2025.
Geek Tyrant
18 minutes ago
- Geek Tyrant
Laika HIres SUSPIRIA Writer to Script Travis Knight's Surreal Stop-Motion Adaptation of PIRANESI — GeekTyrant
Laika's adaptation of Susanna Clarke's mind-bending fantasy novel Piranesi just took a major step forward with the hiring of acclaimed screenwriter Dave Kajganich to handle the script. Kajganich, known for his work on Suspiria , Bones and All , and AMC's The Terror , is currently collaborating with some of the most respected directors in the industry, including Barry Jenkins, Ridley Scott, and Edward Berger. Now, he'll bring his talents and skills to Laika's ambitious stop-motion take on Clarke's beloved novel. 'Piranesi changed my soul and is one of the books in all the world, of any era, I most cherish,' Kajganich said in a statement. 'Having Travis' and Susanna's trust in adapting it is something I take as an honor of the highest order. They are two of the loveliest, smartest, and most humane people you can imagine, so all of this is an actual dream coming true for me.' First announced in June 2024, Piranesi will be directed by Laika President & CEO Travis Knight, who previously helmed the Oscar-nominated Kubo and the Two Strings and the upcoming Wildwood . The project marks a return to the studio's roots in stop-motion storytelling, even as they continue branching out into live-action. The story for Piranesi is set in a dreamlike alternative reality, and it follows Piranesi, 'whose house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. 'Within the labyrinth of halls, an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.' There is one other person in the house, 'a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. 'But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.' Since its release, Clarke's novel has become a literary phenomenon, selling over four million copies and winning the 2021 Women's Prize for Fiction. Its meditative tone, philosophical depth, and strange beauty seem tailor-made for Laika's visual storytelling. Knight previously shared in a statement: ' Piranesi is a treasure, and very dear to me. As a filmmaker, I can scarcely imagine a more joyful experience than wandering through the worlds Susanna dreamed into being. 'She's one of my all-time favorite authors, and with Piranesi , Susanna has created a beautiful, devastating and ultimately life-affirming work of art. I'm humbled that she chose LAIKA as her home.' Kajganich is also working on Brad Pitt's The Riders , he's also scripting Be My Baby , a Ronnie Spector biopic for A24, with Zendaya set to star and Barry Jenkins directing. While Laika continues to push further into live-action—with projects like Atmosphere from Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, and Crumble from Brian Duffield and producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the studio hasn't lost sight of what made them a fan favorite in the first place: bold, stylized stop-motion animation that tell stories with emotional weight. Source: Deadline
