Alien: Earth is one of my five must-see TV shows in August
I'm particularly excited about Alien: Earth, which will be the first TV show in the Alien franchise and also the first thing in this universe to be set on Earth. Alien: Earth is far from the only thing to be excited about in August, though. Here are five shows I'm particularly looking forward to watching.
Chief of War (August 1)
This Apple TV+ original is another partnership between Jason Momoa and the studio. This time, Momoa plays a Hawaiian war chief tasked with uniting the tribes of the disparate islands so that they can face off with the colonizers who are threatening their way of life.
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The show's cast is composed almost entirely of native Hawaiian actors, and it could be a fascinating look at a part of America that many Americans don't spend much time thinking about. Hopefully, it's a little bit better than See.
Chief of War will be available on Apple TV+.
Wednesday season 2, Part 1 (August 6)
Wednesday was a phenomenon following its first season, and this follow-up is will try to recapture that same enthusiasm. The show, a twist on The Addams Family, primarily follows their daughter, Wednesday, as she is shipped off to boarding school and must make her way through regular teenage life.
The show made a star out of Jenna Ortega, and season 2 promises to be even bigger and more star-studded than the first installment. Whether that means it will be better is anyone's guess.
Wednesday will be available on Netflix.
Alien: Earth (August 12)
One of the great mysteries this summer is Alien: Earth, which brings the xenomorph to Earth for the very first time. Plus, the Alien franchise makes its debut on television. While it seems impossible to live up to the best of what this franchise can offer, Alien: Earth will follow a young woman who joins up with a group of tactical soldiers to investigate the crash of a space vessel onto Earth.
What they find (which is probably an alien) is left a mystery, but Alien: Earth could expand on the world of the Alien movies in fascinating ways, even if it's not quite as good as that first movie.
Alien: Earth will be available on Hulu.
Peacemaker season 2 (August 21)
Following the success of Supermanin theaters, interest in the new DCU has never been higher. Peacemaker season 2 may reveal more about where this universe is headed, but just as importantly, it will hopefully be an excellent continuation of the show's remarkable first season.
The brilliance of John Cena's central performance is worth plenty of praise, but James Gunn managed to find exactly the right supporting cast to put around him. Here's hoping the lore of the DCU doesn't overwhelm a character that's at his best when he's ignoring the rules altogether.
Peacemaker will be available on HBO Max.
Eyes of Wakanda (August 27)
While the DCU might emerge as a real threat to Marvel's supremacy, Eyes of Wakanda could be proof that Marvel still has a few cards left to play. This animated series seems like it will be largely disconnected from the rest of the MCU, as it tells the story of Wakandan warriors who travel around the world to recover vibranium artifacts.
The animation looks beautiful, and Ryan Coogler's involvement is a good sign that this show will be a reflection of the Wakanda we've fallen in love with on the big screen.
Eyes of Wakanda will be available on Disney+.
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Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Does this look like a real woman? AI Vogue model raises concerns about beauty standards
There's a new supermodel in town. She's striking, stylish... and not real. In August's print edition of Vogue, a Guess advert features a flawless blonde model showing off a striped maxi dress and a floral playsuit from the brand's summer collection. In small print in one corner, the ad reveals that she was created using AI. While Vogue says the AI model was not an editorial decision, it is the first time an AI-generated person has featured in the magazine. The advert has been met with controversy and raises questions about what this means for real models who have fought for greater diversity, and for consumers - particularly young people - already struggling with unrealistic beauty standards. Seraphinne Vallora is the company behind Guess's controversial advert. Its founders, Valentina Gonzalez and Andreea Petrescu, tell the BBC they were approached by Guess's co-founder, Paul Marciano, on Instagram and were asked to create an AI model as part of the brand's summer campaign. "We created 10 draft models for him and he selected one brunette woman and one blonde that we went ahead and developed further," Gonzalez says. She explains there's often a misconception that AI image generation is simple, saying it is actually a complex process. The company has five employees who create AI models, and it can take up to a month from idea inception to the completed product. The pair say they charge anywhere up to low six figures for a client like Guess. 'Disheartening' But Felicity Hayward, a plus-size model who has been in the industry for more than a decade, says using AI models in fashion campaigns "feels lazy and cheap". "Either Guess is doing this to create a talking point and get free publicity or they want to cut costs and don't think about the implications of that." She describes Vogue's decision to include the advert as "very disheartening and quite scary", and worries it could undermine years of work towards more diversity in the industry. The fashion world was making real progress to be more inclusive in the 2010s - the decade saw Valentina Sampaio become the first openly trans model to walk for Victoria's Secret, Halima Aden was the first hijab-wearing model in global campaigns, and brands like Savage x Fenty featured plus-size models on the runway. But in recent years, Hayward believes, the industry has slipped backwards because "these people are just not getting booked any more". And the use of AI models is "another kick in the teeth, and one that will disproportionately affect plus-size models", she warns. Gonzalez and Petrescu are adamant they don't reinforce narrow beauty standards. "We don't create unattainable looks - actually the AI model for Guess looks quite realistic," Petrescu says. "Ultimately, all adverts are created to look perfect and usually have supermodels in, so what we are doing is no different." The pair admit the AI images on their company's Instagram page are lacking in diversity and promote unrealistic beauty standards. They say they have tried to be more inclusive, but it's the users who don't engage much with those posts. "We've posted AI images of women with different skin tones, but people do not respond to them - we don't get any traction or likes," Gonzalez tells the BBC. "At the end of the day, we are a business and use images on Instagram that will create a conversation and bring us clients." The company is yet to experiment with creating plus-size women, claiming "the technology is not advanced enough for that". An ad campaign by Dove in 2024 was designed to highlight the biases in AI. In the advert, an image generator is asked to create the most beautiful woman in the world and produces virtually indistinguishable women who are young, thin and white, with blonde hair and blue eyes. The images generated look similar to the Guess AI model. Hayward worries that seeing these unattainable images could have an impact on people's mental health and negatively affect their body image. Concern around unrealistic beauty standards and the damaging effects they can have is nothing new. But unlike traditional airbrushing, which at least began with a real person, these AI models are digitally created to look perfect, free from human flaws, inconsistencies or uniqueness. While some high-profile figures such as Ashley Graham, Jameela Jamil and Bella Thorne have spoken out against image editing and refuse to have their pictures Photoshopped, the use of AI sidesteps such conversations entirely. Vogue's decision to include an AI-generated advert has caused a stir on social media, with one user on X writing: "Wow! As if the beauty expectations weren't unrealistic enough, here comes AI to make them impossible. Even models can't compete." Vanessa Longley, CEO of eating disorder charity Beat, tells the BBC the advert is "worrying". "If people are exposed to images of unrealistic bodies, it can affect their thoughts about their own body, and poor body image increases the risk of developing an eating disorder," she says. 'Exceptionally problematic' Adding to the issue is the lack of transparency - it is not a legal requirement to label AI-generated content in the UK. While Guess labelled its advert as AI-generated, the disclaimer is small and subtle. Readers may overlook it and, at a glance, the image appears entirely lifelike. Sinead Bovell, a former model and now tech entrepreneur, wrote an article for Vogue five years ago about the risks of AI replacing modelling. She tells the BBC that not labelling AI content clearly is "exceptionally problematic" because it could have a detrimental impact on people's mental health. "Beauty standards are already being influenced by AI. There are young girls getting plastic surgery to look like a face in a filter – and now we see people who are entirely artificial," she says. Aside from the impact AI models could have on a consumer, especially if unlabelled, what about the impact of this technology on those working in the fashion industry? Sara Ziff is a former model and founder of Model Alliance, an organisation that aims to advance workers' rights in the fashion industry. She says Guess's AI campaign is "less about innovation and more about desperation and need to cut costs". More broadly, the former model thinks AI in the fashion industry is not inherently exploitative, but can often come at the expense of the people who bring it to life because there are many more staff involved in a photoshoot than just the model and the photographer. "AI can positively impact the industry, but there need to be meaningful protections for workers," she explains. 'Supplement not replace' Seraphinne Vallora rejects the notion that it is putting people out of work, and says its pioneering technology "is supplementary and not meant to replace models". "We're offering companies another choice in how they market a product," Petrescu explains. The pair add that they have created jobs with their company, and part of the process of creating AI models requires them to hire a real model and photographer to see how the product looks on a person in real life. However, its website lists one of the benefits of working with them as being cost-efficient because it "eliminates the need for expensive set-ups, MUA artists, venue rentals, stage setting, photographers, travel expenses, hiring models". Vogue has come under fire for including the advert in its print edition, with one person on X saying the fashion magazine had "lost credibility". Bovell says the magazine is "seen as the supreme court of the fashion industry", so allowing the AI advert to run means they are "in some way ruling it as acceptable". The BBC approached Vogue and Guess for comment. Vogue said it was an advert, not an editorial decision, but declined to respond further. So, what does the future of the modelling industry look like? Gonzalez and Petrescu believe that as their technology improves, they will be even more in demand by brands looking to do things differently. Bovell thinks there will be more AI-generated models in the future, but "we aren't headed to a future where every model is created by AI". She sees positives in the development of AI in the industry - predicting that anybody could "start to see ourselves as the fashion models" because we will be able to create a personal AI avatar to see how clothes look and fit. However, she adds that we may get to the stage of "society opting out, and not being interested in AI models because it's so unattainable and we know it's not real". More Weekend Picks The procedures driving UK's cosmetic surgery rise Women share their bittersweet experience after taking weight-loss drugs Can LED face masks transform your skin? Here's what the experts say Solve the daily Crossword
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Christina Applegate explains 'I don't enjoy living' comments after worried fans react
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Christina Applegate is clarifying recent comments that she made about struggling with her mental health amid her battle with multiple sclerosis (MS). During the June 4 episode of her "MeSsy" podcast, which she co-hosts with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, the 52-year-old "Dead to Me" actress shared that she was "in a depression." "Like a real, f--- it all depression where it's kind of scaring me a little bit because it feels really fatalistic. I'm trapped in this darkness right now that I haven't felt like... I don't even know how long, probably 20 something years," said Applegate, who first revealed her diagnosis with the chronic disease in 2021. "This is being really honest... I don't enjoy living. I don't enjoy it. I don't enjoy things anymore," she added. In the latest episode of the "MeSsy" podcast, Applegate reassured fans who were concerned about her well-being and said she was "very disturbed" by the "clickbait" about her remarks. CHRISTINA APPLEGATE ADDRESSES FUTURE AS AN ACTRESS AMID MS DIAGNOSIS "I'm good. Does that take a little bit of the pressure off of all of you? I'm good," Applegate said. "Let's address it," said Sigler, who is also battling MS. "We are going to address it," Applegate said. "I was talking about some dark stuff I was thinking and feeling." "This is our safe place to get those things out," she continued. "Because I feel that when we hold things in, we give them power. I also think that there's so much shame that a lot of people feel when they're going through mental health issues, and they call them issues." "I hate that," the actress added. "It's not mental issues. It's not a problem. It's a moment. It's a thought. It's a feeling. And when people hold those in because they're so afraid to say how they truly feel, we give it immense power." The "Married… with Children" alum said she believes "society has told us that we're supposed to be just f------ fine." "And I am not into that," Applegate said. "I am not a proponent of that kind of thing. I think that it's incredibly healing and important to be able to express the thoughts, whether that makes someone uncomfortable or not, to be able to say it." LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS Following her remarks, the Emmy Award winner said she began receiving text messages from people who were worried about her and had to reassure them that she has "beautiful people around me and beautiful support systems." However, Applegate expressed her fear that the outpouring of concern might make others more reluctant to express their feelings. "By making such a big deal about it you're making other people think, 'Oh, s---, I can't talk about this.' And that is not OK with me," she said. "It's important to be able to say these things. And, no, I'm not sitting here on suicide watch, OK? I am not. Nor have I ever been." "I dare anyone to be diagnosed with MS or any kind of chronic illness that has taken who you were prior to that moment and go, 'This is great,'" she continued. "You know? No, you have moments of feeling, 'This is tiring and I don't wanna do this.' But you do it, and by having friends like you and my beautiful friends that I have saying this s--- out loud, it releases the pressure in the balloon." Applegate revealed her diagnosis on X, formerly Twitter, in 2021. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER "Hi friends. A few months ago I was diagnosed with MS," she wrote. "It's been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition," Applegate continued. "It's been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some a--hole blocks it." In a separate post, she added, "As one of my friends that has MS said, 'We wake up and take the indicated action.' And that's what I do." In her first lengthy in-person interview since she found out about the illness, Applegate opened up about the "hell" she has been living in. "I live kind of in hell," she said during a "Good Morning America" interview in March. "I'm not out a lot, so this is a little difficult, just for my system. But of course, the support is wonderful, and I'm really grateful." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital's Lauryn Overhultz contributed to this report.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
The World's Best Whiskey—According To The 2025 New Orleans Spirits Competition
A marriage of Scotch and American whiskey-making traditions, Lineage took home the top prize at the ... More 4th annual New Orleans Spirits Competition All the talk in the spirits world last week was reserved for Tales of the Cocktail, the industry's largest annual conference. But since 2022, the gathering – which takes place every July – has also played host to a lesser known judging event: The New Orleans Spirit Competition. A late arrival to the increasingly dense booze-award-industrial-complex, NOSC is looking to make up for lost time by coming out of the gates with an impressive array of professional palates. It helps, no doubt, that many of them are already in town for Tales. The competition also professes to stand out thanks to its unique evaluation format. The entries are judged, as described on its website, thusly: To be clear, the audience does not get an actual vote in the process. But they do enjoy a place in the room and are afforded an opportunity to be a part of the conversation. As such, it's a slightly more democratized process than anything else you'll see in the industry. And, as with any truly independent competition, each spirit is tasted in the blind. Ultimately, hundreds of awards are doled out ranging from Best of Category down through Double Gold, Gold, Silver and Bronze. There's also a separate evaluation for Packaging Excellence. But what we care most about is how it all distills down in the best of the best distinctions. For that there are 11 separate 'Spirits of the Year." There can be only one for all the major liquor categories plus RTD, No & Low Elixir, and Syrups & Mixers. Today we're taking a closer look at what those panelists deemed the best whiskey of the year for 2025: Balcones Lineage, an American Single Malt distilled and aged in Waco, Texas. The unique 94-proof liquid marries whiskey making traditions typical to both the US and Scotland. To wit, it's made from a combination of Scottish and Texas-grown barley, which is then matured in refill and new oak barrels. The best of both worlds; Old and New. In the pour, this hybridization results in a sweeter, fruitier nose – raspberry, banana and apricot steal top-notes from the underlying malt. There is a dryness to the initial sip; cedar and sarsaparilla, opening up to reveal cinnamon spice in the finish. A prolonged breadiness stays with the back of the tongue long after it has gone down. All in all this is a fantastically approachable dram, particularly from this distillery – a craft darling which was purchased by Diageo in 2022. Balcones often brings to bottle higher-proof offerings that can be challenging to the whiskey novice. With Lineage, it has managed to walk that fine line, delivering something that satisfies newcomers and advanced sippers, alike. And it does so at the crowd-pleasing price of $40 a bottle. To take home the top prize, Lineage bested some big names from far more prominent genres of whiskey, including the Bourbon and Scotch categories that helped informed its creation – categories with hundreds of years of history. American Single Malt, by comparison, was only formally recognized as a style at the beginning of 2025. Perhaps laudable recognition such as this can help lift its stature on the international stage. Either way, it arrives at a pivotal time for American spirits as a whole. According to the most recent economic report from DISCUS, exports of such just reached a record high of $2.4 billion. And as of this weekend, the US and the European Union appear to be on the precipice of a new trade agreement which would keep those exports shipping out, tariff free. 'We are optimistic that in the days ahead this positive meeting and agreement will lead to a return to zero-for-zero tariffs for U.S. and EU spirits products,' says DISCUS president and CEO Chris Swonger. 'This will benefit not only our nation's distillers, but also the American workers and farmers who support them from grain to glass.' It'll also benefit European connoisseurs eager for their first sampling of American Single Malt. And for that, as the judges in New Orleans have made clear, Balcones Lineage is a sensible starting point. The whiskeys from Balcones distillery feel bold, clean and distinctly American. (Bill Hogan/Chicago ... More Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
