Latest news with #Jedi
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Superman' Star Has Unusual Approach to Watching 'Star Wars' Movies
The star of the new Superman movie, David Corenswet, recently revealed that he's a big Star Wars fan, and so much so that he would prefer to take on the role of a Jedi over a role in a sequel to Superman. Corenswet took part in Vanity Fair's Lie Detector Test interview along with co-star Nicholas Hoult and was asked if he would rather do a Superman sequel or play as a Jedi Knight in a Star Wars film. Corenswet, who also admitted he has a tradition of taking part in a Star Wars marathon every New Year's Eve, showed his true allegiance by choosing the latter. The Superman star has also revealed he has an unorthodox approach for watching the Star Wars films, at least when it comes to introducing them to people who haven't watched the movies before. Corenswet doesn't recommend watching them in order. Instead, here's his preferred method, according to Brittany Broski's Royal Court. 1. A New Hope 2. The Empire Strikes Back 3. The Phantom Menace 4. Attack of the Clones 5. Revenge of the Sith 6. Return of the Jedi This is nearly the famed "Machete Order" (The Phantom Menace is not included in that order) for watching Star Wars movies, which further cements how big of a fan Corenswet is. Corenswet went on to explain the reasoning behind his preferred lineup. "You preserve the twist of — spoiler alert — Darth Vader is his father… and then you watch One through Three as a flashback essentially," Corenswet said. "And then Six, it's not as strong as Four and Five as a film, but it's a great culmination to the whole thing. It brings it all together. The stakes are bigger if you've seen One through Three, it feels more like a saga." While that lineup might feel odd to some, Corenswet's explanation for it is a strong one. We'll give him two thumbs up.'Superman' Star Has Unusual Approach to Watching 'Star Wars' Movies first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 15, 2025 Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Darth Vader's lightsaber from original Star Wars trilogy to be auctioned off — expected to rake in up to $3 million
May the force — and fortunes — be with you. The lightsaber used by Darth Vader during the latter two films of the original 'Star Wars' trilogy will be auctioned off alongside a slew of other memorabilia from the franchise and is expected to rake in millions, according to a report. The hilt of the primary dueling lightsaber used by masked villian during 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'Return of the Jedi' will go on the market at Los Angeles' Propstore in September and is predicted to sell for anywhere between $1 million and $3 million. Advertisement 3 The lightsaber used by Darth Vader during the final two installments of the original trilogy will be auctioned off. Propstore The prop hilt is believed to be the first of its kind to go on the market, as no other lightsabers from the original trilogy ever went to private buyers. They were instead cycled through museums, with Luke Skywalker's lightsabe from 'The Empire Strikes Back' residing with Ripley's Believe It or Not. 'Surviving genuine lightsaber props from the original trilogy of films are exceedingly rare, and Propstore is honored to present this historic artifact in our September sale. It is a grail-level piece, worthy of the finest collections in the world,' Propstore COO Brandon Alinger told The Hollywood Reporter. Advertisement Starting in August, the prop will have its own press circuit from London to New York before finally parking in Beverly Hills, where it'll be sold to the highest bidder. The auction coincidies with the 45th anniversary of 'The Empire Strikes Back.' 3 The prop is expected to sell for $1 million to $3 million. ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection The same tour will feature other famed props from acclaimed classics, including the bullwhip and belt worn by Harrison Ford in 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' and a hero close-up neuralyzer, or pen-like object that wipes minds, from 'Men in Black.' Advertisement Propstore features a long lineup of other relics from classic franchises, including more from 'Star Wars' like gifts given to crew members after the films wrapped and a replica of the lightsaber used by Qui-Gon Jinn, the Jedi Master played by Liam Neeson, in the prequels. 3 The lightsaber will be brought to New York in August on a press circuit. AP Darth Vader's dueling lightsaber was held on-screen by the late David Prowse, the physical actor for the Sith Lord, and stunt double Bob Anderson. The fallen Jedi was voiced by the legendary James Earl Jones. Advertisement In 2022, the gun used by Han Solo, played by Ford, in 'A New Hope' sold for $1 million. It is only one of three surviving models from the trilogy. In June 2024, a toy figurine of bounty hunter Boba Fett from the 1970s sold for a staggering $525,000.
Spectator
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
How political ideology corrupted science
Science is no longer regarded or respected as an objective pursuit, one in which the principle of impartiality is sought with due diligence. This is the inference we can make from comments made by Ella Al-Shamahi, presenter of the new BBC science series, Human. 'We do have to be a little honest,' she says, 'to many, it seems like left-leaning atheists have a monopoly on science.' Science as presented to the public has taken a decidedly left-wing turn in recent years, and in many cases has been contaminated by hyper-liberal ideology Her remarks, reported in the Sunday Times, echo those made earlier this month by the Wellcome Trust chief executive, John-Arne Røttingen, who said that scientists now had a 'responsibility' to demonstrate why research from across the political spectrum matters, in light of the fact that the 'research community overall is more on the progressive/left-wing side.' Al-Shami's words are a rare admission of a well-known development. They confirm what many have come to recognise: science as presented to the public has taken a decidedly left-wing turn in recent years, and in many cases has been contaminated by hyper-liberal ideology. This became evident to many after the death of the biologist, entomologist and polymath E.O. Wilson in December 2021, when Scientific American published a scolding obituary of this titan of our times. 'With the death of biologist E.O. Wilson on Sunday, I find myself again reflecting on the complicated legacies of scientists whose works are built on racist ideas', began the article. It damned his 'problematic' work and legacy, chiefly because his 1975 masterpiece, Sociobiology: The New Synthesis, suggested that human societies in many ways reflect innate human characteristics. While this notion has always been largely objectionable to the traditional left, it is utterly intolerable to modern-day hyper-liberals. Scientific American was one of the greatest casualties of the Great Awokening of ten years ago. It abandoned all pretence at impartiality last September by endorsing Kamala Harris to be US president, having previously jettisoned most claims to seriousness in 2021, when it published an article urging readers to reject the Jedi religion, based on the Star Wars franchise, on the basis that this quasi-faith was 'prone to (white) saviorism and toxically masculine approaches to conflict resolution.' That article was merely an egregious warning that a global scientific establishment had become captured and compromised. A far more serious symptom of this development was how health institutions worldwide came to accept and then propagate the non-scientific, non-empirical trans ideology of 'gender self-identification'. While the NHS today still states that, 'Gender identity is a way to describe a person's innate sense of their own gender', the World Health Organisation's guidelines parrot the same subjective mantra: 'Gender identity refers to a person's deeply felt, internal and individual experience of gender'. In 2023 John Hopkins University took trans ideology to its ultimate, absurd yet inevitable conclusion, when in releasing a new glossary of terms for clinicians and the general public, it defined a lesbian as 'a non-man attracted to non-men'. The corruption of scientific discourse and public instruction when it comes to the fact that human beings are divided into two sexes is one of the alarming signs of a global scientific and academic community that has become degraded by politics. The profusion and contamination of wokery, with its other obsessions of race and hurtful words, has been equally as conspicuous. In 2017 Professor Rochelle Gutierrez from the University of Illinois made the claim that 'on many levels, mathematics operates as whiteness.' In 2020 the Journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry produced new guidelines to 'minimise the risk of publishing inappropriate or otherwise offensive content'. This language shows how postmodernist relativism has spread into the scientific field – the very last place it deserves to belong. It's something Richard Dawkins has long-been attuned to and exasperated by, having written in River Out of Eden of those who insisted that science was merely a Western origin myth: 'Show me a cultural relativist at 30,000 feet and I'll show you a hypocrite.' One of Dawkins's most recent interventions has been against attempts to include Maori 'ways of knowing' into science classes in New Zealand. Science can't but help be influenced by the politics of its time. It's why 'scientific racism' flourished in the 19th century. It's why a previous generation of deranged leftists, those in charge of the Soviet Union, denied the mainstream theory of evolution, becoming beholden instead to the Lamarckian delusion that organisms could pass to their offspring traits acquired in their own lifetimes. Even if science can never attain a purely God-like perspective on the world, we should always strive for objectivity. Examples from history should remind us to forever be on guard against our own unconscious bias.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Liam Neeson recalls his embarrassing audition to play the giant Fezzik in 'The Princess Bride'
Liam Neeson is known around the world for his starring role in the Taken franchise, and for playing Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace, and as Bruce Wayne's mentor/nemesis, Ra's al Ghul/Henri Ducard, in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises, and for his Oscar-nominated performance in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List. But one movie you won't see him in: The Princess Bride. It's not for lack of trying, though. In Entertainment Weekly's Fact Checked video series (above), the Irish actor confirms that his audition for the 1987 classic is his most embarrassing acting moment. Neeson was auditioning to play the giant, Fezzik. Neeson, who stands 6-foot-4, says director Rob Reiner had a "look of disgust" on his face when he realized the actor's height. "It's very true," he tells his Naked Gun costar, Pamela Anderson, in the video. "He turned to the casting director and said, 'I asked for a giant.'... No 'Hello,' 'Thanks for coming.' Nothing like that." As disappointed as Neeson may have been, he says he was actually more embarrassed for the casting director. "I felt bad for her," he adds. "I really did." Reiner did end up getting his giant, in the form of 7-foot-4 professional wrestler André the Neeson broke into acting, racking up a résumé with more than 100 credits, he had some odd jobs, including being a forklift driver for beer company Guinness, "The best job I ever had, including acting," he says. "I'm semi-joking, but yeah, I loved the job. Driving, being in control of all these pallets of Guinness and stacking them, loading [semis] that were going out to various pubs in Northern Ireland." Neeson and Anderson, who are featured on EW's latest cover for their reboot of The Naked Gun (in theaters Aug. 1), check facts about their lives — or dispel rumors — in the video above: Anderson confirms whether she has run the New York City Marathon and details how she was discovered at a Vancouver football game, and Neeson also reveals how his Taken movies impacted international travel. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
The Spinoff
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
‘I'm aware I sound nuts': How tarot helped Stacy Gregg land her biggest book deal yet
When author Stacy Gregg turned to tarot cards to decide the fate of her new book the result was a six-figure deal with Simon & Schuster. But if the cards have delivered for your once, can they be relied upon again? When I tell you that my latest book deal was predicated entirely on a tarot card reading, I'm aware I sound nuts. And yeah, fully cognisant that it's not exactly best practice to rely on mysticism for your most important financial and career decisions. I get it because I too am a sceptic about all things spiritual. Apart from once putting Jedi on my census forms I have never been interested in belonging to a religion or believing in a god – and I roll my eyes if anyone so much as tries to pick up the paper and read me my star sign. And yet, for me there has always been something deeply compelling about tarot. When I was a kid, fortune tellers were always on TV shows, as ubiquitous as quicksand and sasquatch. There they were clattering their bangles and gazing into crystal balls on every show from The Love Boat to Hogan's Heroes (J'adore Lebeau in a gypsy turban!). Then out would come the tarot deck and they'd turn the cards and gasp in mock shock before solemnly interpreting their confounding symbolism to the dupe opposite them. Tarot held a nostalgic, kitsch fascination for me – but until last year I had never really had the urge to have my cards read. And then my house flooded. Not just a little bit, not a leak in the carport. I mean proper natural disaster. And so, after loading all my worldly possessions into eight jumbo skips I found myself shacked up in some rented dumpster fire of a house, endlessly filling out insurance paperwork and meanwhile the TV series I was meant to be writing hadn't yet been green-lit so I had no paid employment to speak of. Plus, after nearly two decades of being bound to a big UK publishing house I now found myself cut loose with no contract and no agent since Nancy, my rock since forever, had just announced her retirement. It is at times like this that a girl thinks to herself 'I might get my tarot cards done.' Luckily I knew a tarot reader who was in the same state of flux that I was. Sarah Nathan and I are old friends and when she told me she was giving up her lucrative day job to do tarot reading … OK, I might have made that 'huh' sound that Jesse Mulligan makes when he's interviewing someone on RNZ. But I knew Sarah. She was neither a flake nor a slouch – she was taking her career move to tarot seriously. She already had a website – ' – and she delivered her readings via zoom or as a pre-record and then uploaded them to a unique YouTube channel just for you so that you could watch your cards unfold in privacy at your leisure. Also, yeah, yeah, obviously I'm fully aware of the ways that mystics, like tarot readers, can use techniques to trick their marks into thinking they have powers – things like 'cold reading' in which the tarot card reader pumps you for information you aren't even aware you're giving them to create the illusion of psychic ability. Absolutely Sarah had the advantage of knowing loads about me – it would be easy to extrapolate and make stuff up. But she was legit in her beliefs. And I wasn't asking if there was a tall, dark and handsome stranger in my future. I only had one question for Sarah and her cards: What the hell should I do about my manuscript? Despite my newfound, full-time, unwanted job handling insurance claims for my flooded house, I had somehow managed to write a book that year. It was a cat dystopia. When people asked me to explain the plot I would say: 'It's like a cross between Watership Down and Logan's Run – but with cats.' Since I had no agent and no publisher, the only person who had seen it to date was my friend, author Nicky Pellegrino. Knowing the pickle I was in, Nicky had valiantly offered to read The Last Journey. So I gave her the 60,000 word text and braced myself. 'I think it's special,' she told me as we walked our dogs on Kakamatua beach. 'I think you should take it wide.' In publishing parlance, taking a book wide means sending it out universally to find the highest bidder. It's a ballsy move – even when you do have an agent. I didn't have one so I would be effectively agenting myself. 'I just can't,' I said. 'Publishing in the UK is so agent-dependent. Plus I'm too defeated by life right now.' She protested but I gave her a hard no on the matter. I mean why rely on the voice of a number one best-selling international author like Nicky? But a tarot reading? Now you're talking sense! On the Zoom, Sarah smiled at me. She has the most uplifting smile, a halo of chic blonde hair, designer glasses, several decks of tarot lined up in front of her. 'I like to pull cards from different decks,' she explained. Some of the decks were classical, elegant with medieval style imagery, others were new-agey, while still others were homemade and used words and pictures normally associated with the building and construction industry like drills and chisels and diggers – all of which would be given a metaphorical twist in Sarah's interpretation. Multiple decks and many many cards were drawn but according to Sarah they all said the same thing and it was basically the same thing Nicky had said, only this time I was listening. 'This book is a treasure,' Sarah insisted. 'The cards are telling you to break the wheel. You need to show it to multiple publishers.' I finished our call elated. My book was a treasure! And then a more sane thought: I was a mental. I couldn't just act out a batshit career move because the cards told me to do it. 'Nah,' I said to my boyfriend, 'I've decided to be normal. I'm just going to send it to one publisher, the old one I used to be with back in the day. Maybe they'll take it. I will cross my fingers and hope for the best.' Except that night I lay in bed unable to sleep. Nicky thought the book was good. Sarah said that cards were telling me to go for it. Really, at the end of the day what was the very worst that could happen? I get rejected by multiple houses in a long, drawn-out fiasco? That sounded like a typical publishing scenario to me. And so, the next day, with a cute covering letter, I sent the manuscript out. I didn't technically take it 'wide' – only to the four publishing houses in London that I had meaningful relationships with. Of the four, the one I was most excited about was Simon & Schuster. My old editor was now the head of the children's publishing division there, and her second-in-command and I had also enjoyed a long and happy working relationship when they had both been at HarperCollins. Since they'd been at Simon & Schuster the company had grown so exponentially they were looking for new offices. They were so hot right now. Having the book with them would be the dream scenario. When I sent the emails off I truly had no expectation of a swift reply. Publishing is the slowest business in the world. It's typical for a house to take three months to get back to you, especially on an unsolicited manuscript. I settled in and prepared myself for a long, long wait. Twelve hours later I had an email back from Rachel and Michelle at Simon & Schuster. 'Great pitch! Hold tight! We're reading…' I had another email back two days later. They'd read it. They loved it. Could they make a pre-emptive offer to take it off the table before the other houses swooped? Well duh, yup you can. And so, at two in the morning, on my phone in bed I negotiated a six-figure deal for The Last Journey. It was the biggest advance I had ever got for a book. I did it without an agent and in my jim-jams and whenever I pushed back and asked for more money I felt certain I was right. Because the tarot cards told me this book was a treasure. Looking back now, without the cards to back me up, things could have gone so differently. It was Sarah's faith, her cards, that weirdly gave me confidence in my own abilities. I can't explain it. All I know is that it worked. A few months later I consulted Sarah again. I had a question I just had to know the answer to. I was nominated for the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults for my novel Nine Girls. The thing was, I had been nominated for the same award eight times before and I had always lost. It is not much fun flying to Wellington eight times to sit in an auditorium and lose in front of everyone. This time, I had to know. What was my fate to be? Sarah shuffled the deck and asked the cards. 'Will Stacy win the book awards?' The card she drew from the deck depicted a grizzled old woman cowering in rags in the snow, being pelted by rotten fruit and shunned by the crowds. Pretty definitive. Sarah agreed. 'It's another no I'm afraid.' Good to know, I grieved and let it go and flew to Wellington anyway to tautoko the winners. This story explains why, when they called my name that night to say that Nine Girls had won the Margaret Mahy Award for the Book of the Year I sat slack-jawed and did not get out of my seat for quite some time. Sarah says my own negative energy from all those years of losing influenced the deck on the reading that day. I agree. The cards are all about your energy. And so, last week I booked a reading and asked her about my new book. The one that will come after The Last Journey. Apparently it's a corker. Now I just need to write it. The Last Journey
