Latest news with #LordoftheFlies
USA Today
23 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
'Harry Potter' HBO series continues casting, picking Draco, Lucius Malfoy
'Harry Potter' HBO series continues casting, picking Draco, Lucius Malfoy Show Caption Hide Caption Harry Potter's Tom Felton talks Broadway at Tony Awards Tom Felton talks about joining the Broadway show "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" at the Tony Awards red carpet. The cast of the highly anticipated "Harry Potter" TV show is continuing to take shape. Draco Malfoy, Harry's classmate and foil, will be played by Lox Pratt, while his father, Lucius Malfoy, will be played by Johnny Flynn. Pratt is best known for the BBC's television adaptation of "Lord of the Flies," while Flynn stars in the Netflix thriller "Ripley" and appeared in the 2020 adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma" alongside Anya Taylor-Joy. Some of Harry's kin have also been cast – Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon Dursley will be played by Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby, respectively. Molly Weasley, the mother of main character Ron Weasley, will be played by Katherine Parkinson, and Bertie Carvel will portray Cornelius Fudge. Meet your new Harry Potter: HBO series casts Harry, Ron and Hermione The HBO show, which is expected to premiere toward the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027, follows in the footsteps of a wildly successful movie franchise and an even more successful book series. J.K. Rowling, the author of the wizarding novels, will serve as executive producer on the program. 'Harry Potter' cast: Who's starring in HBO show? In May, the actors who would portray the three leading characters – Harry, Ron and Hermione – were announced following a casting call put out by the studio seeking actors between the ages of 9 and 11 for the parts. The show appears intent on casting actors who mirror the real ages of the characters in the series. Dominic McLaughlin is set to play Harry, while Arabella Stanton will play Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout will play Ron. Tom Felton weighs in on J.K. Rowling controversy as he sets 'Harry Potter' Broadway run Much like the actors who played the wizarding trio in the original films, McLaughlin, Stanton and Stout will age in real time alongside their characters as the television show is released over the course of 10 years. Through a television series format as opposed to the films, the show will be able to "dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years,' according to Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO & Max Content. The series had previously cast several of its supporting roles, with John Lithgow set to play Dumbledore, Nick Frost starring as Hagrid and Paapa Essiedu playing Snape. It has not yet been announced who will play Voldemort, the series' overarching villain portrayed in the movies by Ralph Fiennes. Fiennes himself has backed the idea of Cillian Murphy getting the role. Contributing: Brendan Morrow, Mary Walrath-Holdridge
The Advertiser
16-05-2025
- The Advertiser
The ultimate Indian Ocean island showdown: the Maldives v the Seychelles
By Mal Chenu It's not often reality says "Screw you, filters, retouching and HDR. We don't need you for our pics." Not just any old beaches some influencer blue-washes to turn heads (and a quid), the Seychelles and the Maldives are already picture-perfect Indian Ocean idylls with endless seascapes, occasional landscapes and coral reefs so clear and brightly coloured they make QLED TV technology look like early celluloid. But if you have to choose one, without the "benefit" of an influencer's profundity and online editing, the Maldives should be your first resort. The accommodation here is all about opulent hotels - think luxury, then think of a word that means more luxurious than luxury, then double it, and you're still not luxurious enough. Every hotel chain celebrated for seamless spoiling with a soupcon of sycophancy has staked a sunny, sandy, cerulean spot in the Maldives. Every company that sneers at five-star ratings as mere entry level is here - Ritz-Carlton, Como, St Regis, Six Senses, Four Seasons, Waldorf Astoria, One&Only and dozens more. There's even a Raffles, which offers a mesmerising and entirely appropriate coconut iteration of its famous Singapore Sling to accompany the impossibly gorgeous sunsets. And most of the Maldives' overwater bungalows and water's edge suites are just a seashell's skip away from an oversized bathtub with lagoon views, private pool, sumptuous day spa and fine-dining restaurants. The Maldives' average natural elevation is 1.5 metres above sea level, stretching up to a giddying natural high point of 2.4 metres. Mount Villingili looms above you at an altitude of 5.1 metres, and you can make the ascent in thongs and without oxygen, before posing for a triumphant photo at the summit. The Maldives may not offer drone's-eye-view panoramas, but it is the consummate romantic getaway, especially for acrophobic couples. It also tops the list of places to see while you still can. Much of the country is expected to sink beneath the waves within a century, so you'd better hurry if you want to beat the tide. It's ironic that a paradise endangered by global warming is all about chilling, but this is the Maldivian lure. Dewy-eyed couples can take a break between relaxing and unwinding for a massage, and then don their freshly pressed white linen outfits for dinner and an unfiltered Insta post about foie gras, Veuve Clicquot and languid lagoon life. Amy will try to tell you the Seychelles is the superior utopia, but just getting there involves making more connections than a job seeker on LinkedIn. She can sell Seychelles by the seashore as much as she likes, but this Mal is a Maldives man, and not just because I can scale a mountain before the ice in my cocktail melts. By Amy Cooper The problem with humans is that we can have too much of a good thing. Even when that good thing is a picture-perfect, sundrenched Indian Ocean island idyll. Just ask Tom Hanks and Wilson the volleyball, or the kids in Lord of the Flies. Or my friends, a couple who fell out so ferociously during their romantic Maldives sojourn they weaponised their swizzle sticks. Paradise with no escape route can only end one way: a descent into savagery. Which is why I hope Mal dives in the Maldives, because SCUBA may be all that stands between him and that scene from The Beach where a raving troppo Leo DiCaprio starts swallowing caterpillars. In the Maldives, you're shipped out to your isolated one-island-one-resort situation and there you remain, on a flat sandy circle devoid of topography, local community or businesses, entirely dependent upon your gilded bubble for sustenance that's served with a monopoly-enabled mark-up. Luxurious, sure, but a trap nonetheless. Like Alcatraz, except with floating breakfast trays. In the Seychelles, you're gloriously free to roam an entire country of 115 islands, through landscapes dramatic with curves and character: misty mountains rising from the jungle; secret coves; rainforests alive with exotic birds and rare orchids. People come just to gaze at the scattered, stacked and strangely sculptural giant granite boulders on the beaches of the inner Seychelles - the world's only granitic oceanic islands. Instead of wondering which of your fellow castaways will crack first, you'll be meeting Seychelles locals, immersing in their rich cultural blend of African, European and Asian as you hop between islands like Mahe, Praslin and La Digue, choosing from swanky resorts, family-run guesthouses, eco-lodges or self-catering set-ups. Even if you fly and flop, there's minimal risk of monotony. Mahe alone has 25-plus beaches, ranging from big Beau Vallon with its street food stalls, water sports and epic sunset viewing to surfy Anse Louis and restaurant-dotted Anse Royale. In Mahe's capital, Victoria, you can eat Creole curries in colonial mansions; inhale Indian, Chinese and African spice aromas amid the bustle of Sir Selwyn Clarke Market; and take a tot at Takamaka Rum Distillery, on an 18th-century estate with two resident giant Aldabra tortoises. I defy even a teen with a two-minute attention span to tire of the Seychelles. Sea kayaking on Cerf, biking through villages on La Digue or spotting wildlife wonders like rare brown boobies (stop giggling at the back Mal, or you'll be denied parole from the Maldives) in the pristine outer atolls - all these await. When you fly home, look out for the Maldives down below. You might spot someone spelling out the word "help", in expensive beer bottles on a small, flat, remote and exclusive beach. By Mal Chenu It's not often reality says "Screw you, filters, retouching and HDR. We don't need you for our pics." Not just any old beaches some influencer blue-washes to turn heads (and a quid), the Seychelles and the Maldives are already picture-perfect Indian Ocean idylls with endless seascapes, occasional landscapes and coral reefs so clear and brightly coloured they make QLED TV technology look like early celluloid. But if you have to choose one, without the "benefit" of an influencer's profundity and online editing, the Maldives should be your first resort. The accommodation here is all about opulent hotels - think luxury, then think of a word that means more luxurious than luxury, then double it, and you're still not luxurious enough. Every hotel chain celebrated for seamless spoiling with a soupcon of sycophancy has staked a sunny, sandy, cerulean spot in the Maldives. Every company that sneers at five-star ratings as mere entry level is here - Ritz-Carlton, Como, St Regis, Six Senses, Four Seasons, Waldorf Astoria, One&Only and dozens more. There's even a Raffles, which offers a mesmerising and entirely appropriate coconut iteration of its famous Singapore Sling to accompany the impossibly gorgeous sunsets. And most of the Maldives' overwater bungalows and water's edge suites are just a seashell's skip away from an oversized bathtub with lagoon views, private pool, sumptuous day spa and fine-dining restaurants. The Maldives' average natural elevation is 1.5 metres above sea level, stretching up to a giddying natural high point of 2.4 metres. Mount Villingili looms above you at an altitude of 5.1 metres, and you can make the ascent in thongs and without oxygen, before posing for a triumphant photo at the summit. The Maldives may not offer drone's-eye-view panoramas, but it is the consummate romantic getaway, especially for acrophobic couples. It also tops the list of places to see while you still can. Much of the country is expected to sink beneath the waves within a century, so you'd better hurry if you want to beat the tide. It's ironic that a paradise endangered by global warming is all about chilling, but this is the Maldivian lure. Dewy-eyed couples can take a break between relaxing and unwinding for a massage, and then don their freshly pressed white linen outfits for dinner and an unfiltered Insta post about foie gras, Veuve Clicquot and languid lagoon life. Amy will try to tell you the Seychelles is the superior utopia, but just getting there involves making more connections than a job seeker on LinkedIn. She can sell Seychelles by the seashore as much as she likes, but this Mal is a Maldives man, and not just because I can scale a mountain before the ice in my cocktail melts. By Amy Cooper The problem with humans is that we can have too much of a good thing. Even when that good thing is a picture-perfect, sundrenched Indian Ocean island idyll. Just ask Tom Hanks and Wilson the volleyball, or the kids in Lord of the Flies. Or my friends, a couple who fell out so ferociously during their romantic Maldives sojourn they weaponised their swizzle sticks. Paradise with no escape route can only end one way: a descent into savagery. Which is why I hope Mal dives in the Maldives, because SCUBA may be all that stands between him and that scene from The Beach where a raving troppo Leo DiCaprio starts swallowing caterpillars. In the Maldives, you're shipped out to your isolated one-island-one-resort situation and there you remain, on a flat sandy circle devoid of topography, local community or businesses, entirely dependent upon your gilded bubble for sustenance that's served with a monopoly-enabled mark-up. Luxurious, sure, but a trap nonetheless. Like Alcatraz, except with floating breakfast trays. In the Seychelles, you're gloriously free to roam an entire country of 115 islands, through landscapes dramatic with curves and character: misty mountains rising from the jungle; secret coves; rainforests alive with exotic birds and rare orchids. People come just to gaze at the scattered, stacked and strangely sculptural giant granite boulders on the beaches of the inner Seychelles - the world's only granitic oceanic islands. Instead of wondering which of your fellow castaways will crack first, you'll be meeting Seychelles locals, immersing in their rich cultural blend of African, European and Asian as you hop between islands like Mahe, Praslin and La Digue, choosing from swanky resorts, family-run guesthouses, eco-lodges or self-catering set-ups. Even if you fly and flop, there's minimal risk of monotony. Mahe alone has 25-plus beaches, ranging from big Beau Vallon with its street food stalls, water sports and epic sunset viewing to surfy Anse Louis and restaurant-dotted Anse Royale. In Mahe's capital, Victoria, you can eat Creole curries in colonial mansions; inhale Indian, Chinese and African spice aromas amid the bustle of Sir Selwyn Clarke Market; and take a tot at Takamaka Rum Distillery, on an 18th-century estate with two resident giant Aldabra tortoises. I defy even a teen with a two-minute attention span to tire of the Seychelles. Sea kayaking on Cerf, biking through villages on La Digue or spotting wildlife wonders like rare brown boobies (stop giggling at the back Mal, or you'll be denied parole from the Maldives) in the pristine outer atolls - all these await. When you fly home, look out for the Maldives down below. You might spot someone spelling out the word "help", in expensive beer bottles on a small, flat, remote and exclusive beach. By Mal Chenu It's not often reality says "Screw you, filters, retouching and HDR. We don't need you for our pics." Not just any old beaches some influencer blue-washes to turn heads (and a quid), the Seychelles and the Maldives are already picture-perfect Indian Ocean idylls with endless seascapes, occasional landscapes and coral reefs so clear and brightly coloured they make QLED TV technology look like early celluloid. But if you have to choose one, without the "benefit" of an influencer's profundity and online editing, the Maldives should be your first resort. The accommodation here is all about opulent hotels - think luxury, then think of a word that means more luxurious than luxury, then double it, and you're still not luxurious enough. Every hotel chain celebrated for seamless spoiling with a soupcon of sycophancy has staked a sunny, sandy, cerulean spot in the Maldives. Every company that sneers at five-star ratings as mere entry level is here - Ritz-Carlton, Como, St Regis, Six Senses, Four Seasons, Waldorf Astoria, One&Only and dozens more. There's even a Raffles, which offers a mesmerising and entirely appropriate coconut iteration of its famous Singapore Sling to accompany the impossibly gorgeous sunsets. And most of the Maldives' overwater bungalows and water's edge suites are just a seashell's skip away from an oversized bathtub with lagoon views, private pool, sumptuous day spa and fine-dining restaurants. The Maldives' average natural elevation is 1.5 metres above sea level, stretching up to a giddying natural high point of 2.4 metres. Mount Villingili looms above you at an altitude of 5.1 metres, and you can make the ascent in thongs and without oxygen, before posing for a triumphant photo at the summit. The Maldives may not offer drone's-eye-view panoramas, but it is the consummate romantic getaway, especially for acrophobic couples. It also tops the list of places to see while you still can. Much of the country is expected to sink beneath the waves within a century, so you'd better hurry if you want to beat the tide. It's ironic that a paradise endangered by global warming is all about chilling, but this is the Maldivian lure. Dewy-eyed couples can take a break between relaxing and unwinding for a massage, and then don their freshly pressed white linen outfits for dinner and an unfiltered Insta post about foie gras, Veuve Clicquot and languid lagoon life. Amy will try to tell you the Seychelles is the superior utopia, but just getting there involves making more connections than a job seeker on LinkedIn. She can sell Seychelles by the seashore as much as she likes, but this Mal is a Maldives man, and not just because I can scale a mountain before the ice in my cocktail melts. By Amy Cooper The problem with humans is that we can have too much of a good thing. Even when that good thing is a picture-perfect, sundrenched Indian Ocean island idyll. Just ask Tom Hanks and Wilson the volleyball, or the kids in Lord of the Flies. Or my friends, a couple who fell out so ferociously during their romantic Maldives sojourn they weaponised their swizzle sticks. Paradise with no escape route can only end one way: a descent into savagery. Which is why I hope Mal dives in the Maldives, because SCUBA may be all that stands between him and that scene from The Beach where a raving troppo Leo DiCaprio starts swallowing caterpillars. In the Maldives, you're shipped out to your isolated one-island-one-resort situation and there you remain, on a flat sandy circle devoid of topography, local community or businesses, entirely dependent upon your gilded bubble for sustenance that's served with a monopoly-enabled mark-up. Luxurious, sure, but a trap nonetheless. Like Alcatraz, except with floating breakfast trays. In the Seychelles, you're gloriously free to roam an entire country of 115 islands, through landscapes dramatic with curves and character: misty mountains rising from the jungle; secret coves; rainforests alive with exotic birds and rare orchids. People come just to gaze at the scattered, stacked and strangely sculptural giant granite boulders on the beaches of the inner Seychelles - the world's only granitic oceanic islands. Instead of wondering which of your fellow castaways will crack first, you'll be meeting Seychelles locals, immersing in their rich cultural blend of African, European and Asian as you hop between islands like Mahe, Praslin and La Digue, choosing from swanky resorts, family-run guesthouses, eco-lodges or self-catering set-ups. Even if you fly and flop, there's minimal risk of monotony. Mahe alone has 25-plus beaches, ranging from big Beau Vallon with its street food stalls, water sports and epic sunset viewing to surfy Anse Louis and restaurant-dotted Anse Royale. In Mahe's capital, Victoria, you can eat Creole curries in colonial mansions; inhale Indian, Chinese and African spice aromas amid the bustle of Sir Selwyn Clarke Market; and take a tot at Takamaka Rum Distillery, on an 18th-century estate with two resident giant Aldabra tortoises. I defy even a teen with a two-minute attention span to tire of the Seychelles. Sea kayaking on Cerf, biking through villages on La Digue or spotting wildlife wonders like rare brown boobies (stop giggling at the back Mal, or you'll be denied parole from the Maldives) in the pristine outer atolls - all these await. When you fly home, look out for the Maldives down below. You might spot someone spelling out the word "help", in expensive beer bottles on a small, flat, remote and exclusive beach. By Mal Chenu It's not often reality says "Screw you, filters, retouching and HDR. We don't need you for our pics." Not just any old beaches some influencer blue-washes to turn heads (and a quid), the Seychelles and the Maldives are already picture-perfect Indian Ocean idylls with endless seascapes, occasional landscapes and coral reefs so clear and brightly coloured they make QLED TV technology look like early celluloid. But if you have to choose one, without the "benefit" of an influencer's profundity and online editing, the Maldives should be your first resort. The accommodation here is all about opulent hotels - think luxury, then think of a word that means more luxurious than luxury, then double it, and you're still not luxurious enough. Every hotel chain celebrated for seamless spoiling with a soupcon of sycophancy has staked a sunny, sandy, cerulean spot in the Maldives. Every company that sneers at five-star ratings as mere entry level is here - Ritz-Carlton, Como, St Regis, Six Senses, Four Seasons, Waldorf Astoria, One&Only and dozens more. There's even a Raffles, which offers a mesmerising and entirely appropriate coconut iteration of its famous Singapore Sling to accompany the impossibly gorgeous sunsets. And most of the Maldives' overwater bungalows and water's edge suites are just a seashell's skip away from an oversized bathtub with lagoon views, private pool, sumptuous day spa and fine-dining restaurants. The Maldives' average natural elevation is 1.5 metres above sea level, stretching up to a giddying natural high point of 2.4 metres. Mount Villingili looms above you at an altitude of 5.1 metres, and you can make the ascent in thongs and without oxygen, before posing for a triumphant photo at the summit. The Maldives may not offer drone's-eye-view panoramas, but it is the consummate romantic getaway, especially for acrophobic couples. It also tops the list of places to see while you still can. Much of the country is expected to sink beneath the waves within a century, so you'd better hurry if you want to beat the tide. It's ironic that a paradise endangered by global warming is all about chilling, but this is the Maldivian lure. Dewy-eyed couples can take a break between relaxing and unwinding for a massage, and then don their freshly pressed white linen outfits for dinner and an unfiltered Insta post about foie gras, Veuve Clicquot and languid lagoon life. Amy will try to tell you the Seychelles is the superior utopia, but just getting there involves making more connections than a job seeker on LinkedIn. She can sell Seychelles by the seashore as much as she likes, but this Mal is a Maldives man, and not just because I can scale a mountain before the ice in my cocktail melts. By Amy Cooper The problem with humans is that we can have too much of a good thing. Even when that good thing is a picture-perfect, sundrenched Indian Ocean island idyll. Just ask Tom Hanks and Wilson the volleyball, or the kids in Lord of the Flies. Or my friends, a couple who fell out so ferociously during their romantic Maldives sojourn they weaponised their swizzle sticks. Paradise with no escape route can only end one way: a descent into savagery. Which is why I hope Mal dives in the Maldives, because SCUBA may be all that stands between him and that scene from The Beach where a raving troppo Leo DiCaprio starts swallowing caterpillars. In the Maldives, you're shipped out to your isolated one-island-one-resort situation and there you remain, on a flat sandy circle devoid of topography, local community or businesses, entirely dependent upon your gilded bubble for sustenance that's served with a monopoly-enabled mark-up. Luxurious, sure, but a trap nonetheless. Like Alcatraz, except with floating breakfast trays. In the Seychelles, you're gloriously free to roam an entire country of 115 islands, through landscapes dramatic with curves and character: misty mountains rising from the jungle; secret coves; rainforests alive with exotic birds and rare orchids. People come just to gaze at the scattered, stacked and strangely sculptural giant granite boulders on the beaches of the inner Seychelles - the world's only granitic oceanic islands. Instead of wondering which of your fellow castaways will crack first, you'll be meeting Seychelles locals, immersing in their rich cultural blend of African, European and Asian as you hop between islands like Mahe, Praslin and La Digue, choosing from swanky resorts, family-run guesthouses, eco-lodges or self-catering set-ups. Even if you fly and flop, there's minimal risk of monotony. Mahe alone has 25-plus beaches, ranging from big Beau Vallon with its street food stalls, water sports and epic sunset viewing to surfy Anse Louis and restaurant-dotted Anse Royale. In Mahe's capital, Victoria, you can eat Creole curries in colonial mansions; inhale Indian, Chinese and African spice aromas amid the bustle of Sir Selwyn Clarke Market; and take a tot at Takamaka Rum Distillery, on an 18th-century estate with two resident giant Aldabra tortoises. I defy even a teen with a two-minute attention span to tire of the Seychelles. Sea kayaking on Cerf, biking through villages on La Digue or spotting wildlife wonders like rare brown boobies (stop giggling at the back Mal, or you'll be denied parole from the Maldives) in the pristine outer atolls - all these await. When you fly home, look out for the Maldives down below. You might spot someone spelling out the word "help", in expensive beer bottles on a small, flat, remote and exclusive beach.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
UFC 315: Jose Aldo is still here, but for what purpose?
For anyone who has followed the game long enough, there's a tinge of sadness to seeing Jose Aldo on this weekend's UFC 315 card, and not just because he had a hard time whittling his form down to 135 pounds for his fight with Aiemann Zahabi. It's more because he's fighting Zahabi at all. Shouldn't the original Lord of the Flies be paired against a fellow twilight idol? Some name that checks a box for his legacy, which just keeps stretching off into weirder and weirder ways like so much taffy? Ordinary fighters can be found chasing greatness at the end of their careers. To look at Aldo's matchmaking, you might think he's the rare example of a great fighter seeking ordinariness down the stretch. Fighting his way back into the woodwork, as it were. Advertisement There was a time, back in April of 2011, when the UFC assembled the greatest cast of champions we'd ever likely see on a single stage. It was a media conference just before UFC 129 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, which itself would shatter the UFC's attendance record by bringing in more than 55,000 paid spectators a couple of days later. It was the most glorious example of men in blazers, if not the most terrifying. Here's the group of champions that appeared that day, all of them dressed to the nines sans ties: Dominick Cruz (bantamweight champ), Jose Aldo (featherweight), Frankie Edgar (lightweight), Georges St-Pierre (welterweight), Anderson Silva (middleweight), Jon Jones (light heavyweight), and Cain Velasquez (heavyweight). Perhaps the most talented group of UFC champions in history. (Al Bello/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) (Al Bello via Getty Images) I can remember debating media members on hand over which one among that omnipotent pantheon would lose first. It was a true head-scratcher. People puzzled over that because all of them seemed so far ahead of their respective classes. It was extremely hard to imagine any of them losing anytime soon. Pardon the pun, but Edgar was the answer, as he'd had an epic fight with Gray Maynard to kick off the year and there was a rematch looming. Aldo, who had a scar running down the side of his face and a perma-scowl acquired in childhood, was particularly untouchable. Advertisement If you want to understand where the fight game leads, cut forward 14 years and 186 pay-per-views to our present day, all the way to UFC 315, which is happening just a province over in Quebec on Saturday night. I'll warn you, this portion of the column might be a little depressing, but in putting Aldo's quiet swing bout against Zahabi in perspective, a depressing big picture makes the smaller one feel better. Of those aforementioned champions, not many are left. In fact, only two are (theoretically) still going — Aldo and Jones. Dominick Cruz fought just 10 times over the ensuing 14 years, and retired earlier this year after withdrawing from his fight with Rob Font with a shoulder injury. Injuries came to define his career as much as his ability to bewitch opponents with his movement. Edgar did defend his lightweight title in the trilogy with Maynard, but went 10-10 in the UFC after that great day. He was fed to Chris Gutierrez in his retirement fight at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden, in one of the most depressing swan songs on record. The picture of his face turning to putty only added to the cruel nature of the sendoff. Of the group mentioned, St-Pierre got out on his own terms. He won that weekend against Jake Shields to retain his title and defended it three more times before going up a weight class and taking Michael Bisping's middleweight strap. He vacated that a month later, and these days is happily studying UFOs and the elasticity of consciousness, all with a full head of hair. Advertisement Anderson Silva? He went just 4-7 (1 NC) after that gathering, losing his title dramatically to Chris Weidman and breaking his leg in the rematch. It was a slow fade, which ended with a TKO loss to Uriah Hall. Or did it? He tried some boxing, where he ended up on Jake Paul's casualty list. There's always a chance Andy shows back up at some point. Jon Jones? We're still waiting on "Bones." He's the fully disputed heavyweight champ. But he's remarkably the only one who could still appear on a stage of champions like that. And Cain Velasquez? Tragic, bubba, just tragic. He went 5-3 after that day, losing and regaining his title. He got brutally knocked out by Francis Ngannou at the end, and is now serving a five-year sentence in Santa Clara County in a well-publicized shooting incident. (#FreeCainVelasquez.) Which brings us back around to Aldo, who is coming off a split decision loss against Mario Bautista. Before then he won against Jonathan Martinez. At a time when most champions from his era are long retired and/or in the UFC's Hall of Fame, Aldo is still slipping into plastic suits trying to cut the last of the stubborn weight for fights against middle-of-the-pack bantamweights. Jose Aldo failed to make the bantamweight limit on Friday in Montreal. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) (Jeff Bottari via Getty Images) The million-dollar question is: Why? Advertisement What does a victory against Zahabi this weekend get him, especially now that it's switched to a featherweight fight? Aldo will turn 39 in four months, and he's fighting guys as if he's trying to build a contender's résumé. Perhaps he is trying to position himself for one last title run, but having gone 4-5 in his last nine, with eight of those coming at 135 pounds, that feels like a stretch. Recently, when discussing his decision to retire after his UFC 317 trilogy with Max Holloway and a 15-year run in the UFC, Dustin Poirier laid out the basics in a way that just about everyone can understand. He didn't want to have to work his way back to a title shot. Didn't want to have to win three in a row, and go through three different camps, and say "so long" to his family for six weeks at a time, just to get that shot. He didn't want to be a fight game Sisyphus anymore. Aldo was already a champion. He held the title for six years across the WEC and the UFC. He fought on that card in Toronto, put the Looney Tunes lump on Mark Hominick's head in front of 55,000 people. He is already a member of the UFC Hall of Fame, class of '23. He's considered the greatest featherweight of all time, even if people want to argue Alexander Volkanovski's credentials. And yet he continues to fight. In a way, that's what makes Aldo the marvel of yesterday's champions. The fact that his 'why' isn't known, perhaps even to himself. Should he have been Dominick Cruz's last fight? Would a fight with Henry Cejudo make sense? Those fights would've been fun. But you get the sense Aldo isn't humming along to anyone else's swan song — and as for his own, it's still being written.
Fox News
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
‘Minecraft' movie mayhem raises alarms for America's youth, ‘bad for society': expert
"A Minecraft Movie," the big-screen adaptation of the popular video game "Minecraft," has been packing theaters with rowdy kids and teens since its release this month, spurring a social media phenomenon and sparking concern for America's youth. Videos on social media show young theatergoers huge reactions to one key scene, where one of the film's stars, Jack Black, yells out the phrase "Chicken Jockey!" as a small, Frankenstein-looking creature lands on top of a chicken in a boxing ring to face off with co-star Jason Momoa. The scene has prompted excited fans to scream, shout, throw popcorn around, jump up out of their seats, and in one instance in Provo, Utah, toss a live chicken in the air during a screening, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Springs Cinema & Taphouse in Sandy Springs, Georgia, told FOX 5 Atlanta that its staff has had to clean up popcorn, ICEEs, ketchup and shattered glass. "The movie-going experience has changed a lot since I was younger," Josh Gunderson, director of marketing and events at Oviedo Mall in Florida, told FOX Business. "And TikTok has changed that quite a bit." "There's a part of me that says this is just dumb fun. There's another part of me [that says] for the poor people who are there at the movie theaters having to clean up this mess, it's a disaster," Raymond Arroyo, Fox News' contributor and host of the "Arroyo Grande" podcast, told Fox News Digital. "And obviously, you know a safety hazard, because … anytime you get 200 young boys in a room, and they're all yelling and jumping in 20 directions, it's sort of like, you know, a social media 'Lord of the Flies,' that's what this is. And I get why they're calling in the cops. I get why some theater chains are saying you can only come with a parent because you can't have that kind of mayhem every day and at every showing." Arroyo added, "I think, if anything, it shows the deep passion and the connection that these boys feel to this video game, and therefore they've carried over to the movie. And that's part of the reason it's such a big hit." "…anytime you get 200 young boys in a room, and they're all yelling and jumping in 20 directions, it's sort of like, you know, a social media 'Lord of the Flies.'" WATCH: KIDS CAUSE CHAOS DURING 'MINECRAFT' MOVIE VIEWINGS "A Minecraft Movie" has earned $557 million worldwide so far, led by the established fandom of the games and the social media buzz created by filming videos related to "Chicken jockey" and other meme-able moments related to the game. The movie's director, Jared Hess, spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the chaotic screenings. "It's been way too fun. People are sending me these really hilarious speeches that a lot of teenagers are giving right before the movie. It's so hysterical, man. I'm staying up way too late," he said. Some screenings have had police called to break up the antics, which Hess thinks is a little much. "It's weird when you're having too much fun and the cops get called," Hess told the outlet. "It's funny because I think it's just literally cheering and throwing popcorn, which is so funny to me that cops are getting called for popcorn. Yeah, it's hilarious. I've seen so many funny videos. It's great, especially when people are climbing on their friends' shoulders and standing up and cheering for those moments. It's like this crazy anticipation. But, man, I'm just glad people are making memories with their friends and families." Arroyo is "all for engagement," comparing the theater experience to that of midnight screenings of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" or sing-alongs to "Grease." "Singing along or clapping in unison or doing silly things at a certain point in a movie everybody knows and loves … throwing popcorn, throwing live chickens, throwing the guy next to you up into the air, I'm not sure that's the best way forward. "If there can be a more contained audience participation, I think everybody would be on board. But the moment you are [causing] a mess and injuring people, that turns into something very different, and I get why they don't want to tolerate that. It shouldn't be tolerated." Arroyo also sees it as an opportunity to instill some life lessons in young boys. "Boys need an element of freedom, and they need to be a little wild. That's a good thing," he said. "On the other hand, they need to know how and when to rein that in and to discipline themselves, and I worry that when you let this kind of mayhem just go on and say, 'Oh let them throw the popcorn, we love it,' like the director said, that may be good for the ticket sales, it's bad for society. Boys need to learn how to control themselves in public settings. The world is not your rec room." "I worry that when you let this kind of mayhem just go on and say, 'Oh let them throw the popcorn, we love it' …that may be good for the ticket sales, it's bad for society. Boys need to learn how to control themselves in public settings." Jack Black recently attempted to dissuade audiences from bad behavior by popping up at a screening in Los Angeles to deliver a warning. "For today's presentation of 'A Minecraft Movie,' please no throwing popped corn, and also no lapis lazuli… and absolutely no chicken jockeys!" he said in a video shared on social media. "I love the Jack Black public service announcement," Arroyo said. "I think he's worried, too, about their welfare. These are young kids for the most part. And you can see how excited they are because it's a big part of their lives." Arroyo further explained why the "Minecraft" mania has been sweeping the nation. "I think a way to put this in context, so everybody doesn't freak out, what the Barbie movie was for girls and women, this movie is for young boys and teens. It strikes a deep chord, it's something that's part of their growth and childhood and everyday life. It's also how they communicate. A lot of [kids], they put their headsets on, and they're talking while they're playing 'Minecraft.' So it is a… touchstone for them." He continued, "It's an exciting moment. It's like Hollywood validating their lived experience, so that's why you're seeing this level of excitement, I think. And it's a callback that they feel is only theirs, it's their own little personal thing. So it becomes kind of a communal ritual almost for them. That's what this is. This is a communal ritual of young guys saying, look, we all play this, we get the reference even though these idiot parents and everybody else don't. "But there is a level where you have to say, 'Guys, you've crossed a line here.' You need an adult in the room," Arroyo added. National theater chain Regal Cinemas is trying to manage some of the excitement by offering "Chicken Jockey" screenings on April 20. "Customers are invited to dress up as their favorite 'Minecraft' characters, whoop, yelp, clap and shout 'Chicken Jockey!' There are some rules we don't break. So here's the deal: build excitement? Absolutely. LOL with friends till you're rolling in the aisles? Totally. But please don't go full Creeper in the auditorium," their website states. Representatives for Warner Bros. Pictures and Cinema United (formerly the National Association of Theater Owners) did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Arroyo noted that the hype for the "Minecraft" movie appears to be part of a cultural shift in taste from the superhero domination of the Marvel movies to an upswing in video game-based stories. "This is the prevailing culture among young people, particularly for boys. 'Mario Bros' was a big hit. You saw 'The Last of Us' on HBO, 'Fallout' [on Amazon Prime]. These are all video games that have spawned spin-offs. Some of them good, some of them not so good. But there's this built-in IP and what novels and stories and Broadway provided in years past to Hollywood, now video games are furnishing with IP and storylines that are already well-known enough that it diminishes your risk when you bring it to the big screen." He added, "That is dying out, and we just imagine kids remain excited about that. I don't think they do. It doesn't hold the same fascination it held for us."
The Independent
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Jason Isaacs sets the record straight on White Lotus cast drama
White Lotus star Jason Isaacs has clarified comments he made about 'drama' on the set of the popular show. Isaacs, 61, plays Timothy Ratliff, the patriarch of a wealthy family and father of Saxon Ratliff (played by Patrick Schwarzenegger). The new season of the dark comedy was set in another luxury hotel - this time in Thailand. The British actor had previously described his experience working on the show as 'a cross between summer camp and Lord of the Flies but in a gilded cage,' in an interview with Vulture. He added there had been 'friendships that were made and friendships that were lost'. He also called out a 'double standard' in questioning when asked if he had used a prosthetic penis during shooting, insisting women would not be asked that question. Mike White, the show's creator, also hit out at the show's composer, Tapia de Veer, for quitting. De Veer said: 'We already had our last fight forever.' Isaacs addressed these comments, which many interpreted as signalling tension or ongoing feuds on set. 'Like anywhere you go for the summer, there's friendships, there's romances, there's arguments, there's cliques that form and break and reform and stuff like that. I'm careful,' he told The Happy Hour podcast. 'I'm not stupid. I look at the internet.' He added: 'Nobody has the slightest clue what they're talking about. People who think they're onto something, and it then gets magnified because of a thousand other people. Nobody has any clue.' He went on to clarify his earlier comments saying: 'First of all, it's none of your business. I'm just saying it wasn't a holiday, and partly I started saying that because people think we were on a seven-month holiday, and believe me, it felt like work a lot of the time. It was insanely hot and there's all the normal social tensions you get anywhere.' In his previous comments to Vulture, Isaacs had said: 'They say in the show, 'What happens in Thailand stays in Thailand,' but there's an off-screen White Lotus as well, with fewer deaths but just as much drama.' About his statement on 'double standards' for men, the star backtracked and told Variety: 'I said the wrong words in the wrong way. I used the phrase 'double standard,' which I didn't mean at all.' At the time, Isaacs had said on CBS Mornings: 'I think it's interesting that there's a double standard for men, but when women are naked, Margaret Qualley in The Substance, no one would dream of talking to her about her genitalia or her nipples or any of those things. So, it's odd that there's a double standard.'
