Latest news with #Sirens
Fox News
2 days ago
- General
- Fox News
The one thing that could protect your parents from scammers
In Greek mythology, the Sirens were creatures whose irresistible song lured sailors to their doom. Odysseus, the hero of "The Odyssey," wanted to hear that famous song. But he knew it was dangerous. So, he had his men tie him to the mast and block their ears with beeswax. Then, they sailed toward the Island of the Sirens. Why? Because Odysseus understood that once he heard their song, he wouldn't be able to resist. And that song always leads to trouble. Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy ReportGet my best tech tips, urgent security alerts, and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide - free when you join my What does this have to do with protecting your parents from scammers? None of us is invulnerable, not even a hero like Odysseus. The trick is knowing what you can't resist and, one way or another, avoiding it. You can teach your parents all there is to know about modern-day fraud and the dangers of sharing personal information, but there's still this Siren song out there that will have them throwing all that knowledge out the window in a heartbeat. What this Siren song is varies from person to person and day to day. It might be a near-perfect clone of a grandchild's voice, calling in a panic and asking for an urgent transfer to bail them out of trouble, if not jail. Alternatively, a financial adviser could be deftly playing on your parents' anxieties around money since retiring. Another common scam involves a suspiciously foreign-sounding Microsoft customer-support worker calling to inform your parents that the computer they don't have or never use has been infected with a virus. The point is that all of us, no matter how well-informed, careful, or clever, can be exploited by a fast-talking scammer. All it takes is the right hook at exactly the wrong moment, and we're along for the ride. All the more so as we get older and technology advances rapidly, leaving us behind. Scammers rely on emotional reactions as much as, if not more than, ignorance. Letting your parents know about the dangers of engaging with strangers (even if they claim to be from Visa or the IRS) is crucial, but it's not enough. Scammers exploit fear, greed, and the desire to please others or simply be a good citizen. They're experts at raising the emotional toll of interrupting, interrogating, or ignoring them. In short, getting drawn into discussions with scammers is playing with fire. So, what's the solution? Stop the scammers from making contact in the first place. They're getting your parents' contact information and much more personal data besides, from somewhere. Stop them from getting their hands on it, and they won't have the chance to manipulate your parents into doing something they'll regret. People-search sites are a great source of information for scammers. Fast, easy, and inexpensive, they fuel smaller operations and individual scammers. People-search sites are a kind of data broker; the other major kind, sometimes called private-database data brokers, are even worse. These data brokers sell personal data in bulk to other businesses. They've been caught selling the personal data of vulnerable adults before, offering data packs that focused on people who needed in-home care or were suffering from cognitive impairment or decline, for example. This is worse than posting your parents' details publicly. This is packaging up those details and marketing them directly to scammers. The good news is that a data removal service can scrub both people-search sites and the databases of those other, more shadowy data brokers clean of your parents' information. Names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, property values, health information, shopping habits, political preferences, and more. You can take all this down in one fell swoop with a personal data removal service. While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren't cheap and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It's what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you and your parents. Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: At the end of the day, protecting your parents isn't just about warnings or knowledge. It's about cutting off scammers before they even get a chance to call or reach out in some way. Removing personal data from sketchy sites is the secret weapon here. It's simple, effective, and frees your loved ones from emotional traps. Isn't preventing contact better than trying to clean up the mess afterward? Let us know by writing us at Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy ReportGet my best tech tips, urgent security alerts, and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide - free when you join my Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Glenn Howerton has big plans for the "beautiful, magical city" of his dreams
In 11 Questions, The A.V. Club asks interesting people 11 interesting questions—and then asks them to suggest one for our next interviewee. Glenn Howerton has been a staple on our screens for years now—and that's outside of that sitcom he developed with his pal Rob McElhenney. Earlier this year, the actor reveled in playing a different role than the curmudgeonly ones we're used to seeing in The Mindy Project and A.P. Bio. In Netflix's Sirens, he starred as a pathetically-in-love rich guy striving to woo his partner. And now, he's back as manipulative troublemaker Dennis Reynolds in It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia's 17th(!) season. 'It's the pinnacle of what I could've asked for, given how hard it was to get people to watch it when it began,' he tells The A.V. Club about the show's endurance. He adds that despite a lack of Emmy wins, Sunny has lasted because fans deeply connect with it. 'That's the art I personally consume the most. I'm into something because it's just so damn good and not because the powers that be told me I needed to watch it.' In our latest 11 Questions, Howerton opens up about his love for Elizabeth Shue and Karate Kid, why he can't stop scrolling Instagram, and his desire to go back in time to become a tennis expert. 1. Did you make a New Year's resolution, and if yes, how is it going? Glenn Howerton: I did not make a New Year's resolution this year. I have done that in the past, but now I tend to make resolutions throughout the year, so it's not isolated to any one time. I make and break lots of resolutions throughout the entire year. That's how I try to create new and better habits for myself. The older I get, the worse I am at actually succeeding at those things because I'm just so damn tired now. I set these goals for myself and then I'm just too tired to keep up. I'm always like, 'Let's take a nap.' The A.V. Club: Do you remember what the last one was, even if you broke it? GH: Yes, I've tried meditation many times. I've tried all the different types of meditation that you can think of. I've tried different apps a million times. I've been consistent for years at a time, but it's just never done anything for me. Then I started doing more breathwork. I found that to be extremely powerful. So my last resolution was to do breathwork at least once a day, and I haven't done it once this year. AVC: Maybe start tomorrow? GH: You know, I forget that that's an option. Instead of doing that, the next day I usually go for an extra cup of coffee. But instead, I should honestly do a 10-minute breathwork session. It would make me feel even better and it wouldn't come with the jitters and stuff. So as we're talking about this, I'm realizing I need to get back to it tomorrow. 2. If someone gave you a blank check to make any one creative project, what would it be? GH: At this stage in my life, I don't think it would be industry-related. If we're talking about an actual blank check, it would be creating a beautiful, magical city where all of the most thoughtful, considerate people could live; and there would have to be some sort of extensive psychological exam for each person who's allowed to live in the city to make sure that they're genuinely ethical and moral people who don't take up two parking spots when they only need to take up one. I would just let all the people who throw their trash on the sidewalk and modify their mufflers so that their cars can be loud as shit live somewhere else and let all of us who are good people live in this magical city together. AVC: That sounds like a complex test. Have you thought about what it would entail? GH: I think it would be pretty extensive. It would be one of those things where it's smartly crafted so that you cannot cheat your way through it by giving answers, you know? It would be made with verified members of this group of really good people, and hopefully, you could also get someone to vouch for you. I don't know, though, I'd have to spend some more time thinking about it. AVC: Who do you know who would get in for sure? GH: My wife, for sure. My kids, probably not so much. They're little dickheads right now. But they'll get there. I think we're setting a pretty good example for them. But my wife is an incredible person. 3. What discontinued food or beverage would you like to see brought back? GH: Oh. I'm curious to know, is that a question you ask people often? AVC: Yeah, and so far this might be the one that has stumped most people. GH: Well, the first thing that comes to my mind is when I was a kid, I ate a lot of sugary cereals. We didn't have a lot of other sugary foods in the house, but somehow the cereals slipped past my parents. I went nuts on them and had a few favorites as a child. But one of them was the peanut-butter flavored Cap'n Crunch. It tasted like a mix of sweet and salty peanut butter and had the perfect texture as if there was real peanut butter in it. Then, by the time I got to high school, I remember they changed the formula so they started tasting artificially sweet or something. That ruined it for me. I loved that cereal, so it's a shame. I would like to see the original version of that come back. 4. Who was your first pop culture crush? GH: The first person that comes to mind is Elizabeth Shue. I was probably like six or seven years old when I first saw Karate Kid, and I just thought she was so cute. AVC: Have you ever met her over the years? GH: I actually recently did. Her kids went to the same school that my kids went to in Los Angeles. My wife knows her husband a little bit, and we were at some event at Sundance and hanging out with the same group of people for a brief amount of time. She was lovely, so grounded. And I had heard that about her. And she's still pretty stunning, if I do say so. AVC: What about revisiting the Karate Kid movies? Have you done that in recent years? GH: Absolutely. I think the first one is an especially extraordinary film that holds up surprisingly well because of Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita's performances. Ralph, in particular, just gave a very real and grounded performance. I love it. 5. What would you consider your biggest pop culture blind spot? GH: Pop music for sure. Any pop music that's playing on the radio, I just don't connect to it. This isn't necessarily true across the board. Every once in a while, there'll be a musician who's very, very popular that I like. Some of my favorite artists have been extraordinarily popular if you look at their overall fame throughout the years, like David Bowie and Pink Floyd. Radiohead, too, but their stuff doesn't play on the radio, ironically. I'm trying to think of who I've liked that's been popular recently. Oh, I think Bruno Mars is talented. I'm sure there are other talented ones, and I don't even think they make bad music. But to me, it's a little bit like eating candy. I can only have a bit of it, and it's delicious, but it does not satisfy me. I'm not getting much from it. I like my music to challenge me. AVC: What is the music that does satisfy you or that you keep going back to? GH: I overuse this word with the people who know me, but I'm always seeking authenticity. With pop music, it's hard to know what's authentic and what isn't because, almost by definition, it feels like pandering just by being so widely popular and everybody loving it. I kind of lean towards artists that I feel like they're giving a little bit of a middle finger to the industry and challenging people to like them. Faith No More and Mike Patton, who was their lead singer for several years—that would be a good example of a band that made interesting music and didn't care about alienating all their fans. They just made whatever they wanted to make, and it was so weird. You can't even quite specify what genre they're playing in. It seems like every musician in that band was in a different band, and yet somehow, it worked. Recently, I've been into this band called Viagra Boys. They're a post-punk band who don't take themselves too seriously. 6. When were you the most starstruck and by whom? GH: I get more starstruck by musicians than I do by actors. Maybe if I were a musician, it would be the other way around. But I feel like it's musicians who touch my soul. I remember when I first met the guys from the Kings Of Leon. It was a long time ago, but I was starstruck. We've since become good buddies, and I have so much respect for them, their upbringing, and their journey. I was also starstruck by Stephen Merchant to the point where I didn't even actually say anything to him because I didn't want to be a blabbering idiot. It would've been the same way if I had seen Ricky Gervais. I'm a huge fan of the British Office and of the other show they made together called Extras. I think those guys are geniuses. 7. What piece of advice that you received coming up in the industry would you say is no longer applicable to new artists? GH: Most of the advice I got was universal. I don't know how many agencies package projects anymore, but the WGA came down on that a little bit. Am I going to get in trouble here by saying more? My feeling is that if you're ever offered the opportunity to have your representatives package something or pay commission, just pay the commission if you think it's a good deal. Then there's also how social media has changed our industry and how having a large following can amplify your career. But nobody ever gave me advice about it when I was coming up because it wasn't a huge thing. It existed, but it didn't apply to how easily you could book a job. Honestly, I don't know if I have the mind for the kind of content that people create there. There are some brilliant creators, and I am endlessly entertained by them when I scroll Instagram to the point where it's become a bit of a problem because I can scroll and scroll and scroll. The algorithm is so damn good. And there are a lot of funny people there. AVC: I know this season of It's Always Sunny has a little parody of the Hawk Tuah stuff. Can you tell me how that came about? GH: You know, it's been almost six months since we finished filming it, and the Hawk Tuah thing is getting older and older, so I don't know how it will age. But I think it's a funny bit we get to do in the episode. And the character is so funny that it won't matter. We had an idea to do an episode where Frank is the Golden Bachelor, and the Hawk Tuah idea came up out of that. I can't give more away, though. 8. Who's someone in your field that everyone should be paying attention to? GH: I'm probably not the right person to ask that. I think there are underappreciated people, but they're not necessarily new. Just off the top of my head is director Gareth Evans, who most recently did Havoc with Tom Hardy. He's not underrated, but he is underappreciated. Anybody who has seen the Raid movies will know that the action sequences this guy creates are great. I want to see him make more movies. He's such a lovely, sweet guy. Another one is actor Ben Schwartz, and it's not even that he's underappreciated because he seems to be working all the time, but I think he deserves more. He's an incredible improviser, one of the best ever. The sketch stuff he was doing with Thomas Middleditch is one of the most genius things I've seen. But he's also a really good dramatic actor. I like comedians whose humor comes from a very real place. Ben can make the most ridiculous things feel grounded and real, and I have so much respect for that. 9. What is your biggest travel pet peeve? GH: It used to be waiting at the ticket counter to check in, but now they have kiosks to do that on your own, so it's not as much of an issue anymore. But I remember you'd stand in that line, and somebody up there on the counter would take like 30 minutes, and I'd wonder, 'What is happening?' I would walk up there, hand my ID, and they would ask if I'm checking my bag, hand me my ticket, and I'd be out of there in five minutes tops. So I wonder if other people used to come to airports with no plan. This isn't a restaurant—presumably people have bought their tickets ahead of time and know what to expect. That used to drive me nuts. Nowadays, I wish there was a rule where people were required to stand at least four feet away from the luggage carousel. That way, everybody can see when their bags are coming out. Otherwise, inevitably, people start smashing themselves up against the carousel, and then if you don't do the same thing, you might not see your luggage. This is the kind of thing you won't be allowed to do in my city of considerate, lovely people who know doing something like this is shitty. 10. Who was the last person that you FaceTimed? GH: It must've been my wife while I was in New York City for a long time doing press for Sirens, Sunny, and my whiskey company this year. We have a habit of FaceTiming every night. 11. What is your earliest memory? GH: I have this spotty, vague memory from when I was like two of walking to the pool in maybe an apartment complex that we were living in. It must've been in Arizona or New Mexico—we lived there back to back, so I'm not sure where. But I was a kid holding somebody's hand, walking to the pool, probably one of my parents. 12. From Karan Soni: If you could go back in time and change one event in your life, what would you change and why? GH: You know, I just feel like I've nailed it. Every single decision I've made in my life has worked out. [Laughs] No, I would go back to when I was a kid and I had started playing basketball, which was always my favorite sport growing up. I would go back in time and spend more time on my fundamentals. I was always a pretty decent athlete, so I was relying on that to get me through school. I was aggressive, I played hard, and I was pretty good, but not good enough to where I didn't have to keep working on my fundamentals to get by. I wish I had because as I got older, I couldn't rely as much on my speed and aggressiveness. It's harder for me to play the game now. My friends did that, and they were—and still are—really good. Above all that, though, I would go back and play more tennis. Looking back now, I feel like if I could've been excellent at any sport, it would've been tennis. AVC: Do you get to play any sport now? GH: Yeah, I still love playing tennis, which is partly why I think if I had focused when I was younger, I would've been way better than decent right now. My family and I play a lot of pickleball because we have a court. I do like playing a lot of ping-pong, too. I guess paddle sports are my thing with ping-pong, pickleball, and tennis—so small, medium, and large. Without knowing who the next person we speak to is, what would you like to ask them? GH: I'm assuming that person will be in the entertainment industry, so I would like to ask what they think about how we should handle the emergence of AI as actors and writers. How do we deal with the possibility of our likeness being used? Is it incumbent upon us for the artists who are coming up? More from A.V. Club The biggest news (so far) from San Diego Comic-Con 2025 What's on TV this week—Chief Of War and Eyes Of Wakanda R.I.P. Tom Lehrer, mathematician and musical satirist Solve the daily Crossword
National Geographic
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- National Geographic
The original sirens in mythology weren't the seductresses we know today
Sirens torment Ulysses with their enchanting song in Herbert James Draper's 1909 painting titled 'Ulysses and the Sirens.' Draper portrays the Sirens as sexualized mermaids, consistent with other Edwardian era depictions of the creatures. © Ferens Art Gallery / Bridgeman Images For thousands of years sirens have lured sailors, haunted coastlines—and shapeshifted through myth and media. Here's how they evolved to the seductive mermaids of our modern imagination. The Greek hero Odysseus famously faces many travails as he attempts to return home following the Trojan War, from giant cannibals to enigmatic enchantresses. But one challenge stands out as perhaps the most evocative, dangerous, and enduring of them all: the sirens, with their hypnotic and mesmerizing song, who call to passing sailors. To stop is certain death. They're powerful and mysterious figures and even now, of all the creatures from Greek myths, audiences simply can't get enough of them. Sirens have been a fixture of the Western imagination since the time of Homer and the composition of The Odyssey in the 8th century B.C. They appear in the works of ancient Roman writers like Pliny the Elder and Ovid, and one even appears in Dante's Divine Comedy. They fascinated painters of the 19th century and now lend their name to television shows and the "siren-core" fashion aesthetic touted by social media creators. (Dante's 'Inferno' is a journey to hell and back.) But these mythological creatures have shifted forms dramatically over the centuries, transforming with the times to reflect society's complicated and ever-changing relationship with desire. In modern popular culture, sirens are alluring creatures of the sea, most commonly women, often sporting shimmering mermaid tails. But their ancient Greek roots weren't fishlike at all; instead, they were bird-bodied creatures associated with death. Here's how sirens have evolved over time, and why their song stays so loud in popular culture. A attic terracotta status from Greece 300 BCE shows Sirens in their original, bird-woman form. Photograph by Peter Horree, Alamy Stock Photo This artwork titled 'A Siren and a Centaur' shows how classical mythology and artistic imagination have blended together to reshape Sirens iconography. The piece portrays a bird-like siren (left) and centaur (right) in an imaginative and dynamic scene. Photograph by ART Collection, Alamy Stock Photo Homer's Odyssey is the sirens' earliest appearance. Thought to have been composed sometime in the 8th century B.C., the poem follows the winding path of the hero Odysseus as he returns home to Ithaca and his long-suffering wife from the Trojan War. Along the way, he faces Greek gods, marvels, and monsters, including the sirens. The sorceress Circe warns him about the creatures, telling him that they 'bewitch all passersby. If anyone goes near them in ignorance, and listens to their voices, that man will never travel to his home.' Odysseus plugs his men's ears with wax, so they won't be lured—but he leaves his own ears free and commands his men to bind him to the ship's mast, so he's able to hear their promises as they tempt him with the prospect of knowledge and tales of heroic deeds. (The Odyssey offers monsters and magic—and also a real look into the ancient world.) But the Odyssey is far from the only story featuring the sirens. They also appear in the Argonautica, a 3rd century B.C. epic poem following Jason and the Argonauts in their search for the Golden Fleece, where sirens are described as daughters of the river god Achelous and the muse Terpsichore. The musician Orpheus snatches up his lyre to drown out their song—but not before one member of the crew throws himself in the ocean. Tradition has it that the names of those sirens were Parthenop, Ligeia and Leucosia. Perhaps the siren's most important distinguishing feature—and the one that remains to this day—is their voice. 'It's a hypnotic voice, it lures people, makes them forget everything, in a lot of cases makes them fall asleep,' says Marie-Claire Beaulieu, associate professor of classical studies at Tufts University. 'Essentially, people become so hypnotized that they forget everything.' What do sirens symbolize in Greek culture? 'When the ancients say sirens, they mean a bird-bodied woman,' says Beaulieu. Closely associated with death, sirens' bird legs and wings show that they're liminal creatures who dwell betwixt and between. Their connection with the sea, which the ancient Greeks considered profoundly dangerous, and their wings, situate them somewhere between earth and air. Sirens were a fixture of ancient Greek funerary art, such as stele, a type of grave marker. For example, Boston's Museum of Fine Arts holds a funerary plaque from the 7th century B.C. depicting a mourning scene, in which two women flank a funeral couch that holds a corpse. Crouched underneath is a siren. Some sources, including Euripides' 5th century B.C. play Helen and Ovid's 8th century A.D. poem Metamorphoses, associate the sirens with Persephone, the goddess of spring carried off by Hades, god of the underworld, to become his queen. Some stories say they were given wings to seek Persephone. According to Beaulieu, som e sources, including the Argonautica , show sirens as the daughters of one of the Muses. 'Except that in a way, they're the Muses of death, instead of the Muses of life, because they lure people to death with this singing,' says Beaulieu. This mural from the 14th century shows a Siren playing music. During this period, the enchantresses were depicted as both bird-women and mermaids. Photograph by Heritage Image Partnership Ltd, Alamy Stock Photo How the iconography of sirens has evolved Sirens retained their bird bodies into the time of the Roman Empire and well beyond; Pliny the Elder includes them in the 'Fabulous Birds' section of his Natural History, written around A.D. 77, claiming they lull men to sleep with their song and then tear them to pieces. (Though he's a skeptic that they exist.) But over the course of the Middle Ages, the siren transformed. More and more they began exhibiting fishtails, not bird bodies. The two types coexisted from the 12th through 14th centuries at least, Beaulieu explains, but eventually the mermaid-like creature emerged as dominant. That shift is probably thanks in part to the strong Greek and Roman tradition of unrelated sea gods like Triton, as well as the sirens' association with water. But it's also thanks in no small part to the influence of Celtic folklore traditions. 'The blending is a super interesting syncretism of cultures,' says Beaulieu, pointing to 14th century tradition about St. Brendan the Navigator, an early Irish Christian whose journeys parallel those of Odysseus. Naturally, he encounters a siren on his odyssey—only this one is wholly recognizable to modern audiences as a mermaid. How Christianity has shaped Greek mythology As the physical appearance of the sirens began to shift, so did their symbolic meaning. The sirens of ancient Greece were considered beautiful—but they tempted Odysseus with songs of glory, not simply sex. Ancient Greeks were more concerned with power dynamics, so a man having sex with a subordinate woman wasn't a problem. 'You get into trouble when you have a goddess having sex with a mortal, for instance,' explains Beaulieu. "That's part of what would have given the sirens their menace." But medieval Christianity saw sex and sirens differently. They became symbols of temptation itself, a way to talk about the lures of worldly pleasures and the deceptive, corrupting pull of sin. Hence the appearance of a siren in Dante's 14th century Divine Comedy. The very same creature who tempted Odysseus comes to Dante in a dream and identifies herself as 'the pleasing siren, who in midsea leads mariners astray.' In the end, his guide and companion through the underworld (the epic poet Virgil) grabs her, tears her clothing, and exposes the 'stench' of her belly showing the medieval siren is sexually alluring but repulsive. Those medieval temptresses are unmistakably the roots of modern sirens, with their dangerously attractive songs. The association between sirens, mermaids, and temptation only grew tighter in the 19th century, when painters returned again and again to creamy-skinned, bare-breasted sirens with lavish hair. There is no better example than John William Waterhouse's turn-of-the-century painting The Siren, where a lovely young woman gazes down at a stricken, shipwrecked young sailor who looks both terrified and enthralled. The sirens of modern-day popular culture Millennia later, the sirens continue to resonate. They're even inspiration for a fashion aesthetic: sirencore, a beachy and romantic look with just a little hint of menace. Modern creatives, meanwhile, are still turning to the sirens as a source of inspiration and a rich symbol for exploring power, gender, and knowledge. Netflix's new release Sirens, which adapts Molly Smith Metzler's 2011 play Elemeno Pea and stars Julianne Moore, explicitly grapples with the mythological figure. Director Nicole Kassell told The Hollywood Reporter, 'I love the idea of analyzing the idea of what a siren is, and who says what a siren is—the sailor. It's very fun to get to go back and consider it from a female lens.' Black sirens navigate the challenges of modern-day sexism and racism in Bethany C. Morrow's 2020 A Song Below Water; a Puerto Rican immigrant falls in love with a merman on turn-of-the-century Coney Island in Venessa Vida Kelley's 2025 When The Tides Held The Moon. For many writers, sirens are an opportunity to turn old tales and stereotypes on their head, using characters who've long been reviled and distrusted for their controversial power. The Sirens by Emilia Hart is one such modern-day retelling, which weaves between the modern day, and the 19th century transportation of Irish women convicts to Australia. 'I thought this mythological creature was the perfect way to give my female characters some power back into this historical narrative,' she explains. 'I wanted to make this general comment on how we think about women and how we have this idea of women as being temptresses, and we demonize them and we overly sexualize them, as a way of trying to explain or perhaps diminish their power,' she says. In the hands of modern-day writers, the sea can become a place of transformation, freedom, and potential. And sirens can be restored to a place of power and wisdom—and, yes, a bit of danger too.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Zoë Kravitz and Meghann Fahy are the year's biggest Emmy surprises: Poll
The 2025 Emmy nominations were filled with some jaw-dropping picks, with several actors and programs beating the Gold Derby's odds. In our latest snap poll, readers said the bids for Zoë Kravitz and Meghann Fahy caused their jaws to drop the widest. Kravitz was previously snubbed at the Emmys for Big Little Lies, but she received sweet justice this week for portraying herself — at least, a fictionalized version of herself caught in a drug-related mishap — on The Studio. In all, the Apple TV+ show received 23 nominations, more than any other first-year comedy in Emmy history. More from Gold Derby Anne Hathaway reveals first-look photo from 'The Devil Wears Prada 2': Everything to know about anticipated sequel Marvel's big reset: Mahershala Ali's 'Blade,' recasting 'X-Men' and Tony Stark, and why Miles Morales is MIA in the MCU As for Fahy, she's a former Emmy nominee for The White Lotus whom awards pundits forecasted would be overlooked this year for the Netflix limited series Sirens. But that wasn't the case. She clearly wowed voters in her role of Devon DeWitt, a woman who tries to protect her younger sister Simone (Milly Alcock) from her billionaire boss Michaela Kell (Julianne Moore). Poll results: What's your favorite Emmy surprise? 21 percent: Zoë Kravitz, The Studio 19 percent: Meghann Fahy, Sirens 17 percent: Survivor in Best Competition Program 15 percent: Paradise in Best Drama Supporting Actor/Actress 14 percent: Uzo Aduba, The Residence 11 percent: Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons 3 percent: The Gorge in Best TV Movie Survivor shocked our readers by returning to the Best Competition Program category and knocking out perennial nominee The Voice. The granddaddy of all reality shows was initially nominated in this category from 2003 to 2006, then it took a 17-year break before returning in 2023, only to be snubbed again in 2024. Four-time winner Jeff Probst also made the cut for Best Reality Host, and this actually marks the first time in Emmy history that he and the show are nominated at the same time. Paradise was predicted to nab a Best Drama Actor bid for Sterling K. Brown as inquisitive secret service agent Xavier Collins, which came true. However, it was a welcome surprise to see that two of his supporting cast members — Julianne Nicholson as the villainous Samantha "Sinatra" Redmond and James Marsden as the late President Cal Bradford — also showed up on Emmy nominations morning. It's never wise to count out former Emmy winners like Nicholson, who previously prevailed for Mare of Easttown (2021), and that's also true of Uzo Aduba and Colman Domingo. They received respective noms for Best Comedy Actress in the recently canceled The Residence and Best Comedy Supporting Actor in the otherwise skunked The Four Seasons, years after appearing at the winner's podium. Aduba is a three-time champ for Orange is the New Black (2014, 2015) and Mrs. America (2020); Domingo took home a statuette for Euphoria (2022). Finally, there's The Gorge, which beat the odds to show up in the Best TV Movie lineup. Scott Derrickson's original sci-fi film stars Miles Teller as Levi Kane and Anya Taylor-Joy as Drasa, two elite snipers tasked with guarding opposite sides of a deep gorge, unaware of what mysteries lie below. Though the actors were snubbed, Teller is nominated as a producer. TV Movie Contender Odds 1. Rebel Ridge 81.3% 2. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy 12.0% 3. Mountainhead 2.8% 4. The Gorge 2.0% 5. Nonnas 2.0% Best of Gold Derby 'Five new life forms from distant planets': Everything to know about 'Alien: Earth' as new trailer drops Everything to know about 'The Pitt' Season 2, including the departure of Tracy Ifeachor's Dr. Collins Everything to know about 'Too Much,' Lena Dunham's Netflix TV show starring Megan Stalter that's kinda, sorta 'based on a true story' Click here to read the full article. Solve the daily Crossword
Canada News.Net
21-07-2025
- Business
- Canada News.Net
Netflix rides ‘Squid Game' surge but keeps revenue goals cautious
LOS GATOS, California: A blockbuster quarter fueled by global hits like Squid Game has helped Netflix beat second-quarter earnings expectations and raise its revenue forecast for the year, though analysts say investor hopes were set even higher. The company reported earnings per share of US$7.19, slightly ahead of the $7.08 estimate from analysts polled by LSEG. Revenue totaled $11.08 billion, just over forecasts of $11.07 billion. Net income came in at $3.1 billion, edging expectations of $3.06 billion. Netflix also raised its full-year revenue guidance to between $44.8 billion and $45.2 billion, citing "healthy member growth," strong ad sales, and a weaker U.S. dollar. Previously, the company had forecast revenue of up to $44.5 billion. The update followed the late-June release of the final season of Squid Game, the dystopian Korean series that became Netflix's most-watched non-English language title. The new season drew 122 million views in just days, helping boost Netflix's performance late in the quarter. Still, the stock fell 1.8 percent in after-hours trading, with some analysts saying the company's updated guidance felt cautious. "The full-year outlook now feels quite conservative, which is problematic for a stock priced for perfection," said Thomas Monteiro. "At this stage, the company appears overly dependent on further price increases — at least through 2026 — to drive revenue." The company's efforts to expand its advertising business continue, including through an ad-supported tier and recent forays into live programming like WWE wrestling. However, Netflix has said advertising will remain a secondary contributor to revenue growth in the near term. Among the other shows released during the quarter were Sirens, The Four Seasons, and a third season of Ginny & Georgia. Netflix no longer reports quarterly subscriber numbers and has instead asked investors to focus on profit. It said member growth beat forecasts but came late in the quarter, limiting its impact on revenue. Looking ahead, Netflix projected $11.5 billion in revenue and net income of nearly $3 billion for the next quarter — both slightly above Wall Street expectations. Two major releases are on the horizon: a new season of Wednesday in August and the final episodes of Stranger Things in November and December. Both shows rank among Netflix's most valuable franchises globally. In a post-earnings call, Chief Financial Officer Spencer Neumann was asked about the possibility of acquiring assets from other media firms. He reiterated Netflix's preference for organic growth: "We've historically been more builders than buyers, and we continue to see big runway for growth without fundamentally changing that playbook."
