'Organizations that sow public discord'

They were seen enjoying some sweets together

'Abused a privilege'

'Immediately'

'You have to see the truth'

'A grid still under stress'

News Buffy the Vampire Slayer Buffy Series Casts Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’s Ryan Kiera Armstrong as the New Slayer Sarah Michelle Gellar shared the video call she made to tell Armstrong the news. By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on May 15, 2025 Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm Comment 0 Share New Share Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm The new Buffy series is moving ahead at Hulu, with Ryan Kiera Armstrong (pictured above as Fern in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew) joining Sarah Michelle Gellar as the new Slayer who will save the world. Gellar broke the news to Armstrong via Zoom, which she then shared on her Instagram. The video is super sweet, with Armstrong crying with joy at the end (and Gellar tearing up a bit as well). “From the moment I saw Ryan’s audition, I knew there was only one girl that I wanted by my side,” Gellar wrote on Instagram. “To have that kind of emotional intelligence, and talent, at such a young age is truly a gift. The bonus is that her smile lights up even the darkest room. Welcome to #NewSunnydale #btvs.” We don’t have details on the plot exactly yet, other than that the show will focus on a new generation, with Gellar reportedly appearing in a recurring role as Buffy. Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, Eternals) will direct and produce, with Poker Face alums Nora Zuckerman and Lilla Zuckerman serving as showrunners, writers, and executive producers. “We are so overjoyed to have found this generation’s slayer in Ryan Kiera Armstrong, she absolutely blew us away—there is no question in our mind that she is the chosen one,” Nora Zuckerman and Lilla Zuckerman said in a separate statement. No news yet on when the pilot will film or if the series will be picked up by Hulu for a full-season order.[end-mark] The post <i>Buffy</i> Series Casts <i>Star Wars: Skeleton Crew</i>’s Ryan Kiera Armstrong as the New Slayer appeared first on Reactor.

News The New Boy Cate Blanchett Faces Spiritual Struggles in The New Boy Trailer “It’s up to the human, not the religion.” By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on May 15, 2025 Courtesy of Vertical Comment 0 Share New Share Courtesy of Vertical Australian writer, director, and cinematographer Warwick Thornton (Sweet Country, Samson & Delilah) has a new movie coming called The New Boy. It stars Cate Blanchett (Tár, Thor: Ragnarok, Borderlands) and newcomer Aswan Reid and, in Thornton’s own words, “is about the extinction of a completely beautiful, sustainable, caring religion by a big bully. A religion that can co-exist with other spiritualities, but Christianity refuses to co-exist with it.” Here’s the official synopsis: The New Boy takes place in 1940s Australia at a remote monastery with a mission for Aboriginal children run by a renegade nun, Sister Eileen (Blanchett). A new charge (Reid) is delivered in the dead of night—a boy who appears to have special powers. However, the boy’s Indigenous spiritual life does not mesh with the mission’s Christianity and his mysterious power becomes a threat. Sister Eileen is faced with a choice between the traditions of her faith and the truth embodied in the boy, in this story of spiritual struggle and the cost of survival.“New Boys are all around us. They’re children who recognize safety and can adapt to survive in different situations,” said Thornton. “The New Boy is incredibly innocent, he doesn’t understand this different world but is happy to walk into that world and educate himself in that world, to survive in that world. It’s like any Indigenous person through the last 250 years of colonization. Your lore, your culture and everything has just been completely obliterated to extinction in a strange way. You have to adapt in this new world that is like a plague, like a virus that has completely taken over your life and shut down everything that you’ve believed in. Humans are able to adapt very quickly to survive in any situation, in any environment, in any landscape. In a strange way, that’s what the New Boy is. He’s not judging anybody. He’s just surviving.” The New Boy premieres in select theaters on May 23, 2025 and will be available digitally on demand starting May 30. Check out the trailer below.[end-mark] The post Cate Blanchett Faces Spiritual Struggles in <i>The New Boy</i> Trailer appeared first on Reactor.

News Victorian Psycho Maika Monroe Cast as Killer Governess in Victorian Psycho Adaptation Mary Poppins, but make her a psychokiller. By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on May 15, 2025 Credit: NEON Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: NEON Maika Monroe, whose recent credits include starring against Nicolas Cage in Longlegs (pictured above), will play a murderous mistress in Victorian Psycho, an adaptation of Virginia Feito’s 2025 novel of the same name. Feito also wrote the script for the adaptation, for which The Hollywood Reporter gave the following synopsis: Set in 1858, the story centers on a governess named Winifred Notty, hiding her psychopathic tendencies while arriving to work at a remote gothic manor. But as the woman takes care of her charges, staff members begin to inexplicably disappear, and the owners of the estate begin to wonder, too late mind you, if their new governess is serving up a spoonful of sugar with a little arsenic on the side. Monroe has replaced Margaret Qualley (The Substance) in playing Notty, and joins Thomasin McKenzie (Last Night in Soho, JoJo Rabbit) on the callsheet. “Maika’s intense screen presence has resonated with me over and over again throughout her history of complex performances,” director Zachary Wigon said in a statement. “I’m absolutely thrilled for her to bring her unique style of psychological portraiture to the fascinatingly bizarre Winifred Notty.” Production is set to start this August. No news yet on when the film will make its way to a theater near you.[end-mark] The post Maika Monroe Cast as Killer Governess in <i>Victorian Psycho</i> Adaptation appeared first on Reactor.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson met with competing groups of Republican lawmakers Thursday morning on issues that could decide whether or not the GOP’s “big, beautiful” budget bill passes the House. Johnson, R-La., is working at a feverish pace to pass a budget reconciliation bill that would fulfill President Donald Trump’s campaign promises, such as extending his first-term 2017 tax cuts and funding border security. But there are two issues in the House that could sink the entire thing.  On one hand, fiscal hawks in the House Freedom Caucus are saying that the proposed reforms to Medicaid—some of which wouldn’t kick in until 2029—are not nearly aggressive enough. On the other hand, a group of four New York Republicans are saying that they need a higher cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions, or they won’t back the bill. These four representatives could kill the bill together if they all vote against it, given the GOP’s razor-thin majority in the House. Emerging from a meeting with members of both camps, Johnson said they were working on reconciling their differences. “It was a very thoughtful discussion,” the Louisiana lawmaker said. “I think everyone will say it was productive, and that we were moving the ball forward. Everyone has known that the SALT issue is one of the big ones that we have to resolve.” .@SpeakerJohnson gives his update on budget reconciliation after meeting with Freedom Caucus members and SALT advocates.He told me, "Everything is on the table," when I asked if he would pursue more aggressive Medicaid reforms. pic.twitter.com/0cdKrQBeGR— George Caldwell (@GCaldwell_news) May 15, 2025 He added, “Not everybody is going to be delighted with every provision in a bill this large, but everyone can be satisfied. And we’re very, very close to that … . We are still on path to pass this bill next week.”  But the balancing act of appeasing SALT advocates is tricky, as it would likely lower revenues at a moment when fiscal hawks in the Freedom Caucus are already dissatisfied with the bill’s cost savings. “If you do more on SALT, you have to find more on savings,” Johnson acknowledged when pressed on the matter.  “We’re trying to do this in a deficit-neutral way. That was the commitment we made all along … . Find at least $1.5 trillion in savings, and then you can spend, effectively, by extending the tax cuts, $4 trillion.” On his way out, The Daily Signal asked Johnson if he would consider more aggressive Medicaid reforms as a cost-saver.  “Everything’s on the table,” he said, nodding. .@ByronDonalds emerged from a meeting with leadership and gave his thoughts on reconciliation.Donalds is a team player, but he's also a Freedom Caucus member who wants more aggressive Medicaid reforms."It's politics, man," he told me, when I asked why Republicans want delays… pic.twitter.com/2ZqTdo8EEG— George Caldwell (@GCaldwell_news) May 15, 2025 Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., came out of the meeting optimistic about negotiations, but argued that Republicans should pursue more aggressive Medicaid reforms. “One of the adjustments that could occur is putting some states that have not expanded Medicaid on the trajectory to expanding Medicaid. Florida is not expanding Medicaid. As long as I’m governor, that’s not going to happen.” Donalds is running with Trump’s endorsement in the 2026 Florida Republican gubernatorial election. Asked if he’d be in favor of raising the offer of an increased SALT cap above the speaker’s initial $30,000 concession to the New York Republicans, he replied, “I think $30,000 is more than generous.” Asked by the Daily Signal whether Republicans were delaying implementing Medicaid work requirements out of political pressure, he replied sardonically, “It’s politics, man. The currency of the realm is fear.” He added, “I think they [work requirements] should be moved up. That’s my view, I think they should be moved up.” The post Johnson Huddles With Rival GOP Factions on Budget Bill, Seeking to Satisfy Both appeared first on The Daily Signal.