The upcoming werewolf movie from A24 and Blumhouse Productions has a new lead on board after Ryan Gosling dropped out. According to The Hollywood Reporter‚ Christopher Abbott (Poor Things‚ and also an episode on Hulu’s Ramy where he appears to play a character in cosplay‚ pictured above) will now play the starring role‚ presumably the titular Wolf Man. Gosling had been scheduled to play the part for the last three years‚ but is now leaving the production‚ though he’ll still receive an executive producer credit. The director’s seat is also having its own game of musical chairs: Leigh Whannell (Invisible Man‚ Upgrade‚ Insidious: Chapter 3) was initially on board to direct‚ but stepped aside at some point. Derek Cianfrance‚ whose previous credits include the Gosling-starring Blue Valentine and Place Beyond the Pines‚ took over the role‚ but he has also bowed out along with Gosling. As of today‚ Whannell is back on the production as its director. We don’t know much about the plot yet for Wolf Man‚ other than it’s a werewolf thriller and the focus is now‚ according to THR‚ “on a man whose family is being terrorized by a lethal predator.” The script for the film has credits for Whannell and Corbett Tuck‚ as well as the writing duo Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo. Wolf Man is set to howl its way into theaters on October 25‚ 2024.

The Kingdom of Talin hosts a game in its twin capital cities‚ San-Er‚ every year where competitors fight to the death and the final victor is rewarded with unimaginable riches. Inspired by the Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong‚ San-Er is densely populated with “needle-thin alleys” and “muddy puddles stuffed with discarded trash bags”. Most residents live in poverty but will gladly bear it in exchange for proximity to economic success‚ to the throne‚ and to the riches they dare to dream about. Desperate for a chance to change the trajectory of one’s life‚ people of San-Er can enter the games for a chance to get to the coliseum for their final battle‚ and ultimately to be named victor‚ by getting rid of the competition‚ gladiator-style. In this alternate world of the 90s‚ the competitors are given wristbands to track their movements‚ an important accessory since some are born with the genetic ability to “jump” and transfer their qi (soul) into another person’s body. This year there are eighty-eight participants‚ with one being none other than Calla Tuolemi‚ ex-princess and murderer of her parents‚ the King and Queen of Er. But unlike others‚ Calla is not interested in fortune. She only wants one thing—to kill her uncle‚ the King of San and the Talin Kingdom. And with the training she’s received most of her life it’s clear she is more than equipped‚ even as someone who does not jump bodies. All royals are born with the gene to transfer their qi‚ and while it is illegal to do so‚ most who can‚ do. But‚ Calla‚ a princess with royal yellow eyes‚ does not. In fact‚ she quickly rises to the top of the scoreboard without ever jumping‚ not even once. It probably doesn’t hurt that she has the help of her cousin and crowned prince‚ August Shenzhi‚ who also wants to see King Kasa dethroned to stop the atrocities of his reign. But August quickly realizes that he is not the only one helping Calla. Anton Masuka is an aristocrat who is no longer reveling in his privileges‚ but exiled and committed to saving his childhood love‚ Otta‚ who has been in a coma for the past five years. He is also August’s ex-best friend. And as he grows deeper in debt‚ Anton decides to enter the games to win the prize money so that he can continue to fund Otta’s care. When Anton and Calla meet as competitors‚ they soon realize the advantage of forming an alliance. Calla‚ deft with her sword and hand-to-hand combat‚ and Anton‚ one of the best‚ if not the best‚ jumper in all of San-Er; they become the pair to beat. As the two go from competitors to partners‚ they learn that either is not what they seem. And despite the lack of trust between the two‚ their attraction leads to feelings that lead to more. Buy it Now Set against the dark and gritty “city of darkness‚” I was immediately transported to the streets of San. It is clear that Gong knows how to set a scene. It was also clear that while this city was inspired by Kowloon‚ it was also meant to evoke Antony and Cleopatra. The Shenzi monarchy‚ the Talin kingdom‚ and the games were all direct inspirations‚ and even the fight scenes with various weapons of swords‚ daggers and axes were reminiscent of Ancient Rome. But what felt clear in its intention‚ a melding of two cities‚ was confusing in experience. When I grew accustomed to one world‚ I was immediately pulled into another without warning. There would be sword-fighting in one scene and then a cyber cafe with computers in the next. It was a jarring experience in the beginning as I was constantly flipping through pages and pages of information about the world just to catch my bearings. It was a lot to take in. And probably the main reason why Calla and Anton’s romance caught me off guard. Distracted‚ or rather‚ disoriented by the long history lessons of San-Er‚ I couldn’t fully immerse myself into the story or their romance. I was too busy trying to navigate the world because instead of showing me‚ the author was telling me. And like a good reader‚ I was listening and paying attention. So‚ while I knew a romance was coming‚ I simply did not expect the escalation of their feelings and sudden declarations of love in what seemed like a very small window of time. Infatuation? Yes‚ but love? I had my doubts. It just didn’t seem that believable. Especially with Otta‚ Anton’s childhood love who’s in a coma‚ still being in the picture. The man was entering a fight-to-the-death game for her and now suddenly he’s in love with someone else without showing any hints of any internal struggles about his sudden change of feelings. I viewed his capricious behavior not as a consequence of his passionate‚ border-line obsessive love for Calla‚ but as a character flaw and a remnant of Gong’s young adult writing. If this was another one of Gong’s YA books it might’ve been easier to swallow‚ but sadly it was not. And while I commend Gong’s attempt at exploring and mirroring the obsessive nature of love that is so reminiscent of Antony and Cleopatra through another lens‚ her execution was ultimately unsuccessful. It seemed Gong’s prose was mostly dedicated to the vast amounts of information regarding the history and world-building of San-Er instead of an authentic connection between Calla and Anton‚ which isn’t a surprise since this is the first book in a series. A lot of groundwork needs to be done in the first book and I was there with her for the journey. But I wasn’t expecting it to be all done via the inner monologues of the characters. And because I was inundated with so much info-dumping‚ I couldn’t emotionally relate to any of her “morally gray” characters‚ who just came off trite and flat. I’ve heard Gong is a master of slow-burn romance‚ but without the build-up‚ the “slow-burn” in this book applied only to the plot. As I spent two-thirds of the book trying to learn this new world‚ I realized that I was also trying to care about this world as well. While Gong touches on poverty as a main motivator for the participants‚ the stakes never felt that high nor the participants that desperate. These were games to the death‚ but a player could also just deactivate the wristband to disqualify another player from the games. The foundation and motivation ultimately lacked urgency‚ and only made the slow-burn feel even slower. Until I got to the last hundred pages. Those last hundred pages were a turning point for me. With twist after twist and the stakes (finally) high‚ all the plot pieces that were laboriously laid out in the pages before it started to take shape and fall into place. The twist at the end was well done and really‚ the ending is what saved this book for me. It has definitely piqued my interest for the next installment‚ if only because I really want to see if and how Gong addresses the plot holes in this first book. There is a lot left to be explored‚ and I’ve taken notes. I’ll be waiting. Immortal Longings is published by Saga Press.

"People just have no experience with this, and they’re trying to wrap their minds around it and they’re taking it out on President Biden, which is not entirely fair at all."

'A beautiful Christmas tree - the planning, the cost, the hard work. Now heading for landfill,' noted one social media user.

Conservative women are pushing back vehemently against the idea that Republicans must embrace pro-contraception messaging to win back the White House in 2024. POLITICO reported Wednesday morning that “Kellyanne Conway is going to Capitol Hill on Wednesday with a message for Republicans: Promote contraception or risk defeat in 2024.” Conway reportedly believes the Republican Party can persuade voters that they are not anti-woman by pushing pro-contraceptive messaging. “This is a mistaken strategy‚” warned Alexandra DeSanctis Marr‚ a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. “Statistics actually suggest that increased access to birth control increases the abortion rate because it leads to more unplanned pregnancies.” “[Kowtowing] to the Left by promoting abortifacients isn’t a winning GOP strategy‚” tweeted Lauren Baldwin‚ government relations coordinator at the Conservative Policy Institute. “American women deserve better than this.” This is a mistaken strategy. Statistics actually suggest that increased access to birth control *increases* the abortion rate because it leads to more unplanned pregnancies. See the excellent work of @Michael_J_New for more on this. https://t.co/A0VPNYWXzN— Alexandra DeSanctis Marr (@xan_desanctis) December 13‚ 2023 ‘Women Will Be Caught in the Crossfire’ Pro-life groups have previously argued that to counteract the Left’s messaging on abortion—namely‚ that Republicans are extremist and are pushing pro-life policy because they want to control women—the GOP should focus on the joy of adoption‚ the lifesaving work of pro-life pregnancy centers‚ and the unique strengths of women and mothers. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America‚ for example‚ pushes Republicans not to “ostrich” it by ducking their heads into the sand when they are asked about abortion but instead to highlight their Democratic opponent’s extremism (given that Democrat politicians will often not name a single restriction on abortion that they will support). Some‚ like “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” host Prudence Robertson‚ fear that Conway’s strategy will only cause more harm to women and further embattle the GOP. Robertson called the idea a “damaging strategy” in a Wednesday tweet. “Women will be caught in the crossfire for the sake of political wins‚” she predicted. “Studies show skyrocketing rates of depression for women on birth control (73%). Not to mention this flies in the face of her [Conway’s] Catholic faith.” Emma Waters‚ a research associate in The Heritage Foundation’s DeVos Center for Life‚ Religion‚ and Family‚ pointed to Griswold v. Connecticut‚ the landmark Supreme Court case that struck down state laws outlawing birth control‚ even for married couples‚ pointing out that this case was decided only eight years before Roe v. Wade “wrongly allowed abortion.” “Casual sex = unplanned pregnancies = more abortion‚” she said‚ above a screenshot of the POLITICO story. “This is NOT the pro-life answer.” It's funny that the same Republicans who support more contraception as a winning issue‚ also support more access to IVF‚ a treatment that routinely tests‚ freezes‚ and destroys unwanted embryos. @KellyannePolls Does life begin at conception‚ or not?— Emma Waters (@emlwaters) December 13‚ 2023 National Review writer Madeleine Kearns warned that “a culture that treats unborn children as disposable begins by treating sexual partners as disposable.” “You can’t curb the former by encouraging the latter‚” she added. EWTN News contributor Catherine Hadro slammed the strategy in a tweet citing the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute’s numbers on contraception. “You want to focus in on it?” she asked. “OK. Here’s @Guttmacher’s own numbers‚ which reveal half of U.S. abortion patients used contraception the month they became pregnant. This is not a pro-life strategy.” You want to focus in on it? Okay. Here’s @Guttmacher’s own numbers which reveal half of U.S. abortion patients used contraception the month they became pregnant. This is not a pro-life strategy. https://t.co/vgvhyoyZuk https://t.co/AmEcbklNy6— Catherine Hadro (@CatHadro) December 13‚ 2023 Pro-Contraception Messaging: Behind the Times? Multiple female conservative professionals also pointed out that public sentiment on birth control is rapidly evolving given the high number of side effects that the drugs have on women’s bodies. “This makes the GOP look even more out of touch‚” tweeted National Review’s Caroline Downey‚ highlight that there is “a growing Gen-Z [Generation Z] movement” to get off the pill. “The list of potential risks for the pill is longer than a CVS receipt‚” Downey added. “Blood clots‚ stroke‚ depression‚ low libido &; more. And‚ birth control is big business‚ like abortion.” NCAA athlete Macy Petty‚ who advocates for fairness in women’s sports‚ argued that women deserve better than birth control‚ saying: “Girls are told the answer to acne‚ painful periods‚ unplanned pregnancy is attacking our bodies with birth control chemicals that lead to infertility‚ mental illness‚ and more. I could list horror stories‚ including my own.” Republicans: fight back against Big Pharma!!!*women start getting off the pill*Republicans: wait no not like that https://t.co/FobcfbYZcG— Evie Solheim (@EvieSolheim) December 13‚ 2023 Patricia Patnode‚ research fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute‚ tweeted a clip of a comedian joking with women about how drastically their lives changed after they got off birth control‚ building off viral accounts of women breaking up with their boyfriends once they got off the pill. “Conservatives should feel safe to attack the health impacts &; coercive nature of birth control &; the emergency contraceptive market like we do with abortion‚” she said. “It’s bad. The culture is broadly on the side of science here.” Conservatives should feel safe to attack the health impacts &; coercive nature of birth control &; the emergency contraceptive market like we do with abortion. It’s bad.The culture is broadly on the side of science here. This clip is a good example?? pic.twitter.com/GfHEXm40bA— Patricia (@IdealPatricia) December 13‚ 2023 Carmel Richardson‚ an editor at The American Conservative‚ remarked that she finds it “wild” to see “older ‘conservative’ women still pushing birth control.” “So many young women of my generation‚ regardless of their politics‚ have rejected the pill in favor of holistic health and natural cycles‚” she said. “Hormonal drugs are not the way.” And Sarah Wilder‚ a reporter for The Daily Caller‚ accused Conway of ignoring the dangers of birth control for political gain. “Ironic that Republicans seeking to appear more pro-woman would do so by pushing a synthetic hormone that causes gut issues‚ heart attacks‚ depression‚ infertility‚ and a myriad of other side effects‚” Wilder said. “Stop lying to women for political gain‚ Kellyanne.” Ironic that Republicans seeking to appear more pro-woman would do so by pushing a synthetic hormone that causes gut issues‚ heart attacks‚ depression‚ infertility‚ and a myriad of other side-effects.Stop lying to women for political gain‚ Kellyanne.https://t.co/sDinEwWGL0— Sarah Wilder (@SarahHopeWilder) December 13‚ 2023 Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post ‘Mistaken Strategy’: Conservative Women Slam Kellyanne Conway’s Push for GOP to Message on Contraception appeared first on The Daily Signal.

It’s been Christmas since July on the Hallmark Channel‚ but viewers got their first taste of the network’s woke holiday programming Saturday. With the debut of “Christmas on Cherry Lane‚” management made it abundantly clear that the “heart of TV” will continue to push the LGBT envelope—despite America’s towering wave of pushback. Unlike other companies who’ve reckoned with the shifting consumer tides‚ Hallmark has no plans to change course. And its refusal to read the room could cost it. Television’s home for clean‚ predictable‚ and endearing romance had already faced an internal revolt in 2020 with the departure of longtime CEO Bill Abbott. Frustrated by the company’s decision to take Hallmark in a more progressive direction‚ Abbott left to form Great American Family—a booming entertainment alternative that’s been TV’s “fastest growing network” in 2023. With total viewers up 150%‚ it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that Hallmark has its hands full keeping its share of the market.  But instead of returning to the family-friendly formula that made Crown Media the titan of tinsel‚ Hallmark has decided to go even further down the rabbit hole‚ embracing an agenda that most American consumers have flatly rejected. According to the company’s executive vice president of programming‚ Lisa Hamilton Daly‚ 2024 will be the most “diverse” yet. In an interview with The Wrap Dec. 8‚ Daly explained how the writers’ strike complicated things for their annual Countdown to Christmas. “We started preparing for [the strike] last October‚” she told reporter Loree Seitz. “I don’t think we understood how long the actors would be on strike‚ but I was aware that we’d have a writers’ strike‚ so we started to push our partners to deliver stuff a little early [and] for a large number of our shows‚ we were able to produce early.” That foresight spared the company a lot of turmoil (it produced 42 original movies)‚ but it also prompted its teams to get a head start on the 2024 line-up. Most of next year’s projects‚ Daly explained‚ have already been decided. And big changes are afoot. “Inclusivity” will be a “core goal” going forward‚ Seitz gleaned from their conversation. “We really want people to be able to see themselves in our movies‚ and we know that people seeing themselves means that there’s a wider range of people who really are excited when we tell their stories‚” Daly explained. Those include more “queer-forward” movies like “Christmas on Cherry Lane” and the lesbian romance “Friends &; Family Christmas‚” airing Dec. 17. Ali Liebert‚ who identifies as lesbian and stars in “Friends &; Family Christmas‚” is one of the budding producers Hallmark is counting on to bring the company more LGBTQ representation. “As I move forward as a producer and hopefully director‚” Liebert said‚ “I’m focusing on—really taking the opportunity to create queer content.”  The network has also tapped into a growing bench of LGBT-identifying actors and actresses‚ including the first nonbinary star to appear on camera. “The opportunity to play Suzette in ‘The Secrets of Bella Vista‚’” Donia Kash explained‚ “taught my hard shell of a heart that I am moving through this particular world that easily expresses love and the importance of family on the screen. To allow the queer community see themselves thriving out there in this world.” George Krissa‚ who was the lead in Hallmark’s first gay feature film‚ “A Holiday Sitter‚” last Christmas‚ cheered the growing slate of LGBT content. “If you watch the Countdown to Christmas this year‚ there’s LGBTQ folks all over the place‚” he said of the 2023 line-up. Even in storylines not centered around same-sex attraction‚ actors like Jonathan Bennett applaud Hallmark for giving them an opportunity to be “authentically queer.” “To be a part of this movement that is making sure that people watching these amazing Christmas movies feel like they’re represented on-screen … is so important.” “Next year‚ Hamilton Daly said‚ Hallmark fans can expect a renewed dedication to even greater diversity in the network’s programming. But no matter the cast or storyline‚ she said‚ the thread that connects all of its projects will continue to be love‚” Seitz wrote. As for concerns that she may be alienating audiences with such an overt agenda‚ Daly seems blasé. “Every change we think about‚” she told Vulture‚ “we center it by asking‚ ‘Does this stay true to the mission of a purpose-driven life of love‚ of emotion‚ of family?’ So we’re just trying to find different ways to tell stories that are still centered on those characteristics.” But the market is changing‚ along with what Americans will tolerate. And yet Hallmark may not care‚ Family Research Council’s Joseph Backholm pointed out‚ because “progressivism increasingly prides itself on not being in touch with the average American. … And while the recent experiences of Bud Light‚ Disney‚ and Target indicates Hallmark will drive off customers and lose money by placing greater priority on ‘diversity‚’ their worldview teaches them those customers should not be given consideration given their grave moral deficiencies. They are modern‚ secular puritans. Will it cost them money? Maybe‚” he told The Washington Stand‚ “but many of them don’t care … ” In February‚ Daly took a swipe at their biggest rival‚ chalking up the public feud over Great American Family’s refusal to feature same-sex couples to Abbott’s desperation for attention. “That’s what they needed to get press‚” the content maven claimed. “And we just decided‚ this is not our story. This is their story‚ and whatever they’re doing—they’re shadowboxing at this point. … We wanted to define ourselves on our own terms‚ and we wanted to let our programming speak for itself about where we sat in that debate.” And it continues to. But unfortunately for Daly‚ what her programming is saying is that Hallmark doesn’t understand its audience. As more viewers flock to Great American Family‚ Abbott is drawing an even starker contrast with the competition. The meaning of the season is “Jesus’ birth‚” Abbott insisted in an interview last week. “It’s gotten so lost in the secular world of what the real meaning of Christmas is.” His goal is to change that. Now‚ with an ever-expanding talent pool (many of them popular Hallmark alums)‚ he says‚ “I would put our Christmas movies up against anybody else’s. … It’s about telling great stories that inspire‚” Abbott insisted. And “they may all end in a kiss‚ but they are different‚ and they are not going to be the same experience over two hours‚ because they’re going to incorporate the spirit of the season‚ which is faith and family”—two things‚ the CEO argues‚ that most of Hollywood is “denigrating.” While Hallmark veers off the path that made it a holiday staple‚ Abbott is vowing to “try really hard to reinforce those values.”  In its early months‚ Daly waved off Great American Family‚ insisting‚ “their ratings speak for themselves.” These days‚ that’s exactly what should concern her. Originally published by The Washington Stand The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Hallmark Leans Into LGBT Content‚ Vows More ‘Inclusion’ in 2024 appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Sign Up To Keep Reading This post is for Reclaim The Net supporters. Gain access to the entire archive of features and supporters-only content. Help protect free speech‚ freedom from surveillance‚ and digital civil liberties. Join Already a supporter? Login here The post How Epic Games Beat Google‚ Failed To Take Down Apple and What It Means for Big Tech Monopolies appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. A report from 404 Media‚ for the most part based on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests‚ has put the pieces of a puzzle together to reveal that the US Navy was in business with an adtech company – that “just” happened to be owned by a major military contractor. The company‚ nContext‚ is owned by Sierra Nevada Corporation‚ and what this triangle of surveillance was “keeping in the family” is the business of personal data changing hands‚ and reportedly‚ global (globally collected) data‚ at that. Related: Exposing the Invisible: How Online Advertising Is Behind Sensitive Personal Data Being Tracked and Sold Online 404 Media writes that the public records it has seen show that the Navy was able to use a software tool (called‚ the Sierra Nevada nContext Vanir) that the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) uses for its surveillance operations around the world. nContext‚ supposedly in the adtech (i.e.‚ marketing) business‚ is behind developing that tool. However‚ the publicly available documents do not detail what kind of data the company had at its disposal‚ that was up for sale. Above all‚ this is yet another example of how the ad industry – supposedly innocuous‚ other than for the suspicious amount of money it generates – actually can‚ and does at times work in insidious ways. With this context in mind‚ the complexity and murkiness of the industry is perhaps not haphazard‚ but there to muddle up things as much as possible: because what this case shows is that an ad company can be collecting people’s data‚ allegedly for ad purposes (in and of itself‚ a highly controversial business) – but it then also gets available to all sorts of contractors‚ including those working closely with the US government‚ including the military and law enforcement. The big picture: a government/country that is actively creating workarounds around its own laws and Constitution‚ which are supposed to mandate protecting citizens (including their right to privacy) – in this case‚ their private digital data. “Crucially‚ when government agencies buy this data from a commercial entity‚ they can bypass legal restrictions put in place to protect the transfer and use of that information” – is how 404 Media describes this in its report. In the specific case explored here‚ and in some previous Wall Street Journal articles‚ it appears that the information in question is location data taken from people’s phones and computers. The post The US Navy Bought Surveillance Data Through Adtech Company Owned by Military Contractor Which Harvests Location Data From Smartphones appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. In a significant move showing understanding of the shifting landscape of media and broadcasting‚ Tucker Carlson‚ a well-known political commentator‚ is going his own way after his abrupt departure from Fox News in April. Carlson has not only launched The Tucker Carlson Network (TCN)‚ he has also joined the free speech video platform Rumble. Based on the current uploads‚ the Rumble channel will feature clips from his independent streaming service that is set to offer a range of content including interviews‚ monologues‚ and other unique features. This initiative aligns with a broader trend among political and media figures who are increasingly establishing their own media channels and personal brands‚ often in response to their dissatisfaction or exclusion from mainstream media. In a recent video announcement‚ Carlson‚ who boasts nearly 11 million followers on X (previously known as Twitter)‚ revealed‚ “We’re launching a brand new thing very soon.” He further elaborated on the secretive and extensive preparatory work that has gone into this project‚ stating‚ “We have been working in secret and producing an awful lot of material for months now.” The streaming service‚ named TCN‚ is set to feature high-profile interviews with political figures such as former President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The post Tucker Carlson Joins Free Speech Video Platform Rumble appeared first on Reclaim The Net.