'What if anything can be done about it'

'Severe criminal sanctions'

'Joycelyn had relocated to Texas'

Took the witness stand Thursday

The Blue Jackets just got cutthroat at ish

The personal passion project of Hollywood A-lister Christian Bale seems to finally be coming to fruition as the Welsh actor recently broke ground on a children’s foster care village in Palmdale‚ California. Founding the non-profit Together California‚ it’s taken Mr. Bale 16 years to really get the show on the road after being inspired to […] The post Christian Bale Breaks Ground on 12 Foster Homes to House Hundreds of Transitioning Teens in California appeared first on Good News Network.

News The Trailer for Marvel’s X-Men ’97 Is Basically Perfect It’s vintage and it’s new and the theme song is a bop By Molly Templeton | Published on February 15‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed If you never watched the ’90s X-Men: The Animated Series cartoons‚ don’t worry: Even though the new series X-Men ’97 is a continuation of that story‚ the trailer will tell you the important things you may have missed. Such as: Professor X died! And now‚ alas‚ Scott Summers is in charge. He even gets to say “To me‚ my X-Men‚” so you know he’s trying really hard. Also Magneto is trying to muck things up‚ as per usual. But let’s be honest: You don’t actually have to remember or know anything about ye olde X-Men cartoons to enjoy this trailer‚ and not just because this theme song is one of the greatest theme songs of all time. You just need to get the gist: Mutants exist‚ people hate them‚ mutants have different ideas about how to live with or destroy puny humans. The usual drill‚ except now‚ in the 2020s‚ absolutely everyone knows who Wolverine is. (Hard as it may be to believe‚ this was not always the case‚ though the older animated series was pretty popular.) Here’s the show’s very brief summary: X-Men’97 revisits the iconic era of the 1990s as The X-Men‚ a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them‚ are challenged like never before‚ forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future. The show’s voice cast includes a handful of actors returning from the ’90s carton: Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm)‚ Cal Dodd (Wolverine)‚ Lenore Zann (Rogue)‚ and George Buza (Beast). New cast members include Ray Chase (Cyclops)‚ Jennifer Hale (Jean Grey)‚ JP Karliak (Morph)‚ AJ LoCascio (Gambit)‚ Holly Chou (Jubilee)‚ Isaac Robinson-Smith (Bishop)‚ Matthew Waterson (Magneto)‚ and Adrian Hough (Nightcrawler). Beau DeMayo is the series’ head writer‚ and directors include Jake Castorena‚ Chase Conley and Emi Yonemura. X-Men ’97 starts streaming on March 20th. [end-mark] The post The Trailer for Marvel’s <;i>;X-Men ’97<;/i>; Is Basically Perfect appeared first on Reactor.

News Hugo Awards Kat Jones Resigns as Glasgow 2024 Hugo Administrator after Her Participation in Chengdu Hugo Censorship Revealed By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on February 15‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed Today‚ the chair of the Glasgow 2024 Worldcon‚ Esther MacCallum-Stewart announced in a statement that Kat Jones “has resigned with immediate effect as Hugo Administrator from Glasgow 2024 and has been removed from the Glasgow 2024 team across all mediums.” The move comes after a report posted on File 770 revealed‚ via leaked emails provided by Diane Lacey‚ that Jones‚ along with Lacey and Western Hugo administrator Dave McCarty‚ researched nominees for anything they thought might be of concern to the Chinese government in the lead up to the Chengdu 2023 Worldcon. “We were told to vet nominees for work focusing on China‚ Taiwan‚ Tibet‚ or other topics that may be an issue in China and‚ to my shame‚ I did so‚” Lacey said in an apology statement. “Understand that I signed up fully aware that there were going to be issues. I am not that naïve regarding the Chinese political system‚ but I wanted the Hugos to happen‚ and not have them completely crash and burn.” Jones also issued a statement in light of the File 770 story by Jason Sanford and Chris M. Barkley. “For Chengdu‚ I conducted the eligibility research as instructed by the 2023 Hugo Award Administrator [McCarty]‚ and asked for clarifications where instructions were not clear‚” she said. “I did have concerns‚ and I shared them with the Administrator. Those concerns you should have evidence of if you have access to all communications. I was not involved in the evaluation of the data we flagged—and you’ll note in those emails we all expressed confusion over the vague instructions and had no idea whether anthing [sic] we were mentioning was an actual problem.” She added‚ “I had serious concerns at this point about this process. I then stepped back and did no further work for the Chengdu Worldcon after the first pass of eligibility research. I only had visibility into that first step as a Hugo researcher. I did not ever and do not have visibility into why the choices that were made‚ were made.” Glasgow 2024 also announced that they were taking steps “to ensure transparency and to attempt to redress the grievous loss of trust in the administration of the Awards.” Those steps include publishing “the reasons for any disqualifications of potential finalists‚ and any withdrawals of potential finalists from the ballot” in late March or early April (i.e.‚ without the delay that occurred with Chengdu); full voting results‚ nominating statistics‚ and voting statistics will be published immediately after the Awards ceremony on August 11‚ 2024; and the publishing of “a log explaining the decisions that they have made in interpreting the WSFS Constitution immediately after the Awards ceremony.” [end-mark] The post Kat Jones Resigns as Glasgow 2024 Hugo Administrator after Her Participation in Chengdu Hugo Censorship Revealed appeared first on Reactor.

Excerpts book review Kacen Callender Strikes Gold with Infinity Alchemist Maura Krause reviews Kacen Callender’s YA debut. By Maura Krause | Published on February 15‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed The whole time I was reading Kacen Callender’s Infinity Alchemist‚ I couldn’t stop thinking: Damn‚ this book rules. Yes‚ it has a lot of the elements that rightfully get attention right now: queer and trans characters of color‚ dark academia‚ sexy polyamorous romance‚ struggles with the legacy of one’s parents‚ a heady magic system‚ and a set of governing Houses each with specific disciplines. But these aspects are not what makes Infinity Alchemist such a terrific read. Callender’s first young adult fantasy is more than the sum of its parts‚ building its riproaring plot around an ambitious meditation on interconnectedness and power. I won’t say I couldn’t put the book down‚ but I will say every time real life forced me away from my reading‚ I daydreamed about the world of Ash‚ Ramsay‚ and Callum until I could return to it. Infinity Alchemist is set in New Anglia‚ a state where practicing alchemy (magic) requires a license. The only way to pass the licensing test is to be trained to pass it‚ which involves memorizing a lot of obscure facts about the history of alchemy. (Reminiscent of US citizenship tests‚ anyone?) What makes this even more infuriating is that everyone has the power for alchemy‚ as alchemy consists of channeling the energy that forms all life‚ known in New Anglia as Source. All humans practice tier 1 alchemy simply by being alive; those that excel in some realm‚ such as artists or dancers‚ unintentionally practice tier 2. But tier 3 and above? If you don’t have a license and get caught doing a working‚ you are reported to the redguards and either imprisoned or—if you’re a big enough problem—hung. The stated reason behind this regulation of alchemy is that many in this world don’t trust it‚ and unmonitored alchemists are dangerous. In fact‚ the followers of House Lune‚ one of the ruling families of New Anglia‚ aggressively campaigns against alchemists‚ calling them sinners and advocating for them all to be executed.  Buy the Book Infinity Alchemist Kacen Callender Buy Book icon-close Infinity Alchemist Kacen Callender Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget It’s in this environment that eighteen-year-old Ashen Woods scrapes together enough money to apply to Lancaster College for the study of alchemy‚ and is rejected. This is even more devastating because the father that Ash has never known‚ respected alchemist and politician Gresham Hain‚ teaches at Lancaster. Motivated by the desire to finally meet his absentee parent‚ as well as the need to get a job outside of his gang-ruled neighborhood‚ Ash takes the position of assistant groundskeeper at the college. While watering the plants in mysterious youngest-professor-ever Ramsay Thorne’s office‚ Ash finds research notes about a search for the Book of Source: a mythical text said to align any reader so perfectly with Source that they would become the most powerful alchemist imaginable. Noting a symbol in the notes‚ Ash manifests it in metal‚ only to be caught by Thorne—who realizes that Ash is who the gender-shifting professor needs to achieve his goal and find the very real Book of Source. The two strike a deal‚ where Ash helps Ramsay and she teaches Ash to pass the license exam. Naturally‚ it isn’t that easy. Their strong personalities clash‚ but eventually mutual irritation turns to attraction and then to love. Now a team‚ the pair’s hunt for the Book throws them in the path of danger and puts them in opposition to the very person Ash most wants to earn the respect of: his father‚ Gresham Hain. Pursuing their mission nonetheless‚ Ash gets arrested and put under the control of Ramsay’s ex Callum‚ redguard and son to the ruthless leader of House Kendrick. Yet Callum is not what he seems‚ and the journey to the Book’s hiding place ends up being more fraught than Ramsay ever expected. I could continue writing about the plot of Infinity Alchemist all day‚ but in the interests of avoiding too many spoilers‚ I’ll pivot to gushing about Ash. He is no noble milquetoast of a Righteous Hero. Instead‚ Ash behaves like a real teenager fueled by past grief and trauma. He is angry at the world and impulsive‚ learning from his mistakes slowly‚ if at all. His moral code is strong‚ but his demonstration of it relies more on principle than practicality‚ and at times his self-interest gets in the way. Ash is also persistent and clever and brave and full of love. In short‚ he’s a fascinating protagonist. I love rooting for characters who frustrate me and inspire me in turn—and it isn’t only Ash who falls into this category. Ramsay and Callum are both precisely-drawn characters that remain true to their backstories‚ who will disappoint on one page only to blaze brilliant on the next. In a slight spoiler‚ reading the relationships between these characters also healed me from every time I’ve read a love triangle and thought it would all be okay if everyone just realized it’s possible and FINE to love more than one person. Callender’s magic system is another successful pillar of their novel. Basing alchemy on the energy that makes up all life allows its foundation to be intuitive‚ while the actual spells and academic knowledge detailed in the book are almost too esoteric for me to understand. Which I love! If magic takes years of practice and study to master‚ I don’t want to understand it all by chapter five. Even Ash is initially bewildered by the complexity of Source‚ setting him on a beautiful arc towards understanding that all life is one and the same‚ connected by shared energy from the universe.  Yet seeing all life with love is not the only way to power in New Anglia. Most of the House leaders as well as egomaniacal Gresham Hain force Source to bend to their wills. In the vein of Bruno Bettelheim claiming that fairytales were a way for children to confront their worst fears‚ having Callum and Ash’s fathers be the primary oppressive forces is a compellingly traditional choice from Callender. It may bear mythic flavor for some readers‚ but for others it will reflect very real intolerance and rejection on the part of their family members. These villains are also a neat metaphor for the ways young people are confronting the inhumane systems that previous generations have deeply invested in. One last thing: For folks like me who hesitate to start reading a series before it’s complete‚ rest assured that Infinity Alchemist has a satisfying ending. Despite a brief teaser of a vague future threat‚ the novel could be a standalone—except for the fact that these characters left me so hungry for more. I can’t wait for Callender to release the second in this series‚ especially because it means I’ll have to reread this phenomenal first installment. Infinity Alchemist is published by Tor Teen. The post Kacen Callender Strikes Gold with <;em>;Infinity Alchemist<;/em>; appeared first on Reactor.

News The Umbrella Academy The Umbrella Academy Season 4 Gets a Release Date By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on February 15‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed Netflix has finally announced that we’ll see the fourth and final season of The Umbrella Academy this summer. According to the streamer‚ the new episodes will be available starting on August 8‚ 2024. We also got a first look of that season‚ which you can take a gander at above. Netflix‚ via their Tudum website‚ also released a short behind-the-scenes featurette where the cast gave vague descriptors as to what we’ll see in the upcoming season. Elliot Page‚ for example‚ described the season as including “excitement‚ surprises‚ humor.” Aidan Gallagher‚ who plays Number 5‚ called out the vagueness by saying‚ “You can expect us‚ in marketing material‚ to try and dance around getting people excited without saying anything new.” In case you need a refresher‚ the end of season three saw the Hargreeves siblings thrust into another timeline by their abusive father where none of them have any powers. Will they ever get their powers back? Will they be able to avoid the destruction of the universe‚ something they seem prone to do? We’ll have to wait and see‚ as Netflix is keeping the lid tight on any plot details. In addition to Page and Gallagher‚ The Umbrella Academy stars Tom Hopper‚ David Castañeda‚ Emmy Raver-Lampman‚ Robert Sheehan‚ Justin H. Min‚ Ritu Arya‚ and Colm Feore. The fourth season will also see Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally joining the cast‚ playing college professors who get caught up in timeline shenanigans. David Cross will also be in the upcoming episodes playing Sy Grossman‚ a “business owner and family man” looking to reconnect with his estranged daughter. The first three seasons of The Umbrella Academy are now streaming on Netflix. [end-mark] The post <;i>;The Umbrella Academy<;/i>; Season 4 Gets a Release Date appeared first on Reactor.