What's the Kennection? #67
All five answers to the questions below have something in common. Can you figure it out?
2023-06-18 13:58
Superman fans compare Christopher Reeve's contrasting cameos in The Flash and Smallville
Warning: This article does contain spoilers for The Flash (2023). If you are in any way interested in superheroes or movies in general you'll no doubt be aware that a new comic book film is being released this week concentrating on the DC character The Flash. It's the first time the scarlet speedster has ever been given a solo movie and despite the controversy surrounding the film's lead star, Ezra Miller, Warner Bros have invested a lot into making this a thrilling experience for fans. The premise of the film is a loose adaptation of the 2011 comic Flashpoint, where The Flash travels back in time to prevent the untimely death of his mother but inadvertently changes the future, as is often the case with time travel movies. As a result, Michael Keaton will be reprising his iconic performance as Batman, a character he hasn't played since 1992 with the likes of Michael Shannon also returning as General Zod and Sasha Calle also delivering a new take on Supergirl. However, people who have already seen the film have noted that several other iconic iterations of these famous characters also make appearances despite some of the actors having already passed away. Many of these are included in the film's climax and feature CGI incarnations of beloved actors like Christopher Reeve as Superman and Adam West as Batman. Other cameos include George Reeves as the Superman from the 1950s, Helen Slater from the 1984 Supergirl movie, Nicolas Cage playing Superman from the unreleased 1990s film and George Clooney reprising Batman from the much maligned 1997 Batman and Robin movie. While The Flash isn't the first movie to use this type of technology (numerous Star Wars titles have already recreated the likes of Carrie Fisher and a younger Mark Hamill for new stories) the use of Reeve's Superman has struck a particularly sour note due to both the messaging and the apparent ugly aesthetic. While Warner Bros is likey to have gotten permission from Reeve's estate to include his likeliness in the film many fans feel that it sets the wrong precedent given that the actor was left paralysed in 1995 before passing away in 2004. Fans of the Superman TV show Smallville have pointed to Reeve's cameo in the show in a 2003 episode which didn't hide his paralysis but respectfully recognised his contribution to the character's legacy and also allowed him to promote his paralysis charity. George Reeves inclusion has also sparked controversy given that the actor ultimately blamed playing Superman for the downfall of his career. His death in 1959 also remains with debates raging over whether he was murdered or took his own life. Given that Reeves is perhaps the least known of all the cameos, fans who have dug into his backstory were shocked that he was included. Ultimately, Warner Bros' owns the rights to Superman and essentially can do whatever they want to with the character but with the growing popularity of multiverses and an over reliance on nostalgia this type of thing will only become more and more common. One thing that we can hope for is that if the technology continues to be used then the tributes will be more tasteful and considered than this time around. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-06-17 23:48
Margot Robbie gave a guided tour of the Barbie Dreamhouse and fans are in 'heaven'
With the release of the Barbie movie coming up, Margot Robbie gave an inside look into the Mattel doll's Dreamhouse with Architectural Digest - and it's just as iconic as you would expect. Of course, the one particular colour that is synonymous with Barbie and fuchsia pink is everywhere on the set - tables, chairs, walls, cars you name it. While the aesthetic took inspiration from Palm Springs's midcentury modernism, with furniture from the 1950s and 1960s, back to when Barbie was first created in 1959 by Ruth Handler as well as products that would be included in Dreamhouse today. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Production designer Sarah Greenwood and set decorator Katie Spence worked with director Greta Gerwig to recreate the childhood nostalgia on-screen, and the set was first made in a miniature format before it was actually created for the set. “I wanted to capture what was so ridiculously fun about the Dreamhouses," Gerwig told Architectural Digest. In terms of scale, the proportions were adapted to be 23 per cent smaller than human size for the set, Gerwig described how this created an "odd effect of making the actors seem big in the space but small overall." Some of the fun elements of the design include a slide to replace the stairs that goes from the bedroom to the pool - "Not super practical but nothing is for Barbie," Robbie said. (Though the pool is fake as there is no actual water in Barbie Land). Despite there being no water, Barbie still showers - but nothing comes out. Nonetheless, Robbie pretends to shower and recalled how she would "look up the old Radox commercials and try to replicate that." In the kitchen, Robbie explained how there is "a mixture of things that a physically there but then also decal (a picture, design, or label made to be transferred (as to glass) from specially prepared paper)," such as the oven and cooker. This plays into the world of toys and "how it would look if it was a Mattel product" as Robbie opened the fridge to show that the back is intentionally 2D with groceries painted onto the decal while the fridge shelf had physical products stocked. "I want everyone to feel like they can reach into the screen and touch everything," Gerwig said, as she recalled standing in Toys 'R' Us looking at Barbie dolls with the plastic sheet over them and wanting to take and touch everything. This is what inspired Barbie's wardrobe with clear doors to the doll's neatly hung up outfits and accessories, with her outfit already magically set out in her wardrobe. When it comes to getting from her bedroom to her car, Barbie impossibly floats down as Robbie said: "Greta said no one actually walks their Barbie down the steps to get into the car." Here's what fans had to say about the Dreamhouse tour: The Barbie movie is set to be released next month on July 21. Elsewhere, the new Barbie movie has caused a worldwide shortage of pink and a new version of 'Barbie Girl' will feature on the movie’s soundtrack. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-06-17 23:26
Kasabian release new song Algorithms
Kasabian have released a standalone track about the major difference between AI humans.
2023-06-16 19:22
Superman fans compare character's 'respectful' Smallville cameo to 'evil' Flash appearance
Warning: This article does contain spoilers for The Flash (2023). If you are in any way interested in superheroes or movies in general you'll no doubt be aware that a new comic book film is being released this week concentrating on the DC character The Flash. It's the first time the scarlet speedster has ever been given a solo movie and despite the controversy surrounding the film's lead star, Ezra Miller, Warner Bros have invested a lot into making this a thrilling experience for fans. The premise of the film is a loose adaptation of the 2011 comic Flashpoint, where The Flash travels back in time to prevent the untimely death of his mother but inadvertently changes the future, as is often the case with time travel movies. As a result, Michael Keaton will be reprising his iconic performance as Batman, a character he hasn't played since 1992 with the likes of Michael Shannon also returning as General Zod and Sasha Calle also delivering a new take on Supergirl. However, people who have already seen the film have noted that several other iconic iterations of these famous characters also make appearances despite some of the actors having already passed away. Many of these are included in the film's climax and feature CGI incarnations of beloved actors like Christopher Reeve as Superman and Adam West as Batman. Other cameos include George Reeves as the Superman from the 1950s, Helen Slater from the 1984 Supergirl movie, Nicolas Cage playing Superman from the unreleased 1990s film and George Clooney reprising Batman from the much maligned 1997 Batman and Robin movie. While The Flash isn't the first movie to use this type of technology (numerous Star Wars titles have already recreated the likes of Carrie Fisher and a younger Mark Hamill for new stories) the use of Reeve's Superman has struck a particularly sour note due to both the messaging and the apparent ugly aesthetic. While Warner Bros is likey to have gotten permission from Reeve's estate to include his likeliness in the film many fans feel that it sets the wrong precedent given that the actor was left paralysed in 1995 before passing away in 2004. Fans of the Superman TV show Smallville have pointed to Reeve's cameo in the show in a 2003 episode which didn't hide his paralysis but respectfully recognised his contribution to the character's legacy and also allowed him to promote his paralysis charity. Ultimately, Warner Bros' owns the rights to Superman and essentially can do whatever they want to with the character but with the growing popularity of multiverses and an over reliance on nostalgia this type of thing will only become more and more common. One thing that we can hope for is that if the technology continues to be used then the tributes will be more tasteful and considered than this time around. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-06-16 00:26
SZA defends Lizzo against body shamers
SZA loves Lizzo.
2023-06-15 23:25
Jesse Malin reveals he had rare spinal stroke that left him paralyzed
Jesse Malin is a rocker well known for dancing and interacting with the crowds at his concerts, and he hopes to get back to that someday.
2023-06-15 22:56
Harry Styles sweetly reveals gender of pregnant fan's baby during Wembley gig
Harry Styles loves audience interaction during his concerts, but one fan was lucky enough to have her baby's gender revealed in front of a sold-out Wembley Arena. The fan had been holding a sign up alongside a gender reveal balloon, when the singer agreed to pop it on her behalf - showering pink confetti across the stage to signal the baby being a girl. He quipped: "Question, what if I hadn't seen the sign? You would have taken it to Coldplay or something? Yeah I know your game!" Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter
2023-06-15 22:19
Jason Schwartzman hails tight-knit Asteroid City cast
Jason Schwartzman embraced the close relationships with cast and crew on the set of Wes Anderson's film 'Asteroid City'.
2023-06-15 17:46
Carl from 'Up' is back in a new short film and everyone is crying again
Carl from Pixar's hit movie 'Up' is back, and everyone is preparing to be in tears all over again. The sweet old man is reappearing in a new short film that sees him finally go on a date following the death of his wife, which was explored in the original movie. Of course, Doug the dog will be there for the ride too, advising Carl on whether the chocolates he bought for his date are good enough. Carl's date is released on 16 June. Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter
2023-06-15 00:15
Lil Wayne says he can no longer remember his own songs
Lil Wayne has spoken about his issues with memory loss brought on by a number of health problems, saying that he can no longer remember many of his own songs. The rapper, real name Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., has been suffering with epilepsy and recurrent seizures over recent years. The 40-year-old said that early albums such as Tha Carter III, Tha Carter II and Tha Carter IV, hold “no significance” to him now as a result of the memory loss. Speaking in an interview with Rolling Stone, Lil Wayne said: “That’s just my God’s honest truth. You could lie, you could ask me (about) such and such song, I wouldn’t even know what we talking about. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “I don’t even know if that’s when Tha Carter III came out. That’s how much I don’t know,” he added. "And also, I always look at it as the curse part of the gift and the curse. "I believe that [God] blessed me with this amazing mind, but would not give [me] an amazing memory to remember this amazing s**t." The musician is still planning to keep working, and won’t let his memory loss impact his plans for the future. “Even when you say it, I don’t think you actually mean stop working or doing music. You probably just mean you want to retire from everything else but the music,” he said. “When you’re an artist, a real artist like myself, I was born this way. So I don’t think that the real true artists and pioneers, they never retire. They died doing this.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-06-13 22:58
Ezra Miller thanks supporters for their 'grace' at 'The Flash' premiere
Ezra Miller made their first public appearance Monday after facing some upheaval last year.
2023-06-13 20:17