Random Thoughts

As Jonathan Majors prepares for a May 8 court appearance on domestic violence charges, his PR problems are about to get bigger.

Sources familiar with the matter tell Variety that multiple alleged abuse victims of Majors have come forward following his March arrest and are cooperating with the Manhattan district attorney’s office. The prospect of more women waiting in the wings would mark a dramatic turn in the case and comes on the heels of Majors’ publicists and management firm cutting ties with the embattled actor earlier this week.

The D.A. declined comment.

“Jonathan Majors is innocent and has not abused anyone. We have provided irrefutable evidence to the District Attorney that the charges are false. We are confident that he will be fully exonerated,” said Majors’ attorney Priya Chaudhry in a statement.

The “Creed III” star was arrested on March 25 in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan on charges of strangulation, assault and harassment. At the time, an NYPD spokesperson said in a statement that a 30-year-old woman told police she had been assaulted by Majors, 33, and that she “sustained minor injuries to her head and neck and was removed to an area hospital in stable condition.” But Chaudhry mounted an immediate and aggressive response, insisting that the actor “is provably the victim of an altercation with a woman he knows” and suggested the woman was having “an emotional crisis.” A source familiar with the chronology of events says the attorney released the statement while he was still behind bars.

Chaudhry’s husband, Andrew Bourke, is serving as Majors’ crisis publicist and doubled down on the narrative that Majors was the victim when he released a series of text messages on March 30 that were intended to be exonerating. In the text exchange, which has not been independently verified, the woman wrote to Majors, “I told them it was my fault for trying to grab your phone” and stressed that she told police “this was not an attack.” The woman allegedly wrote, “Please let me know you’re okay when you get this. They assured me that you won’t be charged. They said they had to arrest you as protocol when they saw the injuries on me and they knew we had a fight. I’m so angry that they did. And I’m sorry you’re in this position. Will make sure nothing happens about this. … I love you.”

A few hours later, the woman allegedly wrote, “I know you have the best team and there’s nothing to worry about I just want you to know that I’m doing all I can my end. I also said to tell the judge to know that the origin of the [911] call was to do with me collapsing and passing out and your worry as my partner due to our communication prior.” But for many who were in business with Majors, the text messages had the opposite effect and raised more questions than they answered, namely why the woman had lost consciousness.

“It read like a bad Lifetime movie. They basically look like the text messages of a textbook abused woman,” says one person who is working with Majors on an upcoming project.

In recent months, Majors had become one of Hollywood’s most promising stars, with a series of high-profile and lucrative roles on the horizon. Now, all eyes are on his future with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where he is poised to play the titular Kang in “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.” Majors is still attached to star in that film, which is slated to be released on May 2, 2025, and he is poised for a $20 million payday including back-end compensation. He also was signed to star in “Avengers: Secret Wars,” which is slated to debut in 2026. Disney is monitoring the fast-moving situation and has time to move deliberately.

The mega-budget tentpole Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” is scheduled to begin production in the spring of next year. Disney is already deep in business with Majors, given that its specialty label Searchlight acquired the actor’s critically lauded drama “Magazine Dreams,” in which he plays a troubled body builder, at the Sundance Film Festival and was prepared to mount a robust best actor awards campaign later this year when it releases the film on Dec. 8. Majors already shot the second season of the Disney+ series “Loki,” which is expected to launch on the streaming platform in mid-2023.

Disney has the added wrinkle in that the alleged victim in the Manhattan incident also worked on this year’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” a film in which Majors was third-billed as Kang the Conqueror.

A Disney spokesperson declined comment.

Separately, Majors is stepping down from the board of the Gotham Film and Media Institute and his work with the Sidney Poitier Initiative, which was created to support emerging filmmakers. On Wednesday afternoon, executive director Jeffrey Sharp sent a note to the Gotham board alerting them of the move.

The industry was jolted by news that Majors’ publicists, the Lede Company and Management 360, had dropped their star client well before his first court appearance next month. As of now, WME is still representing Majors. In 2018, the agency created a so-called “client advisory committee,” which makes a recommendation on whether or not to drop a client accused of impropriety. The committee of some 20 staffers — split evenly along gender lines and from a cross section of divisions — evaluates a client’s viability amid accusations and considers such factors as if the client has been charged criminally or is facing a civil lawsuit. WME has previously dropped such clients as Brett Ratner, Bryan Singer and Armie Hammer. The committee has not met yet regarding Majors based on the limited information that is available.

Still, in the wake of the actor’s March 26 arraignment on a complaint involving misdemeanor charges for assault and aggravated harassment, additional red flags began to emerge. Broadway actor Tim Nicolai, who appeared opposite Rachel Weisz in the Public Theater production of “Plenty,” tweeted that day, “I’m already seeing a bunch of ‘why didn’t you do anything?!’ Folks, people have tried. Ultimately needed a victim to come forward. It’s both simultaneously awful to know he is still doing this and also a relief that he may never get to again. A bunch of us are close with people (and sometimes multiple people) he has directly harmed. I don’t know if they will speak on it. It is completely their decision.”

When Variety reached out to Nicolai, he responded: “I stand by what I wrote. And I support his victims I know of in however they choose to move forward.” (Nicolai says no one from Majors’ camp reached out to him in the aftermath of his tweets.)

A judge ordered Majors released on his own recognizance on March 25 with a limited order of protection. Over the ensuing weeks, the actor, a Yale School of Drama alum whose recent credits include “Devotion,”“Da Five Bloods” and an Emmy-nominated role in HBO’s “Lovecraft Country,” has been dropped from a number of jobs including Protagonist Pictures’ “The Man in My Basement.” MLB’s Texas Rangers have cut Majors from their 2023 season ad campaign that was scheduled to launch on Friday. And fashion house Valentino and Majors have also “mutually agreed” that the actor will no longer attend this year’s Met Gala.

In addition to his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the actor also is poised to play NBA bad boy Dennis Rodman in the Lionsgate film “48 Hours in Vegas.” With that project, the studio is watching developments closely before making a decision about whether or not to proceed with Majors. Other projects that hang in the balance include Spike Lee’s “Da Understudy” for Amazon. A source at the studio says Majors is still attached to star and produce alongside Will Smith, but the project hasn’t moved forward since it was announced in early March.

“I think the truth is everyone is waiting to see what Marvel will do,” says an industry insider familiar with the situation. “It doesn’t mean everyone will do the same thing, but that’s what people are looking to.”

WyldeMan wrote:Sweet Cannabis deals Batman!!!!

I rolled into my local weed shop this afternoon for my usual re-up, not realizing that today was 4/20 until the budtender rang my ounce rang up at $4.20!!! I just stood there dumbfounded.

I thought they were fucking with me, I cannot even stress how mind blowing of a moment that was for someone who smokes as much as me, I felt like I might have smoked myself into a parallel universe. What a relief to hear that they've just got a new distro who wanted to make a big splash and so for the annual smokers holiday they decided to run a promotional deal selling their ounces for $4.20.

For comparison sake for those of you who don't smoke, over the past year I've typically been paying around $80 per oz.

And when I was in high school an ounce cost $300...

The moral of my story? Happy fuckin 4/20!!!

WyldeMan wrote:After 15 years and countless wood projects, my Makita drill and driver Ion-batteries have finally given up the ghost. After yesterday's projects, they're both struggling to drill even a dozen holes without dying on me. It's finally time to upgrade to a newer set of brushless Makitas and I am stoked for their arrival tomorrow.

Look at these powerful and sexy little beasts....

Spoiler:

• 2x Driver drills.
  
• 1/2" Impact drill.
  
• Hammer drill
  
• Circular saw.
  
• Reciprocating saw.
  
• 2x Angle grinder.
  
• Multitool.
  
• Hedge Trimmer.
  
• Line Trimmer
  
• Caulking gun.
  
• Stick Vacuum.
  
• Radio.
  

Rusty wrote:Have been a Makita user for over 2 decades. Those original Ni-mh batteries lasted a few years before needing replacing. Got to the point the circular saw would be lucky to cut a 2x4 without needing recharging. Upgraded to Lithium-ion a little over 10 years ago and haven't looked back. Great tools. Still use them regularly.

My 18v set includes:

• 2x Driver drills.
  
• 1/2" Impact drill.
  
• Hammer drill
  
• Circular saw.
  
• Reciprocating saw.
  
• 2x Angle grinder.
  
• Multitool.
  
• Hedge Trimmer.
  
• Line Trimmer
  
• Caulking gun.
  
• Stick Vacuum.
  
• Radio.
  

UltimateMarvel wrote:Wylde, why not just buy new batteries if the drills were good?

WyldeMan wrote:The battery replacements are $150 and I bought both brand new drills for $200.

I'm not getting rid of my older Makitas, I do plan to replace their batteries but for right now I went the quicker route since I was in the middle of several projects.

WyldeMan wrote:The battery replacements are $150 and I bought both brand new drills for $200.

I'm not getting rid of my older Makitas, I do plan to replace their batteries but for right now I went the quicker route since I was in the middle of several projects.

The Writers Guild of America is on strike.

“Though we negotiated intent on making a fair deal – and though your strike vote gave us the leverage to make some gains – the studios’ responses to our proposals have been wholly insufficient, given the existential crisis writers are facing,” the WGA said in a message sent directly to members just now. “We must now exert the maximum leverage possible to get a fair contract by withholding our labor,” the guild leadership added. “Members of the Negotiating Committee, Board and Council will be out with you on the picket lines.”

News of the strike, which takes effect in a few hours, came late Monday after the guild’s negotiations with the AMPTP failed to reach an agreement on a new film and scripted TV contract. It’s the WGA’s first strike since the 100-day walkout of 2007-08.

Less than an hour after talks with the studios ended and over three hours before their current contract officially expires, the guild also made a public announcement of the labor action :

Following the unanimous recommendation of the WGA Negotiating Committee, the Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and the Council of the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), acting upon the authority granted to them by their memberships, have voted unanimously to call a strike, effective 12:01 AM, Tuesday, May 2.

The decision was made following six weeks of negotiations with Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony under the umbrella of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The WGA Negotiating Committee began this process intent on making a fair deal, but the studios’ responses have been wholly insufficient given the existential crisis writers are facing.

The companies’ behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing. From their refusal to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a “day rate” in comedy variety, to their stonewalling on free work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers, they have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession. No such deal could ever be contemplated by this membership.

Picketing will begin tomorrow afternoon.

As well as declaring a strike status tonight, the guild have said when and where the first picketing will take place. With locations such as Netflix’s Hollywood offices, CBS TV City near the Grove and the other usual suspects of Disney, Universal, and more, the initial pickets in LA will go up at 1 PM PT.

The declaration by the guild follows a statement at 7:59 PM Monday from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers that bluntly stated: “Negotiations between the AMPTP and the WGA concluded without an agreement today.”

Illuminating members on what big difference were between what the WGA was asking for and what they say the studios were putting on the table, the guild revealed tonight just how truly far apart the two sides were up until the end of talks on the money and the future. “WGA proposals would gain writers approximately $429 million per year; AMPTP’s offer is approximately $86 million per year, 48% of which is from the minimums increase,” stated the guild.

On the topic of AI, the WGA wanted to “regulate use of artificial intelligence on MBA covered projects: AI can’t write or rewrite literary material; can’t be used as source material; and MBA-covered material can’t be used to train AI.” The response from the studios was a rejection of the WGA’s proposal, and then a counter offer of “annual meetings to discuss advancements in technology.”

Along with the first major Tinseltown strike in 15 years, the WGA has scheduled an information session for members for May 3 at the more than 6,000 capacity Shrine Auditorium . Even before that, as picket signs go up tomorrow, late-night shows on both coasts will be shutting down , along with writers rooms and any big-screen or small-screen project that still is fine-tuning or grinding out scripts.

All over town agents and producers are moving with last minute haste to get deals sewn up before midnight so in some cases some scribes can get one last pay check, we hear.

The guild started making picket signs last week after issuing a long list of “strike rules,” which prohibit members from working on struck productions, and from selling and pitching scripts during the strike.

Going into the talks, the guild had been seeking a major overhaul in compensation and residuals formulae, as well as curbs on mini-rooms, where groups of writers work in advance of the production of a television series to break stories and write scripts.

Battered by low residuals, a lack of streaming data information, job insecurity and more, writers are bringing in less money overall despite a content boom in recent year of more shows and more platforms The low income most scribes are experiencing is something that neither side truly disputes, even if they have widely divergent approaches as of now on how to resolve the problem.

The guild also wants greater protections for its members’ over-scale payments, noting that with the rise of streaming, more writers at all levels are working at scale than ever before, including many showrunners.

WyldeMan wrote:TV pretty much came to a stand still during the 2007-2008 strike because we didn't have the option to load up any one of a dozen streaming services stocked with content to help ride out this strike however long it lasts.

I rode the last strike out with my DVD collection but after all these years, my choices are pretty much endless no matter how long this lasts for. I don't see this one having as much of an impact as it did the last time.

How are you all feeling about this strike compared to the last time?

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:TV pretty much came to a stand still during the 2007-2008 strike because we didn't have the option to load up any one of a dozen streaming services stocked with content to help ride out this strike however long it lasts.

I rode the last strike out with my DVD collection but after all these years, my choices are pretty much endless no matter how long this lasts for. I don't see this one having as much of an impact as it did the last time.

How are you all feeling about this strike compared to the last time?

There is tons of stuff I still want to watch and catch up on so I'll be ok either way whether it takes a month or three.

WyldeMan wrote:TV pretty much came to a stand still during the 2007-2008 strike because we didn't have the option to load up any one of a dozen streaming services stocked with content to help ride out this strike however long it lasts.

I rode the last strike out with my DVD collection but after all these years, my choices are pretty much endless no matter how long this lasts for. I don't see this one having as much of an impact as it did the last time.

How are you all feeling about this strike compared to the last time?

Tyger wrote:It was a blessing and a curse as a viewer because I started watching things I wasn’t watching then and also discovered other shows later that were victims to the strike.

Not only are there a fuck ton of options of things to watch these days, but even pre-COVID we've grown used to binging a season in a weekend and waiting a year or more for another.

That being said, good for the writers. If only actors and all the other entertainment professionals would strike with them, this would get resolved much faster.

UltimateMarvel wrote:Definitely doesn't sound like he's good. What could it have been? Stroke or hear attack? I hope he gets well.

WyldeMan wrote:I decided to clean out a dresser that I've basically used for random item storage for several years and I just found two of my old iPods.

I haven't seen them in probably four years and yet they charged right up and turned on fully loaded with music.

How do they still work....

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:I decided to clean out a dresser that I've basically used for random item storage for several years and I just found two of my old iPods.

I haven't seen them in probably four years and yet they charged right up and turned on fully loaded with music.

How do they still work....

Nice! Use them for a couple of weeks and see how long they last. I don't except anything to last these days.

UltimateMarvel wrote:I'm shocked there is a sequel. First one was really bad.

Jamie Foxx’s loved ones are reportedly holding out hope he will make a full recovery but are preparing for the worst as his health continues to decline.

WyldeMan wrote:How dare you sir!!! The Meg is a modern classic! I have seen it no less than SIX times!

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:How dare you sir!!! The Meg is a modern classic! I have seen it no less than SIX times!

I'll be surprised if you even saw it once.

Wendy's is the latest fast food chain to get in on the AI craze. The company has announced that it will let an AI chatbot take customer orders at the drive-thru window.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Ohio-based company will be introducing an AI chatbot, developed by Google's cloud-computing division, to one of its Columbus locations as it tests out whether the technology can help "streamline" its business.

While we don't know much about the chatbot yet, including how much it costs or what kind of interface it will use, a glib comment from Wendy's CEO Todd Penegor reveals the dystopian undertones of the whole endeavor.

"It will be very conversational," Penegor told the Journal. "You won’t know you’re talking to anybody but an employee."

As if that wasn't creepy enough, the timing of this announcement could also be telling given that in January, Wendy's announced that it is "restructuring" its business and that layoffs were possible.

Heading off concerns that Wendy's may seek to replace workers with AI, Penegor told the WSJ that AI is not going to replace workers but will instead help them do their jobs better. The argument echoes those being made by other CEOs across industries as they rush to cut costs while still investing big in AI.

This isn't the first time a fast-food joint has tried this kind of scheme.

Earlier this year, Insider reported on a viral trend where people filmed their hilariously bad interactions with the chatbots that have been taking orders at a select number of McDonald's drive-thrus. Some of these customers ended up getting bags of random packs of butter and ketchup without ever asking for them.

The takeaway: AIs may not be ready to replace human labor at the drive-thru lane and could cause more chaos instead of actually supporting employees.

To get ahead of any stand-offs at the checkout, Wendy's is having an employee oversee interactions between customers and AI — which might be a wise decision.

"You may think driving by and speaking into a drive-through is an easy problem for AI, but it’s actually one of the hardest," Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, who is working on the project, told the WSJ.

Nevertheless, as CEOs keep trying to find new ways to shoehorn AI tech into their products to appease investors, customers will likely have to interact with a chatbot in one way or another in the near future — whether they like to or not.

Source: Futurism

Dior is doubling down on its relationship with Johnny Depp.

The French luxury fashion house and cosmetics giant, which stood by the star even when he faced choppy PR waters amid his legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard, has signed Depp to a massive deal, marking the biggest men’s fragrance pact ever.

Sources peg the three-year deal at upwards of $20 million, which eclipses Robert Pattinson’s $12 million deal to serve as a spokesperson for Dior Homme and Brad Pitt’s $7 million pact to promote Chanel No. 5. A source familiar with the fragrance industry says most A-listers with fragrance deals pull in around $2 million-$4 million per year like Chris Pine, whose deal with Armani is valued at $4 million a year over 3 years.

Dior didn’t respond to a request for comment. A rep for Depp declined comment.

Since 2015, the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star has served as the face of Dior Sauvage, with an ad campaign that leaned into his image as a wild rocker. The company faced pressure to drop Depp after a U.K. court ruled against him in his 2020 libel suit against The Sun over its description of him as a “wife beater” with regards to Heard. But Depp’s image and marketability improved dramatically last year after he prevailed in a closely-watched defamation trial against Heard, and Dior Sauvage sales skyrocketed, with Bernard Arnault, CEO of Dior’s parent company LVMH, citing the “image of Johnny Depp” as one of the main reasons why the cologne had been “a remarkable success.”.

In last year’s case, which took place in Virginia and was live-streamed online, a seven-member jury found that Heard defamed Depp and awarded him $10 million in compensatory damages plus $5 million in punitive damages, the latter capped by the state at $350,000. The jury of seven essentially threw cold water on Heard’s 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which she claimed to be a survivor of domestic abuse.

Depp’s new Dior deal coincides with a high-profile showing for him at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, where he will be on hand for the May 16 world premiere of Maïwenn’s historical drama “Jeanne du Barry,” in which he plays King Louis XV. He is expected to attend a Dior dinner on May 17 before heading to London the following day for a Jeff Beck tribute, where he will perform alongside Eric Clapton and Rod Stewart. Sales will also kick off at the Cannes market for Depp’s first directorial effort in 25 years. The film, titled “Modi,” centers on the life of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani (Riccardo Scamarcio) and features a cast that also includes Al Pacino. Sales outfit The Veterans is shopping “Modi,” which will shoot in the fall.

The lucrative Dior pact, which was negotiated by Depp’s reps at Range Media, could help pave the way for the actor’s return to movies from the major studios, which had been hesitant to work with him prior to the Virginia verdict. The lost wages were significant given that Depp’s team had closed a deal for Depp to be paid $22.5 million for “Pirates 6” in 2017 – a figure that came out during the Virginia trial.

WyldeMan wrote:Then be surprised because six was the real number!!!!

The Meg and Wrath of Man are my two favorite Statham movies of the last decade, I've watched them both quite a few times because they're perpetually available on Prime and Paramount.

WyldeMan wrote:Wendy's Installing Drive-Thru AI Chatbot That Takes Your Order

WyldeMan wrote:Johnny Depp Signs $20 Million-Plus Dior Deal, Marking the Biggest Men’s Fragrance Pact Ever

WyldeMan wrote:We've had an unnaturally hot May here in Washington and it would seem that we're in the middle of a heat wave. It's been in the 80's every day this week and it will continue for at least another week. We're getting no rain and fires are breaking out all over in the mountains so I've likely got waves of ash headed my way when that doesn't typically happen until much later in the Summer.

How's your weather?

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:Wendy's Installing Drive-Thru AI Chatbot That Takes Your Order

Like I said, it's happening so fast. Ready or not, every company is racing to implement it and make some profit. If you thought self-checkout was a threat before, this is end game. There is no going back now. KILL IT WITH FIRE!

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:Johnny Depp Signs $20 Million-Plus Dior Deal, Marking the Biggest Men’s Fragrance Pact Ever

What a turn of events. I'm happy for him. Amber, I hope you're watching. Karma is a bitch!

UltimateMarvel wrote:Yeah, finally starting to feel like Summer here. It's been high 70's with some rain and it's been real nice.

EXCLUSIVE: Showtime is looking to bring back two of its signature comedy series, Nurse Jackie and Weeds. Both hail from Lionsgate Television.

Reps for Showtime and Lionsgate would not comment but I hear the followups, now in early stages of development, have the original leads, Edie Falco and Mary-Louise Parker, attached to star and executive produce. Sources stress that the projects are still coming together and deals are being negotiated.

The Weeds revival would be written and executive produced by Christian Torpe, creator of the popular Danish series Rita, and would feature Nancy (Parker) in Copenhagen, I hear.

Meanwhile, I hear the Nurse Jackie sequel would be written/executive produced by Abe Sylvia and Liz Flahive who were writers-producers on the original series.

The Weeds and Nurse Jackie sequels fit into Showtime’s new programming strategy focused on franchise building. The network recently commissioning new offshoots of other signature series, including The L Word, Billions and Dexter.

There have been efforts to continue the Weeds story for years. In 2019, Lionsgate TV sibling Starz announced that it was developing a followup from writer Victoria Morrow that was to pick up with the Botwin family 10 years after the events of the original series in an era of marijuana legalization.

Created by Jenji Kohan, the original starred Parker as a widowed mother of two boys, played by Hunter Parrish and Alexander Gould, who begins selling marijuana to support her family after her husband’s death. Justin Kirk, Kevin Nealon, Elizabeth Perkins. Andy Milder, Allie Grant, Tonye Patano and Romany Malco also starred. The show aired from 2005-2012, winning two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and WGA Award over the course of its run.

Hospital dramedy Nurse Jackie starred Falco in the title role as a duplicitous, pill-popping ER nurse and mom. The series, which ran from 2009 to 2015, won five Primetime Emmy Awards out of 24 nominations, including wins for Falco and Merritt Wever. Nurse Jackie was created and executive produced by Liz Brixius, Linda Wallem and Evan Dunksy. Caryn Mandabach and John Melfi also executive produced.

WyldeMan wrote:Self checkout is a threat? It's the only way I prefer to shop. I have never once used a self-checkout and thought "Gee, a rude cashier who ignores me while staring at her phone before incorrectly bagging all of my items sure would have made this a more enjoyable shopping experience!"

I look forward to the day that robots do all the jobs of people in food service because the people are the reason I entirely stopped eating fast food years ago.

WyldeMan wrote:Amber is currently living it up in expensive Madrid where she just wants "a quiet life" as she walks down the public streets singing autographs and talks about how she's retired now.

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:Self checkout is a threat? It's the only way I prefer to shop. I have never once used a self-checkout and thought "Gee, a rude cashier who ignores me while staring at her phone before incorrectly bagging all of my items sure would have made this a more enjoyable shopping experience!"

I look forward to the day that robots do all the jobs of people in food service because the people are the reason I entirely stopped eating fast food years ago.

I love self checkout too. I meant it's a threat to jobs now and lot more in the near future. What is AI going to cost us?

UltimateMarvel wrote: I don't think she'll be what she once was. Aquaman 2 is not going to do anything for her.

‘Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood’ Star Rick Dalton Is Dead, Quentin Tarantino Says

Quentin Tarantino has apparently closed the book on Rick Dalton, the actor portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood.

Tarantino made the announcement via The Video Archives podcast, which he hosts with Pulp Fiction cowriter Roger Avary. A series of tweets announced the death, and indicated that Tuesday’s podcast will be “a memorial episode designed by Quentin that features some of Rick’s best roles.”

The Video Archives podcast is where Tarantino and Avary “revisit classic films on VHS and discover new favorites.” New episodes arrive every other Tuesday usually, but apparently the schedule has been speeded up to accommodate the breaking news.

Tarantino has previously mapped out Dalton’s life. In 2021, he told podcaster Jeff Goldsmith that he had a biography set.

“I wrote The Films of Rick Dalton book,” he said. “It’s written as if Rick is real. You know, they have The Films of Charles Bronson and The Films of Anthony Quinn, well, it’s done like that, with synopsis and then some critical quotes from the time, and the book goes through every one of Rick’s movies that he did, leading to the end of his career in 1988, I believe, and every one of his episodic television shows.”

In that interview, Tarantino talked about a movie called The Fireman, starring Dalton and stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). That imaginary film was set a decade after “Hollywood.”

“The lead character was in the Vietnam War, he became a cop,” said Tarantino. “And then he starts seeing this whole group of bad apple cops that are killing these guys and just completely corrupt and they end up killing his partner, played by a very young Sam Jackson. Then Rick targets these bad cops, and he gets dressed up as the Fireman, and he has his flamethrower and he goes and he burns them all down.”

Ray Stevenson, the Irish actor who starred in films like “Punisher: War Zone,” “King Arthur,” the “Thor” films and shows like HBO’s “Rome” and the upcoming “Ahsoka” series,” died on Sunday in Italy, Variety has confirmed with his publicist. He was 58.

No cause of death was available.

Born in Northern Ireland on May 25, 1964, Stevenson began his career appearing on TV shows in the 1990s then began landing action roles in Hollywood films starting in the 2000s. His first major film role came in Antoine Fuqua’s 2004’s adventure movie “King Arthur,” where he played Dagonet, one of the Knights of the Round Table. In the film, his character sacrifices himself in battle to help Arthur (Clive Owen) and his brotherhood of warriors.

In 2008, Stevenson landed a starring role in the Marvel film, “Punisher: War Zone,” where he played the titular mercenary, aka Frank Castle. The film was distributed by Lionsgate in North America, before Disney acquired the rights to the Marvel universe and later re-introduced the character in the Netflix series “Daredevil.” Stevenson was the third actor to portray the Punisher on screen. Dolph Lundgren first played the vigilante in a straight-to-video release in 1989, followed by Thomas Jane in 2004’s R-rated “Punisher.” “War Zone” was a PG-13 reboot of the series, but it fizzled at the box office after earning $10.1 million from a $35 million budget. Jon Bernthal later took up the mantle in Netflix’s “Daredevil” and “The Punisher” shows.

In the 2010s, Stevenson appeared in action movies like “The Book of Eli,” “G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” “The Three Musketeers” and franchises like Marvel’s “Thor” and Lionsgate’s “Divergent” adaptation. In his second Marvel outing, Stevenson played the Asgardian hero Volstagg, one of the Warriors Three who were allies to Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. He apeared in the first three “Thor” movies before being struck down by Cate Blanchett’s villain Hela in “Thor: Ragnarok.” In the “Divergent” series, Stevenson played Marcus Eaton, the city council leader of the Abnegation faction and father of Four (Theo James).

Recently, Stevenson appeared in the Oscar-nominated Tollywood blockbuster “RRR” as the evil Governor Scott Buxton. He will also appear in this summer’s Disney+ “Star Wars” series “Ahsoka” as a Jedi named Baylan Skoll, who turns to the dark side and is an ally to the diabolic Grand Admiral Thrawn. He previously voiced the character Gar Saxon in “Star Wars Rebels” and “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”

On the TV side, Stevenson starred in the HBO historical drama “Rome” as Titus Pullo from 2005-07. He played a Roman soldier, opposite Kevin McKidd as Lucius Vorenus, who witnessed several key historical events as the Roman Empire began. The show picked up seven Emmys during its two seasons.

Stevenson also played Ukrainian mobster Isaak Sirko on Season 7 of Showtime’s “Dexter,” Blackbeard on Starz’ “Black Sails” pirate series and the sailer Othere on “Vikings” Season 6.

In addition to “Ahsoka,” Stevenson’s posthumous credits will include the films “1242: Gateway to the West” and “Cassino in Ischia.”