Vice is about to go bankrupt, and we don’t know what will happen to the company after that. Will it have salvation or will they buy it?
Vice Media Group, the company that integrates media such as Vice magazine and Motherboard, is preparing to file for bankruptcy. As just announced by the New York Times, the company is in its final moments of life, and in the next few days it could be closed or bought out.
This news, in fact, comes as a surprise to no one. A few days ago the company had to close Vice News Tonight, the last bastion it had left after years of battles with its employees. The company has gone through dozens of ups and downs over the years, and even had a strong presence in Spain and Latin America, but finally has not been able to maintain its structure.
However, this does not have to be the end of Vice Media Group. As the NY Times explains, there are already five companies that want to acquire the company. Moreover, in the event of bankruptcy, Vice’s debt holder, Fortress Investment Group, could end up controlling the company, which could lead to a subsequent sale or even restructuring from within the organization.
“Vice Media Group has been evaluating alternative plans and strategies,” the company added in a statement. “The company, its management and investors will remain focused on finding the best path forward for the company.”
A critical moment for journalism
Despite its statements, everything seems to indicate that it has no choice but to end its life as a media company. Moreover, it is not the only company to do so in recent months. The situation of journalism is more complex than ever, and media such as BuzzFeed, NBC or CNN have had to close or carry out massive layoffs.
It is expected that in the coming weeks we will know more about it, but if this is the end of Vice it will mean the end of a media that has marked a whole generation of young people. Undoubtedly, we will always carry in our minds its covers and first online reports.
Discover the reasons behind the Hollywood writers’ strike and how it can end up affecting us users.
Hollywood is going through a critical moment that could cost the industry billions of euros. The reason? The screenwriters’ strike called on May 1, which is already causing the first repercussions. For example, there will be no late nights until the situation is clarified: no Jimmy Fallon, no Jimmy Kimmel, no Stephen Colbert, no Seth Meyers and no The Daily Show.
All of these shows have been canceled in support of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), and they won’t be the only ones. It is something that will surely affect series and movies, and although being productions that are not daily we will not see its impact for some time, it is something that platforms such as Netflix or Disney Plus will suffer.
In fact, the last writers’ strike of this size began in November 2007, lasted four months and cost California’s economy a whopping $2 billion. Considering that even more is being produced now than before, a strike of these dimensions could have catastrophic repercussions for the industry.
In 2017, another strike nearly took place. It was overwhelmingly voted on by union members, and came close to doing a lot of damage to the industry. However, a union agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the producers’ association that organizes these deals, prevented it from going any further.
The reasons behind the screenwriters’ strike
But what are the reasons for this screenwriters’ strike in Hollywood? The reasons are many and varied, but in general it is a problem that has to do with the great progress that the industry has made in recent years.
The last agreement that screenwriters had, which expired on May 1 -that is why the strike began at that time- did not contemplate many of the realities that screenwriters are experiencing today. And that is why the writers of the stories are seeking more recognition for their work.
The first point they are fighting for is wages. The budget for U.S. television series has increased by 50% in the last ten years, but the average salary for screenwriters has dropped by 4%. This leaves the profession as the lowest paid in the industry at the moment, despite being the one on which everything is based.
Then there is the issue of working hours. By needing to produce more to earn the same, screenwriters have to work longer hours and on more different productions, so they have no choice but to demand shorter working hours and for a better price.
But the main complaint of the sector is the compensation they receive according to the success of the films or series they work on. And here the problem lies with the streaming platforms. When a program, movie or series is broadcast in open, the scriptwriter knows at the moment the compensations they are going to receive in terms of royalties, taking into account the audience figures and viewers.
However, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus or HBO Max continue to maintain secrecy regarding their data, in a market strategy that only helps them. This opacity means that screenwriters never know the profits that would benefit them, and can thus be spared.
On the other hand, some platforms have even eliminated some of their original series from their catalog in order to save these retributions. Thus, screenwriters feel helpless and believe that the situation will get worse in the future.
Finally, something that they are asking for and seems very interesting is that the AIs should not be able to write or rewrite absolutely nothing of the scripts, something that the producers have flatly denied. This will certainly be a very interesting debate for the future.
The great deception of the streaming era: are there more screenwriters?
Another cause pointed out by the union is the false perception of the situation. Yes, more and more television series are being produced, which is a great advantage for the audiovisual industry, since from the actors to the technical team have more work. But is this true for screenwriters?
Actually, no. Despite the fact that there are more series, they have fewer and fewer episodes and seasons -think that we come from series of more than twenty episodes to the new ones that have about ten at the most-. In addition, the public wants more and more author series or miniseries, so the scriptwriters working on them are much fewer in comparison.
The WGA believes that this moment is “momentous” and that an agreement must be reached as soon as possible so that screenwriters can continue to make a decent living in the film and television industry. The consequences could be disastrous, as we noted. In the 2007 strike, series such as Lost or The Office had to cut episodes from their seasons, and this time it seems that everything will have repercussions in delays and cancellations. As if Netflix needed more excuses to cancel its series.
The 2023 Met Gala has already taken place and here we leave you with the best looks and the best moments that have been experienced at the ceremony.
The Met Gala that takes place every year in New York has already taken place, and it has done so with some of the most iconic looks that are remembered in this event. From Lil Nas X to Rihanna, Dua Lipa, Penelope Cruz and Taika Waititi, many stars have pulled out all the stops to stand out from the rest at the celebration.
But what is the Met Gala? It is an annual charity event that kicks off the annual fashion exhibition of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York. Each year a theme is proposed and the celebrities must defend it through looks with their own style. The goal is to raise as much as possible for the Costume Institute, which usually raises more than $10 million.
Some of the most striking themes in recent years have been Camp: Notes on Fashion (2019) or Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology (2016). On this occasion, they wanted to pay tribute to an emblematic figure in the world of fashion: the German designer Karl Lagerfeld.
Lagerfeld died last 2019, but in his wake he left some of the most elegant and daring stylistic proposals of the twentieth century. Therefore, many have wanted to give the maximum in their stylings to pay tribute to this figure and, incidentally, promote themselves.
The best looks of the Met Gala 2023
Here are some of the most outstanding outfits of this annual fashion gala. Undoubtedly, each star has taken fashion to their own territory to conquer the public. And they certainly did. It’s been years since we’ve seen such a polished gala… and almost everyone wore black or white.
Penélope Cruz
The Spanish actress is considered one of Lagerfeld’s muses, which is why she was invited to be one of the hosts of the evening. Her 1988 Chanel wedding dress dazzled the attendees.
Dua Lipa
The other big hostess of the night was Dua Lipa, who wore an 18th century-inspired Chanel dress from 1992.
Lil Nas X
The rapper known for hits like Industry Baby or Montero is one of the regulars in eccentricism, and in this gala he has not fallen short. With a pearl mask and body covered in silver rhinestones, the rapper has managed to conquer the catwalk.
Jared Leto
In a slightly more extreme, but gala-sensical way – he was dressed as Lagerfeld’s cat, Choupette – the 30 Seconds to Mars actor and singer dazzled everyone and made it clear that he was a personal friend of the designer to whom the gala was paying tribute.
Doja Cat
Interestingly, Leto wasn’t the only cat at the gala. Singer Doja Cat made it clear why she’s a “kitty” in a tight dress topped off with makeup that turned her face into a Cats character.
Rihanna
This year’s Superbowl singer arrived last at the gala. When everyone was already showing off their looks, she showed up at the venue’s hotel. However, the wait was worth it: she showed up in a stunning outfit that camouflages her pregnancy, and together with her partner ASAP Rocky -much less successful-…
Pedro Pascal
One of the few who dared for color is the protagonist of The Last of Us and The Mandalorian. Pedro Pascal wore a Valentino ensemble and a smile, as usual, endearing.
Jenna Ortega
If we talk about series, we can not overlook the wonderful gothic look of Jenna Ortega, star of the Netflix series Wednesday. The paradise of all otaku.
Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart, star of Twilight, has made it clear that she is not too comfortable with the classic gender roles. That’s why she wore an outfit that really flattered her androgynous figure.
Kim Kardashian
Kardashian went viral at last year’s Met Gala for wearing an original Marylin Monroe dress. This time she wore a Schiaparelli dress that caught everyone’s attention, but without controversy.
Taika Waititi
The director of Thor: Ragnarok proved that not all men have to wear black suits, and he did it with a spectacular outfit that draws from his oriental inspirations. In the photo he appears next to Rita Ora.
Glenn Close
Our Cruella de Vil surprised everyone with a huge dress that had to be worn by five people. Undoubtedly, one of the most pleasant surprises of the gala.
Bad Bunny
The Un x100to singer couldn’t miss the Met Gala either, and showed up in a polished white suit with a cape full of roses. Undoubtedly, he is one of the few reguetoneros who know how to adapt to this kind of events.
Kendall Jenner
If Bad Bunny was there, Kendall had to be there. The Kardashian wore an outfit with sky-high platforms and long sleeves, as brilliant as her current reputation.
Nicole Kidman
Another big surprise was Nicole Kidman, as she appeared in the dress from the Chanel No. 5 ad directed by Baz Luhrmann in 2004. We all remember that unforgettable ad.
Jennifer Lopez
JLO, Ben Affleck‘s current wife, walked the runway in a custom-made Ralph Lauren dress. Obviously, it fits her like a glove.
Jessica Chastain
Many people went for sunglasses at the Met Gala, but no one wore them like Jessica Chastain, paired with a classic yet functional dress.
Florence Pugh
No one expected Florence Pugh to wear her hair shaved off – movie requirements? – but it certainly looks spectacular with the peacock headdress she wore.
Michaela Coel
The star of I May Destroy You, who also appears in Star Wars Episode VIII, appeared completely covered in gold, making it clear that everything fits her like a glove.
The best moments of the Met Gala 2023
The Met Gala was full of surprising moments, beyond the impressive looks worn by the attendees. Without a doubt, the celebrities made the most of the night to show off and promote themselves, and there were many who made it clear that they wanted to be in the spotlight.
The meeting between Penelope Cruz and Dua Lipa
Penélope Cruz and Dua Lipa were two of the stars of the night, and they proved it with stunning looks. A moment that will forever be engraved in the history of the ceremony is the approach between the two, as tender as memorable.
On Twitter, this moment has gone viral. And the fact is that, despite coming from such different worlds, both have proved to be at the height of a gala that serves as a showcase for the stars.
Another completely unexpected moment was the announcement of Serena Williams’ pregnancy. The tennis player appeared with her husband Alexis Ohanian at the gala, and revealed to reporters that they were 3 at the gala. Thus confirming a rumor that had already been speculated on TikTok, about the future birth of her second daughter.
Undoubtedly, the dress she wore left no room for doubt: her belly spoke for itself. Of course, Ohanian could have done a little more with the look, considering where she was from.
Basketball player Brittney Griner, who currently plays for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, experienced a nightmare when she was detained in a Russian prison on August 4. According to police, vape bottles containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage.
Griner was sentenced to no more and no less than nine years in prison, but after appeals from the United States they have managed to get her out of there, and now she has reappeared publicly at the Met Gala.
Just a fraction of what Gurman claims will be one of the biggest software updates to the Apple Watch since its launch.
The days go by, the betas follow one after the other and the Worldwide Developers Conference, WWDC 2023, is fast approaching. The biggest event before the presentation of the iPhone 15 and that, next June 5, will lead us to see iOS 17, macOS 14 and also watchOS 10. The latter, an operating system whose rumored list of new features is becoming more and more interesting.
Stranger Things with Willem Dafoe and Anya Taylor-Joy? Discover what the Netflix series would be like according to ChatGPT.
In the age of remakes and reboots, we are getting closer and closer to seeing our favorite series and movies reworked and rethought in a different way. It’s something we’ll soon see with Harry Potter, and we’ve already seen it with other blockbuster sagas like Twilight, The Hunger Games or even Breaking Bad.
But what would happen if a remake of Stranger Things was made? Under this premise, we have asked Artificial Intelligence to create the perfect casting of Netflix‘s most watched series. Of course, in this case it did quite a bit worse than in others like The Avengers or Game of Thrones, especially considering that the ages of the actors don’t quite fit the usual supply of Hollywood actors.
However, leaving aside the age, it is curious to see how some actors would fit perfectly in the role proposed to us. In particular, there are some, such as Joyce or Jim Hopper, that many would pay to see them in their alternatives. But how did we go about this process?
The first thing we did was to ask ChatGPT what would be the perfect casting we were talking about. In addition, the AI has justified quite clearly why it imagines each of the actors in their respective characters. We then let the AI continue with its imagination by taking each choice to the Stable Diffusion tool. And its images were… curious.
The ideal actors for a remake of Stranger Things according to ChatGPT
The first thing we have done is to ask ChatGPTwhich actors he imagines in the leading roles. We reproduce the conversation below. We have detailed what we want concretely so that the OpenAI tool does not get lost… and their proposals do not seem to follow the idea of the series very much, although some of them are very interesting.
Obviously, we have not been able to put all the cast, but we have been able to put most of the characters of great importance. The conversation has been the following:
Create the perfect casting for a remake of Stranger Things, without repeating the original actors. I need the perfect actors for: Joyce, Jim Hopper, Mike, Eleven, Dustin, Lucas, Nancy, Jonathan, Dr. Martin Brenner, Will, Max, Steve, Robin, Erica, Murray, Vecna, Bob, Barbara and Eddie.
Of course! Here I present to you my perfect casting for a Stranger Things remake:
Joyce: Toni Collette is an actress who has great range and is known for playing complex and emotional roles, so she would be perfect to play the distraught mother searching for her lost son in the series.
Jim Hopper: Jon Hamm is a very talented and versatile actor, and I think he could do a great job playing Hopper’s character, a tough but compassionate cop.
Mike: Asa Butterfield is a young but talented actor who has proven his ability to play emotional and complex characters in films like “The Invention of Hugo” and “Ender’s Game,” so he would be perfect for the role of Mike.
Eleven: Anya Taylor-Joy is a very talented actress who has proven her ability to play characters with a wide range of emotions and complexities. I think she would be perfect for the role of Eleven, as she can convey the combination of vulnerability and power that the character requires.
Dustin: Jacob Tremblay is a very talented young actor who has proven his ability to play comedic and emotional characters in films such as “The Room” and “Extraordinary,” which makes him perfect for the role of Dustin.
Lucas: Jaden Smith is a young but very talented actor who has proven his ability to play complex and emotional characters. I think he would be perfect for the role of Lucas, as he could convey the combination of bravery and vulnerability that the character requires.
Nancy: Saoirse Ronan is a very talented and versatile actress, who has proven her ability to play complex and emotional characters in films such as “Lady Bird” and “Little Women”, which makes her perfect for the role of Nancy.
Jonathan: Timothée Chalamet is a very talented and versatile actor who has proven his ability to play complex and emotional characters in films such as “Call Me By Your Name” and “Little Women,” which makes him perfect for the role of Jonathan.
Dr. Martin Brenner: Michael Fassbender is a very talented actor who has proven his ability to play complex and emotional characters in films such as “Shame” and “12 Years a Slave,” making him perfect for the role of Dr. Martin Brenner.
Will: Jaeden Martell is a young but very talented actor who has proven his ability to play complex and emotional characters in films such as “It” and “Daggers in the Back,” making him perfect for the role of Will.
Max: Sophia Lillis is a very talented actress who has proven her ability to play strong and courageous characters in films such as “It” and “Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase,” making her perfect for the role of Max.
Steve: Nicholas Hoult is a very talented and versatile actor, who has proven his ability to play complex and emotional characters.
Robin: Zendaya is a very talented and versatile actress who has proven her ability to play complex and emotional characters in films and series such as “Spider-Man: Far From Home” and “Euphoria.” I think she would be perfect for the role of Robin, as she can convey the combination of bravery and vulnerability that the character requires.
Erica: Marsai Martin is a very talented young actress, who has proven her ability to play funny and emotional characters on the “Black-ish” series. I think she would be perfect for the role of Erica, as she can convey the combination of wit and self-assurance that the character requires.
Murray: Simon Pegg is a very talented and versatile actor, who has proven his ability to play comedic and emotional characters in films such as “Hot Fuzz” and “Truth Seekers.” I think he would be perfect for the role of Murray, as he can convey the combination of intelligence and eccentricity that the character requires.
Vecna: Willem Dafoe is a very talented and versatile actor, who has proven his ability to play complex and sinister characters in films like “Spider-Man” and “The Lighthouse.” I think he would be perfect for the role of Vecna, as he can convey the combination of dangerousness and cunning that the character requires.
Bob: John C. Reilly is a very talented and versatile actor, who has proven his ability to play comedic and emotional characters in films like “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.” I think he would be perfect for the role of Bob, as he can convey the combination of kindness and awkwardness that the character requires.
Barbara: Florence Pugh is a very talented actress who has proven her ability to play strong, complex characters in films such as “Little Women” and “Black Widow,” making her perfect for the role of Barbara.
Eddie: Alex Wolff is a young but very talented actor who has demonstrated his ability to play complex and emotional characters in films like “Hereditary” and “The Literary Society and Potato Peel Pie.” I think he would be perfect for the role of Eddie, as he can convey the combination of intelligence and vulnerability that the character requires.
I hope you like my selection!
Creating the perfect Stranger Things casting with AI
Below, we’ve run ChatGPT’s recommended cast through Stable Diffusion to see what these actors would look like in their respective roles. Warning: in some cases these are scarier images than Vecna.
An update, let’s remember, that is only available for devices that already run the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS and macOS and that we can install in just a few seconds.
Apple has announced the availability of Rapid Security Response (RSR) updates for iPhones and iPads running iOS 16.4.1 and its iPadOS counterpart, as well as for Macs running macOS 13.3.1. These updates, as the name suggests, are intended to improve the security of our devices and are being distributed in this way for the first time outside of beta.
The RSR 16.4.1 (a) updates for iOS and 13.3.1 (a) for macOS aim to deliver security solutions to all our devices without the need to install a full software update. A system that Apple already tested during the beta of iOS 16.4 and that now takes care of the security of operating systems.
A new way to update our devices
Unlike a conventional update, where it is much of the system that has to be reinstalled, even if it is to make relatively small changes, in this update what Apple uses is what is called Delta Update. A reference to the highly specialized Delta combat forces with a single objective that they accomplish without drawing attention to themselves.
Similarly, these updates only modify some components of the system to improve its security without the need for a complete installation. And this is critical, because in addition to the download being minimal both in terms of weight and time, the update is as fast as a reboot.
This can be read in two ways. The first is that we will be able to install the update with little or no interruption to our use of the devices. The second is that if we restart the iPhone, iPad or Mac, the update is installed, which is a great advantage for keeping them secure, even for those users who are not in the habit of manually installing updates.
How to install new security updates
To install the Security Response updates on our iPhone, iPad or Mac, the steps to follow are the same as for any other update. Specifically we will do it like this:
We open the Settings app on our iPhone, iPad or Mac.
Go to General.
Tap on Software Update.
Once the update appears, tap on Download and install.
Our iPhone, iPad or Mac will restart as it would normally do.
Meanwhile, if we want to know if the update has already been installed without us noticing it, the best thing to do is to check the version of the operating system that we have installed on our devices. On our iPhone or iPad we will do it like this:
We open the Settings app on our iPhone, iPad or Mac.
Go to General.
Tap on Information.
Check that the iOS/iPadOS version shows the number 16.4.1 (a).
On the Mac we will do something similar. In the Apple menu, we will choose About this Mac. Then, at the bottom, next to macOS, we make sure that “13.3.1 (a)” appears, which indicates that we already have the update.
Right now, we do not know exactly what security improvements Apple has implemented in this quick update. Hopefully in the next few hours the company will update its support document with a list of the changes.
In any case, if we see it appear on our device, since Apple is deploying it progressively and the process will take up to 48 hours, it is best that we install it as soon as possible. An update, remember, that is only available for devices already running the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS and macOS and that, as we have just seen, we can install in just a few seconds. While we wait for iPadOS 17 and its leaks, clearly good news for our security.
Stage Manager improvements, widget support, lock screen customization and much more.
The upcoming iPadOS 17 promises to arrive with important new features for all our iPads. According to rumors, the update will include improvements to Stage Manager, widget support and lock screen customization, among other features.
Although ‘Wario Ware’ keeps going from time to time to the comfort of all of us who enjoy two-second minigames, there is another one that was lost in the limbo of the sagas: What happened to ‘Wario Land’
Neither Franklin from ‘GTA V’, nor Kid Icarus, nor Bayonetta, nor anything like that: the most unlikely hero in video games eats garlic for breakfast, farts, is overweight and likes money more than a politician. Wario is the second most important antagonist in the ‘Super Mario Bros’ saga and the only one to have had not one, but two sagas of his own. And although ‘Wario Ware’ continues every so often to the delight of all of us who enjoy two-second mini-games, there is another one that got lost in the limbo of the sagas: What became of ‘Wario Land’?
The first appearance of Wario, with a physical appearance that some say comes from Spike, the character from ‘Wrecking Crew’ who in Japan was known as Blackie (not anymore, whatever), was as the final bad guy of the wonderful ‘Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins’, one of the best games in the history of Game Boy 30 years ago. But the funny thing is that first came the name (a joke between Mario’s own name and the Japanese word “warui”, that is, “bad”) and then everything else. First came the puns, as it should be.
The funny thing is that in the guide of that cartridge his relationship with the hero of the red cap even had an inside story: Mario and Wario were childhood friends who parted ways. It’s also true that it was indicated that his favorite food was pancakes instead of garlic, so it may not have been too well thought out. The third part of ‘Mario Land’ wanted to break away from everything and, to do so, completely forgot about the plumber to focus on the novel powers of this character who wanted to get rich at all costs.
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3′ is possibly the most fun of this strange trilogy for Game Boy: where Mario jumped and ran, Wario used powers and investigated every place in search of a secret location, giving a new layer to the screens. A myth had been born… That was on the verge of dying the following year. And it was the biggest failure in the history of the Big N: does the Virtual Boy ring any bells?
Virtual boy
The story is well known: with PlayStation and Sega Saturn about to come out, Nintendo couldn’t afford to get stuck with the SNES. It needed something more, and the Nintendo 64 wasn’t ready yet. Unfortunately (seen in perspective), Gunpei Yokoi had a little toy called Virtual Boy that, who knows, could be a hit: it allowed you to play in three dimensions… in exchange for wearing strange glasses that were impossible to hold and being willing to see only in red.
As you can imagine, it was no match for Sony and Sega: although Nintendo spent 25 million on promoting it, it only sold 770,000 units and by the end of its life it had released 22 games (8 exclusive to Japan and 3 to the United States). And among the list of ignonimia was, exactly: ‘Virtual Boy Wario Land’, which in spite of everything was considered the best title of the console. The shock was not big enough for the Game Boy Color in 1998 not to celebrate the first real sequel of the saga: ‘Wario Land II’, which had the novelty of not being able to die… because what matters is to keep going at all costs.
Wario must rescue his treasure in a long, fun and unique game, one of the pillars of the Japanese company’s invention to not yet retire its portable. In 2000, ‘Wario Land 3’ laid the foundations of the franchise and ‘Wario Land 4’ brought them to Game Boy Advance, with the novelty that now the character could “die” (or faint, at least). Surprisingly, its visual style is overwhelming and, undoubtedly, the best of the portable saga. From here, the turbulence begins.
Minigames and platforms
Wario became Nintendo’s default rogue character. If they needed someone to star in stupid mini-games, he was there with the fabulous ‘Wario Ware’ franchise. He raced go-karts, played golf and tennis, rolled dice on a giant board, beat everyone up in ‘Super Smash Bros Melee’. And, although we don’t like to admit it, it lost some of its identity along the way.
The next platformer tried to pick up where ‘Super Mario Land’ (for handheld) and ‘Super Mario World’ (for home console) left off: ‘Wario World’ was released for GameCube in 2003 and sold only about 390,000 units worldwide. By comparison, ‘Super Mario Sunshine’ snuck in 6.28 million and ‘Luigi’s mansion’ about 3.33. Sadly, it was no longer innovative nor did they know what to do with the character in three dimensions, resembling more of a beat-em-up than a platformer. Nintendo put the saga aside to let it breathe for four years.
In 2007 and 2008, Wario gave it all again with a last desperate attempt: on Nintendo DS, with the somewhat discouraged ‘Wario: Master of disguise’, which didn’t work at any level with a very strange story, and on Nintendo Wii with the incredible ‘Wario Land: Shake It! which had a beautiful hand-drawn art style, as if it were a cartoon: more than 2000 frames formed the actions of the character, whose plot was again focused on earning a lot of money, a return to what always worked of the same that came too late. If you can, try it! It’s hilarious despite making the entire gameplay system rely on moving the Wii Remote. That’s what it was fifteen years ago.
‘Shake It!’ sold a million or so copies worldwide, but it wasn’t enough to bring the platforming saga back to the forefront, thus condemning Wario to being locked away in ‘Wario Ware’ and being a deluxe sidekick in any Mario sports game. It looks like we won’t be seeing him jumping and getting powers again for a good period of time, though with Nintendo you never know: what if it gave him another chance on the Switch? Hey, he can’t complain either: he’s more than Waluigi ever had.
What if we told you that the King of Terror was about to throw everything away?
“Stephen King’s physical appearance does not reflect his tremendous intelligence as a writer.” Years ago, a book about the author introduced this caption that has gone down in history. And that King (also known as Richard Bachman) is one of the most respected and prolific authors in history: to his credit he has 65 novels, more than 200 short stories and some 60 films based on his work, to which we can add a whole host of short films, plays and even musicals. But what if we told you that the King of Horror was on the verge of throwing it all away?
1967. A twenty-year-old Stephen King manages to sell his first short story to the magazine ‘Startling mystery stories’ for 35 dollars. The story, which appeared in issue 6 of the magazine, would never be reprinted in the author’s anthologies or officially translated into Spanish (it was in a fanzine). Little by little, King was selling stories to different media while he combined it with his job as a janitor in a high school and English teacher in another. The good life.
Not that he didn’t try to write novels, of course, but they all inevitably ended up in a drawer after being rejected by different publishers. It happened to him with ‘The Long Walk’ (which would later become one of his best works) and with ‘Sword in the Darkness’, an anti-war story of 150,000 words that, as King later acknowledged, is absolutely unreadable. His wife Tabitha (to whom he has been married since 1971) and he lived in a trailer outside Hermon, Maine, and their situation showed no signs of improving. And yet…
In 1971, our protagonist was cleaning the girls’ restroom at a high school when he came face-to-face with a box of feminine hygiene items and was shocked. It was a different era. Soon after, he remembered an article he had read in ‘Life’ magazine about poltergeist phenomena and telekinetic activity in teenagers. Sound familiar? Stephen King took Tabitha’s typewriter and began to write from the perspective of a high school student: one Carrie White.
To the garbage can
The basis of the story, as the author had it in his head, was similar to the beginning of the adaptation that Brian De Palma would later make: a girl starts menstruating in the showers and the rest of her classmates laugh at her. However, after three pages he decided he wasn’t doing it right: he couldn’t put himself in a woman’s point of view and he wouldn’t know how they would react. Also, Carrie didn’t end up liking him as a character because of his lack of emotional connection to her. He balled up the pages, threw them in the trash and went to sleep, thinking that the next day he would still be trapped in that life he didn’t want to have.
It was Tabitha who picked up the pages from the wastebasket the next morning and who convinced him to keep writing for one simple reason: she wanted to know how the story continued. And if her husband didn’t know how to introduce the female perspective, she would give it to him. It didn’t help him to fully understand Carrie, but he finally got it by talking to two students at his high school: one wore the same dress to class all the time because of her family’s poverty and, as a result, was being bullied. The other was growing up in a fervently religious family.
Adding the two together, telekinesis and tampons, he could get down to real writing, even though for him it was a waste of time that would never lead to anything. After 98 pages he finished it and put it in a drawer. He hated it with a passion, although that did not prevent him from reworking it in December 1972 until it became a full-fledged novel. In that novel, Carrie, at the end, destroyed an airplane after it grew horns, but his editor convinced him to change it. For whatever. To the author’s own surprise, Bingo was called: the publisher Doubleday had bought the rights and was willing to publish it.
The cow Carrie
This is what is usually told, but the truth is that he was rejected up to thirty times. Note: Thirty! Not surprisingly, Stephen King has never hidden his absolute hatred for ‘Carrie’, which he describes as clumsy and artless, but that did not stop him from releasing 30,000 copies in 1974 for which he got 2500 dollars at the time (about 15,000 today). Shortly thereafter, New American Library would pay 400,000 for the rights. It didn’t do badly: in its first year it sold a million copies and, after the 1976 movie, it was number one for weeks.
In 1975, taking advantage of the cinematic success that was to come, King published ”Salem’s Lot’ and, soon after, ‘The Shining’ and ‘Cujo’. Since then, rare is the year in which he does not publish at least one novel (or a collection of short stories). ‘Carrie’ had three film adaptations, a terrible film sequel, a musical, an episode of ‘Riverdale’ based on said musical and was on the verge of being spun off as a TV series. For such a supposedly clumsy film, not so bad.
So if you’ve ever felt like throwing everything you were writing into the recycle garbage can, let someone else take a look at it. Hey, maybe your letter to become a millionaire is resting in the trash right now.
We can’t stop thinking, patiently, how Rockstar will have improved its open world ten years later
It is the most anticipated game of the decade. After the success of ‘GTA V’, the second best-selling video game in history (only behind ‘Minecraft’), we can’t stop thinking, while we are filled with patience, about how Rockstar will have improved its open world ten years later. Especially after the giant leap they took with ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’, which can serve as an indicator of the future of ‘Grand Theft Auto’.
There are as many ‘GTA’ players as there are copies sold. There are those who just want to complete the missions and the story, those who go straight to the online mode to get into mischief, those who use it as a way to vent their anger and, of course, those who even relax by driving back and forth with the occasional shootout. The more possibilities there are to enjoy a video game, the better.
Don’t you remember Franklin’s house in ‘GTA V’? Always so lonely, so empty, so un-homey, so, deep down, unreal, at least compared to the Var Den Linde clan camps in ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ that could grow and be customized. Sure, there will always be those who make the joke that ‘GTA’ can become ‘The Sims’ of crime, but if one day you don’t feel like shooting and committing robberies, you will surely appreciate the possibility of turning your adult game into ‘Animal crossing’ for a moment.
After all, in ‘GTA Online’ there are already some scenarios that feel alive and change over time. It is another option: if we cannot personalize our house, at least see how the passage of the missions has made it change together with us. Being able to start in a seedy slum and end up in a mansion, but always have it be our home, without having to move. At this stage of generation, it is the least we can ask.
One of the most beautiful things about Rockstar’s Western game was to see how, little by little, the houses that were initially just scaffolding ended up being built, we will be able to go through and see setbacks in the meantime, including some constructions that will remain unfinished. Why not take it to ‘GTA VI’? Businesses that open and close, places that are demolished and rebuilt, blood that does not come out of the asphalt… The passage of time reflected not only in safe houses, but in life itself.
After all, there are few things better than turning on your console and feeling like you’re part of the game. There’s no need for everything to revolve around you: the fact that each non-playable character has his or her own separate story makes it more interesting, more beautiful, more engaging, more unique. It would be strange if, after the attention to detail of ‘Red dead redemption 2’, its big sister didn’t follow in its footsteps. Fortunately, there’s less and less time left to check it out…
