Author: Chema Carvajal Sarabia

They say there is nothing like a series that is honest with its viewers. And with this one it’s true. If you paid close attention to Schmigadoon’s musical references, you knew exactly where Apple TV+‘s theatrical comedy would take us.

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While the first season directly parodied Golden Age musicals like Oklahoma and The Sound of Music, the series’ grand finale, How We Change, was inspired by the sound of later Broadway composers. If you like series, read on.

With this musical evolution, Schmigadoon leaps into its second season and a new era of more obscure musicals by the likes of Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, John Kander, Fred Ebb, Bob Fosse, Gerome Ragni, James Rado and many more.

It all takes place a few years after the first story

Schmigadoon! The second season begins a few years after the end of the first season. Melissa (Cecily Strong) and Josh (Keegan-Michael Key) have settled into married life, but can’t shake the feeling that they should be much, much happier.

A trip back to Schmigadoon seems like the solution they need to get a happy ending. After all, what could be better than a lively song and dance number performed by a group of Broadway greats?

However, when the two stumble back into the musical world, they are in for a rude awakening. Gone are the rolling hills and picturesque houses of Schmigadoon. They have been replaced by the seedy nightclubs and corrupt courthouses of the city, where the musicals of the ’60s and ’70s come to life.

It’s a major twist, but it’s the kick in the ass that Schmigadoon! needs to stay on the crest of the wave and not bore with more of the same.

Darker, grittier shows like Sweeney Todd, Cabaret and Chicago get their moment in the spotlight. Unlike the first season, Melissa, a lover of musicals, is less familiar with these references and prefers the lighter, funnier shows.

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This departure from the initial Schmigadoon! formula gives Melissa and Josh the opportunity to naively wreak havoc all over Schmicago.

If you have Apple TV+ you should give this breakout series that is getting a lot of buzz among musical lovers a chance.

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Jurassic Park offers viewers one of the best adventures on the big screen. Now we know that the filming of the movie was up to the final product. Because if you roll with dinosaurs, you’re bound to get a bite.

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According to Sam Neill’s new memoir, “Did I Ever Tell You?”, the cast of Jurassic Park nearly died during production in September 1992.

“We nearly died during the first few weeks of shooting on Kauai in the Hawaiian archipelago,” Neill wrote. “One morning we were told to stay in the hotel and expect a hurricane later.”

“I was on the beach with Laura Dern, who asked me, ‘Sam, do you think we might die today?’ ‘ As those huge black clouds approached over the Pacific I was compelled to tell her that, honestly, the answer was yes, I thought we might die.”

As it turned out, they came very close to dying

The actor also recalled how the cast and crew tried to stay safe during the hurricane.

“We were put in a ballroom, the entire cast and crew, a few hours before Hurricane Iniki hit us,” Neill continued. “Iniki was a Category 4 hurricane and it tore up the island, including all of our sets. It killed six people and caused more than $3 billion worth of damage.”

Hurricane Iniki ended up destroying more than 1,400 homes and the damage is still evident some 30 years later.

“I think within three or four hours she was gone, leaving us surrounded by the wreckage of our huge hotel,” Neill wrote. “I’m pretty sure that’s why we were spared a huge swell going through our ballroom, which was only a couple of feet above sea level.”

Despite their near brush with death, Neil, Dern and Jeff Goldblum became lifelong friends. He also praised Chris Pratt, who joined the franchise in 2015’s Jurassic World, as an “absolutely fantastic” action hero.

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“It was great to be in a hit like that, and I owe a lot to Spielberg and everyone involved, but I don’t think the Jurassic Park saga had a big impact on my career,” the actor ends in his memoir.

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The professional soccer league (NFL) is about to explode after it was announced that Lamar Jackson had requested a trade to the Ravens, and that the request was first made on March 2.

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Jackson went public via Twitter as Ravens coach John Harbaugh sat down to meet with reporters at the NFL Owners Meetings in Phoenix. Harbaugh, who had not seen the tweets, answered about two dozen questions on the subject.

A problem that is both monetary and solvable

Jackson and the Ravens have been in contract talks for more than two years. Jackson’s tweet made it clear that this is a financial disagreement.

For that reason, Harbaugh indicated he hopes an agreement can still be reached. The two sides have until July 17 to reach a multi-year deal before Jackson is locked into the non-exclusive $32.4 million franchise tag.

“You have two parties that appreciate each other. Lamar believes in us and we believe in Lamar, and we know where we want to move forward,” Harbaugh said.

“It’s a monetary issue. That can be worked out, that can be worked out. It’s a matter of negotiating and continuing down that path, and it will work out in the end. There’s always going to be creative ways to work those things out. We talk about finances. We talk about numbers. And the numbers can be solved,” he concluded.

Harbaugh said the Ravens are preparing as if Jackson will be their quarterback in the future. And that’s because even though Jackson has requested a trade, that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.

His coach is even counting on him for the first game of the new NFL 2023 season.

“I’m following it very closely, as is everyone else here and waiting for a resolution,” Harbaugh said. “I’m excited, thinking about Lamar all the time. Thinking about him as our quarterback. We’re building our offense around that idea.”

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The NFL soap opera has already begun and it doesn’t look like it’s going to end. Let’s remember that this is the first season in more than 20 years that Tom Brady will not be in the league.

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If you are a regular Twitter user you will have noticed that the app is changing more than ever in the last year and a half. The need to turn the app into a profitable social network is leading Elon Musk to try measures that do not enjoy the support of users. And there is one particularly dangerous one.

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In 2009, Twitter introduced a blue check mark next to some users’ names to indicate that the company had “verified” them as legitimate accounts.

At least at first, it was meant to crack down on impersonators who wanted to gain fame by claiming to be this or that celebrity.

Since then, the verification mark has become a sign of status, amplifying the voices of those who have it and leading some to question the decisions to grant it: the past decade has been years of criticism and hatred for getting that blue badge.

Verification is no longer status, now it’s money

When billionaire Elon Musk took over the platform last year, the check mark took on new meaning, becoming a symbol of the financial challenges it now faces and how everything is being monetized on the social network.

Elon Musk now grants the status to anyone willing to pay a monthly subscription.

Verification marks granted before the subscription model was introduced, known as legacy verification marks, have lingered for months on the accounts of people who haven’t necessarily paid for them.

But Musk is set to do away with them and has announced that they will disappear on April 1.

What does it mean to have a blue mark today?

Today, but especially after April 1, a blue checkmark basically means a user is paying for it.

After privatizing Twitter in October, Musk introduced a pay-for-verification service called Twitter Blue, whereby users who pay $8 a month get a blue checkmark.

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After getting out of control over trolls and fake accounts, Twitter put the Blue service on hiatus in November and relaunched it in December for a charge of $8 per month.

At the time, Musk said that people who didn’t pay for Twitter Blue would lose their verification badges “in a few months”. That day is about to come.

What happens if I lose my legacy check mark?

Part of Twitter Blue’s sales pitch is that it will help accounts “skyrocket in replies, mentions and searches.” In addition, the “For You” feed, the default view for the social network’s users, will stop recommending content from accounts that are not verified, Musk tweeted Monday.

So if you don’t subscribe, your content won’t be shown to people who don’t follow you. This could have a big impact on the platform, as it would shift the focus from popularity feeds – leveraging creators with the most followers – to paid.

Unverified users will also not be able to participate in any polls that Twitter conducts. This may be a weighty issue: Musk conducted a poll in December asking whether he should remain CEO, and said he would abide by the results of the poll.

Interestingly, although 57.5% of respondents said he should step down, he remains at the helm of the company and there is no information to suggest that he will step down any time soon.

Why is verification so important?

Musk has always claimed that eliminating bots is a key reason he paid $44 billion to buy the company.

Bots are automated accounts that can do the same things as real humans, such as sending tweets, but spam bots use these actions to engage in misleading, harmful and annoying activities, or tweet incessantly in an attempt to drive traffic to a website for a product or service.

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They can also spread misinformation and promote political messages. Twitter Blue, by highlighting verified accounts, helps reduce spam. Many experts have stated that they do not believe these measures will actually help the platform, beyond having a revenue-raising purpose.

The reality is that Elon Musk has a pressing need to monetize the billions of dollars he left behind and Twitter Blue seems the most direct path.

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Colombian reggaeton and cumbia singer-songwriter, rapper and producer Feid sings with an instantly recognizable style. He has composed and recorded with some of the genre’s biggest stars, including Reykon, Nicky Jam and J Balvin.

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Feid, real name Salomón Villada Hoyos, was born in Medellín (Colombia) on August 19, 1992, his stage name refers to his belief in his talent; the word translates as “healthy faith” for the singer, which is faith in God and in himself.

Feid’s childhood was saturated with creative activities instilled by his parents. They taught him that art provides the necessary tools to approach reality, and the opportunity to be sensitive in approaching the world.

A late explosion in the world of music

While still a student, he decided to dedicate himself to reggaeton. To do so, he focused his attention on composing songs and recording demos. He wrote compositions for Nicky Jam, Alberto Stylee, Magnate y Valentino, Reykon and J Balvin.

He recorded his own debut single, “Morena”, in 2015. Surprisingly it was a hit on the radio, in videos and in nightclubs throughout Latin America; it boosted his credibility as a songwriter in addition to introducing him as a recording artist.

He followed with the independent album “Así Como Suena” and two more singles: “Si Supieras” and “La Repuesta”, and later that year he wrote the J Balvin hit “Ginza”. Produced by René Alejandro Ramírez and David Cano, it reached number one on the Hot Latin Songs chart and was certified multiplatinum.

In 2016 Feid signed a contract with Universal Music and released the single “Que Raro”, with Balvin as a collaborator. It placed 16th on the Tropical Songs chart. In November 2017, he re-recorded “Así Como Suena” from scratch. It included new versions of songs from his 2015 debut, recorded both solo and with guests such as Jory and Nacho.

Following Pandemic, in 2021, Feid returned to touring. In August he released the full-length Inter Shibuya: La Mafia, a 15-track album recorded almost entirely solo. She’s no Rosalia, but she just keeps growing.

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The singer is breaking all his records via TikTok, social network where he usually uploads a lot of content fortunately for his fans. And it has been rumored for a year that he is Karol G’s boyfriend, a relationship that is not confirmed.

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E3 2023 could be cancelled altogether amid reports that even more publishers have pulled out, leaving the future of the iconic video game trade show in limbo… which seems destined to disappear.

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Resident Evil 4 Remake

A new report from IGN claims that both Sega and Tencent have withdrawn their participation in E3 2023, as rumors swirl about whether the event will ever take place.

This comes a day after Ubisoft said it would skip this year’s E3 and hold its own show instead, just as Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have been doing for years.

The source is reliable and the future is uncertain

IGN‘s report cites PR and publishing sources who claim to be uncertain about who will definitely be attending E3 2023. These sources note that the lack of communication from both the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and the organizer has only added to their uncertainty about what to expect from the event.

The report goes on to say that there are other publishers who have decided not to attend this year’s conference, but have not yet made it official.

Part of the problem apparently lies in the fact that the huge disruptions caused by the Covid pandemic have changed the way publishers produce, announce and release games, and this has made hands-on demos for the summer trade shows less of a priority.

Bandai Namco, for example, has only committed to the summer Play Days event, and Devolver Digital is still planning its now-classic and curious Devolver Direct.

In addition, many publishers and distributors have yet to fully recover their budgets after the drastic cuts suffered in the wake of the pandemic. And it seems that companies are more comfortable allocating resources to events that are not in constant flux, such as E3 in recent years.

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Resident Evil 4 Remake

Back in January, we learned that Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox would not be attending E3 2023. At the time, we were confident that the event would go ahead without the big three, but it’s looking less certain by the day.

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If you think the world would be a better place if we could all wear a laser sword on our belt, then this article is for you, young Skywalker. Unfortunately, it’s time to accept the harsh and boring reality.

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Internet is a world where it is worth being for content like the one we bring to the web today, because while there are places where it is scary to enter, others are portals to the most wonderful content. And TikTok is a bit of both worlds at the same time.

Frodo fighting with a lightsaber against a Nazgul? It is possible

They say you can’t be a fan of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars at the same time. You either belong to one universe or the other. That is, you have to choose between a space epic with chivalric overtones… or the same but in an epic fantasy world. In one there are horses in the other spaceships.

Luckily for those of us who can look beyond, there is the third option which is to enjoy the two works without the need to play them against each other. Being able to be happy with everything cinema has to offer, why spoil it with impossible debates?

Well, if you’re in our boat, we’re sure that the content below will make you really happy. For one reason: everything with laser swords gets better, even Lord of the Rings.

In the video we can see how in the mythical scene at the Top of the Winds, where the Hobbits face the Nazgul sent by Sauron to retrieve the One Ring, Frodo and his friends do not have the swords found in the Barrow Caves. Instead, what we see are laser swords.

And, best of all, the group of Ringwraiths are also armed with lightsabers… and in red, of course. Jedi versus Siths.

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It is true that the original works are fine and almost unbeatable. But we can’t deny that an alternate Lord of the Rings play with laser swords would be worth seeing. I’m sure your nearest movie theater would be packed… with you in it.

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Rock star David Bowie’s first hit was the 1969 song Space Oddity. Bowie, the original pop chameleon, is one of the most influential figures in music and entertainment. In 1996 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Bowie died of cancer on January 10, 2016.

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Known as a musical chameleon for his ever-changing look and sound, David Bowie was born David Robert Jones in Brixton, south London, England, on January 8, 1947.

Bowie showed an interest in music from an early age and began playing the saxophone at the age of 13.

A song that traveled to space

In early 1969, Bowie entered the world of music. He signed a contract with Mercury Records and released the single “Space Oddity” that summer. Bowie later said the song came to him after watching Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The song quickly caught on with audiences, driven in large part by the BBC’s use of the single during its coverage of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The song enjoyed subsequent success upon its release in the United States in 1972, climbing to number 15 on the charts.

Drugs, your faithful companion

As a good artist, David Bowie had many drug problems, as he himself explained in several interviews, in this TikTok clip you can see how he talks naturally about a taboo subject until then.

In 2004, Bowie suffered a serious health problem when he suffered a heart attack while performing in Germany. He made a full recovery and went on to collaborate with groups such as Arcade Fire and actress Scarlett Johansson on his album Anywhere I Lay My Head (2008), a collection of Tom Waits covers.

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Bowie, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. He kept a low profile for several years. Bowie released Blackstar, his last album, on January 8, 2016, his 69th birthday. He passed away two days later.

Just a few days later, the world would learn that the album had been recorded under difficult circumstances thus making his legacy even greater.

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