Warner Bros. is cracking down on Harry Potter festivals, and fans are not pleased

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According to Warner Bros., magic is not for everyone.

As reported by the Associated Press on Saturday, the studio’s powers-that-be are cracking down on unauthorized Harry Potter festivals, eliciting disappointment and frustration from fans. 

Festivals are now prohibited from using any “names, places, or objects” associated with the series — which, obviously, rules out pretty much everything except broad concepts. One festival outside Philadelphia, for example, will take on a new, vague “wands and wizards” theme.

SEE ALSO: There’s a new version of ‘Netflix and chill’ and it involves Harry Potter Read more…

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Tom Hanks saves Shakespeare through the magic of improv

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Leave it to Tom Hanks to save the day by combining Shakespeare and improv. 

As reported by The Orange County Register, Hanks was performing in a production of Henry IV at the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles on Wednesday when an audience member fell ill and passed out. 

SEE ALSO: Tom Hanks acts out every Tom Hanks movie in 8 minutes

The play was paused for 15 minutes while crew members (who consisted of veterans with medical training) and then paramedics attended to the sick theatergoer. 

Meanwhile, the audience was beginning to grow restless. So Hanks burst back onto the stage and began riffing in character as Sir John Falstaff, joking with the audience and imploring them to remain seated and be patient. Read more…

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The iPhone 3GS is going back on sale, but for a limited time and only in South Korea

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Apple hasn’t manufactured a new iPhone 3GS since the now-ancient smartphone was retired in 2012. But shoppers in South Korea will be able to pick one up before June is over.

South Korean wireless carrier SK Telink discovered an unsold shipment of the third-generation iPhone hidden away in a warehouse, local news service ETNews reports (h/t VentureBeat). Each one will be sold unlocked for the U.S. equivalent of roughly $40.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s officially making it harder for cops to bust into your iPhone

All of the devices are never sold, new-in-box products. Though given their age, SK Telink plans to open each one, test it, and — provided it works — repackage it. The iPhone 3GS arrived in South Korea for the first time in late 2009, and there’s no way to know if their rechargeable batteries still work without testing them first. Read more…

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The most heartwarming tale of amateur squirrel dentistry you’ll read today

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Call her Captain America, because she just saved Bucky.

Bucky the squirrel, that is.

SEE ALSO: This acrobatic squirrel nails its ‘Wrecking Ball’ moment while attempting to score birdseed

As reported by Sarah Kraus of Global News, Jannett Talbott (who is Canadian, so not actually Captain America) noticed that one of the squirrels in her feeder was suffering from severely overgrown teeth.

In these photos Jannet Talbott took in her backyard, you can see exactly what was wrong with Bucky the squirrel’s teeth#sabretoothsquirrel pic.twitter.com/MHNtcAu1Re

— Sarah Kraus (@SarahNKraus) June 16, 2018 Read more…

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School receptionist rings in summer vacation with PA system cover of ‘At Last’

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I am ashamed to admit that, as a student, I never paid that much attention to what anyone was saying over the PA system. But if my school had employed Regina Ballard, I might’ve. 

The North Carolina school receptionist sang a truly beautiful rendition of “At Last” on Wednesday to celebrate her last day in the office before summer vacation. The school wasn’t full of students — just a few employees and kids enrolled in camp — but those lucky enough to hear the performance enjoyed a real treat.

Petition to make “At Last” the perpetual song of the summer, please. Read more…

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‘Captain Marvel’ hires ‘Fortnite’ composer Pinar Toprak, the first woman to score a Marvel film

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Turkish-American composer Pinar Toprak has been hired to compose the score for Captain Marvel, which will premiere in March of next year. 

Even if you’re not a film score buff, there’s a good chance you’re already familiar with Toprak’s work. In addition to writing additional music for Justice League in 2017, she is responsible for some of the incredibly catchy music from Fortnite. (Yes, the stuff that is stuck in your head all the time.)

SEE ALSO: ‘Deadpool 2’ is the gayest superhero movie yet. That’s not saying much.

I’m so thrilled to finally announce that I will be scoring the upcoming CAPTAIN MARVEL! It’s an incredible honor to be a part of the Marvel Universe. So many thoughts racing through my head. And the main one is gratitude. I have so many people to thank for helping me on this journey but first and foremost, my incredible agents Laura Engel and Richard Kraft for believing in me from day one and Dave Jordan and directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck for giving me this opportunity of a lifetime. #captainmarvel

A post shared by Pinar Toprak (@pinartoprakcomposer) on Read more…

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Holy sh*t, Beyoncé and Jay Z just dropped a surprise album

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Sad about missing Beyoncé and Jay Z’s “On the Run II” tour? Well, now you don’t have to be.

Not exactly, anyway. The wife-and-husband power duo surprise released a new album — exclusively for Tidal, of course — on Saturday afternoon. The long-rumored joint album bears the title “Everything Is Love.”

SEE ALSO: Tiffany Haddish all-but-confirms who bit Beyoncé, providing the answers we’ve been waiting for

To whet the appetites of all those non-Tidal subscribers out there, Bey shared a video snippet from one of the album’s nine tracks on Instagram. In the video, which is for a track called “APES**T,” she and Jay wander around the Louvre in a variety of different outfits while dancers do their thing. Read more…

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Billie Lourd, daughter of Carrie Fisher, rocked her mom’s Star Wars buns in public

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Billie Lourd repped her mom in the best dang way when she threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Friday’s match-up between baseball’s San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers.

The daughter of Carrie Fisher, who is a talented TV star in her own right, strode out onto the field with her hair formed into two distinctive buns. It wasn’t an exact recreation of her mom’s famed Princess Leia hair buns, but it was close enough to get the point across.

I’m not crying, you’re crying.

SEE ALSO: Natalie Portman replies to Mark Hamill’s tweet about her, totally wants to meet him

The 25-year-old Lourd took on the ceremonial first pitch duties as part of the game’s Star Wars Night festivities. As you can see, she also spent some time carousing on the field with a few other familiar faces. Read more…

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Chris Hardwick’s bad statement got people talking about toxic nerd culture

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“As a husband, a son, and future father, I do not condone any kind of mistreatment of women.”

On Friday night, entertainer and geek “hero” Chris Hardwick responded to Chloe Dykstra’s allegations that he sexually assaulted her and engaged in other toxic behavior while the two were dating. His carefully worded statement refuted Dykstra’s account, and ended with that oh-so-familiar defense you see above.

SEE ALSO: Chris Hardwick responds to Chloe Dykstra’s allegations of sexual and emotional abuse

Let’s be clear: “Guilty until proven innocent” is for a court of law to decide, if that’s where this story eventually goes. The court of public opinion operates under no such constraints, and in the post-Harvey Weinstein days of 2018 we believe the accuser. Read more…

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Kid knocks over unsecured $132,000 statue. Now they want his parents to pay.

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A family may be responsible for a pricey statue their child knocked it over at the Tomahawk Ridge Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas.

According to Sarah Goodman, the child’s mother, the incident occurred last month at a wedding reception, local outlet KSHB reports. 

SEE ALSO: This daughter’s optical illusion went so viral even her mom recreated it

A security cam captured the whole thing, and shows the kid hug the statue before walking away. The child later returns to the statue, and appears to hang onto it. The statue falls over, and the young boy goes along with it. 

The statue was not barricaded in any way. Read more…

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