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Oscars 2020: The full winners list
Amazon cancels its Mobile World Congress plan over coronavirus fears
Another tech giant is taking a pass on Barcelona.
Amazon joins a growing list of companies no longer attending the Mobile World Congress (MWC), which runs in Barcelona from Feb. 24-27. The departing companies, Amazon included, cite concerns over the coronavirus, according to Reuters.
This is only the latest pull-out in recent days, with a list that includes telecommunications company Ericsson, tech mammoth LG, and computer graphics hardware designer Nvidia. They’ve all dropped out of MWC because of the virus. As of Friday, Samsung is still planning to attend but says it will send fewer executives to the conference, according to CNET. Read more…
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For the first time, an indigenous American tribe donates seeds to the doomsday vault
Millennia from now, future humans might be snacking on heirloom crops provided by the Cherokee Nation.
The Cherokee Nation is the first indigenous American tribe in the U.S. to be invited to contribute its heirloom seeds to the “doomsday” Svalbard Global Seed Vault, nestled deep inside a mountain on a remote island situated between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The vault opened in 2008 and is designed to withstand natural and man-made disasters. It’s above sea level so it’s protected from ocean flooding that could be triggered by catastrophic sea level rise, according to the international crop conservation organization Crop Trust. Read more…
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Ignore the negative hype, ‘Birds of Prey’ isn’t a box office disaster
Birds of Prey is the top movie at the box office in its opening weekend, with $33.3 million in U.S. ticket sales.
That’s not a huge opening, let’s be clearBirds of Prey didn’t do Marvel numbers. Hell, it didn’t even do DC numbers. For those keeping track at home, $33.7 million is the lowest opening weekend out of any DC Extended Universe release so far.
It’s not all bad news, though. I’ve seen plenty of headlines and social media chatter declaring Birds of Prey a “failure” and a “box office bust.” But it’s important to remember when we’re looking at box office figures that these things don’t happen in a vacuum. Read more…
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Laura Dern’s general excellence was celebrated in song at the 2020 Spirit Awards
At Saturday’s Independent Spirit Awards, host Aubrey Plaza paid tribute to LGBTQ representation and then brought out the Gay Men’s Choir of Los Angeles to “shine a spotlight on some of the gayest moments in other films that you may not have realized were gay.”
The song that unfolds is hilarious and full of terrific reframings of moments from 2019 films, particularly at the expense of the kid from Marriage Story.
But the entire performance rockets into another dimension of amazing entirely as the song pivots to a tribute to Laura Dern who, from the audience, can’t contain her delight and embraces the song with her whole heart. Read more…
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Motorola puts out a foldable Razr test video in response to durability concerns
After Motorola’s reborn Razr seemed to fail a recent durability test, the company fired back with a response and a test of its own.
The Razr broke after only 27,000 folds from FoldBot, a tool developed to literally fold and unfold devices to test its durability. CNET planned to put the device through 100,000 folds, a goal well below the Samsung Galaxy’s record of 120,000 folds. The site tested it during what was supposed to be a 12-hour livestream, but it was cut short when the Razr’s hinge got stuck and the FoldBot was unable to continue … folding.
Motorola responded with a statement and the below video, which shows its own folding machine fully opening and closing the phone. The FoldBot only partially closes the phone before opening it again. Read more…
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Chinese social media users quote ‘Les Misérables’ and ‘Chernobyl’ to protest coronavirus censorship
A song from the musical Les Misérables is making the rounds on Chinese social media after the death of Li Wenliang, the doctor credited as the coronavirus whistleblower.
The musical’s “Can You Hear The People Sing?” has become rallying cry for pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong. In the musical and its 2012 movie adaptation, the song is sung to incite a civilian uprising against the oppressive French monarchy. As protests picked up again in June 2019, Chinese music streaming sites took down the song, citing copyright reasons.
Now, it’s being quoted on social media sites like Weibo as Chinese people grieve the death of a “martyr” and “hero.” But many of the posts praising Li are disappearing, Quartz reports. Read more…
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You simply have to see Kumail Nanjiani’s dad’s socks
It’s been a week. Between the Iowa caucus disaster, the State of the Union, and Trump’s inability to blend his orange makeup, we’ve been through a lot. We deserve a dash of wholesomeness, and actor Kumail Nanjiani’s father is here to deliver.
Nanjuani made news in December after revealing his ripped look for his role of Kingo in Marvel’s upcoming movie, The Eternals. His abs were a far cry from his everyman pudge he and his characters had rocked previously, so it was a Big Deal.
The internet went bananas once those photos dropped, but it turns out that we’re not the only ones who are into Nanjiani’s muscles. On Saturday, he tweeted out photos of his dad’s socks, adorned with the famous shirtless photo and the text “I AM HIS DAD.” Read more…
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Students at a Colorado university can soon major in cannabis
Some students in Colorado will soon be able to major in weed instead of just smoking it in their dorm rooms.
Colorado State University-Pueblo just received approval for the state’s first degree program focused on cannabis, the Denver Post reports. The program is called “Cannabis, Biology and Chemistry” and will be similar to a double major in biology and chemistry, dean of the university’s College of Science and Mathematics David Lehmpuhl told the Post. The focus will be on learning the science necessary to succeed in the field.
Lehmpuhl said the degree will be rigorous. He also stated that the university is not pro or anti cannabis, but rather they know that the industry will continue to grow and they want students to be prepared. Read more…
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Razzies announce 2020 nominations and yes, ‘Cats’ is a top nominee
The 2020 Razzie nominations got out ahead of Hollywood’s annual Academy Awards ceremony on Feb. 9.
For the uninitiated, the Razzies are basically a 180-degree twist on the Oscars, awarding movies and actors for worst performances of the year. Award “winners” in the past include our very own president, who won two in 2019, one for his “worst acting” in Death of a Nation and Fahrenheit 11/9, and another for “worst screen combo” with his self-perpetuating pettiness.
Trump does not show up among the 2020 nominations but Cats, Rambo: Last Blood, and Madea Family Funeral lead the pack with eight nominations each. While Hollywood is buzzing with Oscar predictions, we’ll be placing our bets for who takes home the most Razzies. Read more…
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