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The alleged sex trafficking cult linked to Smallville actress Allison Mack is the focus for not one, but two upcoming projects. A scripted story based on true events, and a docuseries, will be based on the reported cult, NXIVM. The docuseries has already begun shooting. Just five days ago, Mack was arrested by the FBI in connection with the alleged cult. She was released on bond yesterday. Mack was accused of recruiting women under the guise of a self-help group....

[SPOILERS for the American Horror Story season 6 premiere ahead.] - FX’s approach to marketing American Horror Story season 6 was nothing if not unorthodox. The network built up the hype for the previous seasons of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s TV series by releasing highly-stylized and often enigmatic promos, each of them being based around the central theme for that season (Asylum, Coven, Freak Show and so forth). Commercials for season 6 were no less stylish or mysterious in nature, but nearly every one varied in their theme - with FX’s CEO flat-out admitting that only one of the promos was actually relevant to this new season, in terms of the particular horror sub-genre that will be explored....

RISE from David Karlak on Vimeo. Fans of American actor Anton Yelchin likely know him best for his recent turn as the original Starfleet crewman Pavel Chekov in the 2009 reboot of the Star Trek franchise from director J.J. Abrams, in addition to extensive work within the realm of genre filmmaking, including the 2011 remake of Fright Night and the 2014 indie zombie rom-com Burying the Ex. Of late, it would appear that the young Hollywood star would appear to be intent at making a name for himself with even more films set within wildly imaginative narrative landscapes, as Yelchin is set to return in Star Trek Beyond later this summer....

A new report from The Verge today goes in-depth on another aspect of the Matter initiative: a new universal casting technology that could rival (or replace) AirPlay… The report notes that in addition to Matter’s goal of improving interoperability between the countless different smart home standards out there today, Matter is also aiming to improve TV control. This comes in the form of a new connectivity protocol, but one that is said to be “platform agnostic....

Apple cloud gaming and mobile browser policies are again under investigation in the UK, following a public consultation on the topics. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had already investigated both issues, and found Apple and Google guilty of anticompetitive behavior, but says that the public wants a “fuller” investigation … Background One of the restrictions placed on App Store gaming apps is a ban on cloud gaming apps. This means that a developer cannot offer an app that provides access to multiple games played via cloud servers....

Apple has announced that it is celebrating Black History Month with a number of different initiatives this year. One of the most notable announcements is a new-edition Apple Watch Black Unity Braided Solo Loop and matching Unity Lights watch face, which Apple says are inspired by Afrofuturism. Here’s how Apple describes the new Apple Watch Braided Solo Loop: To complement the band, Apple has also launched a new Unity Lights watch face for Apple Watch users everywhere....

Authorities in Tokyo are asking Apple to pay $98 million in back taxes after incorrectly exempting foreign tourists and resellers from a consumption tax. Nikkei reports that Apple stopped tax-free shopping in June after incorrectly exempting bulk orders of iPhones and other hardware. The $98 million tax bill comes off $26 billion in sales during fiscal year 2022 for Apple Japan, and Apple has reportedly filed to amend its tax return....

Apple on Monday stopped signing iOS 15.4.1, just a week after iOS 15.5 was released to the public. As a result, iPhone and iPad users can no longer downgrade from iOS 15.5 to iOS 15.4.1, which impacts users who jailbreak their devices. iOS 15.4.1 was released on March 31 with fixes in general, including fixing a bug that made the battery drain faster. On May 16, Apple released iOS 15.5 – which comes with enhancements to Apple Cash and new features in the Podcasts app....

It seems hardly a day passes without fresh news on Apple’s supply chain problems. Recent ones focus on the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns in China, but the global chip shortage continues to bite. Apple had hoped that Chinese display manufacturer BOE would be able to make as many as 40M iPhone displays this year. A shortage of display driver chips saw the goal reduced to 30M, but even that is now in doubt …...

Apple TV+ today announced a release date for its next major international project, ‘Pachinko’. The show is an adaptation of a New York Times best-selling novel. The series will debut on March 25. Apple will release the first three episodes of Pachinko on March 25, with the remainder of the eight-episode season airing weekly through 29 April. The series notably stars the famous South Korean actor Lee Min-ho in a leading role....

Apple TV+’s first British series production, the comedy series Trying, returns for season three on July 22, the company announced today. ‘Trying’ centers on the couple Nikki and Jason as they work their way through the adoption process. Esther Smith and Rafe Spall star. The show is written and produced by Andy Wolton, through BBC Studios. The eight episode third season will run July 22 through September 9. The storyline of the third season follows the pair as they experience the trials and tribulations of being new parents....

Apple Watch Ultra is here and I’ve just unboxed mine. Follow along for my first impressions of the 49mm titanium wearable from Apple that features an all-new design, larger screen, and much more. I’ll dig into what it feels like size-wise compared to the 45mm Apple Watch, weight, buttons, the Alpine Loop, and more. • For reference, I have a smaller wrist that measures about 6.5 inches around and I’m coming from the 45mm Apple Watch Series 7 •...

We finally know what Black Manta will look like in Aquaman - or at least what he’ll look at the start of his journey. Although he can be considered Aquaman’s archnemesis in the comics, Black Manta won’t be the main villain of Aquaman. Instead that position will go to Arthur Curry’s half-brother, Orm, who is being played by Patrick Wilson. However, it seems like Black Manta will play a significant role in Aquaman’s first solo outing in the DCEU....

Descriptions of the Aquaman teaser trailer screened at CinemaCon 2018 praise the footage from Warner Bros. and DC Films’ upcoming movie. Last year marked both a massive success for DC Films with the release of Wonder Woman, and an unequivocal misstep with Justice League. However, the superhero franchise continues on with at least three movies on its upcoming slate. Next year will see the release of both David F. Sandberg’s Shazam!...

[This is a review of Arrow season 4, episode 18. There will be SPOILERS.] - Television has been riddled with “shocking” character deaths as of late. The night Arrow aired ‘Eleven-Fifty-Nine’ saw two other series kill off major characters with varying degrees of success, putting their respective audiences in varying states of aforementioned shock. The thing is, though, those other two shows didn’t have what Arrow did: a flash-forward storytelling device that warned the audience ahead of time someone was going to die....

It’s hard to believe that it’s only been ten years since the release of the first Assassin’s Creed game. As a unique mixture of action, stealth, parkour, and historical tourism, it was an instant hit, and Ubisoft wasted no time expanding on what would become one of the biggest franchises in gaming. There have been nine “main” games released in the franchise for home consoles (with a few more for portable systems) and a tenth, Origins, will be released later this year....

The trailer for the final episode of Titans, which is centered around a battle between Batman and Robin, accidentally exposes the fatal flaw of the DC Universe series. The first season of Titans has been largely focused upon the story of Dick Grayson and his efforts to build a new life for himself free of Batman’s influence. While this trailer suggests an explosive resolution to Dick’s story, it also points to the show’s continual problems in developing any of the subplots devoted to its core characters apart from Robin....

Players won’t have to wait much longer to learn more about what exactly the Battlefield 2018 game will be as an official reveal date is set for later this month. The official unveil came in a very unique way as series developer DICE added an in-game mystery to Battlefield 1’s Fort de Vaux map. Some intelligent fans eventually figured out that Morse code was introduced, and the message was deciphered to say “On May 23, Battlefield will never be the same....

Since the masses were introduced to both Tim Burton and Pee-wee Herman, with Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure in 1985, Burton has helmed a total of 17 movies in the director’s chair. It’s been a weird and wonderful ride through darkly surreal characters and landscapes, the occasional big-budget blockbuster, a musical, and even a couple of animated kids’ films – and even they are infused with that characteristic Burton dark humor. To be clear, this is a ranking only of films he has directed....

A new antitrust report says that unless the government reigns in tech giants, it could go the same way as Big Pharma and Big Oil, with all the power resting in the hands of very few companies. It argues that tech companies are spending increasing sums on lobbying politicians in an effort to stave off antitrust legislation, and that this pressure needs to be resisted … Bloomberg reports. Antitrust issues are arguably the biggest threat to Apple, given that legislation would threaten the most consistent growth area for the company: services....