Minority Mindset

This spirited New Zealander began her journey as a regular stew during seasons four and five of Below Deck Mediterranean. She then earned a promotion to chief stew for the first two seasons of Below Deck Down Under, and later returned to Below Deck Med, starting with its ninth season last year. She’s continuing in that role for the show’s tenth season, which premieres tonight on Bravo and tomorrow on Peacock. She took time out of her vacation to discuss the crew members she struggled to connect with, who she’d trust with her hypothetical yacht – Captain Jason or Captain Sandy – and a hair-related mishap she wants to publicly address.

For centuries, Sauron fed on any living creature he encountered, growing stronger as he absorbed their essence. He eventually broke free from his cave and clung to a moving wagon. After killing the driver, he was able to rebuild himself into a humanoid shape. This didn’t happen in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. While Sauron could slowly regain his form after being destroyed, he never turned into black goo. Both he and other Maiar spirits were known to appear as mist or smoke after being defeated. However, this slimy transformation wasn’t completely new to Tolkien’s world. A passage in the chapter “The White Rider” from The Two Towers hinted at Sauron’s ability to regenerate, and it probably inspired the writers of The Rings of Power.

It wasn’t until her appearance on Jay Shetty’s podcast on September 24 that Watson publicly addressed comments made by J.K. Rowling. Earlier this year, Rowling tweeted that Watson and her Harry Potter co-stars, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint, “ruin” the movies for her, likely because they have all spoken out in support of trans rights since Rowling began focusing on the issue in late 2019. Watson explained to Shetty the difficult situation she faces: she fondly remembers Rowling’s kindness when she was young, but she also struggles to understand Rowling’s continued stance. “I think what I’ve realized is that it’s not necessarily what we say or believe, but how we say it that really matters,” she explained, meaning that Rowling has become increasingly aggressive and unkind in her views on trans issues, rather than expressing them respectfully. This was a generous perspective-one that upset many listeners-partly because it overlooked the harm caused to trans people. Watson’s comments also failed to acknowledge that Rowling isn’t simply expressing opinions about trans people; she is actively trying to influence laws. Watson also said that a major source of frustration in her relationship with Rowling is that a productive “conversation was never possible”: “I don’t want to contribute to a debate that is already so harmful and divisive.”

I’ve always been a huge fan of William Friedkin, and it’s a shame that so many of his later films don’t get the recognition they deserve. After the ’70s, he continued to make movies, but a lot of people seem to have forgotten just how brilliant he was. He gave us classics like The French Connection, Sorcerer and To Live and Die in L.A., and honestly, he was as important as anyone in shaping genre films for the last fifty years. It’s amazing to think that even in 2011, he was *still* making films that were bold and really got under your skin. He didn’t get quite as much buzz as the other ‘movie brats’ after the ’70s, but he was still a major force in cinema throughout the ’80s, too. Of course, he’s probably best known for his 1973 horror , which so many people – including fellow ‘movie brat’ Martin Scorsese – still consider the greatest horror film of all time.

The first Simpsons movie was a huge success worldwide in 2007, earning $536 million, according to Box Office Mojo. Now, after 20 years, a sequel is finally in development. The question is, why is Disney choosing to move forward with it now? In 2024, former co-showrunner Al Jean explained to Screen Rant that the Simpsons team was “really counting on Inside Out 2 to perform well this summer.” (That film eventually earned over a billion dollars.) “I’d like to see the animation industry fully recover to its pre-pandemic levels,” Jean continued. “And if that happens, releasing The Simpsons in theaters would make a lot of sense. But I realize the decision about where and how to release it is beyond my control.” The question has been answered. The big yellow family is returning to the big screen, that’s for sure!