Category Archives: Entertainment

Entertainment

Actor Jason Lewis Apologizes for Shooting Rice Balls Around Feral Cats

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“Sex and the City” star Jason Lewis got into a heated argument with his neighbor after the actor was caught firing a weapon to scare some feral cats away, but the gun wasn’t loaded with bullets.

Jason was clearly upset over cats that were abandoned after one of his neighbors died this past September. Another neighbor has been feeding the felines every day, but according to the neighbor, Jason was pissed off because the cats were pooping in his yard.

The neighbor apparently caught Jason shooting in the vicinity of the strays, and that triggered a heated argument.

Jason explained he was shooting grains of rice in the direction of the cats, not to hurt them but rather to show them he means business. That did not sit well with the neighbor.

Jason, who also appeared in “90210” and “Charmed,” told the neighbor he didn’t aim for the cats but rather shot in their general direction to scare them. The neighbor says it’s undermining her efforts to get the cats to trust her so she can find them new homes.

Jason tells TMZ, “Everyone who knows me knows my love of animals. I’ve tried for months to work with a person who is coming into the neighborhood and feeding a large group of feral cats in an effort to relocate them as they have been filling the yards with fleas and waste.”

Jason goes on … “I made the wrong choice in shooting rice into the dirt (not toward the cats) to spook with the noise and scare them away. To fellow animal lovers that I disappointed, I’m sorry.”

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NPR Cookie Consent and Choices

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‘Summer of Soul’ unearths lost footage of Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone

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Stevie Wonder announces he started a label imprint under Republic Records and released new music. He spent nearly 60 years at Motown.

USA TODAY

Imagine two free Coachellas happened in the middle of New York City and no one ever talked about them. 

That’s how producer Joseph Patel described the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, the subject of transcendent new documentary “Summer of Soul (…Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” which world-premiered at the virtual Sundance Film Festival Thursday night.

Colloquially known as the “Black Woodstock,” the Harlem Cultural Festival was a series of free concerts over six weekends that drew more than 300,000 people. Staged in Harlem’s Mount Morris Park in summer 1969, weeks before Woodstock festival in upstate New York, the event attracted trailblazing Black artists including Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Gladys Knight, The Fifth Dimension, and Sly and the Family Stone. 

Sundance 2021: ‘CODA’ star Marlee Matlin talks inclusion, calls on Hollywood to ‘hire more deaf actors’

The festival was captured in its entirety by filmmaker Hal Tulchin, who tried to sell the footage to studios but was turned down. The reels sat in Tulchin’s basement for a half century until his death in 2017, when producers David Dinerstein and Robert Fyvolent obtained the never-before-seen footage. They brought it to The Roots drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, who makes his directorial debut with “Summer of Soul.” 

“I instantly kind of scoffed,” Thompson said in a post-screening Q&A. “I was like, ‘Wait a minute. I know everything that happened in music history. There’s no way you’re going to tell me this gathering happened and no one knew about it.’ But sure enough, that was the case. Once they showed me raw footage, I just sat there with my jaw dropped, like, ‘How has this been forgotten?'”

Thompson expertly places the festival in context of what was happening in the United States in 1969, with racial injustice and antiwar protests, and general ambivalence to the landing on the moon. (“Never mind the moon — let’s get that cash to feed poor Black people in Harlem,” one concertgoer says in a newsreel.) 

He also asks why so much of Black culture has been erased from the history books or considered insignificant by traditionally white gatekeepers. 

“Why was this not important? Why was this deemed as just ‘meh?'” Thompson said. “For me, that was the biggest question of all.” 

The two-hour “Summer of Soul” is edited together from roughly 45 hours of vibrant concert footage, which transports us back to pre-COVID times, when dancing with a sweaty crowd was a hobby and not a health hazard. The performances are jubilant and frequently profound, with highlights including a dynamic drum solo from a spry Wonder and a stirring set by Simone, who leads the audience in a hopeful yet melancholy rendition of “To Be Young, Gifted and Black.” 

In new interviews, The Fifth Dimension members Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. recall how it felt to be welcomed and embraced by a majority Black audience for the first time, performing their No. 1 hit “Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In” from musical “Hair.” And Mavis Staples fondly recounts singing “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” with gospel icon Mahalia Jackson, in a gut-wrenching tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. that will take your breath away.  

“It was the ultimate Black barbecue,” one festival-goer says of the event overall. “But as soon as you heard the music, you knew it was something bigger.” 

“Summer of Soul” will have a second virtual Sundance screening Saturday at 10 a.m. ET. The film is still seeking distribution. 

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When Quizzed About Possibility of New Album, Justin Timberlake Says: “Let’s Go With Yes”

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The ‘Palmer’ star appeared on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ on Friday, sharing that he has been in the studio recently.

Justin Timberlake has confirmed that a new album is on the horizon.

During his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday, the singer, who turns 40 this weekend, was quizzed by the late-night host about whether it is appropriate to say that “a new Justin Timberlake album” in the works, to which the singer replied, “Yeah, we can say that. There’s a possibility.” Timberlake paused and added, “Let’s go with yes.”

He went on to say that he’s been in and out of the studio working on projects. Fallon said that he can’t wait for the new music, and asked how Timberlake can be so “zen” about releasing tracks at the pace he wants to and not being impatient. “I sat on Mirrors for like, four or five years,” said the singer.

“I think I just take my time, maybe that’s my barometer — if I still love them as much when time goes by, hopefully people will after they hear them, when time goes by.”

Among other artists who Timberlake would like to collaborate with, he named Kendrick Lamaar and Travis Scott. “That would be a good mix,” said Fallon.

Timberlake also briefly spoke about his second child with Jessica Biel, a son named Phineas. “Nobody’s sleeping,” he said, “but he’s so cute.”

On the acting side, Timberlake can currently be seen in Palmer on Apple TV+.



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Clare Crawley Says She Is Making a ‘U-Turn’ After Being in a ‘Dark Place’ Following Dale Moss Split

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Craig Sjodin/ABC Clare Crawley and Dale Moss.

Clare Crawley is speaking out after her split from fiancé Dale Moss.

During an Instagram Live on Friday, the former Bachelorette said that she has been privately “struggling” for a while, particularly with anxiety, but now she’s ready to be more vulnerable with her fans.

“I think when you open yourself up to share what you’re going through, not as a victim, but as like, vulnerability, and more as just like the human side of you, with your friends, with your family, with the public, with people, as much as you want to share — mine more so happens to be a lot more public than most people — but I think when we share our struggles, it gives people the opportunity to relate to it, and to share their struggles,” Crawley said.

The reality star added that as she has opened up, she’s heard from fans that are facing similar situations.

RELATED: Clare Crawley Was ‘Blindsided’ by ‘Painful and Emotional’ Dale Moss Split, Source Says

Crawley thanked fans who have shared their own stories with her, and encouraged people to open up to their loved ones.

“The ones that love you support you,” she said.

However, not everyone has been so supportive, with Crawley saying “you guys would be disgusted at” the messages she was receiving after her season of the Bachelorette, which was cut short when she chose Moss as her final suitor and he proposed.

Crawley said cruel messages combined with being the Bachelorette, the pandemic, and also caring for her mother, who has Alzheimer’s and dementia, has meant she has found herself battling anxiety and experiencing panic attacks.

“I’m getting to the point now where I’m trying really hard to come back from that and make a U-turn because it’s a dark place to be in when you’ve got a lot of stuff compiled on each other.”

However, in her Live on Friday, Crawley said despite going through a tough time, that she is trying to practice gratitude by “listing 10 things before I even opened my eyes in the morning that I’m grateful for.”

“My idea of love and to be loved is to have all of our that we go through, all the stuff that we experienced in life, whether it’s whatever you want to call it, like baggage, experiences, traumas, whatever we go through, whatever we carry with us, show up with it,” she said.

“And to know … in spite of all that, like you are loved and you will be loved by the right person for all that you bring to the table, whether it’s the good, the bad, everything that we bring to the table, the right person is going to love you for that.”

RELATED: The Bachelorette‘s Clare Crawley Breaks Silence After Dale Moss Split: ‘The Truth Is I Am Crushed’

Last week, Moss announced that he and Crawley had broken up.

“I wanted share with you all that Clare and I have decided to go our separate ways. We appreciate the love and support we’ve received from so many people, but this is the healthiest decision for both of us at this time,” he said in a statement on Instagram.

“We strongly believe in leading with love and always remaining true to oneself – something our families have taught and instilled in us throughout our lives,” he added. “We only hope the best things for one another. – DM.”

Crawley, however, said two days later that she was “made aware of a ‘mutual’ statement at the same time you all were.”

“I’ve needed some time to really digest this,” she said, adding that she was “crushed” by the breakup.

A source told PEOPLE that Moss “wasn’t ready for marriage and kids” and that “things only got tougher after the show when they had to start making big life decisions.”

If you or someone you know need mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.



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Why Meghan Markle Will Stay in US Amid Prince Harry’s UK Return

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Prince Harry is expected to travel back to the U.K. sometime in the summer of 2021, royal sources told Daily Mail, but it seems he’ll be making the trip by himself. Sources say it’s very “unlikely” the Duchess of Sussex and their son Archie will travel with him. However, firm plans have not been solidified due to the ongoing travel restrictions.

The sixth in line to the thrown is returning to the U.K. to visit family for the first time after quitting as working royals as they celebrate a few major occasions. The couple was expected to attend Prince Phillip’s 100th Birthday celebration and the official celebration for the Queen’s 95th birthday. There is also a scheduled unveiling of a statue commissioned in honor of the late Princess Diana, which Prince Harry is also to be present for alongside his brother Prince William. While it was originally planned for both parties to make the trip together, insiders shared Markle’s decision to stay in the states is for ‘personal and practical’ reasons. “Harry wants to come back for The Queen and Prince Philip’s big birthdays. But it looks likely it will be just him,” they said. ‘If Meghan comes back, the feeling is that it would overshadow the occasion,” the source said. “People would only be looking at the ‘drama’ of it all. Of course, she would be welcome, but a decision not to come would postpone that headache for a while at least.”

Those close to the situation stressed that the couple’s plans are still tentative and could change at any moment due to the Coronavirus pandemic. “It should be strongly stressed that there is still an element of uncertainty about this because of the unpredictable Covid situation, but the understanding is the duke is more than likely to come back on his own. This is a personal and practical decision by the couple, but it would certainly help officials navigate what is likely to be a fairly tricky situation,” they said.

Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex relocated to North America (first Canada, then California) in 2019 and have since established their businesses in the states. The duo has signed multiple million-dollar deals with Netflix and Spotify –– further enforcing their plans to stay in the U.S. Though, according to a source, there have been no hard feelings toward the two for their departure. “Her Majesty made very clear when they left the UK that Harry and Meghan were still much loved members of her own family and would be very welcome to attend family events. That still holds true,” the source shared. “Practically, however, it comes with the need for a certain amount of diplomacy. There is still a great deal of distance between Harry and many family members, particularly his brother. No one wants a repeat of the Commonwealth Service.”

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Olivia Rodrigo Doubles Up On Global Charts

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A year before her new stand-alone single arrived, Rodrigo released “All I Want,” from Disney+’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, in which she starred. The song dented the U.S.-based Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, reaching No. 90 in January 2020; comparatively, and as on the global charts, “Drivers License” has topped the Hot 100 in its first two frames.

Now, with steamrolling momentum for “Drivers License,” “All I Want” is enjoying a resurgence, most evident on the global rankings. “All I Want” climbs to No. 119 in its second week on the Global 200 and debuts on the Global Excl. U.S. chart at No. 148. In the week ending Jan. 21, it gained by 7% to 13.3 million streams globally and by 27% to 8.3 million outside the U.S.

“Drivers License” also gained in global streams in its second week: up 7% overall and up a hefty 47% outside the U.S.

That both Rodrigo tracks gained in global streams in the second week of availability for “Drivers License” is especially notable. Generally, songs with such lofty launches as “Drivers License” decline in streams in their second weeks, following the hard-to-match immediate excitement of their premiere frames.

In the U.S., for instance, “Drivers License” fell from 76.1 million in its first week (ending Jan. 14) to a still robust 59.7 million (Jan. 21). Similarly, “All I Want” dropped from 6 million to 5.1 million domestically. (Still, “Drivers License” is sparking “All I Want” in the U.S.: Before those two weeks, “All I Want” drew 1.4 million in the week ending Jan. 7.)

How to account for the disparity that both “Drivers License” and “All I Want” dipped in U.S. streams in the latter’s second week of release but grew beyond the U.S.? It’s likely that as a U.S.-based artist bolstered by a U.S.-focused Disney background, Rodrigo’s profile is allowing for more steady discovery globally as the rest of the world catches up on America’s current buzziest musical export.

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This Marvel Comics Storyline Could Spoil WandaVision — and MCU Phase 4

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A classic Marvel Comics storyline starring Scarlet Witch and the Avengers could be the key to figuring out WandaVision — and Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In WandaVision, the first original series from Marvel Studios, unusual couple Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) relocate to the suburbs of Westview after the events of Avengers: Endgame. As Wanda channels decades of sitcoms in a reality seemingly of her own making, magically creating a happily ever after with her dead spouse and newborn twin sons Tommy and Billy, they begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems in TV Land.

After the Avengers traveled through time and parallel dimensions in Endgame to reverse the Thanos (Josh Brolin) snap that erased half of all life in the universe, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige confirmed Multiverse connections would unfold before and after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Feige also revealed WandaVision forms a loose trilogy with Spider-Man 3 and the Doctor Strange sequel, where sorcerer Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) mentors the reality-bending Wanda.

Multiverse of Madness also directly connects to the coming Disney+ series Loki, which could introduce the time-defying Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) before he appears on the big screen in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

If Wanda’s nosy neighbor Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) is secretly Agatha Harkness, an ages-old witch and mentor to Scarlet Witch in the Marvel comics, WandaVision has three of the key characters needed for the story setting up Avengers Disassembled and House of M. When Episode 4 introduces the possibility that Wanda might be the secret villain of WandaVision, it recalls the Darker than Scarlet storyline that ran through Avengers West Coast in the late 1980s:

Normal in Every Way

Agatha expresses concerns about Thomas and William, the offspring of a mutant and a synthezoid, shocking Wanda with the revelation that her children disappear when she’s not thinking about them (Avengers West Coast #51). Wanda rejects Agatha’s accusation that the twins aren’t normal children, refusing to believe Thomas and William “simply cease to exist” when Wanda is preoccupied. 

(Photo: Marvel Comics)

When Master Pandemonium attacks the Avengers with a horde of demons and kidnaps the twins, the villain reveals the super-demon Mephisto scattered his soul after splitting it into five pieces. When Wonder Man mentions Bewitched — one of the classic sitcoms influencing WandaVision — an enraged Wanda loses control and lashes out at fellow Avenger the Wasp. 

Watching from afar is Immortus, one of the identities of Kang the Conquerer. 

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One Small Step Beyond Illusion

Agatha reveals Wanda’s children were born out of her desire for a normal home, making them manifestations of Wanda’s will through a combination of magic and her mutant powers. Because Vision is a sophisticated machine, Agatha explains, Wanda used her probability-altering powers to make it possible for the couple to start a family — but even Wanda’s immense powers can’t create life (Avengers West Coast #52). 

(Photo: Marvel Comics)

The Avengers confront Master Pandemonium, who kidnapped Wanda and Vision’s children to replace the missing pieces of his soul — only to discover that Thomas and William are pieces of Mephisto’s soul once thought destroyed by Franklin Richards (Fantastic Four #277). When the demon reabsorbs his missing pieces, restoring his essence at the cost of Wanda losing her children, Agatha defeats Mephisto by erasing the twins from Wanda’s memory. 

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As If They Never Were

Agatha explains: “Wanda longed all her life for the kind of normal existence forever denied her by her mutant powers. She so greatly desired a family — in her mind the perfect symbol of a peaceful, happy life — that she suffered what in a human woman would have been a hysterical or imaginary pregnancy. In such cases there is usually no child to be born… but Wanda’s power to change probabilities created Thomas and William. Twins, you see, to double the fulfillment of her dream. Since her power cannot create true life, she reached out unconsciously to snare anything which would function as souls for the newborns. What she caught, still much weakened by their recent separation, was two of the missing pieces of Mephisto!” 

(Photo: Marvel Comics)

To spare Wanda the pain of losing her children, Agatha closes that corner of her mind — making it so that the twins “never were” for Wanda (Avengers West Coast #52).

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Darker Than Scarlet

Left almost comatose after weeks of turmoil (Avengers West Coast #53), Agatha watches over an unresponsive Wanda when Magneto — Wanda’s mutant supervillain father, a relation that would be retconned decades later — takes her away from Earth (Avengers #313). Wanda’s nervous breakdown turns villainous when she returns to California and attacks the Avengers (Avengers West Coast #55).

(Photo: Marvel Comics)

 Attempting to reason with her pupil, Agatha tells Wanda that her mind is unhinged because of recent tragedies. Relishing her newfound power, Wanda tells the captured Avengers that her ability to alter probabilities means she can reshape the universe at will (Avengers West Coast #56). With just a thought, Wanda can transform her slightest whims into reality. 

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From Pawn to Queen

After leaving with Magneto and her twin brother Pietro (Avengers West Coast #57), Wanda allies with Magneto despite Quicksilver’s attempt to save her. Immortus continues his plot to rule centuries as the master of time, placing Wanda under a trance during a battle with the Avengers.

(Photo: Marvel Comics)

Just as Quicksilver begins to suspect Magneto was manipulated by someone more powerful than himself, the time traveler reveals himself and takes Wanda as his queen (Avengers West Coast #60).

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Revelations

Immortus transports the Avengers to Limbo, where he pits Earth’s mightiest heroes against “zombified” enemies making up the Legion of the Unliving to keep them from interfering with business that is “vital to the timeliness of many realities — including, most especially, this one” (Avengers West Coast #61).  

(Photo: Marvel Comics)

Agatha half-sensed Immortus was behind Wanda’s misfortunes — her increased powers, her growing alienation from humanity, and her nonexistent children — and is aware that Earth’s timelines are in danger of unraveling.

Immortus reveals that an omnipotent trio called The Time Keepers — who could enter the MCU in Loki — appointed him custodian of the time stream for the period he lived as Kang: from 3000 B.C. to 4000 A.D. His task: to monitor all time travel spanning seven millennia while untangling realities brought about by various Kangs in exchange for total mastery over seventy centuries. 

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The Final Fate of the Scarlet Witch

Finally, Immortus reveals he’s been manipulating Wanda’s life for years because the Scarlet Witch is a Nexus being, one that belongs equally to all possible timelines and all realities and divergences. Through Wanda’s power, all futures can be safeguarded and controlled by Immortus, the self-declared master of time. 

(Photo: Marvel Comics)

Immortus explains that his orchestration of Wanda’s tragedies, and the resulting trauma, would make her susceptible to becoming his powerful and indispensable puppet (Avengers West Coast #61 and #62). 

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Dooming the Multiverse

Agatha’s astral form attempts to reach the entranced Wanda, who is turned into a living power source for Immortus. Urging her to rid herself of the excess power bred in her by Immortus, Agatha desperately tells Wanda she will be useless to him without the ability to alter the probabilities of cosmic timelines. When Wanda’s love for her teammates stirs her from her trance, Immortus curses Agatha for creating new divergences that he says will “wreak irreversible havoc across uncounted realities already in existence” — potentially dooming the entire Multiverse. 

(Photo: Marvel Comics)

As Wanda attempts to draw that power back into herself, thereby preventing a cosmic calamity, the Time Keepers interfere and prevent her from reabsorbing those powers (Avengers West Coast #62). 

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Future Jeopardy

The Time Keepers tell Immortus his only duty was the eventual transmutation of a particular Nexus being — the Scarlet Witch — into a source of power. They explain: Immortus would then use that power over probabilities to safeguard key events that must occur in various timelines to assure a certain future, including one in which the Time Keepers have a vested interest (Avengers West Coast #62).

(Photo: Marvel Comics)

The trio reveals Immortus could only utilize a pre-existent Nexus being, not create one. When Wanda managed to reject her hex power, they were forced to intervene. “If that power were allowed to cause chaos among the timelines,” they warn, “all futures would be in jeopardy — including that in which we ourselves came into being!” 

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The Greater Good

When Immortus reveals that the Time Keepers never told him precisely what future he was protecting, they tell the Avengers their unselfish actions were for “the greater good of the cosmos.” 

(Photo: Marvel Comics)

“Should we cease to exist because of befouled timelines, the loss to the Multiverse would be profound,” say the Time Keepers, who send the mutant energy expelled by Scarlet Witch into Immortus. They doom him to an unmoving existence in limbo, transformed into the very same all-powerful energy receptacle he intended Wanda to be, and Wanda returns to the Avengers (Avengers West Coast #62).

New episodes of Marvel’s WandaVision premiere Fridays on Disney+.

If you haven’t signed up for Disney+ yet, you can try it out here. Note: If you purchase one of the awesome, independently chosen products featured here, we may earn a small commission from the retailer. Thank you for your support.

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WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from January 29 | Bleacher Report

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    Credit: WWE.com

    It’s the last show before WWE Royal Rumble, and you know what that means. Friday Night SmackDown promised to build the excitement to a fever pitch just two days before one of the biggest nights of the year. This January 29 edition of the blue brand was certain to be unpredictable.

    Only one match was promised ahead of the night as Bianca Belair looked to avenge her loss to Bayley. After everything The Role Model has put her through, this was The EST’s opportunity for welcomed revenge.

    Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens did not want to wait until Sunday to start the trash talk. SmackDown promised a war of words where KO and The Head of the Table could speak their final piece before an epic Last Man Standing match.

    This was far from all that SmackDown would give fans just days before the Rumble. However, the blue brand was keeping it all under wraps. Could Raw stars invade SmackDown to make a statement? Would new stars earn a slot in the men’s or women’s Rumble matches? Everyone wanted to build momentum.

    The January 29 edition of SmackDown felt like a monumental occasion and a chance for WWE to truly bring the absolute best to the table before the night that will begin to define the Road to WrestleMania.

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    Daniel Bryan opened the show to talk about what it meant to him to win the men’s Royal Rumble. He wanted to change his life one more time by main eventing WrestleMania one last time. He was not certain of how many more WrestleMania moments he had left.

    He put over Chad Gable and Otis with the Alpha Academy getting him in shape for a long difficult climb to the top. AJ Styles interrupted as part of the quarterly Brand-to-Brand Invitational, setting up e challenge by The Planet’s Champion for later in the night.

    Styles pushed Bryan to the mat, and Omos got in the way of The Planet’s Champion seeking retribution. Bryan called out Styles for standing behind the big man too often.

               

    Grade

    B-

                

    Analysis

    Bryan is one of the best in the world, but his promos each week are growing tiring. He continues to play hype man for the Royal Rumble, spending too much time explaining how the match works. It will be best for him to get past WWE Royal Rumble.

    The quarterly Brand-to-Brand Invitational is a silly technicality that WWE likes to pull out at random times. However, bringing The Phenomenal One to SmackDown just before Royal Rumble was a smart way to hype the event.

    Styles vs. Bryan is a guaranteed fantastic clash of top talent. Both men have been considered the best wrestler in the world, and each time they step into the ring, they steal the show.

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    Credit: WWE.com

    After a video package was rolled for last week’s obstacle course, Bayley explained to Kayla Braxton in a pre-match interview why she was simply better than The EST and would win the women’s Royal Rumble.

    The Role Model took over the action early, beating down on The EST. Bayley made a mistake by taunting Belair with her braid, motivating The EST to get physical. She landed a series of punches followed by an impressive standing moonsault for a nearfall.

    Bayley tried to take advantage of the injured left elbow of Belair from last week, stopping her from hitting a Glam Slam. However, The EST fought with all that she had, knocking Bayley loopy with a right hand followed by the KOD for the win.

    Afterward, on the top of the ramp, Braxton asked Belair about how much this win meant to her, and The EST put over Bayley as The Role Model glared at her from inside the ring.

              

    Result

    Belair def. Bayley by pinfall.

               

    Grade

    B+

                

    Analysis

    Bayley has been the perfect challenger to introduce Belair to the SmackDown audience. Each segment shows more and more why The EST is not just the future of WWE but good enough to challenge the absolute best already. This match was no different.

    While Belair can just rely on her athletic prowess to shine, she has a complete game in the ring, switching her style to tell a complete story. She just needs time. She and Bayley got it in a really good opening contest. This was completely different from their first fight.

    The main mistake WWE made her was the post-match interview. Belair can cut a promo, but she was exhausted after a long fight. She should not have had to put words together when her actions spoke for themselves.

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    Dominik Mysterio attacked King Corbin from behind while The King was headed to the ring. This only seemed to anger Corbin, who emphatically took over once the match began. He physically beat down Dominik with right hands as Rey Mysterio watched on commentary.

    Rey’s son tried everything he could to stay in the action, reversing The King’s dangerous attempts injure him. Both men went into the steel post, and Dominik managed to reverse an End of Days attempt into a tilt-a-whirl DDT. However, that could not get the win, and the second End of Days attempt connected to win.

    Afterward, Corbin tried to attack Rey as well, but The Master of the 619 sent him into the steel post outside.

              

    Result

    Corbin def. Dominik by pinfall.

               

    Grade

    C+

                

    Analysis

    Corbin vs. the Mysterios has hardly been an interesting rivalry. After Rey and Dominik disappeared from television, the story halted, and their return has made Dominik look like a rookie again rather than the young prodigy he seemed to be against Seth Rollins.

    Dominik has decent chemistry with The King, but each loss has cut off what little momentum Dominik already had. He is back to playing second fiddle to his father. The clear focus is to build up one more match between Corbin and Rey.

    Ideally, this rivalry ends within the next month. However, with The Knights of the Lone Wolf off TV lately as well as Murphy, WWE will likely complicate things again soon with those stars returning.

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    After Kalisto chatted up Sasha Banks, The Boss ran into Reginald, who gave her the “perfect wine to pair with losing” the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Banks left the wine bottle with the sommelier to return to Carmella.

    WWE showed a video package for the whole history of Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns. Michael Cole led a final interview between The Head of the Table and KO. Owens explained that he would never stop getting back up on Sunday until he won.

    Paul Heyman initially refused to let Reigns waste his words on KO, but The Head of the Tables heard Owens speak for too long. He blamed Owens’ father for raising him the wrong way to believe he could beat a better man. He called him and his whole family fools.

    With each painful word, Owens lost his cool more and more, calling him a fake mob boss. Reigns turned off the camera for his side of the interview as KO yelled at the screen with fire. Owens looked ready to find Reigns and start the fight early.

               

    Grade

    A+

                

    Analysis

    WWE hyped up KO and Reigns’ interview as the biggest moment of the night, and it absolutely was. Reigns found a way under Owens’ skin and exploited it. However, at the same time, KO clearly frustrated his rival by never losing his confidence.

    The Head of the Table promotes himself as a family man while KO prides himself as the ultimate family man. This interview clearly defined the dynamic between these two that has made this story so special. Without being able to defeat Reigns, KO has just made the WWE universal champion better.

    This match could be the best on the whole card. Even if it is not, these two men will tell a special story together as they have all along the way to get to WWE Royal Rumble.

5 of 6

    The Miz and John Morrison got into a fight with Big E backstage about who would make a bigger impact in the men’s Royal Rumble match. Sami Zayn tried to recruit Shinsuke Nakamura, but The Artist completely dismissed him.

    AJ Styles told Omos to stay in the back for this match, wanting to prove he can beat The Planet’s Champion. Cesaro joined commentary to explain why he has more momentum than either man in the ring.

    After an impressive series to start off the match, Bryan got the upper hand only to be interrupted by Sami Zayn. The distraction allowed The Phenomenal One to knock The Planet’s Champion off the top rope to the floor.

    The Master Strategist refused to be left off the show and be silenced, so he spoke to commentary with his camera crew. In the ring, Bryan struggled to get off the ring, trapped in the Calf Crusher until he made it to the bottom rope.

    Bryan shifted his weight to plant Styles with a butterfly suplex that transitioned into the Yes Lock until The Phenomenal One made it to the ropes. Big E arrived and clotheslined The Master Strategist, starting a brawl between everyone.

    Zayn attacked Bryan to cause a disqualification then the heels beat down the faces until Shinsuke Nakamura evened the odds. Cesaro and Nakamura almost came to blows, but Zayn got involved and dumped outside.

              

    Result

    Bryan def. Styles by disqualification.

               

    Grade

    B+

                

    Analysis

    While the cheap ending was expected and stopped this match from becoming truly special, Bryan vs. Styles was fantastic once again. The two had a great technical showcase in the midst of chaos at ringside, reminding everyone that they still both have plenty more great matches in store together.

    The two got too much time to wrestle the rest of the hour, so something was always going to happen. With the Rumble Sunday, this was the time to build up a variety of challengers. Bryan and Styles may be more likely to win than most in the match, but WWE needs to build a variety of options.

    The six-man tag team match was only a promise of more action and a story that feels more apprioriate as the Royal Rumble go-home show main event.

6 of 6

    Daniel Bryan was the first victim of the heels after Sami Zayn caught The Planet’s Champion with a chop block. After an emphatic missile dropkick, Bryan finally got to rest his knee, giving an impressive hot tag to Big E that could not be stopped even after a European uppercut from Cesaro.

    The Miz and John Morrison arrived to take out Shinsuke Nakamura at ringside then team up on Big E, forcing the referee to call for another disqualification. Otis arrived, seeing an opportunity to finally get revenge on The A-Lister and The Shaman of Sexy. He cleared both out of the ring.

    The match was restarted as a five-on-four handicap match by Sonya Deville. Again, the heels isolated Bryan, who competed over 30 minutes in the various restarted matches. It looked like the heels had the match won after taking out the other faces, but Sheamus arrived to even the odds.

    Everyone hit impressive offense in a chaotic scene that left Zayn fighting a fresh Celtic Warrior. Sheamus planted him with a Brogue Kick to win. Braun Strowman arrived and took out everyone, hitting a running powerslam on Cesaro to end the night.

              

    Result

    Big E, Bryan and Nakamura def. Cesaro, Styles and Zayn by disqualification; Sheamus, Big E, Bryan, Nakamura and Otis def. Cesaro, Styles, Zayn, Miz and Morrison by pinfall.

               

    Grade

    C

                

    Analysis

    The positive in the original six-man match was seeing more great action. Cesaro and Nakamura gave an early preview of the great match they can have together soon. Bryan and Zayn got back to basics with a fun sequence. Big E got to look like a monster with his hot tag.

    It was just an awkward transition to an unnecessary bigger match because Miz and Morrison had to get involved. All the wrestling here was memorable, and everyone got a small chance to stand out. It just was far too much chaos to enjoy it.

    Strowman ended the night as the big late addition to the men’s Royal Rumble match, but everyone knew he would be in the contest without official word. While The Monster Among Men should be seen as a favorite, this moment may have built him up too strong to actually pull it out.



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Entertainment

Feinberg Forecast: The Landscape Heading In to Oscar Shortlist Voting

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PLEASE NOTE: This forecast, assembled by The Hollywood Reporter‘s awards columnist Scott Feinberg, reflects his best attempt to predict the behavior of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, not his personal preferences. He arrives at these standings by drawing upon consultations with voters and awards strategists, analysis of marketing and awards campaigns, results of awards ceremonies that precede the Oscars, and the history of the Oscars ceremony itself. There will be regular updates to reflect new developments.

*BEST PICTURE*

Frontrunners
Nomadland (Searchlight)
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
Minari (A24)
Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Sound of Metal (Amazon)
One Night in Miami (Amazon)
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Promising Young Woman (Focus)
Soul (Pixar)
Mank (Netflix)

Major Threats
 Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros.)
News of the World (Universal)
The Father (Sony Classics)
Tenet (Warner Bros.)
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Amazon)

Possibilities
Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Focus)
First Cow (A24)
The Midnight Sky (Netflix)
Palm Springs (Hulu/Neon)
Malcolm & Marie (Netflix)

Long Shots
The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Paramount)
The White Tiger (Netflix)
The Way Back (Warner Bros.)
The Invisible Man (Universal)

*BEST DIRECTOR*

Frontrunners
Chloé Zhao (Nomadland)
Aaron Sorkin (The Trial of the Chicago 7) — podcast
Lee Isaac Chung (Minari)
Spike Lee (Da 5 Bloods) — podcast
Darius Marder (Sound of Metal)

Major Threats
David Fincher (Mank)
Regina King (One Night in Miami) — podcast
George C. Wolfe (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)
Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman)

Possibilities
Paul Greengrass (News of the World) — podcast
Christopher Nolan (Tenet)
Eliza Hittman (Never Rarely Sometimes Always)
Kelly Reichardt (First Cow)

Long Shots
Florian Zeller (The Father)
Lee Daniels (The United States vs. Billie Holiday)
Pete Docter & Kemp Powers (Soul)
Ramin Bahrani (The White Tiger)

*BEST ACTOR*

Frontrunners
Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) — podcast
Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) — podcast
Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods) — podcast
Anthony Hopkins (The Father)
Ben Affleck (The Way Back) — podcast

Major Threats
Gary Oldman (Mank)
Steven Yeun (Minari) — podcast
Tom Hanks (News of the World) — podcast [one and two]
Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) — podcast

Possibilities
John David Washington (Malcolm & Marie)
Kingsley Ben-Adir (One Night in Miami)
Eli Goree (One Night in Miami)

Long Shots
LaKeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah)
George Clooney (The Midnight Sky) — podcast
Tahar Rahim (The Mauritanian)
Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger)

*BEST ACTRESS*

Frontrunners
Frances McDormand (Nomadland)
Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman) — podcast
Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)
Sophia Loren (The Life Ahead) — podcast
Zendaya (Malcolm & Marie)

Major Threats
Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday)
Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman)
Meryl Streep (The Prom) — podcast
Meryl Streep (Let Them All Talk) — podcast

Possibilities
Nicole Beharie (Miss Juneteenth)
Sidney Flanigan (Never Rarely Sometimes Always)
Kate Winslet (Ammonite) — podcast [one and two]
Michelle Pfeiffer (French Exit) — podcast

Long Shots
Yeri Han (Minari)
Radha Blank (The 40-Year-Old Version)
Rachel Brosnahan (I’m Your Woman) — podcast
Julia Garner (The Assistant) — podcast
Elisabeth Moss (The Invisible Man) — podcast

*BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR*

Frontrunners
Chadwick Boseman (Da 5 Bloods) — podcast
Sacha Baron Cohen (The Trial of the Chicago 7) — podcast
Leslie Odom Jr. (One Night in Miami) — podcast
Paul Raci (Sound of Metal)
Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah)

Major Threats
David Strathairn (Nomadland)
Aldis Hodge (One Night in Miami)
Mark Rylance (The Trial of the Chicago 7)
Glynn Turman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)

Possibilities
Bill Murray (On the Rocks)
Bo Burnham (Promising Young Woman) — podcast
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (The Trial of the Chicago 7)

Long Shots
Colman Domingo (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)
Will Patton (Minari)
Frank Langella (The Trial of the Chicago 7)
Rajkummar Rao (The White Tiger)

*BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS*

Frontrunners
Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)
Youn Yuh-jung (Minari)
Amanda Seyfried (Mank) — podcast
Olivia Cooke (Sound of Metal)
Ellen Burstyn (Pieces of a Woman)

Major Threats
Olivia Colman (The Father) — podcast
Jodie Foster (The Mauritanian)
Candice Bergen (Let Them All Talk)
Helena Zengel (News of the World)

Possibilities
Priyanka Chopra-Jonas (The White Tiger)
Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah)
Saoirse Ronan (Ammonite) — podcast

Long Shots
Glenn Close (Hillbilly Elegy) — podcast
Talia Ryder (Never Rarely Sometimes Always)
Alexis Chikaeze (Miss Juneteenth)

*BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY*

Frontrunners
Nomadland (Chloé Zhao)
One Night in Miami (Kemp Powers)
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Ruben Santiago-Hudson)
The Father (Christopher Hampton & Florian Zeller)
News of the World (Luke Davies & Paul Greengrass) — podcast [Greengrass]

Major Threats
The Life Ahead (Edoardo Ponti)
The Midnight Sky (Mark L. Smith)
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Peter Baynham, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jena Friedman, Anthony Hines, Lee Kern, Dan Mazer, Erica Rivinoja & Dan Swimer) — podcast [Cohen]

Possibilities
First Cow (Jonathan Raymond & Kelly Reichardt)
I’m Thinking of Ending Things (Charlie Kaufman) — podcast
The White Tiger (Ramin Bahrani)

Long Shots
The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Suzan-Lori Parks)
Shirley (Sarah Gibbons)
The Personal History of David Copperfield (Armando Iannucci)
Emma. (Eleanor Catton)

*BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY*

Frontrunners
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Aaron Sorkin) — podcast
Minari (Lee Isaac Chung)
Sound of Metal (Derek Cianfrance, Abraham Marder & Darius Marder)
Promising Young Woman (Emerald Fennell)
Soul (Pete Docter, Mike Jones & Kemp Powers)

Major Threats
Mank (Jack Fincher)
Da 5 Bloods (Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo, Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee) — podcast [Lee]
Malcolm & Marie (Sam Levinson)
The Forty-Year-Old Version (Radha Blank)

Possibilities
Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Eliza Hittman)
Judas and the Black Messiah (Will Berson, Shaka King, Keith Lucas & Kenny Lucas)
Palm Springs (Andy Siara)
On the Rocks (Sofia Coppola)

Long Shots
Miss Juneteenth (Channing Godfrey Peoples)
I’m Your Woman (Julia Hart & Jordan Horowitz)
Ammonite (Francis Lee)
Tenet (Christopher Nolan)

*BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE*

Frontrunners
Crip Camp (Netflix)
Time (Amazon)
Collective (Magnolia/Participant)
Welcome to Chechnya (HBO)
The Truffle Hunters (Sony Classics)

Rest of Shortlist
Dick Johnson Is Dead (Netflix)
The Dissident (Briarcliff) — podcast [Bryan Fogel]
MLK/FBI (IFC)
City Hall (Zipporah) — podcast [Frederick Wiseman]
Boys State (Apple)
The Mole Agent (Gravitas)
On the Record (HBO Max)
The Social Dilemma (Netflix)
My Octopus Teacher (Netflix)
Notturno (Super LTD)

Possibilities
The Way I See It (Focus)
Acasa, My Home (Kino Lorber/Zeitgeist)
John Lewis: Good Trouble (Magnolia/Participant)
Totally Under Control (Neon) — podcast [Alex Gibney]
All In: The Fight for Democracy (Amazon)
The Human Factor (Sony Classics)
I Am Greta (Hulu)
Kingdom of Silence (Showtime)
The Fight (Magnolia/Topic)
Athlete A (Netflix)
Rebuilding Paradise (Nat Geo) — podcast [Ron Howard]

Long Shots
Be Water (ESPN)
Giving Voice (Netflix)
I Am Not Alone (self-distributed)
Searching for Mr. Rugoff (still seeking U.S. distribution)
Miss Americana (Netflix)
Kiss the Ground (self-distributed)
Dear Mr. Brody (still seeking U.S. distribution)
Oliver Sacks: His Own Life (Zeitgeist)
Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado (Netflix) — podcast [Cristina Costantini]
A Secret Love (Netflix)
Circus of Books (Netflix)

Still to See
40 Years a Prisoner (HBO)
76 Days (MTV)
Apocalypse ’45 (Discovery)
Assassins (Greenwich)
Babenco: Tell Me When I Die (still seeking U.S. distribution)
Beautiful Something Left Behind (MTV)
Belly of the Beast (PBS)
Belushi (Showtime)
Coded Bias (PBS Independent Lens)
Crock of Gold (Magnolia)
The Crying Steppe (Kazakhstan)
Desert One (Greenwich)
Disclosure (Netflix)
The Earth Is Blue as an Orange (still seeking U.S. distribution)
Father Soldier Son (Netflix)
Feels Good Man (Wavelength Productions/PBS Independent Lens)
Finding Yingying (MTV)
Fireball: Visitor from Darker Worlds (Apple TV+)
The Forbidden Reel (still seeking U.S. distribution)
The Go-Go’s (Showtime)
Gunda (Neon)
I Walk on Water (Grasshopper)
Mayor (Film Movement)
Me and the Cult Leader (still seeking U.S. distribution)
The Metamorphosis of Birds (still seeking U.S. distribution)
A Most Beautiful Thing (still seeking U.S. distribution)
Mr. SOUL! (self-distributed)
My People (still seeking U.S. distribution)
My Psychedelic Love Story (Showtime)
Napoli Eden (still seeking U.S. distribution)
Nasrin (Virgil Films & Entertainment)
Olympia (still seeking U.S. distribution)
Once Upon a Time in Venezuela (Topic)
The Painter and the Thief (Neon)
The Reason I Jump (Kino Lorber)
Reunited (still seeking U.S. distribution)
Rewind (Grizzly Creek)
Rising Phoenix (Netflix)
Softie (Icarus)
Stars and Strife (Virgil Films & Entertainment)
The State of Texas vs. Melissa (Filmrise)
Stray (Magnolia)
A Thousand Cuts (PBS)
‘Til Kingdom Come (Abramorama)
To See You Again (still seeking U.S. distribution)
Transhood (HBO)
Unapologetic (still seeking U.S. distribution)
The Viewing Booth (Roco)
Vivos (still seeking U.S. distribution)
Wild Daze (Cinedigm)
Wintopia (still seeking U.S. distribution)
With Drawn Arms (Starz)
Zappa (Magnolia)

*BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE*

Frontrunners
Another Round (Denmark)
Collective (Romania)
I’m No Longer Here (Mexico)
Two of Us (France)
Dear Comrades! (Russia)

Rest of Shortlist
Night of the Kings (Ivory Coast)
My Little Sister (Switzerland)
Apples (Greece)
Quo Vadis, Aida? (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Charlatan (Czech Republic)
La Llorona (Guatemala)
The Mole Agent (Chile)
Notturno (Italy)
A Sun (Taiwan)
Hope (Norway)

Other Official Submissions (alphabetical)
14 Days, 12 Nights (Canada)
Agnes Joy (Iceland)
And Tomorrow the Entire World (Germany)
Arracht (Ireland)
Asia (Israel)
Atlantis (Ukraine)
The Auschwitz Report (Slovakia)
Babenco: Tell Me When I Die (Brazil)
Beginning (Georgia)
Better Days (Hong Kong)
Blizzard of Souls (Latvia)
Broken Keys (Lebanon)
Bulado (Netherlands)
Causa Justa (Panama)
Charter (Sweden)
The Crying Steppe (Kazakhstan)
Dara of Jasenovac (Serbia)
Emptiness (Ecuador)
The Endless Trench (Spain)
Exile (Kosovo)
Extracurricular (Croatia)
The Father (Bulgaria)
Gaza Mon Amour (Palestine)
Heliopolis (Algeria)
Impetigore (Indonesia)
Jallikattu (India)
Land of Ashes (Costa Rica)
The Last Ones (Estonia)
Leap (China)
The Letter (Kenya)
Lunana a Yak in the Classroom (Bhutan)
The Man Standing Next (South Korea)
The Man Who Sold His Skin (Tunisia)
Mindanao (Philippines)
Miracle in Cell No. 7 (Turkey)
Nafi’s Father (Senegal)
Never Gonna Snow Again (Poland)
Nova Lituania (Lithuania)
Once Upon a Time in Venezuela (Venezuela)
Open Door (Albania)
Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time (Hungary)
River Tales (Luxembourg)
Roh (Malaysia)
The Sleepwalkers (Argentina)
Song Without a Name (Peru)
Songs of Solomon (Armenia)
Stories From the Chestnut Woods (Slovenia)
Sun Children (Iran)
This Is Not a Burial (Lesotho)
Tove (Finland)
True Mothers (Japan)
Vitalina Varela (Portugal)
What We Wanted (Austria)
Willow (North Macedonia)
Working Girls (Belgium)
You Will Die at 20 (Sudan)



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