Saturday, July 16, 2016

The Shiny New (And Old) Stormtroopers Of Rogue One | Gizmodo ...


Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - Celebration Reel

Today was Rogue Ones day at Celebration Europe. We got a look at the new ships and vehicles of the Empire, new behind-the-scenes footage and even the teeniest glimmer of Darth Vader. But as well as dazzling the main stage, Rogue One brought its costumes to Celebrations convention hall, and we went and took a look.On display as part of the same Rogue One installation that brought us Director Krennics sharp shuttle and the TIE Striker, Stormtroopers were out in force. The classic costumes styled after the Empires appearance in the original films showed up as did the new troopers (those of the Death and Shore variety) that will threaten Jyn and her erstwhile group of ragtag rebels in Rogue One.

The Golden Oldies

Lookin good, trooper.

The commanders of the stormtrooper forces in Rogue One confirmed by director Gareth Edwards in the Rogue One panel to be portrayed by members of the Maldives National Defence Force do have something a little different to the ones we previously saw in the films: Humongous backpacks that we certainly hope they didnt have to drag through the waters of the newly-named planet of Scarif.

The New Team

Described by their information panel as as patrolling defence squads at a planetary facility on Scarif (presumably housing components for the Death Star?) itself called the headquarters of the Imperial Military.

Being at the seat of Imperial Military might means fancy armour

And fancier weapons.

Not everything feels like classic Star Wars though the combat skirt on this guy feels very much like the specialised armour of the prequels clone troopers.

The Deathtroopers, meanwhile, arent Imperial Military like their fellow troopers. Theyre pretty much described as Director Krennics personal squad of soldiers, highly trained operatives of Imperial Intelligence encased in black armour.

Shiny. On the stage floor, the look almost silver rather than the deep, dark black in the trailers.

For all the new new weapons, new helmets, new armour theres still some of the old in the Deathtroopers: Their sidearms, the classic Imperial SE-14C.

And Their Fabulous Boss

Also on display is the Deathtroopers boss or at least the uniform of Orson Krennic, leading officer in the Imperial Militarys Advanced Weapons Research division, is. I agree with Gwendoline Christie: That is indeed a good cape.

Have you subscribed to Gizmodo Australia"s email newsletter? You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Source: http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2016/07/the-shiny-new-and-old-stormtroopers-of-rogue-one/

Continue Reading ..

Attempted Turkey Coup May Imperil Region"s Crude Transport


Turkey military coup: group within the army acted "for the good of democracy", siege underway

The attempted military coup in Turkey may boost oil prices by imperiling crude shipments through the country, a major energy-trade corridor. For now, shipping lanes are clear.

The Turkish straits are open and shipping traffic hasnt been disrupted, an official at the Istanbul-based shipping center said by phone Saturday.

Any uncertainty in that region almost invariably results in an increase in oil prices, particularly given the interaction between what goes on in Turkey with Syria, Craig Pirrong, director of the Global Energy Management Institute at the University of Houstons Bauer College of Business, said in a phone interview. Analysts will be looking to see whether theres a spillover to the major oil producers, he said.

At the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Turkey is a vital conduit of crude transport from Russia and Iraq to the Mediterranean Sea. Millions of barrels of oil travel through the nations waterways and pipelines each day. The nation is also on the fringe of broader conflict in the Middle East. Syria borders Turkeys southeastern edge.

Turkeys leaders said they have quelled the attempted coup after hours of clashes that saw tanks blockading roads, soldiers fighting police and warplanes bombing the parliament in Ankara. More than 1,500 military personnel were arrested, the presidency said.

Oil Gains

Crude oil futures rose above $46 a barrel in after-market trading in New York following the unrest, extending gains from a force majeure declared by Exxon Mobil Corp. on crude shipments from Nigeria.

David Goldwyn, a former State Department special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs in the Obama administration, said it was too early to assess the impact on energy transportation from the unrest in Turkey.

The Turkish Straits, including the Bosphorus and Dardanelles, are one of the worlds major chokepoints for seaborne crude transit, with about 2.9 million barrels of oil passing through in 2013, the latest year of available data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Turkey is also home to pipelines that transport crude and condensate from nations including Iraq and Azerbaijan to Ceyhan, on the Mediterranean in southern Turkey. Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, a pipeline operated by BP, exported 67 million barrels of crude, or about 740,000 a day, from the port in the first quarter, according to the British company.

The flow to Ceyhan hasnt been disrupted, according to a Turkish Energy Ministry official who asked not to be identified in line with government policy.

At least 10 crude tankers were signaling Turkish ports at the time of the attempted coup, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. They included six Suezmax and two Aframax ships bound for Ceyhan and two Aframax ships destined for the Turkish Straits.

(Updates throughout with details on shipping lanes open, arrests of military personnel)

Before it"s here, it"s on the Bloomberg Terminal. LEARN MORE

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-15/attempted-coup-in-turkey-may-imperil-crude-transport-in-region

Continue Reading ..

Cocktails get stirred in "Star Trek Beyond" flavour


Star Trek: Beyond: Behind the Scenes Movie Broll - Chris Pine, Simon Pegg
By: IANS | Mumbai | Published:July 15, 2016 9:52 pm Smirnoff brand has launched cocktails inspired by the movie series Star Trek.

Imagine sipping a chilled glass of Spocktail or a cheering glasses to Beam Me Up. Star Trek fans can now look forward to exciting cocktails launched by vodka brand Smirnoff.

We have crafted an exclusive range of Smirnoff cocktails that add an exquisite twist to the traditional favourites, making it a unique and out of this world experience, Hemant Mundkur, brand ambassador, Diageo India and mixologist, who has created the Star Trek Beyond Smirnoff cocktails, said in a statement.

The cocktails will be available across top pubs and restaurants.

Traversing through space, the third instalment of the Star Trek Reboot Series: Star Trek Beyond, which is directed by acclaimed director Justin Lin, will release in 3D and 2D on July 22 in both English and Hindi. It is distributed by Viacom18 Motion Pictures.

Star Trek is one of the most widely followed franchise across the world, and were delighted to bring third instalment of the rebooted Star Trek series with Star Trek Beyond to the Indian audience The collaboration with Smirnoff helps us engage with the young urbane audiences in fun cool way and add a delightful twist to their Star Trek experience, Rudrarup Datta, Senior Vice President (Marketing), Viacom18 Motion Picture, said.

The choice of cocktails include

* The Spocktail: This is an electric mix of vodka, fresh red grapes, apple juice with a splash of lime and soda.

* Vulcan Salute: No more protocols! vodka, crushed ice and orange and lime wedges come together in this tangy mix, an excuse to give up reason and logic to have some fun.

* Beam Me Up: Transport yourself into a night of fun with this heady mix of expresso, butterscotch and coffee.

* Warp Driver: Break the barriers with our version of the classic screw driver! Try the tropical fusion of smirnoff vodka, pineapple Juice with coconut syrup and some blue curacao.

* LIIT (and prosper): Vulcan salute merges with the classic cocktail in this snazzy combo of smirnoff orange, captain morgan and gin combined peach, cranberry and lemonade.

Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/cocktails-get-stirred-in-star-trek-beyond-flavour-2916509/

Continue Reading ..

Ghostbusters Review: I Ain"t Afraid of No Women Being Excellent


Ghostbusters The Game Review

Ghostbusters surpassed my expectations in every way. It was funny throughout, well paced, with no huge downswing. If I have one criticism about the movies structure, its that the ending falls slightly flatter than the rest; but as a huge fan of the 1984 Ghostbusters (it holds special childhood movie status with me), I have to say the 2016 movie is just as good as the 1984 movie. Sony has a hit on its hands.

The movies villain, Rowan (Neil Casey) is a disgruntled asshat who thinks hes had it hard all his life. To get revenge against his bullies, Rowan stirs up trouble in Manhattan. He aims to command a ghost army by placing devices around the city that break ghosts into the human world. Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) and nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) are working on ways to defend against and capture ghosts. Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) later joins them, followed by MTA subway worker Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones). Together the Ghostbusters fight back against ever-increasing odds to save the city.

Stand out characters include Chris Hemsworths Kevin, who has awesome comedic timing. Kevin is a brilliantly simple and a fun role, essentially the eye candy/ puppy dog that the women love and look after. I think some of the men in the audience may cringe, but guys women have had this done to us in thousands of movies. This one character doesnt even begin to rebalance those scales.

The movies absolute standout is Kate McKinnons Holtzmann. Shes the inventor of the Ghostbusters gadgets, and shes so delightfully over the top. Shes d**n hot and youre going to see her cosplayed everywhere.

One justified criticism from the first trailer was the portrayal of Leslie Jones character, Patty. The trailer was put together in a way that emphasized that she was the only non-scientist and it made the movie look flat-out racist. Jones took to Twitter to provide some perspective to her character that we couldnt have had before the movie came out. Patty may not be a scientist in Ghostbusters, but shes smart in a number of ways and provides the team direction and information at critical points. In the end she makes the decisive call that leads to the resolution and shes exactly what the team needed. Its a shame shes the only non-scientist but its not as bad as the trailer made out when you have the context of the rest of the movie.

I know Ghostbusters 1984 is problematic but its still something of a fave of mine. As a long time fan, with my own uniform and props, I feel well placed to say that Ghostbusters 2016 is as good as Ghostbusters 1984. The original has an amazing first half but the second half falls away slightly. Ghostbusters 2 is a pretty terrible movie, it hits the odd high note but generally its like watching your dad try to rap; it really isnt how you want to spend your time. Ghostbusters 2016 doesnt quite reach the highs of the first half of the original but it never sinks to the lows of that movie either.

The movie is very safe for kids as young as 8 or so as it does have a couple spooky ghosts and a few jump scares. If those dont bother your kid then its fine for the younger ones, too. Girls are going to love having an action movie where they can see themselves on screen. This really is a first and its worth celebrating. Make sure you stay to the end of the credits as there is an extra scene that hints to where the sequel might go. This is easy to do as the credits themselves are fun with Chris Hemsworth dancing through them.

Paul Feigs Ghostbusters is straight up fun that you cant miss. Go bust some ghosts.

Marcy (@marcyjcook) is an immigrant trans woman and writer. This includesTranscanuck.com, a website dedicated to informing and helping trans Canadians. She also has a nerd job, too many cats, is a part time volunteer s*x educator and has an ongoing sordid love affair with Lego. Those last two are not related probably.

The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.

Follow The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google+.

Source: http://www.themarysue.com/ghostbusters-review/

Continue Reading ..

McKayla Maroney Denies Getting Lip Injections and Wants to Be the Female Drake


McKayla Maroney Vaults (August 15, 2013)
McKayla Maroney Credit: Courtesy of McKayla Maroney/Instagram

Still not impressed. Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney denies that she got lip injections. The Olympic gold medalist, whose unimpressed face went viral four years ago at the London Olympics, told Seventeen.comthat despite showcasing a plumper pout on Instagram, she hasnt enhanced her lips.

Plastic Surgery Nightmares

I literally have not done anything to my face, Maroney, 20, told the mag when asked about the allegations. Growing up in the social media world, it"s tough. Your face changes, you get older, your face fills out, and you fall into liking makeup and different stuff like that. Makeup and a camera can really make you look like a different person. (The athlete-turned-singer/actress told Seventeen that lipliner and highlighter are to credit for her lush lips.)

The gymnast, whose Instagram account is filled with sexy selfies nowadays, also addressed the rumors via Instagram on Monday, July 11.

Olympic Athletes: Where Are They Now?

Me thinking about how to get my face to look like Ive never done anything to my face when Ive never done anything to my face, she captioned a photo of herself in deep concentration.

Aside from defending her au natural pout, Maroney has been busy working on her fledgling singing career.

Golfer Stacy Lewis Calls Sports Return to Olympics an Honor Body Parts Wash Ashore at Rio Olympics Volleyball Site Why Did Stephen Curry Withdraw From the Olympics 2016 Roster?

Ive loved writing songs since I was really young, she told the mag. "I thought I was going to be like Sia and sell my songs to people but I want to sing them. My biggest inspiration is Drake. I love the way that he tells stories. It has a little bit of a Calypso jam vibe. He"s political and real and always lyrically-driven in all the melodies. If there"s one person I want to sound like, it"s him.

Maroney plans on releasing a single soon and will be cheering on her former teammates Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Laurie Hernandez and Madison Kocian at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Celebrity Selfies

The Rio Olympics begin August 5 and will be streamed live on NBCOlympics.com and on the NBC Sports app. The Rio Paralympics begin September 7 and will be streamed live on TeamUSA.org.

Sign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter to get breaking celebrity news, hot pics, and more delivered straight to your inbox!

Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-beauty/news/mckayla-maroney-denies-getting-lip-injections-w213109

Continue Reading ..

McKayla Maroney Denies Getting Lip Injections - Us Weekly


McKayla Maroney USA Team Final Vault 2012 London Olympic Games
McKayla Maroney Credit: Courtesy of McKayla Maroney/Instagram

Still not impressed. Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney denies that she got lip injections. The Olympic gold medalist, whose unimpressed face went viral four years ago at the London Olympics, told Seventeen.comthat despite showcasing a plumper pout on Instagram, she hasnt enhanced her lips.

Plastic Surgery Nightmares

I literally have not done anything to my face, Maroney, 20, told the mag when asked about the allegations. Growing up in the social media world, it"s tough. Your face changes, you get older, your face fills out, and you fall into liking makeup and different stuff like that. Makeup and a camera can really make you look like a different person. (The athlete-turned-singer/actress told Seventeen that lipliner and highlighter are to credit for her lush lips.)

The gymnast, whose Instagram account is filled with sexy selfies nowadays, also addressed the rumors via Instagram on Monday, July 11.

Olympic Athletes: Where Are They Now?

Me thinking about how to get my face to look like Ive never done anything to my face when Ive never done anything to my face, she captioned a photo of herself in deep concentration.

Aside from defending her au natural pout, Maroney has been busy working on her fledgling singing career.

Golfer Stacy Lewis Calls Sports Return to Olympics an Honor Body Parts Wash Ashore at Rio Olympics Volleyball Site Why Did Stephen Curry Withdraw From the Olympics 2016 Roster?

Ive loved writing songs since I was really young, she told the mag. "I thought I was going to be like Sia and sell my songs to people but I want to sing them. My biggest inspiration is Drake. I love the way that he tells stories. It has a little bit of a Calypso jam vibe. He"s political and real and always lyrically-driven in all the melodies. If there"s one person I want to sound like, it"s him.

Maroney plans on releasing a single soon and will be cheering on her former teammates Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Laurie Hernandez and Madison Kocian at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Celebrity Selfies

The Rio Olympics begin August 5 and will be streamed live on NBCOlympics.com and on the NBC Sports app. The Rio Paralympics begin September 7 and will be streamed live on TeamUSA.org.

Sign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter to get breaking celebrity news, hot pics, and more delivered straight to your inbox!

Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-beauty/news/mckayla-maroney-denies-getting-lip-injections-w213109

Continue Reading ..

Stranger Things episode 2: The Duffer Brothers on finding their Eleven


Stranger Things - Trailer 1 - Netflix [HD]

Matt and Ross Duffer (Wayward Pines) are taking EW behind the scenes of every single episode in their thrilling new Netflix drama, Stranger Things, an 80s-set supernatural show starring Winona Ryder and a slew of fantastic young stars. Heres their insight on Chapter 2: The Weirdo on Maple Street

This chapter is really focused on our weirdo Eleven (or El, as Mike dubs her). We dont know much about her at this point, but we get the sense that shes spent the majority of her life in a laboratory, like a mouse in a cage. So when she escapes that lab at the beginning of our story, she becomes the quintessential stranger in a strange land, unfamiliar with our customs and lifestyle. Everything mystifies her especially boys. The Hawkins suburbs might as well be another planet.

Speaking of other planets, there are many not-so-subtle nods to E.T. in this chapter. Just as E.T. is about the connection between E.T. and Elliot, this chapter is about the connection between Eleven and Mike. Over the course of the day, they begin to bond and empathize with one another in surprising ways. Is there first love blooming? Of course there is! All of this is fun, but we also wanted to keep a sense of danger alive. Eleven isnt a normal girl, and shes no gentle plant-collecting alien either. She has unpredictable supernatural powers that will most definitely put our boys in jeopardy. So while E.T. may have been our biggest inspiration, there is plenty of Elfen Lied and Akira in the shows DNA as well (albeit with quite a bit less bloodshed).

Eleven was the most difficult role to cast because she has to convey many emotions with very little dialogue. Child actors, even the great ones, almost always have difficulty listening. Theyre able to deliver their lines well, but to stay fully in character in a scene when theyre not talking thats another skill set entirely. Theyre kids after all; focus is not their strong suit. To find a girl who didnt just have this skill but excelled at it made us concerned. Then we met Millie Bobby Brown, and we werent so concerned anymore. Millie broke out in a 2014 British show called Intruders, which we hadnt seen at the time, but one of our idols had. Back in the fall of 2014, Stephen King tweeted: Millie Brown, the girl in Intruders, is terrific. Is it my imagination, or are child actors a lot better than they used to be? We agree with the King: Millies something special, alright, with a downright spooky preternatural talent. She inhabits every moment so intensely, with some alchemy of intelligence, preparation, and instinct. By the end of production, we found ourselves listening to Millie as if she were one of our most seasoned adult actors.

WANT MORE? Keep up with all the latest from last nights television by subscribing to our newsletter. Head here for more details.

Millie is still an 11-year-old girl about, well, other things. Bring up boys, crushes, or kissing, and she freaks out. Boys are really gross and stupid, and kissing one of them is just downright unfathomable. Another example of her youth: During the filming of this episode, Millie showed up to set covered head to toe in glitter, halting production for 30 minutes. To this day, the origin of this glitter remains a mystery, but it seems like something that could only happen to an 11-year-old girl.

Of course, we cant talk about our weirdo without also talking about that buzzcut. When Millie auditioned, she had long brown hair down past her shoulders. But Eleven was written as having hair buzzed almost to the scalp. Millie and her parents were understandably hesitant to chop it all off. Would it look ugly? Would it cost her other roles? Fortunately, Mad Max: Fury Road was about to come out, so we pulled out a magazine photograph of Charlize Theron as Furiosa and showed it to Millie. Charlize looks totally badass, right? Millie agreed; Charlize looked badass. And that was it: She agreed to buzz it all off.

When the day of the haircut finally arrived, Millies mom brought out a camcorder, while her dad ran away with tears in his eyes, unable to watch. It was a pretty dramatic scene. But also very quick. Within 10 minutes we had shaved it all off and slapped a fake 11 tattoo on Millies wrist. Millie looked at herself in the mirror, gave her best Furiosa scream and Eleven was born.

Random trivia: The shooting style, music, and cutting pattern of the scene when Eleven sees the picture of Will is modeled closely after one of our favorite scenes from Peter Weirs classic film Witness, when Lucas Haas points out the evil Danny Glover to Harrison Ford. In extreme close-up, we think Millie even looks like the young Lukas Haas. Its downright freaky!

Be sure to visit EW.com Sunday for more from the Duffer Brothers on Chapter Three.

Source: http://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/16/stranger-things-duffer-brothers-episode-2

Continue Reading ..