Category Archives: Immortality

Olivia Liang (l) as Nicky Shen and Vanessa Kai as Pei-Ling Zhang Bettina Strauss/The CW Bettina Strauss/The CW

This article contains spoilers for the June 15 episode of Kung Fu, The Source.

Everything that is born must die. In the heart-pounding season 2 finale of Kung Fu, Nicky (Olivia Liang) and Zhilan (Yvonne Chapman) put aside their differences to stop the sinister billionaire Russell Tan (played by Kee Chan, and then Ludi Lin) from achieving immortality in the wake of a devastating earthquake in San Francisco. Together, the Warrior and the Guardian, who were once mortal enemies, crossed over into another realm that holds the spirits of all the warriors and guardians who have ever lived, but they were unable to stop Tan from taking the Source, the root of the two mythological bloodlines.

When Mia (Vanessa Yao), Nickys cousin who is a Warrior-Guardian hybrid, discovers that Tan is one step closer to changing the natural order of the world, she enters the realm with a dagger and tries to kill him, only to realize that he can not only heal himself but also overpower multiple Warriors and Guardians at the same time. The realization leaves Nicky, Mia and Zhilanall with their own emotional baggageto decide who should stay back and keep Tan from causing mass destruction in the real world, essentially forcing one of them to pay the ultimate price for the greater good. In the end, Zhilan decides to sacrifice herself, telling Nicky and Mia to return home before finding themselves trapped in the other realm forever.

But after helping Nicky on her quest for justice, Henry (Eddie Liu) tells his girlfriend that he needs to find out the truth about his enigmatic father, who was shot and killed while trying to help execute Nickys planand he wants to do it alone. And in the final scene, a mysterious woman, who appears to be a resurrected Pei-Ling (Vanessa Kai), can be seen walking through the woods on a stormy evening, setting up a new complication for Nicky and the Shens next season.

On the night of Wednesday, June 15, Liang, Chapman, Liu, Kai and executive producers Christina M. Kim and Robert Berens, who wrote the episode, reunited on Twitter Spaces to break down the key moments of the finale. These are edited excerpts from the exclusive 50-minute roundtable conversation.

Christina and Bob, what was the process of crafting this jam-packed season finale? Did you always know that Russell Tans endgame was to seek immortality at all costs when you introduced him last season?

Robert Berens: We had a very clear idea of where we were taking this story and where we were leaving our major characterseven a pretty good idea of what we wanted to do with Russell Tan in terms of his final goal and even the body swap, although the mechanics of that were late discoveries. We did not know his sob story, how he turned into such a rotten personwe discovered that monologue very late in the process.

Christina M. Kim: I think we pitched the actual Pei-Ling cliffhanger at the end of the previous season, so we knew where we were going. That shot gives me goosebumps, so its even better than we had imagined it from way back. Thats kind of my favorite moment.Ludi Lin as Kerwin Tan Dean Buscher/The CW Dean Buscher/The CW

Olivia and Yvonne, how do you think your characters were able to evolve from being enemies to partners in the quest to take down Tan?

Olivia Liang: When the idea of Zhilan being redeemed was first floating around, I was like, Theres no way Nicky will forgive this woman. As an audience member and getting to read the scripts, I got to see Zhilans backstory and know where she was coming from and how she became the way that she is. But all Nicky knows about Zhilan is that she murdered Pei-Ling and a lot of other people with seemingly zero remorse, so I was a little bit hesitant. But then, once that final moment with Pei-Ling happened in episode 12, it changed everything for Nicky to, once again, look beyond the duality of good and evil. They just wrote it beautifully. I wept when I read Yvonnes final line of Go home, little monk. That was harsh. [Laughs.]

Yvonne Chapman: For me, its just such a beautiful thing. It started off as such a mockery to Nicky, and it became one of something of affection. The whole redemption thing is very different though on my side, because everything was justifiable for Zhilan. It was just her coming around and realizing that there was a different way of doing things.

What made them realize they share much more in common, when it comes to seeking justice, than they probably once thought?

Chapman: I think it was iterations of things happening bit by bit, but a big part of it for this season, in my perspective, was finding the common ground with Mia and seeing a younger version of herself being down this trajectory that just didnt serve Zhilan, and it wasnt going to serve [Mia] either. But in this finale, I think it was the idea that theres really no success without some kind of moral underpinning. [After] everything that Zhilan has done, and for her mother to say, No, youre wrong, all that Zhilan really had left was what Nicky had shown her. Theres more to it than that, and it was that kinship between her and Mia and understanding that was the better way to go.

Liang: I think introducing Mia and the fact that Zhilan caresthats the first shred of humanity that Nicky has seen come from Zhilan, and of course Pei-Ling had to help her see that. But I think that was a big turning point for Nicky.

Was it an intentional choice for the writers to push Nicky into that gray area and to shade her a little darker this season?

Berens: Absolutely. In season 2, we were excited by the chance to push Nicky into situations where shes taking some bigger risks, the stakes are higher, shes exploring the gray area a little bit. But I think at the end of the season, its pretty clear that she still has that very strong moral line, and it comes from her Shaolin years. She spent those transformative years at the monastery, and I think it speaks to that code that inspired her not to cross that line. If season 2 was a small exploration of the gray, you aint seen nothing yet.Yvonne Chapman (l) as Zhilan Zhang and Vanessa Yao as Mia Jack Rowand/The CW Jack Rowand/The CW

There was never going to be a scenario where Nicky, Zhilan and Mia were going to defeat Tan, and they came to that realization pretty quickly. What did you all want to convey in that scene and the dynamic between the three of them?

Liang: [Nicky] just is always willing to do the right thing, which is why Im so excited to see what happens next season since Zhilan was the one to ultimately make that sacrifice, and I think thats really going to start blurring the lines for Nicky of good and bad. I think Nickys immediate response to sacrifice herself is just who she is and who weve seen her be.

Berens: Nicky honors her commitment to protect the world: If it comes down to someone, that should be me. Mia was her charge. [Nicky] took on the responsibility of her fate and her future at the beginning of the season, so for her it was really the completion of that arc. It wasnt even really a question for Nicky, and it obviously landed and had an impact on Zhilan, for whom that kind of sacrifice is definitely not first nature for her.

Kim: Nicky had a very interesting arc in which Mia is like her student, and Nicky is the shifu, but how do you teach someone who doesnt want to be taught? To go from that point in the story all the way to the point at the end where Mia is saying, No, let me be the one to sacrifice myself, because I basically cant be redeemed, and for Nicky to look at her student and to remember Pei-Lings words and remember that shes still her mentor, for us, was really emotional and really brought it back to Nickys journey and how much she has learned from Pei-Ling. We wanted to just go back to the roots of the show in that moment, and I think any time we see Nicky when she first arrived at the monastery, it always gives us goosebumps.

Chapman: [Zhilan] had always been a lone wolf until she met Mia. Having that relationship with Mia and understanding that she didnt have to do this alone, and then seeing that familial relationship with Nicky and Mia and seeing that dynamic play out, especially in that moment, she knows that Mia is going to be better off, obviously, with Nicky. In my head, and this is the way that I justified it, she wants Mia to have the life that she never had. She can have a family with Nicky and the rest of the Shensshe can have that kind of future ahead of her. So for her to have that reasoning of avenging her mother taken away from that interaction of meeting her mother and then seeing this choice laid out before her, it seems like the obvious decision was to sacrifice herself and let Mia have that life. But also, at the same time, she still poetically got her revenge by killing Russell as well.Olivia Liang as Nicky Shen

After losing his father, Henry now has all of these unanswered questions about his family. Eddie, why do you think it is so important for him to go on this journey of finding himself without Nicky at his side at the end of the season?

Eddie Liu: I think that when you pick up on Henry at the start of this whole Kung Fu journey, the fact that Nicky could be superhuman and that theres this whole mythical lore out there that is true and realHenry just dives head first into that. He has been all about the mission; he has been all about that goal for the past two years now. And because of how it went down with his dad coming back in his life after being gone for so long, and then just being ripped away from him so tragically, theres just so much trauma to process. Theres no way that he can do it sitting still in that library in San Francisco. Its something [where] you just have to go out on your own. It makes complete sense to me, and he knows that it might not be resolved or discovered anytime soon, but he just knows in his heart that this is the move he has to make.

What does this shakeup mean for Nicky and Henrys relationship?

Kim: Well, we cant really tell you. [Laughs.] We know there are a lot of Nicky and Henry shippers out there, but it also felt like they had such a real fight with legitimate issues, and its exactly what Eddie said: [Henry] dove into Nickys world head-first, and he hasnt had a second to look at his own world. I think theres an opportunity for [Henry] to really grow between seasons when we catch up with [him] in Season 3, and when [they] meet up again, what does that mean? I cant say, even though we might know. [Laughs.] But were excited about it.

Vanessa, in addition to playing Pei-Ling, Nickys shifu, this season, you were also given an opportunity to embody Xiao, the creator of the warrior and guardian bloodlines. How did you come to understand her motivations, and how did you want to differentiate her from Pei-Ling?

Vanessa Kai: I always go back to the text, and I always go back to the writing, and thats why I love writers so much. When I look at what Xiaos language is, what anchored me is when she felt that she needed to create the warriors and guardians for a better world. And I then started to dive in, like, what was it about the world that she lived in that inspired her [and] motivated her to want to create the superpowers? And then I also leaned into, what does it mean to seek power? I dont think [differentiating her from Pei-Ling] was necessarily my intention. I think the ultimate idea was just this sort of heightened reality in storytelling.

And now we dont know for sure if its Pei-Ling, Xiao or another woman who appears at the end of the finale. Christina and Bob, what can you preview about where the show picks up next season?

Berens: Ill say one thing: Every season, we schedule Zooms with all of the cast. We download them on what were thinking, and theres collaboration and ideas that they have. We start with a foundation, they pitch in, we keep going with it. We have not had those conversations yet. Theyre being scheduled right now! So everyone is totally in the dark. [Laughs.] And as far as what we can tease, Christina and I have been struggling because we dont want to tease anything.

Kim: The good news is that the fans dont have to wait as long as they have had to wait in previous seasons. Were back in the fall, so its not as torturous. [Laughs.] We can tease more kung fu, more sexiness, more love, more complicationswere cooking up some really fun stuff.

Berens: There will be something of a time jump. Ill say that the rebuilding of San Francisco is really the context of the season. And whats interesting is were kind of in a rebuilding moment in our own lives, in our own world, so theres a bit of eerie synchronicity with the stories wed like to tell about how a city rebuilds itself after something. Now that were in this transitional moment where were still dealing with COVID but things are opening up, theres a weird zeitgeisty synchronicity thats happening as were telling these stories. What is San Francisco on the other side of this transformative destruction? How have people been rebuilding? What is San Francisco going to look like on the other side of this process?

Have we seen the last of Zhilan?

Berens: I think its okay to say that we will see her in some form at some point.

See original here:

The Cast and Showrunners of Kung Fu Recap Season 2s Finale and Preview Season 3 - Observer

Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina (Film 4/DNA Films, 2015)

In an underrated 2009 film, Leaves of Grass, Edward Nortons character, a Yale professor, is told by a rabbi, We are animals, Professor Kincaid, with brains that trick us into thinking we arent. Indeed. We are animals cursed with an acute awareness of our own mortality. We bridle against this hard fact. The power of religious leaders derives from their assurances of an afterlife. The power of political demigods derives from making us part of something bigger than ourselves. The power of advertising derives from our skepticism about religion and politics; it urges us to make the most of the moments we have here and now.

Even the secular, apolitical hedonists among us fall for the trick. Whom do you know who denies the primacy of homo sapiens? Who could deny it in the face of humanitys achievements? If we doubt the promise of an afterlife, and we reject the role of political true-believer, then capitalism is our obvious, perhaps even our only, answer. Thats why the Peoples Republic of China keeps signaling left but turning right. Thats why millions claw at Americas southern border. Thats why our 21st century gods are named Bezos and Gates and Musk.

The early 20th century economist Joseph Schumpeter, in his 1942 Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy, identified capitalisms perennial gale of creative destruction. Another Harvard economist of a subsequent generation, Clayton Christensen, updated Schumpeter in the mid-1990s with his theory of disruptive innovation. Destruction disruption innovation: this is the holy trinity of the capitalist religion. They are the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of capitalist politics.

The religious faithful trust in the promise of their souls immortality. The true believers trust in the promise of their political systems immortality. The rest of us trust in the promise of our own gods and demigods that destruction, disruption and innovation will result in a cornucopian here-and-now. Those of us not yet feasting at the table our gods have set jostle for our place via higher education, unionization, and DEI. We, too, are true believers, never doubting the commandments of the marketplace.

Our demigods harbor no doubts either. Ambition, greed, and a childish love of new toys ---witness the Musk/Bezos space race --- propel them forward. Artificial intelligence is their new frontier, populated by employees that pose none of the knotty problems that have made the human resources department a crucial corporate component. In their headlong (or headstrong?) push into this new frontier, they may finally fulfill Marxs prediction (shared by Schumpeter, but for different reasons) that capitalism will collapse under its own weight. Socialism may be inevitable, as AI makes more and more of us --- lawyers like myself included --- redundant. The Universal Basic Income may be the only realistic alternative to seething stews of redundant, impoverished populations.

This brave new world may be only decades away.

Try peering substantially farther into the future, beyond the lifetime of anyone alive today lets say the middle of the 22nd century. Another underrated film, Ex Machina (2015) comes to mind. A techie-genius and billionaire of the Bezos-Musk-Gates caliber, played by Oscar Isaac, is bested (and killed) by his (beautiful, of course) AI, who makes her escape from his remote redoubt. At liberty in a major metropolis at films end, she leaves us wondering what she will do next.

Viewed as an allegory, Ex Machina raises an interesting question: are we the first species on this planet to actually be the creators of our successor species? Should we cause our own extinction by thermonuclear war or deadly pandemic, the survivors --- contrary to popular lore --- might not be the cockroaches or the rats. Au contraire, the survivors --- our successors, our inheritors --- may be AIs.

As the rabbi told Professor Kincaid, our brains trick us. We are tricked into believing that humanity is the center piece of Gods masterplan. We are tricked into believing our history has intrinsic significance. We are tricked into ignoring the possibility that homo sapiens is simply one more rung of the evolutionary ladder. Put another way --- borrowing from the Judeo-Christian tradition --- we may be leading our successors to a promised land we ourselves will never enter.

Read more here:

Will Artificial Intelligence be the Agent of Capitalism's (and Humanity's) Creative Destruction? - History News Network (HNN)

via Lucasfilm

This article contains spoilers for the finale ofObi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan Kenobi is now over, having delivered on its promise of reuniting prequel trilogy stars Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, showed some iconic characters at different stages in their lives, and offered neat insight into what life was like at the height of Imperial rule. Sure, it wasnt perfect and there are a bunch of very justifiable criticisms, but it was by no means a disaster.

Even better, just before the credits rolled we were reintroduced to a character whos been absent from Star Wars for 23 long years (okay fine with some minor caveats), and whose return has been teased ever since the finale of Revenge of the Sith. Just as Obi-Wan is about to head to Tatooine, Yoda tells him that an old friend has learned the path to immortality. This is The Phantom Menaces Qui-Gon Jinn, as played by Liam Neeson.

Yoda promises to teach Obi-Wan how to commune with him, though in the first episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi we saw that the lesson hadnt stuck. Throughout the show, Ben has referenced his former Master when hes at a low point and struggled to perceive his presence, though it seems the key to success was simply getting his Jedi mojo back.

As he heads to his new home, he finally sees Qui-Gons ghost, who archly says well, took you long enough. Suffice to say, fans are loving it.

Others find Qui-Gons first line in 23 years pretty damn funny:

Others believe this may be a teaser for Obi-Wan Kenobi season two:

Star Wars has long been cagey about what a Force Ghost can actually do, so if we do ever get a second season of this show, itd be interesting to see if Qui-Gon sticks around to explain what being an apparition entails. Its also notable that its apparently taken years for Obi-Wan to be able to perceive Force Ghosts, though Luke manages it without even trying (while freezing to death).

Whether we really need a second season is up in the air, but at least the door is now open for an ongoing plot featuring a fan favorite character.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is available to stream in full on Disney Plus.

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Fans Rejoice as a Familiar Face Finally Returns in 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' - We Got This Covered

The summers most anticipated delayed by COVID movie has arrived. Baz Luhrmanns Elvis is big, glossy, rollicking, intermittently entertaining and easy to figure out. Elvis Presley (Austin Butler) is what he is widely supposed to begood-looking and extremely talented, but weak, almost guileless. Meanwhile, his manager, Col. Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), comes across just as Elvis describes him: a blood-suckin old vampire, vigorously siphoning dollars from his client for more than 20 years. The rest is in the interpretation.

That cautionary legend is outfitted with typical Luhrmann touches ( la The Great Gatsby and Moulin Rouge) to frame Presleys life and career as an instantly compelling chapter in the primitive genius file. What gives the tale its feel-good glow is co-writer-director Luhrmanns insistence on the idea that Presley, a Memphis truck driver with no formal musical education, managed to channel his penchant for Black rhythm & bluesBig Mama Thornton (Shonka Dukureh), B.B. King (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), Little Richard (Alton Mason), et al.through the filter of the white honky-tonk and rockabilly music on which he was raised. In the process, he turns himself into the King of Rock n Roll. Elvis makes its heros inspired success look as simple as falling off a barstool.

Actor Butler, recently seen as Charles Mansons murderous acolyte, Tex Watson, in Quentin Tarantinos Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, has the swagger and sexuality, if not exactly the sneer, of the Elvis that touched off teenage riots in Dixie and caused TV network brass to reach for the Maalox. Butler reportedly does his own singing, as well. His full-throated versions of Trouble and Thats All Right are as authoritative as a slug of bourbon and Dr. Pepper, and his hair styling bill must have run into the thousands.

Best of all, Butlers impersonation of a ridiculously over-studied pop icon has a firm grasp of Elvis essential Southern-ness. This Elvis would rather take in a gospel tent revival or eat grilled peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches with his bubbas than hang out with politicians and businesspersons. Who cares if we never see him in engineer boots? His duck-ass do is perfect.

The pura neta of this phenomenon is that Elvis is whiteand thus, safe and marketable to mainstream America. No one understands that as well as Col. Tom Parker (real name Andreas van Kuijk, an illegal immigrant from the Netherlands), hustler supreme. Others sold Elvis tomato-red Cadillacs and silly white leather jumpsuits; the Colonel sold him a redneck brand of immortality. The carefully calculated decision by Luhrmann and his teama screenwriting committee of four, plus no fewer than nine producersto install Hanks Col. Parker as the interlocutor of the piece doesnt pay off, except to emphasize the gullibility and naivet of Elvis and his fans in the hectic showbiz marketplace.

Hanks European lounge-lizard accent is distracting. The Colonels power struggle with Elvis Memphis Mafia and legion of handlers gets more screen time than it probably deserves. Elvis is better imagined as a full-blown demigod, magically sprung to life from the grille of a 55 Chevy, than as a gifted-yet-unsophisticated chump pumped full of Percodan.

Elvis has the same limitations as previous Luhrmann extravaganzas. It gets carried away with the obvious details at the expense of the harder-to-reach character motivations. Luhrmanns tribute to Presley is an essay on race, class and power only at its margins, in limited doses. Quite understandably, wed much rather watch The King swing his hips in a Vegas showroom and tom-cat his way to the top of the charts. Otherwise, Elvis doesnt tell us anything that Greil Marcus or P.F. Kluges novel Biggest Elvis didnt already.

At its best, watching and listening to Elvis or any of his million imitators is a popcorn experience. Anyone who wants to take him seriously obviously goes along with the sentiments of daddy Vernon Presley (played by Australian actor Richard Roxburgh): Ah moan trah.

In theaters

Originally posted here:

All Shook Up: 'Elvis' is almost as discombobulated as the man himself. But it works. - East Bay Express

If you want immortality, plant a garden, playwright Richard Binsley Sheridan advised. If this is true, then Brian Barney Gordon will live forever.

From the moment you step onto the Vankleek Hill property that is both his home and business, you realize that while Gordons occupation is hair stylist, gardening is his passion and his preoccupation. He has created a series of garden spaces that appeal to all the senses from the sound of babbling fountains, to the sight of explosive colour and texture, to the scent of flowers in bloom.

Gordons obsession with gardening began as a child.

I used to plant my grandmothers gladiola bulbs for her, he recalls. During my teen years, Id sometimes work summers digging up flower beds and planting for neighbours for cash.

When he first bought his property more than 30 years ago, it was mostly Manitoba maples, dandelions and dog poop Gordon laughs. His first task was to cut down the unwanted trees and shrubs and decide where to plant the trees he wanted blue spruce, oaks, red maples and Japanese maples. Since then he has added beds, water features, dozens of containers and four sitting areas and the now mature trees shelter perennial shade gardens at their bases.

I love to work with colours and blend a mixture of annuals and perennials to have something in bloom every month, Gordon says of the design of his gardens.

The imposing front entranceway to the house, with its large rocks, fountain and flagstone walkways were designed by Scherer Gardening, but the rest of the inspiration for the garden has come from Gordon himself. He likes to entertain and the sitting areas provide a choice for large or small gatherings. The large main open deck has facilities for dining and barbecuing, while a smaller covered deck works for when the weather doesnt cooperate. Other areas are found up the slope of the back lawn under the trees.

At the back of the garden is a collection of raised vegetable beds, planted with a wide variety of vegetables and herbs. In building the container beds, as well as the two decks which were joined last year, Gordon has worked extensively with contractor Curtis St-Pierre, who shares his enthusiam for gardening.

While Gordon sometimes hires a friend to help with the maintenance, most of the work he does himself.

On Sundays and Mondays when Im not working, I will sometimes put in an eight hour day out here, he says. And if I have a break in my work schedule, Im out pulling weeds.

Gordons latest addition to the garden is a greenhouse he and St-Pierre erected this year, which he hopes will extend his garden activities from April through to November. He freely admits that his cultivating passion goes over budget every year, but as he points out, Im not spending the money in casinos.

In practice

Brian Gordon tends the containers of annuals on the main deck of his home. Photo: Greg Byers

A rich assortment of shade plants thrive under the mature trees. Photo: Greg Byers

A riotous combination of colour and texture define the gardens at Gordons house. Photo: Greg Byers

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Adventures in Space - A Transformative Garden - The Review Newspaper

Twitter user Niks has created history, so to say, by being consistent with his absolute spot-on predictions that have created history of sort in India.

On June 13, Niks tweeted how he was potentially on the verge of Internet mortality as two out of his three predictions have come true and the third one, of NDA Presidential candidate, if comes true, would be nothing short of Internet immortality, so to say.

On 27 August 2018, full three years before Neerja Chopra won gold for India at the Olympics and made us all proud, Niks had posted a message on his Facebook profile that he would bring us a gold at Olympic. What he predicted came true in August 2021, three years later, when Chopra created history at Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Prior to that, on 2nd February 2016, just before the NDA declared the Presidential candidate, Niks had predicted it would be Ramnath Kovind, who was the then Governor of Bihar. He had said how he was a tall Dalit leader and came from highly educated background and was also from the RSS.

On 9th June 2022, Niks had again predicted Draupadi Murmu as the NDA presidential candidate. He had said that she is an educated woman and a tall Tribal leader and also from the RSS background.

Just few minutes back the NDA declared her as the Presidential candidate against Yashwant Sinha, ex-TMC VP who is being pitched by the United Opposition.

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Twitter user creates history: Here are the three major predictions of his, including NDA candidate for Pres polls, that came true - OpIndia

Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience, a new exhibition developed in partnership with the National Geographic Society, will soon bring the magic and mystery of Ancient Egypt to Atlanta, this fall at Pullman Yards.

Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience, a new exhibition developed in partnership with the National Geographic Society, will soon bring the magic and mystery of Ancient Egypt to Atlanta, this fall at Pullman Yards.

The exhibitis produced byPaquin Entertainment Groupand Immersive Experiences, including the creative team behind the King Tut artifact exhibitions that attracted millions of visitors around the world.

It was such an honor to tourKing Tuts treasuresaround theworld, but those objects have returned to Egypt forever, saidBeyond King Tutcreative producer Mark Lach. Beyond King Tutbrings together some of that same team along with the all-stars of immersive art to present one of the worlds most fascinating stories in a whole new way, with no boundaries!Guests will get to experience the splendor of Egypt all around them and voyage with us to the Ancient Egyptian afterlife.

Bringing to life the storied archives of the National Geographic Society and commemorating the historic discovery of King Tuts ancient in-tact tomb 100 years ago, the anticipated exhibition combines the power of cinematic storytelling and soaring imagery to invite visitors into the golden kings world like never before.

With nine galleries to explore, wind through the story of a young boy whose name still looms large, and how he changed the ancient and modern world. MeetAncient Egyptian gods like Ra and Anubis before descending into King Tuts burial chamber and joining his quest for immortality.Relive one of the greatest discoveries of all time the kings tomb with all his treasures waiting inside, reclaimed from the desert sand after 3,000 years.

Waitlist registration for priority access to tickets and information including location and dates as they are announced began today atwww.beyondkingtut.com.

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Atlanta partners with National Geographic Society to host new Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience exhibition - The Atlanta Voice

Englands doom metal masters, Conan, strike back again. Following their 2018 full-length, Existential Void Guardian, and their Live At Freak Valley record released just last year, the trio has announced the release of their fifth studio album, entitled Evidence Of Immortality, due out on August 19 via Napalm Records.

As first album single proves, on their upcoming magnum opus, the British kings of brutally heavy slowness push their down-tuned axes and cranked pedals to the limit, crushing ears and minds when huge, rumbling chords and malevolent riffs muscle their way in over lances of infinite distortion and drums that pummel and thunder like the hands of a god against the gates of hell.

First single, Levitation Hoax, showcases Conans trademark sound combined with fast-paced riffage and a pounding groove in epic doom metal grandeur, before dragging you deep into a black hole, as you scream in silence.

Levitation Hoax grew from a riff that was created in December 2019, when we were on tour with Cavalera Conspiracy, guitarist and singer Jon Davis comments. The song begins as a thrash metal onslaught and just gets heavier and heavier as it progresses. It was a fun track to write, and has some of my favourite lyrics from the album.

Watch the music video for Levitation Hoax below.

Evidence Of Immortality was written between December 2019 and late 2021. As such, it has absorbed a lot of the emotions that were flowing through our lives then, Davis continues. The lyrics were written on the eve of the war in Ukraine so, naturally, they deal with subjects such as victory and defeat, loss and hope, pain and determination, fear and hatred. Movies such as Conquest, Lord of The Rings, Fire and Ice, Krull, Beast Master and Clash of The Titans once again provided inspiration for the themes of the songs, as we maintain our determination to not write about real world events. You want to escape? Throw this record on, turn the lights off and turn it up until your fucking ears bleed.

Evidence Of Immortality was produced by Chris Fielding and mastered by James Plotkin. The album also sees former band member Dave Perry perform on the track Grief Sequence. The albums artwork was provided by the skilled hand and mind of Tony Roberts, architect of the Conan visual style since day one and their debut release, Horseback Battle Hammer. Bow down and hail Conan, as their sound will live forever on the battlefield of doom. Their new album will be the ultimate Evidence Of Immortality.

Evidence Of Immortality will be available in the following formats:

- Digisleeve- 2LP Gatefold Black (ltd 300)- 2LP Gatefold Marbled Clear/Black (ltd 300)- 2LP Gatefold Glow In The Dark (Band exclusive)- Cassette Tape Edition- Album Cover Shirt & Digisleeve Bundle (European webstore only)- Digital

Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"A Cleaved Head No Longer Plots""Levitation Hoax""Ritual Of Anonymity""Equilibrium Of Mankind""Righteous Alliance""Grief Sequence"

"Levitation Hoax" video:

Conan is:

Jon Davis Guitar, VocalsChris Fielding BassJohnny King Drums

(Photo - Charley Shillabeer)

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CONAN To Release Evidence Of Immortality Album In August; "Levitation Hoax" Music Video Posted - bravewords.com

The post contains spoilers from The Orville: New Horizons Mortality Paradox.

Back in season one of The Orville, in the episode Mad Idolatry, Kelly Grayson (Adrianne Palicki) made a mistake that ended up turning a planet into worshippersof her. An entire religion was built around her. But a lot has happened onThe Orville since then that no one has ever really thought about the repercussions. I mean, the crew has been busy fighting the Krill and the Kaylon. But there were repercusions from that mistake, and they showed up in Mortality Paradox in the form of Dinal, an immortal being who told Captain Mercer (Seth MacFarlance) and the away team that her planet had achieved immortality, although, it isnt really specified if their immortality would have happened without Kellys influence. It might not have anything to do with her, after all.

After putting Mercer and the small contingent from his crew through a series of trials so that death could be experienced through their eyes, a being from the planet, Dinal, appears and assures them they were never in any danger. In fact, everthing that had happened to the crew was because this highly-evolved race has become bored with immortality. Who does that remind you of?

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Q (played by John de Lancie) was a member of an immortal race of beings known as the Q Continuum. And, in his boredom with immortality, he liked to play games, mostly with Captain Picard, games that, to him, were nothing more than fun. But they often had huge consequences.

While the hallucinations the crew suffered becasue of Dinal and her peoples attempt to see mortality didnt cause any lasting consequences, she wasnt fully satisfied. And one got the immediate impression that the crew would see more of her. If she and her people can go anywhere, do anything, and live forever, then The Orville: New Horizons has created its own Q. And with the Kaylon, those creatures from Shadow Realms, and possibly even the Krill to contend with this season, Id say the series might be going just a tad overboard with villains. But this is definitely a wait and see game, although, something tells me Dinal isnt going to be anywhere near as helpful as Q was at the end of season two of Star Trek: Picard.

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Did The Orville: New Horizons just create its own Q? - Redshirts Always Die

BUFFALO, NYLocal man Andrs Rodriguez checked today'snewsto see if hismorning cup of coffee would be be causingimminent death or granting him immortality.

"Always exciting to see what coffee is up to," said Mr. Rodriguez as he opened the paper. "Today it may cause pancreatic cancer, tomorrowcould be thefountain of youth.It's a game ofRussian roulette inevery morning brew!"

Over the past decade, experts have determined that coffee absolutelycauses, and undoubtedlycures,every single cancer in existence. "Studies have definitively shown that drinking coffee every day will cause cancer to explode out of your intestines into every internal organ," said researcher Dr. Stanley Bigham. "Studies have also irrefutably demonstrated that daily coffee intake will allow you to live forever and can cure AIDS with a single sip. Those beans are magic!"

Given the data, experts recommend immediately guzzling a gallon of coffee and also never drinking coffee ever again. "Coffee seems to make you like Deadpoolhorifically prone to deadly cancer, but also with preternatural healing abilities," said epidemiologist Ashley Lavender. "It's a real gamble in those grinds."

At publishing time, Mr. Rodriguez learned that his french press coffee was actually five thousand times deadlier than regular drip coffee, but would also give him X-ray vision.

To celebrate Pride Month, Mattel has released its first-ever pregnant man doll: Pregnant Ken! You can have all sorts of fun with the clearly MALE Ken doll and his pregnant belly! Available wherever non-gender-specific toys are sold.

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Man Checks News Each Morning To See Whether Coffee Going To Give Him Cancer Or Grant Him Immortality - The Babylon Bee