Is it any wonder that US-Russia relations are, reportedly, as their lowest in decades? Despite being a 'puppet of Putin', President Trump's administration has killed hundreds of Russians in Syria. Amid his confirmation hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday, The Wall Street Journal reports that Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo said Thursday that “a couple hundred Russians” were killed in Syria by U.S. warplanes after Syrian fighters backed by Washington came under attack in February. The episode reportedly took place on Feb. 7 and Feb. 8, when Russian mercenaries mounted an attack using tanks and artillery in an apparent attempt to take an oil-rich area in the eastern Syria province of Deir Ezzour. Fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces, organized by the U.S. to fight Islamic State, came under fire and American air power was called in. The Russian mercenaries were part of private military group known as the Wagner Group, which is run by a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin has played down the episode, and the Pentagon has been reluctant to say how many Russians might have been killed and what relation the mercenaries had to the Kremlin. Instead, the Pentagon talked about a clash involving “pro-regime” forces. Notably, WSJ reports that during hours of testimony, Mr. Pompeo sought to distance himself from some of the more assertive comments he had issued as a lawmaker, insisting that he favored strong diplomacy over preemptive military strikes and was more interested in negotiating than encouraging regime change. Mr. Pompeo bristlled at suggestions that he was a “hawk,” arguing that as a former Army officer who served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War he knew the horrors of combat. “There’s no one like someone who’s served in uniform who understands the value of diplomacy and the terror and tragedy that is war,” he said. Let's hope - for the sake of many - that those comments were not just placating talk.

The Russian military says that an alleged chemical attack in Syria was staged and directed by Britain. Volunteer first responders and activists claimed a chemical attack by the Syrian government killed over 40 people in the town of Douma, which drew international outrage and prompted Washington and its allies to consider a military response. Moscow warned against any strikes and threatened to retaliate. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, released statements by medics from Douma’s hospital who said a group of people toting video cameras entered the hospital, shouting that its patients were struck with chemical weapons and causing panic. The medics said none of the patients were hurt by chemicals. Konashenkov said Friday that Britain was “directly involved in the provocation,” but didn’t elaborate or provide evidence. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the Middle East is in such “peril” today that it has become a threat to international peace and security — and Syria “represents the most serious threat.” The U.N. chief told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council Friday called by Russia that the highly volatile situation risks “escalation, fragmentation and division as far as the eye can see with profound regional and global ramifications.” Guterres said “the Cold War is back — with a vengeance but with a difference,” because safeguards that managed the risk of escalation in the past “no longer seem to be present.” He cited the Palestinian-Israeli divide, the Sunni-Shiite divide “evident from the Gulf to the Mediterranean,” and other divisive factors reflected in a multiplicity of conflicts. But Guterres said Syria today is the most serious, and “there is no military solution to the conflict.” ___ 4:30 p.m. The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed to coordinate their actions to avoid further military escalation in Syria. A suspected poison gas attack in the suburbs of the Syrian capital, which killed more than 40 people, has drawn international outrage and prompted the United States and its allies to consider a military strike on Syria. France is reported to be one of the strongest backers of a possible strike which Russia strongly opposes. The Kremlin said on Friday in its readout of the phone call between the two presidents that Putin and Macron agreed to ask their foreign policy chiefs to “keep in close contact” to “de-escalate” the situation in Syria. Putin was quoted as urging for a “thorough and objective probe” into the reports of the chemical weapons attack. The Kremlin said both Putin and Macron lauded the upcoming visit of the international chemical watchdog’s fact-finding mission to Syria and pledged to join efforts to provide necessary assistance to that mission. 4:05 p.m. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his “deep concerns” over the deterioration of the situation in Syria in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to a statement of the French presidency, Macron calls for dialogue between France and Russia to “continue and intensify” to bring peace and stability to Syria. He “regretted” the Russian veto at the U.N. Security Council which prevented a “united and firm response” after a suspected gas attack last week in Douma, Syria. Macron said Thursday on French national television France has proof that the Syrian government launched chlorine gas attacks and has crossed a line that could prompt French airstrikes. The U.S., France and Britain have been consulting about launching a military strike in Syria. ___ 3:30 p.m. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he has urged calm and efforts to restitute peace in Syria during separate calls this week with U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Erdogan also told reporters on Friday that tensions between the two countries over a suspected chemical attack in the Damascus suburb of Douma now seem to have eased. Erdogan says: “What we insisted on tenaciously was the fact that is not right for tensions to heat up; we made requests concerning the restitution of peace and the end of the tragedy that is going on.” The Turkish leader also said he sent video recordings concerning the “painful and disastrous scenes” in eastern Ghouta and Douma to Putin through an envoy of the Russian leader. Erdogan did not elaborate. ___ 3:20 p.m. France’s foreign minister has cancelled trips to Albania and Slovenia because of rising global tensions around Syria. The move Friday came as the U.S., France and Britain are in extensive consultations about launching a military strike on Syria in retaliation for suspected chemical weapons attacks. Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec said in a statement to the official STA news agency that “due to the Syria crisis,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian cancelled his planned visit to Slovenia on Friday and Saturday. Albania’s Foreign Ministry said Le Drian canceled a trip there planned Friday “due to international developments in the security field.” French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday he has proof that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government was behind chlorine attacks in recent days. Syria’s government denies responsibility. ___ 2:35 p.m. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says the use of chemical weapon against civilians in a Damascus suburb is “unforgivable” but says Turkey is urging all sides to refrain from actions that will cause further turmoil in Syria. Yildirim on Friday again condemned the “heinous” the attack in Douma and said the perpetrators should “pay a price.” “However ... any action that would lead to the failure or harm activities led by Turkey, Iran and Russia toward a lasting peace should be avoided,” Yildirim said. He was referring to the three countries’ efforts to reduce violence in Syria. Syrian opposition activists and medics say a suspected gas attack last week killed more than 40 people in Douma. The Syrian government has denied the allegations. ___ 1:35 p.m. Russia’s foreign minister has asserted that a suspected chemical attack in the Syrian town of Douma last weekend was fabricated with the help of an unspecified foreign intelligence agency. Sergey Lavrov says Russian experts have inspected the site of the alleged attack in Douma, just east of Damascus, and found no trace of chemical weapons. He says Moscow has “irrefutable information that it was another fabrication.” Lavrov spoke to reporters in Moscow on Friday. He said that “intelligence agencies of a state that is now striving to spearhead a Russo-phobic campaign were involved in that fabrication.” He didn’t elaborate or name the state. The attack has drawn international outrage and prompted the United States and its allies to consider a military strike on Syria, something Moscow has strongly warned against.

Grasping at a tenuous casus belli in Syria, major Western powers appear anxious for a military showdown. But many allies have declined to join the war party. Will others follow? What is it about springtime that brings out the worst side of the West's neoconservative pro-war faction? On March 20, 2003, a coalition made up of the US, UK, Australia, and Poland opened a military campaign against Iraq; on March 19, 2011, the US, UK, and France led a NATO charge against Libya; and now here we are, in early April, and the usual suspects are rearing their ugly heads for yet another regime change, this time in Syria. But this time around, the warmongers are facing a dramatically changed landscape. First, despite efforts by the Western powers to portray Syrian President Bashar Assad as the latest menace on the block, so evil he would even resort to chemical weapons when military victory was in the bag, many people are expressing heated skepticism over that story. One such critic is Peter Ford, the former UK ambassador to Syria. This week he told BBC Radio Scotland in an interview that the "correct response is obviously to get inspectors on to the alleged sites of the alleged offences" as opposed to sending off the military in a mindless "stampede to war." Another major difference between Syria and other regime change victims, like Iraq and Libya, is that the Syrian theater is a sold-out show, with a number of serious military powers, including the US, Israel, Turkey, Iran, and Russia jockeying for position. To call such a situation dangerous would be the understatement of the century. And now that the Western powers have convinced themselves in true Salisbury style that it is "highly likely" that Assad used chemical weapons, without the benefit of an investigation, they are now staring down the barrel of a possible military conflict, or even a global conflagration involving Russia. It should come as no surprise that several NATO members, many of which still cling to the illusion that theirs is a non-aggressive 'defensive' bloc, are politely declining the offer to send a military contingency to Syria. Canada, for example, America's neighbor to the north, said it would not participate in any military campaign against the Arab state. "We are not looking to be present in Syria," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in an interview with Radio-Canada this week. To his credit, Trudeau mentioned one aspect of the Syrian debacle that is glaringly missing: diplomacy. "We are working diplomatically and politically to try to find solutions… it's a potential conflict zone that could grow and affect other countries, but we continue to work with our partners," he said. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also declined to take part in any upcoming fireworks: "Germany will not take part in possible military action – I want to make clear again that there are no decisions." Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said his country would limit itself to providing 'logistical support' in any potential military campaign, and I would imagine from a very safe distance. Rome clearly understands a thing or two about the hazards of imperial overreach. Meanwhile, those countries that are rabidly pursuing regime change in Syria, poorly disguised as some sort of benevolent humanitarian campaign, are facing some tough criticism. UK Prime Minister Theresa May, for example, who reached an agreement with her cabinet "on the need to take action to alleviate humanitarian distress and to deter the further use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime," got an earful from Jeremy Corbyn who said it appeared that the British government was waiting for its marching orders from Washington. "The Government appears to be waiting for instructions from President Donald Trump on how to proceed," Corbyn said, while demanding that May seek a vote in the House of Commons before moving on Syria. The Conservative Party, mindful of the stunning August 2013 defeat suffered by former Prime Minister David Cameron in the House of Commons when they voted against his efforts to join Barack Obama in a military offensive against Assad, does not appear to be in a democratic mood. Corbyn rounded off his criticism by saying the Trump administration "is giving alarmingly contradictory signals." On that point, the Labour leader seems to have been a bit more conservative than his political leanings warrant (Incidentally, on the very same day Theresa May was fishing for support from her cabinet, French President Emmanuel Macron said France "has proof" that Assad used chemical weapons. Proof from Paris, however, has not been forthcoming). On April 11, Donald Trump, responding to Russia's warning that it would shoot down any missiles aimed at Syria, fired off a tweet that bounced around the planet like a hot potato. "Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and "smart!" You shouldn't be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!" The problem with such outrageous statements is that they are painfully difficult to walk back on without tremendous loss of face, and not least of all for egomaniacs. And although the US leader retreated from that statement in his very next tweet, probably realizing he went too far, the damage was done. "First of all the tweets from President Trump is undoubtedly the most disturbing statement ever made by any US president and calls into question the very sanity of the person issued it," as former British MP George Galloway summed it up. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis provided a much-needed show of restraint when he said that the US and its allies "don't have evidence" that the Syrian government was to blame for the chemical attack in the Damascus suburb of Douma. It is this sort of nerve-racking mixed signaling from Washington, combined with reckless bravado from Trump, which could serve to thwart any military offensive on the part of the US, UK, and France. The people along with their governments will quickly tire of the foolhardy game of 'nuclear chicken' with Russia and demand accountability and transparency before the missiles start flying. After all, "this is not a video game," as Nicholas Burns, former US ambassador to NATO, reminded. In closing, it is worth remembering that seven years ago to the day (April 15), Barack Obama, David Cameron, and Nicolas Sarkozy penned an opinion piece on the reasons why it was necessary to wage war against Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi. It is worth reading again today. "The United Nations and its members should help the Libyan people as they rebuild where Gaddafi has destroyed – to repair homes and hospitals, to restore basic utilities, and to assist Libyans as they develop the institutions to underpin a prosperous and open society," they wrote with misguided enthusiasm. Today, Libya remains a hotbed of terrorism, disease and decay, a pathetic ghost of its former self, which was once the most socially developed nation on the African continent. Those are lessons not easily forgotten, but sadly they have been as

Have you deleted your Facebook account in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal? Tech.pinions, a technology and media research firm, claims that almost 10% of people in the US have done just that. The firm surveyed 1,000 Americans across age and gender demographics. While not all respondents were Facebook users, a whopping 17% of respondents reported having removed the Facebook app from their smartphones, and 9% had deleted their accounts altogether. As of January 2018, statistics aggregator Statista reports that Facebook serves roughly 214 million users in the US. So, to put those numbers into better perspective, that means around 36.38 million people in the US have deleted the Facebook phone app, while 19.26 million have deleted their accounts altogether. This might not even be the worst of it We'd be pretty concerned about losing nearly 20 million sets of eyeballs on ads, but according to Tech.pinions, those numbers might not even have Facebook worried. In its survey, 39% of respondents said they’re now more careful about not only what they post, but what they ‘Like’ and react to on brand pages and within friends’ posts. Meanwhile, 35% claim to be using the social network less than they used to following the data breach. These numbers should be of real concern to Facebook’s bottom line. As Tech.pinions says, the fact that users that are engaging less with content and brands means they simply aren’t as valuable to companies paying for traffic or buying ads. Perhaps to stem this supposed tide, Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has publicly floated the idea of introducing a paid version of Facebook with zero ads and stronger privacy protections. However, he may want to reconsider, as a massive 59% of survey respondents said that they wouldn't be interested. The problem with all of this is that, whether you like it or not, it’s growing more and more clear across the internet landscape that, if you’re not paying for the product, then at some level you yourself are the product. So, unless attitudes change toward paying directly for social media and other connected services, there will always be a third party for those services to please (ie advertisers).

Morocco has extradited a British national to the U.S. after he was accused of defrauding investors in a bitcoin-related venture. Renwick Haddow, who was indicted in June on fraud charges for operating the Bitcoin Store and a startup called Bar Works, had been arrested by Moroccan authorities in July and detained for nearly nine months. Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William Sweeney Jr., assistant director-in-charge of the FBI's New York office, announced Friday that Haddow had been sent back to the U.S. The Morocco Ministry of Justice originally held Haddow to investigate the Bitcoin Shop, Bar Works and a third venture of his called InCrowd Equity. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission first filed fraud charges against Haddow last year, claiming his Bitcoin Store misled investors, as previously reported. According to the SEC's complaint, the Bitcoin Store claimed an "experienced team of leading investment professionals" ran the outfit. But the "experienced team" was fabricated by Haddow, according to the Department of Justice. In reality, he alone was the brains behind the Bitcoin Store, the DOJ said. Further, the Bitcoin Store's shareholder mailing list announced various investments and partnerships which did not exist, according to a DOJ complaint filed in June 2017. The document continued: "Investors in Bitcoin Store equity, including Investor-1, have not obtained any return on their securities. After making certain initial quarterly payments, Bitcoin Store has stopped making payments to investors on their Notes, including to Investor-2 and Investor-3."

According to the latest data from app researchers Sensor Tower, the average U.S. Apple iPhone user spent an estimated $58 on apps last year, up 23% or $11 from the $47 spent back in 2016. The app category that received the most money from stateside iPhone users was mobile games. These apps accounted for 62% of 2017 app purchases made by those sporting Apple's iconic smartphone. The average U.S. iPhone user purchased $36 worth of mobile games from the App Store last year, up from $32 in 2016. Spending on entertainment apps in 2017 surged 57% last year, allowing it to overtook music related apps for second place. Social Networking and Lifestyle were fourth and fifth, respectively. It should be noted that Lifestyle apps were red hot last year as the average U.S. iPhone user spent $2.10 for apps from that section of the App Store. That was more than double the $1.00 shelled out on average in 2016. In 2017, a typical iPhone user in the states installed 45 apps, four more than the 2016 average. Based on the number of apps downloaded and not revenue, the mobile games category was still on top (13.1 games installed per iPhone last year) followed by photo & video (3.6 per iPhone), Entertainment (3.1), Social Networking (2.9) and Utilities (2.4). Of the top five categories, the only one showing a year-over-year decline in downloads was photo & video, which had 10% fewer apps installed last year.

While Bungie has become more open in sharing its plans for updates for Destiny 2, word on the game's second DLC expansion has been scant. Now, the studio has finally provided a name and release date for DLC 2: Warmind officially launches on May 8. Unfortunately, details on what Warmind actually consists of haven't yet been shared. That information will start to be shared on April 24, when Bungie hosts a reveal livestream. For now, all we know is what you'd expect--the DLC "will send you to new places to meet new heroes and battle new enemies," and there will be new loot and activities introduced, according to a post on Bungie's website. Warmind's release will coincide with that of Season 3 for Destiny 2. Bungie updated its roadmap for the future of the game, and we know that this update will add seasonal Crucible rankings, private matches, an increase to vault space, support for multiple equipped emotes, Exotic weapon Masterworks, and more. Later in the summer, Season 3 will also bring bounties, a new seasonal event, Faction Rally improvements, and changes to the Exotic armor sandbox. Season 4 in September will bring gear collections, weapon slot changes, and more. Season 3 also marks a significant change to how Crucible content is handled. All new maps from Warmind (and the Curse of Osiris DLC before it) will be available in matchmaking to all players, whether or not they own the DLC. However, to play the maps in the newly added private matches, you'll have to purchase the DLC.

Review scores for Sony's new God of War game for PlayStation 4 are now online, and one person praising Sony on the game is the gaming boss at chief competitor Microsoft. Xbox boss Phil Spencer today congratulated Sony Santa Monica and PlayStation Worldwide Studios leader Shuhei Yoshida on the positive review scores and upcoming launch. He added, "Looks like a special launch for the franchise, great job." Yoshida responded, thanking Spencer for his kind words. Congrats @SonySantaMonica @yosp on the review scores and the upcoming launch of God of War. Looks like a special launch for the franchise, great job. — Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) April 12, 2018 ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ thanks Phil — Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) April 12, 2018 Phil Spencer praising Sony is expected at this point. He does it frequently when Sony launches something new or exciting. His sentiments come across as genuine, and it's encouraging to see someone at his level speaking so warmly about the competition. Microsoft and Sony may be competitors, but they're staffed by people; people who enjoy video games just like you and me. As Spencer has said before, console wars are not productive. GameSpot's God of War review scored the action game a 9/10. "God of War is no longer an old-fashioned action series. With this reboot, it confidently walks a new path that will hopefully lead to more exciting adventures to come," reviewer Peter Brown said.

You'll hear special music with the gear equipped, but only at certain times.

Author George R.R. Martin says if he had his way, Catelyn would have been resurrected as Lady Stoneheart on Game of Thrones. With only one season left of the show, it’s clear Game of Thrones won’t adapt certain key book moments. From locations to plots to characters, many readers of Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series have been continually disappointed about what’s been left out of the HBO TV adaptation of the material. Arguably, the Lady Stoneheart and her absence from the hit show has prompted the loudest outcry from fans. For context: in Martin’s source novels, Catelyn is actually brought back to life after being murdered at the Red Wedding, when her body is discovered by the Brotherhood Without Banners. However, revival from death comes at a cost, leaving Catelyn decayed and barely able to speak, and prompting her to adapt the name Lady Stoneheart and lead the broken Brotherhood on a quest of vengeance against those who orchestrated her family’s downfall. It’s a deeply fantastical storyline, but one with dark twists and a deepening of Catelyn’s character that could have been fascinating to see on screen. Martin, for his part, agrees with the sentiment. Esquire China (via Forbes) has a cover story on Martin this month, and in it the author is asked which character from A Song of Ice and Fire he most wishes was on Game of Thrones. Unsurprisingly, it’s the same one many fans also want to see: “In the book, characters can be resurrected. After Catelyn is resurrected as Lady Stoneheart, she becomes a vengeful, heartless killer. In the sixth book, I still continue to write her. She is an important character in the set of books. [Keeping her character] is the change I most wish I could make in the [show].” As Martin confirms, Stoneheart will play a big role in The Winds of Winter, the sixth book in the series. Her story was left on a bit of a cliffhanger in book five (A Dance with Dragons) and it’s clear her role in leading the Brotherhood (showing the downsides of resurrection) is part of Martin’s longer game in the story. It’s because of that fans have been so disappointed the character has yet to appear on Game of Thrones the show, and presumably never will at this stage in the series’ run. Even without Lady Stoneheart, the final episodes of Game of Thrones should offer plenty of action and intrigue. Between the coming of the White Walkers, the promise of dragon-on-dragon combat, and the continuing machinations of the show’s different forces, there’s a lot the series has to get through over the course of its final six episodes. As for the future of the novels, Martin has confirmed there will only be seven Game of Thrones books. While fans will naturally want more material, that also means a more succinct story and less work for the author, who seems to be having trouble finishing the sixth entry alone. In the end, Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire will probably wind up in both similar and different places. Lady Stoneheart may never appear on Game of Thrones the series, but who knows – perhaps the character will appear on a future spinoff instead.

Benedict Cumberbatch won’t guarantee we’ll see more of Doctor Strange after Avengers: Infinity War. Audiences were just introduced to Doctor Strange at the end of 2016, and he’s quickly become a prominent figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As Marvel Studios built towards Thanos’ arrival, the reveal that Strange’s Eye of Agomotto holds one of the six Infinity Stones confirmed he’d be a major piece to the puzzle. He even popped up in Thor: Ragnarok briefly, and will soon use his sorcery to try and save the universe. While the Time Stone currently helps give Strange even more power, he probably won’t be holding onto it for much longer. Just like Vision (the holder of the Mind Stone), Strange’s ownership on an Infinity Stone will make him a target for Thanos and his Black Order. We’ve seen snippets of their battle alreadys, and Cumberbatch is refusing to reveal if Strange makes it out of the battle alive. MTV interviewed several cast members for Avengers: Infinity War following one of the fan events in London, and asked them all how they’d like to see their character go. Cumberbatch was among those who were interviewed, and he didn’t waste much time detailing the dire circumstances Strange will find himself in, saying “There’s lots of threats coming his way. He holds the Time Stone around his neck for a part of this film. We know someone is coming to get them for a big glove.” When the interviewer then stepped in to reassure that everything will be alright for one of Marvel Studios’ newest stars, Cumberbatch didn’t offer the same assurance: It might not be. It says you’ll see Doctor Strange again at the end of the first one and you have. You’ve seen him in Thor: Ragnarok and you know he’s in this one. Doesn’t mean there’s gonna be any more of him, so you’ll have to wait and see. More than likely, this is just Cumberbatch having fun with the hype of Infinity War and fueling the worries of fans that everyone is going to die. Strange is one of Marvel’s most powerful characters, and it’d be very surprising if Kevin Feige introduced him and the magical world, only to kill the Sorcerer Supreme two years later. That said, all parties involved have also been extremely noncommittal when it comes to Doctor Strange’s future. The studio has been very cagey about Doctor Strange 2, even saying it may not be in Phase 4. Meanwhile, Doctor Strange co-writer Robert C. Cargill has reveals story details for Doctor Strange 2, but noted that the sequel isn’t a sure thing yet. The first Doctor Strange wasn’t a massive box office hit, but still did close to $700 million worldwide. A sequel (especially after Infinity War) would surely receive a bump up at the box office. While killing Doctor Strange would be a surprise, there have been teases of his demise. The Infinity War trailers have shown him being tortured by Ebony Maw, and Cumberbatch seemingly confirmed that he will lose the Time Stone when he said Strange only holds it for “part of this film.” Any death in Infinity War or Avengers 4 will certainly be subject to debate over whether or not the death will stick, but since Feige himself says fans should be worried, maybe Strange really could be on his way out of the MCU. KEY RELEASE DATES Avengers: Infinity War / The Avengers 3 release date: Apr 27, 2018 Ant-Man & The Wasp release date: Jul 6, 2018 Captain Marvel release date: Mar 8, 2019 The Avengers 4 / Untitled Avengers Movie release date: May 3, 2019 Untitled Spider-Man: Homecoming Sequel release date: Jul 5, 2019

One of the more appealing aspects of rebooting a familiar genre property comes with the promise of seeing it done with the benefit of modern special effects. That’s particularly true of Netflix’s extraordinarily good looking Lost in Space reboot. The series is, of course, based on the campy 1960s family sci-fi series created by Irwin Allen that became known primarily for the line “Danger Will Robinson” and the idea of a family of castaways thrown into deep space along with a manipulative doctor, a hot shot pilot, and an overprotective robot. In this day and age of preexisting IP serving as the dominant creative force in the entertainment industry, it’s no surprise that the Lost In Space property would be considered ripe for a reboot — or in this case, a redo of a reboot. For those who remember, the series was given a dour big screen adaptation in 1998 complete with Matt LeBlanc, William Hurt, Heather Graham, and Gary Oldman, playing against unimpressive special effects and a misguided script from Akiva Goldsman that attempted to legitimize the story with an overt environmental message and a grittier reinterpretation of the characters and their intergalactic mission. The result was a potential franchise that failed to launch, effectively putting the IP in quarantine for two decades before it was considered once again safe enough for human consumption. Drastically reimagined by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, whose previous writing credits include films like Dracula Untold, Gods of Egypt, and Power Rangers, Netflix’s new Lost In Space series doesn’t immediately inspire great confidence. But once the series is off and running (or crash-landing, as it were) with an exciting pair of effects-laden episodes directed by Neil Marshall, confidence in the property is mostly ready to be restored. While the rest of season can be hit or miss, the series premiere and its immediate follow-up deliver a fun, flashy reimagining of the series that sees Toby Stephens’ John Robinson as a Marine and absentee father, while his semi-estranged wife Maureen, played by the always excellent Molly Parker is a genius-level engineer and primary caregiver to the three Robinson children, Penny (Mina Sundwall), Judy (Taylor Russell), and, of course, Will (Maxwell Jenkins). Also along for the ride are Parker Posey as Dr. Smith (with a twist), and Ignacio Serricchio as Don West, who has also undergone a change from reliable flyboy to upbeat mechanic with a penchant for Han Solo-like smuggling. But the reimagining of Lost In Space doesn’t end with the characters; it’s very close to a top-down reconfiguration of the series itself, as the Robinsons aren’t the only ones at the mercy of the unforgiving void of space. Instead, the new series positions the family as one of many survivors of a waylaid colonization effort set for Alpha Centauri. The choice is a dramatic one that totally reshapes the series’ narrative in a mostly positive way, giving the child characters the opportunity to develop within a fractured family dynamic and a larger group setting that includes other children their age. The result is a story that trades the claustrophobic confines of a spaceship for a (temporary) terrestrial setting that gives the Robinsons space to breathe and the series the runway it needs to explore the overt theme of second chances before gearing up for a turn toward some more familiar circumstances. Stephens brings a less intimidating presence to the screen than he did in Starz’s Black Sails, imbuing John with a never-say-die determinism that makes for a great soldier. The series takes the extra step in positioning John’s role as a soldier against his failures as a father, making for a flawed character who, unsurprisingly, is in desperate need of a second chance with his family. Meanwhile, Parker’s Maureen is fiercely independent and always the smartest person in the room. She bristles against blindly trusting people in positions of authority and is willing to break the rules in order to ensure a better future for her children. Those character traits often put her in a place of conflict with those around her. Together the two make for an engaging couple on the brink of divorce who are suddenly thrust into a situation where an unwillingness to put aside personal grievances will put all of their children’s lives at risk. Still, although Parker and Stephens enjoy an easy chemistry even when they’re bickering with one another, it’s more encouraging to see that John and Maureen are given storylines that don’t revolve entirely around their kids. The same is true of the Robinson children, especially in later episodes when they’re each asked to carry the weight of an episode and the actors largely deliver. On the whole, Sundwall and Russell, both perform admirably despite being saddled with some wonky, overly quippy dialogue that sometimes sounds like what a childless adult thinks a typical teenager sounds like. But that’s hardly the series’ biggest issue, as Jenkins, has a particularly rough go of things, mostly because he’s tasked with so much of his time playing opposite the largely unresponsive robot that has been reimagined in a way that will reshape the series. Like the original show and feature film, the robot is meant to be major part of the show’s appeal, but this new version quickly becomes the opposite. The robot isn’t just the least interesting aspect of the series; it’s often times a distraction that undermines Jenkins’ performance and practically demands the sort of emotional response you’d expect from films interested in putting animals or magical beasts in peril. Acting opposite a silent man in a large robot suit would be a challenge for any performer, but it’s not a very strong choice to saddle a young actor with that weight for so many episodes. It’s no surprise, then, that when the robot is absent for an hour or two during the midway point of the season, Lost In Space suddenly feels lighter and more fun to watch. Much of that is due to the story longer being overwhelmed or cast overshadowed by the presence of a walking deus ex machina. To the series’ credit, there is more to the robot than meets the eye, but the season takes too long to get to the point where the thing is as compelling as it needs to be. For the most part, Lost In Space impresses for its ability to deliver a fun family adventure without becoming obnoxiously cloying in the process. It also doesn’t hurt that the series is gorgeous to look at, and makes use of its enormous effects budget to deliver a blockbuster-sized television series that’s not only visually more impressive than almost all of Netflix’s attempts at creating big budget feature films, but it’s also a lot more fun to watch. The series has more than a few drawbacks and hits more than its fair share of flat notes — many episodes are too long, and the series has a nasty habit of drawing out suspense to the point you’ll be screaming at the television screen — but in the early episodes there’s also enough intrigue generated by the Robinson’s circumstances, and those of Posey’s duplicitous Dr. Smith to keep most people bingeing through the first weekend of its release. When most series and reboots choose to go gritty and appeal to a more adult audience, Lost In Space heads in the opposite direction and delivers a fun, family friendly sci-fi adventure that might be one of the strongest first seasons of a big-budget series Netflix has yet to deliver. Lost In Space season 1 will stream on Netflix on Friday, April 13, 2018.

The NBC Bad Boys TV spinoff has finally earned itself a title, as Gabrielle Union gets closer to bringing her Bad Boys II character to the small screen. The action-drama pilot has been filming for some time, and is intended to lead towards an order for a full series. Once simply known as ‘Untitled Gabrielle Union Project‘ by the TV studio and ‘Bad Boys TV Show Spinoff‘ by everybody else, the show is now officially called L.A.’s Finest. Whilst the filming of Bads Boys for Life remains unconfirmed at present, NBC ordered the Bad Boys spinoff pilot at the start of 2018. Union reprises her role as Special Agent Syd Burnett from Bad Boys II. In that film, she was the sister to Martin Lawrence’s Marcus Burnett and the love-interest to Will Smith’s Michael “Mike” Lowrey, but mostly she was an impetuous undercover DEA officer dedicated to busting Russian mobsters and a Cuban drug ring. The show will see her return to normal police duties and paired up with Jessica Alba’s more cautious detective. Filming has been going on since the start of April, with pictures of Union and Alba on-set toting firearms marking the start of production. Several names for the Bad Boys TV spinoff were reportedly considered (including the obvious Bad Girls), but Deadline is now reporting that L.A.’s Finest will be the actual title. It does seems a bit generic and won’t immediately link Union’s character to the Bad Boys franchise, for those that aren’t aware of it heading in. Hopefully, when a premiere date is announced, the promotions and advertising will take care of that. Although the plot details for the pilot have changed little since its inception, the official synopsis currently runs like this: “The free-spirited former DEA agent Burnett has a fresh start in her new job as an LAPD detective. She’s partnered with Nancy McKenna (Alba), a working mom who can’t help but look at Syd’s freedom with some grass-is-greener envy. These two have totally different lifestyles and approaches, but they both are at the top of their fields in this action-packed, character-driven procedural.” The show has a pretty strong cast with Ernie Hudson playing Syd’s father, and Ryan McPartlin playing Nancy’s husband. Zach McGowan is said to be portraying the Big Bad in the pilot, a nightclub owner with some shady connections. The spinoff is written by Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier (The Blacklist) and directed by Anton Cropper (Suits). Alba and Union are also executive producing alongside Sonnier, Margolis, and franchise runner Jerry Bruckheimer. There is apparently a good buzz around the production behind the scenes, and it’s possible to imagine Alba and Union creating a female version of the chemistry that existed between Smith and Lawrence in the films. For comparison, the Fox TV version of Lethal Weapon worked surprisingly well, so if this pilot is successful we could be seeing an ongoing women-led action cop show figure prominently in future schedules and ratings.

Microsoft isn’t in a great spot with the Xbox with its first-party lineup, but the Xbox One backwards compatibility program that has been keeping players interested doesn’t get enough credit. The Xbox One has been consistently beat by the PlayStation 4 with regards to console sales, and the Nintendo Switch is catching up. Yet, there’s one element of the Xbox One that no other console in this generation has: backwards compatibility. The Xbox One’s ability to play dozens of games from Microsoft’s extensive library is overlooked far too often. Before Xbox announced their backwards compatibility program in 2015, the concept didn’t exist in the current console generation, even though it was a substantial part of last generation hardware. While PlayStation 4 does have PlayStation Now – a streaming service that gives players access to older games – Xbox is still leading the charge, especially when it comes to physical copies since PS Now requires a rather hefty internet connection to work and there can still be lag involved. Not even Nintendo, which has long embraced backwards compatibility, has enabled the function on the Nintendo Switch. The Xbox might be falling behind in certain areas, but in the arena of backwards compatibility, it’s succeeding… by a sizable margin. The backwards compatible games aren’t just throwaway titles or previous Microsoft exclusives; there’s a huge variety of games. The only way to play the entire Mass Effect trilogy on the current console generation is on Xbox One. Likewise the entire Gears of War and Halo sagas are available, not only in remastered forms but also for those who still own the original games. Xbox One’s backwards compatibility makes things incredibly easy. All it takes to play games like Fallout and Red Dead Redemption is having the Xbox 360 disc or having the game already tied to an Xbox One account. And the backwards compatibility program doesn’t stop at the Xbox 360 generation either. The Xbox One backwards compatibility program stretches all the way back to the original Xbox. Last year, 13 original Xbox games were announced to be playable with Xbox One. Then, even more games joined the list earlier this week. The number of original Xbox titles playable on Xbox One has increased to 32 titles, with more to come at a later date. Again these are games that people actually want to play like Knights of the Old Republic and Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, both Star Wars: Battlefront games, Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. What’s even greater about the Xbox One’s backwards compatibility isn’t just its existence. These old games have even been improved. Original Xbox and Xbox 360 titles run noticeably better in their native form on the Xbox One. Original Xbox games on Xbox One don’t look like they actually were but how gamers remember them. The frame rate is slightly better, the textures are more crisp, and colors are more vibrant. And that’s not all. Certain games have been enhanced for the Xbox One X. Red Dead Redemption now runs in native 4K – and it looks absolutely spectacular. While many games are noticeably old, these face lifts almost make some of them appear new…ish. Plus, it’s a great alternative for developers who aren’t looking to remaster their old properties for the current generation. On an unrelated note to backwards compatibility, but still being unique and beneficial to Xbox One, is Microsoft’s Play Anywhere program. Play Anywhere allows users to buy one digital copy of an Xbox game and play it on either PC or console, with the save being shared across both platforms. Of course, Play Anywhere doesn’t work for every game, but there’s still a substantial list, including third-party titles such as Shadow of War and Resident Evil 7. Sure the Xbox One still lacks exclusives and first-party games, and that’s something that Xbox’s Phil Spencer is looking to change, but that doesn’t mean Microsoft doesn’t deserve credit where credit is due.

A new report by KGI claims Apple could ship just 2 million HomePod units in 2018. It was reported earlier this week that the Silicon Valley-based giant had recently cut orders for its smart speaker due to weaker-than-anticipated demand. Following on from this, a new report from Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI suggests Apple could sell between 2 and 2.5 million units of the speaker in 2018. Previously, analyst estimates put HomePod sales at over 7 million units for the year, with some even suggesting 10 million units could be reached. In fact, a number of analysts' expected the product to give both Amazon’s Echo and the Google Home line of speakers a run for their money. In a turn of events, however, it appears demand for the speaker isn’t as high as originally hoped, with many pointing towards the higher price tag of $349 as being a significant factor in the weaker sales. Because of this, Apple is reportedly looking into offering a stripped back alternative that could capture customers on a budget, while better competing with Amazon and Google's offerings and also pushing consumers towards Apple Music, which is currently the only streaming service available on the speaker. Nevertheless, KGI’s report can’t confirm the low-cost model completely, suggesting Apple is yet to finalize any decisions. In any case, in addition to all of this, Apple’s offering is also limited in availability due to its exclusivity to English-speaking markets at this point in time. It’s worth noting that the American company is not expected to disclose official sales figure any time soon. After all, until the product is established in the market and is selling at impressive rates, Apple categorizes it under the “Other Products” category, which currently includes the Apple Watch and iPod sales. Until the company chooses to to separate the product, there will be no way of confirming sales estimates. If it chooses to launch a budget-alternative, however, this could be a significant hint at how regular the HomePod is selling.

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