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https://nerdist.com/article/nicolas-cages-face-giant-blanket-weird/

We all could use a little more Nicolas Cage in our lives. If this year’s The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent wasn’t enough Nic for you, and your old DVDs of Raising Arizona and Wild at Heart just don’t fill that Cage-sized hole in your heart, then we’ve got the solution. Thanks to Boing Boing, we’ve learned that you can now buy a blanket that features the face of Nicolas Cage. But as if stretched over thousands of square inches of material. This is either the greatest blanket ever made, or the most disturbing. Well, maybe it’s a little bit of both. You can see images of this incredible creation right here:

The stretched-out Nic Cage face sure gives us Brazil vibes. (We mean the Terry Gilliam movie, not the country). And also that one bad guy with the stretchy face from Star Trek: Insurrection. If this particular blanket creeps you out though, would you believe there are other Nic Cage blankets out there? Yes, you can buy one that has the Ghost Rider and Face Off star with his shirt unbuttoned, serving us some “sexy Cage.” And there’s even another one with multiple Nic Cage faces. Some look like Nic Cage as the Hulk, or an Egyptian Pharoah. And there’s even one with Nic Cage as a cheeseburger. Because sure, why not?

The Nic Cage face blanket features a premium microfiber selection. This soft blanket uses 100% Anti-pilling fleece, so all layers can last for long use and provides fade resistance much better. The manufacturer describes it as “super soft, skin-friendly, and fuzzy.” Basically, words that spring to mind when we think of Nic Cage. It’s also suitable for all seasons. It comes in three sizes as well, including 40×50 Inch, 50×60 Inch, and 60×80 Inch. You can buy yours now from Amazon for a mere $27.99.

The post Nicolas Cage’s Face Stretched Out Makes for One Disturbing Blanket appeared first on Nerdist.

https://blackgirlnerds.com/starting-the-path-to-partnership-on-twitch/

For many streamers Twitch is a fun hobby.  It’s a way to express yourself within the confines of your home whether it is through gaming, podcasting or being super creative with a fun activity like teaching your community how to sew up your latest cosplay wardrobe. However, for some streamers, Twitch is a business, and the path to becoming a partner is a primary goal and focus for many affiliates. When you first start off as a streamer for Twitch, you can apply to become an affiliate. This is where the community building starts and you start to grow your channel.  However, when becoming a partner, that is where monetization begins and depending on how far you want to go as a streamer, you can use Twitch as a side hustle to supplement income part time or you can make live streaming become something you do for a living.

In a room filled with affiliates and one partner, the Path To Partner panel was led by Anish, the Director of Community Partnerships and Community Marketing Manager RayApollo. The two ​​Twitch strategists gave a fundamental overview of what it takes to become a partner on Twitch. Both moderators have assisted with providing educational programs, workshops, webinars, and writing processions to the Twitch community. Twitch is also working to create a safe space for users as more streamers join the platform. One thing the moderators make clear at the beginning of the panel is that the path the partnership or affiliate status is not guaranteed. Applications are reviewed manually by the partnerships team and it may take up to 7 days to review based on the volume of applications received.  The key is reading why you were denied and taking that feedback and using that to improve your channel.  RayApollo encourages affiliates that the process here is a marathon, not a sprint, so take your time when building and creating your channel.

Most of the information below was taken from slides presented from the panel, so this language may overlap language that is currently a part of Twitch’s educational workshops.

So What Are The Requirements To Become A Partner?

In order to become a partner of Twitch, all applicants must meet all three requirements within the same 30 day period, excluding Premieres, Reruns and Subscriber Streams

• Stream for 25 hours
• Stream on 12 different days
• Average of 75 CCVs (concurrent viewership)

While the idea of maintaining these stats for new streamers may be daunting, the idea is to pace yourself and not to solely focus on the numbers, but to redirect that focus to your community. Ultimately, you want to make sure that you’re building your community and being authentic and passionate about the content you are creating, the numbers and audience will organically rise as long as you are enjoying what you are doing! 

Selecting Your Categories

Choose categories you think best suits your interest and skills, and stream in them consistently. And while consistency is important, you don’t have to be pegged to stream in one category.  In fact, Twitch discourages this! The Twitch team wants you to stream in more than one category to help expand your reach and to give you more options as a streamer to create more creative content for your community.  And don’t stream in big categories for the sake of growth. You can be successful in any category on Twitch.

Setting A Stream Schedule

Fill out your stream schedule in your Creator Dashboard to make it easier for viewers to find and watch your content. A regular schedule lets viewers fit your stream into your routines, and helps discovery by reaching the same group of viewers when you go live. 

Adding Tags 

This may be a familiar process to users who create content on YouTube or have used WordPress as a CMS platform for blogging. Tags are instrumental in helping users find your content.  It’s a form of SEO (search engine optimization) and tells users about your specific stream. Tags make browsing viewers more likely to click on your stream, by giving them more information about your content. 

Promote Your Channel

In a short hook, send live notifications about what you’re streaming. You can verbalize your CTAs (call to actions) by telling your viewers where they can follow your channel and to turn on their notifications. And don’t forget to let them know when the next time they can tune in and keep them posted on your streaming schedule. 

The Twitch staff does offer some words of wisdom for the path to partnership.

The best time to apply is when you are feeling really invested in streaming and confident in the community you’ve built. Use your application to pitch yourself and your community and link your social media if you have them. And most importantly, if you were denied partnership, read the email why you were denied and apply those changes to your channel. 

https://nerdist.com/article/dune-part-two-everything-we-know/

After a very long wait, Dune hit theaters in the fall of 2021 to both rave reviews and big box office. This despite bowing on HBO Max at the same time as its theatrical debut. But Dune was really just Dune: Part One. The first film only covered the first half of Frank Herbert’s epic 1965 novel. Luckily, the rest of the story is on the way. Dune: Part Two was officially announced on October 26, 2021. Here’s everything we know so far about Dune: Part Two, the follow-up to the Academy Award-winning sci-fi film.

Title

The official name of the movie is Dune: Part Two.

Dune: Part Two‘s Plot

The official plot synopsis from Warner Bros. and Legendary for Dune: Part Two reads as follows:

This follow-up film will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

If you’re a big fan of Frank Herbert’s Dune, this all sounds like a pretty faithful adaptation of the second half of his novel. And unlike David Lynch’s 1984 version of Dune, this packed second half will now have time to breathe. And who knows? Maybe we’ll see elements of the later Dune novels pop up a wee bit early.

Dune: Part Two Cast

Almost the entire original cast from Dune is back for Dune: Part Two. At least if their character survived, that is. This includes Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, the “Kwisatz Haderach,” and Zendaya as his Fremen paramour Chani. Javier Bardem also returns as Chani’s father, Fremen leader Stilgar. Paul’s very pregnant mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) also returns for Dune: Part Two. Josh Brolin is back as Paul’s mentor Gurney Halleck, as is Stephen McKinley Henderson as Thufir Hawat, the loyal Mentat to House Atreides.

Stellan Skarsgård reprises his role as the sadistic Baron Harkonnen, as does Dave Bautista as the Baron’s loyal lackey and nephew Glossu Rabban. Charlotte Rampling’s character, the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother, is also slated to return. New cast members include Florence Pugh (Princess Irulan) Austin Butler (Feyd Rautha), and Christopher Walken (Emperor Shadddam IV). They are joined by Léa Seydoux (Lady Margot) and Souheila Yacoub as the Fremen warrior Shishakli.

Of course, certain major characters died in the first film, and are not scheduled to appear in Dune: Part Two. These include Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, and Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides. But there could be surprise flashbacks. So don’t count them all out just yet. We may yet see them on the sands of Arrakis.

Behind the Scenes

Just as he was for Dune, director Denis Villeneuve is back behind the camera for Dune: Part Two. This will officially make it his first sequel ever. At least to a film of his own. Jon Spaihts is still writing the script for the second chapter of the story. Filming begins in the fall of 2022. Hans Zimmer will also return to score the sequel.

Dune: Part Two Release Date

Dune: Part Two hits theaters on November 3, 2023.

Originally published August 1, 2022.

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

The post Everything We Know About DUNE: PART TWO appeared first on Nerdist.

https://nerdist.com/article/angela-lansbury-died-age-96-murder-she-wrote-beauty-and-the-beast-sweeney-todd/

One of the great acting legends of stage, film, and television has left us. Angela Lansbury has passed away, just five days shy of her 97th birthday. According to her family, Lansbury died peacefully in her sleep on October 11. She is survived by her three children, Anthony, Deirdre, and David, three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, and her brother, producer Edgar Lansbury. Although many know her mainly from her years as Jessica Fletcher on the hit TV series Murder, She Wrote, her career was varied and long, covering nearly eight decades.

Angela Lansbury was born in the U.K. in 1925, but her family moved to the United States in 1940 to escape the Blitz. Her mother was an actress, and she decided to follow in her footsteps. Despite being married twice, she always kept her birth surname due to her acting career. By age 20 she was starring in Hollywood movies like The Picture of Dorian Gray, which earned her an Oscar nomination. She had a contract with MGM, the biggest studio in Hollywood’s Golden Age. Although not a major star during this period, she worked steadily for years, earning another Oscar nomination for The Manchurian Candidate in 1962.

Superstardom finally came for Lansbury when she played the lead role of Mame on Broadway. This began a long and fruitful career on stage. Notable stage roles for her during the ’60s and ’70s included The King and I, Gypsy, and originating the role of Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd. She won a total of six Tony awards for her stage work, and also hosted the Tony Awards five times. In 1971, she starred in Bedknobs and Broomsticks for Disney, leading to a long association with the company. This included lending her voice to many fireworks shows and special presentations at the various theme parks.

Of course, to most American audiences, Lansbury will always be most famous for her role as the mystery novelist and detective Jessica Fletcher in the long-running series Murder, She Wrote. From 1984 to 1996, the show was on one of television’s biggest hits. And it earned her a whopping 18 Emmy nominations. Right in the middle of the Jessica Fletcher years, Lansbury voiced Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast, another major Disney film that would introduce her to a whole new audience — children. That Disney relationship would continue with roles in Fantasia 2000, Nanny McPhee, and Mary Poppins Returns in 2018.

Lansbury returned to the stage in the 21st century, although nearly eighty years of age at that point. She starred in Driving Miss Daisy on stage with James Earl Jones in 2013. Her last major stage appearance was three years ago, when she acted in The Importance of Being Earnest in 2019. Thanks to the role of Mame, Lansbury became a gay icon, and she cherished her LGBTQ fans, and spent decades contributing to many AIDS charities. Angela Lansbury was the definition of a “life well lived,” and her iconic roles have ensured she will always be remembered.

The post Angela Lansbury, Icon of Stage, Film, and TV, Has Died, Age 96 appeared first on Nerdist.