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Ben Stiller doesnt think Tropic Thunder could be made today because edgier comedy is harder to do.The 58-year-old actor starred in and directed the 2009 satirical action comedy which also starred Jack Black, Tom Cruise, Steve Coogan and Robert Downey Jr. and has now admitted the film likely wouldnt be greenlit today because of its controversial elements.When Collider asked if he could see Tropic Thunder coming out now, he said: I doubt it. Obviously, in this environment, edgier comedy is just harder to do. Definitely not at the scale we made it at, too, in terms of the economics of the business.DreamWorksDreamWorksloading...READ MORE: 2000s Movies That Couldnt Be Made TodayI think even at the time we were fortunate to get it made, and I credit that, actually, to Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks. He read it and was like, Alright, let's make this thing. It's a very inside movie when you think about it.The Zoolanderstar pointed to Downey Jr.s character Kirk Lazauras, a white actor who undergoes pigmentation alteration surgery to temporarily darken his skin for his portrayal of the black character, as a particular aspect of Tropic Thunder that studios would never approve of now.Stiller continued: Yeah, the idea of Robert playing that character who's playing an African American character, I mean, incredibly dicey. Even at the time, of course, it was dicey too.Even so, the Night at the Museum star added the joke was included to mock Hollywood actors willingness to push their morals aside in an effort to win awards, not to make fun of African Americans.He explained: The only reason we attempted it was I felt like the joke was very clear in terms of who that joke was on actors trying to do anything to win awards. But now, in this environment, I don't even know if I would have ventured to do it, to tell you the truth. Im being honest.Recently, Stiller commented on returning as the villainous Hal L. for Happy Gilmore 2, and said he was always ready to reprise the role and work with Adam Sandler again since the original sports-comedy released in 1996.He said: You don't get the opportunity to play Hal L. that often.The actor added it was his friendship with Sander that flared his desire to come back for the follow-up flick.He said: I love Adam. He's a dear friend. And the opportunity to do that guy is just so much fun because he has no redeeming characteristics.I think he's [Hal] a good person inside. I think he's misunderstood. It bothers him that everybody loves Happy. You don't have to worry about making him likable, so it's really fun to just go for it. We had the best time.Get our free mobile app25 Big Blockbuster Movies You Forgot ExistedRemember these movies? They made a lot of money at the box office!Filed Under: Ben Stiller, Tropic ThunderCategories: Movie News

Time zones: EST (UTC -5), CST (UTC -6), MST (UTC -7), PST (UTC -8), AKST (UTC -9), HST (UTC -10)Our Benefits Advisor assist union employees, existing clienteles, and new members understand voluntary group benefits, insurance benefits and signing up qualified candidates during the annual enrollment period.Responsibilities:Explain benefits to new employees and existing clients via zoomDevelop and calculate suitable plans based on clients' needsSpecializes in mortgage protection, final expense, college education, paycheck protection etcResolve client inquiries and complaintsExpand business reach through networking techniquesComply with insurance standards and regulationsTrack and identify areas of improvementAttend ongoing training sessionQualifications:Previous experience in customer service, customer Representative, or other related HR fields is a plusAbility to build rapport with clientsStrong negotiation skillsExcellent written and verbal communication skillsAbility to prioritize and multitaskBenefits:Work from homeWeekly compensationWeekly BonusesHealth Insurance - upon qualificationEmployee Life InsuranceResidual IncomeLeadership Career Track

Why should you apply?If you want to use your creative skills to actually make an impact on the world then this is for you. And when we say we make a difference, we literally mean it. Our team fundraises to feed orphans, support refugees and so much more. We are looking for a Multimedia Designer to create content that gets people to stop scrolling and donate. We need someone strong in Video and Static content production. You need to think like a marketer and be conversion-focused.Link to apply - https://forms.gle/PV5VHGZSx94JVoRQ9 (YOU MUST APPLY ON THIS LINK)So what are we looking for?You must have proof that you have created content that has converted on paid adsYou must understand KPIs like Hook Rates, Hold Rates, CTR, CPC and CPAYou must have proof that you have identified hooks and youve tested these hooksYou can write copy for videos and postersYou are familiar with CreatioveOS, Ugly Ads, Us v Them, etcThe BasicsWe have 2 positions available: freelance and/or permanent full-timeFully Remote (we will provide a coworking space in your local area)Fluent in English (reading, writing & speaking)2 Month probationary period5000-7000 monthly salaryMust be available during UK hours but flexible working hoursAbout The RoleVideo ContentWrite scripts and create voiceovers to create completing fundraising videos that get people to donate Review and organise content from the clients Google Drive to create engaging and high-quality videos.Search through clients social media profiles to identify content that can be used or modified.Source clips from TikTok and Instagram to create fundraising content for emergency campaigns.Coordinate with videographers on the ground creating content in orphanages, school or refugee camps to ensure they capture compelling stories.Create scripts and directions for UGC Creators to filmEdit the content UGC Creators shareVideo Editing & Post-ProductionPerform post-production tasks, including adding subtitles, colour grading, transitions, music and refining visuals to enhance the overall appeal.Add necessary elements such as soundtracks, logos, motion graphics, b-roll, screen recordings, and green screens.Think strategically about content edits to increase Hook Rates and Conversions.Test different sequences and hooks to find winning creatives.Static ContentDesign Static Content that gets people to donate. Create posters, carousels, thumbnails, email graphics and landing page assets.Write compelling copy for posters, carousels and email graphicsEdit and adjust landing page designs based on winning creative insights.Develop email designs, including headers and overall layout, that align with campaign objectives.Select the images to use for the above-mentioned Static Content by searching through clients assets.Performance OptimizationAnalyze and test various hooks, sequences, and creative elements to determine what drives the best performance.Understand and utilize KPIs such as Hook Rates, Hold Rates, CTR, CPC, and CPA to guide content creation and optimization efforts.How To ApplyIf you are interested in this position, please apply via the following link.LINK - https://forms.gle/PV5VHGZSx94JVoRQ9Our team will review your application and get back to you shortly. We look forward to hearing from you! Related Jobs See more Design jobs

MIT Technology Reviews Whats Next series looks across industries, trends, and technologies to give you a first look at the future. You can read the rest of themhere. NASAs huge lunar rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), might be in trouble. As rival launchers like SpaceXs Starship gather pace, some are questioning the need for the US national space agency to have its own mega rocket at allsomething that could become a focus of the incoming Trump administration, in which SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is set to play a key role. Its absolutely in Elon Musks interest to convince the government to cancel SLS, says Laura Forczyk from the US space consulting firm Astralytical. However, its not up to him. SLS has been in development for more than a decade. The rocket is huge, 322 feet (98 meters) tall, and about 15% more powerful than the Saturn V rocket that took the Apollo astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 70s. It is also expensive, costing an estimated $4.1 billion per launch. It was designed with a clear purposereturning astronauts to the moons surface. Built to launch NASAs human-carrying Orion spacecraft, the rocket is a key part of the agencys Artemis program to go back to the Moon, started by the previous Trump administration in 2019. It has an important role to play, says Daniel Dumbacher, formerly a deputy associate administrator at NASA and part of the team that selected SLS for development in 2010. The logic for SLS still holds up. The rocket has launched once already on the Artemis I mission in 2022, a test flight that saw an uncrewed Orion spacecraft sent around the moon. Its next flight, Artemis II, earmarked for September 2025, will be the same flight but with a four-person crew, before the first lunar landing, Artemis III, currently set for September 2026. SLS could launch missions to other destinations too. At one stage NASA intended to launch its Europa Clipper spacecraft to Jupiters moon Europa using SLS, but cost and delays saw the mission launch instead on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in October this year. It has also been touted to launch parts of NASAs new lunar space station, Gateway, beginning in 2028. The station is currently in development. NASAs plan to return to the moon involves using SLS to launch astronauts to lunar orbit on Orion, where they will rendezvous with a separate lander to descend to the surface. At the moment that lander will be SpaceXs Starship vehicle, a huge reusable shuttle intended to launch and land multiple times. Musk wants this rocket to one day take humans to Mars. Starship is currently undergoing testing. Last month, it completed a stunning flight in which the lower half of the rocket, the Super Heavy booster, was caught by SpaceXs chopstick launch tower in Boca Chica, Texas. The rocket is ultimately more powerful than SLS and designed to be entirely reusable, whereas NASAs rocket is discarded into the ocean after each launch. The success of Starship and the development of other large commercial rockets, such as the Jeff Bezos-owned firm Blue Origins New Glenn rocket, has raised questions about the need for SLS. In October, billionaire Michael Bloomberg called the rocket a colossal waste of taxpayer money. In November, journalist Eric Berger said there was at least a 50-50 chance the rocket would be canceled. I think it would be the right call, says Abhishek Tripathi, a former mission director at SpaceX now at the University of California, Berkeley. Its hard to point to SLS as being necessary. The calculations are not straightforward, however. Dumbacher notes that while SpaceX is making great progress on Starship, there is much yet to do. The rocket will need to launch possibly up to 18 times to transfer fuel to a single lunar Starship in Earth orbit that can then make the journey to the moon. The first test of this fuel transfer is expected next year. SLS, conversely, can send Orion to the moon in a single launch. That means the case for SLS is only diminished if the price of 18 Starship launches is less than an SLS launch, says Dumbacher. SpaceX was awarded $2.9 billion by NASA in 2021 for the first Starship mission to the moon on Artemis III, but the exact cost per launch is unknown. MICHAEL DEMOCKER/NASA NASA is also already developing hardware for future SLS launches. All elements for the second SLS for Artemis II have been delivered, a NASA spokesperson said in response to emailed questions, adding that SLS also has hardware in production for Artemis III, IV, and V. SLS can deliver more payload to the moon, in a single launch, than any other rocket, NASA said. The rocket is needed and designed to meet the agencys lunar transportation requirements. Dumbacher points out that if the US wants to return to the moon before China sends humans there, which the nation has said it would do by 2030, canceling SLS could be a setback. Now is not the time to have a major relook at whats the best rocket, he says. Every minute we delay, we are setting ourselves up for a situation where China will be putting people on the moon first. President-elect Donald Trump has given Musk a role in his incoming administration to slash public spending as part of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency. While the exact remit of this initiative is not yet clear, projects like SLS could be up for scrutiny. Canceling SLS would require support from Congress, however, where Republicans will have only a slim majority. SLS has been bipartisan and very popular, says Forczyk, meaning it might be difficult to take any immediate action. Money given to SLS is a benefit to taxpayers and voters in key congressional districts [where development of the rocket takes place], says Forczyk. We do not know how much influence Elon Musk will have. It seems likely the rocket will at least launch Artemis II next September, but beyond that there is more uncertainty. The most logical course of action in my mind is to cancel SLS after Artemis III, says Forczyk. Such a scenario could have a broad impact on NASA that reaches beyond just SLS. Scrapping the rocket could bring up wider discussions about NASAs overall budget, currently set at $25.4 billion, the highest-funded space agency in the world. That money is used for a variety of science including astrophysics, astronomy, climate studies, and the exploration of the solar system. If you cancel SLS, youre also canceling the broad support for NASAs budget at its current level, says Tripathi. Once that budget gets slashed, its hard to imagine itll ever grow back to present levels. Be careful what you wish for.

Source: Hufton+CrowSource: Hufton+CrowSource: Hufton+CrowSource: Hufton+Crow1/4show captionHassells new Usher Building for The University of EdinburghsBioQuarter health innovation district has reached completion.Thefour-storey facility will house the Usher Institute and its partners, with the goal of developing data-driven solutions to address pressing health and social care challenges. Funded through the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, with additional support from the Wolfson Foundation, the building accommodates over 900 students, researchers, and industry professionals.The design of the Usher Building is intended to prioritise mental and physical wellbeing, with features such as open staircases to promote active movement, double-height recreational spaces integrating greenery, and access to natural light and fresh air.Hassell senior associate Will Hartzog stated: The Usher Building provides welcoming spaces where wellbeing takes centre stage both for the mind and body. It came to life through the efforts of a team that didnt just design a space but crafted an experience.Source: Hufton+CrowSource: Hufton+Crow1/2show captionThe internal layout provides flexible workspaces, communal areas, and wellbeing spaces that aim to support post-pandemic working practices.The ground floor of the building is designed to foster connections with the local community. Features include a 170-capacity event hall for conferences and community engagement, as well as public spaces to showcase STEM initiatives and the work of the Usher Institute.The building connects directly to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, reinforcing its role as a hub for health innovation.The project incorporated local labour and materials, with 40% of labour sourced within 20 miles of the site. Community support included donations to 41 organisations through the YouMatter Communities Fund and the creation of 78 apprenticeships.The Usher Building is part of the University of Edinburghs broader efforts to enhance interdisciplinary research and industry collaboration within the health sector.

Acmes new plans for the redevelopment of Liverpool Street station, showing a 21-storey office block built above the train shed roofThe campaign group which led opposition to Herzog & de Meurons now-scrapped plans for the redevelopment of Liverpool Street Station has said it cannot accept Network Rails new vision for the site.The Liverpool Street Station Campaign (LSSCA), which is led by Victorian Society president Griff Rhys Jones, said it was perverse that the 1bn project was still proposing the demolition of a large section of the stations concourse roof to make way for a 21-storey office tower.Network Rail announced it was scrapping Herzog & de Meuron and Sellars proposals for the station, the UKs busiest, earlier this month following strident opposition from heritage campaigners, neighbouring councils and members of the public.The transport operator unveiled a drastically different vision for the grade II-listed site by new lead architect Acme, replacing the former schemes contemporary design with a more Victorian-inspired scheme aiming to preserve the character of the existing station and its adjacent grade II*-listed former Great Eastern Hotel.Acmes scheme aims to preserve the character of the Victorian stationThe LSSCA has now said the new scheme does not justify the concerns of the more than 2,200 people who posted objections to the original planning application and called for Network Rail to rethink the plans.> Also read:We hope to be a good neighbour: how the new Liverpool Street station team is rethinking Londons most controversial projectRhys Jones said: It is surely time for Network Rail to stop looking at this handsome station as a development site and to recognise it as the important and historic artefact that it is; one that works and can continue to work.Network Rail has a duty for improvements to be less intrusive, and to serve the passenger, not profit. Above all, they should not be seeking huge additions and causing damage to listed buildings as a means to achieve new services.The LSSCA pointed to other major Victorian station redevelopments including John McAslan & Partners extension to Kings Cross station for an example of how a listed heritage asset could be adapted for the 21st century while revealing their original Railway Age splendour.Acmes plans would not involve any demolition of the stations Victorian-era concourse, instead removing large sections of an unlisted 1980s extension which was built in the same style, and would involve no works to the former Great Eastern Hotel.Herzog & de Meurons scrapped plans for a more contemporary intervention at the stationHowever, the campaign group said the extension had been carried out with great care and sympathy and has a value of its own, while rendering the neighbouring hotel as a highly significant heritage asset.The group also criticised the impact of the proposed overstation tower on daylight in the concourse, which it said would become an oppressive space hemmed in under a new solid roof replacing the current transparent glass roof.This will be more like Cannon Street Station than the bright space the visualisations depict, the group said, adding that the combination of demolition and new development would have a profound and harmful impact on the station, the hotel and the Bishopsgate Conservation Area.The LSSCA is chaired by the Victorian Society with its committee including SAVE Britains Heritage, The Twentieth Century Society, Historic Buildings & Places, The Council for British Archaeology, the Georgian Group, the Spitalfields Trust, Civic Voice, London Historians, the Betjeman Society, London & Middlesex Archaeological Society and original campaigners from the 1970s who prevented all the station buildings being demolished.Network Rail and Acme have been approached for comment.Network Rails responseThe need for change at London Liverpool Street stationLiverpool Street remains Britains busiest station. Figures released last week show that passenger numbers have risen sharply to 94 million in the last 12 months and thats just National Rail services. This is set to rise to 140 million per year over the coming decades. We must plan for this.The current station needs significant improvement. Its not easily accessible, there is no step-free access, and the concourse is not large enough to cope with the rising passenger numbers.Were disappointed that following our meetings with the Victorian Society, they dont currently appear to recognise the substantial beneficial changes that we have made to the design. We would encourage them to continue their dialogue with us.We listened to concerns from the previous application; weve reduced the height of the structure, and our plans no longer interfere with the Grade II* listed former Great Eastern Hotel.The new scheme preserves every part of the listed Victorian station and is reinstating important lost views across the trainshed from the concourse. The new concourse roof will be in harmony with the Victorian architecture.This redevelopment is about ensuring that our well-loved station remains fit for future generations and reliably accessible for all. And the new office building is the way of funding these station improvements.Our stations are not artefacts. We want to invest in them, for them to be used and enjoyed by all. Theyre working buildings, responsible for transporting over 700m people each year for work, to visit family and friends, and to travel.The original application also included a large overstation office tower

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Dragon Age creator discusses taking on Inquisition's Cassandra after original writer left amidst abusePlus, game's most and least romanced characters revealed.Image credit: BioWare News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on Nov. 28, 2024 Dragon Age creator David Gaider has discussed taking on the writing of fan-favourite recurring character Cassandra in Dragon Age Inquisition, following the departure of a BioWare colleague. In Gaider's latest and seemingly last social media thread discussing the series' characters he worked on, the former franchise boss said that Cassandra's romance had been difficult to pin down.Cassandra was originally being written in Inquisition by Jennifer Hepler, a veteran of the series who previously worked on Origins, Awakening and Dragon Age 2. But Hepler left BioWare during Inquisition's development "around the time a bunch of GamerGate dudes decided Jennifer was somehow responsible for ALL of BioWare's faults," Gaider wrote. "The result was a LOT of ugly harassment." "Is this why she left? You'd have to ask her, but it undoubtedly didn't help," he continued. "The important thing is, she left - and there was nobody as senior nor as superhumanly fast as her to take over any unfinished work."Gaider ended up taking on Cassandra himself, but says he struggled with how a "pious, self-righteous character" would have romantic appeal. The solution came after he found a webcomic created by a fan which joked about Cassandra secretly being something of a fangirl for Varric's books.CHARACTERS - Day Nine: CassandraThis is the last of the (major) characters I wrote during my time on Dragon Age. I could go into others, and considered moving onto Stray Gods... but I feel like fewer would be interested, and I honestly can't keep up the pace. So let's make this the last, for now.[image or embed] David Gaider (@davidgaider.bsky.social) November 28, 2024 at 8:59 AMTo see this content please enable targeting cookies.This prompted Gaider to reconsider Cassandra's "idealistic and awkward passion", and the fact she had put the player character - the Inquistor - on a "messianic pedestal" for being the Herald of Andraste and leader of the Inquisition. In the final game, settling down with Cassandra essentially requires the Inquisitor to convince her they can still be a normal romantic partner in addition to all that.Cassandra ended up being Inquisition's most-chosen romance option, Gaider confirmed, "by a good margin". The least, again "by a good margin" was Dorian. Gaider has previously discussed writing Dorian's story and the personal inspiration he drew from to do that, as well as early plans to let you bring your Grey Warden character from Dragon Age Origins into Inquisition.As for recent release Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Metacritic recently responded after the backlash to that game saw its users scores review bombed.

Open world pocket monster survival game Palworld will gain a major new update in December, that adds its largest new landmass yet. Read more