Even Congress cant stop talking about the drones.But theyre not passing anything yet, after Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) blocked Chuck Schumers (D-NY) attempt at drone investigation legislation:The Biden administration keeps saying, well, its all normal stuff, he said. Why dont we actually get to the truth of the matter of what actually exists and what the threat is before we propose legislation?

Speech synthesis technology has made notable strides, yet challenges remain in delivering real-time, natural-sounding audio. Common obstacles include latency, pronunciation accuracy, and speaker consistencyissues that become critical in streaming applications where responsiveness is paramount. Additionally, handling complex linguistic inputs, such as tongue twisters or polyphonic words, often exceeds the capabilities of existing models. To address these issues, researchers at Alibaba have unveiled CosyVoice 2, an enhanced streaming TTS model designed to resolve these challenges effectively.Introducing CosyVoice 2CosyVoice 2 builds upon the foundation of the original CosyVoice, bringing significant upgrades to speech synthesis technology. This enhanced model focuses on refining both streaming and offline applications, incorporating features that improve flexibility and precision across diverse use cases, including text-to-speech and interactive voice systems.Key advancements in CosyVoice 2 include:Unified Streaming and Non-Streaming Modes: Seamlessly adaptable to various applications without compromising performance.Enhanced Pronunciation Accuracy: A reduction of pronunciation errors by 30%-50%, improving clarity in complex linguistic scenarios.Improved Speaker Consistency: Ensures stable voice output across zero-shot and cross-lingual synthesis tasks.Advanced Instruction Capabilities: Offers precise control over tone, style, and accent through natural language instructions.Innovations and BenefitsCosyVoice 2 integrates several technological advancements to enhance its performance and usability:Finite Scalar Quantization (FSQ): Replacing traditional vector quantization, FSQ optimizes the use of the speech token codebook, improving semantic representation and synthesis quality.Simplified Text-Speech Architecture: Leveraging pre-trained large language models (LLMs) as its backbone, CosyVoice 2 eliminates the need for additional text encoders, streamlining the model while boosting cross-lingual performance.Chunk-Aware Causal Flow Matching: This innovation aligns semantic and acoustic features with minimal latency, making the model suitable for real-time speech generation.Expanded Instructional Dataset: With over 1,500 hours of training data, the model enables granular control over accents, emotions, and speech styles, allowing for versatile and expressive voice generation.Performance InsightsExtensive evaluations of CosyVoice 2 underscore its strengths:Low Latency and Efficiency: Response times as low as 150ms make it well-suited for real-time applications like voice chat.Improved Pronunciation: The model achieves significant enhancements in handling rare and complex linguistic constructs.Consistent Speaker Fidelity: High speaker similarity scores demonstrate the ability to maintain naturalness and consistency.Multilingual Capability: Strong results on Japanese and Korean benchmarks highlight its robustness, though challenges remain with overlapping character sets.Resilience in Challenging Scenarios: CosyVoice 2 excels in difficult cases such as tongue twisters, outperforming previous models in accuracy and clarity.ConclusionCosyVoice 2 thoughtfully advances from its predecessor, addressing key limitations in latency, accuracy, and speaker consistency with scalable solutions. The integration of advanced features like FSQ and chunk-aware flow matching offers a balanced approach to performance and usability. While opportunities remain to expand language support and refine complex scenarios, CosyVoice 2 lays a strong foundation for the future of speech synthesis. Bridging offline and streaming modes ensures high-quality, real-time audio generation for diverse applications.Check out the Paper, Hugging Face Page, Pre-Trained Model, and Demo. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also,dont forget to follow us onTwitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. Dont Forget to join our60k+ ML SubReddit. Asif RazzaqAsif Razzaq is the CEO of Marktechpost Media Inc.. As a visionary entrepreneur and engineer, Asif is committed to harnessing the potential of Artificial Intelligence for social good. His most recent endeavor is the launch of an Artificial Intelligence Media Platform, Marktechpost, which stands out for its in-depth coverage of machine learning and deep learning news that is both technically sound and easily understandable by a wide audience. The platform boasts of over 2 million monthly views, illustrating its popularity among audiences. [Download] Evaluation of Large Language Model Vulnerabilities Report (Promoted)

Name: Towards AILegal Name: Towards AI, Inc.Description: Towards AI is the world's leading artificial intelligence (AI) and technology publication. Read by thought-leaders and decision-makers around the world.Phone Number: +1-650-246-9381Email: [emailprotected]228 Park Avenue SouthNew York, NY10003United States Website: https://towardsai.net/Publisher: https://towardsai.net/#publisherDiversity Policy: https://towardsai.net/aboutEthics Policy: https://towardsai.net/aboutMasthead: https://towardsai.net/about Name: Towards AI Legal Name: Towards AI, Inc. Description: Towards AI is the world's leading artificial intelligence (AI) and technology publication. Founders: Roberto Iriondo, Website, Job Title: Co-founder and Advisor Works for: Towards AI, Inc. Follow Roberto: X, LinkedIn, GitHub, Google Scholar, Towards AI Profile, Medium, ML@CMU, FreeCodeCamp, Crunchbase, Bloomberg, Roberto Iriondo, Generative AI Lab, Generative AI LabDenis Piffaretti, Job Title: Co-founder Works for: Towards AI, Inc.Louie Peters, Job Title: Co-founder Works for: Towards AI, Inc.Louis-Franois Bouchard, Job Title: Co-founder Works for: Towards AI, Inc.Logo:Areas Served: WorldwideAlternate Name: Towards AI, Inc.Alternate Name: Towards AI Co.Alternate Name: towards aiAlternate Name: towardsaiAlternate Name: towards.aiAlternate Name: taiAlternate Name: toward aiAlternate Name: toward.aiAlternate Name: Towards AI, Inc.Alternate Name: towardsai.netAlternate Name: pub.towardsai.net5 stars based on 497 reviews Frequently Used, Contextual ReferencesTODO: Remember to copy unique IDs whenever it needs used. i.e., URL: 304b2e42315eResourcesTake our 85+ lesson From Beginner to Advanced LLM Developer Certification: From choosing a project to deploying a working product this is the most comprehensive and practical LLM course out there!PublicationHomeData Analysis10 No-Nonsense Machine Learning Tips for Beginners (Using Real-World Datasets)10 No-Nonsense Machine Learning Tips for Beginners (Using Real-World Datasets) 0 like December 18, 2024Share this postLast Updated on December 18, 2024 by Editorial TeamAuthor(s): Mukundan Sankar Originally published on Towards AI. Stop Overthinking and Start Building Models with Real-World DatasetsThis member-only story is on us. Upgrade to access all of Medium.Photo by Mahdis Mousavi on UnsplashDo you want to get into machine learning? Good. Youre in for a ride. I have been in the Data field for over 8 years, and Machine Learning is what got me interested then, so I am writing about this! More about me here.But heres the truth: Most beginners get lost in the noise. They chase the hype Neural Networks, Transformers, Deep Learning, and, who can forget AI and fall flat. The secret? Start simple, experiment, and get your hands dirty. Youll learn faster than any tutorial can teach you.These 10 tips cut the fluff. They focus on doing, not just theorizing. And to make it practical, Ill show you how to use real-world datasets from the UCI Machine Learning Repository to build and train your first models.Lets get started.Forget deep learning for now. Its crucial to start with small, simple models. You're not ready for neural networks if you cant explain Linear Regression or Decision Trees. These simple models work wonders for small datasets and lay a solid foundation for understanding the basics.Were using the Boston Housing Dataset. The goal? Read the full blog for free on Medium.Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming asponsor. Published via Towards AITowards AI - Medium Share this postPost navigationBeyond A/B Testing: How Contextual Bandits Revolutionize Experimentation in Machine Learning Related posts

Author(s): Mukundan Sankar Originally published on Towards AI. Stop Overthinking and Start Building Models with Real-World DatasetsThis member-only story is on us. Upgrade to access all of Medium.Photo by Mahdis Mousavi on UnsplashDo you want to get into machine learning? Good. Youre in for a ride. I have been in the Data field for over 8 years, and Machine Learning is what got me interested then, so I am writing about this! More about me here.But heres the truth: Most beginners get lost in the noise. They chase the hype Neural Networks, Transformers, Deep Learning, and, who can forget AI and fall flat. The secret? Start simple, experiment, and get your hands dirty. Youll learn faster than any tutorial can teach you.These 10 tips cut the fluff. They focus on doing, not just theorizing. And to make it practical, Ill show you how to use real-world datasets from the UCI Machine Learning Repository to build and train your first models.Lets get started.Forget deep learning for now. Its crucial to start with small, simple models. You're not ready for neural networks if you cant explain Linear Regression or Decision Trees. These simple models work wonders for small datasets and lay a solid foundation for understanding the basics.Were using the Boston Housing Dataset. The goal? Read the full blog for free on Medium.Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming asponsor. Published via Towards AI

The Batman director confirmed that the long-awaited sequel will begin shooting next year in 2025.In a conversation for Variety between director Matt Reeves and actress Zoe Kravitz, who worked together on The Batman where Kravitz played Catwoman, the two briefly discussed the status on the sequel. "We're finishing the script. We're going to be shooting next year," confirmed Reeves.This is good news for anyone waiting for any updates on The Batman sequel. The first movie, which starred Robert Pattinson as Batman, was a gritty new take on the superhero and tonally split the difference between the grounded realism of the Christopher Nolan movies, while playing up some of the more gothic elements seen in the Tim Burton films. It was also released in 2022, meaning it's been quite the long wait for a sequel.PlayWe did get some Batman related goodness this year thanks to the Max spinoff series The Penguin starring Collin Ferrell. Focusing on the rise of the mobster who will become known as The Penguin, the miniseries was well-received, and it sounds like based on the conversation between Reeves and Kravitz there may be a possibility for more seasons in the future."We're talking to [showrunner] Laurnce [LeFranc] about doing another season," exclaimed Reeves when asked about the reception to The Penguin's first season. "That was a special experience. I just feel really fortunate. These characters don't belong to me; they belong to the world. It comes down to whether you can approach them in a way that expresses something personal."The Penguin was an honorable mention in IGN's Best TV Show of 2024 award while IGN awarded The Batman a perfect score of 10 when it first premiered. You can read our Batman review here.Matt Kim is IGN's Senior Features Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Secretlab just launched its official Christmas Sale, which starts now and runs until December 26. Save up to $169 off Secretlab's popular Titan line of gaming chairs, Magnus gaming desks (including its Magnus Pro electric standing desk model), and accessories like the Secretlab Skins upholstery covers, desk mats, cable management, and more. Sadly, the newer releases like the Titan Evo Nanogen Edition chair and the recliner add-on are exempt from this sale. It's no secret that we love our Secretlab gaming chairs. Two of the six chairs in our best gaming chair roundup are Secretlab models. Of all the gaming chairs we covered in our "Budget to Best" roundup video earlier this year, my colleague Akeem Lawanson considered the Secretlab Titan Evo to be the most comfortable. No good chair comes cheap and Secretlab chairs definitely cost a premium, but we think the craftsmanship, materials, and customizability are worth it.TL;DR - The 7 Best Secretlab Deals Secretlab Titan EvoSecretlab Titan 2020Secretlab Titan Evo LitePreorder (Out November 24)Secretlab Titan Evo Nanogen Edition$799.99 at SecretlabNot Yet Available (Out 2025)Secretlab Titan Recliner Add-On$199.00 at SecretlabFixed Gaming DeskSecretlab MagnusElectric Standing DeskSecretlab Magnus ProYou can quickly browse through all of the listed products on sale above. For more information on each product and why they are worth your consideration, read through below.Secretlab Titan EvoSecretlab Titan EvoThe Titan Evo starts at $519 during the sale. This is Secretlab's flagship chair and it's available in small, medium, and large sizes. Upholstery options include Neo Hybrid leatherette, SoftWeave Plus fabric, or premium Napa leather. The chair features cold-cure foam upholstery for the seat, a supportive four-way lumbar system, full length backrest with 165 degrees of recline, full metal 4D armrests with magnetically attached PU cushions, and a memory foam headrest pillow.Aside from the build quality, the Titan Evo also stands out thanks to the sheer number of officially licensed designs from popular video games, TV shows, and more. Some of the more popular examples include The Witcher, Overwatch, Attack on Titan, League of Legends, World of Warcraft, and Game of Thrones. They generally cost more than the standard colors, but they're worth it if you're looking for that extra personal touch.In our Secretlab Titan Evo review, Chris Coke wrote that "after two years of daily use, the Secretlab Titan Evo has proven that it can stand the test of time and still be one of the best gaming chairs you can buy. Meaningful ergonomics paired with Secretlabs wide selection of designs, it remains a fantastic option, especially for fans of bright colors or designs."Secretlab Titan 2020Secretlab Titan 2020The prior model Titan 2020 gaming chair is available for $474, which is $45 less than the base model Titan Evo. The Titan 2020 is still an excellent chair and not much different than the current Evo model. In fact, outside of an upholstery change (the PU leather has been updated with Neo Hybrid Leatherette), the changes are mostly cosmetic. You are limited to fewer design options, so if you want to build out something that's truly unique, you might want to splurge a bit extra for the current generation Titan Evo model.Secretlab Titan Evo LiteSecretlab Titan Evo LiteAmong the Titan chairs, the Evo Lite is definitely the best value with its starting price tag of $419, or a full $100 less than the base model Titan Evo. It's built upon the same frame as the Titan Evo and has the same core features like the cold-cure foam cushioning, lumbar, 165 degrees of recline, and 4D armrests. What it compromises on is customization, with "only" two upholstery options, two sizes, and five colors, a non-adjustable lumbar system, simpler arm rests, and no included head rest. If none of these tradeoffs bother you, then you'll be saving quite a bit of money.Secretlab Titan Evo Nanogen EditionPreorder (Out November 24)Secretlab Titan Evo Nanogen Edition$799.99 at SecretlabAlthough the Titan Evo Nanogen Edition isn't on sale, it deserves mention simply because this is our top pick for the best gaming chair. In our Titan Evo Nanogen Edition review, Chris Coke wrote that "the Secretlab Titan Evo Nanogen Edition deserves every bit of the overwhelming praise Ive given. Granted, at $799 its significantly more expensive than the original and not far off from an entry-level Herman-Miller. But the return it offers in comfortable, supportive gaming is well worth the extra cost thanks to dramatically improved materials in both the fabric and multi-layered padding. The Titan Evo Nanogen Edition is class-leading, and is hands-down the most comfortable gaming chair Ive ever used."Secretlab Titan Recliner Add-OnNot Yet Available (Out 2025)Secretlab Titan Recliner Add-On$199.00 at SecretlabSecretlab also announced a new recliner add-on to anyone who already owns the Titan Evo chair. It's so new that not only will this recliner ship out sometime next year, it's not even available for preorder yet. We have received a unit for testing, however, and it has turned out to be a very practical addition. In our recliner add-on review, Chris Coke wrote that "while both comfort and value are subjective things, the recliner is able to take the Titan Evo and transform it from one of the best racing style gaming chairs to standing head and shoulders above the competition at its price point. Its novel enough that I wouldnt be surprised to see other brands following suit in the near future. If you dont mind paying for it, its an absolutely killer upgrade for your gaming chair."Secretlab Magnus and Magnus ProFixed Gaming DeskSecretlab MagnusElectric Standing DeskSecretlab Magnus ProThe Magnus and Magnus Pro are also on sale during Cyber Monday. The Magnus is a traditional fixed-frame gaming desk while the Magnus Pro ups the ante with a custom designed electric standing desk frame for an additional $250. Both desks feature an all-metal desktop surface, solid steel legs and cleverly thought out areas for cable management, but the Magnus Pro has some really unique features including a power cable that runs internally inside one of the telescoping legs and an in-line control panel that you won't bump into.In our Secretlab Magnus Pro review. Mark Knapp writes that "the Secretlab Magnus Pro is a fantastic desk, bringing the brilliant cable management solutions of the original Magnus to a fast, quiet, and wide-ranging motorized standing desk. The desk is built well and proves an excellent platform for work and play alike. Its an expensive desk though, and for the money, it would have been nice to see a smarter safety mechanism for the motors and the desk mat included. Still, the overall quality you get is a big step up from cheaper standing desks, and the optional accessories truly enhance the experience. Anyone whos not committed to a standing desk should save their money and go for the standard Magnus if everything else about this model sounds good, but for gamers who love a tidy desk and want the flexibility of a standing desk, the Magnus Pro should be the first they consider."PlayWhy Should You Trust IGN's Deals Team?IGN's deals team has a combined 30+ years of experience finding the best discounts in gaming, tech, and just about every other category. We don't try to trick our readers into buying things they don't need at prices that aren't worth buying something at. Our ultimate goal is to surface the best possible deals from brands we trust and our editorial team has personal experience with. You can check out our deals standards here for more information on our process, or keep up with the latest deals we find on IGN's Deals account on Twitter.Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

From iconic names like Indiana Jones and Final Fantasy to indie sensations like Balatro and Animal Well, 2024 has provided gamers with a variety of incredible experiences. IGN is in the process of picking our game of the year, but now you have the chance to have your voice heard too in the IGN Peoples Choice Tournament.With our partners at Truth, weve selected 64 of the best titles of the year to be placed in a bracket and randomly sorted into groups. Theyll go head-to-head, with the winner moving on to the next round and the loser being eliminated. As the rounds progress, the competition will get tougher, until theres only one title left standing as the fan-voted Game of the Year. If youre familiar with how March Madness brackets work, its the same concept.Tournament Schedule and How to VoteVoting will take place on IGNs Instagram starting today, December 18. Well post the matchups to our Instagram stories around 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT / 12 p.m. PT, and youll have 24 hours to vote. The 32 winners will move on to the next round, where the process will repeat. Here are the dates when each round will be posted (around the same times listed above), so make sure to check back on our Instagram stories to continue voting for your favorite games:Round 1: December 18Round 2: December 20Round 3: December 23Quarterfinals: December 27Semifinals: December 30Finals: December 31Which Games Are Grouped Together?As we mentioned earlier, the bracket placements of the 64 games we selected were randomized. They were split up into four groups, like the regions of March Madness. Group 1 is led by some heavy hitters: Helldivers 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. But theyll have to go up against breakout indie Animal Well. Plus, three popular sports games: Madden NFL 25, College Football 25, and MLB The Show 24. And you cant look past the beautiful visuals of Unicorn Overlord and Infinity Nikki.Group 2 is led by the excellent Silent Hill 2 remake, but itll face stiff competition from a trio of RPGs Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. Theres also heralded remasters and remakes from Nintendo with Luigis Mansion 2 HD and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. And we cant leave out the technical marvel Senuaa Sage: Hellblade II, or another standout indie in Lorelai and the Laser Eyes.Group 3 ended up stacked with three games that have been cleaning up during awards season: Astro Bot, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Black Myth: Wukong. Theyre joined by an eclectic group of competitors. Theres entries from massive franchises in Star Wars Outlaws and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (which will face off against each other in Round 1). Theres games from other long-running series in Tekken 8 and Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble. Theres the latest version of sports franchises in EA Sports FC 25 and NBA 2K25. But also some notable new IPs with Stellar Blade and Slitterhead.Rounding things out, Group 4 is also full of some big names. First, theres indie darling Balatro, which has also done very well for itself this awards season. But itll have to get through two huge RPG sequels in Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth and Dragons Dogma 2, as well as a popular RPG remake in Persona 3 Reload. And theyll be up against several family-friendly opponents in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, LEGO Horizon Adventures, Super Mario Party Jamboree, and The Plucky Squire. Not to mention the often overlooked Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and surprise hit Enshrouded.As you can see, this year is going to be a hotly contested race. So make sure you head over to Instagram to vote for each matchup and help determine which games will move on and which will be sent packing. Itll all build to a big reveal of the fan voted Game of the Year. Happy voting!

This article is presented by Bicycle Cards.The king of all holidays is arguably Christmas. Its a giving time. Its a time for being with family. Its a time for favorite old movies. But most of all, its a time about time. We spend more time with our families during this holiday than most of all the other ones put together. And so the question is how should you spend that time well?Youve decorated the tree together, maybe even sang some songs. Theres plenty of egg nog left, and youve got a great playlist going. Guess what its time for? A great pack of cards. If youre making cocktails, theres some cocktail recipe playing cards, which can work great if you need to lighten up with certain relatives. But if youve got that great deck of cards, you can start to play some games that are more than just the basics. You can play some games that actually take some time to complete. Good games. Fun games. Games that will really pass the time well.Here are three extremely cool and classic games you try out this holiday season, most of which you havent thought about in a while. Dig in. These ones take a second to pick up, but the rewards are a really great time in while the snow falls outside.Thirty-OneThis game is ancient. Not quite as old as Christmas itself, but close. Most variants of this game are known as Cribbage or Blackjack. It may sound unfamiliar now, but youll remember how this goes pretty quickly.The GoalYou want to get yourself a hand that adds-up to 31. You can play the 21 version of this, which is more common at casinos, but 31 is more friendly. For the purposes of adding, aces are worth 11. (Which is probably different from what youre used to.)The SetupEverybody gets three face-down cards, and then, three face-up cards. You can call the three face-up cards the widow. Everybody can see these cards, and in one variation, you can decide to trade these cards with other players.How to Play and How to WinYou want to be the first person to get to 31 without going over. Failing that, you want to be able to have the highest rank hand in a showdown. The best way to play this game is by betting, so use some poker chips, candy canes, or whatever. Everybody antes up an equal amount and then you go around, taking turns, swapping out your cards, hoping that what you have will beat the other players. Keep in mind, youre basing this guess off of the widow cards you can see, rather than the hidden cards.You can then take turns betting, or a player can knockm which is the moment they reveal theyve already hit 31. That person automatically wins the pot. Otherwise, its a test of hand versus hand. If youve got the higher ranked hand, you can beat your opponent, if not, youre out. The last player standing (or the first person to 31) wins.Six Card GolfDont be thrown off by the name of this game. Its not really like golf at all. The only similarity is that theres nine rounds (or deals). You can call these holes like in golf. We wont judge.The GoalYou want to end up with the lowest value of cards. Yes, this is the point of this game, to have low-ranking cards.The SetupEverybody gets six cards dealt to them from the deck. The rest of the cards are then put face down, one top card is flipped over.Each player then has to organize their cards in two rows of three cards each. Everybody flips two cards face up. The rest of the cards are hidden.How to Play and How to WinAfter the setup, you go nine rounds. This is how the rounds go: You can draw cards from the main deck or the discard pile. You can swap new cards with cards you already have, which will go in the discard pile. What youre trying to do is get rid of high-ranking cards, and bring down your overall score.This goes on for nine rounds, and at the end of those nine rounds, the person with the lowest total, wins. Jacks and Queens count as ten, but in this game Kings are worth ZERO, which is, of course, the best card to have in this case. You can also get a zero by having two matching cards, that basically cancel each other out. Otherwise, aces through ten are worth one point to 10 points.SpoonsAs the name of the game suggests, youre gonna need more than just a pack of cards. Youre also going to need several actual spoons. These are used for keeping score, which will all make sense shortly. Oh, also, please remember how to spell!The GoalLIke the basketball game Horse, you dont want to get all the letters that spell Spoon. If you do get all those letters, youre out.The SetupPut a bunch of spoons in the center of a table. Then, using a standard deck, deal four cards to each player. After this, its going to go nuts.How to Play and How to WinYoure trying to get four-of-a-kind. The way this works is the dealer takes a card from top of the deck and then either keeps it, or not. But, then, that person passes the card they dont want to the person on their right. You get the idea, the next person can keep this card or not, always trying to get four-of-a-kind.The first person to get four-of-a-kind grabs a spoon from the center of the table. When this happens, everybody else can grab a spoon. However, if you dont get a spoon you get a letter. Once you get all the letters that spell S-P-O-O-N youre out. Play goes on like this until theres one person with a spoon who hasnt not spelled-out S-P-O-O-N.

There are two kinds of Lord of the Rings fans. Those who have seen the Rankin and Bass version of The Return of the King, and everybody else. Its okay. I get it. Peter Jackson delivered a near-perfect version of Return of the King in 2003, so, why would you watch the 1980 animated version, complete with singing orcs who are complaining about getting whipped all the time? Yes, most serious Tolkien-heads have seen the classic 1977 Rankin/Bass version of The Hobbit, but its in the beautiful strangeness of the 1980 Return of the King that the best and weirdest aspects of Middle-earth can truly be understood.And, believe it or not, the flashy new anime film, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, has more in common with the Rankin/Bass animated Tolkien efforts than you might realize. Because while the film obviously honors the books of J.R.R. Tolkien and the films of Peter Jackson, which the film is technically in canon with, theres deeper referential magic at work here. Mild spoilers ahead.First of all, although the idea of a Lord of the RingsThe War of the Rohirrim and the two animated Rankin/Bass Tolkien films of the past. In fact, though produced by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, with a screenplay from Romeo Muller, the actual animation for the 1977 Hobbit was completed by a Tokyo-based animation studio called Topcraft.By 1985, when Topcraft shut down, its animators largely went on to work for Studio Ghibli. So, in a sense, the first several animated LOTR movies ever, including The Hobbit (1977), The Lord of the Rings (1982), and The Return of the King (1980), were created by an anime studio. The mere existence of War of the Rohirrim and the fact that its animated by Sola Entertainment in Japan, and directed by well-known anime filmmaker Kenji Kamiyama, means that on some level this is a return to the earliest tradition of Middle-earth movies.On top of that, The War of the Rohirrim features two unique shoutouts to the aesthetics and narrative choices of the Rankin and Bass animated movies, and very specifically, the 1980 version of Return of the King. Early in The War of the Rohirrim we get some minstrel music action, giving us the feeling that were hearing a tale from deep in the past, or as Miranda Ottos narration tells us, the story of a heroic shield-maiden whose name isnt found in the old songs.But the telltale folk-y minstrel music should transport certain types of Tolkien fans right back to the Rankin /ass movies. The 1977 Hobbit very famously relies on the Glenn Yarbrough folk song The Greatest Adventure, which can be heard throughout the movie. Meanwhile the 1980 Return of the King more liberally asserts an actual minstrel character into the narrative frame of the movie. At some fictitious future-tense birthday for Bilbo, beyond the events of The Lord of the Rings, the Minstrel (again, Glenn Yarbrough) sings a ballad called Frodo of the Nine Fingers, which aims to explain to the slightly forgetful Bilbo about why Frodo only has nine fingers nowbecause of everything that happened with Gollum, you know, biting one of those fingers off.This is all hilarious as it sounds, but the charm of the animated Return of the King is that this goofiness is for the most part played entirely straight. As artistic adaptations of The Hobbit and The Return of the King, these films simply decided to lean on the folky-minstrel thing, which means the allusions to similar music in The War of the Rohirrim cant be an accident.If you remain unconvinced that The War of the Rohirrim is specifically linked to the animated Tolkien films of the past, theres another smoking pinecone of evidence. Although the War of the Ring is still roughly 200 years in the future from the events in the new 2024 anime movie, there are a few overt references to those events still sprinkled throughout Rohirrim. This includes a near-the-end appearance of Saruman (voiced by the late Christopher Lee) taking over as the new master of Isengard. But theres one moment thats an even bigger reference.At one point, in the aftermath of one of the attacks from the wraith-ish Helm Hammerhand (voiced by Brian Cox), we see two orcs gathering random rings from fallen soldiers. These orcs are nervous and frustrated, and among themselves, wonder why Sauron, their master, wants so many rings collected.Read more Book readers know that this is the moment in time where Sauron is trying to trackdown all the rings he helped create, and also, of course, is in search of the One Ring, which at this point is missing. But its the behavior of these orcs in this scene that is most evocative of the 1980 Return of the King. Neither ruthless nor fierce, these two orcs are skittish, and frustrated. This recalls the Orc marching song from the animated Return of the King, Where Theres a Whip, Theres a Way. In that song, some of the orcs sing, We dont want to go to war today, indicating that not all orcs were really excited about Saurons dark deeds, but simply had no other choice. (The Rings of Power gestured at these more well-rounded orcs recently as well.)The way the orcs behave in this scene, and even appear, feels closer to the Rankin/Bass animated Orcs than the Peter Jackson orcs. This is a refreshing deep-cut within The War of the Rohirrim. Because as serious and epic as that movie is, the off-kilter orcs are a reminder that The Lord of the Rings franchise doesnt always have to be fully earnest. In Middle-earth, you can have a little fun too.The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is in theaters now.

News Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd Fight Killer Unicorns in New Bats**t A24 TrailerDeath of a Unicorn looks like the kind of genre comedy nonsense weve been craving right about now.By David Crow | December 18, 2024 | | Photo: A24Mythical creatures. Movie stars. And the studio that recently gave the world The Brutalist and Sing Sing. We probably were always going to be at least a little intrigued by Death of a Unicorn, the upcoming dark comedy starring Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd thats oh, so A24 that it even intentionally misspelled unicorn by way of old-timey early modern English when it was first announced. (Its original title was Death of a Unicorne, which might be fitting when one knows the writer-director Alex Scharfman previously worked on Robert Eggers The Witch.)Still, when this mornings gloriously batshit trailer came around, it revealed that in addition to having just natural buckets of alternative cool kids cred, Death of a Unicorn also pivots on more than the cruel slaughter of these majestic beasts from ye olden times it is also a horror-ish movie where a unicorns horn holds the secrets to curing cancer just good luck getting it when these little ponies are revealed to be absolute man-eaters!Indeed, with a bemusing use of the classic Beach Boys banger, Good Vibrations, Death of a Unicorn featuresWednesdays Ortega opposite Americas new favorite dad, Rudd, as the pair are driving into the woods for a fateful work trip that goes horribly awry after they make roadkill of a unicorn. But faster than you can say Tommy Boy, the magic animal proves to be only mostly dead. And by the time they get to the films other cast of characters, including Ta Leoni, Richard E. Grant, and Will Poulterthe latter of whom looks to be having absolutely the time of his life mugging for the camerathe creature is revealed to be on the rebound.After untold bloody hijinks ensue, our quintet of characters have the unwise idea to harness the unicorns enchanted properties to cure all sickness and disease but in reality they might only be inviting themselves to learn what the legendary steeds digestive tract looks like.Notably, Death of a Unicorn is primarily coming out right now because of last years writers and actors strikes. While many studios and streamers chose to let negotiations drag on for months without making a deal with the creatives, A24 cut a separate one which allowed this movie to go into production with SAG members like Ortega and Rudd. And it has all the hallmarks of a skewed, sideways laugher befitting an indie tastemakers who made their name, in part, by producing and/or distributing movies like Spring Breakers and Everything Everywhere All at Once.Will Death of a Unicorn add itself to that illustrious legacy? Well find out soon enough, with the movie scheduled to release sometime next spring. Were just happy though to have another gonzo-minded movie about the death of unicorns after Ridley Scott made a whole cult classic about it in Legendalthough even that movie didnt have a tagline as punchy as poke around and find out.