Earlier today, Will Smith took to Instagram to casually share some news with his nearly 70 million followers. The reel, which you can see below, recaps the superstars notorious career decision back in 1997 to pick Wild Wild West over The Matrix. What would The Matrix have been like with Will Smith as Neo?, the post asks, then adds Wake up, Will the Matrix has you With no caption or contextmost people already knew Smith turned down The Matrix, which went on to become a genre-defining blockbuster,and also can recall with a chuckle at how Wild Wild West ended up turning outthe post immediately set a fire of speculation across the internet. The most obvious response would be that Will Smith is appearing in a new Matrix movieand such a project is indeed in the works. According to news that broke last year, Drew Goddard (The Martian, The Cabin in the Woods) is writing and directing a fifth Matrix film, with series co-creator Lana Wachowski aboard as executive producer. At the time, no casting or story details were shared, and thats still the caseand that includes anything to do with Smiths involvement.After his Instagram post went viral, io9 reached out to Warner Bros., but the companywhich owns The Matrixdidnt know what Smith was talking about. A similar uh, no reaction came from Hollywood Reporter film editor Aaron Crouch, who tweeted through his personal X account that Will Smith is not starring in the new Matrix movie. Another trade, Variety, doubled down on that by actually running an article about Smiths post under the headline Will Smith Isnt Starring in New Matrix Movie, So What Neo-Related Project Is He Teasing? Though some on the internet speculated it might be tied into a Super Bowl commercialthe game is February 9, so the time is ripe to start dropping hintsthe publications theory is that its something to do with Smiths other career: It seems more likely that his cyberpunk-related venture will involve music, since Smith has teased that hes getting ready to drop his first album in 20 years. Smith, who won an Oscar for 2021s King Richardan honor forever linked with one of the oddest moments in Oscar telecast historymost recently starred in Bad Boys: Ride or Die, his fourth Bad Boys buddy-cop movie opposite Martin Lawrence.Whats your take on Smiths Neo reclamation? Do you think new music is on the way, or something else? Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

One of the most scandalociousand delightful features on the home release of Wicked is the feature commentary by stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. It also includes several deleted scenes, giving curious fans a glimpse of what didnt make it in to the epic musical. Grande in particular has been very vocal about her love of the extended moments. I love them all. They all have a cozy spot in my heart, Grande told Variety over the weekend at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. She also said shes been personally advocating for the release of even the ones not included on the home release of the film. (Were hoping for the meadow friendship scene between Elphie, Galinda, Nessa, Pfannee, Shen Shen, Boq and Fiyero where theres a hunk-off with the shirtless boys, as detailed by one Bowen Yang.) Im talking to Jon, Grande added, referring to director Jon M. Chu. Theres also multiple times in the film commentary when Grande jokes to Erivo that she wants release some of the deleted scenes on Instagram. (If she calls them green slime tutorial clips itd be the funniest Broadway nerd inside joke ever.) Heres a breakdown of what the stars have shared about some of the deleted scenes that you can watch on the digital releaseand why they think they didnt make the cut.Boq and Elphaba Talk Universal Pictures I love the train station scene with Boq (Ethan Slater) and Elphaba (Erivo) the first time I read the script that line Boq says, Sorry, I misunderstood. I thought we were being honest, me and my acting coach Nancy Banks, we put so many hearts around because we were like, Thats the best line in the whole movie. I think that scene has a lot of magnificent work in it, so I miss that, Grande told Variety.She also mentions it in the Wicked commentary: From the moment I read this script, my favorite line was one of Boqs. I thought it was one of the most important lines in the whole thing. And I do love that scene, so I hope it sees a light of day. The scene depicts the moment where Elphie tells Boq to be honest with Nessa about his true feelings, and Boq says she should do the same in regards to Fiyero. However, Elphie plays her feelings so close to the chest she cant even bring herself to admit she has a crush on her best friends beau, even though its clear to her friend Boq. Erivo shared how many of the friendships were trimmed down, in particular that one. I thought it was a special line. I thought it was an important for people to be like,Oh, she said of Boq recognizing Elphies true feelings. And thats actually a really important relationship from the book, that they actually are friends.Train Platform Farewell Universal Pictures Another clip that was trimmed was when Glinda and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) come to stand up for Elphaba when her father Governor Thropp (Andy Nyman) continues to deride her despite her invitation to the Emerald City. Morrible in particular sharply calls him out. I loved that moment because it felt like people were holding her up, Erivo explained to Variety.Toss Toss Universal Pictures The toss toss clip was one that Grande and Erivo laughed through in the commentary and talked about the extended cut that was trimmed down. Thats a choice. Were trying not to break. Grande said, I think we need a whole string out of Elphies toss tosses. Ridiculous. I just want that whole 12 hours. While the deleted scene included in the Wicked home release isnt actually 12 hours, wed like to imagine that as Grande explained about the moment, This is when Jon was laughing under the bed. We were all laughing. We did a lot of different ball gowns and toss tosses.Elphabas Promise Universal Pictures One of the key takeaways from this deleted scene is the build-up to Elphaba asking Glinda to come with her to the Emerald City, and later, that fateful choice in Defying Gravity. It all goes back to the moment where Elphaba puts the classroom to sleep and Glinda clocks that Elphie and Fiyero are gone along with the lion cub. Theres envy there but Grande points out that its not what you would think, at least not yet. I know shes jealous that you didnt take her, but I dont think for a second it would cross her mind that anything else might be occurring, she said of Glinda feeling some type of way that Elphie chose Fiyero over her for help. Erivo added that at that point, I dont think she thinks anything is about to happen, in regards to Elphies growing feelings for Fiyero. Yet Grande added, He might know a little something.However, it boils down to the Gelphie shippers knowledge of how the true love story of the film is between the two main characters, and their friendship being the heart of the film. In this scene, Galinda (as shes still known at this point in the film) reveals she doesnt want to be left behind and Elphaba promises shell take her with her. As Erivo explained, What you dont know is that there is a scene that plays before we came out here, just before the Wizards invite arrives; fortunately, the deleted scene now fills in those blanks. Both actors agreed they love the moment, but understand why it was cut. We gotta get to the Emerald City, its been two hours, Grande joked. Train Ride to Emerald City Universal Pictures Gelphie intensifies in this clip that shows a bit more of their ride on the train and the characters theyre just roommates closeness. Erivo revealed, We filmed so much in this train. So much. And none of it made it I really enjoyed our little moment on the train because I thought it was really fun. Funand bittersweet, as the One Short Day sequence is pretty much the only time they get to be together outside of Shiz, to experience what could have been before everything changes for good.Wicked is out now in theaters and digital. Wicked: For Good opens this Thanksgiving. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

New Year, new Samsung smartphone to drop your money on. The company has officially announced it will host Galaxy Unpacked on Wednesday, January 22. It will be in San Jose, Californiamy birthplace, if you care. We expect Samsung to announce the Galaxy S25 series, from petite to Ultra. Plus, theres likely plenty of Galaxy AI in store, as the teaser for the event makes clear. You can follow along with Samsungs keynote here at Gizmodo, where well have the news when it hits. Samsung will be streaming the event on its YouTube channel. What to Expect From Samsungs Galaxy Unpacked We are waiting to see what Samsung will do next with its flagship series. Apple and Googles latest releases have been relative hits since their debut last summer, so the stakes are high. Even though Samsung was the first to introduce artificial intelligence as a value-add on a premium smartphone, it doesnt have Google Gemini to piggyback on like last years Galaxy S24 release.The company has already told us that the Galaxy S25 series is nigh in a press release many months back. But we know nothing about its insides or what it purports to do. We can only assume it will have the newest Qualcomm chip, scaled up for Samsungs devices. There will likely be thinner bezels, a larger display, and flatter corners, as has been the trajectory with the Ultra series. Some rumors say that the Galaxy S25 on the factory line resembles the iPhone, from which Samsung has spent years differentiating itself. Funny enough, so does the Google Pixel 9 lineup. Is this where everyone in Android land is headed? As for the other models, a smaller Galaxy S25 is expected to match the screen size of Apple and Googles lineups. A smaller display could mean an easier-to-carry device with all the goods of its larger flagship brethren. Now that we have an official date, rumors will likely start to pick up. Samsung is still heavily relying on artificial intelligence to drive the excitement forward. The teaser video published alongside the Galaxy Unpacked announcement starts with someone waking up and asking a digital assistant to put Galaxy Unpacked on the calendar. Samsung will have to prove to its users that Galaxy AI isnt just a gimmick, the way Bixby fell on us after it failed to deliver up to par with the Google Assistant. If youre the kind of Samsung fan who can pre-order a device without knowing whats next, the company hopes to lure you in with a $50 credit on a reserve from now until launch day on January 22. Samsung offers up to $900 credit on trade-ins, so think about the gadget in your arsenal that could help reduce the cost. Last years Galaxy S24 devices ranged from $800 to $1,300 for the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Its likely to be priced around the same range this year or higher, with all the tariffs and increasing costs.

San Bruno Beach House / reyes ros + larran arquitectosSave this picture! Edmund SumnerHousesSan Bruno, MexicoArchitects: reyes ros + larran arquitectosAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:700 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 PhotographsPhotographs:Edmund Sumner Lead Architects: reyes ros + larran arquitectos More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. Three pavilions have been carefully settled on a long but narrow plot, to create a visually rich sequence of solid-void / public-private / open-close volumes and spaces. Designed as prismatic elements with a width as tight as necessary, the pavilions stay one behind the other but set off from each other.Save this picture!This implantation strategy allows the breeze to flow freely along the compound and prevents future physical obstructions from the neighbor's plots on both sides. It also makes it possible to maximize and experience the views of the sea in front of the property and the lagoon at the rear in multiple ways.Save this picture!Aligned with the concept of providing conservation value to the place in terms of construction strategies, the pavilions stand on concrete stilts behind the second dune, minimizing the impact of the compound on its site. In terms of metaphysical perception, a roof-covered pergola at the top of the pavilion in between represents a design response to the aim to create a strong sense of connection with a respectful sense of belonging to the sites nature.Save this picture!Natural-local construction materials (bamboo, limestone, subtropical hardwood) were chosen in contrast to the industrial ones. The plaster that covers all exterior-interior walls is a pigmented mortar that the architects developed with a Mexican-global cement company. This company supplied the mix for a finish stucco with the color and strength properties required to avoid the use of coat painting in the future, a more sustainable alternative to reduce the need for maintenance in the beach coast's hard weather conditions.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officePublished on January 06, 2025Cite: "San Bruno Beach House / reyes ros + larran arquitectos" 06 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1024834/san-bruno-beach-house-reyes-rios-plus-larrain-arquitectos&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

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In the previous post asking for feedback from the community, the principle complaints were related to NSFW content and associated behavior. A large number of users expressed a tiredness of sexualized NSFW submissions. Interestingly enough, some of the users simultanously felt that outright banning nudity would be excessive. It seems that a significant portion of the community would like some level of restrictions on such content, but I'm not sure there's much of a consensus on where that line is best drawn. The following drafts for new rules meant to address concerns around NSFW content. I'd like to hear any thoughts the community may have about them, but in particular, I'm interested in knowing whether you believe they are at an appropriate level of strictness. No sexualized imagery Defined as: imagery of sexual acts imagery centered or focusing on genitals or breasts imagery centered or focusing on sexual paraphernalia imagery of nude bodies making suggestive poses or motions Users who attempt to make such posts would be redirected to other communities. Submissions which depict nudity should be marked as spoilers No sexualizing comments The first rule is meant to restrict gratuitous and pornographic depictions of nudity without infringing on milder depictions of nudity that may have artistic merit, such as artists sharing the results of a sculpting exercise. The second rule aims to address the common complaint that images depicting nudity appear in their feed unexpectedly. Marking these posts as spoilers means that the images will be initially blurred for everyone. The third rule aims to address the low-quality discussion that follow NSFW submissions. submitted by /u/Avereniect [link] [comments]

Today at CES 2025, AMD announced its new 9070-series graphics cards, the Radeon RX 9070 XT and Radeon RX 9070. While the company did not reveal prices or availability for these new components, it did offer a preview of the new GPUs' features and performance.Specific specs were not disclosed during the company's presentation, both the Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 are built on AMD's RDNA 4 architecture, featuring AMDs second-gen AI accelerators, second-gen radiance display engine, and third-gen ray-tracing accelerators. AMD claims the performance benchmarks will be roughly in the range of Nvidia's GeForce RTX 4070 Ti and RTX 4070 Super. That would put the RX 9070 series within a mid-range line of GPUs, rather high-end models--though we're curious to see how they'll stack up against Nvidia's upcoming RTX 5000-series GPUs, which are also expected to be unveiled at CES this week.Several manufacturers are readying Radeon 9070 series GPUs for launch early this year.What was confirmed, however, is that the GPUs' RNA 4 architecture will support the new FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4) AI-powered resolution upscaling, which AMD also previewed at CES. FSR is similar to Nvidia's DLSS and PS5 Pro's PSSR upscaling tech (which was based on FSR), but FSR 4 is built specifically for the RX 9070 series' new AI accelerators. FSR 4 will launch alongside the new Radeon 9070 GPUs and will support any games that already use FSR 3.1 and above, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, as confirmed by Microsoft's Matt Booty during AMD's presentation. The company did not specify how FSR 4 upscaling will compare to its current FSR 3.5 or Nvidia's DLSS.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Ghost of Tsushima, the critically acclaimed PlayStation title that sees players take on the role of a samurai defending his homeland, is getting an anime adaptation. Announced at 2025's Consumer Electronics Show, the upcoming series seeks to "offer fans an exciting new way to experience the game" alongside "bold and groundbreaking animation." As such, Sony Music and PlayStation Studios are collaborating with anime distributor Crunchyroll and Demon Slayer studio Aniplex to bring the show to life.Ghost of Tsushima Legends art included in the anime series press release.According to the series' press release, the upcoming show will not focus on Ghost of Tsushima main character Jin Sakai. Instead, it will adapt the game's Legends mode, a later addition to Ghost of Tsushima that introduced four-person co-op. In Legends mode, four characters--a samurai, a ronin, an assassin, and a hunter--band together to fight off creatures born from Japanese myths and legends, making for an experience that leans farther into the surreal and supernatural than the base game.As of right now, many details about the upcoming series--such as its official name--are being kept under wraps. However, the studios did offer a tentative release window of 2027 and an announcement that the show will be a Crunchyroll exclusive.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Monkey Palace Lego Strategy Board Game $31.56 (was $40) See at Amazon See at Walmart Amazon and Walmart have the recently released Lego Monkey Palace board game on sale for its lowest price yet for a limited time. The family-friendly strategy game is on sale for $31.56, which saves you over 20% off its $40 list price. This is marked as a limited-time deal at Amazon, and considering the retailer says it has sold over 10,000 copies of Monkey Palace over the past month, we wouldn't be surprised if it sold out soon. The Lego Store recently sold through its stock at full price. Monkey Palace Lego Strategy Board Game $31.56 (was $40) Monkey Palace turns building Lego into a fast-paced and varied strategy game for 2-4 players. It isn't the first officially licensed Lego board game, but it is the only one still in print at the moment. Older Lego board games tend to sell for rather high prices, so it'd be wise to add Monkey Palace to your collection sooner rather than later. See at Amazon See at Walmart What happens when a monkey stumbles upon an ancient palace in the jungle but decides to redecorate their new home? The entire place collapses, of course, so now you and up to three other players need to rebuild the structure from scratch.To help the monkey live large again, humans take turns adding Lego pieces to makeshift staircases. Each piece is worth a certain number of Monkey Credits, which are exchanged for Monkey Cards. The Monkey Card you choose to play determines which brick type(s) you use to make and decorate the staircases. As you build, you rack up Banana Points, which are counted at the end of the game to determine the winner. Games last roughly 45 minutes.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Professions are mainly skillsets that you train your character in Fen Research's Brighter Shores. They are the primary way to level up in all four early access episodes of the game, including Hopeport, Hopeforest, Mine of Mantuban, and Crenopolis.