Apex Legends Has Seen A Big Spike In Players Over The Last Few Weeks

Actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry has defended his signature "Madea" character over criticism that it taps into demeaning black stereotypes. In 2009, fellow director Spike Lee said Perry's character, which has appeared in more than ten films, represents "coonery buffoonery." Perry has defended the origins of the character, claiming "Madea" is inspired and honors black people he grew up around as a child.

Refresh for latest…: There was extra oomph at the international box office this weekend as Disney’s rerelease of 20th Century Studios’ Avatar grossed $20.5M from 50 offshore markets for a $30.5M global launch. The remastered 4K HDR version of the biggest movie ever was catnip to fans with No. 1s in several markets and, as designed, sets the table for James Cameron’s upcoming sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water.

Aphex Twin has launched a new sample matching app called ‘Samplebrain’ – find all the details and check it out for yourself below.In a post on his blog, Aphex – aka Richard James – revealed that the software, created by himself and Dave Griffiths, had been in development for two decades, and originally inspired by the emergence of Shazam.Samplebrain is described as “a custom sample mashing app” that “chops samples up into a ‘brain’ of interconnected small sections called blocks, which are connected into a network by similarity.“It processes a target sample, chopping it up into blocks in the same way, and tries to match each block with one in its brain to play in realtime.“This allows you to interpret a sound with a different one. As we worked on it (during 2015 and 2016) we gradually added more and more tweakable parameters until it became slightly out of control.”Try ‘Samplebrain’ yourself here.Dave Griffiths and @AphexTwin launch ‘Samplebrain’ – free sound design software, available now.→ https://t.co/7QKKLKSFHv pic.twitter.com/biGP9sz5G4— Warp Records (@WarpRecords) September 24, 2022Explaining the origins of the idea, Aphex wrote: “This idea came about a long time ago, not sure exactly when, 2002 ish but when mp3’s started to become a thing, when for the first time there were a ton of them sitting on my hard drive and the brilliant Shazam had recently launched.

Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Titanfall, has called out the “harassment” its developers are receiving from some players.Taking to Twitter, Respawn shared a statement that explains how “recently, we have seen increased harassment towards members of our development team.”“We welcome community input, however the line between constructive feedback and the harassment of our dev team cannot be crossed,” the post continued.“We want to remind our players that we have a zero tolerance policy for the threats and the harassment of our developers. We will take appropriate action to ensure the health and safety of our team,” Respawn added.

Former president Donald Trump was met with a civil fraud lawsuit from New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday, and “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon can tell he’s getting worried. “He just asked Ron DeSantis to fly him somewhere random in the middle of the night,” he joked.

Liam Gallagher has said that he has been swigging “half a bottle of brandy” before he goes on stage over the last year.The former Oasis frontman, who turned 50 today (September 21), said he had been drinking brandy with honey and hot water to warm up his voice.Speaking to Matt Wilkinson on Apple Music 1, he discussed his recent pre-show ritual but said he had attempted to “chill out” his drinking at his last few gigs.“It’s half a bottle of brandy before I go on,” Gallagher said. “I have kind of backed it off now. But the last year I’ve been walloping the brandy with honey and hot water, and going on a little bit…“I’ve been getting a bit battered on stage recently.

Andrew Wallenstein President and Chief Media Analyst The signs are everywhere that the film industry is struggling, from the current dry spell at the box office to exhibition giant Cineworld filing for bankruptcy earlier this month. But the movie business is actually more profitable than it’s ever been, according to the CEO and founder of Blumhouse Productions. Jason Blum and his company’s new president, Abhijay Prakash, were positively bullish about the state of cinema in a joint keynote appearance last week at Variety’s Entertainment & Technology Summit Presented by City National Bank. While acknowledging that it’s highly unlikely that the box office will return to it its pre-pandemic peaks, they testified that the rise of streaming has only helped monetize movies more effectively in later release windows.

Toronto International Film Festival to discuss their new film “Chevalier,” a period drama about a Black 18th century classical composer who faced constant racism even as his music won the favor of Marie Antoinette. Played by “Luce” star Kelvin Harrison Jr. in the film, Chevalier de Saint-Georges — born Joseph Bologne in Guadeloupe in 1745 — was the child of a white French plantation owner and an African slave.

Martina McBride became a household name as a country singing sensation nearly three decades ago, and she recently received a host of new fans while starring on the new FOX drama "Monarch." "I’m so excited," McBride exclusively told Fox News Digital. "I mean, I read the script, and I was like, ‘This is juicy, it’s big, it’s exciting.’ I was really thrilled to be asked to be a part of it." McBride was shocked to even be included in the roster when it came to casting country all-stars to appear on the epic series, which stars Trace Adkins, Anna Friel, Beth Ditto and Academy Award-winner Susan Sarandon.

Julia Roberts and George Clooney landed at the top of the international box office chart this weekend as Universal/Working Title’s Ticket to Paradise expanded its offshore rollout. Adding 39 markets for a $12.1M session in 46 lifted the overseas cume to $14.8M with several majors still to come; domestic begins on October 21. Collectively, the new markets this session performed above Last Christmas and Yesterday, and in line with The Lost City and Bridget Jones’s Baby. 

Sheryl Lee Ralph continues to be praised by fans, including celebs, after winning her first major award during Monday night’s Emmys in which she took home the golden statuette for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in “Abbott Elementary”.

Paper bank notes are being phased out and replaced, and Brits have just two more weeks to spend their old £20 and £50 notes.

(Updated with producers’ statement) EXCLUSIVE: Surviving members and relatives of the famed Black Spartans want a movie about the 1966 college football co-champions consigned to the sidelines.

Every Tuesday, discriminating viewers are confronted with a flurry of choices: new releases on disc and on demand, vintage and original movies on any number of streaming platforms, catalogue titles making a splash on Blu-ray or 4K. This twice-monthly column sifts through all of those choices to pluck out the movies most worth your time, no matter how you’re watching.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Damien Chazelle was itching for a change of pace. “After the quietness of ‘First Man,'” he says, referring to his 2018 astronaut drama, much of which unfolded in deep space, “I wanted to do something big, boisterous and loud.” The result is “Babylon,” a star-studded homage to Hollywood’s silent era, a movie that captures “humanity at its most glamorous and animalistic,” the director teases. “It’s a mostly fictional film.” Chazelle brought a never-before-seen trailer to the Toronto Film Festival, where he spoke at length about his career — namely “Whiplash” and “La La Land” — in a keynote conversation with CEO Cameron Bailey. The Oscar-winning filmmaker is still in post-production on “Babylon,” which opens in theaters on Dec. 25. “I’ll be very happy to finally finish it.”

Manchester United endured one of their worst seasons in decades last term. A squad bereft of confidence and ideas tallied their lowest ever Premier League points haul as clear fractions between players emerged on the pitch.

William Earl One of the biggest crowdpleasers of the Toronto International Film Festival has arrived. “The Menu,” a high-class horror comedy written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy and directed by Mark Mylod, held its rollicking world premiere at the Royal Alexandra Theatre on Saturday. Mylod, the in-demand TV director who has helmed key episodes of “Game of Thrones,” “Shameless” and “Succession,” leaned on the satirical world of the latter series in this black comedy lampooning fine dining, foodie culture and the ultra-rich. Anya Taylor-Joy continues her scene-stealing career as Margot, a cuisine novice who agrees to join obnoxious Tyler (Nicholas Hoult, as infuriating and pathetic as he is on “The Great”) at a hyper-expensive, once-in-a-lifetime meal prepared by the intimidating and legendary Chef Slowik (a devilish Ralph Fiennes) at his private island restaurant. Although the menu is rumored to be legendary, there is, of course, more in store for the diners than meets the eye.

Emily Longeretta Grab your cowboy boots. Fox is making a major push for the upcoming premiere of “Monarch,” Variety can exclusively share. On Thursday, Sept. 8, the “Monarch” retail pop-up shop will open in New York City on 27 Mercer Street. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Sunday, Sept. 11, the premiere date. The fully customized space will include items from many of the show’s partners including Allen’s Boots, Fret Zealot Music, Nyrelle Jewelry and Union Western Apparel. There will be a photo opportunity for fans to sit in the “Queens of Country” throne and attendees can take home a customized bandana or snapback hat.

was shut down 30 days after it launched by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.“Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace” explores the CNN anchor’s “wide range of interests across the spectrum of news, sports, entertainment, art, and culture – from interviews to conversations, and from headlines to smart, sensible, in-depth discussions.”Season 1 will include interviews with Tyler Perry, Shania Twain, Alex Rodriguez, James Patterson, Michelle Zauner and more.