Month: February 2023
Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to his action movie roots in Netflix’s FUBAR
Image: CHRISTOS KALOHORIDIS/NETFLIX
The trailer for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first action comedy TV series is here. The Netflix original, titled FUBAR — an acronym for “fucked up beyond all repair” — follows Schwarzenegger as a ready-to-retire CIA agent who gets wrapped up in one last mission.
FUBAR’s first trailer has Schwarzenegger returning to his action movie roots, flashing between scenes of the star hopping on a motorcycle, zipping around in a sports car, and firing off a pistol. Here’s Netflix’s synopsis of the show:
A CIA Operative on the verge of retirement discovers a family secret. Forced to go back into the field for one last job, the series tackles universal family dynamics set against a global backdrop of spies, action and humor.
Aside from Schwarzenegger, the eight-episode series will also star Monica Barbaro, Jay Baruchel, Fortune Feimster, Milan Carter, Travis Van Winkle, Gabriel Luna, Andy Buckley, Aparna Brielle, Barbara Eve Harris, and Fabiana Udenio.
“Everywhere I go, people ask me when I’m going to do another big action comedy like True Lies. Well, here it is,” Schwarzenegger says in a statement. “FUBAR will kick your ass and make you laugh — and not just for two hours. You get a whole season.”
True Lies, directed by James Cameron and co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Arnold, continues to be one of the best American action films ever made — even nearly 30 years on. So FUBAR has an exceptionally high bar to clear. Part of what made True Lies so compelling is the evolving relationship of Schwarzenegger and Curtis’ characters, and it’s unclear if this show will feature as compelling a relationship.
But the trailer does give us The Terminator jokes and a punch to the groin — other ’90s action comedy staples — so who knows? Toss in a Harrier jet, and this could be a solid follow-up.
FUBAR hits Netflix on May 25th, 2023.
Image: CHRISTOS KALOHORIDIS/NETFLIX
The trailer for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first action comedy TV series is here. The Netflix original, titled FUBAR — an acronym for “fucked up beyond all repair” — follows Schwarzenegger as a ready-to-retire CIA agent who gets wrapped up in one last mission.
FUBAR’s first trailer has Schwarzenegger returning to his action movie roots, flashing between scenes of the star hopping on a motorcycle, zipping around in a sports car, and firing off a pistol. Here’s Netflix’s synopsis of the show:
A CIA Operative on the verge of retirement discovers a family secret. Forced to go back into the field for one last job, the series tackles universal family dynamics set against a global backdrop of spies, action and humor.
Aside from Schwarzenegger, the eight-episode series will also star Monica Barbaro, Jay Baruchel, Fortune Feimster, Milan Carter, Travis Van Winkle, Gabriel Luna, Andy Buckley, Aparna Brielle, Barbara Eve Harris, and Fabiana Udenio.
“Everywhere I go, people ask me when I’m going to do another big action comedy like True Lies. Well, here it is,” Schwarzenegger says in a statement. “FUBAR will kick your ass and make you laugh — and not just for two hours. You get a whole season.”
True Lies, directed by James Cameron and co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Arnold, continues to be one of the best American action films ever made — even nearly 30 years on. So FUBAR has an exceptionally high bar to clear. Part of what made True Lies so compelling is the evolving relationship of Schwarzenegger and Curtis’ characters, and it’s unclear if this show will feature as compelling a relationship.
But the trailer does give us The Terminator jokes and a punch to the groin — other ’90s action comedy staples — so who knows? Toss in a Harrier jet, and this could be a solid follow-up.
FUBAR hits Netflix on May 25th, 2023.
Pokémon Violet and Scarlet’s first expansion is coming later this year
Image: The Pokémon Company
Pokémon Violet and Scarlet are about to get a lot bigger. Today, The Pokémon Company announced the first major downloadable add-ons for the games, which will explore the mysterious Area X location. The DLC will be split into two parts: the first, “The Teal Mask,” is due out this fall and will be followed by “The Indigo Disk” in the winter. The new storyline has been dubbed “The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero.”
The big change for the expansion is that both parts move out of the Paldea region. Here’s the official description:
In Part 1: The Teal Mask, a school trip will take players to the land of Kitakami, where they will be joining an outdoors study program held jointly between their academy and another school. In Part 2: The Indigo Disk, players will be traveling to Blueberry Academy, a sister school of their own academy, as exchange students. While this tale is split into two parts, they link together to tell a connected story.
Aside from the new storyline and locations to dig into, the paid updates will also feature some new clothing options, including a new school uniform set.
Post-game expansions are becoming the norm for mainline Pokémon releases. Pokémon Sword and Shield, which launched in 2019, received a pair of expansions in the form of “The Isle of Armor” and “The Crown Tundra.”
Image: The Pokémon Company
Pokémon Violet and Scarlet are about to get a lot bigger. Today, The Pokémon Company announced the first major downloadable add-ons for the games, which will explore the mysterious Area X location. The DLC will be split into two parts: the first, “The Teal Mask,” is due out this fall and will be followed by “The Indigo Disk” in the winter. The new storyline has been dubbed “The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero.”
The big change for the expansion is that both parts move out of the Paldea region. Here’s the official description:
In Part 1: The Teal Mask, a school trip will take players to the land of Kitakami, where they will be joining an outdoors study program held jointly between their academy and another school. In Part 2: The Indigo Disk, players will be traveling to Blueberry Academy, a sister school of their own academy, as exchange students. While this tale is split into two parts, they link together to tell a connected story.
Aside from the new storyline and locations to dig into, the paid updates will also feature some new clothing options, including a new school uniform set.
Post-game expansions are becoming the norm for mainline Pokémon releases. Pokémon Sword and Shield, which launched in 2019, received a pair of expansions in the form of “The Isle of Armor” and “The Crown Tundra.”
Who still loves fintech?
Hello and welcome back to Equity, the podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. This is Alex and I am back! Yep, after taking some time to learn how to care for tiny humans, I’ve returned and am more than fired up to get back to podcasting.
Who still loves fintech? by Alex Wilhelm originally published on TechCrunch
Hello and welcome back to Equity, the podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.
This is Alex and I am back! Yep, after taking some time to learn how to care for tiny humans, I’ve returned and am more than fired up to get back to podcasting. That means early mornings to get the Monday show off the page, and into your ears, made worth it thanks to the startup economy proving incredibly interesting thus far in 2023.
Now, what did we get into? The following:
Stocks are largely up today, but only after a terrible week last week. So, a little plus/minus there. Cryptos are not too changed in the last day, but NFT trading results are rising again which is good news for folks into the tokens.
News broke recently that the United States is also taking a hard look at the Adobe-Figma deal, more evidence that the mega-transaction could fail to consummate. This is notable as we have some historical notes regarding what happens when a huge deal falls apart before it can get done. Hello, Plaid.
In more business-friendly news, the fintech market is not dead and two venture firms are taking pole position.
Moving along to startup rounds, we took a look at ProsperOps and Flock.
And to close, more layoffs at Twitter.
More soon, as we are back Wednesday and Friday!
For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.
Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday and Wednesday, and at 6 a.m. PT on Fridays, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together, and more!
Who still loves fintech? by Alex Wilhelm originally published on TechCrunch
Fantasy sports app Champions Round raises $7M to build new content creator feature
Champions Round, a fantasy league startup that caters to Gen Z sports fans, announced today that it raised $7 million in new Series A funding. The funding round will go toward developing a new “Creator Rooms” feature, which gives sports content creators the opportunity to engage further with younger players by creating content and fantasy
Fantasy sports app Champions Round raises $7M to build new content creator feature by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch
Champions Round, a fantasy league startup that caters to Gen Z sports fans, announced today that it raised $7 million in new Series A funding.
The funding round will go toward developing a new “Creator Rooms” feature, which gives sports content creators the opportunity to engage further with younger players by creating content and fantasy sports games, whether that be hosting a combined two-week NHL and NBA snake draft, creating polls and more.
The Series A was co-led by Point72 Ventures and Goodwater Capital, with additional investments from Pipeline Capital, Quest Venture Partners, Mana Ventures, Band of Angels and Gaingels. To date, the company has raised $10 million.
Users, particularly Gen Z users, are moving away from traditional fantasy sports, where leagues are tied to entire seasons. Instead, many users are opting for daily fantasy sports (DFS), a subcategory of fantasy sports games, where players compete over short-term periods rather than an entire season. The Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association (FSGA) reported that more than 30 million people in the U.S. participate in DFS, up 12% from 2019.
Champions Round offers a version of this that it has dubbed “micro fantasy sports,” which are short-form games users can play daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly. For instance, users can draft and manage a team around a single event like the NFL draft, removing the need for a season-long commitment.
FanDuel and DraftKings currently dominate the daily fantasy sports industry. However, the majority of DFS games require money to play. Meanwhile, Champions Round offers two options — free or buy-in.
“Fantasy sports historically demand lengthy commitments, seldom reward their players, and can be very tricky and cumbersome to play,” co-founder and CEO of Champions Round Carter Russ said in a statement. “With a rock-solid game loop, we’ve developed short-form games that beckon for friends to play with one another over and over again.”
As Champions Round continues to invest in its Gen Z-focused app, it will launch a new Creator Rooms feature in July 2023. The upcoming feature will help creators monetize larger audiences, the company claims.
Champions Round explained to TechCrunch that it rewards content creators for playing fantasy league games with their followers. The company didn’t specify how much the influencers earn, but said they are based on engagement and number of sign ups.
Eventually, Champions Round will automatically pay creators within the platform for “engagement, sign ups, cosmetic items sold within their rooms, revenue share and ad revenue,” the company told us.
Some notable first- and third-party content creators include Dom2k, Fantasy Football Analyst, Dan Titus, Jeff Haseley, Trell Jones, Spencer Aguiar, Steph Smalls and more.
“[Gen Z] doesn’t watch full sports games, but rather consumes sports on social media by following content creators, athletes, teams, personalities, and highlights. By making games that match this bite-sized serialized sports fandom, we’re really appealing to their needs,” the company added.
Champions Round has also received backing from professional sports players, according to the company. This includes former NBA point guard Baron Davis, Kansas City Chiefs running back Melvin Gordon, New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu and basketball player Zaire Wade (the son of former Miami Heat shooting guard Dwayne Wade), among others.
The recent funding will be put toward its content business, which includes social media platforms (Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Discord), podcasts and YouTube channel.
Additionally, it will allow the company to build a new marketing department, as well as double its overall team size from approximately 30 to 60 employees. Recently, former president and COO of Activision Blizzard, Coddy Johnson, joined the board of directors.
Champions Round was founded in 2018 by Russ, an entrepreneur who has commissioned his fantasy basketball league for over a decade, and Chase Payne, who has over 15 years of experience with gaming companies like Electronic Arts and Zynga. Payne was also a founding member of Major League Fantasy, a daily fantasy sports network that was acquired by Latitude 360 in 2015.
“We wanted to find ways to recreate social moments for sports at any and all times of the year,” Russ told us. “We felt empowered to return to the core that provided sports games with the most meaning: Playing with our friends. What was previously an annual cadence, fantasy sports, we firmly believed should be available at any time, irrespective of cash prizes.”
The app launched to the public in September 2021. In 2022, the app averaged 28% month-over-month growth, which Champions Round claims was organic growth. The new marketing department will likely help increase its user base. The average user is 22 years old.
Data.ai estimates that Champions Round has seen over 10,000 downloads to date across the App Store and Google Play.
The company also touted that it became profitable recently. “We did something that very few fantasy sports operators have ever done: turn a profit,” noted Russ and Payne.
Champions Round has six game modes—”Daily Dozen,” where users can choose from 12 props each day; “Boost Ball,” which is the typical snake draft format; “Big Board,” which allows users to snake draft a selection of incoming prospects; “Spicy Slips,” a prediction game; “7 Stakes,” where players answer questions to earn points; and “Sunday’s Best,” a game dedicated to draft players from NFL teams that only play on Sundays.
Users can play private contests with up to 16 friends or get assigned to public leagues with strangers.
Currently, Champions Round mainly offers games for the NFL and NBA. It also provides games for esports fans. By 2024, it will expand to more leagues, like the English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Formula 1, League of Legends, Rocket League, Apex Legends, Fortnite and more.
Like sports-betting apps, Champions Round users in the U.S. can only play for cash in 35+ states, including Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia and more.
In addition to cash prizes, Champions Round offers in-game memorabilia and digital collectibles like jerseys and helmets, as well as rankings, other gamification features and more. As users participate in more leagues, earn points or make in-app purchases, they’ll eventually qualify for exclusive leagues that offer larger cash prizes.
Plus, Champions Round plans to add more “personalization, progression, and metagame achievements” for its game modes.
Champions Round is available worldwide. The app can be downloaded on iOS and Android devices.
Fantasy sports app Champions Round raises $7M to build new content creator feature by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch
Apply now to speak at TechCrunch Disrupt in September
Do you have the desire, the expertise and the followers it takes to be a speaker at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 on September 19–21 in San Francisco? Then heed this call for content, because we want to hear from you. How to become a speaker at TechCrunch Disrupt If you’re a trendsetting, game-changing startup founder, VC
Apply now to speak at TechCrunch Disrupt in September by Lauren Simonds originally published on TechCrunch
Do you have the desire, the expertise and the followers it takes to be a speaker at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 on September 19–21 in San Francisco? Then heed this call for content, because we want to hear from you.
How to become a speaker at TechCrunch Disrupt
If you’re a trendsetting, game-changing startup founder, VC or industry expert, apply to speak at Disrupt and share your knowledge with founders, builders and entrepreneurs from across the startup spectrum.
In the application, you’ll submit a title and description for your topic, and you’ll select one of these two presentation formats.
Breakout session: Up to two people (including a moderator) lead a 30-minute presentation followed by a 20-minute Q&A from an audience of up to 100 attendees. You’ll be able to display a presentation and have limited AV capabilities. You’ll present one breakout during Disrupt.
Roundtable discussion: One person leads a 30-minute interactive conversation for an audience of up to 25 attendees. There is no presentation or AV — it’s all about organic conversation. You may potentially repeat this roundtable twice during Disrupt.
The Audience Choice application deadline is April 21, and we will notify the finalists by no later than April 27. Audience Choice Voting takes place May 1–12. We’ll post the selected topics, descriptions and speakers online. TechCrunch readers — and your followers — will vote for the sessions they would like to see at the event.
We’ll notify the winners — who will present live at Disrupt — by May 15!
Curious about the kind of topics that breakouts and roundtables cover? Check out the featured subjects from the Disrupt 2022 agenda.
Want to speak at Disrupt? Don’t delay — apply here by April 21. Show us what you’ve got!
TechCrunch Disrupt takes place in San Francisco on September 19–21, but you can save up to $1,000 right now. Buy your pass and claim your reward today. It’s a smart move for your future and your bottom line.
Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.
Apply now to speak at TechCrunch Disrupt in September by Lauren Simonds originally published on TechCrunch
12 Probiotic Foods for Better Gut Health – CNET
These foods are both high in probiotics and surprisingly delicious.
These foods are both high in probiotics and surprisingly delicious.
Netflix is making a stop-motion Pokémon TV show – and it looks wonderful
Pokémon Concierge is a stop-motion animated series that’s being co-developed by Netflix and The Pokémon Company.
Netflix has announced it’s teamed up with The Pokémon Company to make a brand-new Pokémon TV show.
Revealed as part of Pokémon Day, which is celebrated annually on February 27, the world’s best streaming service announced Pokémon Concierge, a stop-motion animated series that’ll debut on its platform at some point.
The announcement was accompanied by a 30-second teaser trailer, which shows fan-favorite Pokémon Psyduck waddling along a sun-lit beach as a voiceover – from series protagonist Haru – hints at the show’s premise. And, we don’t know about you, but we’ve already fallen in love with Pokémon Concierge‘s unique aesthetic, with appears to be claymation-inspired.
Check out the trailer for the forthcoming Netflix show below:
In a press release, Netflix gave a brief description about what the show will be about. “Expanding the Pokémon world, the story follows Haru, a concierge at the Pokémon Resort, and her interactions with Pokémon and their owners who visit as guests.”
Okay, that’s not a lot to go on, but it sounds like Pokémon Concierge will be the perfect summer getaway for all Pokémon fans, no matter where they live in the world. With its beautiful animation style and calming tone, we wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up being used as a stand-in for people’s meditation practises and/or penchant for ASMR. If we get to check in with legendary Pokémon characters, such as Ash Ketchum and Pikachu – the pair will no longer front Pokémon’s main TV show after Ash finally achieved his dream of being a Pokémon master – too, Pokémon Concierge will only delight us further.
Little else is known about Pokémon Concierge, but dwarf studios – a Japan-based animation studio, whose work includes stop-motion shows based on Domo-Kun and Komaneko – is leading development on the TV series.
Is that Psyduck standing on the beach with Haru, the concierge!? Pokémon Concierge is coming… pic.twitter.com/Ttzdyc69V9February 27, 2023
Unsurprisingly, no release date has been announced yet. The teaser simply states the series is “coming soon”. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait too long until we can visit the resort, albeit from the comfort of our own homes. Don’t be surprised if it makes its way onto our best Netflix shows list once it’s released, either.
In a statement released as part of Netflix’s press release, Minyoung Kim, Vice President of Netflix Content in Asia, said: “Netflix is looking forward to delighting fans in Japan and around the world with Pokémon Concierge, an entirely new visual and storytelling experience featuring ground-breaking stop-motion animation set in the Pokémon world in close collaboration with The Pokémon Company.
“We’re also excited to reveal this new series on Pokémon Day and provide fans with even more things to look forward to on this special holiday celebrating the popular franchise.”
For more Pokémon and Netflix coverage, read our best Pokémon games and best Netflix movies guides. Additionally, find out whether Pokémon’s main TV show made it into our best anime guide.
Real or Fake Text? – The Impact of AI Beyond the Classroom
Real or Fake Text? We Can Learn to Spot the Difference The most recent generation of chatbots has surfaced longstanding concerns about the growing sophistication and accessibility of artificial intelligence. Fears about the integrity of the job market — from
Real or Fake Text? We Can Learn to Spot the Difference The most recent generation of chatbots has surfaced longstanding concerns about the growing sophistication and accessibility of artificial intelligence. Fears about the integrity of the job market — from […]