Warning: Huge spoilers for Shazam! ahead.
For DC fans who have waited a long time for a truly fun comic book movie, delivers on many levels. It's miles away from and a bit more family-friendly than . It's littered with DC references and fan moments, but one particular scene got everyone in my screening so excited that they broke out into whoops and applause. Fans of the comics were waiting for the inevitable moment when Billy Batson, in full superhero mode, gathered his new foster siblings, took hold of the wizard's magical staff, and together they said the immortal word - "Shazam!" - which would transform the whole family into their superhero selves.
The film's creators tried their best to keep the identities of the adult cast under wraps, and though some outlets did work it out before the release, for most people watching, this fun moment came as a sweet surprise. Keep reading to meet the newest members of the DC Universe: the Shazam Family. Together with , these adult versions of his foster family share the superpowers bestowed upon them by the wizard Shazam: the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury. Related:
Warning: GOT spoilers ahead! Proceed with caution.
The war between the two queens continues to heat up (literally) on , even as a frozen, undead army descends from beyond the Wall.
Think back to the - Cersei deals with her first major defeat, but it might not have been a total failure for the Mad Queen in training. In that episode, Randyll Tarly notes that the gold the Lannister army takes from Highgarden is already safely within the walls of King's Landing. Cersei then uses that influx of gold to pay her debts and borrow enough money from to hire the Golden Company. "," you might ask? They are a sellsword company said to be 20,000 strong. Based in Essos, this band of exiles has a stellar reputation since they're known for never breaking a contract.
As we see in , Cersei wants to use the money borrowed from the Iron Bank to hire out these men and in order to replenish her dwindling army. Just in time to defend them from the Night King's undead army, right?
In the season eight premiere, which aired on April 14, Euron makes good on his promise and arrives in King's Landing with the Golden Company and Captain Harry Strickland - an exiled knight of House Strickland and known in the books as "as Homeless Harry Strickland" - in tow. Now that the Lannisters have lost even more soldiers, the Golden Company could be the key to keeping the devious queen in the game. In the books, the group of sellswords is made up of highly trained men willing to fight for anyone with enough money to pay them, and they take their jobs seriously. While sellswords in general are thought to be oathbreakers by nature (that's why Stannis declines to hire the company when Ser Davos suggests it in season four), the Golden Company takes great pride in their reputation. As a result, they keep their word once money exchanges hands. But just because they've never broken a contract before doesn't mean they never will, especially when it comes time to fight for Cersei and Euron.
The Lannister queen is making a smart move by bringing the Golden Company to King's Landing, there's no doubt about that. They are a ready-made army of trained men with battle experience. And since they are based in the Free Cities, they may have experience fighting against Dothraki Screamers, something the young soldiers of Westeros are clearly not prepared to do.
One potential downside is that she could be seen as bringing a foreign threat into the land, just like she accuses Daenerys of doing. But after the Loot Train Battle and the big wight reveal, her remaining allies will surely prefer the Golden Company's services over losing more of their own men to dragon fire or an army of frozen zombies. As a group, these sellswords could give Cersei major leverage, but there's one thing the queen isn't taking into consideration: the Golden Company could be swayed to Daenerys's side. Targaryen bastard Aegor Rivers is the founder of the Golden Company. Many years before the events of Game of Thrones, he leaves Westeros and gathers the exiled knights and lords seeking sanctuary in the Free Cities to form a company of sellswords who stay true to their word. Even though this current iteration of the group never met Aegor, their company would not exist if not for a Targaryen. This could work in Daenerys's favor, especially when Jorah is factored in.
The is back by Dany's side, and his timing couldn't be better. Way back in season four, the Dragon Queen chastises Jorah for being suspicious of Daario's sellsword past because Jorah himself once worked for the Golden Company. That's right; before he is enlisted to spy on Daenerys and later switches to her side, Jorah worked for the most famous group of sellswords in the known world. Whether or not the knight left on good terms remains to be seen, but his passion for his queen could compel him to intercede on her behalf with his old band of brothers. A dragon is responsible for founding the Golden Company, and even gold may not be enough to make them fight against the last Targaryen in the world (at least, ). Granted, their entire reputation is built on not breaking their contracts, but in the books, they compromise their motto to fight alongside a Targaryen who hasn't been a part of the show until recently - Rhaegar's supposed son, Aegon. Now that we know and he's the legitimate son of Rhaegar and Lyanna (and also the heir to the Iron Throne, NBD), there's an even stronger chance that the mercenaries could flip sides.
Whether the Golden Company follows through in their contract to fight for Cersei (or flips to Team Daenerys), look for this crew of sellswords to turn the tide of the war for whichever woman is lucky enough to contract them. A ready-made army with 20,000 fighters is bound to be formidable, whether they're fighting alongside dragons or against them.
The Mueller report showed that Justice Department leaders were more deeply under siege than previously known.
Warning: the night is dark and full of spoilers - as is this article - so proceed with caution!
The eighth and final season of premiered on April 14, and naturally, we have a lot of questions. Like, ? Are the ladies in King's Landing brothels always so delightfully gossipy? Did Jon Snow and Daenerys realize they were basically ? Oh, and for the rest of the series?!
Like we said - we have a lot of questions, but let's focus on Jon and his cool new car dragon for now.
The scene of Jon getting the OK from Rhaegal to climb aboard and ride off through the icy countryside is actually pretty adorable, since he clings to the dragon for dear life (and with none of the grace that Dany usually does). But as cute as the moment is, it feeds into an important, longstanding theory about how the Targaryens could reclaim the Iron Throne: the theory.
It feeds into an important, longstanding theory about how the Targaryens could reclaim the Iron Throne.
During Daenerys's , she has a vision of her late brother, Rhaegar (aka Jon Snow's real dad), stating that "the dragon has three heads." This three-headed dragon theme is reflected in the series over and over again throughout the series: Daenerys originally has three dragons before the Night King kills one in season seven; the Targaryen house sigil features a three-headed dragon; and Dany's ancestor Aegon Targaryen conquered Westeros alongside his two sisters, who were all mounted atop dragons. Diehard fans (and even author George R.R. Martin himself) have interpreted the prophecy to mean that there must be three riders for Dany's three dragons before she can win back the Iron Throne.
Although it's not official, it makes the most sense that Daenerys herself is one of these dragon riders - she's already ridden Drogon through battle, after all. As for the other two riders? Up until the Night King turned Viserion into a giant, ice-breathing wight, it was assumed that Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister would be the remaining two. It's been confirmed that since his father is Rhaegar, and even if Tyrion isn't , he has a proven connection with dragons since he was able to approach them in Meereen.
Obviously now that season eight has premiered, we know Jon is definitely one of the three riders. Daenerys also is. But is the Night King the prophesied third dragon rider? It certainly wouldn't seem like he'd be a positive force in helping the Targaryens claim the throne. Let's take a closer look at each potential rider in the prophecy, ahead. Related:
In an era of deep polarization, Mr. Mueller’s 448-page report quickly became yet another case study in the disparate realities of American politics.
Beyoncé's highly anticipated documentary, , has been the talk of the town for the last week now, . The film finally made its debut on Netflix on April 17, and it documents everything that went on behind the scenes ahead of , which has since been dubbed Beychella. But the film also gets pretty personal, and at certain points throughout, we get a few glimpses of Queen Bey and JAY-Z snuggling with . Bey and Jay's eldest daughter, Blue Ivy, also makes a few cameos, as she's seen dancing around her mom's rehearsal space and being about as carefree as one would expect a 7-year-old to be. Ahead, dive into some of the sweetest moments between Beyoncé and her family through these GIFs - and try not to cry. Related:
At one juncture after another, the Mueller report describes how Mr. Trump made his troubles worse, giving into anger and grievance and lashing out in ways that turned advisers into witnesses against him.
Ariana Grande closed out the first weekend of with a bang - and a boy band. After some teasing in the days leading up to her performance, the singer surprised the festival crowd with an appearance by *NSYNC. Though unexpected, the joint performance made sense after Ariana had previously for The group performed both of those songs, in addition to "Tearin' Up My Heart."
unfortunately wasn't in attendance, having just the night prior. Despite his absence, however, it seemed like Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, and Chris Kirkpatrick had a blast. Fatone wrote on Instagram, "Was a great time and a chance to perform with my brothers once again." Ahead, see clips and photos from one of the more memorable Coachella moments in recent memory. Related:
The redacted report by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, has been released. He investigated Russian election interference, any ties to the Trump campaign and possible presidential obstruction of justice.
Among all the jaw-dropping moments in the final season premiere is the long-awaited moment when . - the dragon named for , Daenerys's much-older brother Rhaegar - while Dany rides Drogon, named for her late husband, Khal Drogo. Although it is , it is immediately followed by an unintentionally funny one: as Jon kisses Dany following their shared flight, he accidentally meets Drogon's gaze, and the dragon gives him an . . . interesting look. One of the theories floating around about this awkward moment? Drogon isn't just named after Khal Drogo - he's the reincarnation of the Dothraki warlord.
At least one member of the Thrones crew has this as her own personal theory of Drogon's backstory. Sound designer Paula Fairfield told Time that she crafts Drogon's sound palette around the idea that he is, in fact, .
"My story of Drogon is he's the reincarnation of Khal Drogo, [Dany's] ," she explained. "That relationship I always have in mind when choosing Drogon's [sound] palette."
Adding credence to the theory: Drogo is the dragon who gives Jon Snow while Jon and Dany are making out in the season eight premiere. If he is really a reincarnation of Khal Drogo, it's absolutely reasonable (and absolutely hilarious) that he would be making a face at his wife's new boyfriend/secret nephew. were hatched out of Khal Drogo's funeral pyre, too, giving them yet another link with her late Dothraki husband.
As entertaining as the theory is, though, it's probably not true. In HBO's official behind-the-scenes featurette for the episode, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss explain that the dragons - Drogon included - actually like Jon; Drogon's expression is one of approval, not disapproval.
"Seeing Jon and Dany on the dragons together is a Jon and Dany moment, but it also seeds in the idea as one of their riders," Weiss said. It's not a look of hostility, then, but an odd moment of acceptance into the very exclusive dragon-approved club - even if Jon is still incredibly awkward around the dragons.
It’s finally happening: The findings of the investigation by special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, will be made public.
Beyoncé fans , as they impatiently awaited the release of Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé. Beyoncé's first Netflix documentary features never-before-seen clips of Bey as she prepared for , interspersed with plenty of footage from the show itself. But our queen didn't just bless us with the film; she also released a new album. Homecoming: The Live Album is the companion album to the film, featuring all the music from the landmark Coachella show.
For those who didn't get to see Beyoncé live last year, this offers double the opportunity to experience it now: though the Netflix doc has the extra layer of visuals, if you're stuck at work today unable to stream it, perhaps you can sneak your headphones on and listen to the album at least? It features all of Bey's , from "Crazy in Love" to "Run the World," plus and some additional bonus tracks. The entire album clocks in at a whopping 40 songs and . BRB, just getting in Formation.
Someone please call 911, because Offset and Cardi B just dropped their "Clout" music video, and we're sweating! I mean, we already know that , but this just took things to a whole new level. Between Cardi straddling and twerking on her husband, we highly recommend watching this one in private. Oh, and can we talk about that upside down split? How does she get her legs to move like that? Of course, this is isn't the first time Cardi and Offset have worked together. They also have their hits, "Lick," "MotorSport," and "Drip." Watch the steamy video above now!
The highly anticipated report will tell us a lot about Russia’s 2016 election interference, any contacts between Moscow and the Trump campaign and possible presidential obstruction.
Attorney General William Barr issued an order on Tuesday that could keep thousands of migrants in jail indefinitely while they wait for a resolution of their asylum request.
Netflix taught fans the magic of tidying up physical clutter in their lives through , and now it's time to Spring clean the soul with the help of Brené Brown. The University of Houston research professor and renowned social scientist is bringing her wisdom to the streaming service in the form of a new special, Brené Brown: The Call to Courage, premiering April 19.
In college, I relied pretty heavily on to get me through the day-to-day. Her video psyched me up before job interviews, reassured me when I failed, and calmed me when I felt overwhelmed with anxiety. I don't think I'm alone in my respect for Brown - her address is one of the top five most viewed TED Talks ever, with 38 million. She has become a go-to source on the study of shame, empathy, vulnerability, and (of course) courage, the focus of her Netflix special. And now we have the first trailer, which you can watch above!
The special, filmed in front of a live audience, is a recording of an hour-long speech she gave in Royce Hall at UCLA. She'll discuss the relationship between courage and vulnerability, plus the journey she's taken since the overwhelming success of her 2010 TED Talk.
Of course, viewers familiar with Brown's public speaking and bestselling books can expect this address to include her same humor and honesty. I'm already feeling empowered just thinking about the advice Brown will share, but I still wish March would go by a little bit faster.