Tag: Stephen King

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Mobile Syrup

Musk suggests lower $8/mo price for Twitter verification after backlash

Elon Musk has been in charge at Twitter for only a few days so far and has managed to elevate the already high levels of chaos on the site. Most notable so far is his plan to move verification (designated with a blue checkmark) into the company’s Blue subscription and jack the price up to $20/mo USD (roughly $27.34 CAD).

Currently, Twitter Blue costs $6.49/mo in Canada. However, Musk has suggested an $8/mo USD (about $10.84/mo CAD) price in a bid to get skeptics on board.

Musk floated the price in a reply to a tweet from author Stephen King. King summed up the paid verification issue succinctly, tweeting: “$20 a month to keep my blue check? Fuck that, they should pay me.”

Musk went on to say he’d “explain the rationale in longer form before this is implemented. It is the only way to defeat the bots & trolls,” per Variety.

I’d also like to take a moment here to point out that Twitter’s “bills” largely stem from the Musk acquisition. Taking the company private saddled it with nearly $13 billion USD ($17.6 billion CAD) in debt. The Wall Street Journal reported that annual interest payments on the debt will be over $1 billion USD (roughly $1.4 billion CAD). So, it’s hardly a surprise Musk is scrambling to squeeze as much money out of Twitter users as he can.

Not about the money

Unsurprisingly, Twitter users have reacted poorly to the idea of paying for verification. Plenty of people think $20/mo USD is too much for verification (and realistically, that’s all you’re paying for since the rest of Twitter Blue currently isn’t worth the $6.49 asking price). Frankly, $8/mo USD is also too much. Any amount is too much. And as funny as it is seeing all the Musk stans tweeting at blue-check users that they should suck it up and pay for it because they can obviously afford it — there seems to be a weird disconnect where these people think every verified user is flush with cash — it’s really not about the money.

Twitter verification was implemented as a way to distinguish high-profile accounts as authentic. Politicians, government officials, celebrities, journalists, and other high-profile users apply for verification, which authenticates that the account holder is who they say they are. Then the blue checkmark signals to other Twitter users that the account is authentic, making it easy to see at a glance whether a tweet is authentic or not. It’s a vital tool on a network like Twitter, where things move incredibly fast. The Verge does an excellent job breaking down Twitter’s verification system and why it’s so important.

All that said, Twitter’s current verification system is imperfect and could certainly use an overhaul. It’s had problems with availability, inconsistency, and more. Making people pay for verification likely isn’t going to fix those issues, and it stands to open the floodgates if anyone can just buy a verification badge. Perhaps the right solution is a twofold system, a free badge that authenticates high-profile users and a badge for anyone who pays.

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Potins

Tom Taylor’s $125k pay day

Tom Taylor could quadruple his fee for ‘The Dark Tower’ – if it becomes a franchise.

The 16-year-old actor – best known for playing Tom Foster in hit BBC TV series ‘Doctor Foster’ – stars opposite Idris Elba and Matthew McConnaughey in the Stephen King big screen adaptation, and may land a $500,000 pay day if he stars in a third instalment of the film.

According to gossip website TMZ, Tom’s contract says he was paid $125,000 for his performance as Jake Chambers, a young boy who is transported into a post-apocalyptic world he has seen in his dreams.

But his salary could be doubled if there is a sequel, and he will make $500,000 to appear in a third ‘Dark Tower’ movie.

What’s more, if he is lined-up to play Jake in a TV adaptation of the action fantasy then he would be due to rake in $30,000 per episode.

However, since the movie’s release last year it has taken in just $111 million worldwide, and plans for a sequel are said to have been put on hold.

Tom previously revealed he had to audition for the role of Jake eight times.

He said: "I did eight auditions. I got flown to LA to meet Idris Elba and the director. I kind of thought, ‘What the hell am I doing?’ at that point.

"I heard they looked through a lot of different people. At one point I think they were going to go and do a street-casting in New York, so the fact that I got it was even more amazing.

"It was a huge deal – they picked an English actor."

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Potins

Idris Elba admits to a ‘clash of conscience’ over gunslinger role

Idris Elba suffered a "clash of conscience" about playing a gunslinger in ‘The Dark Tower’.

The London-born actor has admitted to having had second thoughts about accepting the role of Roland Deschain in the Western movie, which is a continuation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name, because he didn’t want to glorify gun violence.

He explained: "I had a clash of conscience with my character. In America, there’s a real awareness of gun culture. I had to break down why he’s good at shooting.

"We erred on the side of ‘This is his tool. It’s set in this world that’s part of Stephen King’s imagination, and it is what it is…"

But Idris, 44, admitted he risked upsetting the film studio by being so candid about his moral dilemma.

Speaking to Esquire magazine, he confessed: "I’ll probably be crucified by the film company for even mentioning this."

Idris has enjoyed significant success on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean during his career, starring as Stringer Bell in the popular HBO series ‘The Wire’ and more recently, appearing as DCI John Luther in the BBC TV show ‘Luther’.

But Idris previously promised to stay true to his East London roots, regardless of how rich and famous he becomes.

The acclaimed actor – who has been repeatedly touted as the man to replace Daniel Craig as James Bond over recent years – insisted he is keen to stay in touch with his humble beginnings in the UK capital.

He explained: "I think my heart and my blood are definitely still in East London."

And although he spends an increasing amount of his time alongside Hollywood stars, Idris still feels very connected to his home city.

The self-confessed "workaholic" said: "I feel like if you spread out my veins, it would be all over East London."

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Cinéma

Ben Affleck to direct Stephen King’s The Stand

American actor, writer and director, Ben Affleck, will direct a new adaption of Stephen King’s epic novel The Stand, reports Deadline.

Affleck has directed Gone Baby Gone and The Town, and also won an Oscar as co-writer of the screenplay Good Will Hunting, with Matt Damon. 

Stephen King’s 823-page post-apocalyptic novel was originally published in 1978, and reissued with added and revised sections in 1990, clocking in at 1,152 pages.

The story begins when a biological weapon decimates humanity, and ends with the confrontation of two groups of survivors, formed according to their beliefs and convictions, in a good vs. evil showdown.

In 1994, Gary Sinise starred in the televisions miniseries based on the book. In a recent interview, author Stephen King mentioned that he could see Jake Gyllenhaal as the lead in The Stand.

In the meantime, Affleck is directing and acting in the dramatic comedy Argo which will open September 24, 2012.

The Armageddon star just finished filming an untitled Terrence Malick (The New World, The Tree of Life) project – a romance costarring Rachel McAdams, Jessica Chastain, and Javier Bardem, slated for release next year.

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Potins

Stephen King Pens Shining Sequel

During his trip to Toronto this week, King revealed that he has begun to work on the follow-up to his popular novel The Shining.

However, the author said that he is extremely nervous about the idea of writing the sequel to one of his best known stories. "Maybe if I keep talking about it I won’t have to write it," he joked.

The working title of the novel is Doctor Sleep, and the story takes place 40 years later, focusing on the main character, Jack Torrance’s son, Danny, who sensed the evil spirits and danger when his father was taking care of a hotel.

The Shining was brought to the big screen in 1980. The epic horror flick was directed by Stanley Kubrick and starred Jack Nicholson, with a budget of 22 million dollars.

The project didn’t exactly astonish Stephen King, who decided to do a miniseries on his book in 1997. He tried to keep the story line as close as possible to the novel, in contrast to the film. The miniseries was directed by Mick Garris and starred Steven Weber in the role of Jack Torrance.

The Shining was Stephen King’s third book, but was the one that shot him to bestselling fame.
 

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Cinéma

Another Stephen King Novel To Hit Silver Screen

Warner Bros. is currently working with screenwriter Dave Kajganich (The Invasion) to adapt the novel to the big screen.

It is the story of a killer in a small town in Maine who disguises himself as a clown.  The book was previously adapted into a television miniseries set in 1958, but the film will be set in present day.  The miniseries, released in 1990, starred Tom Curry, Annette O’Toole, Tim Reid, John Ritter, Seth Green and Emily Perkins.

 

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Cinéma

Trailer for The Mist

The website IGN.com has just published an exclusive trailer for the suspense The Mist, which will be in theatres on November 21.

Marcia Gay Hayden, who won an Oscar in 2000 for Pollock, will be starring in this film. The rest of the cast includes: Toby Jones, Thomas Jane, Andre Braugher, Frances Sternhagen, Jeffrey DeMunn, Laurie Holden and Amin Joseph. They were directed by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Frankenstein).

In this movie, there are a group of people who are imprisoned in a supermarket while a murderer roams their city.

To see the trailer click here.

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Cinéma

First Trailer for The Mist

In this Frank Darabont movie adaptation of the Stephen King book, there is a mysterious fog that covers the sky in a small town.  Residents gather in a local supermarket, while strange creatures emerge in this town.

The movie is starring Andre Braugher, Frances Sternhagen, Jeffrey DeMunn, Laurie Holden, Marcia Gay Harden, Thomas Jane, Toby Jones and William Sadler.

The movie will be in theatres on November 21.

To see the trailer click here.

Categories
Cinéma

Marcia Gay Harden in the Mist

Gay Harden, Oscar winner in 2000 for Pollock, will be playing opposite Toby Jones in the movie The Mist.  Other cast members include Thomas Jane, Andre Braugher, and Amin Joseph.

This thriller will be directed by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Frankenstein).

The Mist tells the story of a group of people that seek refuge in a supermarket because there is a murderer among them.

The Mist will be in theatres on November 21.

Categories
Potins

JK Rowling Wins Battle With Airport Security

According to Femalefirst, Rowling had to convince security personnel to allow her to pass the carry-on baggage limits.  The author was traveling with her hand-written manuscript of the next Harry Potter book.

Rowling, 41, wrote on her official website,
"I refused to be parted from the manuscript of book seven. A large part of it is handwritten and there was no copy of anything I had done while in the US. They let me take it on thankfully, bound up in elastic bands."

The writer was given permission to bring her work on the plane with her, although the recent terrorist arrests in London have elevated airport security even further.

JK Rowling was in New York to participate in a charity event along with other authors, Stephen King and John Irving.