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Informa Tech is the organizer of the popular Game Developers Conference (GDC). They announced recently that they will be launching GDC Summer this August as a “three-day celebration of the art, craft and business of game development.” Fans can expect some of the same “high level of expert-led talks as the traditional GDC” but it will be mixed with a 2-day expo show floor to create a unique GDC experience.

AT GDC Summer 2020, fans will be able to check out new technical content, microtalks, fireside chats, and even dedicated spaces to help individuals develop their careers with topics including how to pitch your game.

GDC Summer 2020 will take place from August 4-6 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The team organizing the event are continuously monitoring the situation with COVID-19 though as safety is a paramount concern for them.

With most other conventions shutting down, I am interested to see if GDC Summer will be able to actually launch this year. If it does, it could serve as a great event for gaming fans.

I have to admit, I cheated on this one. I bought supplies to make these “Calm Down Jars” instead of using what I already had. However, I wanted to make them for several reasons. One, they are super fun. Two, this is a very tense situation we are in right now. I tend towards anxiety on a good day, and while I work really hard to cope with that on my own and not let it affect my kids, I don’t exist in a vacuum, and kids are perceptive. We can all use a little stress relief, and people find things like lava lamps, jellyfish aquariums, and these kind of shaker jars very soothing.

So while yes, I could have used some of the mason jars I already have for this, Finn throws stuff when he tantrums, and I really really did not want to clean up a bunch of broken glass, corn syrup, and glitter if he decided to chuck one at the wall. I bought plastic jars from amazon, but when I got them I realized they are pretty much just peanut butter jars, so if you do not want to buy anything still, you can just reuse a peanut butter jar. Some people also recommend reusing Voss water bottles, if you happened to stockpile fancy Norwegian water before the pandemic hit our shores. I also bought oil based food coloring because i wanted to make the oil jars and I didn’t own any. And I got new glitter because my husband mostly won’t let us have any in the house. (I have included a photo that explains that rule…)

In the end, this is a very simple, easy craft that can fill some time in the making and, once made, help keep the edge off while we navigate the weird situation we are currently in.

For the glitter jars, you will need:

• Jars, any kind, mason jars, old Voss water bottles, peanut butter jars, etc (I used these.)

• Light corn syrup (You can also use glue, just a bit less of it, about 20% instead of 33%. Also, clear glue is better than white glue.)

• Very warm water

• GLITTER! (Must be fine, don’t listen to anyone who says differently)

• Food coloring

Most tutorials suggest mixing this all together in a mixing bowl and then pouring it into the jars, but I am hella lazy, so I just filled the jar about 1/3 full of corn syrup, added the water and food coloring (i would not do more than like 3 drops of food coloring total), put the lid on, shook it up a bunch, added the glitter, then topped it off with more water if necessary. If all of the glitter is just floating at the top, you can add about 3 drops of dish soap, and that should help. We made a glitter fail jar that used HUGE glitter and it never did mix in. So don’t use big glitter. Keep it fine. And keep it to about 1.5-2 tablespoons of glitter. That should provide plenty of swirly, glittery fun.

For the oil jars, you will need:

• Jars

• Baby oil (You could probably get away with a light colored cooking oil here too)

• Oil based food coloring (like these)

• Toothpicks

• Water

• Water based food coloring (which is just the standard kind)

This is Nico’s favorite jar. He really loves mixing it up and watching the colors separate. Plus, since we used a mix of green and blue, when the colors are mixed together they make aqua, which is his favorite color. Start by filling your jar about half full of baby oil. Dip a toothpick into your oil based food dye, then swirl it around in the baby oil until you hit your desired vibrancy. Then add water based food coloring (of a different color) to warm water, and pour it into the jar. Seal and shake. IMPORTANT: For this one, I would absolutely caution against using too much food dye. On our first attempt, we decided to do blue oil and red water, and we used WAY too much red food coloring. It made our jar almost completely opaque. I ended up pouring it all into a Ziploc bag, letting it settle, then draining the red water out by snipping a corner of the bag and pinching it closed when we hit the oil (this is also the low budget way to separate the fat from the drippings to make gravy). On our second try we reused the probably still too dark blue oil, but this time added water with like one drop of water based food coloring.

Shaken up

At rest

This is the one with way too much dye…

A more appropriate amount of dye

And this is why we enforce a strict “no glitter in the house” rule…

I’ve got a great short film for you to watch today that was sent in to us by a reader. This is a fantasy Samurai film titled Oni, which sees a young man facing off with a demon who haunts his soul. It’s a beautifully shot film with stunning visuals that I think you’ll all love.

The movie comes from Anthony Pietromonaco, who previously created a great Star Wars fan film titled Dark Legacy. In case you missed that, you can check it out here.

Oni is a great short film totally worth six-minutes of your time, so watch it below and let us know what you think!

Exclusive: Courtney B. Vance on The Hunt for Red October 30th anniversary

Courtney B. Vance has led an incredible career from his debut in the 1987 war drama Hamburger Hill to the Oscar-winning fantasy dramedy The Preacher’s Wife and his Emmy-winning turn in the FX true crime epic The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. This year marks the 30th anniversary of his first major studio effort, The Hunt for Red October, and while discussing his upcoming Netflix drama Uncorked, ComingSoon.net got the chance to chat with the star about the Oscar-winning spy thriller.

Purchase your copy of The Hunt for Red October 30th Anniversary 4K UHD SteelBook here!

When looking back at the Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin-led thriller, Vance laughs as he mentions that people come up to him “quite often” and shout the iconic lines “Crazy Ivan” and “Pavarotti” and that the film was very “impactful” for him, but that there was a struggle in getting on the role.

“It was very impactful for me because that was my first big film and it was my first big studio film, and I read the book and I really, really wanted to play that character and it was very challenging for me to get in because I was in a play at the Public Theater and had to go to battle and go to bat with the union on both coasts because the general manager at the Public at the time didn’t want to let me out,” Vance described. “So it got ugly, but eventually, when I did get the role and it came up, they refused to let me go, and so it was ugly for me a minute, but ultimately, they did let me go do it. At the beginning, at the outset of it, it was very stressful. But once I got it, Sam Neill and James Earl and Alec Baldwin, it was just a great, great group, and I had a wonderful time. It was a very impactful life moment for me.”

In developing his performance as Sonar Technician Submarines Second Class Ronald Jones, Vance found he didn’t have to model it on any one person, as the character was a “very unique gentlemen” which made it easy to find his own take for the role.

“You know, everything I start with myself and just begin to build it with the director,” Vance said. “I mean, Rogers was on the case because he was kind of a showy fellow. In the context of the submarine, Navy life, he came out with glasses. But he was somebody that was very passionate about what he did, and being the ears and the eyes of the ship, it’s very wonderful to have somebody colorful in that position. I’m sure in that world, the radar/sonar person tends to be probably colorful like that because a ship relies so on his or her ears.”

RELATED: Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Season 2 Drops One Day Early on Amazon

Based on the 1984 Tom Clancy novel of the same name, the film is set in the late Cold War era and follows rogue Soviet naval captain Marko Aleksandrovich Ramius (Connery) as he sails his submarine, an advanced nuclear missile sub, towards the United States in an effort to defect. CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Baldwin) deduces this motive, despite his superiors believing it to be an act of war, and must board the submarine and prove the truth before the situation spirals out of control.

In addition to Connery, Baldwin and Vance, the ensemble cast also includes Scott Glenn (Castle Rock), Sam Neill (Jurassic Park), James Earl Jones (The Lion King), Jeffrey Jones (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), Tim Curry (The Rocky Horror Picture Show) and Stellan Skarsgård (Dune).

The Hunt for Red October was a smash upon release, grossing over $200 million on a $30 million budget and scoring rave reviews from critics for its cat-and-mouse game of espionage and the performances from its cast and went on to be nominated for three Oscars, winning for Best Sound Effects Editing.

Uncorked premieres on Netflix on Friday!

The post Exclusive: Courtney B. Vance on Hunt for Red October 30th Anniversary appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

It’s National Puppy Day today, which means we should all be celebrating our favorite dogs and slipping them some extra treats.

Fathom Events recently announced some changes to their upcoming events. Due to COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, Fathom has decided to cancel four of their upcoming events:

• Bolshoi Ballet: Jewels

• Steven Universe: The Movie Sing-A-Long Event

• The Met: Live in HD – Tosca

• The Met: Live in HD – Maria Stuarda

In addition to canceling these events, Fathom has decided to postpone many of their other upcoming events including the Apollo 13 25th Anniversary, Children of the Sea, Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna, and much more:

• Apollo 13 25th Anniversary

• Bolshoi Ballet: Romeo and Juliet

• Braveheart 25th Anniversary

• Chasing Whiskey

• Children of the Sea

• Climate Hustle 2

• Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna

• Dino Dana The Movie

• Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] I. presage flower & II. lost butterfly Double Feature

• Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] III. spring song

• Gladiator 20th Anniversary

• I Am Patrick

• Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle II

• PROMARE (Complete)

• Robert the Bruce

• Sight & Sound Theatres® presents: JESUS

• TCM Big Screen Classics: A League of Their Own

• The Carol Burnett Show: Laugh All Night

• The Rachel and Dave Hollis Variety Show

I was really looking forward to some of these events and I know many fans will be sad to hear about these changes.

Supernatural on Hiatus After Tonight; ‘Fully Intend to Return & Finish the Series’

Showrunner Andrew Dabb shared on Twitter today that tonight’s new episode will be the “last episode for awhile.” He clarified that while they have filmed through Episode 1.18, their “visual effects and sound departments have closed because of the outbreak.” In better news, Dabb shared that they, “The CW, and Warner Bros. fully intend to return and finish the series” when they are able to. You can view Dabb’s tweets below and catch Episode 15.13 “Destiny’s Child” tonight on The CW!

(Clarification: We have filmed through episode 18, however our visual effects and sound departments have closed because of the outbreak. So, right now, the episodes can’t be finished. However, have some special treats coming along the way– to help us all get through this.)

— Andrew Dabb (@andrewdabb) March 23, 2020

(And yes, we, the CW, and Warner Bros fully intend to return and finish the series. It’s not a matter of “if”, it’s a matter of “when.”)

— Andrew Dabb (@andrewdabb) March 23, 2020

Written by Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming and directed by Amyn Kaderali, the official synopsis for episode 15.13 reads:

“A search for the one thing that may give the Winchesters an edge against God leads Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) to Jo’s (guest star Danneel Ackles) door and to a secret that may have died with Ruby (guest star Genevieve Padalecki). Meanwhile, Castiel (Misha Collins) asks Jack (Alexander Calvert) to do the unthinkable to help the brothers in their quest.”

RELATED: Supernatural 15.13 Promo: Destiny’s Child

The epic journey of the Winchester brothers comes to a close as Supernatural enters its final season. Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) and the angel Castiel (Misha Collins) have conquered monsters, demons, Heaven and Hell, and in the show’s 14th season, the Winchesters grappled with the Archangel Michael possessing Dean. In a valiant act, Sam and Dean’s surrogate son Jack (Alexander Calvert) destroyed his soul to redeem his adoptive father. But this proved to be a fatal error, leading to the accidental death of Mary Winchester (Samantha Smith). The 14th season also featured the return of John Winchester (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) for the show’s historic 300th episode.

Now, heading into their 15th season, Sam and Dean find themselves facing a threat beyond anything they’ve ever grappled with… anything they’ve ever imagined: God himself.

Purchase Seasons 1-12 of Supernatural here.

The long-running series is created by Eric Kripke (The Boys, Timeless, The House with a Clock in Its Walls) with Andrew Dabb and Robert Singer serving as co-showrunners and executive producers. Season 15 will be consisting of 20 episodes.

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The post Supernatural on Hiatus After Tonight; ‘Fully Intend to Return & Finish the Series’  appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

On Friday we reported that approximately 120,000 below-the-line entertainment industry jobs have been lost for the time being due to the current pandemic. That’s 80% of the 150,000 members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the union that has made a plea for funding from the pending federal relief package. But while these workers wait for the government to kick in, Netflix has stepped up to provide them some help.

Netflix announced last week that they would be paying two weeks salary to their crews for the time they’d be off during the shutdown of all Netflix original movies and series, but now they are stepping up even bigger, and setting up a $100 Million relief fund for those in the entertainment industry who are impacted by the pandemic shutdown.

Here’s how some of those funds will be allocated:

Beyond helping workers on our own productions, we also want to support the broader film and television industry. So $15 million of the fund will go to third parties and non-profits providing emergency relief to out-of-work crew and cast in the countries where we have a large production base.

In the United States and Canada non-profits already exist to do this work. We will be donating $1 million each to the SAG-AFTRA Covid-19 Disaster Fund, the Motion Picture and Television Fund and the Actors Fund Emergency Assistance in the US, and $1 million between the AFC and Fondation des Artistes. In other regions, including Europe, Latin America and Asia where we have a big production presence, we are working with existing industry organizations to create similar creative community emergency relief efforts. We will announce the details of donations to groups in other countries next week.

This is a great step-up from the streaming giant. They have the funds, and the people who make the entertainment happen behind the scenes desperately need it. Way to go, guys.

Exclusive The Incoherents Trailer From Filmmaker Jared Barel

ComingSoon.net has an exclusive trailer for Jared Barel’s The Incoherents. The Rock N’ Roll comedy will release on VOD platforms in North America on April 28 by Gravitas Ventures. You can check out the trailer below!

RELATED: Exclusive The Legion Trailer Starring Mickey Rourke & Bai Ling

From director/producer Jared Barel and writer/producer Jeff Auer, The Incoherents sees four 40-somethings each mired in some sort of midlife malaise reunite their 90’s indie rock band, starring Jeff Auer, Alex Emanuel, Robert McKay, Walter Hoffman, Casey Clark as The Incoherents, with Amy Carlson (Blue Bloods), Annette O’Toole (The Punisher), Kate Arrington (Ray Donovan), Robert McKay (Asunder the Series), Margaret Anne Florence (Sun Records) and Christine Chang (New Amsterdam) rounding out the cast.

Bruce Flansburgh (Jeff Auer) is a bored, 40-something New York paralegal who hasn’t let go of his dream of rock stardom. While slogging through an increasingly unbearable day to day existence, it dawns on him that the reunions of The Pixies, Soundgarden and other alternative/indie rock bands from the ’90s could inspire his former group, The Incoherents, to reform. The group, each mired in some sort of midlife malaise, reunite their 90’s indie rock band for one last shot at stardom.

RELATED: Lost Transmissions Trailer Starring Simon Pegg & Juno Temple

Alex Emanuel, who plays the role of Jimmy, served as music supervisor with Jeff Auer having written several of the original songs he performs in the film. Guitarist Sean Eden (Luna) and drummer Kevin March (Guided By Voices) perform on the tracks. The film also includes musical performances from Tony Winner (Stew), Jimmy Gnecco (Ours), Fiona Silver, Gentlemen Brawlers and the band 60/40, plus appearances by Chris Barron (The Spin Doctors), Jack McKeever, Joe Hurley and Richard Barone. The original songs and the soundtrack are love letters to the 80’s/early 90’s Rock ‘N’ Roll scene in America.

The post Exclusive The Incoherents Trailer From Filmmaker Jared Barel appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

Diamond will cease comic book distribution to stores

In an enormous blow to the direct market, Diamond Comic Distributors will cease accepting new comic books from printers, as confirmed by ComicBook. Diamond is the largest distributor of comics in North America, with exclusive distribution arrangements with most major publishers including Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Dark Horse, IDW, Image and more.

This news is obviously born out of the current COVID-19 outbreak and its crippling effect on most industries. Comic book retailers are particularly vulnerable, as most operate on slim margins and face competition from online retailers like Amazon or digital comics purveyors such as Comixology. With the shutdown of Diamond, brick and mortar comics retailers will effectively be unable to function.

The outlet notes that Diamond will continue to ship out comics and other product already in its warehouse for now, but it will not be long before the flow of new issues ceases entirely.

The move comes less than two weeks after Diamond cancelled its annual retailer summit, which was to have taken place April 14-16 in Orlando, Florida. Shortly after that the promotional event Free Comic Book May was also postponed until an unspecified date later this year.

Prior to the current pandemic, 2020 was expected to be a huge year for comic book movies in the cinemas including the already-released Birds of Prey and Bloodshot as well as the forthcoming The New Mutants, Black Widow, Wonder Woman 1984, The Eternals, Morbius, Venom 2 and The King’s Man.

The post Diamond Will Cease Comic Book Distribution to Stores appeared first on ComingSoon.net.