Legendary hip-hop duo Salt-N-Pepa to headline Famously Hot New Year concert

Sandra 'Pepa' Denton, Cheryl James that are looking at the camera: The legendary Grammy-award winning group is known for their Billboard chart-topping singles ”Shoop” and “Whatta Man.” © Provided by Columbia WIS TV The legendary Grammy-award winning group is known for their Billboard chart-topping singles "Shoop" and "Whatta Man."
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - This year, Salt-N-Pepa will headline the Famously Hot New Year celebration in downtown Columbia.
The legendary Grammy-award winning group is known for their Billboard chart-topping singles "Shoop" and "Whatta Man." They were instrumental in paving the way for female artists in hip-hop.
RELATED | Famously Hot NYE in Columbia implements clear bag policy
Gates open at 6:30 p.m. and three groups will perform before Salt-N-Pepa takes the stage at 10:30 p.m.
The celebration, now in its ninth year, will also feature The High Divers and Columbia's own Cottontown Soul Society.
Cottontown Soul Society drops by WIS 🎷
SNEAK PEEK: Today live in studio — check out Cottontown Soul Society, Columbia's own that will be opening for Salt N Pepa on NYE at Famously Hot New Year! Don't miss them at 7:30 p.m.! Here's a little taste to get you excited!
Posted by WIS TV on Thursday, December 19, 2019
Following the concert, there will be a countdown to midnight and fireworks to ring in the New Year.
Alcohol sales end at 12:30 a.m. and gates close at 1 a.m.
Famously Hot New Year is a free event. For information on parking, free transportation, street closures and other FAQs, click or tap here.
Copyright 2019 WIS. All rights reserved.

DC Universe Online: Are You Metal Part II

DC Universe Online: Are You Metal Part II
Since the last DC Universe Online (DCUO) column was posted, Daybreak has given us an early Christmas present. The development team dropped Episode 36: Metal Part II (EP36) just a few weeks ago. Metal Part II is the last half of the DCUO content inspired by the Dark Nights: Metal storyline that ran through the DC Comic books in the last half of 2017. We had a chance to fly into the new content on the Switch platform. If you played the prior update, Update 97 which was the Metal Part I content, you'll find there's not too many surprises. Welcome to our newest episode about all things DC Universe Online!
EP36 story begins from the point where Earth is sinking into the Dark Multiverse. Two of the three heroes that make up the DC "Trinity", Batman and Superman, are missing. Meanwhile Hawkman and Hawkgirl's home planet of Thanagar have a world-destroying gun aimed at Earth believing this is the best course of action.
EP36 contains much of the same format, following the footsteps of a typical DCUO "episode formula". Players are treated to new open-world missions on Thanagar, a new 2-player duo, a new alert and two new raids.
In this new content you'll team-up with Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter, and Batman to battle "Dark Multiverse" alternate versions of Batman. Before you're done, you'll need to defeat iconic Dark Knights: Metal villains like Dawnbreaker, the Drowned, and the Bat God Barbatos, leader of the Dark Knights and the "guy" who started this whole mess.
For a limited time, special "Event" versions of all content in Metal Part II are available to all players level 15 and above! When this episode is no longer a "special event", i.e. when it's considered part of the standard game, it'll be playable by characters level 30 with a minimum Combat Rating (i.e. gear score) of 264.
When you warp to the Hawk planet of Thanagar you'll meet up with Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter, and Green Lantern T'Larto to take part in daily and weekly missions.
Figure 1 Don't point that thing at me!
Thanagar is a beautiful open city zone, not as large as a Metropolis or Gotham City but spacious. The missions here are standard fare for DCUO, "save X Thanagarians before they become metallized", "collection 15 chained Lantern Rings", etc. Completion awards you the new Thanagarian Marks.
Figure 2 Up, Up and Away... err Maybe Not?
The one odd thing about this zone is that some parts of the city had a ceiling / height restriction (see above). Meaning, I couldn't fly above all buildings. This was an odd thing to encounter when players are used to such vertically spatial zones such as Gotham City. I'm not quite sure if this was a "works as designed", technical limitation or schedule thing.
Figure 3 A lot of star power here, good and evil
In the new two-player instance (i.e. duo) players arrive at the familiar Oblivion Bar to meet. Straight out of the comic book story this is one of the few seemingly safe places left after the events of Metal Part I. This is a meeting of the last of Earth's resistance, including you and your partner, to decide how to respond to the Dark Knights and the sinking of our universe into the Dark Multiverse.
This duo takes you on a journey through Batman's nightmares to fight some ghosted versions of Batman's foes, and allies. For the most part it's very well done and was fun to run through initially!
Figure 4 A familiar foe from Batman lore
Figure 5 I need some air
This new four-player instance takes you to Atlantis' Silent School, and OA's Sciencells to stop the Dark Knights. Along the way your squad will take on Dawnbreaker who has taken over the Sciencells. You'll face the Drowned in Atlantis where you'll also come across Aquaman who sounds almost like he's voiced by Nathan Fillion.
Figure 6 Batman always wins
The story and artwork through this duo were both very satisfying. DC Comic Book lore fans should enjoy it. Throughout the mechanics are straightforward, especially if you pay attention to the audio clues as usual.
Figure 7 Dress like Dawnbreaker or Hawkman
There are also two new eight player raids, each supporting Normal and Elite mode, that continue the Dark Knights: Metal story.
In "The Phoenix Cannon" you and seven other players will meet Batman, Wonder Woman, and Hawkgirl on Thanagar. The plan is to using the Atlan key along with the Phoenix Cannon to venture into the Dark Multiverse.
"Into The Dark Multiverse" takes your team, along with Batman, Wonder Woman, and Hawkgirl into the Dark Multiverse. The goal is to take the fight to Barbatos as well as find and rescue Superman. This raid even has a cool card game challenge within it!
Figure 8 The cause of all our misery
Both raids do take some time to complete but are worth the time for any DC Comics story mongers. The new character models used throughout are nicely detailed with sharp crisp lines. These raids add quite a few feat points to obtain by meeting certain conditions, etc.
As is typical with each episode the developers add more feats, styles and base items to collect.
The avarice Lantern Larfleeze is back! DCUO has its own Christmas event in "Seasons Greedings". Find and recover the stolen gifts in Metropolis and Gotham City before it's too late! The 2019 rendition adds three new feats and you can collect the current winter styles and festive base items.
Figure 9 Some nice styles for your Ice Tank perhaps?
EP36 isn't going to convert any non-DCUO players into active players. The episode continues to use a tried and true formula that seems to succeed for its die-hard player base.
This episode's story content is beautiful, and sometimes aged, but nice to play through for the DC lore lovers, at least once. The writers and artists have done justice to the Dark Knights: Metal DC Comics campaign.
Players on some platforms, like the Nintendo Switch, might find the queue times a bit lengthy. Unfortunately, the Nintendo Switch player base has seemed to dwindle. This is concerning to someone who has 7 months left on his subscription, DOH! Maybe a cross-play solution is in the cards for the future? Dauntless has done it, why not anyone else?
Nevertheless, with EP36 DCUO continues to be the superhero game for people who love DC Comics lore or for those who like to keep hunting for that "perfect" costume style piece or cool looking base item.

‘Power Rangers’ Movie Reboot in Development at Paramount From Jonathan Entwistle

Another feature film reboot of the campy '90s kids show "Power Rangers" is in the works, moving over to Paramount and Hasbro from Lionsgate, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
Jonathan Entwistle, the creator of the series "The End of the F***ing World," is in early negotiations to direct the film. Patrick Burleigh, who wrote "Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway," will write the script. The new film will involve a time travel element in which modern day kids are sent back to the 1990s and are forced to find their way home.
The '90s TV show, originally called "The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers," was inspired by a Japanese children's show and was the story of five children who don colorful suits and helmets and would fight supervillains and giant, robot monsters by morphing into their own mech fighters.
The series received a movie in 1995 but then most recently was rebooted as a gritty, YA property in 2017 as released by Lionsgate and Saban Films. The film made only $142 million on a budget of around $100 million, scrapping hopes for a bigger franchise.
Hasbro's Allspark Pictures is producing the film after purchasing the property from series creator Haim Saban in 2018.
Entwistle's teenage dark comedy "The End of the F***ing World" has run for two seasons on Netflix, and he's next gearing up another Netflix show called "I'm Not Okay With This," which also involves a teenager dealing with superpowers.
Entwistle is represented by CAA and Grandview.
THR was first to report the news of the reboot.

  • "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" After 24 years on the air, "Power Rangers" is going back to its roots with a new movie that puts a new spin on the original team of "teenagers with attitude' from Angel Grove. But what happened to the original team that excited little kids and sent action figures flying off the shelves back in 1993? Here's where the original Rangers, allies and villains are now.
  • austin st. john power rangers red ranger AUSTIN ST. JOHN (Red Ranger):The Taekwondo and judo black belt who played team leader Jason Scott Lee went on to work as an overseas paramedic, according to his Facebook profile. After leaving "Power Rangers" midway through Season 2 due to a contract dispute, he returned to the series in "Power Rangers Zeo" and in "Forever Red," a 10th anniversary special that brought together all the Red Rangers from the series.
  • thuy trang yellow ranger power rangers THUY TRANG (Yellow Ranger): The actress who played California teen Trini Kawn died in a car accident in 2001. But before that, she starred in two movies outside of the "Power Rangers" universe, 1996 comedy "Spy Hard" and 1996 action film "The Crow: City of Angels."
  • david yost blue ranger power rangers DAVID YOST (Blue Ranger):Yost appeared in over 200 episodes of "Power Rangers" as brainiac Billy Cranston before leaving in 1996. In a 2010 interview, he revealed his departure was due to harassment from the production crew over his homosexuality. He's recently worked as a reality TV producer on shows like "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" and is slated to appear in "The Order," a short action film starring various "Power Rangers" alumni including Austin St. John and Walter Emanuel Jones
  • black ranger power rangers WALTER JONES (Black Ranger):This 43-year-old actor played Zack Taylor for one-and-a-half seasons before leaving with Trang and St. John. He had a cameo role in later "Power Rangers" seasons as some of the monsters the Rangers fought. He has dozens of voice, film and TV guest roles to his name, including a bit role in "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping."
  • AMY JO JOHNSON (Pink Ranger):The 43-year-old actress who played Kimberly Hart on the show's first three seasons went on to several more lead TV roles on shows like "Felicity," "The Division," and "Flashpoint." Now a married mom, she has a cameo in the new "Power Rangers" movie as a citizen in Angel Grove.
  • JASON DAVID FRANK (Green/White Ranger): After joining "Power Rangers" midway through the first season as Tommy Oliver, Frank remained on the show until midway through its fifth season, "Power Rangers Turbo." In 2004, he played Tommy again in "Power Rangers Dino Thunder" and guest starred in a 2014 episode of the series for its 20th anniversary. Outside of "Power Rangers," he started a career as a karate instructor and MMA fighter, winning four amateur bouts and one pro bout.
  • PAUL SCHRIER AND JASON NARVY (Bulk and Skull):The comic relief duo stayed on "Power Rangers" longer than anyone else on the original cast, appearing in the first six seasons. Schrier played Bulk in two more seasons in 1999 and 2011, with Narvy having guest appearances as Skull in both. Both actors remain friends to this day and have appeared at "Power Rangers" fan conventions, while Schrier has worked as a voice actor and director in animation.
  • ROBERT L. MANAHAN (Zordon):Manahan became the voice of the Rangers' mentor midway through the first season and remained in the role until Zordon's final appearance on the show in 1998. Manahan died in 2000 of a heart aneurysm, with an episode of "Power Rangers" dedicated to his memory.
  • RICHARD WOOD (Alpha 5):The voice actor behind Zordon's panicky robot assistant went on to enjoy a long and prosperous career as a voice actor on kids' cartoons, including lead roles in "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy" and "Invader Zim." He also played several monsters du jour on later seasons of "Power Rangers."
  • BARBARA GOODSON (Rita Repulsa):While "Power Rangers" used footage from the Japanese "Sentai" series for Rita, her voice was dubbed by Goodson, who has over 300 voice acting roles in animated movies, TV series, and video games, including "Kiki's Delivery Service," "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," and "Naruto."
  • Previous Slide Next Slide 1 of 11
    With "Power Rangers" getting a movie reboot, we look back to see what has happened to the original team
    After 24 years on the air, "Power Rangers" is going back to its roots with a new movie that puts a new spin on the original team of "teenagers with attitude' from Angel Grove. But what happened to the original team that excited little kids and sent action figures flying off the shelves back in 1993? Here's where the original Rangers, allies and villains are now.

    Buddy Won't Tell Drops "But God I Love The Game" EP



    Buddy Won't Tell Drops "But God I Love The Game" EP

    Just when you were getting tired of looking for a breath of fresh air in indie  pop music, enters Buddy Won't Tell. The ever evolving world of indie pop isn't easy to follow at times. There are lots of options and new artists out there on Spotify on a weekly basis. Buddy Won't Tell comes in at the top of the pop game by way of his EP "But God I Love The Game". Why is that you ask? The answer is simple. The record is experimental, from the heart, and driven by life passion. Of the songs on the EP we have beautiful acoustic song, a ballad that shows a budding maturity in songwriting, and a pop song that creates the idea that pop songs can be produced from a blank canvas without boundaries. Even evidence of a radio rock sound pushes through. Dive into this one when you can. 

    Settlement in Documentary of Michael Jackson #Breakingnews

    a close up of Michael Jackson: Michael Jackson is estimated to have sold 350 million records, including "Thriller", the best-selling album of all time

     Timothy A. CLARY Michael Jackson is estimated to have sold 350 million records, including "Thriller", the best-selling album of all time
    Disney and Michael Jackson's estate have resolved a copyright dispute over a documentary about the late King of Pop that saw the Hollywood studio accused of breathtaking hypocrisy and aggressive tactics.
    "The Last Days of Michael Jackson", a two-hour program that aired on Disney-owned ABC in 2018, was accused of using the pop star's songs, music videos, concert footage and clips of his memorial service without permission.
    On Thursday, Jackson lawyer Howard Weitzman said in a statement to AFP: "The matter has been amicably resolved." No details of the settlement were provided.
    The Jackson estate's lawyers alleged in a complaint filed last year that Disney had ignored copyright law while zealously prosecuting anyone who infringed on its own intellectual property.
    "Unable to make a compelling presentation about Michael Jackson on its own, Disney decided to exploit the Jackson Estate's intellectual property," read the complaint.
    Disney has argued that the documentary -- a broad overview of Jackson's life -- made fair use of content including parts of hits "Billie Jean" and "Beat It", as allowed under copyright law.
    But the complaint noted that "Disney has threatened to sue independent childcare centers for having pictures of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck on their walls."
    "Disney once sued a couple on public assistance for $1 million when they appeared at children's parties dressed as an orange tiger and a blue donkey. Apparently, those costumes cut too close to Tigger and Eeyore for Disney's tastes," it added.
    Jackson is estimated to have sold 350 million records, including "Thriller", the best-selling album of all time.
    He amassed 13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one solo singles in the United States and became the first artist in history to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades.
    He died in June 2009 at age 50, while he was in the Los Angeles area practicing for a planned series of concerts in London entitled "This Is It".
    The cause was given as an overdose of the anesthetic propofol. His personal doctor, Conrad Murray, was convicted in 2011 for administering the fatal dose of medication to Jackson.
    The Jackson estate this year filed a $100 million lawsuit against HBO for "posthumous character assassination" after its documentary "Leaving Neverland" alleged that Jackson molested young boys at his fairytale-themed ranch.
    HBO has launched an appeal in its bid to dismiss the case.
    In his lifetime, Jackson denied all child sex allegations.
    amz/to

    Colbert Cold Open Turns Rudy Giuliani Into Worst Batman Ever (Video)

    "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" used its Tuesday cold open to turn President Trump ally Rudy Giuliani into the absolute worst Batman of all time.
    Yes, it was a particularly cold cold open. Brr.
    This all happened because Trump called his pal Giuliani "probably the greatest crime fighter over the last 50 years." To the Bat Cave!
    Cartoon graphics resembling the old "Batman" TV show's opening credits accompanied its iconic theme song. Adjectives — real or made up — like "Winey," (we think they meant "Whiney"?) "Drinky" and "Teethy" flashed onto the screen. Those replaced the "Sock!" and "Pow!" moments from Adam West's days as the Caped Crusader.
    Don't forget "Zok!" Whatever that is.
    Some of these villains should look familiar as well. Parody laws can be a great thing — just ask the CBS late-night show's graphics department.
    Think twice before the send up the "R" signal, however. Not only is Rudy probably going to mess it all up anyway, the former New York City mayor will be way out of breath by the time he gets there.
    We don't even want to know who this guy's Robin would be.
    Watch the Colbert video above.
    Reminisce with the 1966 version of the real ones below.
    Thank goodness for the Christopher Nolan movies.

  • batman logo We've arrived at the 30th anniversary of the release of Tim Burton's "Batman," the film that you could argue ushered in the modern age of big screen superheroes. But whether or not you agree with that idea, you can rest assured that you will almost certainly disagree with our rankings of all the Batman movies. Because that's just how these things go.
  • batman and robin 1949 15. "Batman and Robin" (1949) is just an abysmal experience, with a bad lead actor wearing a floppy-eared Batsuit. Though The Wizard, a villain original to this serial, is admittedly cool looking, it's not enough to stem the boredom in this four-hour slog.
  • batman 1943 grandfather clock 14. "Batman" (1943) gets points for novelty thanks to its hilariously over-the-top old fashioned World War II racism. But Batman's first onscreen appearance lacks pretty much everything that would mark it as an engaging filmgoing experience today. It's cool that a grandfather clock provides the entrance to the Batcave, though.
  • Justice League DC 13. "Justice League" (2017) is just total nonsense, and unlike "Batman v Superman" can't even boast a good performance from Affleck as Bruce Wayne. And it doesn't have the decency to be enjoyably bad like "Batman and Robin" or "The Dark Knight Rises."
  • batman and robin 1997 12. "Batman and Robin" (1997) is rightly hated, but it's tremendously entertaining here and there. Uma Thurman and Arnold Schwarzeneggar are going so far over the top I can't help but admire them.
  • dark knight rises 11. "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012) probably wasn't intended to be a grim and gritty Shumacher Batmovie, but that is indeed what it is. This is Nolan going full Hollywood, smashing plot points into place by sheer force of will rather than because they make sense. An extremely theatrical Tom Hardy as Bane is amusing front to back, and a nuke with a countdown clock on it will never get old.
  • batman v superman 10. "Batman v Superman: The Dawn of Justice" (2016) is nearly saved by Ben Affleck going all-out as Bruce Wayne, but director Zack Snyder just couldn't keep his plot on track. There's too much ground to cover, and the movie is too unfocused to ever really cover any of it.
  • batman 89 9. "Batman" (1989) is fondly remembered mostly because it was the first Batmovie in a couple decades. It isn't actually very good, though. The reveal that a younger version of the Joker killed Bruce Wayne's parents is as hamfistedly dumb as it gets in a "Batman" movie.
  • batman v superman ultimate edition 8. "Batman v Superman Ultimate Edition" does so much to improve the experience of watching it that it warrants its own entry -- it's basically a completely different move with all the important story beats and character moments it adds.
  • batman forever 7. "Batman Forever" (1995) hits just the right tone for what Joel Shumacher was trying to do with the two films he directed. Tommy Lee Jones, as Two Face, is doing stuff in this movie that is hard to believe even today, given his perpetual sour face in nearly every other movie he's been in.
  • batman mask of the phantasm 6. "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" (1993) Remember that time they released a "Batman" cartoon theatrically? It gets lost amongst all the live-action ones, but "Mask of the Phantasm" is better than most of them.
  • joker Todd Phillips 5. "The Dark Knight" (2008) should be way shorter, but Heath Ledger's Joker is far and away the best villain in any of these movies. Ledger elevates what would otherwise be just another self-indulgent Christopher Nolan exercise into an endlessly watchable picture.
  • Lego Batman Movie 4. "The LEGO Batman Movie" (2017) is funny, sweet and self-deprecating -- exactly what we needed in the wake of the disaster that was "Batman v Superman."
  • batman begins dead parents 3. "Batman Begins" (2005) is the most complete film, on its own, in the entire franchise. It's just, like, a regular movie except it's about Batman. It has actual characters and everything, and Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne even has emotions. It's weird.
  • batman returns 2. "Batman Returns" (1992) is one of the best of the franchise because it's really just a political thriller. The Penguin emerges from the sewer and runs for mayor of Gotham! It's great stuff, especially now that Donald Trump is president.
  • batman 66 1. "Batman: The Movie" (1966) has a timelessness that none of the other films do, and it's just a delight from beginning to end thanks to Adam West's winking Batman and the coalition of villains who can't stop cackling maniacally. Watching it again recently, I found it functions almost perfectly as a parody of the super-serious Christopher Nolan Batfilms, which is incredible.
  • Previous Slide Next Slide 1 of 16
    Celebrate the anniversary of Tim Burton's "Batman" by arguing about which Batman movie is the best
    We've arrived at the 30th anniversary of the release of Tim Burton's "Batman," the film that you could argue ushered in the modern age of big screen superheroes. But whether or not you agree with that idea, you can rest assured that you will almost certainly disagree with our rankings of all the Batman movies. Because that's just how these things go.

    DOOMSDAY CLOCK #12 Changes The DC Universe, Teases A Marvel Crossover, And Drops A Shocking Ending

    Believe it or not, it was over two years ago that Doomsday Clock #1 went on sale, and the final issue of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's long-delayed series finally arrived online and in stores today.
    It certainly delivers a satisfying conclusion to the DC Universe/Watchmen crossover and while it arguably isn't quite up there with HBO's Watchmen, it certainly wasn't a bad sequel to the original tale. However, the highlight was without a doubt all the major reveals this issue treated us to.
    From the promise of a Marvel crossover to a brand new era for the DC Universe and shocking returns and revelations about what comes next, Doomsday Clock #12 delivers plenty of surprises.
    So, to check out this recap of the issue, all you need to do is hit the "View List" button!
    66twixsh o
    As Superman is attacked by the world's international heroes, Dr. Manhattan watches on and counts down the minutes until eit her he comes to an end or he ends everything. However, that fateful punch he's seen the Man of Steel deliver wasn't actually aimed at him. Instead, Superman does the right thing and protects the mysterious being, because he's, well, Superman.
    This inspires Dr. Manhattan, and he uses his powers to end the fight and undo some of the changes he's made to the DC Universe since arriving. It's then the big reveals start to come..

    Disney Dazzles Wall Street, but What Will 2020 Hold for the Media Sector?

    Bob Iger wearing a suit and tie smiling at the camera© Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
    Looking back at the past decade, there's no legacy Hollywood player that has been able to cause quite as big of a stir on Wall Street as Disney. The company and its media sector peers spiraled into a tailspin in the mid-2010s after Disney chief Bob Iger uttered but a few mild words about cable subscriber losses; flash forward to Disney Plus' big unveiling in April, which sent the stock up nearly 12% in just one trading session.
    CONSTELLATION BRANDS, INC.
    As if through a Jedi mind trick, Disney has essentially shifted investors' focus off the industry's present (pay-TV declines) and onto its future (the potential for streaming services): These are not the metrics you are looking for, it is saying. Now, the company is strutting through the finance district with renewed swagger going into 2020 as the analyst community looks largely favorably on the House of Mouse.
    Jessica Reif Ehrlich of Bank of America Merrill Lynch is among those who think Disney is poised for a historic transition. The company is increasingly in its own league even among its traditional Hollywood peers, and Iger's empire is endowed with so many "touchpoints" to reach consumers: film, TV, theme parks, cruise ships, hotels, consumer products. That's a huge advantage.
    "Disney is a powerhouse. The launch (of Disney Plus) took everyone by surprise," Reif Ehrlich said. "They launched hot and heavy."
    There's some disagreement, though, as to whether Disney's moves will have a halo effect on the rest of the sector, which has also mapped out a digital path forward.
    Although investors are still enamored of Netflix and FAANG stocks (read: Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google parent Alphabet), there's an understanding that the media giants are starting to pull out all the stops to transform their businesses on the back of the valuable IP that is controlled by about a half dozen legacy Hollywood imprints.
    "These stocks have been in the doghouse," Reif Ehrlich said. "Relative to their historic performance they've really fallen out of grace."
    In general, Reif Ehrlich thinks the consumer interest in the new wave of streaming products will be good for the share prices of Big Media. But Pivotal analyst Jeff Wlodarczak believes that outside of any potential acquisitive action, the subscriber environment is going to be a "really, really painful backdrop."
    "For next year, I think there's more pain in pay TV," he said. "I think it's going to be an overhang on just about everything in the media space."
    Reif Erlich sees good news on the horizon for well-stocked companies that "own their own content." The current moment is a period of "figuring it out — what's the right model, how can we exploit our IP in new ways."
    Alexia Quadrani of JP Morgan notes that Disney Plus is not the only segment of the company that will command investor scrutiny. The parks business and the movie studio have high bars to reach after several years of strong performance. As Disney Plus will require investment and foregone revenue, the company will lean on those divisions to help it power through. The fate of linear ESPN, the Disney Channel et al will still be tracked closely by investors.
    Cowen analyst Doug Creutz believes that it could be a tough year for theaters, even for Disney, which has cranked out half a dozen billion-dollar box office winners this calendar year but has no direct "Avengers," "Toy Story" or "Frozen" sequels to look forward to in 2020. (There will be Marvel's "Avengers" prequel "Black Widow," of course, and likely enough momentum from "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" that ticket sales should steadily overflow into the new year.)
    JP Morgan's Quadrani sees a "constant balancing act" ahead for Disney and others who are trying to maintain linear businesses at the same time that they invest in direct-to-consumer streaming.
    Within Disney, Quadrani is closely watching the strategy that is developing around Hulu. The adult-focused streaming platform is being positioned to complement Disney Plus' kids and family-friendly fare.
    Ben Swinburne, head of U.S. research for Morgan Stanley, sees Disney as being in a good position but has high expectations now that Disney Plus has demonstrated such high consumer awareness.
    "They need to show that the appeal of Disney Plus outside the U.S. is substantial," Swinburne said. "Expectations about the adoption curve have gone up [after Disney's initial announcement that its streamer had been downloaded 10 million times in the first 24 hours]. Secondly, they have to show that they can add additional content at a level of quality and quantity that will allow them to grow in existing markets like the U.S."
    Swinburne sees WarnerMedia's moves with HBO Max as significant for a legacy Hollywood studio. But so far it doesn't appear to be the potential game-changer for AT&T as Disney Plus, Hulu et al could be for Disney.
    "I don't think the expectations are as high for HBO Max as they are for Disney Plus," he said.
    Pivotal's Wlodarczak worries about one aspect of Disney Plus' strategy in particular, though: potential for churn, especially since access to the platform is currently free to an estimated 20 million or so Verizon customers.
    "I think the churn's going to be truly, truly massive," he said.
    If there's one thing most on the Street can agree on, it's that the current state of subscription-based television is challenged. Wlodarczak projected that pay-TV is "only headed in one direction."
    "Traditional MVPD sub losses are almost certain to accelerate," echoed Cowen's Creutz. "It's almost impossible to see how they don't. The question is how much."
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    ‘Frozen 2’ Songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez Mature Disney Characters With Seven New Original Songs

    With Frozen 2, the long-anticipated sequel to a 2013 smash from Walt Disney Animation Studios, songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez knew they had a lot to live up to, recognizing at the same time that they couldn't rest on their laurels.
    Winning their first Oscars for Frozen, the songwriting duo have come upon the same question, time and time again, while on the press circuit for Frozen 2. "Every single human being keeps asking us, 'How did you deal with the pressure of doing this, and following up 'Let It Go?'" Anderson-Lopez says, with reference to an instant classic written for the first film, which also earned the pair an Annie Award and two Grammys. "And the truth is, the directors we were working with and for immediately said, 'Don't do 'Let It Go.' We're going to do a new story, and build it the same way we did the first time, by talking about character very deeply, and getting inspired by our lives now.'"
    Related Story CAS Awards: 'Joker', 'Frozen 2', 'Thrones' & 'Fleabag' Among Cinema Audio Society Nominees 'Frozen 2'
    'Frozen 2'
    Walt Disney Studios
    Set three years after the events of the first film, Frozen 2 picks up with Arendelle's royal sisters, Elsa and Anna, as they embark on a journey beyond the borders of their kingdom. Summoned to the North by a mysterious voice, Elsa travels to an enchanted forest—alongside Anna, ice harvester Kristoff, increasingly self-aware snowman Olaf and reindeer Sven—in order to discover the origins of her wintry, magical powers, and thereby save her kingdom.
    Reteaming on the sequel with directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, and producer Peter Del Vecho, the Frozen songwriters aimed with this new film not to replicate the original, in all its magic, but to mature it, forcing the franchise's characters to confront more grown-up questions. Below, the pair discuss the process of doing so, in the writing of seven all-new original songs, and their "six-month odyssey" refining climactic showstopper, "Show Yourself."
    DEADLINE: Both Frozen films have been bold in the depth, darkness and maturity of the stories they're telling. But clearly, Frozen 2 was taking you both into new territory.
    LOPEZ: Yeah. I'm a big Star Wars geek, and I was just hoping, when they first called us, that this wouldn't be some second-rate sequel, but more like the Empire Strikes Back of Frozen. Some of the reviews have called it that, so I'm really happy.
    DEADLINE: The Frozen 2 filmmakers embarked on a research trip to Iceland, Norway and Finland after the film was green lit. Were you there with them?
    'Frozen 2'
    'Frozen 2'
    Walt Disney Studios
    ANDERSON-LOPEZ: We weren't on that trip; we went on a trip a few months before, and came back with all these pictures from Iceland and Norway. I think they went much deeper…We were doing a family trip; they were really on a research trip.
    DEADLINE: Where exactly did your journey take you? What did you take away from it?
    LOPEZ: In Norway, we went to some of the cities and port towns in the forest. Then, we went to Iceland, which was a whole other landscape. It was so cool to see the glaciers and all that stuff. We were really thrilled with that trip. It was a lot of fun.
    ANDERSON-LOPEZ: And the Norwegian forests really do feel like their own character. You can understand why the people of Norway not only came up with these epic tales, but the belief that there are trolls in the forest, because those forests really do feel alive. A glacier really does feel like something ancient and powerful.
    DEADLINE: What themes you were thinking about, as you wrote Frozen 2's original songs?
    LOPEZ: One of the quotes that Jen and Chris said early on was, "The two most important days of your life are the day you're born, and the day you find out why." That was so inspiring to us, as a lens through which to look at the characters and the story. The end of Frozen was almost like they graduated college; now in Frozen 2, they're in the real world, and everyone needs to find where they belong. It's a family that's together, and is grateful and happy and loves one another, but there's feelings within each character that have to come out, the way that all feelings do. There's also mysteries and things in the past that are not alright, not all settled, and the past calls out to be corrected. It involves our heroes, and puts them on this journey.
    DEADLINE: Which song featured in the sequel did you write first?
    ANDERSON-LOPEZ: The first song we wrote was "All Is Found," the lullaby that's sung by Evan Rachel Wood. That was really to try and help us enter this more mysterious, mystical, darker tone, and set the roadmap for the entire movie.
    'Frozen 2'
    'Frozen 2'
    Walt Disney Studios
    LOPEZ: It's a lullaby on one level, but it's also, in code, everything that the mother needs to tell them from the past. She later passes on; she's not able to be there when they grow up. So, this lullaby is all they have left of her, these little hints of the past.
    DEADLINE: Wood entered the world of Frozen with the sequel. What was it like seeing her bring the lullaby to life?
    ANDERSON-LOPEZ: We had written it before Evan was cast, but [a certain vocal quality] was a key factor in casting Evan. She needed to have something that could sound a little bit like Idina [Menzel], a little bit like Kristen [Bell], a little bit different than them both, and she had this wonderful warmth to her voice. We loved that the song, and her voice, is like mist creeping in over the fjord. It has air and mystery in it.
    DEADLINE: "Into the Unknown" is a pretty spectacular piece, in which Elsa grapples which the voice from the North that's been summoning her. How did this song come together?
    ANDERSON-LOPEZ: One of the great discoveries, with the story team, with Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, was that we could put this sense of restlessness in Elsa that was pulling her to her destiny, and dramatize it through this voice. Bobby and I—in studying Norwegian techniques of singing, like joiking and kulning—found this sort of shepherdess-type call that women in the North used to use. The cattle would all recognize a specific shepherdess's call, and in this case, we're using a trope that composers have been using for centuries, that usually means destiny and danger.
    LOPEZ: At first, we thought that this call would be persistently reaching out to Elsa, and she'd be resisting it. Then, the journey of the song would be a gradual surrendering to the call, and then answering the call. So, it gave us a structure, it gave us a climax, and the song builds to the moment of Elsa singing the call back. They have a moment of duet, and then Elsa finally reaches out with her magic. After that, the events of the movie are really put into motion. It's this song that catapults and catalyzes the film, after which you can't go back.
    DEADLINE: Who did you have sing the part of the call of the North?
    'Frozen 2'
    'Frozen 2'
    Walt Disney Studios
    ANDERSON-LOPEZ: That's a wonderful Norwegian pop singer named Aurora.
    LOPEZ: Tom MacDougall, the head of music at Disney Animation, found her. He played us a couple of different singers who could possibly do it, and everyone loved Aurora. She's got a wonderful sound.
    ANDERSON-LOPEZ: We got to work with her for two days, and she's a stunning musician. She writers her own songs, and she's just a musical savant.
    DEADLINE: What can you tell us about "Some Things Never Change" and "When I Am Older," the two songs you wrote for Josh Gad's lovable snowman Olaf?
    LOPEZ: All the songs are thematically linked to this idea of change, and also the idea of the journey, getting lost before you can really be found. Olaf's song about being by himself in the woods, it's our first real introduction to the landscape of this forest, where these elements are hiding behind every corner, and it's a little weird. And Olaf is at a changing point in his life. He was sort of a baby in the first movie, and now he's sort of a kid, starting to ask the harder questions. But he's just terrified by this forest, and wishing he was older so he could understand what was going on.
    ANDERSON-LOPEZ: We kind of had that as a meta story, because when you're trying to write these original musicals, you feel like you're stuck in an enchanted forest you can't get out of. There's so many questions, and we were sort of telling ourselves, "This is all going to make sense in six months. This is all going to make sense by the time this movie opens."
    DEADLINE: What was it like to see what Panic! At the Disco frontman Brendon Urie did with "Into the Unknown"? His cover is a testament to his incredible vocal range.
    LOPEZ: That was a huge treat for us.
    'Frozen 2'
    'Frozen 2'
    Walt Disney Studios
    ANDERSON-LOPEZ: I would just give a big shout-out to Tom MacDougall, who is really our invisible third partner on everything we do. It's Tom who says, "What do you think of Panic! At the Disco?" And we go, "Yes!" We got to see him record it, and he sang it basically in one take.
    LOPEZ: We were nervous about the key he chose, because it's the same key as Idina's. But when we saw him do it, we were like, "Oh my God, he can hit that note."
    DEADLINE: What was your biggest challenge with Frozen 2?
    ANDERSON-LOPEZ: We were writing "Show Yourself" before we knew exactly what happened at the end of "Show Yourself," which was a challenge. Because we knew we wanted to tell this story, and broaden the definition of true love. The first movie brought in the definition of true love to familial love, but we wanted to broaden it to the idea of: Sometimes, true love comes in the form of finding your purpose, and your reason for being alive. "Show Yourself" was going to cover that, but it was sort of a six-month odyssey, with ourselves and the story team, and especially Marc Smith, who did the storyboards for it. Because it was a constant chicken-and-egg [scenario], while the rest of the story locked.
    LOPEZ: "Show Yourself" took months and months of writing. The first version of it was, I think, six-and-a-half minutes long. It's an epic number that needed to come down, so we shaved away at it, but there was also a lot of rewriting and rethinking. It had several different endings. It was just a real intense labor of love.
    ANDERSON-LOPEZ: The biggest challenge in all of these—it was this way for Winnie the Pooh and for Frozen—is that you write songs sometimes, and then the story changes. No matter how much you love those songs, they fall on the floor, and that's a moment where Bobby and I have now learned to turn to each other and say, "Well, that's a shame. We loved that song, but now we get to write a new song," which we love to do. We've had to reframe those moments that a song gets cut, into "We get to do another thing that we love." That has really made life much better. We don't look at them as failures; we look at them as growth.
    DEADLINE: What about your work on this film makes you the most proud?
    ANDERSON-LOPEZ: The thing that we feel most grateful for is being able to work with this incredible studio. We get to write these songs in Brooklyn and send them out there, and then some of the best artists in the whole world breathe life into them, and make them so magical on the screen. I think more than ever, we feel gratitude that our career has put us in this position. So, that's the thing we're most proud of—getting to work with these amazing artists, and hopefully give them as much credit as possible for what they do.

    Power Rangers Beast Morphers Season 2 News




    Power Rangers Beast Morphers will return! While the first season just wrapped up there's still more story to tell! The 27th season of Power Rangers will be the second season Power Rangers Beast Morphers and it's airing on Nickelodeon in 2020! Beast Morphers will continue to adapt footage from the Japanese Super Sentai series Go-Busters. 
    Power Rangers Beast Morphers Return Date
    Power Rangers Beast Morphers' currently doesn't have an official return date but Power Rangers has usually debuted their new seasons in February or March. We'll let you know when we find out more!
    Power Rangers Beast Morphers Cast
    Huge news out of SDCC 2019 was that Austin St. John, the original Red Ranger (Jason Lee Scott), is set to appear in Power Rangers Beast Morphers season two! Scroll down to check out a teaser featuring the legend.
    Rorrie Travis stars as the Red Ranger (Devon), Jasmeet Baduwalia as the Blue Ranger (Ravi), and Jackie Scislowski as the Yellow Ranger (Zoey). 
    Colby Strong also stars Blaze, Liana Ramirez as Roxy, Abraham Rodriguez as Nate, Kristina Ho as Betty, and Cosme Flores as Ben.
    Power Rangers Beast Morphers Trailer
    At SDCC 2019 we got a  trailer for the second half of the first season of Power Rangers Beast Morphers. However at the end we got a few shots from the second season including the new Beast-X mode, new zords, and the return of Rangers from Mighty Morphin, Dino Thunder, and Dino Charge! So far we've only seen Jason out of suit. You can watch that trailer below.
    Power Rangers Beast Morphers Season 2 Story
    We don't have an official synopsis of the season yet but the trailer above does let us know that all of the previous Dinosaur themed teams will be showing up in the season. For what reason we don't know yet!
    We also know that Evox has infected Devon's dad and Roxy and Blaze have been freed from their comas. What will happen with them remains to be seen!
    Stay tuned to Den of Geek for more information!
    Read and download the Den of Geek Lost in Space Special Edition Magazine right here!
    Shamus Kelley is a pop culture/television writer and official Power Rangers expert. Follow him on Twitter! He also co-hosts a Robotech podcast, which covers the original series and the new comics. Give it a listen! Read more articles by him here!

    Justice League Animated Figures Are No Longer DC Universe Exclusives



    When DC Comics launched their streaming service, DC Universe, one of the initial lures was exclusive toys. DC Collectibles had a hit on its hands with 6-inch scaled figures from Batman: The Animated Series, so why not Justice League next? As an added bonus, Justice League features DC's most recognizable superheroes. So even casual subscribers who don't care about the cartoon might still find an exclusive Superman or Wonder Woman appealing.
    The Justice League action figures could only be ordered through the app, and they got a staggered release, in order to hook initial subscribers for at least three months. While not cheap, at $28 with no accessories, the figures are nonetheless top quality. With flesh-toned plastic rather than paint, and different reflectiveness levels for skin and clothing, they did their namesakes…justice.
    But with DC Universe floundering as a streaming service ever since Warner Bros. announced their own that will share its content, DC clearly wanted another venue to sell the figures. And via BigBadToyStore this morning, news broke that all eight will be available again next August, to the general public. Preorders are open now, with the figures going for $4 less than they did initially.
    Reminisce about the good old days when we could all unite for one Justice League show everybody liked. And discourse did not center on whether or not a certain director's cut existed. DC might never release that — but releasing the DC Collectibles figures is a move every fan can get behind.

    Deja Who Releases "This Far Along" Single



    Deja Who Releases "This Far Along" Single

    The new single "This Far Along" has been released from Deja Who and it breathes life into alternative rock on many levels. The song brings together influences of late 90's and  2000's alt bands and a twist of a newer emo rock sound. The song is something you find yourself wanting to play again and again as its not only musically strapping but also vocally enticing. Just when you get pulled into its siren song like melodies and smooth clean feel, it bursts into a sonic wave of rock. Before you knew what hit you, the want for more is there already. "This Far Along" is laid out to be some sort of prequel to an LP said to be released sometime soon. This is something we look forward to.