Coronavirus
Alamo Drafthouse Patrons Can Rent an Entire Theater to Watch Movies with Friends
Indoor spaces are still a high-risk area during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It’s an unfortunate reality that has already cost the film industry $20 billion this year, despite some theaters choosing to reopen this summer and others suing for not being able to. But now, Alamo Drafthouse has a new workaround option that falls squarely in the middle: rent an entire theater for yourself! According to Entertainment Weekly, the beloved Texas-based theater chain is allowing patrons to rent out an entire theater for themselves — as well as “their pandemic pod family and friends” — for $150. An additional charge of $150 minimum is also applied for the group’s food and beverages, which are served directly to moviegoers in their seats by staff members wearing masks. This option will be available...
Thomas Bach urges organisers to ignore Tokyo 2020 doubters
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, Thomas Bach, has urged organisers to focus on the preparations for next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo as a virtual Coordination Commission meeting got underway. The Coordination Commission, chaired by IOC vice-president John Coates, is set to discuss ways to stage Tokyo 2020 during the pandemic with Tokyo city, Government officials and members of the Organising Committee. Virtual meetings held in two days are expected to focus on simplification measures to reduce the cost of the postponed Games and coronavirus countermeasures. Bach addressed organisers over a video conference call. “Nobody can expect from us that we know already, exactly what needs to be done in 10 month from now to ensure a safe environment for everybody,” he...
Black Widow Delayed to 2021, More Marvel Movies Reshuffled
Disney has returned with more re-programming woes. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Mouse House is pushing back both Black Widow and West Side Story way, way into 2021 because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Scarlett Johansson’s blockbuster will go from November 6th to May 7th, 2021. If you’re keeping tabs, that’s more than a full year removed from its pre-Covid release date of May 1st, 2020. Because of this, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is moving from May 7th to July 9th, 2021, while The Eternals will shift from February to November 5th, 2021. Meanwhile, Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story is officially out of this year’s Oscar race. 20th Century and Amblin’s remake of the iconic musical is being delayed an entire year, going from December 18th, 2020 to December 1...
The Stone Roses’ Ian Brown Says “Plandemic” Is Making Us “Digital Slaves”
Maybe this is the 5G microchip in my brain talking, but it sure seems like Ian Brown had a massive meltdown on Twitter yesterday over coordinated coronavirus responses. The former singer of The Stone Roses asserted that the ongoing pandemic is actually “plandemic” with the evil goal making us all “digital slaves.” To support his views, the Manchester rocker shared the new pro-conspiracy anthem “Little Seed Big Tree”. In one all-caps tweet, Brown summed up his views as “NO LOCKDOWN NO TESTS NO TRACKS NO MASKS NO VAX.” The reason, he explained, is that he believes the coronavirus pandemic is part of a vast conspiracy — a “plandemic,” if you will — to control the population. He wrote, “THE GREAT RESET the plandemic planned designed and executed to make us digital slaves.” He included the hash...
Here Are All the Livestreams & Virtual Concerts to Watch During the Coronavirus Crisis: Week of Sept. 21
Fall is getting off to a hot start when it comes to livestream events. The first week of autumn offers plenty of musical events to keep you rockin’ on your couch. Among those are notable festivals such as Bonnaroo’s Virtual Roo-Ality and Fair Aid 2020; Hip-Hop 4 Peace featuring Chuck D and KRS One, as well as sets from Charlie Puth, Lamb of God, and many more. Many artists and festivals are continuing to take their shows online, as the global coronavirus pandemic continues to rage. While not all artists and festivals are offering new performances in upcoming livestreams, some — including Virtual Roo-Ality — are featuring rare or iconic performances from past events. Below is a list of the livestream concerts for the week of Sept. 21. We’ll continue to update t...
Frank Lampard urges Premier League clubs to help save struggling EFL
Frank Lampard has urged Premier League clubs to ‘have a heart’ and help save Football League sides amid the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic. The impact of the pandemic and continued absence of supporters is being felt right across the sport, but nowhere more so than the lower leagues who remain without a vital source of income as fixtures continue to be played behind-closed-doors. Sporting authorities have approached the government warning of the disastrous consequences potentially awaiting without financial aid, though the Telegraph are reporting that elite level football will not receive support given the riches at the highest level of the game. The government believes that the Premier League – the richest division in world football – should be responsible for providin...
NUC directs universities to conclude resumption arrangements as Nigerian government gives nod
The National Universities Commission has directed Universities to conclude arrangements for their reopening following the decline in the number of Coronavirus Disease cases in Nigeria. The directive, the NUC said, followed the nod given to it for universities to reopen by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Education. The Federal Ministry of Education is represented on the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, which announced the significant decline in COVID-19 cases. According to the directive, contained in a memo addressed to Vice Chancellors, the universities are to conclude their resumption arrangements in line with the guidelines of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. The memo, signed by ...
West Ham coach, two players contract coronavirus
West Ham have confirmed that manager David Moyes has tested positive for coronavirus, alongside players Issa Diop and Josh Cullen. “West Ham United can confirm that David Moyes, Issa Diop and Josh Cullen have returned positive tests for COVID-19,” read an official statement. “The club’s medical team were informed of the test results as the team were at London Stadium preparing for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup third round tie against Hull City. “The manager and both players immediately left the stadium and have returned home. “All three, who are asymptomatic, will now follow Public Health England and Premier League guidelines and protocols.” It remains unclear how these three positive tests will affect the side moving forward. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even Wh...
SXSW 2021 Going Digital Due to the Ongoing Pandemic
Due to the ongoing health crisis, South by Southwest is going digital in 2021. Today, the Austin music, film, and interactive festival announced plans for SXSW Online, a self-proclaimed “digital experience” that’s set to go down from March 16th through the 20th. Like the festival’s in-person iteration, SXSW Online will feature conferences, keynotes, screenings, showcases, networking, and other exhibitions. According to a statement, the event’s Film and Conference portions will be constructed using an application process. Submissions open up on October 6th using SXSW’s PanelPicker platform. Next year’s SXSW Music segment seems like it will go down a little differently, however, serving as something of a make-up for the performers affected by the festival’s cancellation this past March....
PTF warns against neglect of virus protocols
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 has warned against perceived neglect of the non-pharmaceutical protocols and other measures aimed at tackling the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the country. The PTF chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, gave the warning at the daily briefing by the PTF on Monday in Abuja. He said that there was increasing disregard for basic non-pharmaceutical measures that have proven to be very successful. He said face masks have now been turned into chin masks, social distancing and gatherings are returning to the pre-COVID era. Mustapha, however, called for vigilance in order to forestall any danger of second wave of the pandemic as the countries in Europe were currently facing. According to him, th...
Cross River workers protest removal of names from payroll
Some civil servants whose names were removed from the payroll of the Cross River Government on Monday in Calabar picketed the state secretariat complex, demanding reinstatement. The protesters carried placards with various inscription such as “Ayade pay us our salaries, “No Trade Union in Cross River”, “We will protest until we are reinstated”, among others. It would be recalled that the state government in August 2019 removed the names of no fewer than 2,500 civil servants from its payroll. One of the protesting civil servants, Mr James Obeten, told newsmen that the situation had caused untold hardships in his families. “We were duly employed in 2015, and were given employment letters, it is very shocking that the government stopped our salaries since August 2019. “Without any reason, our...
Chris Rock Blames Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats for Pandemic
Despite being a man-child prone to trivial temper tantrums, Donald Trump has remained mostly untouchable during his presidency, never once taking the fall for one of his many blunders. Late last year, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats tried to hold him accountable in a grand impeachment process. However, for all its bells and whistles, their attempt ultimately went nowhere. Now, in a new interview, Chris Rock has criticized Pelosi for focusing too much attention on Trump’s impeachment hearings instead of on the deadly coronavirus, which began taking hold in late February/early March. Trump, a child-like mouthpiece for the GOP, was not worth the time and effort, contends Rock, who went on to directly blame Pelosi and her fellow Democratic politicians for letting the pandemic rava...
