It didnt start with a retweet.

The controversy currently swirling around The Washington Post doesnt go back days. It goes back years.

If you want to truly understand how one of the most respected news organizations in the world is smack dab in the middle of a hot mess, you cant start with a high-profile reporter retweeting a sexist and homophobic tweet. You have to look at the history of the reporter who objected to that retweet and her relationship with the paper she works for, as well as the inconsistent social media policy of that paper.

And to do all that, you have to go back to at least 2018 when Brett Kavanaugh was a controversial nominee for the Supreme Court, controversial because of allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. Post reporter Felicia Sonmez, a politics breaking news reporter, was told by her editors that she could not cover stories involving Kavanaugh because they felt it was a conflict of interest. How? Because Sonmez had been open and public about being a survivor of sexual assault.

The Posts policy was considered unusual if not unheard of in journalism circles. Even Post media writer Paul Farhi wrote so.

Fast-forward to January 2020 and the day basketball star Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash. Soon after the news broke and tributes and remembrances poured in about Bryant, Sonmez used her Twitter feed to link to a 2016 Daily Beast story that recalled the 2003 rape allegations against Bryant. Marty Baron, who was the Posts well-known executive editor at the time, put Sonmez on paid administrative leave, saying Sonmez displayed poor judgment that undermined the work of her colleagues.

The leave soon ended after more than 300 Post staffers signed a letter in support of Sonmez.

But by this point, the seeds of resentment between Sonmez and Post leadership had seemingly been planted.

Now lets move to March 2021, when the Post finally reversed its decision and allowed Sonmez to write about stories involving sexual assault. But that decision was reversed only after Sonmez went on Twitter to voice her complaints about the Posts policy.

It came to a head a few months later, in July 2021, when Sonmez sued the Post and several current and former top editors, alleging that she had suffered discrimination and retaliation. Sonmezs suit said she had lost opportunities for career advancement and had experienced economic loss, humiliation, embarrassment, mental and emotional distress, and the deprivation of her rights to equal employment opportunities. She also claimed that she was retaliated against for speaking out publicly. (The lawsuit was dismissed in March of this year when a judge ruled that Sonmez had not demonstrated the paper showed discriminatory motive when it banned her from covering stories related to sexual harassment or misconduct. Sonmez is appealing that ruling.)

By this point, the situation was, at best, awkward between the paper and Sonmez. Questionable leadership decisions, including those from the now-retired Baron, a clunky social media policy and a reporter unafraid to go public with her criticism of the paper created a perfect storm that led us to last Friday and the controversy that is now captivating the media world, much to the delight of those who like to slam the so-called mainstream media.

So what happened Friday? Post reporter Dave Weigel retweeted a tweet from a social media personality that said, Every girl is bi. You just have to figure out if its polar or sexual.

Sonmez took a screenshot of the retweet and tweeted, Fantastic to work at a news outlet where retweets like this are allowed!

However, some argue that it wasnt allowed, not at all evidenced by the fact that within an hour of his retweet on Friday, Weigel deleted it and apologized for it, and by Monday was suspended from the paper for a month without pay.

Then again, was it Sonmezs tweet that spurred the Post to take swift action?

This also wasnt the first social media controversy the Post had this year. In a February tweet, Micah Gelman, senior editor and head of Post Video, misidentified Post video technician Breanna Muir as Breonna Taylor, the Black medical worker who was shot and killed by Louisville police officers in March 2020. Gelman apologized publicly and privately. Regarding this latest incident, Muir hit reply all on a staff note from executive editor Sally Buzbee and praised Sonmez for speaking out against harassment, discrimination and sexism.

A month before that, another Post editor, Lori Montgomery, tweeted then deleted a tweet that criticized an SFGate column about retiring Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The column called Roethlisberger a jackass and mentioned how Roethlisberger had been accused of rape in the past. Montgomery tweeted, The only interesting thing about this column is how easily disproven and completely FOS it is.

Interestingly, Sonmez called out Montgomerys tweet, tweeting, Respectfully, @loriamontgomery, this @drewmagary column contains facts about sexual assault allegations against Ben Roethlisberger that the Washington Posts own story backs up.

Montgomery was given a verbal warning, and Sonmez has continued to call out on Twitter the inconsistencies of the Posts social media policy.

And so here we are this week with the paper known for the kind of dogged reporting that uncovered the Watergate scandal swept up in a quagmire that has included a suspension, two memos from the executive editor, countless contentious and accusatory tweets and a narrative that the Post has a hostile and toxic work environment. In the week where a House Select Committee investigates the events of Jan. 6 a story for which the Post won a prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Public Service the dominant story about the Post is this soap opera. It was even a topic on Wednesdays The View.

In the past 48 hours, the story has shifted slightly as more and more staffers are defending the Posts workplace and showing frustration with Sonmez not for calling out Weigels inappropriate retweet, but for continuing the conversation about it.

On Wednesday, I spoke to several well-established and respected journalists at the Post, both male and female, who wanted to make it clear: The Washington Post is a good place to work and not the toxic newsroom that this latest controversy might suggest. The Post staffers asked to speak on background and not have their names used, mostly because those who have publicly spoken up for the Post and questioned or challenged Sonmez have come under heavy criticism and been portrayed as insensitive.

I think a lot of people at the Post are frustrated with the way all of this is unfolding, one Post reporter told me. Obviously, a lot of people strongly feel that this doesnt represent the culture at the Post.

This source continued, Its frustrating to have this person make these assertions broadly about the Post and imply and amplify this idea that theres this great division and that the Post has this toxic work environment when that is not the case.

And yet another said it goes well beyond newsroom bickering.

This is affecting sourcing relationships, they said, adding that sources have told them that they are hesitant to talk to the Post right now because of all the drama.

Another staffer, a woman, said they had talked to several female staffers who said they felt Sonmez had taken it too far, but they didnt want to speak out because they didnt want to undermine Sonmez.

Its just an unwinnable situation for everyone involved, the staffer said.

Another unnamed staffer told Vanity Fairs Charlotte Klein, I think Felicia initially was right that was a gross Dave Weigel tweet, and we were all grateful she called attention to it. (The problem was in) continuing to make it an issue and go after more and more colleagues.

Of all the staffers I talked to Wednesday, not one defended Weigels retweet, although one did say they wish Sonmez had taken her complaints to editors and stayed off Twitter. I
t has been reported that Sonmez first complained about Weigels retweet on an internal Slack channel and that National editor Matea Gold, in the same Slack channel, wrote that The Post is committed to maintaining a respectful workplace for everyone and we do not tolerate demeaning language or actions. But Sonmez went to Twitter just minutes after her Slack message.

Over the weekend, Post staffer Jose A. Del Real accused Sonmez on Twitter of repeated and targeted public harassment of a colleague and suggested she was rallying the internet to attack (Weigel) for a mistake.

Buzbee stepped in on Sunday, sending out a brief memo to staff saying they were expected to treat each other with respect and kindness both in the newsroom and online.

One staffer told me Weigel has had a questionable history on social media, so his monthlong suspension might have been for an accumulation of poor decisions. It is also believed Weigel has been suspended once before for his social media use. Post officials would not discuss him or this matter.

Buzbee sent out another memo to staff on Tuesday this one much longer and much more sternly worded, writing in part, We do not tolerate colleagues attacking colleagues either face to face or online. Respect for others is critical to any civil society, including our newsroom. The newsroom social media policy points specifically to the need for collegiality.

Buzbee added, We know it takes bravery to call out problems. And we pledge to openly and honestly address problems brought to us. She also said the Post will update its social media policy.

Meanwhile, Sonmez continued tweeting, including lengthy threads about the Posts social media policy. Sonmez tweeted, In early 2020, @stevenjay and @loriamontgomery, then the Posts National and deputy National editors, commissioned an internal report on social media use in response to newsroom-wide outrage over my suspension. Two years later, nothing has changed.

Washington Post media writer Jeremy Barr wrote, The union that represents Post employees, the Washington Post Guild, has repeatedly lobbied for The Post to update the companys social media policies, which the guild has described as outdated and not sufficiently equitable, and repeated that call on Tuesday.

As Sonmez continued tweeting, Post staffer Lisa Rein tweeted at Sonmez on Tuesday night to Please stop. Sonmez replied, Please stop requesting that tweets from a colleague falsely accusing me of bullying and clout chasing be taken down?

Sonmez then added, Do you have any idea of the torrent of abuse Im facing right now? Sonmez then included screenshots of some of the nasty attacks she has been receiving online.

The social media melee picked up throughout the week with many high-profile staffers defending the Post.

White House bureau chief Ashley Parker tweeted, The Post is not perfect. No institution is. But Im proud to work here. I love coming to work (almost) every single day, and knowing that my colleagues are collegial, collaborative and fun humans not to mention talented journalists who are always striving to do better.

Reporter Amber Phillips tweeted, Working at The Washington Post, Im in awe almost every day how such talented journalists, from all backgrounds, can also be so collegial and thoughtful and caring. I love working here, and I love helping improve it.

Investigative political reporter Josh Dawsey tweeted, no institution is perfect, including the post. but the place is filled with many terrific people who are smart and collegial. im proud to work here.

Those are just a few examples, but there were enough that some wondered if it was a coordinated effort to defend the Post.

But a staffer told me on Wednesday, That was ridiculed by a lot of people as being some kind of contrived messaging operation, but I have no reason to believe it was anything other than an organic expression of how people feel about this newsroom.

Meanwhile, some Post staffers and others in the journalism world took to Twitter to stand by Sonmez, who tweeted, I often hear from colleagues who want to say something but are afraid to speak out. Knowing how the Post punished me for my own trauma and how a colleague publicly accused me of bullying for flagging a sexist tweet I dont blame them for being afraid of retaliation.

Sonmez was referring to her history with the Post.

Look, one staffer told me Wednesday, theres no question she was treated (crappy) in the past by the Post. What they did to her was wrong. But that and whats happening now are two different situations, in my opinion.

Another Post staffer said, That wasnt right, and most everybody I know at the Post was in her corner on that. They handled that poorly.

And some are questioning whether Post leadership is handling this situation as well as it can.

Its a real s show, one staffer said.

The Post is not commenting beyond a statement from Post communications chief Kris Coratti Kelly, who said, While we have not commented publicly, this is being addressed directly with the individuals involved.

When reached Wednesday evening, Sonmez declined to comment.

What can Buzbee do now?

Its a really good question, one staffer said. I dont think theres any really good options here. Theres obviously a lot of hard feelings involving the person who is spearheading this. I dont know how this goes away. But I just want it known that the Post is a good place to work, and I think most of my colleagues feel that way.

Tom Jones is Poynters senior media writer. For the latest media news and analysis, delivered free to your inbox each and every weekday morning, sign up for his Poynter Report newsletter.

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Anatomy of a controversy: Inside the drama at The Washington Post - Poynter

Notorious for playing with energy and assertiveness that fuels their third-quarter runs, the Warriors did just that in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. They hung 38 points on the league's top-ranked defense while holding the Celtics to 24.

As a result, Golden State, a team yet to lose on its home floor in the playoffs, entered the final frame with a 12-point lead. Boston scored the last points of the third quarter, courtesy of a pair of Derrick White free throws, but a comeback required urgency, and there was little margin for error. Otherwise, the Celtics would spend the days leading into Game 2 kicking themselves for how they came out of the half.

Instead, they met the moment, landing a fourth-quarter haymaker, outscoring the Warriors 40-13 before the hosts added a three after both teams emptied their benches.

Jaylen Brown was at the center of that fourth-quarter takeover, getting them off to the fast start they needed, factoring into Boston's first seven points.

The play below, a three for Brown, also highlights the Celtics hunting Jordan Poole, who they'll target relentlessly throughout these Finals.

The next possession demonstrates a problem Golden State had throughout Thursday's loss and will continue to have difficulty with this series. The Warriors lack high-level perimeter defenders.

As it relates to the following clip, Otto Porter, who played well overall in Game 1, is at a point in his career where it's hard for him to keep up with Jaylen Brown. The result is Brown driving by him, getting into the paint, occupying Klay Thompson's attention, and while Draymond Green knows what's coming, he can't prevent this alley-oop to Robert Williams.

Shortly after that, White attacked Klay Thompson off the dribble, getting deep into the paint. When White pivots, Porter sees him staring towards the left slot, persuading him to break that way before realizing the ball's going to Brown. And with White leading Brown further towards the corner, Brown gets a clean, in-rhythm look at a three that barely grazes the net.

The Celtics' comeback wasn't, nor could it have been, strictly a product of what they were accomplishing offensively. At the other end, Boston went smaller and started switching more frequently. The Celtics' big men also raised their pick-up point, meeting Stephen Curry higher up the floor as he came off screens.

Here, Al Horford's waiting for Curry above the three-point line, a shade below the pick from Kevon Looney. Horford and Jayson Tatum surround Curry, White tags the roller, Looney, and Horford uses his length to stay connected to Curry and Looney. Perhaps the latter could've gotten to the other side of the rim with more urgency, but the pass could still prove difficult. Instead, Curry rises for a floater as Tatum comes across his face to contest the shot.

As for the impact of Boston getting back to its preferred method of defending the pick-and-roll, which is switching on screens, one benefit was getting the ball out of Curry's hands.

In the play below, the Celtics don't switch the off-ball screen, which is really just Green grabbing his defender, Tatum. But when Curry shakes free of White, Tatum has no choice but to jump out to contest his potential shot. That results in Curry swinging the ball to Andrew Wiggins, who's plenty capable of making this three, but the Celtics will live with this shot.

And while Boston's defense was limiting Curry to four points in the final frame, its offense continued driving into the paint, moving the ball around, and chipping away at the deficit.

Here, Brown gets out of the corner and into the paint, prompting Porter to help wall off his drive as his man, White, drifts beyond the arc. Brown's strong with the ball and throws it on a line to White, who drills a right-wing three to bring the Celtics within one.

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White, who scored 21 points and was outstanding in this game, continued to play a critical role in Boston's comeback, cashing a three with Curry in his jersey, knotting the score at 103 with 5:40 remaining.

The next time down the floor, the Warriors are slow to match up in transition. Tatum swings the ball to White, who drives baseline off the catch, keeping Porter by the basket. It also forces Wiggins to zone two, accounting for Payton Pritchard and Horford.

The pass to Horford would've been more challenging, but Wiggins is splitting the difference between his two responsibilities, and he's too far in to break up the baseline pass. Pritchard then swings the ball to Horford, who's unbothered by Thompson coming over and getting his hand up, swishing a three to put the Celtics ahead 106-103.

Another instrumental aspect of Boston's comeback win was Golden State living up to its reputation for not taking care of the ball. In the fourth quarter, the Warriors committed four turnovers, two of the live-ball variety, leading to ten points for the Celtics.

And while overall, the hosts were more effective crashing the offensive glass, producing 26 second-chance points compared to 15 by Boston, none of those came in the fourth quarter before both teams emptied their benches. Conversely, as the Celtics rallied, they tacked on six points after securing an offensive rebound.

And with just under a minute to play, Tatum passed over a double team, giving Boston a four-on-three, where Brown drove baseline and found a cutting Horford, who provided the exclamation mark on the Celtics' 120-108 win in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Tatum played nearly the entire fourth quarter but didn't score, making the come-from-behind victory even more impressive. And despite his shot not falling, it didn't negatively affect him defensively, and he impacted the outcome with his facilitating.

Tatum finished with a game-high 13 assists. Nine of them were on Boston's 21 makes from beyond the arc, setting the record for the most by any player in a Finals game. It exemplified the Celtics' resiliency and their ability to figure out what's needed for them to walk out with a win.

Further Reading

It's Taken Al Horford 15 Years to Reach the NBA Finals; He's Wasting No Time Maximizing His Opportunity

Celtics, Jayson Tatum Discuss His Growth as a Facilitator After He Sets NBA Finals Record

Celtics' Resiliency on Display in Fourth Quarter of Game 1 of NBA Finals: 'We're battle-tested; we've been through a lot'

What Stood Out in Game 1 of the NBA Finals: Celtics' Take Series Opener with Fourth-Quarter Haymaker

Tony Parker Sizes Up the NBA Finals, Talks Ime Udoka and His Collaboration with MTN Dew LEGEND

As the Calls to Separate Them Grew Louder, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown Grew Closer: 'two young, extremely competitive guys that just really want to win at all costs'

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The Anatomy of the Celtics' Fourth-Quarter Comeback in Game 1 of NBA Finals - Sports Illustrated

Winter, as they say, is coming. If youre looking for a puffer jacket to keep yourself warm with a lighter impact on the environment, the team at Kathmandu has been working hard. The New Zealand-founded, certified B-Corp outdoor wear company recently launched its NXT-Level BioDown jacket, an innovative and award-winning piece of clothing made from a highly durable, biodegradable nylon.

While most jackets are made from polyester, Kathmandu chose nylon for its greater durability. It also decided to opt for nylon 66 (commonly used in friction bearings, carpets and luggage), a stronger version of its close cousin, nylon 6 (think toothbrush bristles) so that it will last and be worn longer.

Kathmandus scientists tweaked the polymer with a new ingredient designed to trigger biodegradation in an oxygen-free landfill environment. In a nutshell, the ingredient makes the discarded jacket attract microbes that form a biofilm on the material to help them break down those long chains of polymers. (But dont worry, your jacket wont start falling apart in the wash or while youre walking the dog in the rain only when it reaches oxygen-free landfill.*)

Hang on, isnt nylon derived from fossil fuel? Well, yes. Kathmandus Californian-born general manager of product, Robert Fry, says the decision to use nylon is all about playing the long game: producing a high-quality garment that will last longer, be more recyclable when technology catches up, and, in the meantime, biodegrade in three to five years under the right conditions.*

For us, the long-term goals around sustainability have to do with circularity more than anything else, Fry says from the companys Christchurch headquarters. And there are lots of principles of circularity, all of which were heavily invested in supporting, exploring, developing and innovating around, and theyre all in various states of go.

The problem Kathmandu faces is that much of the infrastructure required to close those circular systems isnt widely available in Australia yet. For example, we are still a long way away from widespread textile-to-textile chemical recycling, and the types of anaerobic, or oxygen-free, landfills required to make BioDowns innovative material biodegrade effectively are sparse.

The hope is that demand will ignite supply. Were doing our part to energise that infrastructure, so that as we introduce new products, new concepts into the marketplace, that theres an infrastructure in place that we can partner with, plug into and collaborate with, Fry says.

So, after youve worn your jacket for years, how does the breakdown of the material eventually happen?

Manu Rastogi, who heads Kathmandus innovation team and worked closely on the BioDown design, says: Biodegradation happens at the molecular level. Nylon 66 is made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. Microbes break down those molecular chains, whether that happens over hundreds of years or a few years, as in the case of BioDown. As the nylon is consumed by microbes, they release carbon dioxide and methane, and all that remains at the end is basically microbial poop.

Rastogi and his team went in search of best-practice landfills and found more than 20 biologically active sites in New Zealand. Although there are bioreactor landfills in Australia, our size and system of state governments means theyre not well documented, Rastogi says. Theres room for improvement.

Each state and territory also manages and prioritises waste differently. In suburban Sydney, roughly 40% of waste goes to Veolias Woodlawn Eco Precinct, an innovative, modern landfill facility that includes the necessary bioreactor landfill.

And if you look at whats happening globally, Rastogi says, thats where the landfill design and engineering is going: towards how do we harness carbon dioxide and methane and use that energy to generate electricity, so it doesnt go out in the atmosphere as greenhouse gases?

Adopting the build it and they will come philosophy, Rastogis team designed the jacket to be as recyclable as possible, too, making the zippers and inner lining from the same material. Insulating the jacket are duck down and feathers certified to the Responsible Down Standard, the global standard for ensuring best practices in animal welfare throughout the retail supply chain. And, by scanning in a QR code on the product, customers can trace the key conditions and source of the down in their jacket through the website Track My Down.

Other biodegradable, environmentally friendly details include labels made of cotton, hang tags made out of paper instead of plastic, and using natural bentonite clay instead of silica gel to absorb moisture during shipping.

In an imperfect world, its still vital for consumers and manufacturers to play their role and keep striving for a circular economy.

Fry says: We have to be responsible citizens of the planet and of our respective nations. Its morally incumbent upon us to do our best to make the world a better place. As Manu likes to say, we want to get from a place of doing less bad to doing more good.

Granted, the fully circular economy may be a while off yet, but its encouraging to see at least one company designing end-of-life responsibilities into its products from the very beginning.

Check out Kathmandus new NXT-Level BioDown jacket.

*Testing under ASTM D5511 indicates biodegradation of 86.6% after 3 years could occur in optimal conditions in some biologically active landfills without oxygen. Please ask your local council if this type of collection or waste disposal facilities exist for the product.

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Anatomy of a jacket: how Kathmandu is rethinking sustainable clothing - The Guardian

via The Pokemon Company

Do you ever wonder what a Pokmon would look like inside that cuddly exterior? No? Well, you can anyway after fan-made anatomically-accurate illustrations made their way online.

The images appeared on the Pokmon subreddit, where drawings of Cyndaquil, Octillery, Donphan, and Bellossom offered a detailed interpretation of the creatures anatomy. The drawings are very detailed, almost unsettlingly so, similar to what youd see in the doctors office. They even have names of the organs and details of bone structure for added accuracy.

Many commented underneath the thread on how horrifying (in a good way) these drawings are. Some also said that theyre now looking forward to their future nightmares.

Others, especially those either currently or aspiring to work in the field of biology, have praised the artist for the amount of detail these drawings have.

Fans showed excitement to see more, giving out requests for other Pokmon theyd like to see anatomically deconstructed. Some showed curiosity on how other Pokmon like ghost types or Cuebone would appear, considering that they have no bones usually, with the latter wearing skulls on their heads.

The original artist posted a link underneath the thread to their Poknatomy book, where they drew full-page anatomical illustrations of all the original 151 Pokmon. And while these drawings may look horrifying, you have to admit that the artist has placed a lot of effort to make them as detailed and convincing as possible.

'+// ''+// '

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Biologist Shares Freakily Detailed Anatomical Illustrations of Pokmon - We Got This Covered

Netflix found a huge hit in its anthology thriller series Anatomy of a Scandal, so fans are understandably confused that the series is not getting picked up. However, the show was "canceled" instead, it was always planned as a limited series. The six episodes of Anatomy of a Scandal were all that were ever planned by its creators.

Anatomy of a Scandal is a Netflix original series that premiered on April 15, 2022. It is a drama with elements of true crime, politics and mystery all mixed together in the story of a British family torn apart by a highly publicized scandal. The show is based on a novel of the same name written by Sarah Vaughan, and Vaughan never wrote a sequel. With the story relayed in its entirety already, there's no reason for a second season to be made.

Vaughan wrote Anatomy of a Scandal and published it in 2018, drawing on her own experience as a political journalist and a student at Oxford. It was her third novel, separate from the first two books and the two that have followed it since. Vaughan has not hinted at any plans to make a sequel, and fans of the genre aren't necessarily clamoring for one, either. The story is self-contained, and thrillers of this kind do not typically get serialized in the world of publishing.

TV is a different story. Many acclaimed thriller adaptations have been extended past their source material, with TV writers teasing out the story and following the characters onto their next adventure. However, this is not always popular, with fans sometimes complaining that it's easy to tell when the original story runs out and the show is running on fumes. One of the most infamous recent examples was at Netflix 13 Reasons Why.

It would make sense that Netflix wants to avoid this pitfall when it comes to Anatomy of a Scandal, ending the show on a high note. It's also notable that the book and the show are both British. Short limited series are much more common in the U.K., and book adaptations are rarely extended there. Viewers would like be surprised if Anatomy of a Scandal broke that norm.

Fans who are disappointed to leave the Whitehouse family behind can always turn to Vaughan's book. It is available now in print, digital and audiobook format wherever books are sold. Otherwise, the series is streaming now on Netflix.

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'Anatomy of a Scandal': Why There Won't Be a Season 2 - PopCulture.com

Shes really living a lie in many ways, declares Michelle Dockery about her character in the Netflix limited series Anatomy of a Scandal. The series developed and written by Melissa James Gibson and Emmy-winning writer and producer David E. Kelley, follows a wife and mother (Sienna Miller) who struggles to support her husband (Rupert Friend), a British politician who has had an affair and is accused of rape. Dockery plays Kate Woodcroft, the prosecuting attorney who endures her own lingering trauma. Check out our exclusive video chat with the four-time Emmy nominee above. Spoilers for the full season ahead.

The character of Kate turns out to be more than a mere attorney. The audience eventually learns that Kates real name is Holly Berry, and that as a student, Kate/Holly was raped by the same politician Kate is presently prosecuting. Dockery says that the characters duality was one of the key attractions of the role. Shes changed her identity to bury her past, she says. I loved that there is this fantastic kind of journey throughout the story for her because she starts out as this quite closed off human being and very guarded, and then as the story goes on those layers begin to peel back.

SEE over 350 interviews with 2022 Emmy contenders

Because the show was filmed out of sequence, Dockery shot her emotional breakdown for the final episode very early in the filming and spent a great deal of time isolated from the rest of the cast. The actress argues that the circumstances helped in portraying her character. It worked out great because I could get all of that rage and emotion out in those final moments with Kate and then sort of work backwards, she explains. That separation from everybody was really good because Kates a lone wolf. Shes very private and she likes to be alone. So it was good to get into the character in that sense.

Dockery says that the entire production went to extraordinary lengths to tackle the issue of sexual violence in a way that is both honest and respectful to victims, including working with victims advocate groups throughout the United Kingdom. Its obviously a subject that is a really sensitive one, and we were all adamant that it was delivered in the most authentic way possible, she says. The actress describes how it was sometimes difficult to leave the character behind after filming certain scenes. Whenever I do something that is sort of guttural and emotional, I go home and Ill feel tired and its a little harder to shake off, she claims.

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Michelle Dockery (Anatomy of a Scandal) on playing a prosecutor: I could get all of that rage and emotion out [Exclusive Video Interview] - Gold Derby

"Grey's Anatomy" goes to great lengths to make sure that their medical scenes look as realistic as possible, meaning that they have to get creative with their props to make situations such as surgeries look authentic. If you're curious about the types of things they utilize for props, actor Sarah Drew, who has been playing Dr. April Kepner on "Grey's Anatomy" since 2009, has opened up about what filming those surgery scenes are like including what kind of props they have to work with. Speaking with the Miami Herald, Drew said, "We work with bovine organs, which is cow's organs. The smell is repulsive and makes us all gag. And we use an actual soldering tool to solder the organs. It smells like burning flesh. There's also a lot of silicone and blood matter red jello mixed with blood and chicken fat. It's pretty gross" (via RTE).

Along with making the props look realistic, there is great deal of attention paid to how the actors are moving and acting in a surgical setting to make sure that they don't do something that an actual doctor wouldn't. In September of 2021, LitHub published an oral history in which the cast and crew discuss how they pull off their most intricate medical scenes. Giacomo Gianniotti, who played Dr. Andrew DeLuca from 2015 to 2021, told an amusing anecdote as an example of the lengths they go to for accuracy: "My first surgery was a nightmare. There were so many things, general rules that I didn't know about sterilization, keeping everything clean. I was constantly dropping my hands in surgery and Linda Klein," the show's medical adviser technician, "would be like, 'Cut, cut, cut! Giacomo, what are you doing? You're dropping your hands! You're not sterile!'"

More:
What They Really Used For Organs During Surgeries In Grey's Anatomy - Looper

Sarah Drew and Jesse Williams returned to Greys Anatomy for its Season 18 finale, thrilling fans with the reveal that their characters Jackson Avery and April Kepner had reunited. The fandom has been screaming for a Japril spinoff pretty much since Drew left the medical drama at the end of Season 14 (if not before that), and the yearning to see the couples life together in Boston is stronger than ever following their on-screen in-elevator kiss. The actors seem down for a spinoff, as well, as theyve consistently voiced their love for the characters, but Drew has an interesting idea about how shed want to differentiate their series from Greys Anatomy.

The idea of a spinoff featuring Jackson and April was actually one the actors pitched when they were both still on the show. Rather than giving them their own series, the writers turned their pitch into what is now known as Japril The Movie, a heartbreaking Season 12 episode. Sarah Drew returned for the Season 17 episode that announced Jesse Williams exit from Greys Anatomy, with April agreeing to accompany Jackson to Boston to continue co-parenting their daughter Harriet. Drew spoke with Tommy DiDario on Instagram about how she sees that story being continued:

In my dream world, it would be like a 10-episode kind of show where we could be somewhere that allows it to be a little darker, and a little grittier, a little sexier. That would be fun.

The Japril dynamic has been fun to watch, to say the least, but if they were the sole focus of the story, without the necessity of sharing screen time with a bevy of other Seattle surgeons, Jesse Williams and Sarah Drew would definitely have to dive deeper into Jackson and Aprils complexities much like they did for Japril The Movie. In that episode (officially Unbreak My Heart), Jackson served April with divorce papers, prompting a look at the highs and lows of their time together, with the episode ending with the reveal that April was pregnant again.

The history certainly exists for Sarah Drew and Jesse Williams to go darker and grittier with the characters. As far as sexier, lets just say its a good thing Jackson and April are doctors, because I feel some heart palpitations coming on.

The reason for their move to Boston for Jackson to take over his familys Catherine Fox Foundation to help provide better medical care to underserved communities would also lend itself to some interesting and important content. Drew said that would be fun to tackle:

And I think that's what's really fun about these two characters...they're both right now kind of really living in their purpose. And they're out to change the medical field and to fight for medical justice. We haven't seen that out in the world yet. So, I think it could lend itself to really interesting, fun stories to tell.

After his exit from the show in 2021, Jesse Williams said he and Sarah Drew would kill it if given the chance to do a spinoff, and Greys Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo also said she gets why fans want to see more, and shed watch them lead their own show. This seems to be an idea that fans (and the actors!) arent letting go of, so will somebody order this spinoff already?

In the meantime, you can relive all the Japril drama on streaming, with Seasons 1-17 of Greys Anatomy available to Netflix subscribers, while Season 18 is available in full with a Hulu subscription.

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Sarah Drew Would Totally Love A Japril Spinoff With Jesse Williams, And Knows How She'd Want It To Be Different From Grey's Anatomy - CinemaBlend

Batman Forever costume sculptor Jose Fernandez has explained why the Batsuit had nipples.The suit infamously had the rather strange additions in both Batman Forever, starring Val Kilmer, and Batman & Robin, which starred George Clooney.

"With Val Kilmer's suit in Batman Forever, the nipples were one of those things that I added. It wasn't fetish to me, it was more informed by Roman armor like Centurions," Fernandez told MEL (via Screen Rant (opens in new tab)).

"And, in the comic books, the characters always looked like they were naked with spray paint on them it was all about anatomy, and I like to push anatomy," he continued. "I don't know exactly where my head was at back in the day, but that's what I remember. And so, I added the nipples. I had no idea there was going to end up being all this buzz about it."

Sadly, every version of the Batsuit since 97's Batman & Robin has done away with that particular design feature.

We'll next see Batman on the big screen in the upcoming The Flash, which, thanks to some multiversal shenanigans, will see the return of both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton to the role. Keaton will also be playing Bruce Wayne again in the upcoming HBO Max movie Batgirl, which stars Leslie Grace as the titular Barbara Gordon.

The most recent cinematic incarnation of the Caped Crusader was Robert Pattinson's in The Batman, which has a sequel on the way.

If you're up to date on Batman Forever, check out our guide to all the upcoming superhero movies to get up to speed on what's next in the DCEU and MCU.

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Batman Forever costume designer explains why the Batsuit had nipples: "It was all about anatomy" - Gamesradar

We describe a patient with multifocal recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who received proton beam therapy (PBT) and then underwent donation after brain dead (DBD) liver transplantation. The anatomy of the explanted diseased liver was examined pathologically post-transplantation. The patient was a 52-year-old male with hepatitis B virus infection and liver cirrhosis of Child-Pugh class B. Right lobe and caudate lobectomy were performed for primary HCC. However, three recurrent tumors appeared in the remnant liver in segments S2 (two sites) and S4, of sizes 23 mm, 10 mm, and 32 mm, respectively. Liver transplantation was required due to these multiple HCCs and liver cirrhosis, but the patient was ineligible for living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) based on Milan criteria. He was registered as a candidate on the waiting list for DBD transplantation. In consideration of the long waiting timefor a deceased donor transplant for more than one year, the progression of multiple recurrent HCCs, and the risk of death, the patient had limited treatment options other than PBT for poor liver function and multifocal HCCand eventually received 65 GyE/18 fractions of PBT. Eleven months after the start of PBT, the tumors remained progression-free and liver function did not deteriorate, allowing the patient to wait for liver transplantation. After transplantation, the histopathology of the explanted liver showed that the left lobe of the liver treated by PBT showed no evidence of solid tumors and tumor cells in visual and microscopic examinations. There was also no significant damage to normal liver tissue. This case demonstrates that PBT is a prospective option for patients with HCC with poor liver function, multiple tumors, and no other treatment options. PBT can achieve control or even complete response of HCC while maintaining liver function and may be an effective pre-transplant method for tumor downstaging and prolonging survival. PBT may enable more people to wait for a donor liver or to become eligible for liver transplantation.

Primary liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the third most common cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide [1-2]. Among live cancer cases, 85-90% are hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) [3]. About 80% of liver cancers are also attributed to chronic hepatitis B and C [4]since these diseases are important risk factors for cirrhosis, which has a strong tendency to proceed to HCC. Patients with HCC can be managed by surgical resection, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and liver transplantation [5-6]. However, surgery is only preferable for solitary early-stage HCC, and partial resection is not recommended for multiple and recurrent cirrhotic HCC [7]. Among non-surgical approaches, RFA gives good therapeutic outcomes for solitary HCCbut not for multiple, large, and deeply located HCC [8]. Patients with cirrhosis leading to hepatic insufficiency should be carefully assessed for TACE because of the potential risk of liver failure or bleeding [9].

Liver transplantation is the optimal therapeutic option for liver cirrhosis and HCC [10], with excellent survival rates of >90% and >80% at one and five years, respectively [11]. Liver transplantation is mainly classified into living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) and donation after brain dead (DBD) liver transplantation [12]. In Japan and China, the Milan criteria are used to judge long-term eligibility for LDLT in patients with HCC [13-14]. However, the shortage of donor livers leads to long waiting periods for transplantation, and patients are in danger of death or tumor progression during this period, with a mortality rate of 11.3% [15]. Therefore, treating HCC during the pre-transplantation waiting period is necessary to reduce mortality and meet the criteria for transplantation.

Proton beam therapy (PBT) is an aggressive form of radiation therapy that offers advantages over photon-based radiation therapy through greater sparing of the normal liver surrounding the tumor due to its dosimetric properties based on the Bragg peak [16]. Thus, PBT reduces radiation-related hepatotoxicity while permitting escalation of the tumor dose [17]. At our center, we have shown the effectiveness of PBT for HCC, even in patients with cirrhosis and poor liver function, and we have found that PBT is tolerable and improves survival for patients with HCC with severe cirrhosis [18]. Here, we describe a case of multifocal HCC treated by PBT followed by DBD liver transplantation that showed a pathologically verified complete response to PBT with the disappearance of tumors.

The patient was a 52-year-old male with chronic hepatitis B infection complicated by severe cirrhosis. At the initial onset of HCC, resection of the right lobe and caudate lobe of the liver was performed. Fifteen months later, a tumor recurred in the S3 segment, for which internal yttrium-90 (Y90) irradiation was performed. Since then, the patient had received targeted drug therapy with lenvatinib and regorafenib, but this treatment was not effective. One and a half years later, the tumors progressed and the patient was diagnosed with multiple HCCs by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The arterial phase (Figure 1) showed three high signal intensity nodules in the left lobe of the liver: two HCCs in S2 and S4 (Figure 1a), with sizes of 23 mm and 32 mm, respectively, and a round-like HCC located in S2 (Figure 1b) close to the hepatic peritoneum, with a size of 10 mm. In the portal venous phase, all three nodules had low signal intensity with a lack of contrast. The patient had severe cirrhosis and high hepatobiliary enzyme parameters of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) 54 IU/L, alanine transaminase (ALT) 58 IU/L, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) 158 IU/L, andgamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (-GTP) 99 IU/L before PBT.

The patient was listed as a candidate for DBD liver transplantation for multiple HCCs and severe cirrhosis. However, the long waiting time before transplantation placed the patient at risk of death due to tumor progression and poor liver function, and he was no longer able to receive surgery, chemotherapy with sorafenib, or stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). Therefore, he was referred to our center. At the first visit, liver function was Child-Pugh class B, corresponding to Alb 3.9 g/dl, T-Bil 2.0 mg/dl, and PT% 79.7%. He had no hepatic encephalopathy and no abdominal dropsy with a small amount of ascites. The spleen was moderately enlarged, with the largest dimension of 14 cm. The patient had a very low platelet count of 50109/L and suffered from esophageal varices, which indicated a high risk of rupture and bleeding.

A course of PBT was successfully performed and only grade 1 dermatitis was observed as acute radiation toxicity. Blood biochemical parameters related to liver function gradually decreased during PBT (Table 1). Nine months after the end of PBT, the tumor in S4 had disappeared on contrast-enhanced MRI (Figure 2a). The larger tumor in S2 showed a low-intensity internal signal area, and the smaller S2 tumor had disappeared (Figure 2). Liver structures remained intact without significant deformation, except for slight atrophy in the irradiated area of the tumor. Blood chemistry parameters before, during, and after PBT are shown in Table 1. Within 11 months after the end of PBT, the three tumors were completely controlled and the patient was in good condition to wait for liver transplantation, although cirrhosis was progressing very slowly. To date, after successful liver transplantation, there has still been no progression of tumors.

Before proton therapy for HCC, our Proton Beam Therapy Center usually implants a metal target near the tumor to assist with localization. Laser-targeting was used during patient position setting, followed by fluoroscopy to match bone structure and correction, and finally adjustment around the position of the target. Respiratory synchronization sensors and 3D tumor motion-monitoring techniques were also used. The clinical t
arget volume (CTV) was defined as the gross tumor volume (GTV) plus a margin of 5 to 10 mm in all directions. A margin of 5 mm was added to the tail axis to compensate for respiration-induced liver motion. A margin of 5 to 10 mm was added by expanding the multileaf collimator and adjusting the range shifter to cover the entire CTV, as shown in Figure 3.

The patient was administered once daily PBT for a total of 65 GyE/18 fractions. Initially, we performed0-33 GyE/10 fractions of PBT, and the tumors were observed to shrink in size. Therefore, for the final 32 GyE/8 fractions, the radiation coverage was reduced to a good fit for the tumors and the spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) was shortened. At the end of PBT, the patient had only Grade 1 dermatitis with PS 0 and no other acute phase reactions. The dose distribution diagrams (Figure 3) show that the tumor in S4 was irradiated lateral to two gates of the proton beam in cross-sectional and coronal views (Figure 3a and Figure 3b)while the two tumor lesions in S2 were irradiated with one gate of the proton beam obliquely from above (Figure 3c and Figure 3d).

The patient had one HCC >3 cm before PBT, which exceeded the Milan criteria (one lesion <5 cm; three lesions each <3 cm), and thuswas not eligible for LDLT. However, he was registered as a candidate for DBD transplantation before PBT. At 11 months after the end of PBT, radiology showed no evidence of a tumor in the liver and no extrahepatic distant metastases or vascular invasion. The patient also had a good general condition. At this point, a donated liver became available and the patient underwent DBD liver transplantation in China.The pathological anatomy of the diseased liver showed that all three tumor lesionshad been replaced by fibrous nodules. Two grayish-white nodular masses on the cut surface of the diseased liver were found. Among them, the size of the larger one was 8.5*5.5*6.5 cm, which was adjacent to the peritoneum of the liver and the hepatic cutaneous margin. About 2 cm away from the large nodule, the small nodule was observed, which was 3*4*5 cm. The liver section was uniformly solid and moderate in character. Microscopic findings revealed normal hepatocytes in the nodules had been replaced by hyperplastic fibrous tissue and reactive small bile ducts with high infiltration of lymphocytes and neutrophils. No cancer cells were seen microscopically, and the tissue in the radiation area surrounding the tumorshad a normal structure and was only subtly damaged. The patient is currently in good health with normal liver function.

Liver transplantation is the best option for HCC because it allows the management of both the tumor and liver cirrhosis. The number of candidates for transplants for HCC has increased in recent years and this now accounts for 15-50% of all liver transplantations [19]. Over 60% of liver transplants are performed due to cirrhosis [20]. The Milan criteria are used to determine eligibility for LDLT worldwide, and among these criteria, the following conditions need to be met for eligibility: one lesion <5 cm or up to three lesions that are each <3 cm, no extrahepatic manifestations, and no evidence of gross vascular invasion [21]. In addition, Chinese and Japanese human organ transplant regulations indicate that LDLT must take place between individuals with consanguinity or clear family relationships. In contrast, DBD liver transplants are only available from voluntary private donations, and thus, it is unknown when a patient will receive a donor liver [22]. The huge gap between the demand for liver transplantations and the number of donors has led to significant morbidity and mortality of patients during the waiting period for transplantation [23]. A study in the United States showed that 51% of transplant candidates waited for more than oneyear for a liver transplant in 2018while data from 2016 indicated that about 44% of candidates on the liver transplant list did not receive a transplant within three years and 11.3% died during the waiting period [15]. For patients with HCC, only 25% survived after six months if managed without any treatment [24]. Among patients with multiple HCCs who were unable to receive treatment such as surgical resection or TACE, Ho et al. reported a one-year survival rate of 13.9% and median survival of only 2.8 months [25]. In our case, the patient had waited for more than one year for a donor liver. Without intervention during this time, he had a serious mortality risk. Thus, alternative therapeutic modalities had to be considered to prolong survival.

Radiation therapy for HCC is not the first recommended treatment in clinical practice. This is mostly due to the low tolerance of the liver to radiation, which can lead to radiation-induced liver disease (RILD), even at low doses [26]. SBRT and other conventional photon modalities are constrained by the radiation dose permitted to avoid adjacent organ damage since most of the liver is irradiated during treatment [27]. In contrast, PBT has a unique dose distribution defined by the Bragg peak, allowing the sparing of normal tissues and focusing the dose on the tumor area [28]. Sumiya et al. showed that PBT can protect against and prevent deterioration of liver function through accurate targeting, based on the almost constant levels of liver/biliary enzymes and total bilirubin (T-Bil) related to liver function during PBT, and minimal direct damage to the normal liver even in cases with abnormal pre-treatment enzyme levels [29]. A review at the University of Tsukuba [18] showed that PBT has superior therapeutic performance and encompasses a wide range of indications for HCC, including large tumors, tumor thrombosis, and cases with poor liver function. The five-year local control rates of PBT for HCC are consistently >80%, regardless of the radiation protocols used [18].

In this case, the 52-year-old male patient had already received several treatment options, including surgery, chemotherapy, and internal irradiation due to HCC. As a consequence of severe cirrhosis and multiple recurrences of HCCs, these treatments could no longer be used to maintain liver function, so PBT seemed to be the only therapeutic option. After PBT, tumors were controlled, liver function did not deteriorate, and survival was extended [25], which allowed the patient to wait for a liver transplant safely. Thus, PBT in HCC cases not meeting the criteria for liver transplant may alleviate the tumor burden and downgrade the stage, and in turn, make the case consistent with the criteria [30]. Currently, the main methods for downstaging are local ablation therapy and TACE [31]. Chen et al. concluded that PBT for local management of HCC can be regarded as a bridging intervention for advanced aggressive HCC or as an option for downstaging of HCC to achieve criteria for transplantation, especially when other treatments are not available [27]. Thus, for patients not meeting transplant criteria, PBT may be considered a new approach for downstaging to enable more patients to become eligible for liver transplantation.

Our case illustrates that proton beam therapy is a promising new option for HCC with poor liver functionand multifocality, where other conventional treatments are not suitable. Proton beam therapy enables control of multiple HCCs, even to the point of complete tumor response, while preventing the deterioration ofliver function and allowing for prolonged patient survival. Furthermore, these findings suggest that proton beam therapy is a prospective pre-transplant modality. It might downstage the tumor, extend patient survival, and further allow more patients to wait for a donor liver or become eligible for liver transplantation, leading to more patients having access to radical treatment for HCC.

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Proton Beam Therapy for Multifocal Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) Showing Complete Response in Pathological Anatomy After Liver Transplantation -...