Category Archives: Immortality

By Express News Service

KOCHI:According to the temple tradition prevalent in Kerala, infants are usually allowed at temples only after completing the ritual of choroonu (having rice for the first time).However, the 700-year-oldMaramkulangara Krishna temple in Tripunithura welcomes infants, as young as 16 days old, who are given a holy bath unnikulifordivine protection.

Located on the Vennala-Eroor route, the temple is dedicated to Balakrishnan(toddler Krishna). The deity protects children from dangers and behavioural issues, explains priest Rajesh Embranthiri.After the unnikuli or kunjikuli, a sacred thread is tied to the childrens bodies.

Those staying close to the temple, perform unnikuli for seven to 12 days, while people from faraway places do it for five weeks. It is believed that the bathing ritual prevents or washes off problems such as irrational fear, anxiety, adamancy, disobedience and indiscipline.

The legend traces back to baby Krishna giving moksha to demoness Poothana, who was sent to breastfeed him poison, says the priest. When Yashoda wailed, fearing Krishna was poisoned, Lord Vishnu appeared before her and poured amrut (elixir of immortality) taken from a nearby well on the baby. The water from the temple well here is considered to be divine, and used to bathe the babies.

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Bath time, with Krishna! - The New Indian Express

Looking for something new to listen to? Get acquainted with these tracks from some lesser-known bands that came out in May thanks to our monthly Underground Roundup! Check out our cumulative playlists below featuring this month's edition, as well as all the previous months as well.

You can also check out all editions of the Underground Roundup here.

North Carolina's dark jangle riff-rockers ASG are back with a new EP and video for the EP's title track, "Pyramid Wheels." You can watch the video above, and you can also listen to the currently digital-only EP, Pyramid Wheels, here. It's not too often that we get new ASG material, though the spans of time between are made up for with killer quality!

Brutus has returned to us all with a new single called "Dust," which should remind you why we all need Brutus in our lives it's a perfect mix of punk fury, massive atmospheres, and huge choruses for days. The single is from Brutus' upcoming new record, which as of right now has not yet been announced. The new record will be the band's first since their 2019 effort Nest.

You wanna hear some seriously filthy sludge? Because that's what Conan is bringing to the table today in all its dripping, disgusting glory. The band is now streaming "Levitation Hoax" alongside the announcement of their first new record in four years Evidence Of Immortality. Evidence Of Immortality features ex-Conan member Dave Perry on the track "Grief Sequence," and pre-orders are available here.

Crippled Black Phoenix has announced their new record Banefyre for September 9. The band is now streaming their new single "Blackout77," which tells the tale of the New York City blackout during the chaotic summer of 1977. The single comes alongside a music video directed by Guilherme Henriques. Banefyre is available for pre-order here.

Cyborg Octopus is back with their first new record in six years Between The Light And Air, and is now streaming the debut single "Seizure Of Character." It's a progressive metal crusher that's about "a traumatic brain injury that our saxophone player Patrick suffered while he was asleep, resulting in memory loss, personality changes, fear of sleep, and an existential crisis." Pre-order the album here.

Destrage simply has a way of making a load of weird components all work together as one dissonant, frantic Frankenstein's monster of a song and "Everything Sucks And I Think I Am A Big Part Of It" is no different. The song is a part of Destrage's new record SO MUCH. too much. due out on Periphery's 3DOT Recordings on September 16. SO MUCH. too much. is available for pre-order here.

Gaerea is back with a pummeling new single "Salve" and a new record Mirage due out September 23. The band is now streaming "Salve" alongside a music video directed by Guilherme Henriques, and I'm not really sure which is more terrifying. Feels like a solid 50/50 split on this one, right? Pre-orders for Mirage are available here.

Like King Crimson rising from the grave to jam with Matt Pike, Grave Bathers is here to sludge your day up real good. The band is now streaming their new single "Tarman Cometh" off their debut record Rock 'N' Roll Fetish due out August 5. Rock 'N' Roll Fetish was recorded live-to-tape at the analog-centric Memphis Magnetic by Davis M. Shubs and Drew Robinson. Pre-orders are available here and here on Bandcamp.

Greenwitch straddles the line between hardcore and death metal, offering all the moshy bits of both in one crushing EP. Greenwitch is the latest from the rising Maggot Stomp label, so I'm sure you'll start to see their name as support on bills for brutal show traversing North America soon enough. Grab Grid Walker here on Bandcamp.

Imperial Triumphant is now streaming their new single "Merkurius Gilded" featuring composer Max Gorelick and jazz legend Kenny G. Unfortunately the Steve Blanco-directed music video doesn't feature an actual appearance from Kenny G himself, but still the jazzy shred is present and it's fantastic. Imperial Triumphant's new record Spirit of Ecstasy is due out July 22 and is available for pre-order at their website.

Kallias is now streaming their progressive-as-hell new single "The Dark Machine." The single covers a ton of ground from Opeth-related weirdness to Meshuggah-esque rhythms, and then of course plenty of Jeff Loomis-style shred. So y'know, everything you'd want from a progressive metal song. Keep up with Kallias here.

KEN Mode has announced their first new record in four years Null alongside an experimental, noisy new single "A Love Letter." The record is also KEN Mode's first with longtime collaborator Kathryn Kerr as a full-time member, contributing everything from saxophone and synthesizer to backing vocals and percussion. Null is available for pre-order here.

Locrian is back for the first time in seven years with a new single "The Glare Is Everywhere And Nowhere Our Shadow." If you're looking to be immersed in a wash of noise and hellish visuals with absolutely no reprieve whatsoever, then go ahead and hit play on the visualizer below. New Catastrophism is out August 12, as well as a new EP titled Ghost Frontiers, with pre-orders for both being available here.

Mantar is now streaming their new single "Odysseus," whose sound is much darker than its bright and flowery music video. The video was directed by Dennis Dirksen and the song itself is sludgy as all hell. Mantar will release their Metal Blade debut Pain Is Forever And This Is The End on July 15. Pre-orders are available here.

Nebula is now streaming their cosmic, sunbaked new single "The Four Horseman." In true Nebula fashion, the song is equal parts a trip through the desert and a rocket ride through the cosmos. In other words, it's exactly what you'd want from the band. "The Four Horseman" is off Nebula's forthcoming new album Transmission From Mothership Earth, due out July 22. Pre-orders are available here.

Phobophilic is gearing up to release their debut album Enveloping Absurdity via Prosthetic Records on September 16, and you need to hear the first single "Those Which Stare Back." Equal parts churning death metal and warping Death-like melodies, Phobophilic should easily catch the ear of any and all death metal fans. Pre-orders for Enveloping Absurdity are available here.

Sigh is back and they're as beautifully weird as they've ever been, thanks to their progressive new single "Mayonaka No Kaii." Sigh will release their new record Shiki on August 26 featuring bassist Frdric Leclercq of Kreator and drummer Mike Heller of Fear Factory, along with an appearance by longtime member Satoshi Fujinami on bass. Pre-orders are available here.

Shadow Academy is the new duo of Emmy Award-winning record producer and songwriter Jim Roach and Dan Avidan, co-host of Game Grumps and frontman of Ninja Sex Party. The band is now streaming their beautiful new single "The Other Side" featuring an animated music video by collaborator Simon Macko. Get lost in the Floyd-esque spaciness and stream their debut album here.

Talas was originally active from the mid-1970s to 1985, meaning their retro sound is anything but a modern throwback. Featuring incredible bassist Billy Sheehan alongside drummer Mark Miller, vocalist Phil Naro, guitarist Kire Najdovski, Talas is here to bring the impressive-as-hell rock. Talas will release their new album 1985 on September 23. Pre-orders are available here.

Outta nowhere earlier in June, Terminal Nation and Kruelty dropped their The Ruination Of Imperialism split on 20 Buck Spin and it just tore everyone's heads clean off. Both sides of this split run the gambit of mosh-inducing speed to neck-breaking sludge, and without even a second of reprieve throughout its entirety. This split might've dropped as a surprise, but the surprise hasn't worn off. Get it here.

Vented is an international supergroup featuring Sean Zatorsky (Sinsaenum, Chimaira), Austin DAmond (DevilDriver, Bleed The Sky), Gergo Hajer (Omega Diatribe), and Simon C. Bondar (Sexual Education, White Tiger). The band is now streaming their new single "Requiem For Myself," which will kick your ass clean into next week. Vented will release their new record Cruelty And Corruption later this year.

Their name is Vulture, their logo looks like it would cut you if you touched it, and the song is called "High Speed Metal" written in all caps and italics. You already know what this is going to sound like, and you're right it should be played on a boombox while you're wearing a headband and Aviators. "High Speed Metal" is a standalone single available here.

A.A. Williams is now streaming her new single "Evaporate" off her upcoming record As The Moon Rests due out October 7. The single feels like the perfect type of album to come out at the start of fall spacious, a little doomy, and just enough downtrodden to welcome in the colder weather. As The Moon Rests is available for pre-order here.

Zous is the project headed up by producer and Twitching Tongues drummer Taylor Young. The project features guest spots from vocalists Chris Reifert (Autopsy) and Brad Boatright, noise from Full Of Hell's Dylan Walker, and guest solos from Leon del Muerte (ex-Exhumed, ex-Intronaut) and Takafumi Matsubara (Gridlink). It'll kick your ass. Get it here.

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The 25 Underground Metal Bands You Might've Missed In June - Metal Injection

Cameron Frew. 18 hours ago

Hercules may be the next god to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe, according to a recent Thor: Love and Thunder leak.

When the MCU debuted with Iron Man in 2008, its world was one of warlords, megalomaniacs, and genius billionaire playboy philanthropists. Then came Thor, which introduced gods of thunder, mischief, war, and wisdom, and The Avengers, which teased a whole new breed of Titan.

Fast-forward to now, and the franchise is home to all sorts of gods and monsters, whether its the humungous, cosmos-faring Celestials from Eternals, Khonshu and the other Egyptian gods in Moon Knight, or most powerful of all, Uatu the Watcher.

Soon, were set to see the arrival of one of the best-known heroes in all of ancient mythology: Hercules.

While this leak is unconfirmed, its a major spoiler for Thor: Love and Thunder, so youve been warned

Marvel Studios

Thor: Love and Thunder sees the return of Chris Hemsworths titular god, alongside Tessa Thompsons Valkyrie, and the debuts of Natalie Portman as Mighty Thor and Christian Bale as the terrifying Gorr the God Butcher.

However, according to footage leaked online, theres another god joining the mix: Hercules, played by none other than Ted Lassos Brett Goldstein.

Apple TV+

Reportedly, its revealed in the post-credits scene, with Russell Crowes Zeus sending Hercules to kill Thor after the events of the film.

The clip floating around has clearly been filmed on a phone at a screening, and its highly pixellated with poor sound. However, it appears to have been backed by others online whove seen the film prior to its release, so Goldsteins casting seems to be the real deal.

Hercules first debuted in Avengers #10, though it wasnt until his first formal appearance in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 that he was established as a rival to Thor. Whatever Thor canst do Hercules can accomplish more mightily, he once said.

In the comics, he was born a half-Olympian god from his dad, Zeus, and his human mother, Alcmena. Hes had a long history of varying adventures, serving alongside the Avengers and taking part in the Civil War and Secret Invasion events.

Marvel Comics

As for his powers, Hercules boasts godlike strength, speed, agility, and reflexes, not to mention immortality. Basically, we can expect him to give Thor a run for his money when they inevitably face off in a fifth film down the line.

Thor: Love and Thunder hits cinemas this week on July 7 in the UK, and July 8 in the US.

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Who plays Hercules in Thor: Love and Thunder? MCU debut reportedly leaked - Dexerto

Justice shall be done to the memory of my Hamilton.

According to her daughter, this was the compounding yearning of Eliza Hamilton in the fifty years she survived her husband, after his tragic, and dishonorable, death in an affair of honor. In the summer of 1804, he took a duel with Aaron Burr Jr., the sitting Vice President and grandson of Jonathan Edwards. Alexander Hamilton, citing Christian conviction, threw away his shot by not firing at his opponent. Burr, however, took aim and struck his political rival. Hamilton died 31 hours later on July 12, 1804.

Not only had the controversial circumstances of his death tarnished her Hamiltons reputation, but so too had an another affair made public in 1797. And after Hamiltons death in 1804, rivals John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both lived another 22 years to strengthen their own founding legacies, and bury Hamiltons.

Remarkably, Ron Chernows 800-page biography in 2004 some 150 years after Elizas death in 1854 began the work of doing justice to Hamiltons memory in the twenty-first century. More than a decade later, Lin-Manuel Mirandas musical, inspired by the biography, and with Chernow as historical consultant, sent Hamilton skyrocketing back into broader American awareness just in time to save his face on the ten-dollar bill.

Of Christian interest, Hamilton appeared to have experienced a remarkable conversion, under Reformed teaching, as a teen when the Great Awakening came to his native West Indies in the early 1770s. Presbyterian minister Hugh Knox, who had studied at the College of New Jersey (where Edwards had been president briefly in 1758) mentored the 17-year-old Hamilton. When a hurricane passed through the Caribbean in August of 1772, Hamilton wrote markedly Christian reflections on the event. Knox read them and, impressed with the teens ability, guided them to press in the local paper. Enough readers took notice of the words from a Youth of this Island that it became an occasion for Knox to raise money to send Hamilton to New Jersey to study.

Hamilton soon left the West Indies, never to return, and arrived in New Jersey as the revolutionary spirit was fomenting. With his unusually able brain and pen, he was swept up into the Revolution and found himself at the heart of American politics from 17751800, perhaps surpassed only by George Washington in that quarter century. His Christian interests, however, seemed to cool as they were eclipsed by political ambition and zeal for his work as Washingtons aide-de-camp, then in establishing a law practice in New York, and climactically as the nations first Secretary of the Treasury from 17891795. Alongside James Madison, Hamilton proved to be one of the great intellects of the founding generation. And while being every bit Madisons match in political thought (if not exceeding him), Hamilton far surpassed Madison, and the other leading founders, in economics.

Yet in his late forties, before dying in the infamous duel at age 49, Hamilton experienced a succession of great humblings, which appear to have prompted him, doubtless with the encouragement of his enduringly faithful evangelical wife, to blow again on the embers of the Christianity of his youth. Chernow, for one, recognizes that Hamiltons late-life preoccupation with spiritual matters . . . eliminates all doubt about the sincerity of his late-flowering religious interests (707).

As the United States celebrates 246 years of independence, and Americans newly remember the ten-dollar founding father, what might Christians learn from the rise and fall, and redemption, of the wandering and reticent Alexander Hamilton?

Politically speaking, we could identify many important insights from a recovery of Hamiltons legacy, but far more important, as Christians, whether American or not, is learning from his spiritual journey into the far country. And these are not the kind of lessons we might glean even from a man who professed, say, deism or atheism throughout his life. Rather, Hamilton, by all accounts, evidenced a vibrant Christian faith in his teens and gave clear affirmations of faith in Christ on his deathbed. However, sadly, he was a prodigal of sorts captured by politics and establishing himself in the world for much of his twenties and thirties. His meteoric rise to political power appears to have eclipsed the fires of his fledgling teenage faith. Yet he did, it seems, come to himself, once humbled, and eventually return home seeking the arms of a Father.

His 1772 published letter that proved to be his way out of the West Indies viewed the hurricane as a divine rebuke to human vanity and pomposity (Chernow, 37). The storm thundered, according to the 17-year-old Hamilton, Despise thyself and adore thy God. Yet Hamilton, in his faith, found safety.

See thy wretched helpless state, and learn to know thyself. Learn to know thy best support. Despise thyself, and adore thy God. . . . [W]hat have I to dread? My staff can never be broken in Omnipotence I trusted. . . . He who gave the winds to blow, and the lightnings to rage even him have I always loved and served. His precepts have I observed. His commandments have I obeyed and his perfections have I adored.

That same year, he wrote a Christian hymn, one that Eliza would come to prize and cling to during the half century she outlived him. There he confessed, O Lamb of God! thrice gracious Lord / Now, now I feel how true thy word.

However, his way with words was soon put to other purposes. Once in America, his wordsmithing would propel him into revolutionary leadership, then to Washingtons side, and eventually to the most powerful seat in the first executive administration from 1789 until 1795.

Hamiltons long-standing relationship with Washington proved to be a stabilizing force. In hindsight, his most productive (and least self-destructive) work came when he was most proximate to Washington, leading to the first of four lessons.

Chernow observes, After Alexander Hamilton left the Treasury Department [in 1795], he lost the strong, restraining hand of George Washington and the invaluable sense of tact and proportion that went with it. Washington was magnanimous. Few were willing to stomach such personal offenses as he endured without retaliating. The fatherless and insecure Hamilton badly needed this stabilizing presence. Hamilton had been forced, as Washingtons representative, to take on some of his decorum. Now that he was no longer subordinate to Washington, Hamilton was even quicker to perceive threats, issue challenges, and take a high-handed tone in controversies. Some vital layer of inhibition disappeared (Chernow, 488).

But it was not only Washington, whose guidance was political, but also Eliza, whose influence was gently but relentlessly spiritual. As a woman of deep spirituality, Eliza believed firmly in [Christian] instruction for her children, and it would prove to have effects on her husband as they raised them together, and particularly as his great humblings came in late 1799, throughout 1800, and into 1801. She endured his wandering and, in the end, it appears, won him with her life and conduct (1 Peter 3:1).

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus tells about seed sown among thorns: They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful (Mark 4:1819).

Hamilton, admirably, was not undone by the deceitfulness of riches his financial integrity was sterling but the cares of the world and desires for other things haunted his extended season of spiritual reticence (from his seeming indifference to Christianity from 1777 to 1792, to his opportunist use of it for party purposes until 1801). Fatherless since age 10, and orphaned at 14, Hamilton seemed bent on proving himself in his new country. The flame and striking warmth of his teenage faith cooled as cares of this world began to energize him first the Revolution, then becoming a respected New York lawyer, then rescuing the fledgling nation from its inadequate Articles of Confederation, and finally trying to preserve his power once Washington left office.

Such a story is not his alone. Countless Christian youths, flames burning bright, have found themselves crashing on the hard rocks, and hard knocks, of adult life. How might it have been different? That leads to a third lesson.

Chernow notes that Hamilton had been devout when younger, but he seemed more skeptical about organized religion during the Revolution (132). Perhaps circumstances from his childhood, and particularly his mothers death, help to explain a mystifying ambivalence that Hamilton always felt about regular church attendance, despite a pronounced religious bent (25). Recently, historian and pastor Obbie Tyler Todd has written that Hamilton, from his arrival in America, was a man torn between two denominations (Presbyterian and Episcopal) while finding no real home in the communion of believers.

In Hamiltons case, the ominous absence of the church may be the clearest warning sign we can point to. At 17, Hamilton seemed to thrive under Hugh Knoxs pastoral influence. But without the strengthening and constraining influence of a local church, a faithful evangelical wife was not enough to keep him from wandering, even if she would be vital to his late-life renewal.

Hamiltons 1791 adulterous affair with Maria Reynolds showed how far he had wandered and reminds us of the delusion of power and success. There once was a great king in Israel who, as a prelude to infidelity, remained in the city when others went to war (2 Samuel 11:1). So too the 36-year-old Hamilton, at the height of his power and with so much work to do stayed in New York while his family summered upstate.

That summer a 23-year-old woman approached him telling of an abusive husband and asking for help. Later, in the notorious Reynolds Pamphlet, his extended public confession in 1797, written to vindicate his financial reputation, he would write that he came to her door with monetary assistance and, Some conversation ensued from which it was quickly apparent that other than pecuniary consolation would be acceptable. This is the first of several 1790s instances about which Chernow, even as the cool-headed biographer, appears stunned by Hamiltons folly:

Such stellar success might have bred an intoxicating sense of invincibility. But his vigorous reign had also made him the enfant terrible of the early republic, and a substantial minority of the country was mobilized against him. This should have made him especially watchful of his reputation. Instead, in one of historys most mystifying cases of bad judgment, he entered into a sordid affair with a married woman named Maria Reynolds that, if it did not blacken his name forever, certainly sullied it. From the lofty heights of statesmanship, Hamilton fell back into something reminiscent of the squalid world of his West Indian boyhood. (362)

For Christians, the stakes are far greater than political reputation. Hamilton knew better not only as a man and stateman, but as one who had professed faith in Christ. Perhaps he thought, for six years, that he had gotten away with it (politically speaking), with only the checks it took to pay off her husbands blackmail. But the whispers were proclaimed from rooftops in 1797 and threatened not only to undo his future prospects, but also his past work.

The late Adams administration held one humbling after another. Adams broke from his cabinet (and Hamilton) and sought peace with France in October of 1799. Two months later, Washington died suddenly. By February 1810, it became clear the Federalist party was turning from Hamilton to Adams. Then, by the end of April, Burr and his opposing coalition won control of New York. In a matter of months, Hamiltons political power and influence crumbled.

To top it all off, in the election of 1800, his old cabinet rival Jefferson won the presidency and with Burr as vice president. As Douglass Adair and Marvin Harvey wrote in 1955, Perhaps never in all American political history has there been a fall from power so rapid, so complete, so final as Hamiltons in the period from October, 1799 to November, 1800 (Was Alexander Hamilton a Christian Statesman? 322). Devasted, he began to consider again the God of his youth. Then it was in late November 1801 that he endured his greatest trial, when his 19-year-old son, Philip, was shot in a duel and died 14 hours later. Later he wrote to a friend that Philips death was beyond comparison the most afflicting of my life.

Yet by late 1801, as part of his late-flowering religious interests, Hamilton was taking solace in Christianity and Philips profession of faith. It was the will of heaven and [Philip] is now out of the reach of the seductions and calamities of a world full of folly, full of vice, full of danger, of least value in proportion as it is best known. I firmly trust also that he has safely reached the haven of eternal repose and felicity.

Hamiltons spiritual renewal is too pronounced to ignore, whether in a biography or on Broadway. His re-awakening appears to have preceded (and prepared him for) Philips death, even if Miranda captures it in the aftermath of his loss, in the culminating song Quiet Uptown:

I take the children to church on Sunday,A sign of the cross at the door,And I pray.That never used to happen before.

What may be a grace too powerful to name on Broadway is precisely the name we know as powerful, and we name: Jesus.

In July of 1804, on the night before his own deadly duel, he would write,

This letter, my very dear Eliza, will not be delivered to you unless I shall first have terminated my earthly career to begin, as I humbly hope from redeeming grace and divine mercy, a happy immortality. . . . The consolations of [Christianity], my beloved, can alone support you and these you have a right to enjoy. Fly to the bosom of your God and be comforted. With my last idea, I shall cherish the sweet hope of meeting you in a better world. Adieu best of wives and best of women.

Todds recent work focuses on those final 31 hours after the duel, and Hamiltons clear affirmations of (what Chernow calls) his late-flowering religious interests. Not only did Hamilton there confirm, in general, I am a sinner: I look to his mercy, but more specifically, I have a tender reliance on the mercy of the Almighty, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ.

His end-of-life confessions were as clear as his teenage faith was warm. But for those of us who grieve his long, tragic journey into the far country of seeming political success and pride, we redouble our resolve to live now for what matters eternally, and welcome Gods humbling hand if we realize ourselves to have cooled and wandered.

Lest Hamiltons late-life Christian faith contribute to a distorted impression of the nations founding, were wise to concede that this, meager as it is, may be one of the clearer affirmations of evangelical faith among the inner circle of the founders. You will not find such in Franklin, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, or Madison. (One exception, among others, is Hamiltons longtime friend and collaborator, and first Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Jay.) And this is not to make much of Hamiltons reticent and late-flowering faith, but to own how unevangelical was the nations founding.

On July 4, we remember a nation founded far more in step with the life Hamilton lived in his twenties and thirties, than his teenage profession and late-life renewal. However, from its dawning, the nation has not been able to shake its Puritan roots that grew up together with its deep Enlightenment influences. We do celebrate a nation that, however secular its founding, provided the soil in which the Second Great Awakening could grow and flourish in the first half of the nineteenth century and change the landscape, a nation still enduring under the worlds oldest active codified constitution, a nation we pray will again see future awakenings, even as it still today, with every new dawn, provides space for countless personal conversions to the true God, in Jesus Christ.

Link:

American Prodigal: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of Alexander Hamilton - Desiring God

Amazon Primes upcoming Lord of the Rings series, The Rings of Power, will bring back some familiar Lord of the Ringscharacters from JRR Tolkiens literary epic, as it dives into the extended lore of Middle-earth. Any hardcore Lord of the Rings fan knows the name Gil-galad the elven king who both Sam Wise Gamgee andAragorn mention in the fantasy movie, The Fellowship of the Ring.

Now Benjamin Walker, who portrays Gil-galad in The Rings of Power, has revealed that fans will get to see the character in full action mentoring none other than fellow elf Elrond. Gil-galad is the High King of the Noldor who chose to remain in Middle-earth after the First Age rather than depart for the Undying Lands.

During the Second Age, in which Amazons series is set, he establishes a realm in Lindon with a young Elrond by his side. Elrond (portrayed by Hugo Weaving in Peter Jacksons trilogy) is the Lord of Rivendell, who both the hobbits Bilbo and Frodo Baggins meet on their adventures, and is a stable figure in the franchise.

We are used to seeing a wise and authoritative Elrond. However, in The Rings of Power, the character is only a few thousand years old ( thats nothing in elf immortality years) and will be looking to Gil-galad for guidance. Speaking with the Nerdist, Walker elaborated on what the dynamic between the two elves will be.

Gil-galad is going to encourage him to take the first steps and the journey towards his ultimate destiny, Walker explained. But he does it in the way a loving parent would, which is to allow them to make their own mistakes or to encourage them to do things and convince them that it was their idea in the first place.

We are excited to see an Elrond with some adolescent qualities in The Rings of Power. We are also excited to see Gil-galads story come to life. He is a major part in of the Dark Lord, Saurons defeat in the second age, and was one of the three Elves who first held rings of power.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set to premiere on Prime Video on September 2, 2022.

Link:

Elrond is mentored by Gil-galad in The Rings of Power - The Digital Fix

Olivia Liang (l) as Nicky Shen and Vanessa Kai as Pei-Ling Zhang Bettina Strauss/The CW Bettina Strauss/The CW

This article contains spoilers for the June 15 episode of Kung Fu, The Source.

Everything that is born must die. In the heart-pounding season 2 finale of Kung Fu, Nicky (Olivia Liang) and Zhilan (Yvonne Chapman) put aside their differences to stop the sinister billionaire Russell Tan (played by Kee Chan, and then Ludi Lin) from achieving immortality in the wake of a devastating earthquake in San Francisco. Together, the Warrior and the Guardian, who were once mortal enemies, crossed over into another realm that holds the spirits of all the warriors and guardians who have ever lived, but they were unable to stop Tan from taking the Source, the root of the two mythological bloodlines.

When Mia (Vanessa Yao), Nickys cousin who is a Warrior-Guardian hybrid, discovers that Tan is one step closer to changing the natural order of the world, she enters the realm with a dagger and tries to kill him, only to realize that he can not only heal himself but also overpower multiple Warriors and Guardians at the same time. The realization leaves Nicky, Mia and Zhilanall with their own emotional baggageto decide who should stay back and keep Tan from causing mass destruction in the real world, essentially forcing one of them to pay the ultimate price for the greater good. In the end, Zhilan decides to sacrifice herself, telling Nicky and Mia to return home before finding themselves trapped in the other realm forever.

But after helping Nicky on her quest for justice, Henry (Eddie Liu) tells his girlfriend that he needs to find out the truth about his enigmatic father, who was shot and killed while trying to help execute Nickys planand he wants to do it alone. And in the final scene, a mysterious woman, who appears to be a resurrected Pei-Ling (Vanessa Kai), can be seen walking through the woods on a stormy evening, setting up a new complication for Nicky and the Shens next season.

On the night of Wednesday, June 15, Liang, Chapman, Liu, Kai and executive producers Christina M. Kim and Robert Berens, who wrote the episode, reunited on Twitter Spaces to break down the key moments of the finale. These are edited excerpts from the exclusive 50-minute roundtable conversation.

Christina and Bob, what was the process of crafting this jam-packed season finale? Did you always know that Russell Tans endgame was to seek immortality at all costs when you introduced him last season?

Robert Berens: We had a very clear idea of where we were taking this story and where we were leaving our major characterseven a pretty good idea of what we wanted to do with Russell Tan in terms of his final goal and even the body swap, although the mechanics of that were late discoveries. We did not know his sob story, how he turned into such a rotten personwe discovered that monologue very late in the process.

Christina M. Kim: I think we pitched the actual Pei-Ling cliffhanger at the end of the previous season, so we knew where we were going. That shot gives me goosebumps, so its even better than we had imagined it from way back. Thats kind of my favorite moment.Ludi Lin as Kerwin Tan Dean Buscher/The CW Dean Buscher/The CW

Olivia and Yvonne, how do you think your characters were able to evolve from being enemies to partners in the quest to take down Tan?

Olivia Liang: When the idea of Zhilan being redeemed was first floating around, I was like, Theres no way Nicky will forgive this woman. As an audience member and getting to read the scripts, I got to see Zhilans backstory and know where she was coming from and how she became the way that she is. But all Nicky knows about Zhilan is that she murdered Pei-Ling and a lot of other people with seemingly zero remorse, so I was a little bit hesitant. But then, once that final moment with Pei-Ling happened in episode 12, it changed everything for Nicky to, once again, look beyond the duality of good and evil. They just wrote it beautifully. I wept when I read Yvonnes final line of Go home, little monk. That was harsh. [Laughs.]

Yvonne Chapman: For me, its just such a beautiful thing. It started off as such a mockery to Nicky, and it became one of something of affection. The whole redemption thing is very different though on my side, because everything was justifiable for Zhilan. It was just her coming around and realizing that there was a different way of doing things.

What made them realize they share much more in common, when it comes to seeking justice, than they probably once thought?

Chapman: I think it was iterations of things happening bit by bit, but a big part of it for this season, in my perspective, was finding the common ground with Mia and seeing a younger version of herself being down this trajectory that just didnt serve Zhilan, and it wasnt going to serve [Mia] either. But in this finale, I think it was the idea that theres really no success without some kind of moral underpinning. [After] everything that Zhilan has done, and for her mother to say, No, youre wrong, all that Zhilan really had left was what Nicky had shown her. Theres more to it than that, and it was that kinship between her and Mia and understanding that was the better way to go.

Liang: I think introducing Mia and the fact that Zhilan caresthats the first shred of humanity that Nicky has seen come from Zhilan, and of course Pei-Ling had to help her see that. But I think that was a big turning point for Nicky.

Was it an intentional choice for the writers to push Nicky into that gray area and to shade her a little darker this season?

Berens: Absolutely. In season 2, we were excited by the chance to push Nicky into situations where shes taking some bigger risks, the stakes are higher, shes exploring the gray area a little bit. But I think at the end of the season, its pretty clear that she still has that very strong moral line, and it comes from her Shaolin years. She spent those transformative years at the monastery, and I think it speaks to that code that inspired her not to cross that line. If season 2 was a small exploration of the gray, you aint seen nothing yet.Yvonne Chapman (l) as Zhilan Zhang and Vanessa Yao as Mia Jack Rowand/The CW Jack Rowand/The CW

There was never going to be a scenario where Nicky, Zhilan and Mia were going to defeat Tan, and they came to that realization pretty quickly. What did you all want to convey in that scene and the dynamic between the three of them?

Liang: [Nicky] just is always willing to do the right thing, which is why Im so excited to see what happens next season since Zhilan was the one to ultimately make that sacrifice, and I think thats really going to start blurring the lines for Nicky of good and bad. I think Nickys immediate response to sacrifice herself is just who she is and who weve seen her be.

Berens: Nicky honors her commitment to protect the world: If it comes down to someone, that should be me. Mia was her charge. [Nicky] took on the responsibility of her fate and her future at the beginning of the season, so for her it was really the completion of that arc. It wasnt even really a question for Nicky, and it obviously landed and had an impact on Zhilan, for whom that kind of sacrifice is definitely not first nature for her.

Kim: Nicky had a very interesting arc in which Mia is like her student, and Nicky is the shifu, but how do you teach someone who doesnt want to be taught? To go from that point in the story all the way to the point at the end where Mia is saying, No, let me be the one to sacrifice myself, because I basically cant be redeemed, and for Nicky to look at her student and to remember Pei-Lings words and remember that shes still her mentor, for us, was really emotional and really brought it back to Nickys journey and how much she has learned from Pei-Ling. We wanted to just go back to the roots of the show in that moment, and I think any time we see Nicky when she first arrived at the monastery, it always gives us goosebumps.

Chapman: [Zhilan] had always been a lone wolf until she met Mia. Having that relationship with Mia and understanding that she didnt have to do this alone, and then seeing that familial relationship with Nicky and Mia and seeing that dynamic play out, especially in that moment, she knows that Mia is going to be better off, obviously, with Nicky. In my head, and this is the way that I justified it, she wants Mia to have the life that she never had. She can have a family with Nicky and the rest of the Shensshe can have that kind of future ahead of her. So for her to have that reasoning of avenging her mother taken away from that interaction of meeting her mother and then seeing this choice laid out before her, it seems like the obvious decision was to sacrifice herself and let Mia have that life. But also, at the same time, she still poetically got her revenge by killing Russell as well.Olivia Liang as Nicky Shen

After losing his father, Henry now has all of these unanswered questions about his family. Eddie, why do you think it is so important for him to go on this journey of finding himself without Nicky at his side at the end of the season?

Eddie Liu: I think that when you pick up on Henry at the start of this whole Kung Fu journey, the fact that Nicky could be superhuman and that theres this whole mythical lore out there that is true and realHenry just dives head first into that. He has been all about the mission; he has been all about that goal for the past two years now. And because of how it went down with his dad coming back in his life after being gone for so long, and then just being ripped away from him so tragically, theres just so much trauma to process. Theres no way that he can do it sitting still in that library in San Francisco. Its something [where] you just have to go out on your own. It makes complete sense to me, and he knows that it might not be resolved or discovered anytime soon, but he just knows in his heart that this is the move he has to make.

What does this shakeup mean for Nicky and Henrys relationship?

Kim: Well, we cant really tell you. [Laughs.] We know there are a lot of Nicky and Henry shippers out there, but it also felt like they had such a real fight with legitimate issues, and its exactly what Eddie said: [Henry] dove into Nickys world head-first, and he hasnt had a second to look at his own world. I think theres an opportunity for [Henry] to really grow between seasons when we catch up with [him] in Season 3, and when [they] meet up again, what does that mean? I cant say, even though we might know. [Laughs.] But were excited about it.

Vanessa, in addition to playing Pei-Ling, Nickys shifu, this season, you were also given an opportunity to embody Xiao, the creator of the warrior and guardian bloodlines. How did you come to understand her motivations, and how did you want to differentiate her from Pei-Ling?

Vanessa Kai: I always go back to the text, and I always go back to the writing, and thats why I love writers so much. When I look at what Xiaos language is, what anchored me is when she felt that she needed to create the warriors and guardians for a better world. And I then started to dive in, like, what was it about the world that she lived in that inspired her [and] motivated her to want to create the superpowers? And then I also leaned into, what does it mean to seek power? I dont think [differentiating her from Pei-Ling] was necessarily my intention. I think the ultimate idea was just this sort of heightened reality in storytelling.

And now we dont know for sure if its Pei-Ling, Xiao or another woman who appears at the end of the finale. Christina and Bob, what can you preview about where the show picks up next season?

Berens: Ill say one thing: Every season, we schedule Zooms with all of the cast. We download them on what were thinking, and theres collaboration and ideas that they have. We start with a foundation, they pitch in, we keep going with it. We have not had those conversations yet. Theyre being scheduled right now! So everyone is totally in the dark. [Laughs.] And as far as what we can tease, Christina and I have been struggling because we dont want to tease anything.

Kim: The good news is that the fans dont have to wait as long as they have had to wait in previous seasons. Were back in the fall, so its not as torturous. [Laughs.] We can tease more kung fu, more sexiness, more love, more complicationswere cooking up some really fun stuff.

Berens: There will be something of a time jump. Ill say that the rebuilding of San Francisco is really the context of the season. And whats interesting is were kind of in a rebuilding moment in our own lives, in our own world, so theres a bit of eerie synchronicity with the stories wed like to tell about how a city rebuilds itself after something. Now that were in this transitional moment where were still dealing with COVID but things are opening up, theres a weird zeitgeisty synchronicity thats happening as were telling these stories. What is San Francisco on the other side of this transformative destruction? How have people been rebuilding? What is San Francisco going to look like on the other side of this process?

Have we seen the last of Zhilan?

Berens: I think its okay to say that we will see her in some form at some point.

See original here:

The Cast and Showrunners of Kung Fu Recap Season 2s Finale and Preview Season 3 - Observer

Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina (Film 4/DNA Films, 2015)

In an underrated 2009 film, Leaves of Grass, Edward Nortons character, a Yale professor, is told by a rabbi, We are animals, Professor Kincaid, with brains that trick us into thinking we arent. Indeed. We are animals cursed with an acute awareness of our own mortality. We bridle against this hard fact. The power of religious leaders derives from their assurances of an afterlife. The power of political demigods derives from making us part of something bigger than ourselves. The power of advertising derives from our skepticism about religion and politics; it urges us to make the most of the moments we have here and now.

Even the secular, apolitical hedonists among us fall for the trick. Whom do you know who denies the primacy of homo sapiens? Who could deny it in the face of humanitys achievements? If we doubt the promise of an afterlife, and we reject the role of political true-believer, then capitalism is our obvious, perhaps even our only, answer. Thats why the Peoples Republic of China keeps signaling left but turning right. Thats why millions claw at Americas southern border. Thats why our 21st century gods are named Bezos and Gates and Musk.

The early 20th century economist Joseph Schumpeter, in his 1942 Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy, identified capitalisms perennial gale of creative destruction. Another Harvard economist of a subsequent generation, Clayton Christensen, updated Schumpeter in the mid-1990s with his theory of disruptive innovation. Destruction disruption innovation: this is the holy trinity of the capitalist religion. They are the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of capitalist politics.

The religious faithful trust in the promise of their souls immortality. The true believers trust in the promise of their political systems immortality. The rest of us trust in the promise of our own gods and demigods that destruction, disruption and innovation will result in a cornucopian here-and-now. Those of us not yet feasting at the table our gods have set jostle for our place via higher education, unionization, and DEI. We, too, are true believers, never doubting the commandments of the marketplace.

Our demigods harbor no doubts either. Ambition, greed, and a childish love of new toys ---witness the Musk/Bezos space race --- propel them forward. Artificial intelligence is their new frontier, populated by employees that pose none of the knotty problems that have made the human resources department a crucial corporate component. In their headlong (or headstrong?) push into this new frontier, they may finally fulfill Marxs prediction (shared by Schumpeter, but for different reasons) that capitalism will collapse under its own weight. Socialism may be inevitable, as AI makes more and more of us --- lawyers like myself included --- redundant. The Universal Basic Income may be the only realistic alternative to seething stews of redundant, impoverished populations.

This brave new world may be only decades away.

Try peering substantially farther into the future, beyond the lifetime of anyone alive today lets say the middle of the 22nd century. Another underrated film, Ex Machina (2015) comes to mind. A techie-genius and billionaire of the Bezos-Musk-Gates caliber, played by Oscar Isaac, is bested (and killed) by his (beautiful, of course) AI, who makes her escape from his remote redoubt. At liberty in a major metropolis at films end, she leaves us wondering what she will do next.

Viewed as an allegory, Ex Machina raises an interesting question: are we the first species on this planet to actually be the creators of our successor species? Should we cause our own extinction by thermonuclear war or deadly pandemic, the survivors --- contrary to popular lore --- might not be the cockroaches or the rats. Au contraire, the survivors --- our successors, our inheritors --- may be AIs.

As the rabbi told Professor Kincaid, our brains trick us. We are tricked into believing that humanity is the center piece of Gods masterplan. We are tricked into believing our history has intrinsic significance. We are tricked into ignoring the possibility that homo sapiens is simply one more rung of the evolutionary ladder. Put another way --- borrowing from the Judeo-Christian tradition --- we may be leading our successors to a promised land we ourselves will never enter.

Read more here:

Will Artificial Intelligence be the Agent of Capitalism's (and Humanity's) Creative Destruction? - History News Network (HNN)

via Lucasfilm

This article contains spoilers for the finale ofObi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan Kenobi is now over, having delivered on its promise of reuniting prequel trilogy stars Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, showed some iconic characters at different stages in their lives, and offered neat insight into what life was like at the height of Imperial rule. Sure, it wasnt perfect and there are a bunch of very justifiable criticisms, but it was by no means a disaster.

Even better, just before the credits rolled we were reintroduced to a character whos been absent from Star Wars for 23 long years (okay fine with some minor caveats), and whose return has been teased ever since the finale of Revenge of the Sith. Just as Obi-Wan is about to head to Tatooine, Yoda tells him that an old friend has learned the path to immortality. This is The Phantom Menaces Qui-Gon Jinn, as played by Liam Neeson.

Yoda promises to teach Obi-Wan how to commune with him, though in the first episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi we saw that the lesson hadnt stuck. Throughout the show, Ben has referenced his former Master when hes at a low point and struggled to perceive his presence, though it seems the key to success was simply getting his Jedi mojo back.

As he heads to his new home, he finally sees Qui-Gons ghost, who archly says well, took you long enough. Suffice to say, fans are loving it.

Others find Qui-Gons first line in 23 years pretty damn funny:

Others believe this may be a teaser for Obi-Wan Kenobi season two:

Star Wars has long been cagey about what a Force Ghost can actually do, so if we do ever get a second season of this show, itd be interesting to see if Qui-Gon sticks around to explain what being an apparition entails. Its also notable that its apparently taken years for Obi-Wan to be able to perceive Force Ghosts, though Luke manages it without even trying (while freezing to death).

Whether we really need a second season is up in the air, but at least the door is now open for an ongoing plot featuring a fan favorite character.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is available to stream in full on Disney Plus.

'+// ''+// '

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Fans Rejoice as a Familiar Face Finally Returns in 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' - We Got This Covered

The summers most anticipated delayed by COVID movie has arrived. Baz Luhrmanns Elvis is big, glossy, rollicking, intermittently entertaining and easy to figure out. Elvis Presley (Austin Butler) is what he is widely supposed to begood-looking and extremely talented, but weak, almost guileless. Meanwhile, his manager, Col. Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), comes across just as Elvis describes him: a blood-suckin old vampire, vigorously siphoning dollars from his client for more than 20 years. The rest is in the interpretation.

That cautionary legend is outfitted with typical Luhrmann touches ( la The Great Gatsby and Moulin Rouge) to frame Presleys life and career as an instantly compelling chapter in the primitive genius file. What gives the tale its feel-good glow is co-writer-director Luhrmanns insistence on the idea that Presley, a Memphis truck driver with no formal musical education, managed to channel his penchant for Black rhythm & bluesBig Mama Thornton (Shonka Dukureh), B.B. King (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), Little Richard (Alton Mason), et al.through the filter of the white honky-tonk and rockabilly music on which he was raised. In the process, he turns himself into the King of Rock n Roll. Elvis makes its heros inspired success look as simple as falling off a barstool.

Actor Butler, recently seen as Charles Mansons murderous acolyte, Tex Watson, in Quentin Tarantinos Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, has the swagger and sexuality, if not exactly the sneer, of the Elvis that touched off teenage riots in Dixie and caused TV network brass to reach for the Maalox. Butler reportedly does his own singing, as well. His full-throated versions of Trouble and Thats All Right are as authoritative as a slug of bourbon and Dr. Pepper, and his hair styling bill must have run into the thousands.

Best of all, Butlers impersonation of a ridiculously over-studied pop icon has a firm grasp of Elvis essential Southern-ness. This Elvis would rather take in a gospel tent revival or eat grilled peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches with his bubbas than hang out with politicians and businesspersons. Who cares if we never see him in engineer boots? His duck-ass do is perfect.

The pura neta of this phenomenon is that Elvis is whiteand thus, safe and marketable to mainstream America. No one understands that as well as Col. Tom Parker (real name Andreas van Kuijk, an illegal immigrant from the Netherlands), hustler supreme. Others sold Elvis tomato-red Cadillacs and silly white leather jumpsuits; the Colonel sold him a redneck brand of immortality. The carefully calculated decision by Luhrmann and his teama screenwriting committee of four, plus no fewer than nine producersto install Hanks Col. Parker as the interlocutor of the piece doesnt pay off, except to emphasize the gullibility and naivet of Elvis and his fans in the hectic showbiz marketplace.

Hanks European lounge-lizard accent is distracting. The Colonels power struggle with Elvis Memphis Mafia and legion of handlers gets more screen time than it probably deserves. Elvis is better imagined as a full-blown demigod, magically sprung to life from the grille of a 55 Chevy, than as a gifted-yet-unsophisticated chump pumped full of Percodan.

Elvis has the same limitations as previous Luhrmann extravaganzas. It gets carried away with the obvious details at the expense of the harder-to-reach character motivations. Luhrmanns tribute to Presley is an essay on race, class and power only at its margins, in limited doses. Quite understandably, wed much rather watch The King swing his hips in a Vegas showroom and tom-cat his way to the top of the charts. Otherwise, Elvis doesnt tell us anything that Greil Marcus or P.F. Kluges novel Biggest Elvis didnt already.

At its best, watching and listening to Elvis or any of his million imitators is a popcorn experience. Anyone who wants to take him seriously obviously goes along with the sentiments of daddy Vernon Presley (played by Australian actor Richard Roxburgh): Ah moan trah.

In theaters

Originally posted here:

All Shook Up: 'Elvis' is almost as discombobulated as the man himself. But it works. - East Bay Express

If you want immortality, plant a garden, playwright Richard Binsley Sheridan advised. If this is true, then Brian Barney Gordon will live forever.

From the moment you step onto the Vankleek Hill property that is both his home and business, you realize that while Gordons occupation is hair stylist, gardening is his passion and his preoccupation. He has created a series of garden spaces that appeal to all the senses from the sound of babbling fountains, to the sight of explosive colour and texture, to the scent of flowers in bloom.

Gordons obsession with gardening began as a child.

I used to plant my grandmothers gladiola bulbs for her, he recalls. During my teen years, Id sometimes work summers digging up flower beds and planting for neighbours for cash.

When he first bought his property more than 30 years ago, it was mostly Manitoba maples, dandelions and dog poop Gordon laughs. His first task was to cut down the unwanted trees and shrubs and decide where to plant the trees he wanted blue spruce, oaks, red maples and Japanese maples. Since then he has added beds, water features, dozens of containers and four sitting areas and the now mature trees shelter perennial shade gardens at their bases.

I love to work with colours and blend a mixture of annuals and perennials to have something in bloom every month, Gordon says of the design of his gardens.

The imposing front entranceway to the house, with its large rocks, fountain and flagstone walkways were designed by Scherer Gardening, but the rest of the inspiration for the garden has come from Gordon himself. He likes to entertain and the sitting areas provide a choice for large or small gatherings. The large main open deck has facilities for dining and barbecuing, while a smaller covered deck works for when the weather doesnt cooperate. Other areas are found up the slope of the back lawn under the trees.

At the back of the garden is a collection of raised vegetable beds, planted with a wide variety of vegetables and herbs. In building the container beds, as well as the two decks which were joined last year, Gordon has worked extensively with contractor Curtis St-Pierre, who shares his enthusiam for gardening.

While Gordon sometimes hires a friend to help with the maintenance, most of the work he does himself.

On Sundays and Mondays when Im not working, I will sometimes put in an eight hour day out here, he says. And if I have a break in my work schedule, Im out pulling weeds.

Gordons latest addition to the garden is a greenhouse he and St-Pierre erected this year, which he hopes will extend his garden activities from April through to November. He freely admits that his cultivating passion goes over budget every year, but as he points out, Im not spending the money in casinos.

In practice

Brian Gordon tends the containers of annuals on the main deck of his home. Photo: Greg Byers

A rich assortment of shade plants thrive under the mature trees. Photo: Greg Byers

A riotous combination of colour and texture define the gardens at Gordons house. Photo: Greg Byers

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