Is it just a semi-desperate grab for eyeballs in a very crowded, competitive market in which Apple TV+ has blown through a bunch of money, and it’s sick of playing second fiddle to the leading streamers? Could be. But the more important question is, what are you going to watch? Here are the three best shows streaming on Apple TV+ right now. You should check ’em out.

Slow Horses

History favors the winner, but cinema loves an underdog. The characters of this British spy thriller are fuck-ups who, for one reason or another, haven’t been fired from their jobs at the U.K.’s MI5 intelligence service. Instead they spend their days in eternal detention at Slough House, headed by Gary Oldman’s character, Jackson Lamb.

He’s a cantankerous sort who’s long since wilted under the drudgery of Slough House. Yet despite MI5’s best efforts to sideline them, these “slow horses” end up investigating cases that threaten national security. Watch along as they attempt to navigate their way back into the good graces of MI5, and for some people, simply find out what it was that they did that got them into Slough House in the first place.

Masters of the Air

Executive producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg reunite for a third mini-series set on the front lines of World War Two. Compared to The Pacific, the storyline is much less sweeping and ambitious. It took me a few re-watches to appreciate the scope of The Pacific’s story that ran three independent storylines across three years. (Not everybody came around, and the series ultimately drew less favorable reviews than its more popular predecessor, Band of Brothers.)

And compared to Band of Brothers, Masters of the Air is less tightly focused. The former zoomed in on a few comrades in a single Army company and took place largely over the span of roughly a year, except for the first of the 10 episodes. It told a very personal story within the much larger context of the war, and so it left a lot out.

Masters of the Air splits the difference between The Pacific and Band of Brothers. Its main characters interact more than those in The Pacific, and yet it takes place over the course of two years. The action is thrilling, but some of the CGI is all too apparent.

Ultimately, though, is it worth your time to watch all nine episodes? Absolutely. Masters of the Air is its own beast. You could watch it for the action scenes alone, which may contain the best air combat I’ve ever seen. Plenty of it. But then you’d be under-appreciating some spectacularly emotional performances from its actors.

Severance

It’d be a tempting offer, right? “Sever” your workday consciousness from your personal self so that checking into the slog of work every day wouldn’t seep into your awareness when you were home at night or out on the weekends.

Yet as the unlucky characters who sign themselves up find out, their split consciousnesses end up trapped in a never-ending workplace hell. Severance took a long break from its first season, which debuted in February 2022. Yet it remains Apple TV+’s most well-known show, the one that garnered all the best press that alerted people to the fact that yep, Apple TV commissions original TV shows, and some of them are even quite good.

There are nine episodes out so far. The second season debuts on January 17, so you get to test the waters with season one before you make the chance to commit to paying for Apple TV+ to see the second season. At least, unlike the characters, you’re not locked into your decision for all eternity.

The post Apple TV+ Is Free This Weekend—Here Are the 3 Best Shows to Watch appeared first on VICE.

This Black Friday, American consumers spent $10.8 billion online, up $1 billion from the prior year, Adobe Analytics found. The company forecasts that consumers will spend a record $241 billion online during the 2024 holidays. That’s up 8.4 percent from 2023.

“Crossing the $10 billion mark is a big e-commerce milestone for Black Friday, for a day that in the past was more anchored towards in-store shopping,” Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, said in a statement to USA Today. “And with consumers getting more comfortable with everything from mobile shopping to chat bots, we have tailwinds that can prop up online growth for Black Friday moving forward.”

Online and in stores, Salesforce estimates that Americans $17.5 billion on the day after Thanksgiving. That’s up 7 percent from the prior year.

Mobile spending is likewise up this year, accounting for 52.3 percent of purchases, per Adobe Analytics. That’s expected to rise to 53.2 percent of the spend throughout the rest of the holiday season. That is equivalent to $128 billion.

By now, pay later purchases are also on the rise to the tune of nearly $1 billion, coming in at $18.5 billion, per Adobe Analytics. The buying option is likely to peak Cyber Monday with a new single-day-record of $993 million, the company forecasted.

As for what items are flying off the shelves this year, Adobe Analytics pointed to Bluey Ultimate Lights and Sounds Playhouse, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Bluetooth headphones.

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“Joyce was telling me that ketchup is her favorite so she wanted to incorporate that into the guest table,” Carmela Joy, the couple’s photographer, told People. “She was very much a bride who wanted to make her day unique to them which I absolutely LOVED.”

Ahead of the ceremony, the couple participated in a mozzarella-making course with their friends and family, during which they donned aprons featuring an image of ketchup.

Then, after the bride and groom exchanged private vows, they joined their 22 guests for a tomato- and ketchup-themed reception.

The Ketchup-Themed Reception

Nods to the condiment were all over the place, from dipping trays in the shape of ketchup bottles to mini ketchup-themed bottles that contained a shot of limoncello and custom notes to each guest printed on ketchup labels and placed in ceramic tomatoes.

Tomatoes had their time in the spotlight too. Tomato cans containing dry spaghetti noodles served as the centerpieces, along with red, green, and yellow florals and peppers.

“My jaw dropped and so did everyone else’s,” Joy told the outlet of her reaction to the ketchup-themed items. “All the guests immediately took their phones out to take photos of the tablescape and setting! I had never seen anything tomato or ketchup themed so it was so cool to see it beautifully put together in a tasteful way.” 

After the lights went down, guests joined the newlyweds for a late-night party. The group danced the night away under a neon sign that aptly read “Love you from head to-ma-toe.”

The post Ketchup-Themed Weddings Are a Thing Now appeared first on VICE.

In a new 30-second advisory, the theater chain warns, “At AMC Theatres, silence is golden.”

As scenes from Wicked play, the spot reminds viewers, “No talking. No texting. No singing. No wailing. No flirting. And absolutely no name-calling. Enjoy the magic of movies.”

In a statement to The Indianapolis Star, AMC spokesperson Ryan Noonan addressed the company’s viewpoint.

“AMC has a long-standing policy that prohibits disruptive behavior,” he said. “The Wicked preshow spot incorporates the themes of the film as a fun, engaging reminder to moviegoers to not disrupt the experience for those around them as they enjoy the show.”

Meanwhile, Izzy Stewart, a supervisor at an AMC theater, spoke about the reasons behind the ask.

“In previous movies we have had people sing and dance and then it gets loud in there,” she told the outlet. “If there’s a little girl singing and stuff, it’s not a big deal. But if someone is belting out and now everyone can’t hear…We’re lenient when it comes to certain circumstances.”

Fans Will Get a Chance to Sing Along

Despite AMC’s plea to viewers, fans will get an opportunity to show off their vocal prowess later this year. Variety reported that interactive sing-along showings of the Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo-led blockbuster will be offered in roughly 1,000 North American cinemas, beginning on Christmas day.

According to the outlet, exact plans, including the location count and showtimes, have yet to be finalized.

The post Sit Down and Shut Up. AMC Theatres Has Harsh Rules for ‘Wicked’ Screenings. appeared first on VICE.

The tastiness of the dessert, however, was overshadowed by Goldberg’s experience with the bakery that made it.

“Charlotte Russe has no political leanings, and the place that made these refused to make them for me,” Goldberg claimed. “They said their ovens and gone down and all types of stuff, but folks went and got them anyway, which is why I’m not telling you who made them.”

Goldberg, an outspoken Democrat, decided that the bakery’s alleged behavior couldn’t be “because I’m a woman.” She instead speculated that it was because “they did not like my politics.”

Goldberg did not name the bakery in question. However, viewers figured out it was Staten Island’s Holtermann’s Bakery based on the packaging of the sweet treat.

Holtermann’s Bakery Denies Whoopi Goldberg’s Claims

In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, Jill Holtermann confirmed that her bakery was the one Goldberg alluded to. The small business owner, however, denied the TV personality’s claims, insisting “it was not because of political” affiliations.

Instead, Holtermann claimed she denied Goldberg’s order because “trouble with our boilers.” The issue made her wary of making “a commitment that I can’t carry through.”

“I said to Whoopi, ‘I can’t do it right now. We have so many things going on with my boiler,'” she told the outlet. “The building is from 1930, so, when she called me, I had no idea [if we could] be baking everything.”

Holtermann was able to fulfill the order, though. She told the outlet said that a woman picked up the treats from the shop ahead of the episode, and claimed that she was unaware of that woman’s political affiliations.

Goldberg spoke out about the situation on Instagram, noting that she was not the one who had named the bakery.

“It does seem a little odd that when we called a few weeks before my birthday, we were told they couldn’t process the order for my birthday because of an equipment failure,” Goldberg said. “Somehow, they were able to accept an order of a different 48 of the same dessert when somebody else called without using my name. But it’s all OK, y’all, because I enjoyed my delicious dessert, and I had a happy, sweet birthday. Nothing better than that.”

The Fallout From the Controversy

The bakery experienced a flood of support in the wake of the controversy, and proceeded to make a series of statements on Instagram.

“For 146 years, our small family bakery has been a labor of love, and your kindness reminds us why we do what we do,” one post read. “Here’s to preserving traditions, sharing sweetness, and the power of community.”

In a follow up post, the bakery said its phones were “ringing off the hook,” before encouraging people to visit the “old-fashioned mom-and-pop shop” in person.

The bakery opted to close its doors on Monday to replenish its supply of baked goods for the week ahead. The shop also launched a merch line in response to the publicity.

In addition to an influx of customers, the bakery has gotten support from politicians. During a press conference attended by several prominent Republicans, Staten Island borough president Republican Vito Fossella said that Goldberg should “just say you’re sorry” after she “besmirched and defamed” the shop.

The post Why Whoopi Goldberg Is Beefing With a Family-Owned Bakery appeared first on VICE.

Per the auction house, the 18-carat gold pocket watch was made for Tiffany & Co. by Touchon & Co. of Switzerland.

The accessory was gifted to Captain Arthur Henry Rostron by three women whose husbands died in the tragedy.

Per CNN, John Jacob Astor, one of the deceased, was the richest man aboard the Titanic. Astor, who was played by Eric Braeden in the 1997 film Titanic, got his pregnant wife into a lifeboat. He later died alongside 1,500 others.

Rostron was captaining steamship RMS Carpathia when he heard distress calls from the sinking Titanic. He changed his ship’s course—which was heading from New York to the Mediterranean—to assist in rescue efforts.

The auction house noted that, while the wealthy businessmen perished in the Titanic, Rostron’s actions saved 700 passengers and crew members.

The widows presented the gift to Rostron during a New York City lunch, one year after the Titanic set sail. The watch features an inscription that reads, “Presented to Captain Rostron with the heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of three survivors of the Titanic April 15th 1912.”

The outlet reported that the previous record for Titanic memorabilia was £1.175 million. A pocket watch sold for that amount earlier this year. 

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge told the outlet, “The fact the world record price for Titanic memorabilia has been broken twice this year demonstrates the ever-decreasing supply and an ever-increasing demand for memorabilia related to the ship.”

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Though the purchaser is expected to shell out the big bucks for the items, they won’t actually go home with a duct-taped banana.

“What you buy when you buy Cattelan’s ‘Comedian’ is not the banana itself, but a certificate of authenticity that grants the owner the permission and authority to reproduce this banana and duct tape on their wall as an original artwork by Maurizio Cattelan,” David Galperin, Sotheby’s head of contemporary art, told the Associated Press.

The Inspiration Behind ‘Comedian’

In a 2019 interview with Vulture, Cattelan revealed what inspired his latest work.

“I was trying to imagine something to symbolize my love of New York, and it was difficult… There was a time when the Greek coffee cups were everywhere, and I thought somehow the banana was something that now you can find at every street corner,” he said. “And [my thinking about this] goes on forever from there—but for sure an eggplant, say, would not have been so effective.”

When it comes to the duct tape, Cattelan explained, “In my apartment, the pipes are held together with [duct tape]. I always say that I’d be more concerned if I ran out of that tape than out of toilet paper.”

“Comedian” debuted to viral fame at Art Basel in 2019. Three editions of the unusual artwork sold for up to $150,000, the outlet reported.

“To me, ‘Comedian’ was not a joke; it was a sincere commentary and a reflection on what we value,” Cattelan told The Art Newspaper in 2021. “At art fairs, speed and business reign, so I saw it like this: if I had to be at a fair, I could sell a banana like others sell their paintings. I could play within the system, but with my rules.”

According to Galperin, Cattelan has been successful in his quest.

“What Cattelan is really doing is turning a mirror to the contemporary art world and asking questions,” he told the AP, “provoking thought about how we ascribe value to artworks, what we define as an artwork.”

The post Someone May Soon Pay $1.5 Million to Tape a Banana to a Wall appeared first on VICE.

Briana and Jeremy and Brittany and Josh have 3-year-old sons, Jax and Jett, respectively, who are uniquely tied genetically. The boys are cousins since their parents are siblings, but they’re also siblings themselves. Since each of their parents shares identical DNA, Jax and Jett both have DNA close enough for them to be considered “genetic siblings.”

“They are technically known as quaternary twins,” Briana told ABC News. “So they, because they are genetic brothers and they were born less than 9 or 10 months [of] each other. They’re genetic brothers [and] the same age.”

The tots aren’t identical, though. In a March Instagram post from their joint account—which boasts more than 300,000 followers—the proud parents noted that the boys “have gone through stages where they have looked so much alike, they looked like identical twins…. and then other stages where they look very different.”

Technicalities aside, the toddlers consider themselves brothers, and tell those curious that they have two moms and two dads. Indeed the family of six lives together at Smith Mountain Manor, the wedding venue they run in Huddleston, Virginia. As the couples live under one roof, they are raising their sons as siblings, not cousins.

Inside the Salyers’ Life Together

“I think there are people who wonder if it’s a polygamist situation, and that’s very not the case,” Briana told the outlet. “So it’s true… traditional monogamous marriages. But we just raise the kids… under the same roof. We share finances and all of that, but we’re not sharing spouses.”

In a 2022 interview with People, Briana explained why her family’s current setup—which is known as a quaternary marriage, the term for when two identical sets of twins marry each other—is one she always dreamed of having.

“Identical twins, in particular, come into this world never knowing what it was like to be alone,” she said. “Our more natural state is the togetherness, and that helps us.”

The next year, the family sat down for a follow-up interview with the same outlet. During that chat, Briana shared how she deals with the unique situation’s challenges.

“Sometimes I think you get used to living the dream, and it’s nice to take some time to remind yourself of how badly you wanted it when you were younger, and how impossible it seemed at times growing up and when we were dating,” she said. “And now we have it. So that keeps us strong.”

The post Identical Twins Married Identical Twins. Now Their Kids Are Both Cousins and Siblings. appeared first on VICE.

For those unaware, Bluey is a children’s animated TV show that began in October 2018 and very quickly became one of the most popular kids series on Earth. And there’s a good reason why: it’s one of the most spectacularly written TV shows currently on the air, including ones made for adults. Episodes are around 11 minutes in length. They don’t pander to children and refuse to insult their intelligence. Episodes often deal with weighty themes but handle them in a way that both kids and adults can find entertaining. Anyway, Bluey is actually pretty good.

To honor Bluey’s spectacular worldwide success, the Australian Mint was planning to release these limited-edition Australian one-dollar coins (the equivalent of around $0.65 US) but then around 63,000 of them were stolen from a warehouse on July 12, 2024. In response, the New South Wales police launched a special investigation unit called Strike Force Bandit, cutely named after the father character in Bluey, to find the coins printed with pictures of the characters from the show.

Now, Strike Force Bandit has made three arrests. First was a 44-year-old named Steven Nielsen, who was an employee at the warehouse from where the coins were stolen, then an accomplice named Nassar Kanj. That led them to a 27-year-old woman named Christina Vale, who allegedly acted as the getaway driver in the cartoon coin heist. She was arrested the same day the coins were recovered. All three have since been charged for their thefts.

The coins are technically worth one Australian dollar. But their limited-edition status bumps up these “Bluey Dollarbucks,” as they are officially called, in the eyes of collectors, who’ll often buy them online for up to 10 times their face value.

The post 40,000 Stolen ‘Bluey’ Collectors Coins Found by IRL ‘Strike Force Bandit’ appeared first on VICE.

“You can’t do Wayans shit without the Wayans,” said Marlon Wayans in a recent podcast appearance, discussing Harvey Weinstein’s role in “stealing” the franchise from the brothers. “You can try, but eventually, you’re gonna lose a lot of money because what we do is special. We have 200 years of comedy between me, Shawn and Keenan, Damon, Kim. We have a lot of years of excellence of what we do. You can’t just put anybody on them.”

In a statement announcing the new movie, Marlon, Shawn, and Keenen Wayans said, “We couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the new Scary Movie and work with each other again. This is a franchise we created more than 20 years ago. We remember people laughing in the aisles and hope to see that happen again.”

They added that they’re looking forward to working with Jonathan Glickman, the new CEO of Miramax, along with his team “at the new Miramax to bring these laughs to theaters, where they belong.” The reboot will begin filming in 2025. 

“We are thrilled to reunite Scary Movie with the Wayans brothers, the brilliant creators behind the beloved franchise,” added Glickman. “The timing is perfect to bring back the series to the big screen, and we’re lucky to have Keenen, Marlon, and Shawn’s unique comedic vision bringing it to audiences around the world.”

The post Wayans Bros New ‘Scary Movie’ Is After an 18-Year Hiatus and a Harvey Weinstein Battle appeared first on VICE.