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We are on the cusp of learning far more about the projected icy situation of the moon's permanently shadowed regions, or PSRs. Multiple nations are eying the moon's south pole with research teams plotting out how and where to explore the bottoms of the sun-shy features.  In some circles, however, there are suggestions of placing a moratorium on up-close inspection of PSRs on the moon. While they might be chock full of extractable ice, it might be necessary to protect these features for the science they are likely to…

Linda Yaccarino, the incoming Twitter CEO hand-picked by Elon Musk, couldn’t resist taking a dig on Sunday at Instagram, the Meta-owned app that suffered a temporary global meltdown that same day and which is in the process of producing a standalone Twitter competitor. “Game on!” Yaccarino tweeted, and I don’t blame her one bit for the swipe at a company reportedly prepping its text-based, Twitter-like version of Instagram to launch sometime this summer. Mostly, I don’t blame her because this thing is…

Apple keeps reviewing apps that are being offered by App Store in order to maintain privacy, security, and content standards. Recently, Apple has provided a comprehensive overview of how the App Store safeguards against fraud and ensures the protection of developers and customers in the form of the "2022 App Store Transparency Report." The data shows how Apple operates the App Store in all 175 countries and regions. Amongst the huge list of apps, Apple has removed a total of 1474 apps from its App Store as per requests…

Photo via 20th Century Studio The Jedi might be the formidable heroes of the Star Wars universe, but it is the Sith Lords who have made some of the fascinating contributions. While Palpatine and Darth Vader have retained their persona as the saga’s redoubtable villains, it is the Sith Lord, Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) who reflects the immense potential of Sidious’ manipulations and Sith monstrosities. Recently, Reddit was filled with Star Wars fans coming in together and raising a “what if?” situation. What…

“I feel proud that we made a piece of art that trusts the audience,” Trace Lysette told me about her new film Monica, in which she plays the title character, a trans woman who returns home after decades of estrangement to reconcile with her dying mother. “I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen a film with a trans person as the lead. It’s not lost on me that this is special.”It’s been a long road for Lysette to her first role as a leading lady. The actor first gained attention for a role on Transparent as a…

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse LoughreyGet our The Life Cinematic email for freeElle Fanning has revealed the grim feedback she once received after being rejected from a big franchise film.Fanning – the younger sister of child star Dakota Fanning – rose to fame with roles in a handful of Noughties classics, including Because of Winn-Dixie and Daddy Day Care, later hits like Super 8 and We Bought a Zoo and more recent TV shows, The Great and The Girl From…

The Last Count of Monte Cristo. The Last Count of Monte Cristo, written by Ayize Jama-Everett and illustrated by Tristan Roach, is an afrofuturist retelling of the classic novel by Alexandre Dumas. Published by Abrams ComicArts imprint Megascope, The Last Count of Monte Cristo is available now at your local bookstore and/or public library. The Beat got the chance to catch up with creators Jama-Everett and Roach over email. We asked all about their personal history with the source material, found out about the process of…

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A pair of anthropologists at Tulane University has solved the mystery of the Mayan 819-day count, a type of ancient Mesoamerican calendar system. In their paper published in the journal Ancient Mesoamerica, John Linden and Victoria Bricker suggest that the calendar might be representing a much longer timescale than others had considered. …

via Warner Bros. David Ayer’s cut of Suicide Squad remains locked away unseen by the masses. His version of the movie differs dramatically from the theatrical edition, expands the Joker’s presence, and includes several key pieces of character development for Squad members, as well as reportedly being a far more grisly and mature affair than what we got. With no official release mooted, Ayer has been busy teasing fans with what they’re missing on social media. The @CutAyer campaign group recently posted a piece…

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse LoughreyGet our The Life Cinematic email for freeNicolas Cage has never been better than he is in the pitch-black horror-comedy Vampire’s Kiss (1988), playing the role of a Manhattan yuppie convinced he’s been turned into an immortal bloodsucker. Cage acts in the film with feral sincerity, burrowing deep enough into the madness to find some childlike desire to be seen and loved. He also found the most unthinkable ways of delivering…