Writer-director James Gunn‘s final Guardians of the Galaxy movie hits theaters today.
The original Guardians came out in 2014, and managed to turn obscure Marvel Comics characters like Rocket Raccoon and Groot into household names.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige commented on the original, “It was really our attempt of saying, ‘We don’t want to just do superhero movies. We don’t want to only just do Iron Man movies or Avengers movies.’ And it worked in a crazy way. It worked entirely because of James Gunn.”
He adds, “So it does feel like this trilogy and James writing and directing all three of them, it represents something unique within the pantheon of the MCU that I’m very proud of.”
Gunn expressed, “I’m going to miss the characters. That’s the saddest part. And I love all of them. I think there are certain ones that I have a special fondness for, especially Rocket. And yet the saddest part of all of this is…I’m not going to be writing the characters again, at least not in the near future.”
Guardians of the Galaxy turned Chris Pratt from that chubby Andy guy from Parks and Rec into a superhero. He teases that this time around, his Peter Quill/Star-Lord isn’t the plucky guy he seemed to be. “He’s lost,” the actor says, adding, “He’s a guy who’s constantly been searching for who he is.”
“He had found himself with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and then he thought he could find himself with who his father was [in Vol. 2]. And then he found it again in his relationship with [Zoe Saldaña‘s] Gamora,” but that too is “stripped away,” Pratt says.
Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.
(NEW YORK) — The invitations have been sent and rehearsals have been done for the coronation of King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla.
Even without an invitation, and even if you’re not in the United Kingdom, you can still get an up-close view of the coronation, an event that last happened 70 years ago when Charles’ mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, was crowned.
Charles and Camilla’s coronation will take place Saturday, May 6, at Westminster Abbey in London.
Cameras are allowed inside Westminster Abbey, so all of us at home will get a chance to see the biggest moments of the day, from the coronation service to a procession through London and Charles’ first wave as king from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Home viewers can also catch a glimpse of the special guests attending the coronation — including first lady Jill Biden — and all the best fashion.
How to watch the coronation in the US
ABC News and Good Morning America will have special TV coverage of the coronation on Saturday, May 6, from 5 to 10 a.m. ET.
The five hours of special coverage will also be available to stream on ABC News’ digital platforms, including ABCNews.com and GoodMorningAmerica.com, mobile apps, social platforms and over-the-top (OTT) services.
ABC News’ digital platforms will also re-air the coronation service throughout the day on May 6.
See the coronation day schedule below and get ready to watch history!
Coronation schedule of events
Buckingham Palace has yet to confirm timings for Charles’ coronation day so the below timings are estimated and scheduled to change.
Approximately 5:30 a.m. ET: Charles and Camilla depart Buckingham Palace and travel to Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, which was created for Elizabeth in 2012. The procession will take Charles and Camilla down The Mall and around the east and south sides of Parliament Square to Broad Sanctuary and, finally, to the sanctuary of Westminster Abbey.
6 a.m. ET: The May 6 coronation service will begin at 11 a.m. local time, 6 a.m. ET, and is expected to last around 90 minutes. During the ceremony, Charles will sign an oath pledging to serve the people and will be crowned with the St. Edward’s Crown, marking the only time the king will ever wear that specific crown. Camilla will be crowned with the Queen Mary’s Crown. At the end of the service, Charles will exchange his crown for the Imperial State Crown, or Crown of State.
Approximately 7:30 a.m. ET: Charles and Camilla will depart Westminster Abbey in a procession back to Buckingham Palace. This procession, known as the Coronation Procession, will follow the same route as they took earlier in the day, but will be larger in scale and will include Armed Forces from the U.K. and across the Commonwealth.
Charles and Camilla will travel in this procession in the Gold State Coach, which has been used in every coronation since 1831. The coach was last used at the Platinum Jubilee for Elizabeth in 2022.
Approximately 8 a.m. ET: At the end of the procession, Charles and Camilla will receive a royal salute and three cheers from members of the Armed Forces. They will then appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, where they will give their first balcony waves to the public as king and queen.
The rest of the coronation weekend — which includes a bank holiday in the U.K. on Monday, May 8 — will include celebrations across the country.
Buckingham Palace is encouraging people to host Coronation Big Lunches to celebrate together throughout the weekend.
On Sunday night, a coronation concert featuring Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli and others will be held on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
On Monday, the palace is encouraging people to volunteer in their communities.
(WASHINGTON) — A new piece of legislation being introduced this week would make sharing non-consensual AI-generated pornography illegal in the United States, and open up new legal avenues for those impacted.
“This bill aims to make sure there are both criminal penalties, as well as civil liability for anyone who posts, without someone’s consent, images of them appearing to be involved in pornography,” explained Congressman Joe Morelle who authored the Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act.
The rise of AI-generated content has exploded in recent years due to the accessibility and ease of use of tools that allow users to create hyper-realistic synthetic media.
Although a fabricated image of Pope Francis in a puffer jacket grabbed international headlines earlier this year, there’s a dark underbelly that doesn’t always make it into the public sphere — a large percentage of deepfakes are pornographic, non-consensual, and involve primarily women.
In 2019, synthetic media expert Henry Ajder and his colleagues set out to map out the state of deepfakes online. They found that 96% of the 14,000 deepfake videos found online were porn.
“If we fast forward to today, that number is infinitesimally small compared to the landscape as it is now,” Ajder told ABC News. “And that’s because these tools have become so much more accessible, awareness of these technologies has really grown. And so, I think we’re in a position now where we’re talking probably millions of women as victims.”
Deepfake pornography is often referred to as described by advocates as image-based sexual abuse — a term that also includes the creation and sharing of non-fabricated intimate images.
A few years back, a user needed to have a certain level of technical skills to create AI-generated content, but now it’s just a matter of downloading an app or clicking a few buttons.
Now experts say there’s an entire commercial industry that thrives on creating and sharing digitally created content of sexual abuse, including websites that have hundreds of thousands of paying members.
Dr. Mary Anne Franks, a law professor and president of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to combatting online abuse, explained that it’s hard to undo the harm once this content, real or fabricated, is shared publicly.
“It is not just the psychological harm, the intense depression, the anxiety, but also the economic consequences, because it can lead to further harassment online, online and offline harassment, requiring a lot of victims to invest in security systems or change the way that they go to work or go to school,” she added.
“My face has been digitally plastered countless times over other people’s naked bodies to create sex content I never consented to,” revealed Gibi, a popular YouTuber, in a video she posted in 2022.
“Porn of myself, I never created, has been viewed, distributed, and sold. It has been used to threaten and humiliate me in an attempt to grab power from myself. And my reality is not unique,” she added.
In a tearful video, a Twitch streamer who goes by QT Cinderella describes finding out how she became the subject of digitally created images of abuse and the toll it took on her.
“It should not be part of my job to have to pay money to have this stuff taken down, it should not be something that is found on the internet,” she said earlier this year.
Experts like Dr. Franks agree that the burden of seeking justice should not fall on the victim, but more should be done to deter perpetrators.
“Our emphasis at the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative has always been on trying to deter this behavior before it starts,” Franks told ABC News.“And that’s really hard to do unless you have a clear criminal prohibition that makes people worried that if they do this, they would face serious penalties.”
That’s exactly what Congressman Morelle hopes to achieve with his new legislation.
“This [bill] will signify to people who are posting this material, that it’s not going to be a free ride anymore, they’re not going to be able to be shielded from prosecution potentially. And they’re not going to be shielded from facing lawsuits,” he added.
(NEW YORK) — Christina Applegate is opening up about how multiple sclerosis has taken a toll on her life.
The actress, who is known for her roles in Dead To Me,The Sweetest Thing and Anchorman, said having MS “f—ing sucks.”
“With the disease of MS, it’s never a good day,” she said in an interview with Vanity Fair. “You just have little s—– days.”
Applegate said that the simplest tasks can be “frightening” like getting in the shower.
“You can fall, you can slip, your legs can buckle,” she said. “Especially because I have a glass shower. It’s frightening to me to get in there. There are just certain things that people take for granted in their lives that I took for granted. Going down the stairs, carrying things — you can’t do that anymore.”
“Gravity can just pull you down and take everything down with you,” she added.
Applegate revealed on social media in 2021 that she was diagnosed with MS.
The disease affects the brain and spinal cord (or central nervous system), according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke .
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society says that women are more likely to have MS, but men can get it too.
Since MS makes patients susceptible to infections, according to the National Library of Medicine , Applegate says she doesn’t “want to be around a lot of people.” She said she also doesn’t want a lot of stimulation of the nervous system so she likes to “keep it as quiet and mellow as possible.”
“It’s exhausting,” she said. “Imagine just being in a crowd of people and how loud that is. It’s like 5,000 times louder for anyone who has lesions on their brains.”
Applegate said she found out while filming the final season of Dead To Me. She told Vanity Fair that the show may be her last time acting on camera.
While she remembers how taxing it was to film during that time and feels relieved that she “no longer has to push so hard to get through my day,” she said she misses her co-stars the most, including Linda Cardellini , who plays Judy Hale in the series.
“Linda and I, from day one, were in love with each other and trusted each other and supported each other,” Applegate said. “I’m probably not going to work on-camera again, but I’m so glad that I went out with someone who is by far the greatest actress I’ve ever worked with in my entire life, if not the greatest human I’ve ever known.”
(LONDON) — Anti-monarchists are expected to stage large-scale protests in London on Saturday during the coronation of Britain’s King Charles III, despite warnings from authorities and a controversial new law.
Charles and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, will be coronated side-by-side at Westminster Abbey. The new sovereign and consort will travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in the diamond jubilee state coach as part of the “king’s procession” before returning to the palace in the gold state coach after their crowning as part of the “coronation procession.” London’s Metropolitan Police Service said it will have more than 11,500 officers on duty that day, making it “one of the most significant and largest security operations” that the agency has led.
“Our tolerance for any disruption, whether through protest or otherwise, will be low,” the police force said in a statement on Wednesday. “We will deal robustly with anyone intent on undermining this celebration.”
More than a thousand people will be protesting in Trafalgar Square as the royal processions pass by, according to Republic, a London-based campaign group advocating to replace the British monarchy with an elected head of state.
“We have had two meetings with the Met police and numerous phone conversations. They have repeatedly said they have no concerns about Republic’s plans,” the group’s CEO, Graham Smith, said in a statement on Wednesday. “It is a mystery why the Home Office thought it was necessary to send us an anonymous letter that could be interpreted as intimidation.”
Republic shared a link on its website to the letter in question, which was dated April 27. In the letter, the U.K. Home Office’s Police Powers Unit details new criminal offenses that will be rushed into law to prevent disruption.
“I would be grateful if you could publicise and forward this letter to your members who are likely to be affected by these legislative changes,” the letter stated, in part.
The changes are part of the so-called Public Order Bill, which came into effect on Wednesday after passing through U.K. Parliament and receiving royal assent from Charles. Under the new law, protesters who interfere with “key national infrastructure,” such as blocking roads and railways, could face 12 months behind bars, an unlimited fine or both; anyone “locking on” or physically attaching themselves to other people, objects or buildings to cause “serious disruption” could face 6 months behind bars, an unlimited fine or both; and police will be empowered to stop and search protesters suspected of having intent to commit an offense.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has urged the U.K. government to reverse the “deeply troubling” legislation.
“This new law imposes serious and undue restrictions on these rights that are neither necessary nor proportionate to achieve a legitimate purpose as defined under international law,” Turk said in a statement on April 27. “This law is wholly unnecessary as U.K. police already have the powers to act against violent and disruptive demonstrations.”
Republic, however, “will not be deterred” and will protest in Trafalgar Square and along the procession route on Saturday as planned, according to Smith. Protesters will likely be holding yellow placards with the words “Not My King,” as they have done at previous demonstrations organized by Republic.
“It is telling that Charles, who has had no problem speaking up on various issues, has chosen not to defend democratic rights when they are being threatened in his name,” Smith added. “Perhaps he might make it clear that he believes in the right to protest.”
The anti-monarchy protest movement has gained fresh momentum in Britain since Queen Elizabeth II’s death and Charles’ ascension. Republic has garnered more support, both financially and in recruits to its cause, according to Smith.
“Charles has not inherited the respect and deference and sycophancy that the queen enjoyed,” Smith told ABC News during an interview in March. “And it’s a very different environment in which to campaign now.”
A new survey conducted by London-based polling company YouGov found that overall support for retaining the British monarchy remains relatively high — at 62% as of April. But that figure is significantly down from previous levels — YouGov tracker data found backing for the crown as high as 75% in 2012 and 2013.
Moreover, the latest survey shows the younger generation is losing interest, with only 36% of 18- to 24-year-old Britons saying they want to keep the monarchy as of April. That’s compared to 2013 when as many as 72% of 18- to 24-year-olds wanted to keep the institution, according to YouGov.
ABC News’ Guy Davies and Zoe Magee contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Americans divide closely on whom they’d blame if the federal government defaults on its debts, even as most align with the Biden administration’s position on how Congress should handle the issue.
If default occurs — as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Monday could happen by June 1 — 39% in this ABC News/Washington Post poll say they’d mainly blame the Republicans in Congress, while virtually as many, 36%, say they’d mainly blame Biden. Sixteen percent volunteer that they’d blame both equally.
That looks like a messaging snafu on President Joe Biden’s part, since many more people take his side than the Republican position on the issue. Fifty-eight percent say debt payment and federal spending cuts should be handled separately, as Biden has argued. Far fewer, 26%, take the GOP view that Congress should let government pay its debts only if the administration agrees to spending cuts.
Support for Biden’s position on the debt ceiling has lost 7 percentage points since February, dropping from 65% to 58% in this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates. However, the share who favor linking the debt ceiling with spending cuts has not grown; instead, more now are undecided.
Groups
While there are wide partisan differences in these views, it’s notable that 46% of Republicans part company with the party’s leadership in Washington and say the issues should be kept separate; 40% of Republicans instead favor linking them. Preference to keep debt payments and federal spending cuts as separate issues reaches 58% among independents and 74% among Democrats. (Both are down from the levels last month, when the question was preceded by one on concern about a default.)
In ideological terms, 75% of liberals and 61% of moderates prefer keeping the issues separate — as do 56% of people who describe themselves as somewhat conservative. This flips among those who are very conservative. In this group, just 36% favor separation, while 52% say the government should be allowed to pay its debt only if spending cuts are included.
Who’d actually take the blame in a default depends on the eventual circumstances. But as things stand, views are highly partisan. Among Republicans, 78% would mainly blame Biden. Among Democrats, 78% would mainly blame the Republicans in Congress. And independents divide three ways, but with a slight tilt in Biden’s favor: Thirty-seven percent say they’d mainly blame the GOP; 29%, mainly Biden; and 24%, both equally.
Methodology
This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by landline and cellular telephone April 28 to May 3, 2023, in English and Spanish, among a random national sample of 1,006 adults. Partisan divisions are 26-25-41%, Democrats-Republicans-independents. Results have a margin of sampling error of 3.5 percentage points, including the design effect. Sampling error is not the only source of differences in polls.
The survey was produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates, with sampling and data collection by Abt Associates of Rockville, Maryland. See details on the survey’s methodology here.
Mary J. Blige is highlighting the Strength of a Woman with her second annual festival and a newly launched scholarship. The star teamed up with Pepsi for the inaugural PepsiCo x Mary J. Blige Strength of a Woman Scholarship, which will be awarded to one lucky and deserving woman attending a historically Black college or university.
Pepsi is also donating money toward Mary’s choice of local organizations in Atlanta, including Silence the Shame, City of Refuge, Right Hand Foundation and Earth Girl ATL.
“Between Pepsi and [music partner] Live Nation Urban, I have some great heavy hitters that are helping me to benefit our people and all the women who are coming out; that are helping to uplift, encourage, inspire, give back and donate,” Mary says to Billboard. “And speaking of donate, I’ve partnered with Pepsi to donate $200,000 on behalf of a college scholarship as well as organizations that support and amplify women across the city. To keep doing things like this to help the community is why I’ve partnered with such heavy hitters.”
The second annual Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit is set for May 11-14 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The event will feature performances from artists including Ms. Lauryn Hill and Summer Walker;The Purpose Ball honoring the LGBTQAI community; and a special celebration for the 50th year of hip-hop.
“It means so much because we held on to our voices and to our expression. And we continue to give and to inspire other generations to speak their truth through hip-hop. And that makes me feel good,” she says. “As for the show that night, you’ve just got to come and see.”
Padma Lakshmi is serving up another season of her Hulu series Taste the Nation, premiering Friday. It looks at food and immigration issues in various communities all around the United States, but she tells ABC Audio, “We don’t just go into an immigrant community or an indigenous community, find out about them and then rinse and repeat.”
“We’re looking at the whole big issue of immigration in this country, which is so central to the foundation of our republic and so integral to the continued evolution of America,” Lakshmi explains. “We would not be a superpower if it wasn’t for all of the generations of Americans who have come here and given us the best of their cultures and stayed and helped to build this country.”
That diversity, says Lakshmi, is also one of the reasons the food is so great in the U.S.
“American high-end chefs, you know, Michelin star chefs and the like, have been influenced by all the different brown and Black folk that work in their kitchen,” she shares. “You open the door to any five-star restaurant in New York and you look at who is in the kitchen staff, it’s all immigrants.”
So what’s on tap for season 2?
“In Puerto Rico, we’re looking at sovereignty and food sovereignty specifically, but also just whether they should be a state, whether they should continue as a territory. With the Cambodian episode in Lowell, Massachusetts, Cambodians came there as refugees with nothing but the shirts on their backs. And within a generation they have revitalized Lowell so much so that they one in four Lowellians is Cambodian,” she says. “In the Nigerian episode in Houston, we talk to Nigerian Americans, but we also tackle a very sensitive topic about Blackness in America.”
Dead & Company is getting ready to kick off their final tour with a set at the New Orleans Jazz Fest Saturday, May 6, and there’s no doubt many fans will be decked out in their best Grateful Dead gear. Well, now they can represent their favorite band on their feet, as well.
The shoe company Sanuk has teamed up with the Dead for a new capsule collection, featuring 12 styles of men’s and women’s summer shoes — six each — which feature vintage-inspired Dead-themed patches, like their Deadhead logo, dancing bears and lighting bolt.
All shoes in the limited edition Sanuk x Grateful Dead capsule collection are made from natural, repurposed and eco-minded materials, with hemp the main material used. By using hemp for the product, Sanuk has already been able to save 137 million gallons of water and 396,000 millijoules of energy. Plus, they’ve reduced their CO2 equivalent emissions by 82,000 pounds.
