(NOTE LANGUAGE) While many movies have been adapted into video games, one might not have expected the multiple Oscar-nominated The Banshees of Inisherin to be among them — but someone has done it.
Banshees: The Game is an 8-bit version of the hit movie, almost like Pac-Man, except you play a cute little version of Brendan Gleeson‘s Colm. The goal is to try to avoid not ghosts, but the “boring local gobsh***,” Colin Farrell‘s Pádraic, trying to “talk your ears off” on your way to the pub.
Sustaining you on your journey aren’t dots, but teensy severed fingers. Get caught and you hear Colm’s oft-repeated line, “I don’t like you no more.”
While technically it would make more sense for you to play Jenny the donkey, given her propensity for gobbling up said errant digits in Martin McDonagh‘s award-winning film, the 8-bit graphical representation of the characters and the stone walls of Inisherin, as well as the twee Irish music that overlays the game, more than make up for that quibble.
We’d give creators Cogs & Marvel two thumbs up, but given Colm’s predicament, it might not be appropriate.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — Police in Nashville, Tennessee, say they’re searching for two suspects who were caught on camera spray-painting houses with swastikas and other hate messages.
Nashville police said five homes in the Sylvan Park area were targeted by the vandalism early Sunday.
Home surveillance video showed the suspects spray-painting a camera at one of the homes around 1:30 a.m.
Nashville Mayor John Cooper tweeted, “Nashville stands united against the hate and bigotry these disgusting acts represent.”
“Grateful to [Nashville police] Chief Drake & his team for their ongoing work to track down those responsible and hold them accountable,” Cooper said. “We will not tolerate antisemitism or discrimination of any kind in our city.”
The police department said its officers are increasing their presence in Sylvan Park and at Nashville’s Jewish institutions.
Police ask anyone with information to call the department’s Specialized Investigations Division at 615-742-7463.
(NEW YORK) — An American missionary who was kidnapped in Niger has been released, U.S. officials said Monday.
Jeffery Woodke, a Christian humanitarian aid worker, was released on Monday after more than six years in captivity, the White House said.
“I’m gratified & relieved to see the release of U.S. hostage Jeff Woodke after over 6 years in captivity,” U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan tweeted. “The U.S. thanks Niger for its help in bringing him home to all who miss & love him.”
Woodke, who had been kidnapped in October 2016, was released outside of Niger, “in the Mali-Burkina” Faso area, according to a senior Biden administration official.
He had been captured by a hostage-taking network after working for years in the region, according to the official, who declined to say which specific terrorist organization had been holding the American.
“There are a number of kind of intersecting, overlapping terrorist networks in that part of West Africa that, unfortunately, see kidnapping and hostage-taking as part of their business model, frankly, and as a source of revenue and support for them,” the official said. “And unfortunately, he has spent six-and-a-half years enduring that.”
Woodke’s wife, Els, told ABC News in 2021 that her family had come to believe that her husband had been held by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS) to an al-Qaida affiliate in northwest Africa known as JNIM.
In a call with reporters, the official didn’t say where Woodke was now, although a White House official said Woodke had been transferred to U.S. government custody.
The senior official said the U.S. didn’t know where Woodke had actually been held over the years, and that officials hoped to learn more from Woodke himself.
The official declined to provide details of how Woodke was freed, deferring to Niger’s government to provide more information. He noted Woodke would be offered an array of medical services, including psychiatric support.
While the official declined to provide details about how Woodke was released, he emphasized “there was no quid pro quo” with Woodke’s captors.
“There was no direct negotiation here between the U.S. government and a terrorist organization,” the official said. “It’s worth making that clear. Certainly, we did not pay a ransom or make a concession to a terrorist organization here.”
He credited Niger’s government and said that the U.S. worked through Niger, which he said had “their own engagements.”
Woodke’s wife appeared in the 2021 ABC News documentary 3212 UN-REDACTED, which focused on an ill-fated U.S. Special Forces mission in 2017 that left four Green Beret soldiers dead.
A former commanding general of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) had claimed publicly that the mission had been tied to finding Woodke.
On Monday, the Biden administration official said the U.S. had invested intelligence and military resources over the years to find Woodke, who had worked for years helping nomadic people in the Sahel region.
“We owe a great deal of thanks to the government of Niger for its critical role in securing Jeff’s release,” the senior administration official said.
The official said the Woodke family had been notified first, the administration had also notified members of Congress, and the U.S. was notifying “foreign partners,” as well.
(NEW YORK) — Greenhouse gas emissions are continuing to increase, exacerbating the challenge world leaders face in preventing the impacts of climate change from worsening, the United Nations warns in its latest climate report.
Emissions in 2019 were about 12% higher than they were in 2010 and 54% higher than they were in 1990, largely due to increases in fossil fuel production, industrial activities and methane emissions, the report, released Monday by the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, states.
As a result, human-caused climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe, leading to widespread adverse impacts and related losses and damages to nature and people, according to the report.
The window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future is “rapidly” closing, the report states. It will take a “quantum leap in climate action” to mitigate global warming, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement.
“Humanity is on thin ice — and that ice is melting fast,” Guterres said.
Continued greenhouse gas emissions will lead to increased warming, and every increment of increased warming will intensify hazards, but deep and rapid reductions in emissions would slow warming down within about two decades, the report states. However, some future changes, like sea level rise, are unavoidable or irreversible but can be limited with deep, rapid and sustained cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the report.
The authors emphasized, again, that the world must reach net zero by the early 2050s to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, which means any manmade carbon or greenhouse gas emissions would be eliminated or removed.
The report also lays out why that goal is so important, saying that any incremental warming beyond that amount will worsen hazards such as extreme heat and severe precipitation and increase the risks of species loss, more extreme heat days that could be dangerous to human health, and decreased yields from crops or fisheries.
“The choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts now and for thousands of years,” the U.N. advised in the report.
The report synthesizes nearly a decade of work from the IPCC, which brings together the best climate scientists around the world to create definitive reports to guide international and domestic climate policies and goals. The language has been accepted by every country that participates in the Paris Agreement and will be used as the backdrop for climate negotiations for the rest of the year when countries are expected to submit critical updates in their plans to reduce emissions.
The literature is being framed by civil society groups as the last U.N. climate report before the world starts to run up against these critical deadlines to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, or 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit — cutting global emissions nearly in half by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050.
The report, which encompasses about 200 years of warming, is extremely important because it “represents the most comprehensive collection of the knowledge on climate change,” Stephanie Roe, global climate and energy lead scientist for the World Wildlife Foundation, told ABC News.
“It clearly lays out, essentially, the main causes and drivers of climate change, impacts from climate change and also the solutions to climate change in a way that is much more accessible and clear and succinct for policymakers, decision-makers and the general public,” Roe said.
Many groups see the report as yet another call to action rather than a reason to despair.
“This IPCC report is both a blistering condemnation of major emitters’ inaction and a sound blueprint for a much safer and more equitable world,” Ani Dasgupta, president and CEO of the World Resources Institute, said in a statement.
The IPCC remains “hopeful” despite the dire warnings of the report, which offers a “narrow” path to secure a livable future if the world corrects course in a rapid manner, Dasgupta added.
“This involves deep emission reductions from every sector of the economy, as well as much greater investments to build resilience to climate impacts and support for people facing unavoidable climate losses and damage,” Dasgupta said.
The report was approved by all 195 countries that participate in the Paris Agreement, making it the definitive summary of climate science and solutions going into the next few years of global climate talks.
Guterres has proposed a “Climate Solidarity Pact” to G-20 countries, which would require all big emitters to make extra efforts to cut emissions, and wealthier countries mobilize financial and technical resources to support emerging economies in a common effort to keep the goal of staying below 1.5 degrees of warming “alive.”
“Every country must be part of the solution,” Guterres said. “Demanding others move first only ensures humanity comes last.”
(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — A high-ranking Memphis, Tennessee police officer on duty at the scene of the beating that would end Tyre Nichols life, retired one day before he was expected to be fired, according to Memphis City Council Vice Chairman JB Smiley, Jr.
“We’re accountable to the people who pay taxes,” Smiley told ABC News. “And if we’re wronging the people who pay taxes, we shouldn’t be allowed to receive dollars that are ultimately theirs.”
“We call for Memphis police and officials to do everything in their power to hold Lt. Smith and all of those involved fully accountable and not allow Lt. Smith to cowardly sidestep the consequences of his actions,” the Nichols family’s attorneys said in a statement. “His cowardice in resigning and not facing his own disciplinary board to defend himself is not an end-around on accountability or reckoning.”
The mother and stepfather of Nichols, RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells, spoke alongside Ben Crump, who leads their legal team, and Al Sharpton at the National Action Network (NAN) House of Justice in Harlem Saturday.
“In my heart, I just feel like, my son, he had to be sacrificed for the greater good,” RowVaughn Wells said through tears. “That’s the only explanation that I have as the reason why all this is happening. Because he was such a good person. He was a free-spirited person.”
Crump supported RowVaughn Wells’ belief that her son was sent to this world on an “assignment.”
“She’s got to believe some greater good is going to come from this,” Crump said. “All these families joining Tyre Nichols’ family, we’re finally going to get the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act passed. So, we can try to prevent some of these unnecessary, these unjustifiable, and unconstitutional killings of our people.”
According to a statement from Wells’ attorneys, Lt. Smith observed Nichols as he lay battered on the ground, neither rendering aid nor asking for immediate medical attention for Nichols. The Memphis Police Department declined to comment and did not respond to requests to obtain the police reports related to Lt. Smith’s retirement.
After Nichols died, seven other police officers were terminated following the beating on Jan. 7, according to city of Memphis chief legal officer Jennifer Sink. All five officers who were directly involved in the beating have been charged with second-degree murder.
Nichols, 29, died three days after a violent traffic stop caught on body camera footage. He cried out for his mother as he was beaten with fists, boots and batons by the five officers after fleeing the scene of his alleged traffic violation. The officers all pleaded not guilty in their first court appearance on Feb. 17.
“Tyre’s parents believe Smith was one of the first officers who came to their house and told them about Tyre’s beating,” Wells’ attorneys said in a statement. “[Lt. Smith] said Tyre was involved in a DUI or on drugs, and did not tell them about the severity of the situation.”
The statement also said Smith told Wells she would not be permitted to see her son in the hospital.
When reached by ABC News in a phone call, Lt. Smith declined to comment.
With Meg White in the news over the last week as musicians defended The White Stripes drummer’s chops in response to an insulting tweet, Nandi Bushell has shared a drum cover of “Seven Nation Army.”
The viral kid music prodigy, who’s famous for her online drum battle with Dave Grohl, posted a characteristically energetic rendition of the Stripes classic on her Twitter Sunday, complete with her signature mid-drumming screams.
“#MegWhite is my #Hero,” Bushell wrote alongside the video. “The first day I got drums my dad showed me the video of #sevennationarmy. I saw Meg playing the drums and thought she was the coolest person in the world. I still do.”
“Meg and Jack [White] wrote some of the best songs in #rock #history,” Bushell continued. “They moved me at 5 years old to want to play the drums and still move me today! My screams are for you Meg! You are and always will be my role model and hero!”
As previously reported, the music world lined up behind Meg after writer Lachlan Markay tweeted, “I’m sorry Meg White was terrible and no band is better for having s***** percussion.” Among those who spoke out was Jack White, who wrote a poem in support of Meg.
Tom Morello also chimed in over the weekend, writing in an Instagram post, “I hear there’s some controversy on this matter lately so let me set fools straight: #MegWhite is one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock n roll.”
“It’s not even a debate,” the Rage Against the Machine guitarist continued. “There are a HANDFUL of drummers EVER who are INSTANTLY recognizable rocking their MANY HIT SONGS with Flavor, Fire & Flair. She’s on that list, bruh.”
Markay has since apologized and made his Twitter account private.
Good Burger 2 has officially gotten the green light at Paramount+, original stars Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell confirmed on Friday’s episode of The Tonight Show.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger…Part 2,” Mitchell exclaimed, drawing cheers from the audience.
“It’s a blessing, man, it’s unbelievable. We’re gonna shoot it this summer and it’ll be out soon,” Thompson told Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon.
Good Burger began as a sketch on the Nickelodeon series All That and spawned the fan-favorite 1997 film, which earned just under $24 million at the box office against a reported budget of $8 million.
Good Burger 2, according to Paramount+, centers on Thompson’s character, Dexter Reed, who is “down on his luck after another one of his inventions fails.” He’s welcomed back to Good Burger by Mitchell’s Ed, who gives him his old job back and “devises a plan to get back on his feet, but unfortunately puts the fate of Good Burger at risk once again.”
Gina Rodriguez can now add mom to her list of roles. The Jane the Virgin star, 38, and her husband, Joe LoCicero, have welcomed their first child.
Neither has announced the birth or the sex of the baby, but Rodriguez was spotted out in Los Angeles with the newborn in a carrier strapped to her chest over the weekend, according to photos obtained by Page Six.
The new mom wore a ponytail, glasses and all-black loungewear with Nike sneakers for her stroll about town. The infant was covered by an animal print blanket.
Rodriguez first announced her pregnancy back in August while also celebrating her birthday. The actress shared a carousel of moments between herself and LoCicero, with the last clip being the couple smiling as she held up a positive pregnancy test.
“This birthday hits different,” she captioned the post.
Terry Crews has been tapped to star in a CBS comedy pilot based on the JumpStart comic strip, according to Variety. The pilot, per CBS, follows as “a devoted husband, son, father and Philadelphia police officer” and his wife Marcy, a nurse — a pair of “hip, urban parents with old school values who are willing to sacrifice for their kids and have some laughs while doing it.” Crews currently hosts the NBC competition series America’s Got Talent. His other TV acting roles include Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Everybody Hates Chris and Are We There Yet? His film roles include the Expendables franchise, as well as Idiocracy and White Chicks…
Following reports that The Goldbergs is wrapping up its 10th and final season on ABC, series star Wendi McLendon-Covey has already nailed down her next TV role in the NBC comedy pilot St. Denis Medical, according to Deadline. The pilot is described as “a mockumentary about an underfunded, understaffed Oregon hospital where the dedicated doctors and nurses try their best to treat patients while maintaining their own sanity,” per the outlet. McLendon-Covey will reportedly play Joyce, the medical center’s executive director and former oncological surgeon with “big dreams for the future of St. Denis — dreams not currently being realized.” McLendon-Covey can currently be seen in the movie Paint, opposite Owen Wilson…
Kelly McCreary, who has played Maggie Pierce, the half-sister of Ellen Pompeo‘s Meredith Grey’s and head of the hospital’s cardiothoracic surgery since the end of season 10, is leaving ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy after nine years, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Her last episode as a series regular will air April 13, though, similar to Pompeo, who will return for the season finale, McCreary will also return for a visit later this season following her farewell episode. Pompeo paid tribute to McCreary Friday on Instagram, writing, “Congratulations Kelly. Thanks so much for your super hard work and the valuable contributions you’ve made to the Grey’s legacy. Looking forward to your next chapter”…
Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Film at Lincoln Center
Bruce Willis‘ wife Emma Heming Willis is keeping it real when it comes to how she celebrated her husband’s first birthday since his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis.
Taking to Instagram Stories on Sunday, Emma began, “Today is my husband’s birthday. I have started the morning by crying as you can see by my swollen eyes and snotty nose. I just think it’s important that you see all sides of this.”
“I always get this message or people always tell me, ‘Oh, you’re so strong. I don’t know how you do it.’ I’m not given a choice. I wish I was, but I’m also raising two kids in this,” the 44-year-old explained. “Sometimes in our lives, we have to put our big girl panties on and get to it. And that’s what I’m doing.”
“But I do have times of sadness, every day, grief every day, and I’m really feeling it today on his birthday,” she continued.
Emma also posted a reel in honor of the Die Hard star’s 68th birthday, showing Willis in moments with his family, in particular playing with and dancing with his children. Heming Willis captioned it, “…He is so loved. And I’ll be loving him always. Happy Birthday my sweet.”
“My birthday wish for Bruce is that you continue to keep him in your prayers and highest vibrations because his sensitive Pisces soul will feel it,” she wrote. “Thank you so much for loving and caring for him too.”
Willis and his entire blended family, including his ex-wife Demi Moore and their adult daughters Tallulah, Scout, and Rumer, can be seen in a video singing “Happy Birthday to You” with the star. Looking slightly unsteady on his feet, Bruce nonetheless sings along smiling, and blows out a pair of candles on his pie with gusto.
