While Tom Cruise fans don’t need another reason to see the seventh film in the billions-grossing franchise — especially after the blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick — Paramount’s CEO just gave them one.
The Wrap reports Bob Bakish saw Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One, with what must have been a test audience, and the trade quoted him as saying, “The audience lost their mind.”
The company’s CEO was speaking at Wednesday’s Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, according to the trade. He admitted the film as it stands now is “still too long,” but added, “the movie is insane. It’s like a complete thrill ride.”
The movie stars Cruise, of course, as spy Ethan Hunt, as well as returning M:I players Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson and Vanessa Kirby, along with series newcomers Esai Morales,Guardians of the Galaxy vet Pom Klementieff and her Marvel movie colleague Hayley Atwell.
The movie once again has Cruise facing off with Henry Czerny, who appeared in 1996’s very first M:I movie.
Dead ReckoningPart One opens July 14.
Bakish even gave a hint about the forthcoming eighth installment, due out in 2024. “Tom’s walking on the outside of an airplane — in the air, not on a green screen. It’s quite the ride,” the exec gushes.
(FLORIDA) — A harmful algae bloom is killing marine life and keeping residents and tourists away from beaches as it creeps up the coast of Southwest Florida.
Red tide is currently plaguing more than 150 miles of coastline from Naples to north of Clearwater, experts told ABC News. Clearwater and regions along the St. Joseph Sound are among the beaches that have “high” levels of the harmful bloom, or more than 1 million Karenia brevis cells per liter, a map with data compiled by Florida Fish and Wildlife showed.
The red tide is covering more of the coast than other blooms that typically occur in March, Rick Stumpf, an oceanographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told ABC News.
The current bloom is a continuation of a bloom that began in October, shortly after Hurricane Ian wreaked havoc in places like Fort Myers and Sanibel Island, Leah Reidenbach, research and policy associate at the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation’s marine laboratory, told ABC News. The runoff produced by the disturbance from the hurricane was inundated with pollution and nutrients, which allowed the bloom to flourish, Reidenbach said.
This red tide has persisted due to a lack of steady northerly winds that typically would have pushed the bloom further south into the Gulf of Mexico, Stumpf said.
Instead, the blooms have hung around the coast and keep getting pushed in by onshore winds, Stumpf said.
Red tide is a natural phenomenon caused by an overgrowth or accumulation of microscopic algae in marine or brackish water, according to the FWC. The circulation of ocean water can determine whether red tide will occur, with high circulation often producing deep, nutrient-rich ocean water to the area, which prevents the toxins from blooming.
The bloom is a common occurrence in Florida, typically popping up seasonally from the later summer through early fall and winter.
Red ride produces toxins that can sicken or kill fish, seabirds, turtles and marine mammals, such as manatees, according to the FWC.
Photos taken on Fort Myers Beach on Monday show dozens of dead fish littering the shore.
Fort Myers Beach has hauled off more than 10 tons of dead fish since Monday, the Fort Myers News-Press reported.
Researchers are concerned about how red tide affects the region’s ecology, especially now that larger fish that tend to remain offshore — like tarpon, grouper — are beginning to wash ashore, Reidenbach said. The toxins could also be moving up the food chain as smaller fish are eaten by bigger fish, which is what happened during a particularly bad outbreak in 2018 when larger marine life like manatees, dolphins and whale sharks, as well as various seabirds, were dying from the blooms.
The same onshore wind that is bringing dead fish to the beaches can also cause respiratory irritation in humans further away from the coast, as the toxins red tide produces can become an aerosol when they break down, Stumpf said.
The effects are typically temporary unless the person suffers from severe or chronic respiratory conditions, such as asthma.
People in coastal areas can experience varying degrees of eye, nose and throat irritation. However, people typically are not affected by swimming in waters infested with red tide.
Over the next 36 hrs, @NOAACoastalSci is forecasting a HIGH risk of respiratory irritation from Karenia brevis (red tide) at some beaches in CHARLOTTE, MANATEE, PINELLAS and SARASOTA counties. Conditions may vary. For the latest at individual beaches, see https://t.co/tc4O9Me2gLpic.twitter.com/JMMO2Vo8ao
It is currently difficult to forecast red tide, Stumpf said. Data from the University of South Florida and the FWC can only predict red tide activity and how it may change up and down the coast about 3.5 days ahead, Matt Garrett, associate research scientist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, told ABC News.
The best guess researchers can make is by tracking the direction of wind, but things like disease and viruses can also attack the blooms, causing them to dissipate, he added.
There are concerns that the bloom may stick around for another few weeks, but it’s too early to judge, Stumpf said.
The red tide has hindered the ability for communities devastated by Hurricane Ian to “get back to normal,” Reidenbach said. The sight of dead fish may not be appealing to tourists and residents alike who are attempting to recreate outdoors.
“Our businesses and our beaches are starting to reopen, but people aren’t coming,” Reidenbach said. “We’re still being held back economically because of red tide.”
In 2018, then-Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency to allow biologists and scientists to assist with cleanup and animal rescue efforts.
Lizzo is urging her followers to wake up and become more informed about the laws singling out the transgender community.
In a Twitter thread posted Wednesday, the singer called out the “complicit silence and apathetic participation” that comes when people aren’t fully aware of the motives and beliefs of the people in power.
Her conversation began with the observation, “Transphobia is lookin real rooted in racism right about now…”
Lizzo further expanded on her observation by writing, “I’ve never heard a person say why they’re racist… Or fatphobic.. I’ve never heard a reason why someone is transphobic.. I think if we knew ‘why’ these people felt this way there would way less support for these ideals.”
“Because the ‘why’ is more insidious than we realize,” she expressed.
Lizzo then tweeted in a follow-up post, “Don’t get it twisted— I don’t care why people are bigoted. That’s a waste of my imagination.”
“I feel like there’s a lot of complicit silence and apathetic participation going on that wouldn’t fly if people knew more,” she closed.
This commentary comes shortly after Tennessee became the first state to adopt a law restricting drag performances in public spaces. The state’s governor also signed a law that banned gender affirming care for minors.
Several similar bills have been recently introduced against drag shows in states like Florida, Arizona, Texas and others.
Meanwhile, in addition to Tennessee, seven other states have banned gender-affirming health care for those under 18: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, South Dakota and Utah.
In season 3 of the Hulu series Wu Tang: An American Saga, each member of the legendary rap group is seen working on their solo projects; episode six, out Wednesday, specifically captures Raekwon’s journey.
Speaking to ABC Audio, Shameik Moore, who takes on the character, talks about the struggles Raekwon faced while putting his album together.
“I think he’s looking for his identity within … rap, within hip-hop,” he explains. “Of course, there’s Wu-Tang already, we’re already on the fame sh** … I think Rae then starts thinking about, ‘… what is my album gonna sound like, what am I talking about? What’s gonna make me different? What’s gonna set me apart?'” He also struggles with the newfound fame and the idea of “actually being able to … bring you food to the table.”
“When you got nine dudes, everybody’s expecting, you know, Ashton [Sanders] aka the RZA to pull together … deals and opportunities for each person,” he continues. By the time RZA gets to Raekwon’s album, Rae feels pressured to follow Method Man and Ol’ Dirty Bastard‘s solo projects.
“It was like, ‘Damn, it’s my turn. Like, they killed it. I gotta come through some with sh**,'” Shameik says. “‘I have pressure on my back, and I can’t let the RZA down. I can’t let such and such down. Can’t let myself down.'” (AUDIO 1-ON-1)
(NEW YORK) — A nationwide shortage of the asthma medication albuterol has been ongoing since last fall and experts say it’s only expected to get worse.
Albuterol can be taken in several forms but it’s the aerosolized solution used in a nebulizer that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration put on its drug shortage list in late October. Although it’s not clear what prompted the initial constrained supply, the FDA has been tracking the shortage.
Generic drug manufacturer Akorn Pharmaceuticals filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy last month, according to documents viewed by ABC News, and reportedly closed its U.S. facilities, knocking out one maker of albuterol.
The FDA updated its drug shortage page on March 1 to show Akorn’s albuterol inhalation solution is “not available” due to “no new manufacturing of product.”
This leaves Nephron Pharmaceuticals, based in South Carolina, as one of the only remaining primary manufacturers of liquid albuterol.
“We are currently producing Albuterol as fast as possible to deliver to the market — and to patients — to address this shortage,” Nephron CEO Lou Kennedy told ABC News.
The FDA did not immediately reply to ABC News’ request for comment.
Local pharmacies said they have been struggling to stock albuterol over the past few months and are worried the closure of Akorn facilities will make it harder.
“The albuterol solution has been in short supply for some time. It’s hard to get it in stock,” Jim Stage, owner of Lloyd Pharmacy in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and a pharmacist, told local ABC affiliate KSTP. “We’re checking secondary and tertiary vendors if our primary vendor doesn’t have it, so it’s just creating a little bit more legwork on our part.”
What is albuterol?
Asthma is an inflammatory disease that causes airways in the lungs to constrict and prevents normal breathing. It affects more than 25 million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Albuterol is a medication that helps open these constricted airways. It works by activating the beta receptors in the lungs, which helps the airways open and relax so asthma sufferers can breathe more easily.
Inhaled albuterol can be given through an inhaler or as an aerosolized solution through a nebulizer machine. The aerosolized solution is the type currently facing a national shortage.
This solution is sometimes used at home for infants and young children who have difficulty using an inhaler, but it is used most commonly in hospital settings to treat a range of breathing problems associated with wheezing that includes asthma and some respiratory infections.
“This is a lifesaving medication that we need to have on demand and available when patients needed,” Dr. Juanita Mora, national volunteer medical spokesperson for the American Lung Association, told ABC News.
Mora said she has witnessed how distressing this shortage has been for her patients and families and warned that the pollen season is around the corner.
“As pollen levels rise, they are a huge trigger for asthma. I want to make sure that everyone’s asthma COPD emphysema long-haul COVID is well optimized before we head into that season,” Mora said.
Are there alternatives?
One alternative medication to albuterol used commonly, but less often, is called levalbuterol. Albuterol inhalers are also an acceptable alternative to the liquid solution.
Although similar, studies have had mixed results. One study from 2003 found substituting levalbuterol for albuterol in emergency department care “significantly reduced the number of hospitalizations.”
However, a meta-analysis in 2013 showed levalbuterol was not “superior” to albuterol regarding efficacy and safety, and suggested not using it over albuterol for acute asthma.
It’s unclear if every day Americans are having trouble filling prescriptions. A Walgreens spokesperson told ABC News it is “able to meet patient demand/needs at this time.”
Other pharmacy chains including CVS Health, Rite Aid Corp., Kroger Inc. and Albertsons Inc. did not return ABC News’ request for comment.
How are asthma attacks prevented?
People with lung diseases like asthma or COPD can have more severe complications from respiratory viruses and pneumonia. To prevent these illnesses, experts say to stay up to date on all vaccines, including Covid-19 boosters and annual flu shots and to practice good hand washing.
It is also important to know and avoid asthma triggers. Each individual’s trigger may be different, but common triggers include seasonal allergies, carpets, pets, mold and tobacco smoke, according to the CDC.
When using an inhaler, proper technique is very important. The American Lung Association says people should make sure they are always using a spacer with an inhaler.
If frequently using albuterol, talk to your doctor about daily medications that help control asthma symptoms in addition to albuterol.
Mora urged people not to panic or hoard liquid albuterol because they are afraid of the shortage and says doctors are asking the FDA to act urgently to solve this problem.
“We are urging the FDA to get ahead of this problem before it becomes disastrous,” Mora said.
ABC News’ Sony Salzman contributed to this report.
James Cameron‘s spy movie True Lies is such a classic that it has spawned a CBS series decades after Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis saved the world on the big screen — but Ginger Gonzaga somehow missed it before starring in the show.
Covering her eyes for a moment, the former She-Hulk: Attorney at Law scene stealer admitted to ABC Audio Wednesday, “Oh, gosh, it’s always embarrassing. I hadn’t seen it. I tell everyone the only movies I had ever seen were Sister Acts1 and 2 and Mrs. Doubtfire.”
She added with a laugh, “And then, I don’t know, I’ve seen maybe five movies since. I don’t know how I’m an actor.”
The star plays Helen Tasker, the role Everything Everywhere Oscar nominee Curtis played in the film: A bored woman who discovers her seemingly boring salesman husband is actually as super spy.
Ginger explained not seeing the 1994 movie was a blessing in disguise. “Watching Howie [co-star Steve Howie] be like, ‘Oh my gosh, I have to fill Arnold’s shoes,’ I was like, ‘I don’t know. I’m just playing this character, Helen.’ So I maintained not watching it prior to doing the pilot, so I could just do my Ginger version of a character named Helen. And I think that really took the pressure off of me.”
She added, “I love Jamie so much, and I know if I had watched it, I would have been judging every single move that I did, you know, like, ‘Oh, that’s too much like her’ or ‘No, you’re copying Jamie,’ so I want to let Jamie be Jamie. And I got out of that pressure by having been sheltered as a child, really,” she laughed.
(NEW YORK) — The Biden administration is moving to implement a new national security strategy focused on stopping hackers, as buzz around artificial intelligence tools raises concern among some experts that criminals may try to exploit AI capabilities.
One aim of the administration strategy is to shift the focus of blame away from the victims of cybercrime, U.S. security officials said. After-the-fact assessments often focus on the target for being vulnerable enough to hack — but if that target is a rural hospital, for example, limitations might exists on what that hospital can do to protect against bad actors, especially those backed by foreign governments.
Instead, the new plan focuses on strengthening the public-private partnerships that encourage security firms to share what they know about hacker networks in order to bring them to justice.
Emerging technology will test the viability of the strategy going forward, experts told ABC News, especially with AI posing new security challenges.
The same advantages seen in AI tools like ChatGPT from research lab OpenAI, which formulates human-like responses to questions posed by a user, are vulnerable to nefarious use, according to Ari Jacoby, a tech executive who has focused on using AI to fight fraud.
Given the volumes of publicly available information on software engineering, hackers could use the chat bots to generate or enhance malicious computer code, Jacoby said.
According to OpenAI’s user policy, using ChatGPT to write malware, generate hateful or harmful content or engage in fraudulent activity is explicitly prohibited. The question is whether tech firms are capable of enforcing such rules as AI technology spreads.
“The ChatGPTs of the world — who do way more good than harm — make available tools that can write software code in less than a minute that would have taken a bad actor or a bad network potentially days or weeks to run,” Jacoby said.
Instead of using ChatGPT to source ideas for recipes or write basic work emails, bad actors could attempt to write large volumes of phishing emails that trick recipients into downloading malware or giving up personal financial information.
Alternatively, similar tools used to analyze and assess trends in large sets of data can potentially be used to fight fraud, Jacoby said. Credit card companies, for example, could benefit from being able to detect anomalies in a customer’s behavior to determine if purchases are authentic.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is facing a daily onslaught of cybersecurity breaches from Russian, Chinese and North Korea-backed groups, according to recent U.S. government assessments and private cyber intelligence firms. Experts expect those efforts will test the resilience of the administration’s new cyber strategy.
“They’re unbelievably sophisticated and they’re unbelievably well-funded and well-tooled,” Jacoby said. “They have plenty of AI tools at their disposal.”
A recent analysis of underground hacking communities by the cyber firm Check Point Research found online forums where new approaches to hacking tools were discussed, including one discussion thread called “ChatGPT – Benefits of Malware.”
The author wrote they were attempting to use ChatGPT to recreate malicious computer code based on research papers about hacking.
While the Biden administration’s strategy does not delve into the specifics of emerging technology, such as AI, it’s designed to be nimble enough to account for new developments in the rapidly changing cybersecurity landscape.
“These are multi-year efforts where we are going to find gaps and where Congress will then need to lean in to help us get to where we need to go,” acting National Cyber Director Kemba Walden said at a forum discussion of the strategy last week. “It’s a symphony, not a single movement.”
“This is an ongoing process,” she added.
Walden emphasized the important role that cloud computing service providers play in securing data as a “force multiplier” for cyber threat first responders.
Google Cloud, for example, provides a variety of data storage and website hosting services. The company’s ability to defend its systems was bolstered by its acquisition of the cybersecurity firm Mandiant last year.
“Everyone has a shared responsibility here,” said Stacy O’Mara, who leads government strategy and partnership at Mandiant. “I think that’s the purpose of the strategy — to reinforce this concept of a shared defense.”
“We’ve got a long process ahead of us,” O’Mara said, ” but I’m encouraged by the administration’s efforts.”
It seems like even Gene Simmons doesn’t fully believe that KISS‘ “final” concerts, scheduled for New York’s Madison Square Garden December 1 and 2, will truly be the end.
While speaking to The Las Vegas Review-Journal, Simmons was asked if the band would ever again play a show in Las Vegas, considering they canceled a scheduled residency at Planet Hollywood’s Zappos Theater, which would have run from December 2021 to February 2022.
“I actually don’t know, because we have been so inundated by people wanting to see us wherever we go. I mean, every guy whoever [sic] washed my dog or did my dry cleaning is hitting me up for tickets for his entire family, three generations back,” Simmons said.
“Vegas? I don’t know, it would be nice to do a Vegas residency,” he continued. “But I don’t know any of these things.”
What Simmons does know is that he’s hosting a VIP event May 5, 6 and 7 at the Rio Hotel & Casino, the location of the KISS by Monster Mini Golf and World Museum attraction, and tickets costs thousands of dollars. The bassist tells the Review-Journal that even though the band is — allegedly — ending their touring career, he’s still excited about the potential of the KISS brand.
“We have KISS everything — I want to sell KISS Air,” he says, meaning actual oxygen. “Have you seen the KISS air-guitar strings? Just a plastic bag with nothing in it. People buy cases of them. We have condoms and caskets.”
He laughs, “I’m thinking of a church, ‘KISS-Tianity.’ What do you think? It’s like everything else in the KISS empire, just throw open the doors and await the masses.”
March 8 marks 50 years since the death of The Grateful Dead’s co-founder and first frontman, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, and the day isn’t going unnoticed.
First, The Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast, the official podcast of The Grateful Dead, is kicking off its seventh season Wednesday with two episodes devoted to Pigpen. It will delve into Pigpen’s life and career, featuring newly unearthed documents and recordings, including excerpts from some never-before-heard 1964 tapes, one featuring Jerry Garcia. There’s also audio from what is believed to be the only surviving full-length Pigpen interview.
In addition, on May 5 a remastered 50th anniversary edition of History of The Grateful Dead, Volume 1 (Bear’s Choice) will be released. The live album, which originally came out in March 1973, was curated by Dead sound engineer Owsley “Bear” Stanley and features Pigpen singing lead on three of the seven tracks.
The release will come out digitally and on vinyl, along with 5,000 copies of a custom vinyl version with two different custom labels, featuring artwork with the iconic Grateful Dead Dancing Bears. It is available for preorder now at dead.net.
Paramount+ announced Wednesday that the second season of the reborn animated show Beavis and Butt-Head will return on April 20, otherwise known — to those who likely watch the show under the influence — as 4/20, marijuana’s official holiday.
“This 4/20, we’ve got another reason not to leave the couch,” a giggle-filled tease notes.
The second season will kick off with a pair of new episodes, according to the streaming service, which is also home to creator Mike Judge‘s original series of the same name, as well as the boys’ movies, 1996’s Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, and the recent Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe.
As for what to expect for the second season, well, Paramount+ calls the sophomore frame the triumphant return of “two guys who like things that are cool and don’t like things that suck.”
