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The SpaceX IPO has boosted Musk's paper wealth to more than $1,000,000,000,000 at a time when he is more hated -- and powerful -- than ever.

The company made its heavily-anticipated debut on Friday, trading higher than its initial $135 IPO price.

⚡ Quick Take

• The Vampire Lestat composer Daniel Hart broke down “Your Biggest Fan,” Lestat’s intense songs about his maker, Magnus.

The songs created by Daniel Hart for The Vampire Lestat are nothing short of masterpieces. But one song in particular has truly stunned fans: the intense “love song” “Your Biggest Fan.” “Your Biggest Fan” functions as Lestat’s reckoning with his maker, Magnus, who forced vampirism onto him without his consent, desire, or full understanding. But, in truth, Lestat did not actually know Magnus. In Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat, we learn that Magnus stalked Lestat from afar before kidnapping him and turning him into a vampire. But once that was done, Magnus immediatly threw himself into the fire, leaving Lestat on his own in his new state. So ultimately, “Your Biggest Fan” reveals more about Lestat himself and his state of mind about his kidnapping and turning than anything else. Addressing this powerful song, Daniel Hart spoke to Nerdist about the process of crafting “Your Biggest Fan” for The Vampire Lestat. (As a note, please proceed with caution as you read, this response touches on darker themes.)

Hart shares about Lestat, Magnus, and “Your Biggest Fan.”:

I wrote the song pretty early on in the writer’s room process. In the writer’s room, I was going back and forth between the table where all the writers were sitting, outlining plots, discussing characters, thinking about what would happen from episode to episode in season three. And I went back and forth between the writer’s room table and then a little makeshift studio, a musical studio that I had set up in the same house where the writer’s room was based. And I would sit at the table, and we would talk and talk and talk and then someone would say something that would give me an idea, and I would go off and work on a song for a little bit, and I would come back to the table when I had gotten enough of an idea down that it wouldn’t be forgotten or lost.

I don’t remember exactly what it was about Magnus and Lestat that made me make the choices I made with “Your Biggest Fan,” but it was certainly after rereading that passage in the book of Lestat’s transformation multiple times and it just felt like there was so much meat on the bone.

And we were already talking in the writer’s room at that point about telling the story in different ways. What were the ways that we wanted to approach the characters that we either hadn’t done before in seasons one or two, or that were ways that were different from the book, or different than stuff that we had already seen in other television shows?

So I don’t know why it occurred to me, probably because deep down I am very dark and twisted, but I thought, well, if he’s going to write a song about his transformation, then he should write it from the point of view of the person who transformed him. And since it was basically abduction and then abuse, and a rape of sorts, then that would be Lestat’s experience of it.

But the person who did those things, as can often be the case in real life, the person who is the tormentor, the predator, the abuser, doesn’t view themselves that way. And for Magnus, I don’t think he viewed himself that way at all, and either because he himself was so dark and twisted or because by that point in his own life, he had just basically lost his mind. So I thought, yeah, he wouldn’t think of himself as doing something terrible at all. He wasn’t torturing people. He was loving them. So I thought, oh, it’s a love song. Obviously, it’s a love song. So then I started writing a love song about abducting someone and then torturing them, and then it became the thing that it is.

But, [of course, the song] is really about Lestat’s version of what he thinks Magnus thought was happening. Since he barely knew him. The guy transformed him and then threw himself into a fire, and that was that.

AMC

If this breakdown of “Your Biggest Fan,” isn’t enough to convince you that this series is tackling some incredibly complicated themes in truly deft ways, unlike anything you’ve ever seen on television before, then I don’t know what would be. All I know is that “Your Biggest Fan” is even more devestating in-situ when it finally comes around in The Vampire Lestat. And considering that Lestat is putting himself in Magnus’ shoes makes it even worse. Get yourself ready and get those tissues ready.

The Vampire Lestat airs at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+. You can also read The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice today as you wait for the next episode of the series to air.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

The post Daniel Hart Talks Crafting Lestat’s Magnus in THE VAMPIRE LESTAT’s ‘Your Biggest Fan’ Song appeared first on Nerdist.

TechCrunch has followed SpaceX's start, struggles, and successes from the early days. And we're here for what happens next too. This package of SpaceX IPO coverage includes who stands to win (and maybe some who won't), pre-IPO deals, and what's tucked inside its S-1 registration document.

The spy law known as Section 702, which authorizes the NSA and FBI's warrantless surveillance, will all but certainly expire on Friday for the first time.

Avataar AI's distilled video model is priced at $0.005 for every second of generation

Equal AI said that its AI-powered call assistant now has over a million monthly active users.

Unlike humanoid robots designed around a fixed form — think Boston Dynamics — Theker's machines are built to be reconfigured.

The new round values the physical AI startup that aims to automate heavy engineering and drug design at $41 billion.

⚡ Quick Take

• Apple TV has given a second season greenlight to its critical and audience favorite horror-comedy series, Widow’s Bay.

Good news for fans of spooky islands and wry humor. That’s all of us, of course. With a week to go before the finale of Apple TV’s horror-comedy or comedic horror series Widow’s Bay, the streaming service who makes all the phones announced the show will come back for a second season. That means we’ll likely get more hauntings, more sea monsters, more vague allusions to Lovecraftian elder gods, and (we hope) more petty municipal squabbles. It’s really a very good show, one of my current faves.

Apple TV

In the announcement, Apple TV promised a second season of the fan favorite series led by Emmy Award-winning star and executive producer Matthew Rhys, hailing from creator and executive producer Katie Dippold and Emmy Award-winning executive producer and director Hiro Murai.  Additionally, Apple TV announced a new, multi-year overall deal with Dippold. This is really good news because I’d love to see what other kind of strange stories Dippold has for us.

“From the moment audiences arrived in Widow’s Bay, they’ve been hooked on every eerie mystery, unexpected laughs, and cursed secret that Katie, Hiro, Matthew, and the entire team have created,” said Matt Cherniss, head of programming, Apple TV. “It’s become one of those shows everyone’s talking about, and we’re thrilled to see audiences continue to embrace it. We can’t wait to return for another season.”

Widow’s Bay is about a very small New England island of the same name. Tom Loftis (Rhys), the Mayor of Widow’s Bay, desperately wants to bring tourism to the struggling community, but many of the locals, personified by surly fisherman Wyck (Stephen Root) warn him that the island is cursed and is waking up. Tons of very strange things then ensue including ghosts, time-tripping, hags from the sea, zombified puritans, and even a Michael Myers-ass slasher. At the same time, Loftis is trying to keep his teenage son (Kingston Rumi Southwick) safe because kids born on Widow’s Bay are lowkey not allowed to leave.

But apparently all of this will get cleared up in the season one finale. “Season two is about how everything is great on the island and there’s nothing to worry about,” said creator, showrunner and executive producer Katie Dippold. I have a feeling she’s kidding.

If you haven’t yet seen Widow’s Bay, which blends both genuine horror and genuine comedy, I urge you to catch up. The first season finale will air Wednesday, June 17 on Apple TV.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.

The post Apple TV Greenlights WIDOW’S BAY Season 2 appeared first on Nerdist.

Wits its official share pricing announcement, SpaceX's IPO has begun.

The tech giant warned of a security flaw that a cybercrime gang said it's exploiting as part of a mass-hacking campaign. Google said it notified more than 100 organizations that had potentially vulnerable servers.

⚡ Quick Take

• Our newest comprehensive timeline belongs in a museum, as we laid out the complete adventures of Indiana Jones.

The Indiana Jones franchise is so much bigger than its five movies. The series has also spawned books, TV shows, video games, and fast food. That’s a whole lot of archeology—and a whole lot of dead Nazis–spanning a whole lot of time. And we don’t just mean the 45 years since Raiders of the Lost Ark swung into theaters. The famous adventurer was hunting down relics long before we met him on the big screen….though technically we didn’t see that until after.

Lucasfilm/Nerdist

How long was Henry punching bad guys and securing priceless artifacts for museums? When did he get his first teaching job? And when exactly did he do all that really famous stuff involving God, aliens, and time travel? Our Adam Murray went digging through all of the franchise’s archives— including all the things you forgot about and the stuff you never even knew about—to compile the definitive Indiana Jones timeline.

Our latest timeline deep dive looks at everything we know about the life and adventures of Henry Jones. That includes Indy’s beloved younger years, his very years as the world’s most handsome professor, his less popular older years, and the end of his life when he only had one eye George Hall.

In this comprehensive video Adam also explains how he constructed this timeline by explaining what is and isn’t canon. He also gets into the many Indiana Jones releases that exist in a nebulous canonical gray area. (Looking at you, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle!)

If this is your first Murray-made Nerdist timeline video, you might see the word “comprehensive” and think “a lot.” That’s like saying Harrison Ford has been in some movies people know. Adam’s research is so thorough and complete it would make Professor Jones jealous.

At what age would Indiana Jones be most jealous of Adam’s video. Watch to find out. Plus that’s how you’ll learn about the Whopper.

The post Our Complete INDIANA JONES Timeline Belongs in a Museum appeared first on Nerdist.

After SpaceX makes its public debut, lower-tier SPV investors face hidden fees, lengthy payout delays, and the risk of outright fraud.

Bluesky's latest feature is group chats, arriving amid a shift in focus on building features for smaller communities.

⚡ Quick Take

• Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness new trailer makes clear that America has given Larry David centuries worth of topics to get angry about.

Larry David’s place in both television and comedy history is secure thanks to Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm. But not only is he not ready to rest on his laurels, his new sketch comedy series Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness will send him through history. And the show’s new trailer makes clear that America has given Larry David centuries worth of topics to get angry about.

“Those who don’t know history… are doomed to watch Larry David repeat it.” That’s a pretty, pretty, pretty good logline. This is also a great trailer and premise. Setting Larry David lose on a few hundred years of America is exactly what we need right now. (Those Wright Brothers have it coming!)

All of the show’s many incredible guest stars—which includes Jon Hamm, Sean Hayes, Isla Fisher, Jerry Seinfeld, Susie Essman, Greg Kinnear, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chris Parnell, and more—will only make it better.

In addition to starring as America’s timeless grump, David serves as writer and executive producer. Series co-creator Jeff Schaffer also serves as director. Plus, this show has an actual, direct connection to American history. Seriously. Former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama also serve as executive producers via Higher Ground. Will that mean we might get to see Larry David complaining about a president wearing a tan suit? C’mon. That’s absurd. Not even Larry David would whine about something that dumb.

John Johnson/HBO

The seven-episode first season of Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness will debut at HBO on Friday, June 26 at 9 p.m. ET. New episodes will follow every week until the August 7 season finale. They will also be available at HBO Max.

Will you make Larry David happy if you tune in? Probably not, but think about how unhappy he’ll be if you don’t. Then remember he’ll be unhappy for a few centuries.

The post Larry David Makes American History Funny in LIFE, LARRY AND THE PURSUIT OF UNHAPPINESS Trailer appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Mark Ruffalo voices Nero, a cat regretting his work with the feline mob in Venice, in the first teaser trailer for Pixar’s Gatto.

Toy Story 5 will soon arrive in theaters, but Pixar is already looking ahead to its next featured film. The studio has released its first look at Gatto. It shows that while these Venetian cats might be a lot more sophisticated than your average kitty, they still enjoy typical feline fun.

In fairness, that chain did look awfully enticing. Certainly way more fun than shaking down a little guy over some tuna.

As for the actual film, this teaser gives us an idea what we can expect from the movie’s animation, characters, tone, and sense of humor. It also reveals more about the plot than you might expect. Here’s the film’s official synopsis from Disney and Pixar:

In Gatto, after years of maneuvering the canal-ridden, superstitious city of Venice, Italy, Nero begins to question whether he’s lived the right lives. Indebted to Rocco, the local feline mob boss, Nero finds himself in a quandary and is forced to forge a truly unexpected friendship that may finally lead him to his purpose—unless Venice gets the better of him first.

The studio also released a new poster for the movie and oh Madone! It shows Nero in a less than peaceful situation amid the nighttime beauty of La Serenissima.

Disney-Pixar

Poor little guy. Speaking of Nero, he’s played by someone who usually plays a very big guy for Disney. That’s the voice Marvel’s Hulk, Mark Ruffalo. Laurence Fishburne (John Wick) plays the “ruthless mob boss cat” Rocco. It also comes from a creative team who knows a little something about making Pixar movies set in Venice, Luca director Enrico Casarosa and producer Andrea Warren.

But while Pixar released this teaser ahead of Toy Story 5‘s debut, it won’t be arriving in theaters until next year. Gatto‘s cats will get to have soem big screen feline fun on March 5, 2027.

The post Pixar’s First GATTO Trailer Introduces the Venetian Cat Mafia appeared first on Nerdist.

By integrating an AI assistant directly into Edits, Meta is aiming to keep creators engaged on Instagram as it continues to compete with TikTok and YouTube for creators' attention.

⚡ Quick Take

• A new report says Doctor Who could be off the air until at least 2028 following the dissolution of the BBC’s partnership with Bad Wolf.

Yesterday’s bombshell announcement that the BBC has canceled the previously greenlit Doctor Who Christmas special, and that they had split with Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf Productions, sent the Whovian community spiraling. What does it mean that the property has no showrunner, or even season order, in place? Who will take over such a massive property? The announcement also came with the promise that the Beeb would take bids from production companies to co-partner on Doctor Who. The series is really expensive and the BBC can’t incur the cost on its own. Today, fans get a little more info, and it’s not the kind of time travel we’d hoped for.

BBC Studios/Bad Wolf

In a piece on Deadline, we’ve learned, via two insiders, that the creative breakup between network and production company was mutual. The show needs a creative overhaul that simply a single Christmas special couldn’t hope to fix. Moreover, this overhaul is “expected to take years, potentially keeping the show off TV until 2028 at the earliest, sources said.”

It’s not a particularly optimistic bit of news, but I wouldn’t say it’s all that surprising. Given the turmoil surrounding the second season of Davies’ second tenure with the show, which saw co-producing partner Disney+ throwing less of its heft behind it and ratings tanking, the special would have been more of a Band-Aid than a way forward. At this point, the notion that, without a script (allegedly) or a lead actor, Doctor Who would be ready for Christmas was more than a pipe dream.

RELATED ARTICLE

DOCTOR WHO’s Billie Piper Stunt Was Never Going to Pay Off

The problem with the BBC putting the series out to creative tender—a process by which the State-run broadcaster takes bids from producers on making the series—is that, from the independent production companies’ perspective, there isn’t much of an upside. One such anonymous producer told Deadline, “you would have to be mad” to take on the show. “[It’s a] bit of a nightmare for any producer in this market with the shadow of the Disney fallout,” was the verdict of another highly-regarded producer.

This person added: “It’s hard to see another major U.S. studio replacing Disney. So the budget would be hard to get above £3M ($4M) [per episode] without significant co-pro or insane investment from the distribution arm [BBC Studios], which they will struggle to recoup on sales.”

BBC

Doctor Who also badly needs a creative refresh. Since returning in 2005, Doctor Who has not gone a single calendar year without at least one episode. Even during the COVID years. In the 21 years since Davies’ first series, we’ve had 197 episodes. A staggering 123 of those were written or co-written by only three men. Those are the showrunners, Davies, Steven Moffat, and Chris Chibnall. That is an exceedingly small creative pool. I would posit that for any new producers to come on board, they’d want to drastically revamp the show and not merely continue on in the same direction of the past two decades.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.

The post DOCTOR WHO Will Reportedly Stay Off the Air ‘For Years’ appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• If you feel like you’ve been personally victimized by SantaCon, you can now let the FBI know in service of its federal criminal indictment.
• SantaCon has terrorized cities for years, but it turns out it was also committing actual crimes.
• Money earmarked for charity raised by SantaCon went to its organizer instead.

If you’ve ever lived in NYC, Seattle, San Francisco, LA, Portland, and many other places, or even if you haven’t, you probably know the terror that is SantaCon. Every December, a band of roving, drunken revelers dressed in Santa, elf, or Christmas-adjacent costumes take to the streets in a massive bar crawl, purportedly for Charity, and menace the citizens of whatever town they’ve overrun. But it turns out, SantaCon isn’t just spiritually a villain, it’s literally one. And if you feel like you were personally victimized by organizer Regina George, we mean, Stefan Pildes, you can let the FBI know today.

Cineverse

Evidently, Pildes, who sold ticketed entry to SantaCon events, claimed that profits would go to charity, but Gothamist revealed that “less than a fifth of that money has gone to registered nonprofits.” And instead, as U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton shares, “Pildes promoted SantaCon as an event grounded in charitable giving, but instead of donating the millions of dollars he raised, he ran his own con game.” Among other things, Pildes used the SantaCon money earmarked for charity to “pay for extensive renovations to a lakefront property in New Jersey, luxury vacations in Hawaii, Las Vegas, and Vail, Colorado, concert tickets, extravagant meals, and a luxury vehicle, prosecutors said.

Phew, we knew SantaCon was rotten through and through. While you can’t legally complain about being hassled on the subway, if you feel you were in some way victimized by SantaCon in a way pertinent to the federal criminal indictment, you can share your information with the FBI.

The official Santa Con investigation page notes:

The FBI’s New York Division is seeking to identify potential victims of Stefan Pildes, who organized and operated the annual SantaCon event in New York City, from at least 2019 to present. Pildes was recently charged with wire fraud. The FBI believes Pildes primarily targeted SantaCon attendees who purchased tickets to the event, as well as bars that participated in the event, between the timeframe of October 2019 to present.

If you were victimized by Stefan Pildes, please fill out this short form.

If you know of someone else who has possibly been victimized by Stefan Pildes, please encourage them to complete the form themselves.

The FBI is legally mandated to identify victims of federal crimes it investigates. Victims may be eligible for certain services, restitution, and rights under federal and/or state law. Your responses are voluntary but may be useful in the federal investigation and to identify you as a potential victim. Based on the responses provided, you may be contacted by the FBI and asked to provide additional information.

RELATED ARTICLE

What Makes THE SANTA CLAUSE a Christmas Classic?

Well, godspeed to all. Hopefully, no successor will rise to take SantaCon’s place. Even if it was actually for charity, we think EasterBunnyCon would be too much for us.

The post If SantaCon Has Personally Victimized You, the FBI Wants to Know appeared first on Nerdist.