Entertainment

The 1971 song Jimmy Page called too dark to describe: “So ominous”

• Jimmy Page praised Black Sabbath’s ‘Electric Funeral’ as exceptionally ominous.
• The song portrays nuclear devastation through early heavy metal.
• ‘Electric Funeral’ appeared on Black Sabbath’s 1970 album *Paranoid*.

Jimmy Page once described Black Sabbath’s 1971 song ‘Electric Funeral’ as so dark and ominous that he struggled to find words for it. The Led Zeppelin guitarist’s remarks underline the song’s reputation as an early heavy metal warning about nuclear destruction, and highlight the mutual respect between two…

Insomniac’s Spider-Man Games ‘a Great Inspiration’ for Brand New Day, Says Director

• Director says Insomniac's Spider-Man games inspired Brand New Day film
• Stunt team used game footage to recreate moves for the movie
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2 getting free Brand New Day suit DLC soon

Spider-Man: Brand New Day director Destin Daniel Cretton has revealed that Insomniac Games' Marvel's Spider-Man titles served as a creative reference for the upcoming film, ahead of its cinema release. Cretton told Polygon that the production drew on both the video games and previous Spider-Man films, with his…

Poll: How Would You Rate Nintendo’s Switch Online Offering In 2026?

• Nintendo Switch Online nears its ninth anniversary in 2026.
• Basic and Expansion Pack tiers now offer 340+ retro games combined.
• Emulation has improved but purists still notice input lag issues.

Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) is nearing its ninth anniversary since launching in September 2018, and with rivals PlayStation and Xbox raising prices and altering their own subscription structures, Nintendo's simpler, cheaper two-tier system looks increasingly competitive. Nintendo Life's feature revisits what the service currently offers across both Switch…

‘The Earliest Show’ Revival Greenlit At Amplify Pictures & Stay Tuned With Kevin Carroll, Henry Winkler, Ryan Gaul & Brandon Scott Jones Joining Cast

• "The Earliest Show" TV revival greenlit by Amplify Pictures and Stay Tuned
• Ben Schwartz and Lauren Lapkus return; Henry Winkler and others join cast
• Schwartz writes and directs all six episodes of the comedy series

Amplify Pictures and fellow indie studio Stay Tuned have officially greenlit a TV revival of the cult Funny or Die sketch "The Earliest Show," with a full cast now confirmed. Ben Schwartz and Lauren Lapkus return as series regulars alongside newcomers Kevin Carroll and Ryan Gaul, while Henry…

Kelsey Cook Sets Netflix Stand-Up Special ‘Happy Hour’

• Kelsey Cook's debut Netflix special "Happy Hour" premieres 18 August
• Filmed in Minnesota; covers dating, anxiety and travel mishaps
• Follows two prior specials with millions of YouTube views combined

Comedian Kelsey Cook has announced her debut Netflix stand-up special, "Happy Hour," which will premiere on the streaming platform on Tuesday 18 August. The special marks a step up for Cook, whose two previous specials have built a substantial following, and follows Netflix's continued push into stand-up comedy…

Just For Laughs Sets 2026 New Faces Lineup

• JFL names 47 New Faces across stand-up, characters, creators and writers for 2026
• Showcase runs 22-25 July during Montreal's comedy festival
• SMOSH and Semi-Formal Productions partner on creators and writers strands

Just For Laughs has revealed its 2026 New Faces lineup, selecting 47 comedians and creators across its stand-up, characters, creators and writers programmes. The showcase, launched in 1994, is a well-established launchpad for emerging comedic talent and has previously helped propel the careers of stars including Kevin Hart,…

Michael Urie on Returning to ‘Oh, Mary!,’ His Second ‘Shrinking’ Emmy Nod and 20 Years of ‘Ugly Betty’: ‘That Show Was So Ahead of Its Time’

• Michael Urie rejoins "Oh, Mary!", now on London's West End with Cole Escola.
• He secured three weeks off "Shrinking" amid a second Emmy nomination.
• Interview also marks 20 years since "Ugly Betty" premiered.

Michael Urie is returning to "Oh, Mary!", Cole Escola's Tony-winning Broadway hit, this time in a limited stint on London's West End alongside Escola himself, having previously played Mary's Teacher opposite Jinkx Monsoon in New York. The move required careful scheduling around his commitment to Apple TV's "Shrinking",…

‘The Odyssey’: Ranking Every Performance in Christopher Nolan’s Film From Worst to Best

Variety has published a ranking of every major performance in Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey," his $250 million, Imax 70mm adaptation of Homer's epic about Odysseus's journey home from Troy. The film has defied early online scepticism to become a major hit, taking $124.5 million domestically on its opening…

Utopai Studios Producing AI-Assisted Animated Movie ‘The Most Serious Fart’ by ‘Not Another Teen Movie’ Writer (EXCLUSIVE)

• Utopai Studios to make animated film "The Most Serious Fart"
• Mike Bender, "Not Another Teen Movie" writer, will direct
• AI used only as a tool; human animators lead production

AI production company Utopai Studios is making an animated feature film based on "The Most Serious Fart," a 2023 children's book by "Not Another Teen Movie" screenwriter Mike Bender, illustrated by Chuck Dillon. Bender will write and direct the project, marking a notable case of a studio built…

Save-game carry-overs and time-leaping sequels: medieval vampire RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker has some bold ideas for the future

• Blood of Dawnwalker saves will carry over into future sequels
• Approach echoes Mass Effect's choice-and-consequence save system
• Series will leap across centuries and cultures, not just modern day

Developer Rebel Wolves and publisher Bandai Namco have confirmed that The Blood of Dawnwalker, a medieval vampire RPG, will let players carry save data forward into future instalments of the series. Game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz said the studio always envisaged the game as the start of a multi-title…