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Eddie Murphy plays a Christmas-obsessed dad who accidentally makes a bad deal with an elf in “Candy Cane Lane.” Amazon Studios “It doesn’t feel magical, it feels terrifying” — A main character in “Candy Cane Lane,” commenting on the proceedings with pinpoint accuracy. We are more than an hour deep into the tone-deaf, convoluted and profoundly unfunny family Christmas comedy “Candy Cane Lane” when the holiday movie train goes completely off the rails in a scene that defies description but I’m gonna try anyway. Ready? Eddie Murphy’s Chris Carver and Tracee Ellis Ross’ Carol are in the stands at a high school track meet, rooting on their daughter Joy (Genneya Walton), who is hoping to impress the college scouts in the stands and land a scholarship. In the meantime, the Carvers’ son Nick (Thaddeus J. Mixson) is in the music room when he encounters a young woman milking a cow. She turns to him, says, “Got milk?” and then aims the cow’s udders at Nick, blasting him with a fireh...

Research published this week describes a promising start to using stem cell therapy for multiple sclerosis. In a small Phase I trial, patients who had stem cells directly injected into their brain appeared to tolerate it well and experienced no serious adverse effects. The treatment may have also stopped or slowed the… Read more... from Gizmodo https://ift.tt/NzyukZh

Let’s get streaming! Welcome to io9's latest edition of the Nerd’s Watch, where we pare down the enormous lists of new films and television shows arriving on all your favorite streaming services into the sci-fi, fantasy, and horror titles we think you’ll like most. (And sometimes, just the ones that we like most.) Read more... from Gizmodo https://ift.tt/etzL80u

Bulls coach Billy Donovan does not like to threaten his players for low-effort moments, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been consequences. Is that enough for this suddenly slumping defense? Charles Krupa/AP BOSTON – Forty-six threes allowed in just the last two games was a bad look for the Bulls . The lack of effort made on some of the closeouts to minimize all those long-range daggers, however? A flat-out embarrassment. Case in point was Exhibit A in the Tuesday night loss to the Celtics , when a light screen was thrown in the direction of both Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, with neither player putting up much fight to get through it or bother attempting to close out Al Horford’s three-pointer. Coach Billy Donovan called a timeout with 3:45 left in that second quarter, addressed it in the huddle, sat down Vucevic for what he said was going with a smaller lineup, and planned to hit on it again in the next film session. Enough of a punishment? Was it the right playe...

Faith leaders from the Druze, Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities hold an interfaith prayer Wednesday at Kibbutz Kfar Azza near the Israel-Gaza border, the site of an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas that killed about 1,200 people. Maya Alleruzzo/Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — International mediators appeared to make progress Wednesday on extending the truce in Gaza, encouraging Hamas militants to keep freeing hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and further relief from Israel’s air and ground offensive. The cease-fire will otherwise end within a day. Israel has welcomed the release of dozens of hostages in recent days and says it will maintain the truce if Hamas keeps freeing captives. Still, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underscored Wednesday that Israel will resume its campaign to eliminate Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for 16 years and orchestrated the deadly attack on Israel that triggered the war “After this phase of ...

At the end of the week, Godzilla stomps back into theaters with the release of Godzilla Minus One, one of the best movies of the year . He’s doing so with a slick new look , evoking the King of the Monsters’ classic design with some gritty, grotty detailing and a whole lot of threatening dorsal fins—something captured… Read more... from Gizmodo https://ift.tt/4MabXFd

A study out this week suggests that semaglutide—the active ingredient in popular obesity drug Wegovy—might be able to help people struggling with alcohol use disorder, too. In a small sample of cases, researchers found evidence that people who took semaglutide for weight loss also experienced a significant reduction… Read more... from Gizmodo https://ift.tt/VlRJztk

Yesterday, Max subscribers received their monthly email announcing what’s coming to the platform—and what’s leaving. Fans of Looney Tunes— already smarting over Warner Bros.’ recent decision to shelve the completed feature Coyote vs. Acme ; the film’s now seeking distribution elsewhere —were dismayed to see that the… Read more... from Gizmodo https://ift.tt/ptilnsF

When Ellen Ripley said “Get away from her, you bitch,” she apparently wasn’t talking about the latest Alien movie. Turns out, Fede Alvarez’s 2024 Alien movie is actually much, much closer to the originals than anyone could’ve guessed. Read more... from Gizmodo https://ift.tt/2PUEeVw

Apple unveiled its most popular podcasts of 2023 on Tuesday, revealing that true crime’s chokehold on the platform continues for another year. True crime took first place in two categories, with Crime Junkie as the most popular podcast for the second year in a row, and Scamanda as the most popular new show. Read more... from Gizmodo https://ift.tt/ZeuAxH6

In six career games against the Bears, Jefferson has 41 catches for 585 yards and two touchdowns. Getty MINNEAPOLIS — Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson , one of the best in the NFL at his position, will not play against the Bears on Monday, NFL Network reported. The team had until 3 p.m. Monday to activate him from injured reserve. Jefferson has been out with a hamstring injury since Week 5, right before the Vikings visited the Bears. That was the first game he missed, though the Vikings managed a 19-13 win without him. He was limited in practice all week, and the Vikings listed him as questionable. No receiver has dominated the Bears like Jefferson since he entered the league in 2020. In the last four seasons, he has a league-high 41 catches and 585 yards against them (with two touchdowns) in six games. The Vikings are 5-1 against the Bears with him in the lineup. Jefferson was third in the NFL with 571 yards receiving at the time of the injury. The Bears n...

Six California lawmakers wrote to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson last week to oppose the agency’s recent cuts to the Mars Sample Return mission, which aims to bring samples collected by the Perseverance rover on Mars to Earth. Read more... from Gizmodo https://ift.tt/6CZrgVc

The European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully conducted a full-scale rehearsal of its new Ariane 6 rocket at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, marking a significant step towards the launch vehicle’s first flight. Read more... from Gizmodo https://ift.tt/xq15XJs

Vacuums, dishwashers, refrigerators, oh my! from New York Post https://ift.tt/6gflWAk

The sales you should sprint to. from New York Post https://ift.tt/hFkRLBN

If you’re someone who likes knowing how media gets made and what things looked like before their final product, you’ll be pleased to hear that test footage of the original Shrek movie has been released online. And it’s...well, you can see below. Read more... from Gizmodo https://ift.tt/iIuAaH0

Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman added a surprising candidate — Ohio State's Ryan Day — to Texas A&M’s search for its next head coach for football. from New York Post https://ift.tt/HDkqI7m

At the start of November, SAG-AFTRA managed to secure a tentative deal with studios to bring the actors strike to an end. As the union’s members are voting on the contract, SAG-AFTRA has released its draft for the general public to go through in its full, 128-page glory. Read more... from Gizmodo https://ift.tt/DOVg48y

A mural titled “America Needs a Hug” done in Dubuque in 2018 by the artists WERC and GERALUZ. Travel Dubuque Dubuque, Iowa, has been called the “masterpiece on the Mississippi” for its natural beauty and proximity to the Mississippi River. Now, the city of about 60,000 residents on the Illinois border is becoming known for a different kind of beauty — murals. “It’s a river town with working-class roots, but we’re entering a new era, and it’s kind of interesting,” says Sam Mulgrew, whose Voices Productions nonprofit group has been a force behind the push for more public art. “The cultural life of Dubuque is taking on a new form.” Dubuque has about 60 murals, according to Mulgrew, all done since 2015. Some were painted to give a lift to an area, others to spur cultural tourism and help add to the vibe of a city aiming to attract and keep young residents. A Dubuque mural by the Chicago artist who goes by ZorZorZor. Voices Productions Related Bridgeport...

When it comes to Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary celebrations , all eyes are on this weekend as the series prepares to kick off a trio of weekly special episodes . But on Doctor Who’s anniversary itself yesterday, fans were treated to a wonderful couple of surprises that offered some lovely nods to the show’s future. Read more... from Gizmodo https://ift.tt/fEh5rYx

Fields has six games left to state his case as the Bears’ franchise quarterback, starting Monday against the Vikings. Getty Fresh off landing the No. 1 pick by the Bears being the worst team in the NFL last season, general manager Ryan Poles faced a rush of questions in January about whether he’d use it to draft a quarterback and trade Justin Fields . He delivered a line that has stuck to him. As he considered top-tier prospects, Poles said he would need to be “absolutely blown away” by one of them to make a move. He wasn’t, though perhaps he and others misjudged Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, who went No. 2 and is soaring with the Texans. Poles has the rare fortune to possibly get the top pick again, this time via the Panthers. And as he studies what is thought to be a far stronger quarterback class for 2024, he should apply his standard to Fields instead: Fields must absolutely blow him away to stay. No general manager can survive getting the No. 1 pick back-to-back years ...