In TV land, excellent black levels have been the name of the game for nearly a decade. By providing better contrast via new backlighting technologies like organic LEDs (OLEDs) or mini LEDs, companies have slowly given us a more realistic (and less gray) view of our favorite images.
For years now, high-end TVs like the new Samsung QN90B have had nearly perfect delineation between light and dark. However, many models lacked the powerful brightness you might need to overcome a sunny California afternoon in a modern glass living room.
That’s why if I were shopping for a new high-end screen, I’d be sure to consider this model specifically. The thin, pedestal-mounted TV has excellent, mini LED–driven contrast, but at brightness levels that might downright hurt your eyes in a dark room. For watching inside during summer, there is probably no better viewing experience.
All Class
Photography: Samsung
The QN90B is thin but not too thin to easily grip by two people when assembling and mounting it. That’s why I’m ashamed to admit that I bonked the corner of my first review unit on my coffee table when mounting it to the included pedestal, thus ruining it. (Ed. note: It had to happen sometime, Parker!) A few weeks, a new unit, and a slightly bruised ego later, and I repeated the process without incident.
Get it set up, and you’ll be impressed by the QN90B’s looks. The pedestal mount really makes it look like the TV is floating behind my soundbar, with the screen just high enough to peek over the top. It’s a design that’s surprisingly rare in modern screens, many of which end up getting slightly blocked at the bottom.
Because I use a Samsung phone, setup was nearly instantaneous. I just signed in to my Samsung account on my phone, told the TV what apps I wanted to download, and was off to the races. You still have to sign in to individual apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and more, but all the apps you’ll need are likely to be here. It even has Paramount+ and Plex apps.
One criticism of Samsung’s Tizen smart TV interface is that it can be a bit difficult to navigate for newbies. You get used to the weird assortment of menus below the single app bar that you’ll actually want to use, but it’s easy to get lost among Samsung’s free content. Heck, to this day I can’t figure out how to add the aforementioned Paramount+ and Plex apps to the home screen. I’m sure there’s a way, but I’ve yet to be motivated enough to find it.
I’d encourage Samsung UI designers to take a deeper look at what people actually use these interfaces to do. I don’t really need endless lists of suggested items to watch below the actual apps. One thing I absolutely won’t complain about? The remote, which is rechargeable via a solar cell on the back. I never have to hunt for pesky AAA batteries again. Eureka!
looking good
Photography: Samsung
Once you’ve found something to watch, you’re sure to be impressed with how it looks on the QN90B. The TV features quantum dot technology for bright colors in high dynamic range. The matrix of mini LEDs behind the screen keeps even fast-moving objects like soccer balls from having weird shading.
Neighbors star Ryan Moloney has revealed that he is again eyeing acting roles after switching his focus to a career in construction.
In an interview with Mark Dolan on GB News last night, Ryan, 42, who has played Jarrod ‘Toadfish’ Rebecchi on the soap since 1995, said that after the success of this week’s finale, he was again considering work on the big and small screens.
‘I’d love to do more acting and more TV and film. I’d love to come over to the UK and have a crack at one of your dramas. That would be absolutely special’ he said.
Neighbors star Ryan Moloney (pictured) has revealed that he is again eyeing acting roles after switching his focus to a career in construction
Ryan explained: ‘I’m just not saying no to anything and then in the meantime I’m doing civil construction.
‘I’m about to start doing civil construction and have to do what every little boy dreams of and learn how to drive trucks and excavators and dig big holes, so it’s all one big adventure.’
Asked how much contact he has had with cast members such as Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, Ryan joked: ‘Well, it’s very limited because that’s what the court order says that I’m allowed to.’
In an interview with Mark Dolan on GB News, Ryan, who has played Jarrod ‘Toadfish’ Rebecchi on the soap since 1995, said that after the success of this week’s finale, he was again considering work on the big and small screens. Benjamin McNair (right) also appeared
When it comes to regrets, Ryan insists he doesn’t have many.
‘I wouldn’t change anything. Probably the biggest downside is just trying to manage, like all of that kind of fame and attention,’ he said.
‘That’s one thing for me to deal with but then when you realize that your family has to deal with it as well and they haven’t been brought up with it and they’re not trained in it and having kids – kids don’t want to have all that attention on them.
The epic final focused on Neighbors legend Toadie’s (Ryan Moloney, left) wedding to Melanie (Lucinda Cowden, right) with him finally getting his happily ever after
‘I’d love to do more acting and more TV and film. I’d love to come over to the UK and have a crack at one of your dramas. That would be absolutely special’ Ryan said
‘I was at the gym with my daughter and before you know it, we’ve got a whole exercise group wanting to take photos with me and she’s just like, “oh my god”.
‘It’s things like that that you kind of go ‘I’m thankful that I am leaving’ at that point in that perhaps my kids can just kind of go under the radar a bit more and just enjoy having dad a bit more instead of the famous guy off TV.’
Ryan previously told The Daily Telegraph of his new career: ‘I’m not ruling anything out. I’m doing a civil construction course which is about driving excavators and building roads.
When it comes to regrets, Ryan insists he doesn’t have many. ‘I wouldn’t change anything. Probably the biggest downside is just trying to manage, like all of that kind of fame and attention,’ he said
‘I like playing with those kinds of machines. I like doing earthworks, all that kind of manual labor stuff. That’s where I’m at, but who knows where it’s all going to end up.’
Ryan also revealed he has a commercial pilots license and said he ‘might come back to flying when the time’s right’.
The epic final focused on Neighbors legend Toadie’s (Ryan Moloney) wedding to Melanie (Lucinda Cowden) with him finally getting his happily ever after.
Also appearing on the show was Benjamin McNair (left) who played Malcolm Kennedy, and the actor paid tribute to fans of the show he met when he visited the UK
Also appearing on the show was Benjamin McNair, 47, who played Malcolm Kennedy, and the actor paid tribute to fans of the show he met when he visited the UK.
‘I have done so and I enjoyed it very much. I was born there, I’ve got my family there, aunties and cousins,’ he said.
‘I went back in 2000 and went back in 1999, it’s a great place.
‘The Brits, the UK – it’s a wonderful place to be, they embrace Neighbors like big, big warm cuddle. It’s beautiful.’
‘I have done so and I enjoyed it very much. I was born there, I’ve got my family there, aunties and cousins,’ he said. ‘The Brits, the UK – it’s a wonderful place to be, they embrace Neighbors like big, big warm cuddle. It’s beautiful’
Asked why he thought the series was so popular in the UK, Benjamin said: ‘I think it’s because we bounce along and it’s jovial and it’s fun and it’s larrikinism.
‘It’s things you probably wouldn’t normally see and you’re hoping to see a kangaroo bounce pass in front of the camera one day.’
The all-star series finale of Neighbors saw the soap win the Australian television ratings for the first time in more than a decade.
The long-running Australian soap came to an end after 37 years this week. Pictured: Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue in the final episode
The episode, which was simulcast on Channel 10 and 10 Peach, drew 873,000 metro viewers across both stations, largely thanks to the cast of returning favorites such as Guy Pearce, Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan.
Neighbours’ final ever episode also ended on a high in the UK this week, as a peak of almost 3 million viewers tuned in to Channel 5 on Friday afternoon.
Neighbors was axed after the UK’s Channel 5 decided in March not to renew its contract with production company Fremantle to finance and broadcast the series.
The finale of Neighbors saw the soap win the Australian television ratings for the first time in more than a decade. It also ended on a high in the UK, with peak of almost 3 million viewers
Brandon Moreno is a UFC champion again and looks set to face defending unified champion and longtime rival Deiveson Figueiredo for the flyweight title.
But when Figueiredo entered the octagon after Moreno’s TKO win over Kai Kara-France, the new interim champion took a moment to think about what he said next.
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He wanted to make a statement, to “take the mic” and tell his intense rival: “Let’s go motherf***er”, as Moreno put it when speaking to media at the post-fight press conference.
“But everything I said was real. My daughter Madison is eight years old and now she understands everything,” he added.
“I knew I had the opportunity to be a better example for her. I don’t want it for her de ella, her dad de ella doing stupid things on television.
He wanted to make a statement, to “take the mic” and tell his intense rival: “Let’s go motherf***er”, as Moreno put it when speaking to media at the post-fight press conference.
“But everything I said was real. My daughter Madison is eight years old and now she understands everything,” he added.
“I knew I had the opportunity to be a better example for her. I don’t want it for her de ella, her dad de ella doing stupid things on television.
So, instead of engaging in a war of words, the two instead put their history behind them with a classy exchange.
“This guy right here, tonight is his night and he is the champion,” Figueiredo said, through a translator.
“I have a lot of respect for him… I want to take this fight home to Brazil.”
“I don’t hate you,” Moreno later replied.
“I don’t feel anything against you. I forgive you. Please forgive me if I did something bad against you. I want to fight in December.”
UFC boss Dana White confirmed he is hoping the sport will return to Brazil next year, adding: “We’ll see what this crazy world has to throw at us in the next six months.”
But White himself was actually apologetic for deciding to get Figueiredo to enter the octagon post-fight, admitting on reflection that it was a “pretty disrespectful” move.
“You know what, it was kind of an in-the-moment thing,” White told reporters.
“Then when I hear him get up there I was like: ‘Well that was f***ing rude’. This kid is having his moment from him and he’s got Figueiredo standing in his face from him.
“It happened, it wasn’t horrible and we meant no disrespect to Moreno but it came off pretty disrespectful.”
While White is typically not a fan of running a fight back any more than three times, he made it clear he is very happy to see Moreno and Figueiredo face off in what would be their fourth meeting.
“It is one of those unique, freaky deals where who doesn’t want to see that fight again,” he said.
“I’m the worst with that stuff. I hate that s***. If you’ve got a guy up 2-1 you don’t ever need to see that fight again but this is one of those weird ones where you can.”
Originally published as UFC boss apologises for ‘disrespectful’ move after Moreno fight
The start of a new parliament with a new government brings many changes: new faces, new policies, and new offices that even veteran politicians can have trouble finding.
The first sitting week under the new Labor government was marked with ceremonies, celebrations and signs of what may be to come in the next term.
Take a look at the first week in action for the 47th Parliament.
It began as always with a church service
Politicians including Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese gathered at a church near parliament for a morning service on the first day.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
Parliament officially opened with a Welcome To Country
The opening of the 47th Parliament was marked with a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
Indigenous rights are shaping up to be a key theme of this term of parliament, with a promised referendum on the horizon.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek was among the crowd of politicians who attended.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
The new government took their seats for the first time
Cabinet ministers circled the dispatch box as MPs swore allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
And the opposition found theirs too
Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley took her seat on the opposition benches for the first time in almost a decade.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
There were many fresh faces
Victorious “teal” independent MPs make up part of a very different looking 47th Parliament.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
Kylea Tink and Kate Chaney shared a moment of celebration on the floor of the House of Representatives.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
Indigenous senator Jacinta Price also enters parliament for the first time representing the Country Liberals.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
And some familiar ones
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took his seat at the government benches.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
Penny Wong returned as Senate Leader, with an injured arm from a surfing accident.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
There was one especially fresh face in the senate
Labor senator Nita Green brought her baby onto the Senate floor, a practice only allowed in recent years.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
We saw an early sign of change on parliament’s lawns
Labor MP Anne Aly (right) was among the politicians who joined women on parliament’s lawns for a vigil for women who had been killed in acts of family violence.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
And a new climate bill that could prove contentious
Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen introduced a bill to enshrine the government’s emissions target into law, but it doesn’t yet have the votes to pass.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
Greens leader Adam Bandt and his party will have the final say on a number of laws in this term of government, wielding the balance of power alongside other crossbenchers in the Senate.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
A much fuller Greens party room met inside parliament, following an election that saw their numbers doubled.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
Parliament was back in full swing
Queensland MP Bob Katter has become the “father of the house” in the House of Representatives, having served since 1993.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
No time to rest, it all begins again on Monday
Liberal National Party MP Warren Entsch takes a pause in one of the common areas of Parliament House.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin on Sunday hailed the legislation he almost killed off by calling the rewritten bill to pay down US debt and tackle the climate crisis that he finally agreed to last week “great for America”.
Manchin agreed on a deal with Senate majority leader and fellow Democrat Chuck Schumer last Wednesday, announcing an expansive $739bn package, that had eluded them for months, that addresses healthcare and the climate crisis, raising taxes on high earners and corporations and reducing federal debt .
The bill replaces the $3.5tn Build Back Better flagship infrastructure and social support legislation that Manchin crushed last year and the reduced version that suffered a near-death experience just weeks ago after Manchin turned away from that too, after months of negotiations.
The new legislation, now called the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, could pass the Senate this week, although it is not a done deal and Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona has not yet committed. As a budget-related bill, Democrats aim to be able to use the so-called reconciliation process to pass it with a simple majority in the Senate, which would need all 50 Democratic Senators in the 100-seat chamber and the swing vote of US vice-president Kamala Harris to pass.
“I sure hope so,” Manchin told CNN’s State of the Union show on Sunday morning, when asked if the Senate would vote to approve the bill before they go on summer recess at the end of the week.
It’s “a great opportunity. It’s not a Democrat bill, it’s not a Republican bill, it’s definitely not a ‘green’ bill, it’s a red, white and blue bill,” he told host Jake Tapper.
Manchin appeared to walk away from the legislation earlier this month on inflation concerns, enraging supporters of climate action and his own colleagues on Capitol Hill. He has repeatedly thwarted his own party and was seen as jeopardizing world climate goals and, at home, Democratic fortunes in the midterm and 2024 elections, while himself making millions in the coal industry.
He refused to support more funding for climate action and came out against tax raises for wealthy Americans to pay for it.
“There were things in there I considered could be considered inflammatory…inflation is the biggest challenge we have in our country,” he said on Sunday.
Then, I added, “we re-engaged” in negotiations. “I never did walk away,” he said.
There was relief among Democrats and climate experts last week, and a sense of turning a corner if the bill passes, both for climate action and the fortunes of the beleaguered Biden administration.
Manchin hailed US president Joe Biden, even though he won’t say whether he will support him for re-election in 2024.
“You do not do anything of this size without the president,” he said of the bill, adding he was “very grateful” to Biden for his support in the negotiations.
The bill includes $369bn, especially tax credits to encourage renewable energy production that gets the US close to its planet-heating emissions reductions target of a 50% cut by 2030, and support for purchasing electric cars.
Experts and analysts have been left to reconcile the recent retail exuberance with the storms that many, including the nation’s treasurer, are predicting.
This week’s consumer price index figures showed new dwellings and fuel are contributing most to the inflationary environment, but the price of goods is also rising faster than services, up 2.6 per cent for the quarter.
The CPI figures may have been lower than forecast, but they still clearly outline the cost-of-living pressures Australians are feeling.
Categories that benefited enormously from COVID lockdowns, such as furnishings and household equipment, are having some of the biggest price jumps.
Jarden retail analyst Ben Gilbert says the spending of the past few months has been driven by happier economic conditions.
“The last quarter or so of trading has been very strong. That is due to pent-up demand, strength of the housing market and significant price increases [for products]. You wrap all of that up, and spending has remained pretty resilient,” he said.
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Those trends won’t be around forever, though.
“We are going to have a few more months of falling house prices. Then you are going to have people get their utility bills, and you have the risk that the government takes off the fuel excise discount,” Gilbert said.
Oscar Oberg, portfolio manager at Wilson Asset Management, agrees there is some weakness coming for the sector. But investor expectations have been low, and consumer stocks were sold down towards the end of last year, meaning there is room for companies to surprise.
“We think it could be quite a good period for retail given share prices have significantly corrected and are predicting a very negative outcome, so you have to put that into context,” he said.
Consumer electronics businesses such as JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman had been clear winners during lockdowns, when Australians rushed to buy home office equipment and entertainment products. Now it’s about looking at which companies did not benefit from coronavirus lockdowns, Oberg says.
“It’s now about those companies who are exposed to ‘going out’ apparel – dresses, suits, jackets and that kind of retail.”
“I would say companies like Universal Store [could benefit] – where they are exposed to clothing for people aged 18-30. Lovisa as well, it is a fast fashion jewelery retailer that is going well and is a global business.”
Old habits die hard
Australians have been feeling cost-of-living pressures for months. Petrol prices have been an issue since before the last federal election, when the then-Morrison government temporarily cut the fuel excise.
Mortgage holders have been hearing warnings of interest rate rises earlier in 2022, with the Reserve Bank of Australia making its first move on an increase in June.
Some consumers have kept up the habit of shopping via online or on social media after doing so for the first time during the pandemic. Credit:Getty
Throughout this time, strong retail figures kept filtering through. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed spending hit record highs in May at $34.2 billion – a figure which stayed steady for June.
Gilbert says it will take a bit of time for economic challenges to filter through to consumer mindsets.
“It takes people a little bit longer to curb their spending at the moment. It will probably just take people a bit of time to come to the realization [of these rising costs],” he said.
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McKinsey & Company have also been tracking how Australians have emerged from lockdowns. While there is caution about the path back from COVID-19 disruptions, researchers found people have been planning to spend in ways they might not have been able to previously.
A McKinsey report on consumer behavior this week showed a bounceback in consumers’ intent to spend in areas such as apparel, flights and out-of-home entertainment in the next two to three months.
Associate partner at McKinsey & Company Abe Levavi said shoppers are showing a tendency to maintain the online shopping habits they built during lockdowns.
There’s also room for the “omnichannel” trend to grow, where customers connect with companies online and in-store, often planning their purchases online first.
“We looked at customers who are purchasing directly from social media. From before the pandemic that has grown by 15 per cent, which is quite a large number. Eighty five per cent of customers who are making these purchases directly from social media say they intend to continue doing that,” he said.
Hints of a slowdown
Shares in online marketplace Kogan.com surged by more than 45 per cent on Thursday after the company delivered a trading update, but its numbers showed that the big growth it had during the pandemic was slowing down.
Kogan confirmed it expects gross sales to be flat on last year, growing by 0.1 per cent, while profits were 9.4 per cent lower.
Kogan shares jumped this week but profits dropped. Credit:Peter Braig
Other hints of a slowdown also emerged in Australia and overseas this week. ABS retail trade figures did not show an overall decline in June compared with May, but some categories dipped. Spending in retail stores fell 3.7 per cent after a big surge, while household goods sales were down 0.3 per cent.
Meanwhile, US retail giant Walmart issued a profit warning, with chief executive Doug McMillon saying “increasing levels of food and fuel inflation are affecting how customers spend”.
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Tough conditions indicate discounting is to come as the company looks to clear stock – which has a flow-on effect for profits.
Morningstar analysts saw Walmart’s trading update as a signal of what’s to come.
“We see the warning signs that we’re seeing in the US, just like everyone else, and we think the writing is on the wall,” Morningstar’s Johannes Faul said in a video update this week.
“The momentum we see is going backwards and that spells trouble for earnings in the consumer discretionary market.”
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Amazon Prime Day is back, baby! OK, maybe not technically speaking, but so many Amazon devices are currently discounted at Best Buy and other retailers that it’s giving us a better sense of deja vu. Right now, for example, you can buy Amazon’s excellent Smart Thermostat at Best Buy and Target for just $41.99 ($18 off) — a record low set during Prime Day.
The budget-friendly thermostat will mesh with most decor, and can even learn and adapt to your habits like more expensive options. Be aware, however, that you can’t integrate the device with voice assistants beyond Alexa, and there are no native temperature sensors. Still, if those caveats don’t bother you, Amazon’s Smart Thermostat is a great option to consider, one that could potentially help you save money on energy bills. Read our review.
Amazon Smart Thermostat
Developed in partnership with Resideo, the Amazon Smart Thermostat allows you to control the temperature of your home through Alexa voice controls and remotely via an app.
Some of Amazon’s smart displays and speakers are also back on sale today, despite the recency of Prime Day. If you’re looking for a smaller smart speaker, you can currently buy the spherical, fourth-gen Echo Dot for $19.99 instead of $49.99 at Best Buy and Target. The latest model may have launched in 2020, but it still sounds great for its size and allows you to set alarms, control various smart home devices, and carry out a host of tasks with just your voice. Read our fourth-gen Echo Dot review.
Amazon Echo Dot (fourth-gen)
The 2020 Echo Dot features a more spherical design than an actual dot but can still do all the things Alexa does with other Echo models.
If you prefer a smart display you can watch movies on and use to look up recipes, Best Buy is also selling the second-gen Echo Show 5 for $34.99 instead of $84.99, as is Target. The small, 5.5-inch display makes for a great bedside alarm clock, namely because you can use it to quickly check the weather and snooze it with just a tap.
If you prefer something larger, however, you can also buy the 8-inch Echo Show 8 from 2019 at Best Buy for $54.99 ($55 off). The older display still sounds better than the second-gen Echo Show 5, and comes with a built-in shutter to block the camera. Sure, the 2019 model still comes outfitted with a measly 1MP camera and a slower processor than the latest Echo Show 8, but it’s still a capable Alexa-powered smart display that’s well-suited for the kitchen or living room. Read our second-gen Echo Show 5 and first-gen Echo Show 8 reviews.
Amazon Echo Show 5 (second-gen)
Amazon’s Echo Show 5 is an ideal smart display for a nightstand. You can set alarms with Alexa using your voice, play music, control smart displays, get a weather report, and more. When the alarm goes off, you merely need to tap the top of the Echo Show 5 to snooze it.
Amazon Echo Show 8 (first-gen)
The last-gen Echo Show 8 is Amazon’s mid-size smart display. It features a sharp, 8-inch screen and most of the features found on the second-gen model, though, it lacks the latter’s 13MP camera and speedy performance.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro features a beautiful Mini LED display and an excellent port selection.Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Somehow, we’re already approaching the start of a new school year. And if you’re a college-bound student in need of a powerful Apple laptop that’s ideal for content creation, the 14-inch MacBook Pro is available to My Best Buy members today for its lowest price to date.
Regularly $1,999, you can buy the MacBook Pro in space gray with 16GB of RAM, an eight-core M1 Pro processor, and 512GB of storage for $1,699. The 14-inch machine offers an impressive selection of ports and grade-A performance, battery life that outperforms most other laptops we’ve seen, and a beautiful Mini LED display — something even the new M2 MacBook Air doesn’t have. Just keep in mind that My Best Buy is the retailer’s free rewards program, one that is distinct from Best Buy’s premium TotalTech service. Read our review.
A few more deals to kickstart your weekend
If you’re on the market for a portable speaker with great sound, you can currently buy the Sonos Roam in refurbished condition from Sonos for $139 instead of $179, the price the speaker typically sells for new. The rugged Bluetooth speaker offers a number of great features, including an IP67 dust and water resistance rating, support for both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and compatibility with Apple’s AirPlay 2. Read our review.
As a part of its new outlet sale, Nomad is taking up to 85 percent off a number of wearable and Apple-centric accessories. The ongoing promotion includes discounts on leather Apple Watch straps, iPhone and AirPods cases, and much more.
If you’re someone who’s prone to seasonal allergies or wildfire smoke, Coway’s Airmega 200M is on sale at Walmart right now for $129.99 ($100 off), which is easily the best price we’ve seen on the handy, HEPA air purifier.
The latest Apple TV 4K is once again discounted in the 32GB configuration to $129.99 at Best Buy and Amazon (with delayed shipping). The future-proof streaming box supports 4K HDR content, along with more modern specs, like HDMI 2.1 and Wi-Fi 6. Read our review.
Want to get out of the house this weekend but remain hesitant given how expensive it is these days to buy gas? Segway’s Ninebot Max G30LP electric scooter is on sale at Best Buy right now for $749.99, down from its usual price of $899.99. This is a great commuter scooter with a removable seat, good range, and a top speed of 18.6 miles per hour.
In just a few weeks, Olivia Wilde and boyfriend Harry Styles will step on the red carpet at the prestigious Venice Film Festival for the world premiere of their new movie, Don’t Worry Darlingwhich she directed.
They will be joined by Styles’ co-star Florence Pugh, one of Hollywood’s brightest young things. But Hollywood is buzzing that the 26-year-old actress has fallen out with Wilde, 38, over the director hooking up with Styles.
“I can tell you for a fact that Flo seeing Olivia and Harry all over each other on set did not go down well as Olivia was still with Jason when she first hooked up with Harry,” one insider told The New York Post’s Page Sixreferring to Wilde’s ex, ted lasso star Jason Sudeikis.
The former couple — who got engaged in 2012 and share kids Otis, 8, and Daisy, 5 — announced the end of their seven-year romance in November 2020.
At the time, sources cited Wilde’s relationship with Harry as the main reason for the split, with one insider telling Page Six the affair with Styles, now 28, had been ongoing for a month, leaving Sudeikis distraught.
“Jason and the kids visited Olivia on set at the beginning a few times, so I think this all made people feel a little uncomfortable,” the insider said this week.
Internet sleuths certainly think something is up — finding it strange that, in an industry where stars live and die by Instagram, Pugh failed to “like” a post in which Wilde included the full official trailer for Don’t Worry Darling last week.
Wilde followed that up by posting a photo of Pugh with the comment: “Watching this woman work was such af***ing thrill! Can’t wait to show you more. @florencepugh@dontworrydarling.”
Pugh, again, was conspicuous by her silence — and the fact that, on the same day, she posted a teaser trailer for another new project, Oppenheimerabout J. Robert Oppenheimer, the so-called father of the atomic bomb.
It’s a subject of hot debate on social media, with one fan tweeting: “The way Florence Pugh has yet to post about Don’t Worry Darling even though there are two trailers out for it and yet she’ll post about every single other project that she’s doing right now – like what did Olivia Wilde do????”
“I think it’s so funny how Florence Pugh had said NOTHING about Don’t Worry Darling and Olivia Wilde keeps trying to hype her up,” tweeted another.
And noted a third Twitter user: “I need to know what Olivia Wilde did to my baby Florence Pugh on the set of DWD because my girl has been SILENT on movie updates.”
But, a source told Page Six, “I heard she was already scheduled to post (about Oppenheimer) that day for some specific reason, it had nothing to do with a response to Olivia.”
Don’t Worry Darling is described as a tale of an unhappy 1950s housewife, played by Pugh, who discovers a disturbing truth about her idyllic life, while her loving husband, played by Styles, hides a dark secret.
On the blue carpet in support of a Tiffany and Co. opening in London this week, Pugh was asked about working with Styles. She said he was “a total professional and it was a great experience working together”.
She then spoke about the cinematography and styling — “It was a joy to walk into the hair and makeup trailer every day,” Pugh said, noting, “the way that everything looks delicious and golden” — but had nothing to say about her director , Wilde.
It’s Wilde’s second film, following the success of 2019’s book smart, for which she won an Independent Spirit Award. She hired former One Direction heart-throb Styles on Don’t Worry Darling to replace actor Shia LaBeouf, who was caught up in a lawsuit by his former girlfriend FKA Twigs over allegations of sexual assault and “relentless” abuse. (LaBeouf has denied the claims, and the case will go in front of a judge next April.) Wilde famously said she had a “No Assholes” policy on set.
Wilde has further been in the headlines after being served custody papers by Sudeikis while promoting Don’t Worry Darling in Las Vegas at CinemaCon in April, for which he later apologized.
Pugh is currently filming Dunes 2 playing Princess Irulan, and another Hollywood insider told Page Six: “Florence is shooting dunes right now and out of pocket. I’m sure she will be front and center for the (Don’t Worry Darling) promo. Once the promo starts in late August, early September, I’m sure she’ll be visible.”
Reps for Styles, Wilde and Pugh were unavailable for comment.
This article was originally published by Page Six and reproduced with permission
Broncos star Patrick Carrigan is facing the prospect of missing the rest of the regular season through suspension after being referred straight to the NRL judiciary for his “horrendous” hip-drop tackle on Jackson Hastings in Saturday night’s upset loss to the Wests Tigers.
He will front the judiciary on Tuesday night to face the dangerous conduct charge for a tackle in the 73rd minute
The Tigers lock limped off and was on crutches on the sidelines after the game with fears he has suffered a syndesmosis injury and will not play again this year.
Interim coach Brett Kimmorley was fuming over the incident.
“I thought the tackle was a pretty ordinary tackle,” Kimmorley said. “It is something that has crept into the game a little bit and it needs to be looked after because it’s a horrendous tackle and the outcome can be really bad.”
Broncos coach Kevin Walters denied Carrigan’s tackle was intentional and was one of those things that happen “in the heat of the battle”.
Rabbitohs prop Tom Burgess is looking at a ban of 1-2 matches for his high tackle in extra time against Cronulla which led to him being sent off while Raiders prop Joseph Tapine can accept a $1000 fine for contrary conduct in the only other charge from Saturday’s matches.
Right ankle injury for Jackson Hastings, video brings concern for syndesmosis injury (high ankle sprain) with foot trapped under tackler & turning out. Significant rotation/twisting brings concern for moderate to high grade sprain. Fingers crossed lower velocity force saves him pic.twitter.com/2VeoNaYkFq
On the match itself, Kimmorley said it “wasn’t a fluke” that his Wests Tigers put a huge dent in Brisbane’s top-four hopes with an upset 32-18 at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
The Broncos have surrendered fourth spot to the Storm, who beat the Warriors 24 hours earlier, when they put in a flat performance against a team that was running last.
And the good news for the Tigers is they have lifted themselves away from last spot with their boilover victory, assigning Gold Coast to wooden spoon favoritism after they went down to Canberra earlier in the day.
Maybe it was karma for Wests after they were denied a legitimate win the previous week when a bunker blunder ruined their hopes up securing a precious two competition points against the Cowboys in Townsville.
“With the hard work the players have put in for a number of weeks, this has been coming,” said interim coach Brett Kimmorley.
“I’d like to think this wasn’t a fluke what we achieved tonight. The journey the team went on after Sunday night when things went against us and had all reason to fall into a heap now, I’m proud of these boys as a coach.”
Walters admitted his side were second best.
“In the critical moments the Tigers were just better than us,” he said. “You don’t have to be too far off (your game) at this level to lose.
“I think the Tigers’ football of late has been very good, and I don’t think they should be sitting where they are on the table.”
Tigers winger Brent Naden opened the scoring in the 12th minute to give the visitors a 6-0 lead. Tesi Niu leveled the scores midway through the first half when he chimed into the back line down the right edge.
Five-eighth Ezra Mam made it 12-6 when he twisted his way over the line and Naden should have hit back seven minutes from halftime but ran out and fumbled a pass with the left corner just a few meters away.
Wests ended up equalizing just before the break when Kelma Tuilagi broke free and turned the ball inside for a juggling Jock Madden to touch down after being called into the side by Luke Brooks, who is out for the rest of the year with a calf complaint.
They went 18-12 up six minutes after the restart when Adam Doueihi batted back a bomb and center Starford To’a plunged over out wide.
The Tigers made it 24-12 when bench prop Zane Musgrove crashed over for just the third try of his career.
Daine Laurie. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Brisbane fought their way back into the contest midway through the second period when Jordan Riki muscled his way over the stripe to halve the deficit.
Just when it looked like the Broncos were going to level it up heading down the stretch, the Tigers extended their lead to eight when Carrigan was penalized for the hip drop tackle on Hastings.
The lock limped off and was in crutches on the sidelines before the full-time siren sounded.
Doueihi slipped through some threadbare defense to seal just their fourth triumph since 19 starts this season and the first since interim coach Brett Kimmorley took over from Michael Maguire last month.
AIan Andersen has been collecting and recording specimens of Australian ant species for 40 years with about 8,000 of them glued to cardboard triangles in a government laboratory in Darwin in the country’s far north.
Each year hundreds of specimens are added to the collection, most of them likely new species that don’t even have formal scientific names.
When insect scientists talk about the world’s hotspot for ant diversity – the place with the highest number of species – they often point to the savannahs of Brazil and the Amazon rainforest.
But Andersen, a professor, ant expert and ecologist at Charles Darwin University, says the true global center for ants is Australia’s monsoonal north, which stretches from the Kimberley in Western Australia to the Northern Territory’s top end and north Queensland in the east.
“Ants are a major part of Australia’s natural heritage,” Andersen says. “We realize what a special place this is for marsupials, and for lizards. And before. We are the kingdom of the ant.”
Andersen’s latest research with colleagues has, he says, added further proof of Australia’s claim to be the global capital for ants.
The research looked at specimens of one group of ants called Monomorium nigrius that has only one species formally described in the scientific literature.
Prof Alan Andersen collects ants in the bush area of CSIRO’s Darwin site in Berrimah, Northern Territory. Photograph: Alana Holmberg/Oculi/The Guardian
But after genetic analysis of 400 specimens, the scientists estimate there are likely 200 different species in the group just in the monsoonal north of Australia, and another 100 across the rest of the country.
“Ant ecologists will say ant diversity is highest in the Amazon – there can be more than 2,000 species there,” he says. “But here in monsoonal Australia we have at least 5,000.”
Andersen and colleagues wrote that their latest findings were “further evidence that monsoonal Australia should be recognized as a global center of ant diversity.”
‘Unbelievably abundant’
Andersen and his ant-searching colleagues are used to discovering entirely new species in their hundreds.
A few weeks ago, Andersen was walking a path in the Iron Range national park on Queensland’s remote Cape York peninsular with PhD student François Brassard.
One 4mm brownish ant caught his eye. To Andersen, it was clearly a type of last night – an uncommon genus in Australia.
“It had this look about it,” says Andersen, who took it back to his lab. The ant was an Anochetus alae – and only the second time it had ever been found (the first occasion was in Cairns in 1983 and was used years later to formally describe the species).
Andersen has been analyzing specimens collected bycolleagues from 100 spots around the Sturt Plateau in the Northern Territory.
The results aren’t published yet, but Andersen says they’ve so far counted about 700 species and about half have never been recorded before.
Brassard is Canadian, and has studied ants in the US and in Macau and Hong Kong. He was skeptical that Australia could top the Amazon for ant species, but not any more.
Monomorium rothsteini ant dispersing acacia seed. Photographer: Francois Brassard
“In Canada we have about 100 species of ant,” he says. “But we’ll find that many in just a few acres around here. The sheer diversity is unreal. It just seems there’s new stuff everywhere.”
Ants are often collected using pitfall traps – a shallow plastic dish dug a few centimeters into the ground which contain a preservative. Andersen uses ethylene glycol, better known as antifreeze.
His record is 27 species in one 4.5cm wide trap left out for two days in the Northern Territory’s Kakadu national park.
It’s a measure of the sheer numbers of ants in the country.
“People wouldn’t even notice them despite the fact they’re unbelievably abundant around Australia,” he says. “You can have dozens of colonies in an area that’s only 10 by 10 meters.”
Case of ant specimens held in the CSIRO ant diversity lab in Darwin. Photograph: Alana Holmberg/The Guardian
Ants play a critical role in ecosystems. They both create and turn over soil, they disperse seeds, some defend plants, and they’re all food for other animals.
If you could weigh all the world’s land-based fauna, Andersen says about 20% of the mass would be taken up by ants.
“They are serious creatures in our environment,” he says They are gun nutrient recyclers. They play an incredibly important role in the flow of energy and nutrients through ecosystems. Ants are down there running the show.”
A 400-year taxonomic challenge
Andersen started collecting ants 40 years ago, and his collection – and those of many others – is housed at CSIRO’s laboratory in Darwin.
Even among these ants – almost all of which are unique to Australia – only 1,500 have been formally named by taxonomists. The collection is one of the largest on the planet.
When scientists such as Andersen use new techniques to discover the true diversity among organisms, it throws up a major challenge for taxonomists – the scientists who painstakingly describe new species and then publish the details in journals.
myrmeciacommonly known as a bull ant or ‘jumping jack’. Photograph: Alana Holmberg/The Guardian
Prof Andy Austin is the director of Taxonomy Australia. He says hyper-diverse groups of fauna – such as ants – are ushering in a quiet revolution for the profession.
Traditional methods of drafting detailed descriptions, drawings and creating flow-charts, known as keys, to identify one species from another are impractical when new scientific methods offer up thousands and thousands of new candidates.
“You can’t keep doing traditional taxonomy that was developed a hundred or more years ago,” he says.
Austin himself has described about 650 new species – mostly wasps – but it took up most of his 40-year career.
“For Australia, we describe about 1,200 species a year of all organisms. It would take you 400 years to finish all Australia’s biota, and that’s unacceptable for so many reasons.”
Rhytidiponera aurata pony ant foraging in leaf litter. Photographer: Francois Brassard
He says the new breed of taxonomists are using new techniques, such as describing new species using imaging and genetic data that’s automated. That puts the challenge of describing thousands of new ant species within reach.
“We can’t ask sensible questions about our flora and fauna until we know what’s actually on the continent,” he says.
As the climate changes and land-clearing continues, “there are probably going to be species that go extinct before we get a chance to document them.”
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