'Upend the status quo'

Michael Jackson was one of the best-selling artists of all time. The King of Pop is an integral part of music history. He influenced several artists in music. Some of the artists include Janet Jackson, Madonna, Chris Brown, Beyonce, Usher, The Weeknd, Jason Derulo, Lenny Kravitz, Justin Timberlake, Ne-Yo, Lady Gaga, Ciara, Bruno Mars, Mariah Carey, Babyface, Celine Dion, Jay-Z, Whitney Houston, and Justin Bieber. It would be hard to find anyone who doesn’t know who Michael Jackson is. Whether you were born during the height of his career, Michael Jackson’s music played in your house. His impact on music, The post Michael Jackson’s Best Song On Each Of His Studio Albums appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

What started as a family hike in North Dakota by two young brothers Jessin and Liam Fisher quickly turned into a once-in-a-lifetime discovery that career paleontologists would kill for. Along with their dad, Sam Fisher, and their cousin Kaiden, they identified the remains of a juvenile T. rex skeleton of about 30% completeness, including almost […] The post Three Boys Discover 30% of a Complete ‘Teen-rex’ Skeleton While Hiking appeared first on Good News Network.

Lists Fairy Tales Five Fantasy Movies With Timeless Fairy Tale Vibes From creature-filled labyrinths to neverending stories, these movies have become modern classics in their own right. By Lorna Wallace | Published on June 11, 2024 Credit: The Jim Henson Company / Lucasfilm Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: The Jim Henson Company / Lucasfilm I recently wrote a list about beloved books with fairy tale vibes, and now it’s time for the movie version! To quickly reiterate the premise: these are films that aren’t based on what we consider to be classic fairy tales—you won’t find versions of “Cinderella,” “Snow White,” or “Hansel and Gretel” here. These films are either fully original stories or they’re an adaptation of an original story, but they’ve all been sprinkled with that magical pixie dust that gives them the whimsical feeling of a fairy tale that’s been told time and time again. On the book version of this list, I mentioned the film adaptations of The Princess Bride and Stardust, so I won’t talk about them any further here, but consider them both honorary mentions! With that said, let’s step into these onscreen once-upon-a-time tales… Enchanted (2007) Disney are, of course, known for their animated adaptations of beloved fairy tales, and specifically princess-focused stories. Director Kevin Lima’s Enchanted is a loving homage to, as well as a humorous parody of, those classic films. Things start out in animation, with starry-eyed Giselle (Amy Adams) falling in lust love with the handsome Prince Edward (James Marsden). The evil queen (Susan Sarandon) wants to stop their upcoming wedding, so she gets rid of Giselle by pushing her into the real, live-action world.   Giselle is pure Disney princess, despite not technically being one. The fairy tale trappings of her life—asking animals to do her bidding, wearing fanciful dresses, and randomly breaking into song—bring a little sparkle to the bustling streets of New York City. Giselle’s attempts to adapt to her new surroundings are as endearing as they are amusing, as is the grumpy/sunshine dynamic between her and cynical lawyer Robert (Patrick Dempsey). And I can’t talk about Enchanted without lavishing some love on well-meaning himbo Edward, who was exuding Kenergy years before Barbie gave us a name for it. Edward is essentially the guy you get if you cross Gaston from Beauty and the Beast (1991) with the heart of an adorable golden retriever… The NeverEnding Story (1984) I’m very aware that Wolfgang Petersen’s adaptation of Michael Ende’s The Neverending Story (1979) is uneven in its execution, but nostalgia is one hell of a drug. I’ve never actually read the book—I promise it’s on my ever-growing TBR!—but I hear it’s great. In the frame narrative of the film, bullied kid Bastian (Barret Oliver) escapes from his real-world problems by getting lost in a book (relatable!) titled The Neverending Story. In this tale, a boy called Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) is tasked with saving the land of Fantasia from The Nothing. I remember feeling a little confused by the plot when I was a kid, but I got swept up in the magic anyway. Now as an adult, I understand what’s actually going on, but the magic has been slightly diluted. For instance, I conceptually love the idea of riding on the back—or, rather, neck—of luckdragon Falkor, but then I consider his face and think “yeah, no thanks.” And as for Atreyu’s loyal steed Artax, I’m still not emotionally ready to revisit the Swamp of Sadness scene, and I’m not sure I ever will be. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) A lost princess. A wicked stepfather. An otherworldly labyrinth. These sound like the ingredients of a typical fairy tale, but Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth is anything but. The story takes place in Spain in 1944, with Captain Vidal (Sergi López) brutally hunting down the rebels who survived the Spanish Civil War. As well as being a fascist monster, Vidal is also ten-year-old Ofelia’s (Ivana Baquero) new stepfather. The real-world storyline of Pan’s Labyrinth is bleak, and you might expect the mythical labyrinth that Ofelia discovers to offer her a welcoming respite. Unfortunately, she’s simply faced with further horrors—albeit of a more fantastical nature. The Pale Man may haunt my nightmares, but Vidal haunts my days. If the film’s darkness gives you pause, just know that it’s also incredibly acted and plotted, visually stunning, and set to a hauntingly beautiful score. Also, don’t get hung up on trying to figure out whether the fantasy elements are real or not. Not only is the answer purposefully not presented within the film, but it wouldn’t change things either way. Labyrinth (1986) Jumping from one labyrinth into another, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth sees 16-year-old Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) working her way through a series of twisting, maze-like passages after wishing for her baby brother, Toby (played by Toby Froud—whose parents met while working on 1982’s The Dark Crystal!), to be taken away by goblins. Jareth the Goblin King (David Bowie) gives her 13 hours to make it through the labyrinth to either rescue her brother, or lose him forever. As is expected from a Henson film, Labyrinth is positively stuffed with puppets. Many of the settings Sarah explores and the bizarre creatures she encounters feel like something out of a fever dream come true (I’m looking at you, Helping Hands and Fire Gang!). But there are also some truly delightful characters, as well (the scarf-wearing worm and sheepdog Ambrosius will always have my heart). Like Pan’s Labyrinth 20 years later, Labyrinth doesn’t offer up a straightforward fairy tale filled with the expected beats and stock characters. Sarah is no damsel in distress; instead, she’s the knight in shining armor—the hero navigating her way through a coming-of-age journey. Then there’s Jareth, a tight-pants-wearing rock star king who is always wonderfully campy and sometimes surprisingly sinister. But considering that he sings the absolute bop that is “Magic Dance” to stop Toby crying, maybe living the goblin life wouldn’t be so bad after all? Edward Scissorhands (1990) Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands is a strange fairy tale set in a deliberately unclear time period, with styles and technologies being pulled from the ’50s through to the ’80s. Our titular character, played by Johnny Depp, is an artificial man whose creator (horror legend Vincent Price, in his last film role) died before he could swap out his scissor-bladed appendages for human hands. Edward lives an isolated life in a castle-like Gothic mansion on a hill until he’s found and taken in by Peg Boggs (Dianne Wiest), an Avon lady who lives in the candy-colored suburb below. The whole film is infused with a feeling of unreality thanks to the deliberate anachronism stew of a setting and the stark contrast between dark-clothed, wild-haired, gothic hero Edward and the pastel-colored, cookie-cutter neighborhood where the Boggs family make their home. Although many people begin to warm to Edward thanks to his unique slicing and dicing talents, he’s still cast in the role of the monster because of his inability to conform. In this modern fairy tale, the so-called monster is really a gentle, soft-hearted hero who deserves so much better.   Do you have any favorite examples of fantasy movies that have the feel of a fairy tale? Whether they’re dark or Disneyfied, please leave them in the comments below![end-mark] The post Five Fantasy Movies With Timeless Fairy Tale Vibes appeared first on Reactor.

Art is one of the few things that allows people in the present day to get a glimpse into the past. When a man was walking through an Australian art museum, he stumbled upon a 1904 masterpiece. Much to his surprise, he ended up uncovering something that the art world had no idea existed. During the fall of 2020, a man decided to walk around the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne... Source

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Pharmaceutical company Moderna has announced that a combination vaccine it has been developing against flu and COVID-19 has performed well so far in Phase 3 trials. The data are yet to be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, but the company says their combi vaccine has produced stronger immune responses than the already-licensed vaccines it was compared to.Moderna became a household name thanks to the success of its mRNA vaccine against COVID-19. Along with the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine, it remains a cornerstone of the public health response to the pandemic, with the architects of the technology behind them winning a Nobel Prize.While other vaccines played their part in gaining control of the spread of COVID, some – like the AstraZeneca vaccine – are now being withdrawn, while the mRNA vaccines continue to be updated to match the latest variants.But COVID-19 is not the only threat out there, and a number of research projects are currently looking to apply mRNA vaccines to other diseases, including cancer. When it comes to respiratory pathogens, a clear target would be influenza. There are around a billion cases of seasonal flu annually and hundreds of thousands of deaths, not to mention the ever-present Damocles’ sword of a possible future pandemic.Influenza viruses and SARS-CoV-2 (the virus behind COVID-19) share a tendency to mutate rapidly. That’s why regular booster shots are recommended for COVID and why the seasonal flu shot is updated every year. Moderna’s combi vaccine seeks to put both shots into one handy package.“Combination vaccines have the potential to reduce the burden of respiratory viruses on health systems and pharmacies, as well as offer people more convenient vaccination options that could improve compliance and provide stronger protection from seasonal illnesses,” said CEO Stéphane Bancel in a statement.The combi vaccine, called mRNA-1083, incorporates a candidate vaccine for seasonal flu (mRNA-1010) and Moderna’s latest COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA-1283). The Phase 3 clinical trial, which is still ongoing, has recruited two cohorts of approximately 4,000 adults each.The first cohort are all aged 65 and over. Participants have been randomly assigned to receive either mRNA-1083, or a combination of Moderna’s current COVID vaccine (Spikevax®) and a licensed flu vaccine called Fluzone HD®.The second cohort are aged between 50 and 64. In this group, participants have either received mRNA-1083 or a combination of Spikevax and a standard flu vaccine (Fluarix®).Moderna reports that the immune response elicited by mRNA-1083 was stronger than that produced by the separate vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and three different flu strains: H1N1, H3N2, and B/Victoria. mRNA-1083 was also found to be safe, and the majority of side effects experienced were mild and similar to those caused by the separate vaccines. The most common side effects were pain at the injection site, fatigue, muscle aches, and headache.Moderna now plans to present the data at a medical conference and hopes to publish the findings in a peer-reviewed journal.“Moderna is the only company with a positive Phase 3 flu and COVID combination vaccine,” said Bancel. “Building on the momentum of positive Phase 3 data across our respiratory portfolio, we continue to address significant unmet medical needs and advance public health.”

It’s all been popping off on the Oregon coastline as of late. Last week was no different, as a massive sunfish thought only to live in the Southern Hemisphere washed ashore in the north of the Beaver State.According to a Facebook post from the local Seaside Aquarium, the 7.3-foot (2.2-meter) fish was spotted on June 3 on the beach in Gearhart. As to be expected when a giant of the ocean appears on a quiet beach on a random Monday, word quickly got around on social media and visitors flocked to the site. IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.Initially, it was suspected that the beached creature was an ocean sunfish (Mola mola), which are known to be the world’s heaviest bony fish. However, thanks to going somewhat viral, word of the fish had traveled thousands of miles away to New Zealand-based marine biologist Marianne Nyegaard.Upon seeing photos of the fish, Nyegaard suspected that it was a closely related, but different species called the hoodwinker sunfish (Mola tecta).This species was discovered by Nyegaard and a team of fellow researchers only relatively recently, only examined in person for the first time back in 2014. Despite being what you might think as noticeably big, it was the first time in 130 years a new species had been added to the Mola genus.“We retraced the steps of early naturalists and taxonomists to understand how such a large fish could have evaded discovery all this time,” said Nyegaard in a statement at the time. “Overall we felt science had been repeatedly tricked by this cheeky species, which is why we named it the Hoodwinker.”It was thought that the hoodwinker sunfish only occupied waters in the Southern Hemisphere, having previously been spotted off the coast of Australia, South Africa and southern Chile – rocking up on beach in Oregon would therefore be pretty unexpected. But given the sneaky nature of this sunfish, it could have been hiding in plain sight further north, disguised as its ocean sunfish cousin to the untrained eye.To confirm if this was the case in Gearhart, Nyegaard contacted the aquarium to see if they could take some samples for genetic testing. From these samples, measurements, and further photographs, the marine biologist confirmed it was indeed the hoodwinker.As well as suggesting that the range of the giant fish might be further than previously thought – it’s also been spotted in California and even as far north as Alaska – the specimen that washed up may also be the largest ever sampled.For those hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive creature, the aquarium stated that the fish “will probably remain for a few more days, maybe weeks as their tough skin makes it hard for scavengers to puncture.”

Google has achieved what few brands have, making their company name become the default verb for what their product does. Rather than saying "search it" it's common to say "Google it" even if the person you are talking to is the type who will Google it on Bing.Google didn't start out as Google. When Larry Page and Sergey Brin first began the project, hosting it on Stanford servers in 1996, the search engine was known as "Backrub". This was because the search engine was focused on "backlinks" on the web, or how websites link to each other, telling them where information came from, what sites are trusted and on what topics, and attempting to rank them accordingly in search results. A year later, they thankfully realized the name needed a change, and so nearly 30 years on we do not have to ask people to Backrub topics they are woefully ignorant on. The name they settled on was Google.But what does "Google" mean? If you Google it on Google, the first result you are likely to come across (though search results are not the same for everybody) explains that it stands for "Global Organization of Oriented Group Language of Earth". This is, however, incorrect according to Google's own website, and people present at the name-changing sessions."Sean [Anderson] and Larry [Page] were in their office, using the whiteboard, trying to think up a good name – something that related to the indexing of an immense amount of data," Stanford computer scientist David Koller explains. "Sean verbally suggested the word 'googolplex,' and Larry responded verbally with the shortened form, "googol" (both words refer to specific large numbers)."Anderson Backrubbed (see how bad that name is?) the name to see if the domain name was available, and made a historic mistake."Sean is not an infallible speller, and he made the mistake of searching for the name spelled as 'google.com,' which he found to be available. Larry liked the name, and within hours he took the step of registering the name 'google.com' for himself and Sergey (the domain name registration record dates from September 15, 1997)."Googol means 1 × 10100, or 1 followed by one hundred zeroes, and according to Google the term "reflects [Google's] mission to organize a seemingly infinite amount of information on the web."[H/T: The Mirror]