Emahlstadt

It looks like Epic Games are letting you see exactly what you’re purchasing in Fortnite loot boxes, but only in a specific mode that isn’t the most popular version. When the next update rolls around for the game (7.3.0), the developers are going to allow you to see exactly what’s inside every llama you could purchase in the V-bucks store through a system they call the X-Ray Llamas. However, the option will only be available in Save The World mode and not in others like say… Fortnite‘s battle royale mode. It also will prevent you from purchasing multiple llamas at a time, which is the trade-off. Mini llamas and event llamas will be left alone. Many have speculated online that the reason it’s not in battle royale is that Epic Games knows that’s their cash-cow, and will do nothing to disrupt the flow of income if people choose to buy loot boxes there. Here’s a little more info on how this will work in Fortnite.

How will this work?

1. Llamas prices remain the same, and llamas can still be earned through gameplay.
2. The price doesn’t change when the llama upgrades – you can see the upgrade before you purchase, and any item can come from the cheapest Llama. You can wait and find your favorite weapon in a 50 V-Buck llama, with no guessing!
3. The items offered are based on your account in order to apply dupe prevention.
   • Dupe Prevention: Introduced in the v5.10 Patch, after the Llama has determined the item rarity and type of drop (Epic or Legendary Hero, Weapon, or Schematic) it will select an item from that category that is not already in your inventory or Collection Book. This applies to Epic, Legendary and Mythic Heroes, Epic and Legendary Schematics and Mythic Lead Survivors.
   • Example: This means that if the Llama picks Legendary (rarity) Shotgun (type), for example, it will give you a Legendary Shotgun you do not already have. If you have all of the legendary Shotguns, it will give you a duplicate Shotgun. It will not pick from another category.
4. Specific items can still be directly purchased with earnable in-game resources.
5. All the fun of opening Llamas, and only the items you want!

You will no longer be able to purchase multiple V-Buck Llamas at once when this feature launches. We are making this change so we can show you the rewards of each Llama one at a time, which gives you more choice in the Llamas you decide to open.

The post You Can Now See Fortnite: Save the World Loot Box Contents Before Purchase appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

There are few things more likely to induce almost automatic cringing these days as discovering historical drama series on one of the many streaming services. Films and television series alike have always taken prolific liberties with adapting stories of bygone eras. All one has to do is mention The CW’s Reign to induce facial-ticks in anyone who’s even glanced at Wikipedia, let alone cracked open an actual book.

It was with trepidation that we stepped into Britannia, which focuses on the Roman invasion of Britain. No, not the one led by Julius Caesar in the first century BC, but the one in the first century AD led by Aulus Plautius, played by David Morrissey (The Walking Dead).

This is a series that’s an interesting blend of customs and period aspects, while also blending in liberal use of modern accents, phrases, and motivations. It ranges from tongue-in-cheek humor to some of the most wicked violence and gore to be seen on any Amazon or Netflix original series.

They don’t try to have special effects or elaborate set pieces every few minutes, or even every episode. It’s an exercise in character building and near Game of Thrones levels of Machiavellian intrigue, and when the fur starts to fly, it’s highly impactful.

The cast is wonderful from David Morrissey as Plautius, to Zoë Wanamaker as the Queen of the Regni, and to Nikolaj Lie Kaas as an outcast hermit who has some particular abilities that are crafted delightfully into the narrative. The standout performer over the first 9 episode season is Mackenzie Crook (who is largely known as Ragetti, the skinny pirate with the fake eye from the Pirates of the Caribbean films) who here plays Veran, the leader of the Druids. There’s a particular scene where he has captured one of the Romans and compels him to call on his native Numidian god to forsake him, and once the Roman does so, Veran leans in delightfully oozing menace and tells him, “at last, we’re alone.” It’s the kind of moment that’ll never have you think of an actor as a comedic foil again.

Writer/creator Jez Butterworth (who also was co-writer on the too-underrated Edge of Tomorrow/Live Die Repeat), creates a world that blends the ancient with a tenor that should make it accessible to a wider audience (those who haven’t read the histories). Is it HISTORY’s Vikings? No, but then it’s not horribly far off the mark.

It’s the first outing between Sky Atlantic and Amazon Prime Video as a partnership in producing, and it’s already been announced to be picked up for a second season. If there’s anything that’s off-putting about the series, it’s the theme song–“Hurdy Gurdy Man” by Donovan–so shockingly non-sequitur in it’s modern tone. Best to use that “skip intro” button and get right into the action.

Season 1 of Britannia is currently available for streaming via Amazon Prime, and season 2 is currently in production.

The post Amazon’s ‘Britannia’ Has Romans vs Druids; and Actually Works [Review] appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

Bassist David Ellefson (MEGADETH, METAL ALLEGIANCE) recently spoke with PureGrainAudio about "Get It Out", the debut album by ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE, his side project with ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello. The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On the "rock" direction of the music of ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE: David: "I call it 'modern classic,' because you can definitely hear our influences in there, [but] it definitely sounds modern. It's definitely not a thrash metal band, and there's even these throwbacks to Joe Jackson, THE CLASH, the RAMONES — other things that Frank and I had inside of us, and that's why we called [the new album] 'Get It Out'." On the idea for ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE stemming from bass clinics the two did together: David: "We had done probably a half a dozen, if that. I remember specifically where we were – we were in London, before we played at Knebworth, and I leaned over to Frank and I said, 'Dude, we should really write some songs.' We [had] some backing tracks that we could play to in a clinic fashion rather than just only having to go to the MEGADETH and ANTHRAX catalog. When you do a clinic, you play to your strengths. Everybody knows us from MEGADETH and ANTHRAX. Clearly, they want to hear us digging into that material, for sure. At the same time, Frank and I are both astute writers, [and] we're very capable players. There [were] two jazz musicians who are friends of mine — Steve Bailey and Victor Wooten. Back in the late '80s/early '90s, they began doing something very similar called BASS EXTREMES. I saw the same concept with me and Frank — I was like, 'How cool would it be for the two of us in our spare time — what little of that there is — to develop this into something more than just a bass clinic?'... What was cool about it was that we are both artists on this one, and we're both musicians for each other, and we're also both collaborators, so there's kind of this triangle that we get to have of roles between the two of us." On the process of recording "Get It Out": David: "Frank was coming through Phoenix on the 'Among The Living' anniversary tour. That's when I went down, picked him up, he came over to my house, we sat around and tightened up 'Tell The World', 'Booze & Cigarettes' and 'Here Again'. We took those in the studio, recorded them and we realized, 'Wow, this is just effortless. So much fun — there's such wide variety of material, yet it all sounds cohesive.' It came together really seamlessly and pretty effortlessly. That inspired us to continue to get together. I think the remaining tracks for the LP were compiled over the course of about four more sessions. I would always bring in at least three songs. Four of those were probably at [producer] Jay Ruston's studio out in L.A., and we also did one other session at Sweetwater Sound in Fort Wayne, Indiana. They brought us into do a songwriting session, and we actually composed — there's a version of [THE CLASH's] 'London Calling' that we did, that we still have tucked aside as a B-side/bonus track somewhere." On the project's future: David: "We have this little window. Obviously, Frank's busy with ANTHRAX, [and] MEGADETH is working on a new album, and then we've got a big summer ahead of us as well. We just really were selective in finding this little season here that we could put this record out [and] go out and support it live, both in the U.S. as well as over in Europe. Our goal here is to fire it off and shoot it up into the sky as high as we can put it up there, and now that it's going to be out there, then from there, as time may permit, we can find other little windows where we can go out and do things with it." On whether he learned anything new about Bello while making the album: David: "I didn't really know his life story. I'd always see Frank over the years — he was the happy-go-lucky, smiling, big hugs. I just knew him as happy Frank. I realized in doing this record that there's a lot of heartbreak, sorrow and sad times in Frank's life, and I think that's what really came out on this record through his lyrics, through his storytelling, through his songs. By our age, no one's had a perfect life. There's good times, bad times and everything in between, and I think this album really encompasses that for both of us through the lyrics — especially a lot of Frank's personal stories that he shared with us." "Get It Out" was released on January 18 via Megaforce. The follow-up to ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE's 2014 self-titled EP was once again produced by Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER, STONE SOUR), with Jeff Friedl (A PERFECT CIRCLE, ASHES DIVIDE) returning behind the kit. Boasting a deep bench of guest stars, including Ace Frehley (KISS), Gus G. (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIREWIND), Nita Strauss (ALICE COOPER), Christian Martucci (STONE SOUR) and Satchel (STEEL PANTHER), the record also represents the fulfillment of a lifelong but little-known ambition for two uniquely gifted artists. Photo credit: Jason Shaltz

"Wrath Of Asgard", the new video from THE THREE TREMORS, the new project featuring acclaimed heavy metal singers Tim "The Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN), Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin (JAG PANZER) and Sean "The Hell Destroyer" Peck (CAGE, DEATH DEALER, DENNER/SHERMANN), can be seen below. The clip was directed by Rich Varville from RSVP Films in San Diego, California. THE THREE TREMORS' self-titled debut LP was relesaed on January 18. The band nourishes in heavy metal anthems, and features the illustrious chops of guitarist Dave Garcia, whose tenacity fuels the fire, allowing the music to naturally flow in complimentary tone. Second guitarist Casey Trask picks up the pace and pushes the boundaries alongside bassist Alex Pickard, who highlights a melodic sensibility giving character to the overall tonality. On drums, the thrash machine Sean Elg adds in his perfectly placed fills and signature double bass patterns. "Sean's band, CAGE, opened for JUDAS PRIEST on the 'Jugulator' tour in San Diego — that is where I first met him," recalls Ripper. "He hit me up about resurrecting the idea and actually doing a record, and then a band, to put this out in the live setting also, and I thought it sounded really cool. The record came out really strong and I think the fans deserved to have a thing like this actually exist. We performed two of the songs live already when I was out in San Diego shooting the video for the first single, and it was a blast." "It was about five years ago, I was camping and thinking about the whole THREE TREMORS urban legend from long ago and what a shame it was that it never happened," says Sean. "Then I started thinking about if there was a resurrected 2018 version of it, who would I get, and Tim and Harry were at the top of my list. I immediately reached out to Tim, who agreed to embark on this adventure and Harry quickly joined next. It took a long time to put it together, create the right songs, and get it properly arranged, but the results are beyond my wildest expectations. I think the fans are really going to freak out on what we have done with this record, and live it's going to be almighty I assure you!" "Sean and I ended up at a party together in Germany, where we were both playing the same festival, and he told me about the THREE TREMORS album he was putting together and asked if I would be into it," adds Harry. "He described the concept and how he wanted to bring this old idea to actual life and I said I was in. Once I started hearing the songs that were being sent over for me to record, I knew this thing was going to be really powerful. Then when I got sent the final mixes with all three of us on it, my jaw hit the floor on how well it all came together. For heavy metal fans, this is the ultimate." THE THREE TREMORS' self-titled debut highlights artwork ingeniously created by renowned artist Marc Sasso (DIO, HALFORD, ADRENALINE MOB, DEATH DEALER), to showcase an apocalyptic battle between demonic hyper-wolves and the Three Tremors, who marched into an underworld overshadowed by evil forces only armed with bullets powered by heavy metal sorcery to reclaim the dystopian lands. THE THREE TREMORS will kick off their first-ever U.S. tour on February 14 at El Corazon in Seattle. The trek will wrap up on March 11 at The Crafthouse Stage & Grill in Pittsburgh.

“THAT IS TAMPERING. Did he get a King Ranch F-150 too?”

Made me lose it.

It seems as though more and more series and movies are delving into and pulling from the world of horror comics. Some of our most anticipated TV series heading our way this year are based on horror comics. There’s an overwhelming selection to choose from, and thanks to the ongoing trend of superheroes on screen, the world of comic books is still a treasure trove with plenty of stories waiting to be mined. It makes sense, because horror is a very visual form of storytelling, something integral to the comic book format. If you’re looking to get into horror comics, with hundreds to choose from, where do you start? These five essential comics are self-contained within one or two graphic novels (so far), making for an easy entrance into horror comics with minimal commitment.

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Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

With writer/creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa busy with the Netflix series adaptation and also with the Riverdale series on CW, this fantastic comic has quite likely been abandoned. It’s a shame too, because it’s far darker and more gruesome than the Netflix series with great art by Robert Hack. Even better? Salem is much more prominent, who not only talks but is the voice of reason to Sabrina’s impulsiveness. Set in the 1960s, this comic deals with Sabrina’s teen years of balancing high school with Satanic witchery. But, unlike the show, this version is much, much heavier on the cannibalism and gory flesh-eating, and Sabrina’s parentage comes with a bleaker history. Plus, way more Madame Satan.

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Severed

Set in 1916, 12-year-old Jack Garron runs away from home to find his biological father. His journey finds him crossing paths with a friendly traveling salesman, one that happens to have rather sharp teeth and an appetite for children. Written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Attila Futaki, Severed is a self-contained story comprised of 7 issues bound in one graphic novel. Briskly paced, suspenseful, and featuring one of the creepiest serial killers on the prowl, this graphic novel is rendered even creepier, and bloodier, thanks to Futaki’s amazing artwork.

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Plastic

If you like your horror with a twisted sense of humor, then Plastic is definitely for you. It follows retired serial killer Edwyn Stoffgruppen as he’s forced back into the serial killing game when his lady love Virginia is kidnapped by the henchmen of a rich Louisiana crime boss. There’s just one catch- Virginia is a sex doll. All five issues rolled into one graphic novel, Plastic was written by Doug Wagner, illustrated by Daniel Hillyard, and colored by Laura Martin. Edwyn toggles the line between endearing and horrifically bloodthirsty, the precise antihero that makes this wacky tale so much fun. You’ll probably never look at donuts the same.

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Through the Woods

A collection of five horror stories written and illustrated by Emily Carroll, Through the Woods is a gothic fairy tale-like collection of spooky stories that invokes the same type of unease as Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, in that creepy illustrations combined with stories that effectively induces fear and results in sleeping with the lights on. It’s not graphic or gory, but more unsettling, atmospheric stories of horror. Brooding, morbid, and full of beautiful artwork, Through the Woods is one of the most unique horror comic books.

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Ice Cream Man

Launched in June of last year, this genre-defying anthology series is now 8 issues (2 graphic novels) deep. Weaving the tales of addiction, misery, existential horror, sci-fi musical fantasy, an arachnophobe’s worst nightmare, and much more is the bizarre Ice Cream Man, a friend or foe depending on your tastes. He’s got every flavor, too. Surreal, weird, horrific, and more, Ice Cream Man is written by W. Maxwell Prince and illustrated by Martin Morazzo. If you want a lot of variety to your anthology, this is the winner.

Spike Lee’s first film, She’s Gotta Have It, came out in 1986, but the writer/director/actor’s best film, the one that made him famous, Do the Right Thing, celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this summer. It’s worth reading contemporary reactions to Lee’s film—Joe Klein’s infamous “Spiked?” is the classic example—if only to see how terrified Lee made people.

Lee’s Q&A in Cannes in 1989 is also required viewing:

Lee still does should-be-shocking things—last year at Cannes, he repeatedly called Donald Trump a “motherfucker”—but the reaction to him is very different. He’s become an elder statesman, part of the fraternity, an academy nominee for Best Director and Best Picture thirty years after his best work got shut out from award consideration.

It’s all about timing. Lee thinks the Academy has come a long way from where it was thirty years ago, but warns against becoming complacent:

“Hollywood has really ramped it up,” he said. “They are making more diverse films. But in order to make sure this is something that is steady and not a trend is for us to see diversity among the gatekeepers, the rarified individuals that decide what we’re making and not making. That’s the only way to ensure against more cyclical droughts, that’s the new frontier. We’ve got a lot of stuff now, but what films are coming out next year? I’m not going to have a film. Who’s going to be there next in the marketplace? The only way to ensure this does not become a trend is that it should be commonplace.”

He used saltier language with the New York Times, but still suggested that the different treatment of his newer film is largely a matter of good timing:

Does any part of you feel like it’s overdue?

I mean, look, it’s no secret. 30 years is a long [expletive] time. But I’m not complaining! It’s a joyous day. I’m blessed for this day. Blessed for the recognition. And there’s a feeling that it’s not just the people that worked on this film [that have earned recognition], it’s the people that have been working on my films since 1986.

You’ve made all kinds of films — some independent, some with studios, some that you wrote, some that were written by others — was there anything about “BlacKkKlansman” that you thought had the potential to resonate in a different way?

Well, when Jordan Peele called me up and gave me the pitch “Black man infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan,” I was intrigued, because with the absurdity of that premise comes humor. Kevin Willmott [a co-writer of the film] and I knew that if we could use the movie to connect the past with the present, we could do something that connected with people. And it was a tough thing to do. But it was successful, and it speaks directly to the world we live in today with this guy in the White House. Today, when 800,000 Americans need a break as we go into another week of this temper tantrum about how this guy wants his money for his wall. A wall he wants to be built upon the border of a country that he says [is home to] rapists, murders and drug dealers. And that they’re gonna pay for! Which is not true.

This film deals directly with the madness and the mayhem of this Looney Tunes, cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs world [laughs]. And I feel that many years to come, when historians search for a piece of art that clearly shows what is happening today, “BlacKkKlansman” will be one of the first things they look at. Because this film is on the right side of history.

But if you really want to use Do the Right Thing to understand contemporary film, the best example is this magisterial essay by Wesley Morris, “Why Do the Oscars Keep Falling for Racial Reconciliation Fantasies?”

From Driving Miss Daisy (which won the Best Picture Oscar the year Do the Right Thing wasn’t nominated) to the past year’s Green Book, pictures about race the Academy loves tend to have a common structure, where racism is somehow not enabled by capitalism (and vice versa) but abated by it:

The white characters — the biological ones and somebody supposedly not black enough, like fictional Don — are lonely people in these pay-a-pal movies. The money is ostensibly for legitimate assistance, but it also seems to paper over all that’s potentially fraught about race. The relationship is entirely conscripted as service and bound by capitalism and the fantastically presumptive leap is, The money doesn’t matter because I like working for you. And if you’re the racist in the relationship: I can’t be horrible because we’re friends now. That’s why the hug Sandra Bullock gives Yomi Perry, the actor playing her maid, Maria, at the end of “Crash,” remains the single most disturbing gesture of its kind. It’s not friendship. Friendship is mutual. That hug is cannibalism.

Do the Right Thing blows up that structure, which is why it was so threatening:

Closure is impossible because the blood is too bad, too historically American. Lee had conjured a social environment that’s the opposite of what “The Upside,” “Green Book,” and “Driving Miss Daisy” believe. In one of the very last scenes, after Sal’s place is destroyed, Mookie still demands to be paid. To this day, Sal’s tossing balled-up bills at Mookie, one by one, shocks me. He’s mortally offended. Mookie’s unmoved. They’re at a harsh, anti-romantic impasse. We’d all been reared on racial-reconciliation fantasies. Why can’t Mookie and Sal be friends? The answer’s too long and too raw. Sal can pay Mookie to deliver pizzas ‘til kingdom come. But he could never pay him enough to be his friend.

Tags: movies   Oscars   Spike Lee   Wesley Morris

Spotify's rumored in-car music device appears to be taking shape. Financial Times sources claim the service plans to launch the in-car player sometime later in 2019 for roughly $100. There are more details as to how it would work, too. While the e...

The short-lived enrollment with the Trojans has ended with the nation’s top athlete preparing to land in Austin.

Better late than never — isn’t that the saying?

After entering the NCAA transfer portal on Thursday, USC Trojans wide receiver Bru McCoy, ranked as the No. 1 athlete in the 2019 recruiting class, signed his financial aid agreement in preparation to transfer to the Texas Longhorns, according to a report from Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports. Horns247 provided confirmation minutes later.

McCoy plans on beginning classes in Austin next week after receiving his admittance into school, which was confirmed by Texas on Friday afternoon.

When decision day finally arrived for McCoy on Jan. 5, the dynamic Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei star snatched the cardinal and gold USC hat from the table at the All-American Bowl, solidifying his choice to stay close to home and suit up for the Trojans, a decision he had made days earlier by signing his National Letter of Intent.

The burnt orange Texas hat, along with others, remained on the table.

Just days later, McCoy enrolled at USC, but as soon as the five-star prospect arrived, former Texas Tech head coach and recently-hired Trojans offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury was on his way out an on to the NFL as the newly-named head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

Two weeks came and went and all was mostly quiet on the McCoy front — that was, at least, until the rumor mill began roaring from the West Coast to the Gulf Coast. On Wednesday, speculation began to circulate hinting at McCoy’s plans to depart from the USC program. Throughout the subsequent 24 hours, those message board murmurs blossomed into national reports, and ultimately, reality, as McCoy officially entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal on Thursday afternoon.

Seemingly as soon as McCoy’s exit plan became apparent, all signs began pointing towards Texas, arguably the only program that enjoyed more than a mere puncher’s chance throughout his recruitment. McCoy followed those signs and they led him to the Forty Acres, as the elite talent signed a financial agreement with Texas on Friday.

With McCoy now officially taking his talents to Texas, head coach Tom Herman’s 2019 class features a new headliner, as McCoy was dubbed as the No. 9 overall prospect in his class.

247Sports provided an in-depth evaluation of McCoy’s NFL-caliber skill set:

Unique two-way player with a high projection at receiver or outside linebacker. Big, strong and physical as a wideout with good hands and high-level body control. Runs well enough to get behind a defense, makes the tough catch look routine and can do something with the ball in his hands after the catch as well. Is also a tremendous blocker and plays with incredible effort. Outstanding pass rusher who combines an explosive first step to get the edge with the power to bull rush a tackle or change direction and flashes a quick move to the inside. Plays the run very well and is comfortable in space or dropping back in to coverage. Where he plays in college will be interesting as he prefers receiver but might have more upside as a 3-4 outside ‘backer. Potential early impact player at BCS level and high round NFL draft pick.

As a senior, McCoy’s said skill set was on full display as the 6’2, 205-pounder hauled in 78 receptions for 1,428 yards and 18 touchdowns, in addition to 13 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and five sacks as a pass-rushing specialist.

The Longhorns pitched McCoy on the plan to implement him similarly in Austin.

McCoy’s potential to provide an immediate impact is apparent, but the question that now looms largest is whether or not the Longhorns will be able to utilize him immediately. USC reportedly released McCoy from his NLI, but given that McCoy did sign and enroll at USC, he’ll require a waiver from the NCAA in hopes of becoming eligible for the 2019 season.

Otherwise, per the NCAA transfer rules, McCoy will have to sit out one season before becoming eligible in 2020.

With McCoy now in the mix, the 2019 recruiting haul leapfrogs Oklahoma and Texas A&M to take over the No. 3 spot nationally, per the 247Sports Composite, setting Texas up for its second consecutive top-three finish.

Fyre Fight: The inside story of how we got two warring Fyre Festival documentaries in the same week Scott Tobias, The Ringer We've known for a while now that Hulu and Netflix were both working on documentaries chronicling the ill-fated influencer...

It’s time to admit the obvious amidst another disappointing season.

Several years ago I worked as a reporter at an award-winning daily newspaper in the state of Indiana.

From a writing and reporting standpoint, the staff was very talented, the editors incredibly experienced.

But, sweet mother of God, as people, my editors were absolutely insufferable.

Towards the end of my time at this publication, there were days where I felt like super-gluing the seat belt in my car to the slot it fastens into before driving full speed off of a bridge into a frozen pond.

Sure, for much of the first year it was easy to suppress my anxieties and frustrations and, well, just my overall disdain for my editors. Cool assignments, important stories and incredible opportunities as a journalist, in the beginning, made it easy to look past the fact that every night I lay in bed staring at the ceiling contemplating whether I should continue working for this newspaper or go panhandle at the entrance of my local Wal-Mart to make ends meet until I found my next career move.

The good can only outweigh the horrifically bad for so long.

I didn’t even make it to two years on the job before I realized enough was enough and it was time to find something new.

You don’t have to work as a journalist in a dying industry — a profession that former Indiana University coach Bob Knight famously claimed was just “a step or two above prostitution” — to experience the phenomenon of realizing things are just not going to get better and it’s time for drastic change.

In fact, if you’re a Texas basketball fan, you’re living with this mental and emotional tug of war as we speak.

A line has been drawn in the sand and you’re either on the side that suffers through this miserable excuse of a season with a cognitive understanding that it’s just flat-out unacceptable, or you’re waking up every day making some sort of ridiculous excuse as to why things aren’t that bad.

Or, if you’re really WOKE! You’re not only on one side of that line in the sand, the miserable side, you’re a part of an elite group of thinkers who know this is much bigger than just the 2018-2019 season.

You’re a part of what I call “The Change Gang.”

Let the official record show that I, Corey Elliot, am officially done with the Shaka Smart experience in Austin, Texas.

Calm down. I love Shaka Smart — great guy. Good basketball coach. Terrific person.

But, I’m done. And you should be, too.

Actually, no. I’m sorry. You’re right. It’s not my place to make that decision for you.

Here are some other decisions I can’t make for you:

Jumping from the second floor of a burning building when there’s no other way out.

You should totally jump. That situation is not going to get better.

Leaving your significant other who you recently discovered was cheating on you with your best friend.

Go ahead and get that moving truck scheduled, sign that lease on your new apartment. That situation is not going to get better.

Seeking medical attention for an erection lasting longer than four hours.

Get yourself to the nearest urgent care. They literally tell you to do so on the commercials. That situation is not going to get better.

Look, I can sit here and make all of these incredibly funny analogies and jokes, but I only get so many words in these stories before Burnt Orange Nation starts making me pay back portions of my salary for going over said word limit.

For those of you who want to see the Shaka Ball experience beyond this season, let’s roll up our sleeves and get elbow deep in this mess that is Longhorns hoops.

Smart, in his fourth season, has a combined record of 59-56.

Wow!

Smart, in his fourth season, is 14-18 in games decided by three points or less.

Hold on. It gets better.

Smart, in his fourth season, is 25-35 in conference play.

Grand Finale time, ready?

Smart, in his fourth season, is 0-2 in the NCAA tournament and potentially on his way to missing the big dance for a second time since being hired as the Texas basketball Czar.

Okay. I get what you’re thinking and I know what you’re going to say. So, I’ll reason with you and meet you in the middle of your undying support for a guy who isn’t getting the job done.

In year two of Smart’s tenure, he went from having a ton of experience to literally nothing as far as viable talent that gave Texas a chance at being competitive.

In year three of Smart’s tenure, Texas lost its leading scorer to incredibly unfortunate circumstances when Andrew Jones was diagnosed with Leukemia.

Are you ready for the response that none of y’all want to hear?

Smart gets a free pass for year two. Stamped. Signed. Approved.

Smart, despite Jones’ absence from the team, does not get a free pass for year three of mind-numbing underachievement. Sorry. While I am indeed a millennial I refuse to reward Smart with any praise for simply participating in the 2017-2018 basketball season. You don’t get the benefit of the doubt when an NBA lottery pick is on your roster.

And he won’t get a free pass for being sub-par in year four, either.

Texas is 11-8 overall and 3-4 in conference play and I am 100 percent over this tired, same old song and dance.

Wait, no. I’m over this tired, same old song. Dance? What dance? Not this season. Silly me.

I’ve had all of the conversations someone in my position can have — lackluster offense, no real scoring threats, athletes who don’t fit his scheme, poor crowds at home games, etc.

And, for the record, while we’re on the subject, leave Texas students and Austin residents alone. Who in their right mind is, at this point, willing to come out and watch this sad display of rec-league basketball and pay the price of admission to get in, for that matter.

Folks, Chris Del Conte could make sodas $1, hot dogs $2, offer a free valet parking service that comes with a car wash and give every fan a signed TJ Ford jersey and I’m still not sure we would see a crowd that even resembles a Wednesday night NBA G-League gathering.

I realize the Big 12 has been arguably one of the premiere conferences in college basketball for most of Smart’s tenure.

I’m aware that Kansas and Bill Self made a deal with the Devil 14 years ago that makes playing in said conference pointless.

I realize that there are many of you who know this game by the X’s and O’s and will tell me all of the great things on film that Smart’s team has done.

And I know that there is the always easy go-to response: “If you get rid of Shaka Smart, who do you go hire?”

But right now, put all of the rebuttals aside and stop lying to yourself and ignoring what your eyeballs are signaling to your brain.

The product on the court is, and has been, poor. This isn’t an analytical article that’s going to break down the square root of outer space. I have a journalism degree that I don’t use, not a mathematics degree that I worship.

So, dumb it down we shall.

Texas has talented players that are collectively better than the performances we have suffered through. That’s pretty much been the identity of Shaka Ball at Texas.

As for this year, it’s no different, if not worse.

Good basketball teams beat North Carolina, hang around with Michigan State, knock off Purdue and win conference games they’re supposed to. That’s a tell tale sign of a stable basketball program with direction and an identity.

Bad basketball teams, like Texas, fall at home to teams such as Radford, face a double-digit deficit at 8-11 Oklahoma State and then fail miserably at one of the most incredibly awful plays I’ve ever seen out of a timeout to lose by two at Kansas. And here’s the best part: that loss at Kansas is championed by Texas fans like some sort of monumental moment, as if it’s a big step for the program in Smart’s fourth year.

Incredible. A program that should be, at this point, capable of, if not already beating Kansas, at least at home each year, is being celebrated for almost winning on the road at Kansas.

That treatment from some of Texas’ basketball fans pales in comparison, however, to the embarrassing losses on the floor against Radford and VCU.

And I don’t care how tough of a mid-major both Radford and VCU are. You don’t lose those games, especially at home.

I don’t know how some of you do it, clinging to anything and everything that resembles progress. We are past the threshold. We have heard nearly every realistic and asinine excuse.

This program was not in shambles, nor was it at the basement of the Big 12, when Smart took over. This was not a resurrection, similar to Indiana under Tom Crean, or Michigan under John Beilein.

Shaka Smart took over a program with all of the resources every head coach could ever dream of, including a list of Texas Exes in the NBA that showed this is no longer just a football school, in addition to a track record of his own to bring the talent to Austin needed to compete for the Big 12 and return to a place both Texas and Smart have been before — the Final Four.

And yet, it’s year four and when I watch Texas it looks like Smart is coaching in his first year at Texas with a team full of guys he met last summer.

I shouldn’t have to, but I remind myself that this is year four for Smart, that he’s had NBA lottery talent but no tournament wins, which only reminds me that he has led far less talent to much greater wins at a much smaller school, reaching the pinnacle of college basketball with a roster that had no business being there.

I don’t know if any one win or string of wins Texas pulls off this season will change my mind.

But what I do know is this; what an incredible moment it was Wednesday evening, my phone buzzing as I received two push notifications detailing two final scores, right there on top of one another.

“FINAL: TCU 65, Texas 61”

“FINAL: No. 1 Tennessee 88, Vanderbilt 83”

What a time to be alive.

WEEZER has released its rendition of the BLACK SABBATH classic "Paranoid" as part of a surprise album of covers. "The Teal Album" also features cover versions of such '80s hits as A-HA's "Take On Me", TEARS FOR FEARS' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World", THE EURYTHMICS' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" and Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" in addition to classics from the '60s and '70s like Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" and ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky". A new album of WEEZER originals, "The Black Album", will arrive on March 1. Produced by TV ON THE RADIO's Dave Sitek, it includes the previously issued cuts "Can't Knock The Hustle" and "Zombie Bastards". WEEZER will hit the road this spring for an arena tour with the PIXIES and is set to play Coachella's main stage in April. "The Teal Album" track listing: 01. Africa (TOTO) 02. Everybody Wants To Rule The World (TEARS FOR FEARS) 03. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) (THE EURYTHMICS) 04. Take On Me (A-HA) 05. Happy Together (THE TURTLES) 06. Paranoid (BLACK SABBATH) 07. Mr. Blue Sky (ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA) 08. No Scrubs (TLC) 09. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson) 10. Stand By Me (Ben E. King)

Bethesda might have a way to keep gamers interested in Fallout 76 despite all its troubles: it's raising the stakes for its more competitive players. The company has detailed an upcoming Survival mode beta where every player outside of your event group or team is considered hostile. In other words, no one needs an invitation to start shooting. A seemingly friendly encounter could turn violent in the blink of an eye, and a sniper could take you out while you're busy fighting mutant wildlife. You'll even see leaderboards that show how well you rank compared to other players in your existing world.

Via: Kotaku

Source: Bethesda

Check out some of the skins included in the Overwatch Lunar New Year event.

This week marks the return of the Overwatch Lunar New Year event, and Blizzard has shown off some the skins to be made available.

Over the weekend, Blizzard tweeted four of the skins, and we’ll know more about other goodies such as emotes, intros and the like once the event kicks off.

Zhang Fei Torbjorn

Let’s hear those guns!

Protect the flag with your trusty turret as ZHANG FEI TORBJÖRN!

Overwatch Lunar New Year begins January 24. pic.twitter.com/QzGshNCW33

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) January 22, 2019

Guan Ty Reinhardt

Respect your elders!

Share your wisdom on Capture the Flag traditions as GUAN YU REINHARDT.

Overwatch Lunar New Year begins January 24. pic.twitter.com/cHdGpq5sex

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) January 21, 2019

Huang Zhong Hanzo

Marked by the dragon.

Snipe down flag runners as HUANG ZHONG HANZO.

Overwatch Lunar New Year begins January 24. pic.twitter.com/Zbys5YfWCO

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) January 20, 2019

Lu Bu Reaper

New year, new me.

Make your own luck this year as LÜ BU REAPER!

Overwatch Lunar New Year begins January 24. pic.twitter.com/jIJc1505Ys

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) January 19, 2019

Capture the flag mode is back, along with skins from last year’s event. You can look over those through our previous coverage.

The Overwatch Lunar New Year 2019 event this year will start on Thursday, January 24 and run through February 18.

The post Here’s a few of the Overwatch Lunar New Year 2019 skins coming this week appeared first on VG247.

Coming later this year, Iron Studios‘ 1/10 “Art Scale” Jason Voorhees statue is based on the masked maniac’s appearance in Friday the 13th Part III, and two different versions are now up for pre-order: a standard edition for $99.99 and a deluxe edition for $149.99.

Both polystone statues are limited edition and hand painted, based on movie references.

The Deluxe Scale Statue includes the following extra goodies:

• Base with pier and translucent water effect
• Two interchangeable arms
• Two interchangeable heads

Both Standard and Deluxe are expected to ship between October-December 2019.

The university presidents for both Texas and Texas A&M told the Austin American-Statesman on Friday that they're "supportive" of renewing the rivalry between the two football teams.

Back in the 1980s, you may recall, a Freddy Krueger shirt was released that looks very similar to the ones pictured above, and it was in promotion of 1988’s The Dream Master. I know this because I own that very Krueger shirt, which was gifted to me by a friend several years back. In tribute to that retro design, Fright Rags just unleashed a full line of “Slashed Tees”!

As the company explains, the officially licensed t-shirts are “Inspired by the iconic SLASHED tees found in the back pages of ’80s Fangoria magazines!”

The line includes Ghostface, Michael Myers, Chucky and Leatherface designs cut from the same cloth as the aforementioned Freddy art, and the shirts are selling for $27 each.

Grab your Slashed Tees over on Fright Rags!

The Longhorns are set to lose at least one, if not two talents from the quarterback room.

After finally enjoying some depth at the position in 2018, the Texas Longhorns are set to suffer some significant attrition in the quarterback room entering the spring.

According to a report from Orangebloods’ Anwar Richardson, true freshman quarterback Cameron Rising, who entered his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal in late December and officially visited Utah last weekend, has informed the staff that he will not be returning to Texas. The report also notes that in addition to Rising’s departure, junior quarterback Shane Buechele has informed the Longhorns staff that he intends to enter his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal and explore his options.

Despite Rising expressing interest to pursue other opportunities, Texas head coach Tom Herman noted ahead of the Sugar Bowl that he wanted not only Rising, but fellow true freshman quarterback Casey Thompson, who entered his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal, as well, to stick around.

“We don’t want to lose either one of them,” Herman said of Rising and Thompson.

The former four-star gunslinger out of Newbury Park (Calif.) remained with the team throughout the Longhorns 28-21 Sugar Bowl win over No. 5 Georgia, and reports indicated that Rising’s experience in New Orleans caused him to reconsider leaving the Longhorns, at least initially.

However, Rising did go on to take his official visit to Utah over the weekend, and just days later, the Orangebloods report indicates that Rising’s time at Texas has, in fact, come to a close.

It’s unclear whether or not Rising’s decision to officially leave the Longhorns is an indication that he’s headed to Utah, but the move would make sense from a potential playing time standpoint, as BON’s Wescott Eberts recently noted.

“Utah starter Tyler Huntley will exhaust his eligibility following the 2019 season, which Rising would have to sit out due to NCAA transfer rules. The back up, freshman Jason Shelley, struggled at times as Huntley’s replacement due to injury in 2018, throwing six interceptions against five touchdowns and completing less than 60 percent of his passes.”

In Buechele’s case, though the Transfer Portal allows a player to evaluate their options and visit other programs while retaining the option to return to their current program, should they choose to do so, it appears as if Buechele has sights set on a fresh start. Per a report from Horns247, reportedly told the Longhorns coaches that he plans to complete his degree at Texas in May and then pursue a graduate transfer opportunity. After redshirting in 2018, Buechele will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Throughout his three years on the Forty Acres, Buechele played in 23 games, including 19 starts; most of which came as a true freshman in 2016.

It initially appeared as if that debut campaign saw Buechele emerge as the Longhorns quarterback of the future after he completed 236-of-291 attempts for 2,958 yards and 21 touchdowns, along with 11 interceptions. Despite the arrival of former four-star quarterback Sam Ehlinger the following offseason, Buechele outlasted Ehlinger and earned the starting nod entering the 2017 season, but early injuries opened the door for what became a season-long quarterback battle, with the two often exchanging series within a single game.

The following offseason, however, to cap what Herman dubbed as the toughest decision he’s had to make throughout his entire coaching career, Ehlinger was promoted to first-team duties ahead of the 2018 slate. Ehlinger didn’t relent those reps, going on to enjoy a breakout sophomore season en route to 41 total touchdowns; the second-most ever by any Longhorn. Meanwhile, Buechele was limited to reserve reps, completing 20-of-34 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown while leading the Longhorns to a 23-17 win over Baylor in his season debut after Ehlinger suffered an early shoulder injury. Weeks later, in a 24-10 win over Iowa State, Buechele stepped in for an injured Ehlinger yet again, completing each of his 10 attempts for 89 yards and a touchdown.

With Rising now gone from the program and Buechele seemingly set to follow in those footsteps, Texas will now be tasked with reconstructed its quarterback room after losing its third-string quarterback, and likely its second-string quarterback.

To that end, Thompson will reportedly return to Texas in the aftermath of Rising electing to leave and Buechele eyeing a graduate transfer opportunity. The Longhorns are also set to incorporate four-star dual-threat All-American quarterback Roschon Johnson into the mix, who will compete for reps this spring as an early enrollee.

Straight out of one of the hardest games ever, Super7 has just unveiled two different packages of retro-style figures in tribute to Ghosts ‘n Goblins, Capcom’s 1985 side-scroller!

The Ghosts ‘n Goblins 3.75-inch ReAction Figures come in two 3-Packs featuring:

• Astaroth, Arthur with armor, and Zombie in Pack A
• Unicorn, Arthur in Underwear, and Skeleton in Pack B

Both 3-packs will be available online Wednesday, 1/23 at 12:00pm Noon PST.

An inspired blend of both Interplay and Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic visions, is New California the co-op Fallout game you deserve?

Love or hate Fallout 76, it’s hard to deny that West Virginia was a far cry from the series’ iconic narrative roots. Thankfully, 76 wasn’t the only post-apocalyptic multiplayer experience to arrive in 2018 – Fantasy Flight Games unveiled Fallout: New California, a board game expansion inspired by the original Interplay Entertainment titles. Between this release and the core game’s expansive content, players have enough material to customize authentic Fallout multiplayer experiences to their heart’s content.

FFG’s core Fallout set is a complete board game largely inspired by Bethesda’s Fallout 3 and 4. Each session, players arrange tiles face-down into a fog-of-war-never-changes map, and choose a scenario that introduces two factions trying to control the Wasteland. From there, quest cards and encounter decks drive the story for 1-4 survivors while they explore settlements, fight enemies, and scoop up caps across the map. Using quest and encounter cards, players follow branching narratives that alter the game world and eventually guide one faction to victory. Alternatively, players can ignore factions and gather enough influence to earn a personal victory.

By and large, FFG’s Fallout is a unique game that authentically captures the selective morals of each series’ protagonist. That said, player characters have few opportunities to interact, making each multiplayer session feel like solo games were intruding on each other. New California partially addresses this with co-op mechanics that emphasize the shared world, but only capitalises on it for a single adventure.

“New California expands the core game with larger maps, new encounters, and – most importantly – quest lines inspired by the original two Fallout games, as well as adding updated versions of the Fallout 3 and 4 scenario cards”

That’s not to say New California isn’t a grand old time. FFG has expanded the core game with larger maps, new encounters, and – most importantly – quest lines inspired by the original two Fallout games. Meanwhile, New California completely and seamlessly merges with FFG’s core set thanks to updated versions of the Fallout 3 and 4 scenario cards. If you’ve already played Fallout’s core scenarios to death, that means you can expect all kinds of new surprises: you might have the opportunity to sell weapons to orphans near the Capital Wasteland, or stumble into a Mirelurk Queen in the Commonwealth.

New California’s first scenario is Rise of the Master, an adventure inspired by Fallout 1’s Unity story arc. Survivors can investigate the Children of the Cathedral, ally with the Brotherhood of Steel, and take part in a climactic church battle that triggers a nuclear weapon. (Alternatively, FFG included the non-canon ending where you can join forces with the Master and become a Super Mutant.)

The second scenario is New California itself, a loose reimagining of Fallout 2’s main storyline. During a visit to Arroyo, the players are asked to find a G.E.C.K. that might resolve the town’s severe drought. This quest sends them across the map to New California before branching into multiple potential Vault hunts, any of which potentially holds the key to victory. Meanwhile, the Enclave are working against your efforts behind the scenes with their own malicious objectives.

If you’re a fan of the Interplay Entertainment classics, these quests should be nostalgic romps for your gaming group. You’ll have the opportunity to experience iconic Fallout story arcs as a group, and reminisce about favorite moments and locations. The downside is that New California’s scenarios are quite difficult for solo players – or even two players – to beat as is. New California practically requires a four-player team to quickly explore the map and uncover Vaults before its ticking clock mechanics triggers an Enclave victory. While you could make house rules to address this, FFG’s expansion is clearly intended for non-solo sessions.

Thankfully, the New California scenario leans into this dynamic with co-operative mechanics that break from Fallout’s standard rules. Instead of choosing (or ignoring) a particular faction, survivors are an independent faction racing to stop the Enclave from completing its mission. As such, players work together to tackle unique objectives across the map at once, or focus on activities with the greatest likelihood of success. It’s a genuinely fresh reworking of Fallout’s tabletop rules that gives everyone a role to play while focusing the team on the overarching story.

Even if you never touch the new scenarios, there’s still additional content to spice up your game. Five new survivor models are included in the expansion: a rogue Enclave soldier, an NCR ranger, a lone gunslinger, a caravan merchant, and a Mister Handy droid. There’s also a Miss Nanny variant card, raising the number of playable characters to six.

“A genuinely fresh reworking of Fallout’s tabletop rules that gives everyone a role to play while focusing the team on the overarching story”

Each character has distinct traits that make each session a unique gameplay experience. The lone gunman gets bonuses to weapons, but can never accept companions. The NCR ranger has a map which lets her explore surroundings faster. My personal favorite might actually be the caravan merchant, who initiates shopping opportunities every time he makes camp thanks to his brahmin, Lady Butterheart. Sadly, there is still no playable Dogmeat character to speak of. (Yes, he’s a companion in the core game, but it’s the principle dammit!)

There are also a few new enemies to face, including a giant Enclave robot that’s only activated during a key scenario climax. As with the core game, these enemies have no miniatures of their own, and are limited to simple cardboard pieces or statistics on cards. Yet unlike other tabletop games, this doesn’t feel like a drawback. Fallout’s narrative structure is always the primary focus, immersing you into quests and encounters to such a degree that each moment feels authentically like Fallout, even if a Deathclaw isn’t literally towering over you.

Fantasy Flight Games’ Fallout was already a strong tabletop experience with a few minor flaws. New California directly addresses most these concerns with some new co-op mechanics and story arcs pulled from Fallout’s isometric classics. While it would be nice to have a few more original scenarios, there’s enough here for all the Pip Boys and Girls to enjoy post-apocalyptic gaming sessions around their tabletops.

Hoping for even more isometric Fallout goodness in tabletop form? Check in next week, where we’ll review Fallout: Wasteland Warriors.

The post Fallout: New California board game review – a better multiplayer experience than Fallout 76 appeared first on VG247.

We all love and miss Dead Space. The series definitely was another case of “gone too soon”. Of course, videos such as the recent GVMERS documentary shed light on what made the series so good. A new episode of Ars Technica’s video series “War Stories” once again sheds light on the love and effort that was put into the Frictional-developed series.

The episode (which you can see below) and the accompanying article has Dead Space creator Glen Schofield talking about just what he and his team had to do to bring their horrifying vision to life, including the various inspirations from horror films (such as the obvious from 1997’s Event Horizon, but also 2008’s Martyrs).

The episode has quite a lot of goodies, including the creation of the prototypes and the game’s lore, the sound design (the sound of the sub in San Francisco served as the sound of the transit system in the game), gameplay elements and more.

Schofield no longer works for EA, but he still hopes to at some point return to making a Dead Space-esque game again. And who knows, perhaps EA will finally decide to revisit the series at some point, and give fans closure. In the meantime, we’re left with awesome stories like these.

By Daniel Varghese and Adrienne Maxwell This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full portable mi...

Oleg Vdovenko, Illustrations.

Science Fiction horrors from the depths of Russian artist Oleg Vdovenko’s imagination.

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Be sure to follow Supersonic Art on Instagram.

Look, don't ask me why I'm playing an FMV game from 1996 called Star Trek: Borg, but I do like how refusing to play along with Q at the start boots you back to the desktop. pic.twitter.com/Lxmi0AHMtf

— Andy Kelly (@ultrabrilliant) January 10, 2019

The college football playoff drove 3 of the top 4 games watched, while Texas has two entries with Georgia and OU Part Deux.

Steve Ross can opine more meaningfully, but one of the key drivers beyond a regional base is casual interest from national viewers and the opportunity to be a featured game.

Also a confirmation of why the Big 12 is the deadest of dead ends in serving Texas.

Just how popular are Netflix‘s big time original movies, you ask? Well, Nielsen has this week backed up Netflix’s own reported data by confirming that 26 million subscribers in the United States watched their latest hit original Bird Box in the first week of it being available on the streaming service, with 45 million members checking it out globally in that first week!

As Deadline reports, this makes Bird Box the service’s biggest original movie to date, though it’s worth noting that Season 2 of “Stranger Things” bested it by around 1 million viewers.

Interestingly, the biggest day for Bird Box was not its first day of release but rather its *eighth* day (December 28th) on the service, highlighting just how strong the film’s word of mouth and social media popularity have been. The fact that one movie pulled in 45 million(!) sets of eyeballs in its first week of release is the truest testament to Netflix’s far-reaching power.

Could Bird Box 2 be in our future? We sure wouldn’t be surprised, and the world established by the first film is certainly one that could be expanded upon, if Netflix desires.

[Related] Effects Artists Share Images of the Creature We Never Got to See in ‘Bird Box’!

The two-year starter wants to finish out an already impressive career.

A Texas Longhorns defense that needs to reload just kept a huge piece, as safety Brandon Jones will return for his senior season, he announced Thursday on Twitter:

“I got really good feedback from the NFL, but with my injury I felt I had more to prove not only to myself, but to my team as well,” Jones said in a statement released by the school. “I see where this team is headed and I want to be a part of something great. Getting my degree from The University of Texas was a huge thing to both myself and my mom, and I know that will take me further in life than football. I’m so very grateful for the opportunity to play at such a prestigious level and want to finish what we’ve started.”

Jones returns to the Texas defense after holding down the safety spot for most of the season, save for the four games he missed due to injury. In spite of that, he finished the season with 70 tackles — No. 4 on the team — including 5.5 for loss and two fumble recoveries.

Perhaps the most important thing Jones brings to the table for the Texas defense is maturity and experience. The Longhorns are losing eight starters on that side of the ball due to graduation. Texas will replace its entire defensive line, two of three linebackers, both corners and the nickel back. If Jones returns, he brings with him 23 starts and will be one of two members of the defense with double-digit starts — the other is fellow safety Caden Sterns, a Freshman All-American in 2018.

So as Tom Herman and the Texas coaching staff looks to replace the vast majority of its 2018 defense, they will at least have the back end anchored.

CBS All Access is coming for your children. Alex Kurtzman, the architect of the network’s burgeoning Star Trek universe, just told The Hollywood Reporter that animation will be a key component of the sci-fi franchise’s expansion efforts. The goal, he says, is to breed a new generation of Trekkies.

Read more...

HUMMINGBIRDS WITH FLUFFY LEGS!! That is all. https://t.co/clkdA36074

You are most sincerely welcome for these majestic floofs.

— LizNeeley (@LizNeeley) January 4, 2019

"🔥 The Northern white-faced owl changes its appearance to respond to threats" pic.twitter.com/oFWwLvzOAq

— Fluff Society (@FluffSociety) January 3, 2019

RT @CuteEmergency  excuse me don't stop please. pic.twitter.com/NuyWYxaeTt

— Swaminathan P (@swami2005) January 3, 2019

แง้น้องงงง น้องไม่ไปปปป! ไม่อ๊อกกกกกกก! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/LMmh9Q88Hz

— 불꽃. (@_xdmcube) December 15, 2018

ความแมว...ทัมดาโลกมั่ยจัมมมมมม pic.twitter.com/v77lqAQ0Px

— 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℂ𝕒𝕥 (@TheCat_drama) December 16, 2018

"what? I fucking got one" pic.twitter.com/Pmf9t3tXAw

— Paul Bronks (@SlenderSherbet) December 20, 2018

Sweet little wharf chonk pic.twitter.com/8ylDbIQ328

— Sol Milne (@solomilne) December 21, 2018

my aunt got a new puppy and sent us this video and I think I’ve watched it approximately 37 times pic.twitter.com/LCNZMU5urL

— sash (@sarahashlev) December 30, 2018

Nintendo is making Switch Online more enticing for potential subscribers by adding Zelda II: The Adventure of Link and Blaster Master to its lineup of classic NES games. Zelda II was originally published in 1987 as a side-scrolling RPG, which was a huge departure from the gameplay of the first installment of the franchise. It's set several years after the first game and introduced Link's doppelganger Dark Link. Blaster Master, on the other hand, is a run and gun classic from 1988.