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  • Ransomware Survival 101: Don’t Follow Dish Network’s Playbook

    Ransomware Survival 101: Don’t Follow Dish Network’s Playbook

    Dish Network customers are still in limbo, with few answers weeks after the company was crippled by ransomware.

    Dish began experiencing major issues with its website, internal systems, and customer portal going offline in late February. Roughly a week later, the company admitted to suffering a massive ransomware attack, one that crippled operations and resulted in the theft of customer data.

    According to TechCrunch, Dish customers still have no idea what is going on, with many of them unable to access customer support, pay their bills, or get any kind of useful information.

    In fact, a number of customers have had their service disconnected because they have been unable to log into the customer portal to pay their bills. Others are already experiencing voice and email phishing attempts as hackers try to exploit the lack of information from Dish to take advantage of customers looking for answers.

    Company spokesperson Edward Wietecha told TechCrunch that “customers are having trouble reaching our service desks, accessing their accounts, and making payments.” When asked if the company was disconnecting users, Wietecha added that “customers who had their service temporarily suspended for nonpayment received additional time until our payment systems were restored.”

    In addition to the trouble Dish’s own customers are having, there is potential for the problem to be much worse and extend beyond Dish’s roughly 10 million customers. A former Dish retailer told TechCrunch that the company retains a veritable treasure trove of customer data from anyone who has ever signed up for Dish service, including those who never became customers because they didn’t pass the credit check. The information includes “customer names, dates of birth, email addresses, telephone numbers, Social Security numbers, and credit card information.” What’s more, it appears that Dish’s policy is to retain the information indefinitely.

    Overall, Dish is providing a case study of how not to handle a ransomware attack for any company that wants to come out the other side still having customers.

  • Microsoft Adding ChatGPT Email Creation Into Viva Sales

    Microsoft Adding ChatGPT Email Creation Into Viva Sales

    Microsoft is taking another crack at Salesforce, integrating ChatGPT email creation into Viva Sales to make it easier for salespeople to communicate with clients.

    Microsoft unveiled Viva Sales in mid-2022, touting it as “a new seller experience application.” The app is designed to work with various CRMs and integrate their data with Microsoft’s suite of apps.

    The company is now integrating ChatGPT into Viva Sales so salespeople can use the AI to write emails for them. According to Bloomberg, the software “will cull data from customer records and Office email software. That information will then be used to generate emails containing personalized text, pricing details and promotions.”

    Microsoft is investing heavily in ChatGPT and its creator, OpenAI. The company is planning to unveil a version of Bing that utilizes a new and improved version, and has invested billions in OpenAI.

    The company clearly sees potential for ChatGPT to help it in its efforts to take on Salesforce’s dominance in the CRM market.

  • Microsoft Takes Aim at Salesforce With Viva Sales

    Microsoft Takes Aim at Salesforce With Viva Sales

    Microsoft has unveiled its latest attempt to take on Salesforce, launching Viva Sales, “a new seller experience application.”

    Microsoft has been working on challenging Salesforce’s dominance in the CRM market for years. The company’s latest effort is the Viva Sales tool, designed to with with any CRM and integrate its data with Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365.

    “The future of selling isn’t a new system. It’s bringing the information sellers need at the right time, the right context, into the tools they know, so their work experience can be streamlined,” said Judson Althoff, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Microsoft. “Empowering sellers to spend more time with their customers has been our goal — and we’ve done that by reimagining the selling experience with Viva Sales.”

    Viva Sales allows sales reps to tag customers in Outlook, Teams, or Office apps, automatically capturing the data as a customer record. The software then uses AI to help move a customer through the sales process, prioritizing the next steps and providing valuable insights. The AI also helps sellers with recommendations to improve customer engagement and follow-through.

    “Sellers rely on digital collaboration and productivity tools to connect with customers and close deals, but a lot of the insights they uncover with these tools don’t make it into the CRM,” said Paul Greenberg, founder and managing principal, The 56 Group. “Microsoft is taking on this challenge by offering a solution that complements the CRM. Viva Sales automates the busy work, captures critical information about the customer and helps sellers get the job done.”

    Salesforce clearly sees Microsoft as a significant threat to its business, with many believing its acquisition of Slack was a way for the company to better fend off the Redmond giant.

    While Viva Sales works with any CRM, the app could represent a significant foothold effort. If companies find that Viva Sales lives up to expectations, it’s one more piece of Microsoft software integrated into their workflows. Eventually, they may find a full switch to the company’s CRM is the next logical choice.

  • Microsoft Viva: Employee Experience Platform for Teams and Microsoft 365

    Microsoft Viva: Employee Experience Platform for Teams and Microsoft 365

    Microsoft has unveiled “Viva,” a new employee experience platform (EXP) designed to integrate with Teams and Microsoft 365.

    EXP is a $300 billion a year industry and is more important than ever during the pandemic. While an unprecedented number of employees are working from home, the response to remote work has been a mixed bag. The majority of employees want it to continue indefinitely, but many still struggle to feel connected with their coworkers or access the same resources available in the office.

    Microsoft is looking to address these issues with Viva, while simultaneously disrupting the EXP industry.

    Today we’re introducing Microsoft Viva, the first EXP built for the digital era. Microsoft Viva brings together communications, knowledge, learning, resources, and insights into an integrated experience that empowers people and teams to be their best, from anywhere. Powered by the full breadth and depth of Microsoft 365, it is experienced through Microsoft Teams and other Microsoft 365 apps that people use every day.

    Viva will be rolled out in four modules: Viva Connections, Viva Insights, Viva Learning, and Viva Topics.

    Viva Connections
    Viva Connections

    Viva Connections is designed to help employees connect with each other, serving as the central point for employee interaction. This is especially useful for new hires who may never have been to the office or met their coworkers face-to-face. Leaders can host company town halls, while employees can access company news, policies, benefits and more, as well as join employee community groups.

    Viva Insights
    Viva Insights

    Viva Insights is designed to help employees, managers and leaders make better use of their time and prevent burnout. The module helps individuals maintain a healthy work balance, protecting time for breaks, focused work and learning. Managers can use the module to monitor the health of their team and see who is at risk of burnout, while company leaders can see overall trends impacting the entire organization.

    Viva Learning
    Viva Learning

    Viva Learning helps make learning a part of the everyday corporate culture. According to Microsoft’s LinkedIn, 94% of people would stay at a company longer if it invested in ongoing learning, making Viva Learning an important part of the platform.

    Viva Topics
    Viva Topics

    Microsoft describes Viva Topics as “a Wikipedia with AI superpowers for your organization.” It’s designed to save employees the estimated seven weeks a year spent searching for or re-creating information, putting all the company’s relevant knowledge and resources in a centralized place.

    “There is no question that, over the last year, we have seen lasting structural change across ever aspect of our society and economy,” CEO Satya Nadella said when introducing Viva. “No area has undergone more rapid transformation than the way we work.”

    “As the world recovers, there is no going back. Flexibility in when, where and how we work will be key,” Nadella added. “Today, we want to talk about what this means and how we’re ensuring every organization will have the technology required to support their employees and help them thrive in this new era of flexible work.”

  • Lauren Graham: “Parenthood” Daughter Mae Whitman Joins “Gilmore Girls” Revival

    Lauren Graham: “Parenthood” Daughter Mae Whitman Joins “Gilmore Girls” Revival

    Lauren Graham will soon have her two on-screen daughters by her side. Alexis Bledel is reprising her role as Rory Gilmore in the upcoming Gilmore Girls revival, and now Mae Whitman–who played Graham’s daughter Amber from the now-defunct NBC show Parenthood–is on board for a cameo as well.

    According to TVLine, there’s been no word yet on the role Mae Whitman will play, but the interaction between her, Lauren Graham, and Alexis Bledel, “will delight Parenthood fans.”

    Lauren Graham’s on-screen daughters met for the first time in June. It looks like they became fast friends, too.

    Mae Whitman and Lauren Graham have remained close since their time on Parenthood came to a close.

    How cool is it that fans will soon be treated to the best of Lauren Graham, as she combines characters from Gilmore Girls and Parenthood?

    Which of the two was your favorite Lauren Graham show?

    When the Gilmore Girls revival hits Netflix, it will air in four 90-minute “mini-movies.” Each segment will depict one of the four seasons.

    Are you among those counting the days until Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel–and now Mae Whitman–return to TV?

  • Lauren Graham: “Parenthood” Daughter Mae Whitman To Join “Gilmore Girls” Revival

    Lauren Graham: “Parenthood” Daughter Mae Whitman To Join “Gilmore Girls” Revival

    Lauren Graham will have two daughters on Netflix’s Gilmore Girls revival.

    Well, Lauren Graham may not actually have two daughters on the show, but her TV daughter from Parenthood, Mae Whitman, will be joining the cast in some capacity. The rumor is, she’ll be in a small cameo.

    However, TV Line reports, “She shares a really fun (albeit small) moment with Graham that will delight Parenthood fans.”

    The new Gilmore Girls with Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel and now Mae Whitman, will be run as four 90-minute mini-movies.

    Several years apart #lorelaigilmore #laurengraham #gilmoregirls

    A photo posted by Lauren Graham (@graham.lauren) on

    Each episode will follow Lauren Graham and her co-stars for a season (summer, winter, etc.) and will take place eight years after the ending of the original Gilmore Girls.

    One notable absence from the show will be Melissa McCarthy who played the amazing Sookie St. James.

    While she will miss teaming up with Lauren Graham and the others, she said she will gladly binge on the new Gilmore Girls.

    She said recently, “I didn’t actually get asked to do it. But I think they thought I was busy, and then by the time it did come up, then I actually was.”

    She added, “I loved that show, and I think the fans for that show are super loyal and great, and I will watch every single one of [the episodes].”

    Are you excited to see Lauren Graham and her girls in action again?

  • Alexis Bledel: Rory Gilmore’s Ex Logan Huntzberger to Return to “Gilmore Girls” Revival

    Alexis Bledel: Rory Gilmore’s Ex Logan Huntzberger to Return to “Gilmore Girls” Revival

    Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham haven’t pretended for one minute that they’re not over the moon excited about the revival of Gilmore Girls for its four-episode run on Netflix. Now Alexis Bledel is even more excited. She just recently learned that The Good Wife​ actor Matt Czuchry has signed on for the return, too. That means Rory Gilmore’s ex-boyfriend Logan Huntzberger is headed back to Stars Hollow.

    Matt Czuchry’s character dated Alexis Bledel’s character after she returned to Stars Hollow from Yale. His return to the show will no doubt add some significant drama, because Logan proposed to Rory in the Gilmore Girls season finale, and she turned him down.

    Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino indicated last week that Matt Czuchry might not be the only one of Alexis Bledel’s character’s exes to appear in the revival.

    “Our plan is to get as many of [Rory’s] lovely men back as possible. We’re still dealing with who’s going to be in it,” she said. “We definitely want to see them. And we have storylines planned. I just need someone to tell me they’re going to show up.”

    In addition to Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham, the Gilmore Girls revival will also include Scott Patterson as Lorelai’s partner Luke, Keiko Agena as Rory’s best mate Lane Kim, Kelly Bishop as Emily Gilmore, and Sean Gunn as Kirk Gleason. Fans are hoping Melissa McCarthy will return to her role as Sookie St. James, but a recent tweet she shared indicates she has yet to be asked.

    Were you a fan of Alexis Bledel and Matt Czuchry playing opposite one another on Gilmore Girls? Are you excited he’s returning along with so many of the original gang?

  • “Gilmore Girls” Revival, Will Melissa McCarthy Reprise Sookie St. James Role in Netflix FOur-Part Series?

    “Gilmore Girls” Revival, Will Melissa McCarthy Reprise Sookie St. James Role in Netflix FOur-Part Series?

    The Gilmore Girls revival is underway, with Yanic Truesdale, who is reprising his role as Michel, posting a pic sharing his excitement.

    It was only about a week ago that Lauren Graham–Lorelai Gilmore–confirmed that a four-part revival of the show, via Netflix, is a definite.

    “We haven’t even started shooting and I haven’t even seen any of the scripts. So, all I can tell you is it is because of you, the devoted fans that I get to revisit this character and go back to this world,” she said. “And we are all so excited and so thankful.”

    In addition to Lauren Graham and Yanic Truesdale, the Gilmore Girls revival will star series original Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore), in addition to Scott Patterson, Kelly Bishop, Keiko Agena, and Sean Gunn.

    Avid Gilmore Girls fans are hoping Melissa McCarthy will also reprise her role as Sookie St. James. It seems, however, that she hasn’t been invited to join the others in the revival.

    McCarthy thanked a fan who expressed her Sookie St. James sentiments via Twitter.

    What’s your take on this? The Gilmore Girls isn’t complete without Sookie St. James. Why do you suppose Melissa McCarthy hasn’t been contacted to appear in the four new episodes?

    Could it be the producers are simply a bit slow in getting everything organized?

    Were you a Gilmore Girls fan? Do you agree that a revival of the show needs Sookie?

  • Lauren Graham Confirms Netflix Revival of “Gilmore Girls”

    Lauren Graham Confirms Netflix Revival of “Gilmore Girls”

    Lauren Graham and Netflix have confirmed what fans have dreamed of since 2007–Lorelai and Rory Gilmore are headed back to the small screen in a Gilmore Girls revival.

    Taking to Twitter, Lauren Graham helped make those dreams come true.

    Netflix made it official via Twitter, too, letting fans know that Alexis Bledel will return for what they are calling the show’s “final season.”

    Entertainment Tonight confirms that in addition to Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel, the Gilmore Girls revival will include original cast members Scott Patterson (Luke), Kelly Bishop (Emily), and Sean Gunn (Kirk). There has been no word on whether Melissa McCarthy will return in her role as Sookie St. James, but fans are definitely hoping she will.

    With the REAL LIFE Lane Kim, Helen Pai. 🙂 Good things are coming… ❤️

    A photo posted by keikoagena (@keikoagena) on

    The nine-year reunion of the Gilmore Girls cast will consist of four 90-minute episodes that will depict spring, summer, fall, and winter in one calendar year.

    Are you excited to learn Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, and many of the original Gilmore Girls cast members will soon grace the small screen once again via Netflix?

    Lauren Graham said goodbye to TV after playing Sarah Braverman on six seasons of NBC’s Parenthood.

  • Selena Gomez Steals Billboard ‘Chart Topper’ Crown From Iggy Azalea, Album ‘Revival’ Still Going Strong

    Selena Gomez Steals Billboard ‘Chart Topper’ Crown From Iggy Azalea, Album ‘Revival’ Still Going Strong

    American singer and actress Selena Gomez has successfully clinched the top spot of Billboard’s Chart Topper this year.

    According to a report, Gomez, 23, will be handed the award at the annual Women in Music event, which will take place on Dec. 11, at the Cipriani Midtown in New York City.

    The Chart Topper award provides recognition to artists who have achieved “major career milestones” on Billboards charts all throughout the year.

    The “Come and Get It” singer reached the top of the Billboard 200 earlier this month with her album Revival, which managed to sell more than 117,000 equivalent album units during its first week.

    Meanwhile, her single “Good for You” featuring A$AP Rocky has become Gomez’s fastest ever platinum seller and highest-charting single for Billboard Hot 100. The single has also been at the pinnacle of the Top 40 list for three weeks already.

    “In the last few months, Selena has broken onto the scene as an adult, and come into her own as an artist with the success of Revival,” said the co-president and chief creative officer of Guggenheim Media’s Entertainment Group, Janice Min.

    Currently, Gomez has now sold a total of almost 6.7 million album units, and over 22 million sales for her singles.

    The Texas native recently thanked her fans because of Revival’s huge success.

    “I just wanna say thank you to all you guys for the past few weeks,” she told her 34 million followers on Twitter. “Reminds me of why I do what I do!”

    The recipient of Billboard’s Chart Topper award last year was Iggy Azalea, after her single “Fancy” surpassed Lil’ Kim’s as the longest-leading single in chart history.

    Other awardees in this year’s Women in Music event include Lady Gaga as Woman of the Year, and Brittany Howard as Powerhouse artist, among others.

  • Selena Gomez Clinches Top Spot On U.S. Chart With ‘Revival’ Album

    Selena Gomez Clinches Top Spot On U.S. Chart With ‘Revival’ Album

    Just last week, Selena Gomez reached the top of the Billboard 200 Chart with her album Revival, which sold 117,000 equivalent album units in the week ending on Oct. 15.

    A new report, however, states that the 23-year-old singer has reached her highest ranking on the Billboard Artist 100, since cracking the list more than a year ago. Gomez reportedly made a jump from 9th place to 2nd to reach her highest rank in her 55th week on the list. The jump was primarily the result of Gomez’ latest album selling 85,000 copies. This has boosted her ratings by 182 percent, and contributed 65% of her total Artist 100 points. Gomez sent a tweet to her followers and fans to express her gratitude for supporting her.

    “I just wanna say thank you to all you guys for the past few weeks. Reminds me of why I do what I do!” she said.

    Meanwhile, Canadian singer and songwriter The Weeknd has returned to No. 1 on the Artist 100, led by “The Hills”, which sits at the top of Billboard’s Hot 100. His eight weeks at the top of the list is only second to Taylor Swift’s 31 trips to the weekly rankings’ summit.

    The Artist 100 list ranks artists based on Billboard’s other charts, including the Billboard Hot 100, Top Album Sales, and Social 50. Billboard then uses these statistics and combines them with album and track sales, radio airplay, streaming, and social media popularity to come up with the top artists of the week.

    Also included in this week’s Artist 100 are Drake, who slides from the top spot to No. 3, Swift goes down one level from 3 to 4, and The Game re-enters the top 5 with his new album The Documentary 2.

  • Gilmore Girls Netflix Revival Would Reportedly Be 4 Movies

    Gilmore Girls Netflix Revival Would Reportedly Be 4 Movies

    Gilmore Girls is returning courtesy of Netflix according to reports. The show ran for seven seasons from 2007 to 2007, beginning on The WB and finishing on The CW.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, which cites multiple sources, Netflix is in negotiations to revive the series with creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and stars Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. It would be four 90-minute movies rather than a regular episodic series.

    Graham wouldn’t confirm the revival, but also wouldn’t deny it.

    The move would only be the latest in a number of revivals from Netflix including Arrested Development, The Killing, Longmire, Mr. Show W/ Bob and David (though it dropped the Mr. Show name), and the upcoming Full House revival Fuller House.

    Currently, all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls are available for streaming on Netflix. That’s 153 episodes.

    As long as we’re on the subject of Netflix, here’s a look at some things that are coming to Netflix next month.

  • Lauren Graham ‘Can’t Deny’ Gilmore Girls Netflix Revival

    Lauren Graham ‘Can’t Deny’ Gilmore Girls Netflix Revival

    So, the word is that Netflix is bringing back yet another beloved show. TV Line‘s Michael Ausiello reports that sources have confirmed Netflix has closed a deal with Warner Bros to bring back Gilmore Girls in a limited capacity.

    The Hollywood Reporter also cited sources in reporting that a Gilmore Girls revival is a go. According to the sources, show creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and stars Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel are all on board.

    The new show will reportedly take the format of four 90-minute episodes (movies?). Most Netflix original series have 10-13 episode seasons. So Gilmore Girls will be a little bit different.

    Netflix has yet to confirm the news, and neither has the show’s stars.

    But Lauren Graham also “can’t deny” it.

    Graham took to Twitter to pretty much confirm the news.

    Just a few months ago, Sherman-Palladino told a panel that Gilmore Girls just couldn’t get made in today’s climate.

    “Today, you don’t sell ‘Gilmore Girls,’ nobody buys it,” Sherman-Palladino, the show’s co-creator, said on Saturday during her panel ahead of the “Gilmore Girls” reunion at ATX Television Festival. She argued that it was only because of the lack of bureaucratic obstacles from the Warner Bros. network that “Gilmore Girls” was able to flourish as it did when she first sold the idea for the show in 2000.

    “It was a time when a network wasn’t looking for a cohesive brand,” she continued. “Their brand was about the individual voices of the show.”

    But Netflix has a history of taking shows that don’t fit in on other networks and making them work. I guess Netflix used its troves of user data – that surely showed how popular the show is on its streaming platform – and made a smart decision about its potential as a new series.

  • Selena Gomez On Her Favorite Lyric From New Album ‘Revival’

    Selena Gomez On Her Favorite Lyric From New Album ‘Revival’

    Selena Gomez appeared in a new video from lyric site Genius, to discuss her favorite lyric from her latest album Revival.

    Gomez says, “My favorite line from my album would probably be from my song ‘Revival,’ and what it says is, ‘What I’ve learned is so vital, more than just survival, this is my revival,’ and I think for me it’s just basically describing everything in one sentence about no matter what pain…no matter what the highest of highs are, I’ve learned so much from them, and I don’t regret anything in my life.”

    You can check out the video here:

    Gomez is apparently quite serious about that being her favorite lyrics. The following is currently her pinned tweet:

    The Revival album was released on October 9th. Here’s a preview from the official Selena Gomez YouTube channel:

    Revival is currently available, and is headed for number one on the Billboard 200 Chart.

    Who's here?? ? I'm getting way too excited…

    A photo posted by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on

  • Selena Gomez to Release ‘Revival,’ Representative of Rebirth as Adult

    Selena Gomez to Release ‘Revival,’ Representative of Rebirth as Adult

    Selena Gomez has enjoyed a huge fan base as a child star, a tween idol, and the former beloved of another pop icon, Justin Bieber. With the release of her new album, “Revival,” on October 9th, Gomez hopes it will represent her rebirth as an adult in the music world.

    Starring for a few seasons as a small child on Barney, Selena Gomez went on to star for four seasons on the Disney Channel on The Wizards of Waverly Place. She crossed over into the music world shortly before she began dating Justin Bieber.

    Long referred to as “Jelena,” Justin and Selena made news no matter what they did or where they went. The cameras loved the adorable couple.

    While it’s a bit uncertain as to Selena Gomez’s present relationship with Justin Bieber, her maturity in the music world is a certainty.

    A summer release from her upcoming album, “Good for You,” soared almost instantly to the number one spot on the singles chart.

    Selena Gomez needs her rebirth as an adult in the music world to remain independent. In addition to her past with Justin Bieber, her friendship with Taylor Swift–or at least one facet of it–puts her believability in peril. Selena wants to excel in her music career without fans thinking she’s there because of her BFF.

    If “Revival” is filled with songs like “Good for You,” that clearly show off a grown-up, very sexy Selena Gomez–and also show off a far more mature voice than her earlier music shared–then Selena Gomez will soon enjoy that rebirth she is longing to attain.

  • Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny To Return For “X-Files” Revival

    Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny To Return For “X-Files” Revival

    Gillian Anderson is one busy lady.

    Gillian Anderson has a couple of huge projects coming up for fans to enjoy!

    Of most importance, Gillian Anderson will be returning, with David Duchovny, to Fox for a revival of the incredibly popular show, The X-Files.

    In an annoucement, Fox execs revealed, “The next mind-bending chapter of The X-Files debuts with a special two-night event beginning Sunday, Jan. 24 (10:00-11:00 PM ET/7:00-8:00 PM PT), following the NFC Championship game, and continuing with its time period premiere on Monday, Jan. 25 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT).”

    The statement continued, “The thrilling, six-episode event series, helmed by creator/executive producer Chris Carter and starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, marks the momentous return of the Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-winning pop culture phenomenon, which remains one of the longest-running sci-fi series in network television history.”

    So exciting!

    In addition to the long-awaited X-Files continuation, Gillian Anderson will be featured on Hannibal‘s upcoming season as the “bride of Hannibal”, Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier.

    Check out this intriguing preview:

    https://youtu.be/lQ4Bn5YuGcE

    Hannibal, besides bringing on Gillian Anderson, stars Hugh Dancy as criminal profiler Will Graham. Graham has the ability to see into the mind of serial killers.

    Mads Mikkelsen stars as a super creepy Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Lecter is psychiatrist who is helping with the cases. He is also a serial killer.

    So awesome.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y07jbp9iY4o

    With the addition of Gillian Anderson as Hannibal’s love, I just don’t know if this show could possibly get any better.

    And Gillian Anderson’s return as Dana Scully is just too much.

    What do you think about Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny’s return to The X-Files? Will you be watching?

  • Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry Share Their Story Of 10 Years of Captivity, Rape, Abuse and Survival

    Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry Share Their Story Of 10 Years of Captivity, Rape, Abuse and Survival

    Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry broke their silence recently about their 10-year ordeal of being kidnapped, chained, raped, physically and emotionally abused by their captor Ariel Castro.

    After 10 long years of unimaginable torture, Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry and Michelle Knight, along with Berry’s six-year-old daughter, managed to escape nearly two years ago when Castro forgot to lock them inside their rooms when he left the home. The girls fled the only home they had known for 10 years, called 911 and were free.

    “Sometimes, there are days that I just can’t believe it,” Amanda Berry, now 29, told People magazine exclusively. “I just feel like I can’t believe that this happened to me.”

    Gina DeJesus and her co-captees released a book chronicling their ordeal, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland, written with Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan.

    “He was always watching us,” Gina DeJesus, 25, said about Castro. “Before the door opened, your heart was just beating real fast.”

    Amanda Berry said their days were filled with uncertainty and constant fear.

    “You didn’t know why he was coming up the stairs or what was going to happen.”

    Despite horrific circumstances, Gina DeJesus and the girls spent their evenings when Castro went to work like many other girls their age by dancing and singing and watching their favorite show, The Vampire Diaries, every Thursday night.

    “We would watch the show and then for two hours afterward, we would talk about what’s going to happen next week,” said Berry.

    The fun would be broken the moment Castro returned home.

    “He would walk up the stairs and just ruin our whole day,” said Gina DeJesus.

    Some days were more difficult than others.

    “At the time, I thought I was going to be there forever so I didn’t care if I died,” said Gina DeJesus.

    However, a deep-rooted hope is what kept them going, said the women, who still live in Cleveland with their families.

    “You had to stay positive because if you didn’t, there was no reason to try and survive it,” said Amanda Berry.

    As for Castro, he was sentenced to life without parole and took his own life by hanging the next month.

  • Emma Stone Will Debut On Broadway In ‘Cabaret’ Revival

    Emma Stone Will Debut On Broadway In ‘Cabaret’ Revival

    Screen star Emma Stone will debut on Broadway’s revival of the classic musical Cabaret as Michelle Williams ends her run. Stone will take over Wiliams role as Sally Bowles, the troubled 19-year-old cabaret performer.

    The Roundabout Theatre Company officially released the news Wednesday, welcoming Stone into the cast for a limited run. The 25-year-old’s prior work include The Amazing Spiderman 2, Crazy, Stupid, Love and Easy A.

    USA Today reported that Williams’ final curtain call as Bowles will be on November 9. Stone will take over two days after November 11 and will remain in the cast through February 11.  The show is scheduled to run until March 29 with Alan Cumming staying put in his role as the chilling Emcee who oversees all the cabaret action.

    Cabaret is a Kander and Ebb musical first produced on Broadway in 1966. It was based on the 1951 Broadway play I Am a Camera which, in turn, was based on a book written by Christopher Isherwood. It was very well received and later inspired numerous other productions in New York and London. It was also adapted into film in 1972 which cast Liza Minnelli as Bowles.

    The current show is a revival of the revival which ran for more than 2,000 performances from 1998 to 2004. That run won the Tony Award in 1998 for best musical revival.

    The story is set in Berlin before the Second World War, just as the Nazis are rising to power. It is a peek in and around the Kit Kat Klub, the life of showgirl Sally Bowles and her relationship with American writer, Cliff Bradshaw.  The plot also highlights a doomed romance between a German boarding house owner and an elderly Jewish fruit vendor.

    In addition to Minnelli and Williams, the part of Bowles has also been played by Judi Dench, Gina Gershon, Jill Haworth, Melina Kanakaredes, Jane Leeves, Natasha Richardson, Alyson Reed and Lea Thompson, among others.

  • Bear Grylls Challenges Zac Efron And Ben Stiller’s Survival Skills

    Bear Grylls Challenges Zac Efron And Ben Stiller’s Survival Skills

    With almost sadistic glee, TV host-cum-wildman Bear Grylls is excited about bringing celebrities into the wild on his new show on NBC called Running Wild With Bear Grylls. The 40-year-old adventurer is famous for dropping himself and a skeleton film crew into the most remote locations around the world. His journey is documented and shows him using just the bare minimum of tools and a wealth of survival skills to successfully make his way back to civilization. On Running Wild With Bear Grylls, he’s not only taking someone with him—he’s taking some of the world’s most well know personalities on the biggest adventure of their lives.

    On the show’s premiere episode, Grylls takes young actor Zac Efron on a trip to New York’s Catskill Mountains, where they both took their shirts off before scaling down a cliff. Grylls also dared Efron to go on a skydive with him, which the 26-year-old actor was game to do after some minor hesitation. That episode has since kicked off a series that promises big celebrities working their way out of the most dangerous situations.

    What Grylls achieves when bringing stars into the wild is not only the cheap thrill of watching them in their most vulnerable states, but also bringing out the best in their physical capabilities and opening a window into their personal lives.

    In the second episode of the show, Grylls brings actor Ben Stiller to the Isle of Skye, a harsh environment in Northern Scotland. Within 48 hours, Grylls gets Stiller to stand on the pontoons of a flying helicopter, rappel down a cliff face, and forage for food in the form of wild garlic and limpid water. Through the jokes and exclamations of disbelief, Stiller opens up to Grylls about his parents and comedic inspirations, showing a rare glimpse of his personality.

    Image via YouTube

  • Laptop Sales See New Revival After Decline Of Tablet

    Laptop Sales See New Revival After Decline Of Tablet

    Laptop sales have been increasing lately with the decline of tablet sales. The tablet, once touted as the laptop killer, is slowly sinking in popularity.

    The reason behind the increase in laptop sales is said to be partly due to Microsoft stopping its support for the Windows XP operating system.

    Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly stands by this idea as the driving force behind increasing laptop sales.

    He said on Wednesday, “The tablets boomed and now are crashing. The volume has really gone down in the last several months. But I think the laptop has something of a revival because it’s becoming more versatile.”

    With the introduction of devices like the Microsoft Surface, the lines between tablet and laptop became somewhat blurred. This has been a popular option, especially for students. Who wants to carry around both?

    Joly said of the combination, “So, with the two-in-ones, you have the opportunity to have both a tablet and laptop, and that’s appealing to students in particular. So you have an evolution. The boundaries are not as well defined as they used to be.”

    The growth in laptop sales isn’t astronomical, but it is enough to make one not see them as down for the count.

    Joly says part of the problem with the tablet, which is causing its sales to decrease and laptop sales to rise, could be that there hasn’t been a great need for replacement if you have a tablet.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lay532mncvg

    “As a consumer. I think replacement is the issue. The penetration has gone so fast that it’s reaching an amazing degree and therefore it becomes more of a replacement market, and the level of innovation in the past year has not been as great as it had been in the previous two years. So, there again, the jury’s out in terms of what’s going to happen, because it’s going to depend on what innovation comes to market. But you need a reason to replace.”

    What do you think? Are you ready to ride the wave of increasing laptop sales and give up your tablet? Or do you still love the convenience and portability of a tablet too much?

    Image via YouTube

  • Bear Grylls Tests Celebrities’ Survival Skills

    Bear Grylls Tests Celebrities’ Survival Skills

    Bear Grylls is slated to star in a new survivalist series for NBC — and this time he’s starring with the stars.

    In the new series, Running Wild with Bear Grylls, the survivor guru will take celebrities one at a time off to remote locations around the world and test their survival skills for 48 hours.

    Set to premiere in late July, Running Wild with Bear Grylls already has some A-list celebrities lined up for the task including Zac Efron, Ben Stiller, Channing Tatum and Tom Arnold, as well as former NFL player Deion Sanders and TODAY anchor Tamron Hall.

    “Viewers will get to see inside the hearts and minds of these guests in a very open, honest and vulnerable way, pushing them out of their comfort zones and seeing what they are like in real life when stripped of all the benefits of celebrity,” said Grylls in a statement. “Ultimately, this show is about taking these stars on the adventure of a lifetime and being alongside them when they discover something new and empowering about themselves and their world. For me, that is always a privilege.”

    Some of the adventures lined up for Grylls and his cohorts include skydiving in the Catskill Mountains and repelling down cliffs in Utah.

    Grylls previously starred on Man vs. Wild on the Discovery Channel from 2006 to 2011. The series saw him survive in locations all over the world with few supplies and no one but his film crew.

    “Bear’s incredible spirit is absolutely contagious, not only with his celebrity partners but with the viewing audience as well,” NBC alternative programming president Paul Telegdy said. “We can’t wait to see how these epic adventures will profoundly change those who take challenge.”

    Tamron Hall, who is currently on her big adventure with Grylls, tweeted some details about her pending trip.

    Running Wild with Bear Grylls premieres July 28 on NBC.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons