newyorkpost--2020-07-14--Checking in with celebs still on lockdown

Click to email this to a friend ( Opens in new window ) Celebrities during lockdown : Laura Dern : “ I ’ m picking myself apart ” … Armie Hammer , who is splitting from wife Elizabeth Chambers : “ Self-abusing narcissist , I watch my old films ” … Gal Gadot ’ s looking forward to the November release of her Netflix thriller “ Red Notice ” … Harvey Keitel and Sônia Braga wrapped “ Fatima , ” a true faith film about visitations of the Virgin Mary .
Ex-Marine Harvey and the Virgin Mary ?
?
Aug. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — where Michael Jackson once prayed — doing a virtual dinner .
Actual guests are Ashton Kutcher and Annette Bening … SAG Harbor ’ s Bay Street Theater advertising a “ red carpet ” for their annual summer gala , Starry Night .
Among the starry stars for this event on July 22 are Omar Lopez-Cepero , Trent Saunders , Kaden Amari Anderson and Jackie Hoffman .
OK ?
Celebrity hotels during lockdown : A shamrock from Ireland is Castle Leslie , where Paul McCartney married his ex Heather Mills .
Says Sammy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hunkered down , terrified , I haven ’ t slept in six weeks .
Our 1,000 acres are in the country so my furniture maker made outside tables 2 meters wide for our lakeside picnic houses .
But Yanks aren ’ t coming like before.
” Where Yanks are going is to 1778 ’ s historic Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs , W.Va .
Owned by that state ’ s Gov .
Jim Justice .
With a hospital and bunker that hid our WWII government , it ’ s housed kings , queens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ July Fourth , 1,400 guests arrived from New York , New Jersey , Cincinnati , Kentucky , DC and Cleveland .
Michael Cohen ’ s a fixer lawyer , so didn ’ t he know jailhouse rules ?
Also , wasn ’ t his own 3,500-square-foot Upper East Side apartment , roomier than the can , large enough space to knock off that piece of restaurant flounder ?
… And near Cohen ’ s empty pad , Isabelle Bscher ’ s Galerie Gmurzynska is showing new watercolors by Fernando Botero , who ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fat ” folk .
The collection previews July 23 , Hamptons Virtual Art Fair .
One more thing about that fake fraud savaging Uncle Donald in her book .
She wrote about his not taking his SATs .
Transferring in his junior year , Trump did not need to send SATs to Penn .
He had Fordham grades .
Better her pages should wrap fish .
Same smell .
Virginia ’ s private Washington College began 1749 .
In 1865 it was going under so the Civil War ’ s Confederate Gen. Robert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his death , their name changed to Washington and Lee University .
He , the family , even his horse Traveler are buried on campus .
Although Lee repented slavery , faculty now demands his name be removed from the university because he opposed racial equality .
So they ’ ll call it now what — Up U ?
Another note .
The Rev .
Martin Luther King ’ s Civil Rights Movement suffered a Sunday church bombing , which killed four little black girls .
Thomas Blanton , the last living person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was up for parole next year .
Age 82 , he died — last month — in an Alabama prison .
Conversation .
Gloria : “ With this planet ’ s current miseries , feels like God is getting angry with us.
” Sharon : “ Yeah .
Like She ’ s really pissed off.
” Only in New York , kids , only in New York .

Celebrities during lockdown: Laura Dern: “I’m picking myself apart” … Armie Hammer, who is splitting from wife Elizabeth Chambers: “Self-abusing narcissist, I watch my old films” … Gal Gadot’s looking forward to the November release of her Netflix thriller “Red Notice” … Harvey Keitel and Sônia Braga wrapped “Fatima,” a true faith film about visitations of the Virgin Mary. Ex-Marine Harvey and the Virgin Mary??
Aug. 3 West Side’s Carlebach Shul — where Michael Jackson once prayed — doing a virtual dinner. Actual guests are Ashton Kutcher and Annette Bening … SAG Harbor’s Bay Street Theater advertising a “red carpet” for their annual summer gala, Starry Night. Among the starry stars for this event on July 22 are Omar Lopez-Cepero, Trent Saunders, Kaden Amari Anderson and Jackie Hoffman. OK?
Celebrity hotels during lockdown: A shamrock from Ireland is Castle Leslie, where Paul McCartney married his ex Heather Mills. Says Sammy Leslie: “We just reopened. Hunkered down, terrified, I haven’t slept in six weeks. Our 1,000 acres are in the country so my furniture maker made outside tables 2 meters wide for our lakeside picnic houses. But Yanks aren’t coming like before.”
Where Yanks are going is to 1778’s historic Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. Owned by that state’s Gov. Jim Justice. With a hospital and bunker that hid our WWII government, it’s housed kings, queens, stars and 26 presidents. On July Fourth, 1,400 guests arrived from New York, New Jersey, Cincinnati, Kentucky, DC and Cleveland.
Mad Ave musings
Michael Cohen’s a fixer lawyer, so didn’t he know jailhouse rules? Also, wasn’t his own 3,500-square-foot Upper East Side apartment, roomier than the can, large enough space to knock off that piece of restaurant flounder? … And near Cohen’s empty pad, Isabelle Bscher’s Galerie Gmurzynska is showing new watercolors by Fernando Botero, who’s famous and rich for painting “fat” folk. The collection previews July 23, Hamptons Virtual Art Fair.
Book is useless
One more thing about that fake fraud savaging Uncle Donald in her book. She wrote about his not taking his SATs. Transferring in his junior year, Trump did not need to send SATs to Penn. He had Fordham grades. Better her pages should wrap fish. Same smell.
Name game
Virginia’s private Washington College began 1749. In 1865 it was going under so the Civil War’s Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee assumed its presidency. Upon his death, their name changed to Washington and Lee University. He, the family, even his horse Traveler are buried on campus.
Although Lee repented slavery, faculty now demands his name be removed from the university because he opposed racial equality. So they’ll call it now what — Up U?
Another note. The Rev. Martin Luther King’s Civil Rights Movement suffered a Sunday church bombing, which killed four little black girls. Thomas Blanton, the last living person convicted in that 1963 Birmingham murder, was up for parole next year. Age 82, he died — last month — in an Alabama prison.
Conversation. Gloria: “With this planet’s current miseries, feels like God is getting angry with us.” Sharon: “Yeah. Like She’s really pissed off.”
Only in New York, kids, only in New York.


newyorkpost--2020-07-14--Dirty laundry and James Corden: Today in the Johnny Depp libel case

Click to email this to a friend ( Opens in new window ) Click to share on Twitter ( Opens in new window ) Click to share on Facebook ( Opens in new window ) Johnny Depp and Amber Heard ’ s actual dirty laundry was aired in court Tuesday .
The “ Pirates of the Caribbean ’ ’ star ’ s libel case heard that he accused his “ malicious ” wife of “ acquiring ” him for “ success , ” that she derided him as “ fat ’ ’ and “ washed up ” — and then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in their bedsheets .
The cringe-worthy free-for-all of evidence was produced in the London trial ’ s second week , as several Depp employees took the stand to defend him from allegations of domestic abuse .
The actor is suing The Sun newspaper for libel after it called him a “ wife beater ’ ’ in a 2018 article , based on Heard ’ s claims that her former husband repeatedly assaulted her in alcohol- and drug-fueled rages through their 15-month marriage .
The court heard Tuesday that after one fight between the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which the tip of Depp ’ s right middle finger was sliced off — the actor raged to his doctor in a text , “ I ’ m done .
NO MORE !
!
!
” Calling his wife “ as full of s–t as a Christmas goose !
!
!
” Depp added , “ The constant insults , the demeaning , belittling , most heartbreaking spew that is only released from a malicious , evil and vindictive c–t !
!
!
!
!
” “ She is SO F***IN ’ AMBITIOUS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ desperate for success and fame… That ’ s probably why I was acquired , mate… !
!
” the texts read .
Depp ’ s longtime bodyguard , Malcolm Connolly , told the court the actor told him Heard cut his finger with a vodka bottle — before she called Depp a “ f–king coward.
’ ’ Heard has said Depp injured himself while spending three days assaulting her .
But Tara Roberts , the estate manager of Depp ’ s Little Hall Pond ’ s Cay in the Bahamas , said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aggressor in the relationship , including during a violent clash in December 2015 in which the actress berated him .
“ I heard her say specifically , ‘ Your career is over , ’ ‘ No one is going to hire you , ’ ‘ You ’ re washed up , ’ ‘ fat , ’ ” Roberts said .
The employees said they never saw Heard with any injuries .
The one-time couple ’ s former stylist testified that the actress once claimed to be sporting “ two black eyes ” while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Late Late Show ” in December 2015 — but she saw no “ visible marks ” on the star ’ s face that day .
Employee Samantha McMillen said she was “ confused ” when Heard said after taping the show , “ Can you believe I just did that show with two black eyes ?
” McMillen said in a written statement , “ Ms .
Heard did not have any black eyes , and had been visibly uninjured throughout the day and at that moment.
’ ’ But Depp ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once see too much — when she found “ human feces ” in the couple ’ s bed .
Depp had previously told the court Heard or one of her friends defecated in the bed as a “ prank ’ ’ after the actress ’ s 30th birthday party on April 21 , 2016 , following a fight between the pair — flushing their marriage down the toilet for good .
Housekeeper Hilda Vargas said she was the one who found the disgusting addition .
“ I pulled back the top sheet on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of feces , ’ ’ Vargas said in a written statement .
“ I was horrified and disgusted .
It was clear to me that this was human feces.
’ ’ A spokeswoman for Heard later issued a statement denying the actress or any of her pals was responsible — and suggested Depp might have been behind the poop himself .
Heard is expected to testify in the case later this week , as are some of Depp ’ s other exes , including “ Edward Scissorhands ’ ’ co-star Winona Ryder .

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Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s actual dirty laundry was aired in court Tuesday.
The “Pirates of the Caribbean’’ star’s libel case heard that he accused his “malicious” wife of “acquiring” him for “success,” that she derided him as “fat’’ and “washed up” — and then viewed photos of “human feces” in their bedsheets.
The cringe-worthy free-for-all of evidence was produced in the London trial’s second week, as several Depp employees took the stand to defend him from allegations of domestic abuse.
The actor is suing The Sun newspaper for libel after it called him a “wife beater’’ in a 2018 article, based on Heard’s claims that her former husband repeatedly assaulted her in alcohol- and drug-fueled rages through their 15-month marriage.
The court heard Tuesday that after one fight between the couple in Australia in 2015 — during which the tip of Depp’s right middle finger was sliced off — the actor raged to his doctor in a text, “I’m done. NO MORE!!!”
Calling his wife “as full of s–t as a Christmas goose!!!” Depp added, “The constant insults, the demeaning, belittling, most heartbreaking spew that is only released from a malicious, evil and vindictive c–t!!!!!”
“She is SO F***IN’ AMBITIOUS!!! She’s so desperate for success and fame… That’s probably why I was acquired, mate…!!” the texts read.
Depp’s longtime bodyguard, Malcolm Connolly, told the court the actor told him Heard cut his finger with a vodka bottle — before she called Depp a “f–king coward.’’ Heard has said Depp injured himself while spending three days assaulting her.
But Tara Roberts, the estate manager of Depp’s Little Hall Pond’s Cay in the Bahamas, said in a separate statement that Heard was the aggressor in the relationship, including during a violent clash in December 2015 in which the actress berated him.
“I heard her say specifically, ‘Your career is over,’ ‘No one is going to hire you,’ ‘You’re washed up,’ ‘fat,’ ” Roberts said.
The employees said they never saw Heard with any injuries.
The one-time couple’s former stylist testified that the actress once claimed to be sporting “two black eyes” while appearing on James Corden’s “The Late Late Show” in December 2015 — but she saw no “visible marks” on the star’s face that day.
Employee Samantha McMillen said she was “confused” when Heard said after taping the show, “Can you believe I just did that show with two black eyes?”
McMillen said in a written statement, “Ms. Heard did not have any black eyes, and had been visibly uninjured throughout the day and at that moment.’’
But Depp’s longtime maid testified that she did once see too much — when she found “human feces” in the couple’s bed.
Depp had previously told the court Heard or one of her friends defecated in the bed as a “prank’’ after the actress’s 30th birthday party on April 21, 2016, following a fight between the pair — flushing their marriage down the toilet for good.
Housekeeper Hilda Vargas said she was the one who found the disgusting addition.
“I pulled back the top sheet on the bed and saw a large pile of feces,’’ Vargas said in a written statement.
“I was horrified and disgusted. It was clear to me that this was human feces.’’
A spokeswoman for Heard later issued a statement denying the actress or any of her pals was responsible — and suggested Depp might have been behind the poop himself.
Heard is expected to testify in the case later this week, as are some of Depp’s other exes, including “Edward Scissorhands’’ co-star Winona Ryder.
With Wires


newyorkpost--2020-07-14--As NYC shootings surge, de Blasio has only made it worse

The Big Apple ’ s gun-violence epidemic continued unabated last week , with ...

What’s amazing about handguns — apart from the tragedy and devastation that 20 ounces can unleash — is their indestructibility. Like the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards or Cher, they are timeless and, operationally, immune to the ravages of aging. In fact, with minimal maintenance and care, a handgun from 1920 will discharge a bullet with similar accuracy as the same gun minted in 2020.
Which brings us to the matter at hand: 132 shootings in New York City in the past 10 days and the bloodiest June in more than two decades.
Our spineless leaders in City Hall and the City Council labored through all the familiar excuses and p.r. machinations: outrage at the lack of gun-control laws; scorn for an ineffective New York Police Department; talk of the depressive effects of coronavirus lockdowns. Titanically unaware, they refuse to accept that the guns and their owners never left New York — notwithstanding their impassioned claims that Gotham is still “the safest big city in America.”
Cold, and steely efficient, these guns had been hidden at the bottom of bureau drawers, behind radiators and in glove compartments, waiting patiently to be called into service. The first call to service followed bail “reform” in January. The effect of the misguided law was swift and terrifying.
Shootings surged 28 percent in the first 30 days. Empowered criminals learned quickly that carrying an illegal gun in the Big Apple was no longer a big deal. Those once-hidden handguns were now riding in waistbands, readily available, itching to hurl deadly projectiles at eyewatering speeds in a blaze of heat and smoke.
Some criminals began to behave as if they had a carry permit in their wallets. To be sure, not all of Gotham’s criminals were fully empowered — yet. Many still had the metaphorical scar tissue from an encounter with the plainclothes anti-crime units. So they remained cautious, ever wary of a plainclothes team silently descending on them.
The indefensible killing of George Floyd on May 25, however, set in motion a series of events that turned the criminals’ partial carry permits into full ones. In the June riots, 478 officers were injured, 198 police vehicles burned, police precincts were attacked and overrun.
In the wake of this carnage, and the destruction of almost 1,000 businesses, Mayor de Blasio, dim at best, swiftly instituted two policies. First, he eliminated the anti-crime units. Then he doubled down on July 1, erasing $1 billion from the NYPD’s crime-fighting budget overnight: a devastating one-two punch to the NYPD and law-abiding New Yorkers.
The criminal was now fully empowered, the thin blue line stretched to the breaking point.
Brazen felons could now strut from Staten Island to The Bronx, confident they wouldn’t be searched for weapons. How could they be searched? The plainclothes anti-crime officers were molting behind a desk at One Police Plaza. Many other officers were at the pension section, filing for early retirement. Street disrespect and political degradation weren’t what they had signed up for.
July 4 rang in the bloodiest weekend in recent memory, with 60 New Yorkers shot and 12 dead. The following week saw a 600 percent increase in shootings and a 1-year-old baby shot dead in his stroller in Brooklyn.
The mind reels from it all.
And still, our political class refuses to accept these brutal facts. Hizzoner clings to the illusion of safety, despite the violence that rages outside the windows of his chauffeured SUVs, if he would but look.
He is oblivious to the fact that he has single-handedly dismantled Mayors Rudy Giuliani’s and Mike Bloomberg’s extraordinarily successful policing strategies. He ignores the devastating effects of his poisonous anti-police rhetoric and ill-conceived police “reforms.” He tacitly accepts criminal behavior.
Bad guys did not leave New York City and colonize the moon, nor did they shed their weapons. Guns, many from the crime-plagued 1980s and ’90s, still work. They didn’t break from diminished use or rust into useless metal. Hizzoner tells New Yorkers to wear their masks; he should tell them to wear bulletproof vests.
Patrick J. Brosnan is a retired NYPD robbery detective, winner of the New York state Medal of Valor for policing and the CEO and founder of Brosnan Risk Consultants, a national-security and intelligence firm.


newyorkpost--2020-07-14--‘Survivor’ Pulled From CBS Fall Lineup Due to Coronavirus

CBS is no longer planning to air Survivor Season 41 this fall .
Variety has learned that CBS has pulled the long-running reality competition series from its fall 2020-2021 lineup .
Production on the season , which will take place in Fiji , was delayed back in March due to the coronavirus pandemic .
According to an individual with knowledge of the production , CBS and officials in Fiji are still evaluating the best time to start production due to the heightened health and safety concerns involved .
The Amazing Race will now take Survivor ’ s 8 p.m. time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an hour .
SEAL Team will now air at 9 .
SWAT , which was originally going to be held for midseason , will now air Wednesdays at 10 this fall .
Survivor is now the first show to be pulled from the fall schedule since all the broadcast networks unveiled their lineups over the past few months .
CBS revealed their schedule in May , which banked heavily on being able to return to production on most of their scripted shows despite production still being mostly shutdown because of the pandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Season 32 of The Amazing Race , which was originally set to debut on the network this spring .
Variety previously reported that Season 33 was two weeks into shooting before being shut down due to the outbreak of the pandemic .
With SWAT moving up to fall , the only shows CBS is currently holding for midseason are Undercover Boss and the new drama series Clarice , about FBI Agent Clarice Starling in the years after the events of Silence of the Lambs .
CBS is planning to debut just two new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Chuck Lorre camp and a reboot of The Equalizer starring Queen Latifah .

CBS is no longer planning to air Survivor Season 41 this fall.
Variety has learned that CBS has pulled the long-running reality competition series from its fall 2020-2021 lineup. Production on the season, which will take place in Fiji, was delayed back in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to an individual with knowledge of the production, CBS and officials in Fiji are still evaluating the best time to start production due to the heightened health and safety concerns involved.
The Amazing Race will now take Survivor’s 8 p.m. time slot on Wednesday nights, moving up an hour. SEAL Team will now air at 9. SWAT, which was originally going to be held for midseason, will now air Wednesdays at 10 this fall.
Survivor is now the first show to be pulled from the fall schedule since all the broadcast networks unveiled their lineups over the past few months. CBS revealed their schedule in May, which banked heavily on being able to return to production on most of their scripted shows despite production still being mostly shutdown because of the pandemic.
The move is also the latest for Season 32 of The Amazing Race, which was originally set to debut on the network this spring. Variety previously reported that Season 33 was two weeks into shooting before being shut down due to the outbreak of the pandemic.
With SWAT moving up to fall, the only shows CBS is currently holding for midseason are Undercover Boss and the new drama series Clarice, about FBI Agent Clarice Starling in the years after the events of Silence of the Lambs. CBS is planning to debut just two new shows this fall — B Positive from the Chuck Lorre camp and a reboot of The Equalizer starring Queen Latifah.
Where to watch Survivor


newyorkpost--2020-07-15--Peacock’s ‘Brave New World’ is the Horniest TV Dystopia Ever

Balletic orgies , legally-enforced polygamy , and non-stop lusting : Peacock ’ s Brave New World serves up the horniest dystopia ever on TV .
The long-awaited television adaptation of Aldous Huxley ’ s landmark novel leans hard into the more lascivious parts of the text , giving the show a rather escapist quality .
Brave New World won ’ t have you examining parallels with today ’ s world so much as it might have you questioning the pros and cons of hookup culture vs. matrimonial monogamy .
It is an almost seedy delight , which makes it perfect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ World takes us to the “ perfect ” future society of New London , where people are separated by caste at birth , but are mostly free to sleep with whomever they want .
Children are genetically-engineered in order to perpetuate the blissful social balance and practices like monogamy or pregnancy are considered literally savage .
Indeed , the only place where humans are able to live anywhere close to contemporary society is a place called the “ Savage Lands.
” In the Peacock series , the Savage Lands are a sort of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a theme park for the folks of New London .
The series kicks off by following characters in these two separate worlds .
In New London , an Alpha+ man named Bernard Marx ( Harry Lloyd ) tries to conceal his almost jealous attraction to a Beta+ woman , Lenina Crowne ( Jessica Brown Findlay ) .
While Bernard uses his seniority to chastise Lenina for carrying on a fleeting monogamous relationship , he also struggles to do anything but pine for her .
After the two develop a unique friendship , Bernard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Savage Lands , where they have the choice of literally joining an orgy in the pool area or touring exhibitions where actual “ Savages ” ham up negative stereotypes for the delight of the snobby tourists .
It is here where they cross paths with “ John the Savage ” ( Alden Ehrenreich ) , a sensitive young man who feels at odds with the Savage Lands .
Perhaps that ’ s because he ’ s the illegally conceived son of two New London lovers , one of whom ( Demi Moore ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lands because of the scandal of her pregnancy .
After a tense stand off with locals , Bernard , Lenina , John , and his mother return to New London , where John ’ s arrival immediately sets everyone on edge .
Not raised in the surveillance state of New London , John chafes at the rules put in place and openly questions the society as a whole .
But John ’ s outlier status makes him a curiosity in this carefully structured society — and it makes him an object of desire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orgies on the regular and sees sex as a communal experience .
Naturally , this “ Savage ” is going to find himself folded into that world of detached debauchery .
Complicated hookups , jealous rivalries , and even a good old fashioned love triangle ensue .
“ It is an old story , ” Brave New World star Harry Lloyd told Decider over the phone last week .
“ First of all , it ’ s complicated .
It ’ s a [ love ] triangle .
So there ’ s that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to be the lonely boy looking for love .
A boy who ’ s never really heard of love , or understood it at all.
” Lloyd explained that one thing that struck him about Brave New World — besides the fact that is “ a lot more fun than people think ” — was the irony of Bernard ’ s place in New London .
He ’ s ostensibly one of the elites , given that he is an Alpha+ , but he doesn ’ t feel connected to the community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feeling , isn ’ t it ?
When you take a straight look at society , everyone ’ s connected , and you ’ re disconnected .
You ’ re very lonely , ” Lloyd said .
When asked about the way all the sex scenes in Brave New World were handled on set , Lloyd said , “ You know what ?
It was done brilliantly…It ’ s really great to be open about it.
” “ It ’ s an uncomfortable thing to do , ” he said before explaining that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still key to the show ’ s story .
“ It ’ s an important part of our story , [ sex ] being not intimate , but pleasurable .
It ’ s the way that they pass the time and express their love .
So you have to create a new dynamic for that .
I ’ m actually very much involved and down to coordinate , ” he said , before noting that he had the job of being mostly a spectator in some of the show ’ s big choreographed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in the pleasure gardens , for example , they were dancers .
Because I had such a part in that , I went to this rehearsal in London on a Sunday and saw them rehearsing that full body orgasm where everyone escalates , ” Lloyd said .
“ The whole party just becomes a single organism.
” Is it better to be part of a greater whole or your own person ?
Brave New World asks that question not from a political or economic stance , but a romantic one .
Is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pill-popping mood stabilizers and eschewing personal privacy the recipe for utopia ?
Or do we crave something uniquely ours ?
Not just free will , but the freedom to love and lose ?
Peacock ’ s Brave New World ponders these questions in the most decadent way possible : with pretty people hooking up in pleasure gardens and pining after one another from afar .
Forget the grim wastes of other utopias ; Brave New World wants to drag you swooning into its abyss .
Where to stream Brave New World

Balletic orgies, legally-enforced polygamy, and non-stop lusting: Peacock’s Brave New World serves up the horniest dystopia ever on TV. The long-awaited television adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s landmark novel leans hard into the more lascivious parts of the text, giving the show a rather escapist quality. Brave New World won’t have you examining parallels with today’s world so much as it might have you questioning the pros and cons of hookup culture vs. matrimonial monogamy. It is an almost seedy delight, which makes it perfect for hot summer binging.
Brave New World takes us to the “perfect” future society of New London, where people are separated by caste at birth, but are mostly free to sleep with whomever they want. Children are genetically-engineered in order to perpetuate the blissful social balance and practices like monogamy or pregnancy are considered literally savage. Indeed, the only place where humans are able to live anywhere close to contemporary society is a place called the “Savage Lands.” In the Peacock series, the Savage Lands are a sort of reservation for these barbarians that doubles as a theme park for the folks of New London.
The series kicks off by following characters in these two separate worlds. In New London, an Alpha+ man named Bernard Marx (Harry Lloyd) tries to conceal his almost jealous attraction to a Beta+ woman, Lenina Crowne (Jessica Brown Findlay). While Bernard uses his seniority to chastise Lenina for carrying on a fleeting monogamous relationship, he also struggles to do anything but pine for her. After the two develop a unique friendship, Bernard invites Lenina as his guest to the Savage Lands, where they have the choice of literally joining an orgy in the pool area or touring exhibitions where actual “Savages” ham up negative stereotypes for the delight of the snobby tourists. It is here where they cross paths with “John the Savage” (Alden Ehrenreich), a sensitive young man who feels at odds with the Savage Lands. Perhaps that’s because he’s the illegally conceived son of two New London lovers, one of whom (Demi Moore), was left behind in the Savage Lands because of the scandal of her pregnancy.
After a tense stand off with locals, Bernard, Lenina, John, and his mother return to New London, where John’s arrival immediately sets everyone on edge. Not raised in the surveillance state of New London, John chafes at the rules put in place and openly questions the society as a whole. But John’s outlier status makes him a curiosity in this carefully structured society — and it makes him an object of desire. New London is a culture that orgies on the regular and sees sex as a communal experience. Naturally, this “Savage” is going to find himself folded into that world of detached debauchery. Complicated hookups, jealous rivalries, and even a good old fashioned love triangle ensue.
“It is an old story,” Brave New World star Harry Lloyd told Decider over the phone last week. “First of all, it’s complicated. It’s a [love] triangle. So there’s that. But also, there’s going to be the lonely boy looking for love. A boy who’s never really heard of love, or understood it at all.”
Lloyd explained that one thing that struck him about Brave New World — besides the fact that is “a lot more fun than people think” — was the irony of Bernard’s place in New London. He’s ostensibly one of the elites, given that he is an Alpha+, but he doesn’t feel connected to the community
“It’s a really interesting feeling, isn’t it? When you take a straight look at society, everyone’s connected, and you’re disconnected. You’re very lonely,” Lloyd said.
When asked about the way all the sex scenes in Brave New World were handled on set, Lloyd said, “You know what? It was done brilliantly…It’s really great to be open about it.”
“It’s an uncomfortable thing to do,” he said before explaining that the “striking” sex scenes were still key to the show’s story.
“It’s an important part of our story, [sex] being not intimate, but pleasurable. It’s the way that they pass the time and express their love. So you have to create a new dynamic for that. I’m actually very much involved and down to coordinate,” he said, before noting that he had the job of being mostly a spectator in some of the show’s big choreographed orgies.
“A lot of the people in the pleasure gardens, for example, they were dancers. Because I had such a part in that, I went to this rehearsal in London on a Sunday and saw them rehearsing that full body orgasm where everyone escalates,” Lloyd said. “The whole party just becomes a single organism.”
Is it better to be part of a greater whole or your own person? Brave New World asks that question not from a political or economic stance, but a romantic one. Is a polyamorous culture that thrives on people pill-popping mood stabilizers and eschewing personal privacy the recipe for utopia? Or do we crave something uniquely ours? Not just free will, but the freedom to love and lose?
Peacock’s Brave New World ponders these questions in the most decadent way possible: with pretty people hooking up in pleasure gardens and pining after one another from afar. Forget the grim wastes of other utopias; Brave New World wants to drag you swooning into its abyss.
Watch Brave New World on Peacock


newyorkpost--2020-07-15--Tyra Banks Will Replace Tom Bergeron as ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Host

Tyra Banks is bringing her smize to Dancing with the Stars .
The model and actress has been tapped as the new host of the ABC dance competition ahead of the show ’ s 29th season .
News of Banks ’ DWTS gig comes just one day after longtime host Tom Bergeron announced he would be leaving the show after 15 years and 400 episodes .
“ I ’ ve been a fan of DWTS since its beginning…The fun mixed with raw emotion , seeing celebrities push past their comfort zones , the sizzling dance performances… it ’ s always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it up 10 notches on the catwalk , ” said Banks in a statement released Tuesday night .
In addition to hosting , the America ’ s Next Top Model alum will serve as an executive producer on Dancing with the Stars Season 29 .
Banks went on to pay tribute to Bergeron , who hosted every season of DWTS since its 2005 debut .
“ Tom has set a powerful stage , and I ’ m excited to continue the legacy and put on my executive producer and hosting hats , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Stars didn ’ t wait long before announcing a new host .
Late Monday night , Bergeron made the shocking announcement that he would not be returning to the competition ; ABC later revealed that his co-host Erin Andrews , who has been with the show since 2014 ( she also competed as a contestant in 2010 ) , would also be departing .
The hosting shakeup comes as ABC pushes the show in “ a new creative direction , ” although they have not yet announced what the new DWTS will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an integral part of the ABC family for nearly two decades , from hosting AFV to Dancing with the Stars — we are grateful for all he and Erin have done to make Dancing a success , ” said Karey Burke , president of ABC Entertainment .
“ As we gear up for the show ’ s 29th season , we can ’ t wait to welcome Tyra Banks to our Dancing stage .
Tyra is an award-winning multihyphenate whose fierce female prowess and influence across many industries have made an indelible mark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s favorite dancing competition will surely bring more than a ‘ Smize ’ to fans everywhere.
” Where to stream Dancing with the Show

Tyra Banks is bringing her smize to Dancing with the Stars. The model and actress has been tapped as the new host of the ABC dance competition ahead of the show’s 29th season. News of Banks’ DWTS gig comes just one day after longtime host Tom Bergeron announced he would be leaving the show after 15 years and 400 episodes.
“I’ve been a fan of DWTS since its beginning…The fun mixed with raw emotion, seeing celebrities push past their comfort zones, the sizzling dance performances… it’s always transported me to my days of turning it up 10 notches on the catwalk,” said Banks in a statement released Tuesday night. In addition to hosting, the America’s Next Top Model alum will serve as an executive producer on Dancing with the Stars Season 29.
Banks went on to pay tribute to Bergeron, who hosted every season of DWTS since its 2005 debut. “Tom has set a powerful stage, and I’m excited to continue the legacy and put on my executive producer and hosting hats,” she said.
ABC and Dancing with the Stars didn’t wait long before announcing a new host. Late Monday night, Bergeron made the shocking announcement that he would not be returning to the competition; ABC later revealed that his co-host Erin Andrews, who has been with the show since 2014 (she also competed as a contestant in 2010), would also be departing. The hosting shakeup comes as ABC pushes the show in “a new creative direction,” although they have not yet announced what the new DWTS will look like.
“Tom has been an integral part of the ABC family for nearly two decades, from hosting AFV to Dancing with the Stars — we are grateful for all he and Erin have done to make Dancing a success,” said Karey Burke, president of ABC Entertainment. “As we gear up for the show’s 29th season, we can’t wait to welcome Tyra Banks to our Dancing stage. Tyra is an award-winning multihyphenate whose fierce female prowess and influence across many industries have made an indelible mark. Her fresh take on America’s favorite dancing competition will surely bring more than a ‘Smize’ to fans everywhere.”
Where to stream Dancing with the Show


newyorkpost--2020-07-15--Pregnant YouTube star Nicole Thea’s cause of death revealed

Nicole Thea , a social media star with more than 230,000 Instagram followers , died Saturday and her family has revealed the cause of death pending the official autopsy report .
The 24-year-old was eight months pregnant and her family believes she — and her unborn son — died due to a “ massive heart attack , ” the Daily Mail reports .
“ She had it in her house and she was telling her partner that she had pains in her chest and her back , ” her uncle Charles Murray told the outlet .
“ She was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she had any underlying health problems .
It is terrible — but we won ’ t know for sure until we have the post-mortem.
” Thea , a UK-based YouTube personality , dancer and accessories , was best known for posting videos documenting her pregnancy .
Thea ’ s mother first shared news of the death Sunday in an Instagram post to Thea ’ s more than 182,000 followers : “ To all Nicole ’ s friends and supporters it is with great sadness that I have to inform you that Nicole and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] Boga named Reign sadly passed away on Saturday morning , ” she wrote .
“ As a family we ask that you give us privacy because our hearts are truly broken and we are struggling to cope with what has happened , ” she continued .
“ Thank you her mum RIP My beautiful baby girl Nicnac and my grandson Reign , I will miss you for the rest of my life until we meet again in eternal heaven.
” Thea ’ s mom also pointed out that her daughter — also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — had pre-scheduled several videos that will still be posted to her channel in the days to come .
She said Thea ’ s partner , street dancer Global Boga , “ has made the decision to allow them to be aired.
” In April , Thea announced her pregnancy in an Instagram video showing off her baby bump while dancing with Boga .
“ We can ’ t hide this any longer , secrets out … GOD gave us the biggest blessing yet .
I ’ m finally creating a beautiful little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caption read .
“ Honestly , @ global_boga has been the best support EVER and GOD made no mistakes making him the father … We are already obsessed with you our little miracle baby .
Thank you for choosing us to be your parents and best friends.
” Last Tuesday , she < a href= ” https : //www.instagram.com/p/CCTNLrmjXZS/ ” target= ” _blank ” rel= ” noopener noreferrer ” > posted an Instagram affirmation < /a > calling for “ a month full of happiness , health and financial abundance .
AMEN.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind-the-scenes coverage of a pregnancy photo shoot — was posted Sunday to her 88,700 subscribers .

Nicole Thea, a social media star with more than 230,000 Instagram followers, died Saturday and her family has revealed the cause of death pending the official autopsy report.
The 24-year-old was eight months pregnant and her family believes she — and her unborn son — died due to a “massive heart attack,” the Daily Mail reports.
“She had it in her house and she was telling her partner that she had pains in her chest and her back,” her uncle Charles Murray told the outlet. “She was a dancer and we don’t think she had any underlying health problems. It is terrible — but we won’t know for sure until we have the post-mortem.”
Thea, a UK-based YouTube personality, dancer and accessories designer, was best known for posting videos documenting her pregnancy.
Thea’s mother first shared news of the death Sunday in an Instagram post to Thea’s more than 182,000 followers: “To all Nicole’s friends and supporters it is with great sadness that I have to inform you that Nicole and her son she and [her partner] Boga named Reign sadly passed away on Saturday morning,” she wrote.
“As a family we ask that you give us privacy because our hearts are truly broken and we are struggling to cope with what has happened,” she continued. “Thank you her mum RIP My beautiful baby girl Nicnac and my grandson Reign, I will miss you for the rest of my life until we meet again in eternal heaven.”
Thea’s mom also pointed out that her daughter — also known for her jewelry and eyelash lines — had pre-scheduled several videos that will still be posted to her channel in the days to come. She said Thea’s partner, street dancer Global Boga, “has made the decision to allow them to be aired.”
In April, Thea announced her pregnancy in an Instagram video showing off her baby bump while dancing with Boga.
“We can’t hide this any longer, secrets out … GOD gave us the biggest blessing yet. I’m finally creating a beautiful little human inside of me,” the caption read. “Honestly, @global_boga has been the best support EVER and GOD made no mistakes making him the father … We are already obsessed with you our little miracle baby. Thank you for choosing us to be your parents and best friends.”
Thea’s latest YouTube video — behind-the-scenes coverage of a pregnancy photo shoot — was posted Sunday to her 114,000-plus subscribers. The clip now has more than 1,000,000 views as of Wednesday morning.


newyorkpost--2020-07-15--How Much Time Actually Passes in the ‘Palm Springs’ Time Loop?

By now , you ’ ve seen the uproarious time loop comedy Palm Springs on Hulu ( or you ’ re OK reading a lot of spoilers ) and are wondering to yourself , “ Wait , how much time actually passed in the movie ?
” The film ’ s 90-minute runtime covers a deceptively lengthy period of time in the experiences of Andy Samberg ’ s Nyles and Cristin Milioti ’ s Sarah , two jaded wedding guests who must learn that the hardest part of living the same day infinitely is learning to live with yourself .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Groundhog Day without ever becoming subservient to Harold Ramis ’ classic .
Inspired by a tenacious piece of journalism by Simon Gallagher in 2011 that attempted to pinpoint the precise number of days that Bill Murray ’ s Phil Connor must relive Groundhog Day , I set out to apply a similarly rigorous methodology to determine how long passes within the Palm Springs time loop .
Armed with a Google spreadsheet , a search engine and a helpful phone-a-friend to director Max Barbakow and screenwriter Andy Siara , I pored over Palm Springs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come to my closest approximation of how many times Nyles and Sarah relive November 9 .
Easy : The Time That We See Unfold Of note , this is a fairly strict textualist analysis .
I ’ m strictly going off what there ’ s evidence in Palm Springs to support , and I did my best to show my work so you can recreate and recalculate should you choose .
( I do not necessarily recommend this as the best way to experience the movie . )
Perhaps your analysis could get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out to Decider ‘ s own Anna Menta of forty years .
But as for me… The simplest measure of the time in Palm Springs are the days we see unfold as part of the main narrative .
We meet up with Nyles when he ’ s already well-situated within the framework of the time loop , idling the day away and numbing his senses with poolside brews .
Like the alarm clock hitting 6:00 A.M. and the radio blaring “ I Got You Babe ” in Groundhog Day , we have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of November 9 is starting with an extreme close-up of Nyles and Sarah ’ s eyes .
In a few instances , particularly with montages , I made the logical leap based on the time of day in which two events take place to determine that it would not be possible for them to coincide within the same loop .
With the exception of assorted flashbacks , the following days proceed in chronological order : Day 1 : Sarah goes into the cave and gets pulled into the loop .
Day 2 : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Day 3 : Sarah drives back to Austin .
Day 4 : Nyles explains the time loop in Sarah ’ s car .
Day 5 : Nyles and Sarah discuss sex at the bar , Sarah tries to end the loop with good karma .
Day 6 : Sarah wakes up again in the loop , goes to waste day with Nyles at the “ safehouse.
” Days 7-14 : Montage of Sarah and Nyles embracing meaningless of life with assorted hijinks culminating in desert campout where Sarah and Nyles have sex for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reveals he ’ s slept with Sarah before she entered the loop .
Day 16 : Sarah wakes up and goes to start studying physics , Nyles unable to find her at resort .
Unlike Groundhog Day , which stays laser-focused on Carl , Palm Springs splits its two characters up here .
By my count , we see the same amount of days Nyles and Sarah ’ s sequences apart .
( More on how long these sequences actually last in a bit . )
But for the purposes of simply enumerating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ film , the section of the film where Sarah educates herself and Nyles realizes his love for her in that absence constitutes Days 17-22 .
Also during this time , Sarah tests out her quantum physics theory by blowing up a goat in the cave to see if it breaks out of the time loop , and Nyles makes peace with Roy at his home in Irvine .
That makes the day in which Sarah arrives to let Nyles in on her plan to blow herself up in the cave to break the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detonation , the film has one final scene where they float in the safehouse pool , presumably on November 10 and a mid-credits stinger where J.K. Simmons ’ Roy , an unwitting participant pulled into the loop who mostly channels his rage into torturing Nyles , has apparently received a voice message we see Sarah leaving on Day 23 and has come back to the wedding to discuss it .
( Nyles , clad in a suit rather than his casual pool gear , appears not to recognize him . )
We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for now and say that , for the sake of setting a preliminary baseline , we irrefutably see 23 days unfold within the time loop of Palm Springs .
Now things start getting a little trickier .
Especially as Nyles explains the rules and limitations of the time loop to Sarah , the film cuts away to glimpses of scenes from his life prior to her getting stuck .
The first major flashback sequence comes whenever Sarah fully processes that on the night she gets pulled into the loop , Roy shoots Nyles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to explain how , when the two of them embark on a cocaine-fueled bender , he semi-consciously encourages Roy to enter the cave and enter the loop after an off-handed remark about wanting to live out in the desert forever .
We then see five different scenarios that play out of Roy taking revenge : shooting a fleeing naked Nyles with an arrow , electrocuting him , waterboarding him , whipping him and filling Nyles ’ safehouse pool with flammable liquid so he can immolate his enemy .
Simply what we see adds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mentions that Roy “ comes around every few days…or weeks ?
” Considering the elaborate nature of the revenge schemes we see , it ’ s likely that the gaps between Roy ’ s reappearances are due to him planning , procuring the necessary supplies or observing Nyles ’ habits so he can plot when and where to wreak havoc .
Let ’ s operate that his attacks happen at a frequency on the longer end of Nyles ’ estimation , and I ’ ll use the smallest definition of “ few ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only so much he can accomplish in a day given that he wakes up in Irvine every morning , at best an hour and twenty minutes away .
We ’ ll add twenty days of prep time to each of Roy ’ s revenge schemes and also account for the lead-up to the incident Sarah witnesses .
That adds 125 days .
Then there ’ s Nyles talking about the various sexual escapades he ’ s had while trapped in the loop .
We see a dispiriting hand-job from wedding barkeep Daisy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unsuccessful attempt to woo the bride Tala and experimenting with groomsman Jerry .
Simply what we see adds 4 days to the total .
When Sarah asks if Nyles has been having sex in the loop , he answers , “ I have [ had sex with other people ] , but it takes a lot of work … and I try to live my life with as little effort as possible.
” So , in addition to the day in which he succeeds , we have to take into account the fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to learning how to win over his conquests .
Let ’ s start with the baseline that it takes him 14 days to sleep with Sarah when he ’ s not overtly manipulating her with accumulated knowledge ( and is generally pretty lackadaisical about life ) .
I ’ ll be generous and say it takes 10 days , with effort , when he turns the charm on to bed each of these people .
I ’ m tempted to give him more for trying to get with Tala , the bride @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we see makes me think he didn ’ t take the quest too seriously .
This is likely just the tip of the iceberg , but we can safely assume that the real time frame of what we see in the sex montage is more akin to 40 days .
I also contemplated that what I originally labeled Days 7-14 , the montage of Sarah and Nyles nihilistically enjoying their shared fate in the loop , might have some hidden days associated with it .
In particular , the scene in Day 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and does an elaborate choreography routine feels like it might have taken some time to learn .
But the combination of seeing start practicing it before ( on Day 7 ) , Nyles ’ skillful dance prowess seen on Day 1 and Max Barbakow pointing out that Sarah teaching him some moves implies that perhaps she has some pre-existing talent leads me to believe this is not too elaborately planned .
For once , I won ’ t overthink this one .
NEW CUMULATIVE TOTAL : 188 days ( just over 6 months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spans six days that we see , but Sarah educating herself enough to come up with a quantum physics-based theory to escape the loop clearly lasts much , much longer .
According to Andy Siara , one draft of the screenplay originally inserted a title card at the end of the montage to spell out just how long it takes her to accumulate the knowledge and show up ready to share with Nyles .
This was ultimately jettisoned so early in the process that Siara was unable to recall how long they had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PhDs in that time , ” he speculated .
“ How long does it take with someone with not even a passion or an interest , really , in quantum physics to get a PhD , or to force themselves to get multiple PhDs ?
” At the very least , Sarah has eclipsed the knowledge of Dr. Clifford V. Johnson , a USC physics professor who she video chats with to discuss her theory about how her plan would allow “ access to the indeterministic universe on the other side of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is that it sounds like Sarah doesn ’ t even need his help .
Per Johnson ’ s faculty page at USC , his educational background is only single PhD in addition to his BSc .
If Wikipedia is correct , that education likely took him seven years to complete presuming his undergraduate education took four years .
( This does not even factor in that Dr. Johnson has nearly three decades of teaching and research experience since completing his PhD in 1992 . )
So , at the bare minimum , Sarah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of education in quantum physics to go toe-to-toe with Dr. Johnson .
We can probably knock off a little bit of time because she ’ s going to be laser-focused on physics and not spending time on general education credits that take up semesters ’ worth a student ’ s college tenure .
Sarah is also going to be on a bit of an accelerated trajectory since we ’ re led to believe this is all she is doing ; it ’ s almost as if she ’ s doing a degree in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When she wakes up at 9:40 A.M. , per the time on her phone on Day 2 , she quickly flees the resort grounds to evade Nyles ’ detection and begins her studies at a restaurant off the premises until at least sundown ( which would be roughly 4:46 P.M. on November 9 ) .
Let ’ s say she ’ s putting in 6-to-7 hour days of class every day , consecutively , and then doing any coursework On Day 16 , Sarah pulls up edX and surveys a row of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Plasmonics : From Fundamentals to Modern Applications , Applications of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Cryptography .
Let ’ s assume she takes all of these and takes the most time possible ( which is still generous ) as suggested in the course descriptions .
That would be 454 hours , which would be at least 65 days of Sarah ’ s time .
So , let ’ s extrapolate from there that every undergraduate class will be roughly 16 days of Sarah ’ s life , knowing that some will take more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get a B.S .
in Physics with a concentration in Applied Physics at Rice University , from whom she takes PHY 202 , Sarah would need to take 15 classes .
Therefore , to get her undergraduate degree , I reason it would take 240 days .
As for the PhD , it gets a little trickier given how much that degree is based on research , guided study and the production of a dissertation .
But per Rice , it takes 90 credit hours to earn their PhD in Physics , roughly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And since the level of complexity has jumped up , I think it would take her 20 days for each of her 20 classes .
For her PhD to at least be somewhere in the ballpark of Dr. Johnson , Sarah spends 400 days earning her PhD in Physics .
Physics isn ’ t the only thing Sarah learns in her extended vacation from Nyles , though .
When she shows up to unveil her theory to him , she boasts an increased emotional intelligence as well .
Siara suggested , “ You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how long it would take to achieve some sense of enlightenment to not be bogged down by the petty shit ?
” Barbakow compared her Zen state to the story of Siddhartha under the Bodhi tree , a Buddhist text in which the Buddha meditates under a tree to achieve a state of enlightenment .
This took him 49 days , which I ’ d say would be the bare minimum she ’ d need – separate from her academic pursuits – to arrive where she is .
That brings the total time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peace to 689 days at the very least , just shy of two years .
Alright , now comes the toughest part of this task .
Unlike Groundhog Day , there ’ s a whole world of events in the time loop that happen well before the audience joins in .
Nyles , whether it ’ s because of his alcoholism , his fatalism , or some combination of both , has long given up on marking accomplishments or time spent .
When I asked the filmmakers if they , or Andy Samberg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loop with any notions of how much time had passed , they said there was no agreed-upon number .
So , what we have to go on are the clues we get from Nyles – which are vague at best , fuzzy at worst .
For instance , on Day 1 , Nyles cruises through the dance floor to make his way through Sarah with a precise finesse that implies he knows everyone ’ s exact positions and moves .
I counted eight calibrated maneuvers ; given his alcohol consumption and general lackadaisical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of them take a day for him to learn and retain .
So add 8 days .
Later on Day 1 , Nyles leads Sarah to a window outside the room where his girlfriend Misty is receiving oral sex from the wedding officiant .
Nyles professes , “ There ’ s not a world where they don ’ t end up together , ” which would imply he knows from extensive experience that there ’ s no way to stop her from getting with him .
While we don ’ t have much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was prior to the loop , I ’ d say his indifference towards her that we see would suggest he tried for 30 days before realizing that their union was fated .
( I ’ ve luckily never faced the inevitability of a cheating partner , so if anyone wants to correct me here , feel free ! )
On that same day , Nyles brilliantly times a pun to Sarah , telling her “ you don ’ t need a leg up ” right as Misty moans “ hold my leg up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tell in the moment whether it ’ s a joke played for her or an irony only perceptible to the audience , but Barbakow confirmed it was very much calculated .
“ He ’ s the master of that universe , ” the director explained .
“ He uses it to achieve whatever means that are going to get him off , either literally or figuratively.
” I don ’ t think this adds another day , though , as he likely has the unimpeded version of their tryst memorized from the period @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to thwart it .
On Day 2 , Nyles knows the exact time of the earthquake that opens up the cave in which they enter the loop .
He has no watch , phone or clock that will tell him the time – he knows it intuitively .
I ’ d say that level of knowledge implies at least a year of pinpointing the quake and adapting to its daily shock .
On Day 3 , Nyles mentions to Sarah ’ s parents when she goes missing that she could be scared of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , sauce.
” These are highly specific references , which leads me to think it ’ s too random to dismiss as a throwaway line .
Maybe they are ways that Roy has targeted him ?
( I don ’ t know about melanoma… ) Either way , let ’ s add 4 days .
Nyles makes reference on Day 4 to his attempts to get out of the loop by taking his own life , saying “ I ’ ve done a lot of suicides … so many… ” We don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many times he ’ s tried .
Nyles knows to put his head in front of the airbag for an immediate death when Sarah attempts a vehicular death , and he makes reference twice to there being nothing worse than slowly dying in the ICU .
Let ’ s take those instances as at least three suicides and add on double the Groundhog Day total of nine suicides to add 21 days to the count .
It ’ s probably still an undercount , but given that Niles asks Misty to kill him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opening scene , it leads me to believe the impulse for suicidal ideation has not been entirely squelched .
On Day 5 , Nyles makes memorable reference to a failed escape : “ One time I smoked a lot of crystal and made it all the way to Equatorial Guinea … it was a huge waste of time.
” Given the effort and time this would take , rendering it impossible to combine with any other events , add 1 day .
When Nyles plays darts in the bar on Day 5 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bullseyes in darts flawlessly and only misses the mark on his third throw because Sarah interjects with her recollection of Roy .
It ’ s tempting to go the full Malcolm Gladwell/10,000 hours and assume Nyles has become a master of darts , but I think that ’ s too generous .
He doesn ’ t need to be a master of an entire craft , just figure out the exact right spot from which to throw the darts and be able to replicate it flawlessly .
I ’ d say given Nyles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s probably spent enough time playing darts in a bar that he wouldn ’ t be as knew to the skill as Sarah is to physics .
Let ’ s add 60 days to the count , during which time he ’ d become so familiar with the patrons and their positioning that he would know he ’ s able to swipe a hat off the guy sitting near the pool table on his way out .
While Nyles is sick of Abe and Tala ’ s wedding by the time we meet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s clearly because he ’ s spent a ton of time there .
When describing the day he brought Roy into the loop , Nyles mentions that this occurred “ before I ’ d really acquainted myself with everyone ” at the wedding .
This would imply that , to some extent , he gets to know all the guests to some extent .
Based on wide shots of the wedding crowd , there appear to be 64 other people attending : 56 in the crowd , 3 groomsmen and bridesmaids , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from that count as well as his girlfriend Misty , and that makes 62 opportunities for acquaintance .
While he might have known some of them before , Nyles does seem to be craving the socialization at least by the time he gets to know Roy since he bothers to wear a nice suit on that particular day .
Let ’ s be generous here and give him five days to know each person , adding 320 days to the count .
( This would also explain how he knows all the words @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cutaway shot on Day 5 . )
On Day 6 , Nyles is able to cycle through an entire argument with Misty where he can recite what she ’ s going to say as she ’ s saying it – including her reaction to his being able to copy her .
There are eight different lines , which I think he ’ d have to pick up over the course of 8 days as he learns each consecutive response .
Later that day , he takes Sarah to his safehouse pool for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the family who owns the home doesn ’ t come back on November 9 .
That would mean he ’ s spent a full day there and knows for a fact they won ’ t return , adding 1 day to the count .
On Day 16 , Nyles angrily reveals something big he ’ s been hiding from Sarah : prior to her joining in the loop , they had in fact had sex .
“ Oh , please , you ’ ve fucked me a thousand times , ” he mutters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had to do was bail you out with that ridiculous speech at the wedding , ” he says in reference to the speech we see him give on Day 1 – and has likely given many times before .
( “ I would say this is maybe the best version of it he ’ s given , ” Barbakow said . )
It ’ s hard to imagine taking either of those statements too literally given his frustration in the moment .
But what if we apply the American Pie 2 “ rule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exaggerate their sexual conquests by a factor of three ?
That ’ s 333 days where they have sex , plus you add 5 days for him figuring out how to crack the seduction element ( 5 days where he gets to know her like any other guest at the wedding have already been included in the count ) .
On Day 23 , Nyles must crucially lean on a piece of personal information he ’ s learned from shooting range operator Spuds in order to gain access to a mode of transportation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she enters the cave to blow herself up .
It ’ s possible Nyles could have gleaned this from Day 6 when he and Sarah aim their fire at the picture posted on the target : the man who stole Spuds ’ wife .
But given the level of personal , precise detail he ’ s able to give , I ’ m inclined to believe this stems from a longer relationship where Spuds felt he could open up a little bit more .
Let ’ s give it 10 days .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cave , Nyles makes a mention that shocks Sarah : prior to the loop , he had a “ shaggy dog.
” I refuse to believe he ’ s the kind of person who didn ’ t try to bring a good boy back , so I ’ m going to add 5 days for some attempts to get the canine companionship .
From these little nuggets , often little more than just a line or a gesture from Nyles , I think we can safely point to at least 1,171 days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – over three years – prior to Sarah entering the loop .
None of this takes into account what are likely numerous days in which he contents himself entirely by doing nothing by the pool , but alas , there ’ s nothing in the text of Palm Springs that would provide any basis for estimation .
( There are no meaning-altering deleted scenes , either – I asked ! )
I ’ d be tempted to leave it there , but there ’ s one element that Barbakow and Siara highlighted for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a crucial scene of emotional rapport between Nyles and Sarah on Day 15 , she asks what he did for work before getting stuck in the loop .
He pauses , stares blankly for an uncomfortable beat and confesses that he ’ s honestly forgotten .
Given his frequent inaccessibility , it ’ s tough to tell if he ’ s being sincere in this moment or stonewalling .
But according to Siara , Nyles is not lying .
“ He has to have been in there long enough for him not to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to this , ” he told me .
While age and time is likely a big part of this , I think another component that can not be overlooked is the potential effect that Nyles ’ drinking has .
Not to get on a soapbox here , but there is some research showing some links between excessive alcohol consumption and memory loss .
A 2017 study by Massachusetts General Hospital found that “ in general , drinking to excess—more than 21 drinks in a week for four or five years—is bad for brain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potential symptoms including memory loss .
Forgetting your job is a pretty big one , even though it might not be too much of a stretch if you haven ’ t thought about what it was in years , so I won ’ t err as conservatively as I usually do in my estimates .
The overarching time encompassing all of Nyles ’ loop life is at least 1,826 days .
( I guess I could have just led with this , but where ’ s the fun in that ? )
Galaxy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Work ?
You might have noticed that I declined to weigh in on whether the final two scenes in the film ’ s chronology add to the total .
Here is the part where I punt : I don ’ t know .
In my conversation with Barbakow and Siara , they planted a seed of doubt in my head that maybe we shouldn ’ t take those scenes quite at face value .
It ’ s easy to assume that since the family returns to the safehouse , it must be November @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sarah actually got the goat to break the loop ?
As they enter the cave , Nyles asks her if she was bluffing about testing on the goat , and her response of “ too late , you ’ ve already committed ” does not inspire full confidence .
There are just enough wrinkles to raise my suspicions that everything might not be as seamless as it appears .
( And it ’ s also possible , given the innuendo of her final line to Sarah , that June Squibb ’ s Nana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ herself – I can not be dragged down that rabbit hole as well ! )
This uncertainty is not meant to imply laziness on the part of the filmmakers , to be clear .
“ Max and I exhausted ourselves talking about it , ” Siara said when discussing how they built the framework for the film ’ s time loop structure .
“ We know the rules of this world like the back of our hands because I really did not want anyone to be able to poke holes in it.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the science of the ending of Palm Springs because that ’ s a different question and post entirely .
I suspect it might have something to do with the concept raised by Sarah , the Cauchy horizon – “ the spot where determinism breaks down , where the past no longer determines the future , ” per a UC Berkley blog post – but don ’ t take it from the guy who couldn ’ t handle a month of high school honors physics .
And even if my bearings of interpreting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what ’ s a day or two ’ s difference after such extensive guesstimation ?
It ’ s not that the science and physics of the climax don ’ t matter , only that there ’ s something else more important : Nyles and Sarah have broken a loop of their own destructive , self-loathing behaviors .
Understanding just how long they wallowed in them only serves to underscore what a monumental moment overcoming their hang-ups represents .
“ It comes to the final question of did the cave work or not , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that point where it doesn ’ t matter , ” Siara said of the ending .
“ Because what matters most is when they [ Nyles and Sarah ] walk into that cave hand in hand and decide to take that plunge together.
” MY FINAL COUNT REMAINS AT 2,703 DAYS for the loop , less because I trust the sketchy science and more because I believe in the power of people to change themselves and each other .
Without this emotional pull , there would have been no inspiration for me to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Springs in the first place .
Marshall Shaffer is a New York-based freelance film journalist .
In addition to Decider , his work has also appeared on Slashfilm , Slant , Little White Lies and many other outlets .
Some day soon , everyone will realize how right he is about Spring Breakers .

Where to Stream: Palm Springs Powered by Reelgood
By now, you’ve seen the uproarious time loop comedy Palm Springs on Hulu (or you’re OK reading a lot of spoilers) and are wondering to yourself, “Wait, how much time actually passed in the movie?” The film’s 90-minute runtime covers a deceptively lengthy period of time in the experiences of Andy Samberg’s Nyles and Cristin Milioti’s Sarah, two jaded wedding guests who must learn that the hardest part of living the same day infinitely is learning to live with yourself. The boundless repetition recalls the best of Groundhog Day without ever becoming subservient to Harold Ramis’ classic.
Inspired by a tenacious piece of journalism by Simon Gallagher in 2011 that attempted to pinpoint the precise number of days that Bill Murray’s Phil Connor must relive Groundhog Day, I set out to apply a similarly rigorous methodology to determine how long passes within the Palm Springs time loop. Armed with a Google spreadsheet, a search engine and a helpful phone-a-friend to director Max Barbakow and screenwriter Andy Siara, I pored over Palm Springs like it was the Zapruder film to come to my closest approximation of how many times Nyles and Sarah relive November 9.
(By the way, does that date sound familiar? According to the filmmakers, I’m the first person to identify the reason they chose this given day on the calendar was because it was the day after the 2016 election. Maybe that just means I’m caught in a loop of that day’s jumble of feelings myself…)
Easy: The Time That We See Unfold
Of note, this is a fairly strict textualist analysis. I’m strictly going off what there’s evidence in Palm Springs to support, and I did my best to show my work so you can recreate and recalculate should you choose. (I do not necessarily recommend this as the best way to experience the movie.) Perhaps your analysis could get closer to the number Andy Siara threw out to Decider‘s own Anna Menta of over forty years. But as for me…
The simplest measure of the time in Palm Springs are the days we see unfold as part of the main narrative. We meet up with Nyles when he’s already well-situated within the framework of the time loop, idling the day away and numbing his senses with poolside brews. Like the alarm clock hitting 6:00 A.M. and the radio blaring “I Got You Babe” in Groundhog Day, we have a strong visual cue that a new version of November 9 is starting with an extreme close-up of Nyles and Sarah’s eyes.
In a few instances, particularly with montages, I made the logical leap based on the time of day in which two events take place to determine that it would not be possible for them to coincide within the same loop. With the exception of assorted flashbacks, the following days proceed in chronological order:
Day 1: Sarah goes into the cave and gets pulled into the loop.
Day 2: Sarah’s first repeated day.
Day 3: Sarah drives back to Austin.
Day 4: Nyles explains the time loop in Sarah’s car.
Day 5: Nyles and Sarah discuss sex at the bar, Sarah tries to end the loop with good karma.
Day 6: Sarah wakes up again in the loop, goes to waste day with Nyles at the “safehouse.”
Days 7-14: Montage of Sarah and Nyles embracing meaningless of life with assorted hijinks culminating in desert campout where Sarah and Nyles have sex for the first time*
(*I originally assumed the campout was a separate day, but thanks to a tip from Cristin Milioti interviewed in Vulture, I learned that it actually follows the evening where they plant the bomb in the wedding cake. Per Milioti, Sarah’s hook is hidden in her coat but issues with coverage prevented them from showing it more explicitly. This also tracks given that we don’t have any shots of them waking up preceding the scene.)
Day 15: Nyles reveals he’s slept with Sarah before she entered the loop.
Day 16: Sarah wakes up and goes to start studying physics, Nyles unable to find her at resort.
Unlike Groundhog Day, which stays laser-focused on Carl, Palm Springs splits its two characters up here. By my count, we see the same amount of days Nyles and Sarah’s sequences apart. (More on how long these sequences actually last in a bit.) But for the purposes of simply enumerating the days we actually see in the film, the section of the film where Sarah educates herself and Nyles realizes his love for her in that absence constitutes Days 17-22. Also during this time, Sarah tests out her quantum physics theory by blowing up a goat in the cave to see if it breaks out of the time loop, and Nyles makes peace with Roy at his home in Irvine.
That makes the day in which Sarah arrives to let Nyles in on her plan to blow herself up in the cave to break the time loop Day 23.
After the detonation, the film has one final scene where they float in the safehouse pool, presumably on November 10 and a mid-credits stinger where J.K. Simmons’ Roy, an unwitting participant pulled into the loop who mostly channels his rage into torturing Nyles, has apparently received a voice message we see Sarah leaving on Day 23 and has come back to the wedding to discuss it. (Nyles, clad in a suit rather than his casual pool gear, appears not to recognize him.)
We’ll set aside these last two scenes for now and say that, for the sake of setting a preliminary baseline, we irrefutably see 23 days unfold within the time loop of Palm Springs.
Moderate: The Flashbacks and Montages
Now things start getting a little trickier. Especially as Nyles explains the rules and limitations of the time loop to Sarah, the film cuts away to glimpses of scenes from his life prior to her getting stuck.
The first major flashback sequence comes whenever Sarah fully processes that on the night she gets pulled into the loop, Roy shoots Nyles with a bow-and-arrow. This prompts Nyles to explain how, when the two of them embark on a cocaine-fueled bender, he semi-consciously encourages Roy to enter the cave and enter the loop after an off-handed remark about wanting to live out in the desert forever. We then see five different scenarios that play out of Roy taking revenge: shooting a fleeing naked Nyles with an arrow, electrocuting him, waterboarding him, whipping him and filling Nyles’ safehouse pool with flammable liquid so he can immolate his enemy. Simply what we see adds 5 days to the total.
(It’s possible that the whipping and the electrocution could be the same setup as the setting does look the same. Whether that’s due to the indie budget and shooting schedule not allowing another location, or this is just someplace like Roy’s garage that he would have easy access to, it’s not a stretch to presume these were different days.)
Nyles mentions that Roy “comes around every few days…or weeks?” Considering the elaborate nature of the revenge schemes we see, it’s likely that the gaps between Roy’s reappearances are due to him planning, procuring the necessary supplies or observing Nyles’ habits so he can plot when and where to wreak havoc. Let’s operate that his attacks happen at a frequency on the longer end of Nyles’ estimation, and I’ll use the smallest definition of “few” as three. There’s also only so much he can accomplish in a day given that he wakes up in Irvine every morning, at best an hour and twenty minutes away. We’ll add twenty days of prep time to each of Roy’s revenge schemes and also account for the lead-up to the incident Sarah witnesses. That adds 125 days.
Then there’s Nyles talking about the various sexual escapades he’s had while trapped in the loop. We see a dispiriting hand-job from wedding barkeep Daisy, a hookup with barfly Darla, an unsuccessful attempt to woo the bride Tala and experimenting with groomsman Jerry. Simply what we see adds 4 days to the total.
When Sarah asks if Nyles has been having sex in the loop, he answers, “I have [had sex with other people], but it takes a lot of work … and I try to live my life with as little effort as possible.” So, in addition to the day in which he succeeds, we have to take into account the fact that Nyles needs to work his way up to learning how to win over his conquests. Let’s start with the baseline that it takes him 14 days to sleep with Sarah when he’s not overtly manipulating her with accumulated knowledge (and is generally pretty lackadaisical about life). I’ll be generous and say it takes 10 days, with effort, when he turns the charm on to bed each of these people. I’m tempted to give him more for trying to get with Tala, the bride, but the jokiness of the attempt we see makes me think he didn’t take the quest too seriously. This is likely just the tip of the iceberg, but we can safely assume that the real time frame of what we see in the sex montage is more akin to 40 days.
I also contemplated that what I originally labeled Days 7-14, the montage of Sarah and Nyles nihilistically enjoying their shared fate in the loop, might have some hidden days associated with it. In particular, the scene in Day 10 where the duo bursts into the bar and does an elaborate choreography routine feels like it might have taken some time to learn. But the combination of seeing start practicing it before (on Day 7), Nyles’ skillful dance prowess seen on Day 1 and Max Barbakow pointing out that Sarah teaching him some moves implies that perhaps she has some pre-existing talent leads me to believe this is not too elaborately planned. For once, I won’t overthink this one.
NEW CUMULATIVE TOTAL: 188 days (just over 6 months)
Medium: Sarah’s Physics Binge
The scene lasts two minutes and spans six days that we see, but Sarah educating herself enough to come up with a quantum physics-based theory to escape the loop clearly lasts much, much longer. According to Andy Siara, one draft of the screenplay originally inserted a title card at the end of the montage to spell out just how long it takes her to accumulate the knowledge and show up ready to share with Nyles. This was ultimately jettisoned so early in the process that Siara was unable to recall how long they had said.
“She gets probably multiple PhDs in that time,” he speculated. “How long does it take with someone with not even a passion or an interest, really, in quantum physics to get a PhD, or to force themselves to get multiple PhDs?”
At the very least, Sarah has eclipsed the knowledge of Dr. Clifford V. Johnson, a USC physics professor who she video chats with to discuss her theory about how her plan would allow “access to the indeterministic universe on the other side of the Cauchy horizon.” Stumped, his reply is that it sounds like Sarah doesn’t even need his help. Per Johnson’s faculty page at USC, his educational background is only single PhD in addition to his BSc. If Wikipedia is correct, that education likely took him seven years to complete presuming his undergraduate education took four years. (This does not even factor in that Dr. Johnson has nearly three decades of teaching and research experience since completing his PhD in 1992.)
So, at the bare minimum, Sarah needs at least seven years’ worth of education in quantum physics to go toe-to-toe with Dr. Johnson. We can probably knock off a little bit of time because she’s going to be laser-focused on physics and not spending time on general education credits that take up semesters’ worth a student’s college tenure. Sarah is also going to be on a bit of an accelerated trajectory since we’re led to believe this is all she is doing; it’s almost as if she’s doing a degree in compressed “summer school”-like mode. When she wakes up at 9:40 A.M., per the time on her phone on Day 2, she quickly flees the resort grounds to evade Nyles’ detection and begins her studies at a restaurant off the premises until at least sundown (which would be roughly 4:46 P.M. on November 9). Let’s say she’s putting in 6-to-7 hour days of class every day, consecutively, and then doing any coursework
On Day 16, Sarah pulls up edX and surveys a row of four classes: Quantum Mechanics for Everyone, Plasmonics: From Fundamentals to Modern Applications, Applications of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Cryptography. Let’s assume she takes all of these and takes the most time possible (which is still generous) as suggested in the course descriptions. That would be 454 hours, which would be at least 65 days of Sarah’s time. So, let’s extrapolate from there that every undergraduate class will be roughly 16 days of Sarah’s life, knowing that some will take more and others will require less. To get a B.S. in Physics with a concentration in Applied Physics at Rice University, from whom she takes PHY 202, Sarah would need to take 15 classes. Therefore, to get her undergraduate degree, I reason it would take 240 days.
As for the PhD, it gets a little trickier given how much that degree is based on research, guided study and the production of a dissertation. But per Rice, it takes 90 credit hours to earn their PhD in Physics, roughly 33% more of a courseload. And since the level of complexity has jumped up, I think it would take her 20 days for each of her 20 classes. For her PhD to at least be somewhere in the ballpark of Dr. Johnson, Sarah spends 400 days earning her PhD in Physics.
Physics isn’t the only thing Sarah learns in her extended vacation from Nyles, though. When she shows up to unveil her theory to him, she boasts an increased emotional intelligence as well. Siara suggested, “You could factor that in as well, how long it would take to achieve some sense of enlightenment to not be bogged down by the petty shit?” Barbakow compared her Zen state to the story of Siddhartha under the Bodhi tree, a Buddhist text in which the Buddha meditates under a tree to achieve a state of enlightenment. This took him 49 days, which I’d say would be the bare minimum she’d need – separate from her academic pursuits – to arrive where she is.
That brings the total time between Sarah snapping and Sarah being at peace to 689 days at the very least, just shy of two years.
NEW CUMULATIVE TOTAL: 877 days (almost 2.5 years)
Hard: Nyles’ Off-Handed Comments and Other Hints
Alright, now comes the toughest part of this task. Unlike Groundhog Day, there’s a whole world of events in the time loop that happen well before the audience joins in. Nyles, whether it’s because of his alcoholism, his fatalism, or some combination of both, has long given up on marking accomplishments or time spent. When I asked the filmmakers if they, or Andy Samberg, approached the pre-Sarah period in the loop with any notions of how much time had passed, they said there was no agreed-upon number. So, what we have to go on are the clues we get from Nyles – which are vague at best, fuzzy at worst.
For instance, on Day 1, Nyles cruises through the dance floor to make his way through Sarah with a precise finesse that implies he knows everyone’s exact positions and moves. I counted eight calibrated maneuvers; given his alcohol consumption and general lackadaisical attitude toward life, I think each of them take a day for him to learn and retain. So add 8 days.
Later on Day 1, Nyles leads Sarah to a window outside the room where his girlfriend Misty is receiving oral sex from the wedding officiant. Nyles professes, “There’s not a world where they don’t end up together,” which would imply he knows from extensive experience that there’s no way to stop her from getting with him. While we don’t have much of a baseline of where their relationship was prior to the loop, I’d say his indifference towards her that we see would suggest he tried for 30 days before realizing that their union was fated. (I’ve luckily never faced the inevitability of a cheating partner, so if anyone wants to correct me here, feel free!)
On that same day, Nyles brilliantly times a pun to Sarah, telling her “you don’t need a leg up” right as Misty moans “hold my leg up!” It’s tough to tell in the moment whether it’s a joke played for her or an irony only perceptible to the audience, but Barbakow confirmed it was very much calculated. “He’s the master of that universe,” the director explained. “He uses it to achieve whatever means that are going to get him off, either literally or figuratively.” I don’t think this adds another day, though, as he likely has the unimpeded version of their tryst memorized from the period in which he was more actively trying to thwart it.
On Day 2, Nyles knows the exact time of the earthquake that opens up the cave in which they enter the loop. He has no watch, phone or clock that will tell him the time – he knows it intuitively. I’d say that level of knowledge implies at least a year of pinpointing the quake and adapting to its daily shock.
On Day 3, Nyles mentions to Sarah’s parents when she goes missing that she could be scared of “melanoma, nanotech, round-the-clock surveillance, sauce.” These are highly specific references, which leads me to think it’s too random to dismiss as a throwaway line. Maybe they are ways that Roy has targeted him? (I don’t know about melanoma…) Either way, let’s add 4 days.
Nyles makes reference on Day 4 to his attempts to get out of the loop by taking his own life, saying “I’ve done a lot of suicides … so many…” We don’t get any concrete sense of how many times he’s tried. Nyles knows to put his head in front of the airbag for an immediate death when Sarah attempts a vehicular death, and he makes reference twice to there being nothing worse than slowly dying in the ICU. Let’s take those instances as at least three suicides and add on double the Groundhog Day total of nine suicides to add 21 days to the count. It’s probably still an undercount, but given that Niles asks Misty to kill him (somewhat in jest) during the opening scene, it leads me to believe the impulse for suicidal ideation has not been entirely squelched.
On Day 5, Nyles makes memorable reference to a failed escape: “One time I smoked a lot of crystal and made it all the way to Equatorial Guinea … it was a huge waste of time.” Given the effort and time this would take, rendering it impossible to combine with any other events, add 1 day.
When Nyles plays darts in the bar on Day 5, he’s able to hit two bullseyes in darts flawlessly and only misses the mark on his third throw because Sarah interjects with her recollection of Roy. It’s tempting to go the full Malcolm Gladwell/10,000 hours and assume Nyles has become a master of darts, but I think that’s too generous. He doesn’t need to be a master of an entire craft, just figure out the exact right spot from which to throw the darts and be able to replicate it flawlessly. I’d say given Nyles’ predilection for alcohol, he’s probably spent enough time playing darts in a bar that he wouldn’t be as knew to the skill as Sarah is to physics. Let’s add 60 days to the count, during which time he’d become so familiar with the patrons and their positioning that he would know he’s able to swipe a hat off the guy sitting near the pool table on his way out.
While Nyles is sick of Abe and Tala’s wedding by the time we meet him in the loop, it’s clearly because he’s spent a ton of time there. When describing the day he brought Roy into the loop, Nyles mentions that this occurred “before I’d really acquainted myself with everyone” at the wedding. This would imply that, to some extent, he gets to know all the guests to some extent. Based on wide shots of the wedding crowd, there appear to be 64 other people attending: 56 in the crowd, 3 groomsmen and bridesmaids, the couple and the officiant. Subtract Nyles from that count as well as his girlfriend Misty, and that makes 62 opportunities for acquaintance. While he might have known some of them before, Nyles does seem to be craving the socialization at least by the time he gets to know Roy since he bothers to wear a nice suit on that particular day. Let’s be generous here and give him five days to know each person, adding 320 days to the count. (This would also explain how he knows all the words to the officiants’ homily during a cutaway shot on Day 5.)
On Day 6, Nyles is able to cycle through an entire argument with Misty where he can recite what she’s going to say as she’s saying it – including her reaction to his being able to copy her. There are eight different lines, which I think he’d have to pick up over the course of 8 days as he learns each consecutive response.
Later that day, he takes Sarah to his safehouse pool for the first time, mentioning that he knows the family who owns the home doesn’t come back on November 9. That would mean he’s spent a full day there and knows for a fact they won’t return, adding 1 day to the count.
On Day 16, Nyles angrily reveals something big he’s been hiding from Sarah: prior to her joining in the loop, they had in fact had sex. “Oh, please, you’ve fucked me a thousand times,” he mutters under his breath. “All I had to do was bail you out with that ridiculous speech at the wedding,” he says in reference to the speech we see him give on Day 1 – and has likely given many times before. (“I would say this is maybe the best version of it he’s given,” Barbakow said.) It’s hard to imagine taking either of those statements too literally given his frustration in the moment. But what if we apply the American Pie 2 “rule of three” where you assume men exaggerate their sexual conquests by a factor of three? That’s 333 days where they have sex, plus you add 5 days for him figuring out how to crack the seduction element (5 days where he gets to know her like any other guest at the wedding have already been included in the count).
On Day 23, Nyles must crucially lean on a piece of personal information he’s learned from shooting range operator Spuds in order to gain access to a mode of transportation that will get him to Sarah before she enters the cave to blow herself up. It’s possible Nyles could have gleaned this from Day 6 when he and Sarah aim their fire at the picture posted on the target: the man who stole Spuds’ wife. But given the level of personal, precise detail he’s able to give, I’m inclined to believe this stems from a longer relationship where Spuds felt he could open up a little bit more. Let’s give it 10 days.
And in the scene following the explosion in the cave, Nyles makes a mention that shocks Sarah: prior to the loop, he had a “shaggy dog.” I refuse to believe he’s the kind of person who didn’t try to bring a good boy back, so I’m going to add 5 days for some attempts to get the canine companionship.
From these little nuggets, often little more than just a line or a gesture from Nyles, I think we can safely point to at least 1,171 days that he spends in the time loop – over three years – prior to Sarah entering the loop. None of this takes into account what are likely numerous days in which he contents himself entirely by doing nothing by the pool, but alas, there’s nothing in the text of Palm Springs that would provide any basis for estimation. (There are no meaning-altering deleted scenes, either – I asked!)
I’d be tempted to leave it there, but there’s one element that Barbakow and Siara highlighted for me that overrides all these moments…
In a crucial scene of emotional rapport between Nyles and Sarah on Day 15, she asks what he did for work before getting stuck in the loop. He pauses, stares blankly for an uncomfortable beat and confesses that he’s honestly forgotten. Given his frequent inaccessibility, it’s tough to tell if he’s being sincere in this moment or stonewalling. But according to Siara, Nyles is not lying. “He has to have been in there long enough for him not to remember what his life was like prior to this,” he told me.
While age and time is likely a big part of this, I think another component that cannot be overlooked is the potential effect that Nyles’ drinking has. Not to get on a soapbox here, but there is some research showing some links between excessive alcohol consumption and memory loss. A 2017 study by Massachusetts General Hospital found that “in general, drinking to excess—more than 21 drinks in a week for four or five years—is bad for brain health in most individuals,” with potential symptoms including memory loss. Forgetting your job is a pretty big one, even though it might not be too much of a stretch if you haven’t thought about what it was in years, so I won’t err as conservatively as I usually do in my estimates. The overarching time encompassing all of Nyles’ loop life is at least 1,826 days. (I guess I could have just led with this, but where’s the fun in that?)
NEW CUMULATIVE TOTAL: 2,703 days (almost 7.5 years)
Galaxy Brain: Did Blowing Up The Cave Work?
You might have noticed that I declined to weigh in on whether the final two scenes in the film’s chronology add to the total. Here is the part where I punt: I don’t know.
In my conversation with Barbakow and Siara, they planted a seed of doubt in my head that maybe we shouldn’t take those scenes quite at face value. It’s easy to assume that since the family returns to the safehouse, it must be November 10. But do we know if Sarah actually got the goat to break the loop? As they enter the cave, Nyles asks her if she was bluffing about testing on the goat, and her response of “too late, you’ve already committed” does not inspire full confidence. There are just enough wrinkles to raise my suspicions that everything might not be as seamless as it appears. (And it’s also possible, given the innuendo of her final line to Sarah, that June Squibb’s Nana might be somehow involved in the loop herself – I cannot be dragged down that rabbit hole as well!)
This uncertainty is not meant to imply laziness on the part of the filmmakers, to be clear. “Max and I exhausted ourselves talking about it,” Siara said when discussing how they built the framework for the film’s time loop structure. “We know the rules of this world like the back of our hands because I really did not want anyone to be able to poke holes in it.”
This isn’t a post speculating about the science of the ending of Palm Springs because that’s a different question and post entirely. I suspect it might have something to do with the concept raised by Sarah, the Cauchy horizon – “the spot where determinism breaks down, where the past no longer determines the future,” per a UC Berkley blog post – but don’t take it from the guy who couldn’t handle a month of high school honors physics. And even if my bearings of interpreting it are off by a bit, what’s a day or two’s difference after such extensive guesstimation?
It’s not that the science and physics of the climax don’t matter, only that there’s something else more important: Nyles and Sarah have broken a loop of their own destructive, self-loathing behaviors. Understanding just how long they wallowed in them only serves to underscore what a monumental moment overcoming their hang-ups represents.
“It comes to the final question of did the cave work or not, but we always wanted to get to that point where it doesn’t matter,” Siara said of the ending. “Because what matters most is when they [Nyles and Sarah] walk into that cave hand in hand and decide to take that plunge together.” MY FINAL COUNT REMAINS AT 2,703 DAYS for the loop, less because I trust the sketchy science and more because I believe in the power of people to change themselves and each other. Without this emotional pull, there would have been no inspiration for me to put such obsessive devotion into cataloguing Palm Springs in the first place.
Marshall Shaffer is a New York-based freelance film journalist. In addition to Decider, his work has also appeared on Slashfilm, Slant, Little White Lies and many other outlets. Some day soon, everyone will realize how right he is about Spring Breakers.
Watch Palm Springs on Hulu


newyorkpost--2020-07-15--Connor McGovern can stabilize a crippling Jets weak spot

Connor McGovern has big expectations for the Jets , his new ...

As the Jets get close to training camp, I am examining the roster and giving you my top 25 players. Each weekday, we will reveal another person on the list, leading right into camp. I am not including rookies on this list because I do not feel it is possible to fully evaluate them before they play a game.
No. 8: Connor McGovern
Last year’s ranking: Unranked (not on team)
Position: C
Age on Opening Day: 27
How acquired: Signed a three-year, $27 million deal as an unrestricted free agent on March 30
Years left on contract: 3
2020 Salary Cap figure: $7.3 million
Submit your Jets questions here to be answered in an upcoming Post mailbag
Looking back at 2019
McGovern started 16 games for the Broncos at center. He played every offensive snap for Denver.
McGovern had his best year as a pro as a key piece of the Broncos offensive line. He showed remarkable discipline, committing no penalties all season.
PFF graded McGovern as the 10th best center out of 34 who qualified. He was fifth in pass blocking, allowing one sack.
Outlook for 2020
Of all the Jets’ free agent signings, McGovern looks like the one they were the most excited about if you look at the contracts. Most of the Jets’ free agent deals were for one year or were one-year deals dressed up as more. McGovern has guaranteed money in 2021, so this was more than a one-year trial.
McGovern has the potential to stabilize a position the Jets have struggled at since releasing Nick Mangold after the 2016 season. They have mowed through several options and last year they had two of the worst-rated centers by PFF in Ryan Kalil (32 out of 34) and Jonotthan Harrison (34).
McGovern played very well last season in his first full year at center. Before that he had played guard and then moved to center in 2018 late in the season to replace an injured Matt Paradis.
The Jets desperately needed to upgrade on the offensive line and McGovern appears to be a major upgrade at center. He fits the mold of what GM Joe Douglas was looking for – an ascending player who could be signed for a reasonable price. The Jets now need to hope that what McGovern showed in 2019 was a sign of things to come and not just an anomaly.
McGovern will also be asked to help bring quarterback Sam Darnold along. The center-quarterback relationship is always a key one in an offense and Darnold has not had a strong presence at center for an extended time during his career.