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Courier-Mail
19 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Courier-Mail
Spoiler alert! Here's the huge Australian A-lister that appears in the Squid Game finale
Don't miss out on the headlines from TV. Followed categories will be added to My News. ****Spoilers for the new season of Squid Game follow**** The season finale of Squid Game season 3 features the cameo of a huge Australian Hollywood star. The one and only Cate Blanchett makes a surprise appearance in the final scene of the hit Korean thriller as a recruiter for the deadly competition. Picking up in the wake of a failed revolution, the final season of the Asian version of the hugely popular show follows the struggle between Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), who's determined to take down the games once and for all, and Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), who desperately wants to break Gi-hun's faith in humanity. Korean veteran actor Lee Jung-jae returns as Gi-hun in the final season. In the final scene of the show, Front Man finds himself in a car in Downtown Los Angeles, and while stopped at a light, he hears some familiar sounds: the thwap of two ddakji tiles hitting the ground followed by the sharp crack of a slap across the face. Front Man rolls down his window and sees a suited Blanchett playing ddakji with a seemingly desperate man in an alleyway. Blanchett looks up and exchanges a knowing glance with Front Man, who pulls away as Blanchett's attention returns to her new recruit. 'We thought having a woman as a recruiter would be more dramatic and intriguing,' said Squid Game Director Hwang Dong-hyuk. 'And as for why Cate Blanchett, she's just the best, with unmatched charisma. Who doesn't love her? So we were very happy to have her appear. We needed someone who could dominate the screen with just one or two words, which is exactly what she did,' he continued. Cate Blanchett makes an appearance in the finale. Picture: Netflix. The final scene of the series sets up the spin-off. Picture: Netflix. 'If Gong Yoo is the Korean Recruiter, I thought she would be the perfect fit as the American Recruiter, bringing a short but gripping and impactful ending to the story.' He went on to reveal that Blanchett had very limited time to film the cameo, so much so that she shot the entire thing in one take. 'During the shoot, she reminded me of what true talent looks like. Even with just a few looks and lines, her performance was mesmerising,' he shared. 'She was amazing at playing ddakji. I believe she successfully flipped the ddakji with her first try, and we were able to get that one long take right away.' But what exactly does Blanchett's cameo mean for the future of the show? Quite a bit, it turns out, considering where Netflix plans on taking the franchise next. Season 3 is the last for the Asian version of Squid Game, but it's far from over. An English-language spin-off is being developed by director David Finch, who has previously worked with Blanchett on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Blanchett's appearance raises numerous questions, however, like have the Games always had international counterparts or have they been forced to move them after they were nearly discovered by authorities at the end of the final season? Squid Game season 3 is available to stream now on Netflix. Originally published as Spoiler alert! Here's the huge Australian A-lister that appears in the Squid Game finale
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX launches rocket on Starlink mission after storms, lightning depart East-Central Florida
Hours after meteorologists issued severe thunderstorm warnings and special weather statements across Central Florida, SpaceX crews launched a Falcon 9 rocket under fair skies with 10-mile visibility Saturday, June 28, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Falcon 9 lifted off at 12:26 a.m. from Launch Complex 40, carrying 27 Starlink broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit. The post-midnight mission marked the Falcon 9 first-stage booster's fifth flight, SpaceX reported. The booster previously launched CRS-32, NROL-69, GPS III-7 and a Starlink mission. Following stage separation, the booster landed atop the SpaceX drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, Axiom, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral NASA's Kennedy Space Center had issued its last Phase I lightning watch — giving personnel a 30-minute lead-time warning — at 7:01 p.m. Friday, nearly 5½ hours before liftoff. That lightning watch was terminated at 8:22 p.m. The launch occurred on the 10-year anniversary of a SpaceX rocket explosion following liftoff from Florida's Space Coast. On June 28, 2015, a Falcon 9 that launched from then-Cape Canaveral Air Force Station broke apart during a NASA resupply mission to the International Space Station. That rocket mishap occurred 2 minutes, 19 seconds after liftoff. The Falcon 9 was carrying a SpaceX Dragon capsule packed with more than 5,000 pounds of supplies. On Thursday, Space Launch Delta 45 announced Col. Brian Chatman is now installation commander and director of the Eastern Range at Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Chatman most recently served as deputy director of the Space Systems Engineering Directorate for the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration. "As the SLD 45 commander, he runs the world's busiest spaceport and is responsible for delivering infrastructure, operations, and support for all Eastern Range launch and test missions," a Space Force press release said. "As Director of the Eastern Range, he is responsible for the safety of launch and test operations across a 15-million-square-mile area," the press release said. For the latest news and launch schedule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter. Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@ Twitter/X: @RickNeale1 Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX launches rocket with Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral
The Star
20 minutes ago
- Health
- The Star
A neurologist shares his journey with Alzheimer's disease
It was 2006 when Dr Daniel Gibbs first noticed he was losing his sense of smell. But it wasn't what he didn't smell that tipped him off that something might be wrong. It was what he did smell: perfume, mixed with baked bread – 'The same thing, every time,' he said. The neurologist in Portland, Oregon, United States, knew this was an olfactory hallucination. And that meant something wasn't working properly in his brain. 'I attributed it to getting older, which is a common cause of decreased ability to smell,' he said. But Dr Gibbs was just 57 – not so old that he should be losing his sense of anything. 'I also knew losing your sense of smell was an early sign of Parkinson's disease, so I thought it might be that.' It wasn't. Dr Gibbs was experiencing an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease. But it would be another six years before he knew it. He has since written a book about his experience, which was turned into a documentary. He also keeps a regular blog to help people understand what it's like to live with Alzheimer's. These days, he spends a lot of his time learning and talking about how to slow progression of the disease – something he's been trying to do since he got his diagnosis more than a decade ago. Dr Gibbs and his wife, Lois Seed, discussed what he's learned about Alzheimer's dementia and how he navigates the condition for The Experts Say , an American Heart Association News series in which specialists explain how they apply their professional knowledge to their own lives. Their remarks have been edited in the below Q&A. When did you realise your symptoms were due to Alzheimer's disease? Dr Gibbs: In 2012, Lois was doing a genealogical project, so we did some genetic testing. Mine came back showing I had two copies of APOE4, a gene known to influence the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, which totally gobsmacked me. Having two copies means it is almost certain to eventually cause Alzheimer's. I had no measurable cognitive impairment at that time. I was in charge of the neurology resident training programme at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, and I was seeing patients in the clinic, so it was a very busy year for me. Even though it was difficult, I was still able to get all the balls to balance in the air. What did you do once you knew your genetic risk for Alzheimer's? Dr Gibbs: The first thing I did was to go to one of my colleagues and have some cognitive testing done. It was essentially normal with the caveat that all of my cognitive domains were in the 90th percentile except verbal memory, which was in the 50th percentile. So there was a strong hint that there was some incipient loss of function of verbal memory. With that in hand, I went to my department chair and explained the situation. I had no impairment, but did not feel it was safe for me to continue to practice. I retired in 2013. Seed: You also went looking for studies you could join, because it's a big deal to see people before they experience symptoms. Dr Gibbs: That's right, I went to the University of California in San Francisco, because they have a ton of studies there. The first study I was involved with was a longitudinal neuroimaging study. I had PET (positron emission tomography) scans of abnormal amyloid and PET scans for tau proteins – two protein clusters in the brain that play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. And I had cognitive testing. They loved having me down there because they rarely have people with as early a stage of disease as I showed up with. About a year later, I joined a clinical trial for an anti-amyloid antibody drug that is now approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat early Alzheimer's disease. What else did you learn about how to slow progression of the disease? Dr Gibbs: This is not rocket science. The sort of things that are good preventive behaviour for brain disease are also good for preventing heart and vascular disease. There are evidence-based lifestyle changes that include: Getting daily aerobic exercise Eating a Mediterranean-style diet, such as the MIND diet Getting mentally-stimulating activity Staying socially engaged Getting at least seven hours of sleep nightly, and Getting good control of any cerebrovascular risk factors, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and smoking. What's good for the heart is good for the brain! Dr Gibbs notes that it is difficult to know what to expect as his Alzheimer's progresses as previously, most people with the disease were only living three to five years after the diagnosis as they were being diagnosed late. How do you put this knowledge into practice? Dr Gibbs: Walking is just built into my day. I do it with my dog, Jack, an 11-year-old English cocker spaniel who is about to age out. He can't keep up with 10,000 steps as easily any more, so I take some walks by myself. We live in the hills, so I'm getting very good aerobic exercise, short of running. I used to go to the gym, but that stopped at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. I also have a short workout at home. The first thing I do is I use resistance bands, which is a strength exercise. That takes about 15 minutes, and then I do tai chi pretty religiously, something I started six months ago. I can clearly see that it helps my balance, but I can't see if it helps my brain, which is continuing to do more poorly. And thanks to Lois, I've been eating a healthy diet, really forever. Seed: I didn't have control over those french fries you were eating. Dr Gibbs: I don't eat red meat any more. I closely follow the MIND diet, which is essentially the Mediterranean diet with more berries and nuts. It includes a heavy focus on fruits and vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains, seafood, lean poultry, and uses olive oil to cook. I'm quite happy with it. ALSO READ: What is MIND, the diet that may help protect against Alzheimer's disease? Because I lost my sense of smell, which is totally gone now, I have virtually no taste either. I eat the same thing for lunch and breakfast every day. I enjoy it. I make a sandwich on whole wheat bread that has tuna salad and garbanzo beans, avocado and arugula to get the dark leafy greens. Then some grapes or bananas, and half a dark chocolate bar. Breakfast is homemade granola, and I add cranberries or blueberries. I throw walnuts in as well. Dinner is whatever Lois picks that I can eat. I stopped drinking alcohol. There's no safe amount of alcohol if you are on this trajectory. So I got rid of it, but I used to love red wine. Do you know what to expect as the disease progresses? Dr Gibbs: That's a difficult question to answer. In the old days, when people got a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, they were only living three to five years after that because we made the diagnosis so late. There's less information out there about people who have known they have the disease for a long time and how they will do going forward. Seed: There's a lot of confusion and misconception because there are different types of dementia. Alzheimer's tends to progress more slowly. The early stage can last 20 years. Here we are 13 years after his diagnosis and Dan's really doing well. I'm a little more of a caregiver than I was a few years ago, but not by much. He dresses himself and monitors medications, and people who talk to him casually wouldn't even know. We've been at that plateau for quite some time. How would you describe the stage you're at right now? Dr Gibbs: Right now, I have mild Alzheimer's dementia. To say you have dementia is to say you are having trouble managing your personal affairs. I'm just at a stage now where I can't balance a chequebook. And as things go along, I will have more problems with memory and the ability to recognise people and remember their names. I've lost my train of thought. Seed: You were talking about what stage you're at. Dr Gibbs: When I'm not remembering where I am, then I will have severe dementia. There are memories I have going back through my whole life. They tend to be events that are emotionally-laden. I'm terrible with names. I know my immediate family members. My neighbours, I forget their names. Lois is taking over the things I can't manage any more, like the financial part of our lives, anything that involves planning ahead, scheduling, calendars, remembering all the family stuff, managing the household. She also goes with me when I have a talk to give. Seed: He gives talks on Alzheimer's, but almost every time that Dan is getting ready to speak to a group, he gets frustrated and says, 'This is the last time I'm doing this,' because getting his thoughts together is challenging. He writes out notes. Most of the talks he gives now are screening events for the film with question-and-answer sessions. Dr Gibbs: It works well if Lois is there to find ... Seed: Words. Dr Gibbs: That makes it easier. – By Laura Williamson/American Heart Association News/Tribune News Service
Gulf Today
20 minutes ago
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Tough task awaits First Mission in Group 1 Stephen Foster Stakes
First Mission hopes to confirm his place among North America's top older middle-distance stars in a blockbuster edition of the G1 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs on Saturday. The nine-furlong contest has attracted a stellar field that includes Dubai World Cup hero Hit Show, Breeders' Cup Classic scorer Sierra Leone, the 2024 Kentucky Derby victor Mystik Dan and recent G1 winner Mindframe. First Mission was fourth in the Stephen Foster 12 months ago but disappointed on his two other G1 appearances last year, failing to run any race at Gulfstream Park in the Pegasus World Cup and fading on a muddy track in the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga. Trained by Brad Cox, the Street Sense entire has posted four Graded Stakes wins, including a four-length verdict at Churchill Downs in the 2024 G2 Alysheba Stakes and comfortably taking the G2 Oaklawn Handicap on his latest start in April. Michael Banahan, Director of Bloodstock, Godolphin US, said: 'First Mission is coming into the Stephen Foster in excellent shape and Brad couldn't be more pleased with him. He had a very nice breeze last Saturday, which should set him up nicely to take on the heavy hitters of the older colt's division. 'This is a strong renewal of the Stephen Foster featuring last year's Breeders' Cup Classic winner, the Kentucky Derby winner and 2025 Dubai World Cup winner, plus the winner of last month's G1 Churchill Downs Stakes. 'We expect a big performance from First Mission and hope that this will be his coming out party at G1 level.' Siesta Key makes his three-year-old return for the same trainer in the American Derby later on the card. The Into Mischief colt, who is out of dual G1 winner Cocoa Beach, scored on debut before taking the Kitten's Joy Stakes at Colonial Downs but could only finish eighth in the G2 Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland's Fall Meet. Elsewhere, Speedy Godolphin galloper Austmarr returns to Eagle Farm for Saturday's G3 WJ Healy Stakes looking to atone for an unlucky defeat in the Listed Lightning Handicap three weeks ago. The Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained mare, who has run all her best races from in front, appeared to dwell slightly at the start in the Lightning and then overraced three-wide back in the field under jockey Kerrin McEvoy. Austmarr turned for home in ninth place but was still able to accelerate when McEvoy found clear running and only just failed to overhaul the winner, Vodka Martini, in the final 50m of the 1,000m scamper. Back to 1,200m on Saturday, and with a clean getaway from her ideal barrier one, Austmarr only needs to replicate her Rosehill Gardens victory three starts back to claim a third victory at Stakes level. Austmarr burst from the gates at Rosehill and led all the way to win the G3 Birthday Card over 1,200m on 22 March with McEvoy in the saddle. The daughter of Exosphere was then caught wide early when she tried to repeat that effort in the G1 Robert Sangster Stakes at Morphettville five weeks later before being beaten 4.6 lengths by Charm Stone. Freshened-up prior to the Lightning, Austmarr again showed her quality with a great finish and, with even luck, must be one the leading Healy Stakes contenders on the limit weight. Her performance could decide whether the five-time winner races on next season. The Freedmans will also saddle-up promising three-year-old Trembles for Godolphin in the Sportsbet Race Previews Handicap over 1,000m at Caulfield. A winner at Mornington and Sandown in recent weeks, the daughter of Too Darn Hot and former G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Earthquake will be chasing her winning hat-trick with Jye McNeil in the saddle.
Gulf Today
20 minutes ago
- Sport
- Gulf Today
City show title credentials with Juve rout, Al Ain sign off in style
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City demonstrated their Club World Cup credentials with a 5-2 victory over Juventus on Thursday while Vinicius Junior starred as Real Madrid beat Salzburg 3-0 to secure a spot in the last 16. Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia beat Pachuca of Mexico 2-0 to pip Salzburg to the last berth in the knockout phase, as Al Ain battled to a 2-1 win over Wydad Casablanca in the day's other game. City became the only side at the tournament to win all three of their group matches as they put Juventus to the sword in front of 54,320 at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, underline their title credentials. City now face Al Hilal, the only Asian representative in the next round after goals from Salem Al-Dawsari and Brazilian Marcos Leonardo against Pachuca. 'We played well and I'm happy with the victory,' said City winger Jeremy Doku, who opened the scoring. Doku pounced for the early opener after new arrival Rayan Ait-Nouri set him up with a clever ball. However City stopper Ederson passed the ball straight to Teun Koopmeiners who levelled for Juventus, in one of the few moments in which Guardiola's team let their focus slip. Pierre Kalulu bundled into his own net from Matheus Nunes' cross to restore City's lead. The Premier League side, hoping to make up for a poor season by their standards in which they finished without a major trophy, stepped up a level after the break with Erling Haaland's introduction. The Norwegian striker tapped home the third and then helped create the fourth for Phil Foden, before Savinho smashed home from distance for the fifth. Dusan Vlahovic netted late on for Juve but it did not take the shine off an impressive triumph for City, who were able to give holding midfielder Rodri a first start after his long injury lay-off. 'Manchester City have a lot better (quality of) players than us, that's the truth, that needs to be acknowledged,' said Juventus coach Igor Tudor as his side finished second in Group G. 'The stars didn't align for us to play better tonight.' Al Ain got the better of Wydad in Washington, DC in a meeting of two teams who were already eliminated but were hoping to sign off with a victory. South African striker Cassius Mailula blasted the Moroccans into an early lead but Togo international Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba levelled from the spot just before the break for Al Ain. The Togolese forward was the UAE Pro League's top scorer this past season. That was their first goal of the tournament after 5-0 and 6-0 thrashings by Juve and City respectively, and Paraguayan international Alejandro Romero Kaku curled home from the edge of the box to earn the team from the UAE victory. 'I think it's a good experience. It was a difficult group, with (Manchester) City and Juventus, but we competed until the end. I think this is good for Al Ain,' said Kaku. Wydad coach Mohamed Amine Benhachem was at the game on crutches following a traffic accident with a team physician earlier in the week. Vinicius stars in Madrid win: Vinicius scored one goal and made another with a touch of class as Madrid saw off Salzburg in Philadelphia to clinch top spot in Group H. Real play Juventus in the last 16 in Miami on Tuesday. The Brazil star Vinicius opened the scoring after a superb defence-splitting pass by Jude Bellingham on 40 minutes, to the delight of the vast majority of the 64,811 crowd on a rainy night at Lincoln Financial Field. Vinicius then set up Federico Valverde with a clever backheel to make it 2-0 in first-half stoppage time. Young striker Gonzalo Garcia ran through to wrap up the win late on with his second goal of the tournament, as Xabi Alonso's team end the first round of FIFA's new tournament unbeaten. 'I am pleased with the boys, and now the interesting phase begins,' Alonso told broadcaster DAZN. Real were once again without top scorer Kylian Mbappe, who has yet to play at the tournament as he recovers from illness. 'We thought Kylian would make it and it wasn't to be. Now we have four days and I want to be optimistic but cautious at the same time,' Alonso said. Agencies
