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In addition to avoiding direct competition with "GTA 6", developers are also keeping a close eye on the trends and player preferences that emerge following the game's release. By studying the impact of "GTA 6" on the gaming landscape, developers can gain valuable insights into what resonates with players and tailor their own games to better meet the demands of the market.Lisa Simpson once said during an episode of “The Simpsons:” What could be more exciting than the savage ballet that is pro football? On Monday night, the entire Simpsons universe gets to experience it in a way not many could have imagined. The prime-time matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys will also take place at Springfield’s Atoms Stadium as part of “The Simpsons Funday Football” alternate broadcast. The altcast will be streamed on ESPN+, Disney+, and NFL+ (on mobile devices). ESPN and ABC have the main broadcast, while ESPN2 will carry the final “ManningCast” of the regular season. The replay will be available on Disney+ for 30 days. Globally, more than 145 countries will have access to either live or on replay. “We’re such huge football fans, and the Simpsons audience and the football audience, I feel, are like the same audience of just American families and football. And the Simpsons are so much a part of the DNA of the American family and culture that for us to, like, mush them together in this crazy video game, it’s so fun,” said Matt Selman, executive producer of “The Simpsons.” While the game is the focal point, the alternate broadcast, in some ways, will resemble a three-hour episode of “The Simpsons.” It starts with Homer eating too many hot dogs and having a dream while watching football. Homer joins the Cowboys in the dream while Bart teams up with the Bengals. Lisa and Marge will be sideline reporters. “That’s the beginning of the story, and the story continues through the entire game until Homer wakes up from his dream at the end of the game. It is like a complete story, and the NFL game will happen in between. It’s just going to be an amazing presentation with tons of surprises,” said Michael “Spike” Szykowny, ESPN’s VP of edit and animation. This is the second year ESPN has done an alternate broadcast for an NFL game. It used the characters from “Toy Story” for last year’s Sunday morning game from London between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars. “The Simpsons” has featured many sports-themed episodes during its 35 seasons. Even though “Homer at the Bat” remains the consensus favorite sports episode for many Simpsons fans, there have been football ones such as “Bart Star” and “Lisa The Greek.” There also was a Super Bowl-themed one after Fox’s broadcast of Super Bowl 33 between Denver and Atlanta in 1999. Even though “The Simpsons” remains a staple on Fox’s prime-time schedule, it is part of the Disney family after their acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019. All 35 seasons are on Disney+. The show’s creators have worked with ESPN and the NFL to make sure the look and sound is definitely Simpsonsesque. The theme song is a mash-up of “The Simpsons” opening and “Monday Night Football’s” iconic “Heavy Action.” There have also been pre-recorded skits and bits to use during the broadcast featuring Simpson’s legendary voices Hank Azaria, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, and Yeardley Smith. The telecast will be entirely animated, with the players’ movements in sync with what is happening in real-time on the field. That is done through player-tracking data enabled by the NFL’s Next Gen Stats system and Sony’s Beyond Sports Technology. While Next Gen Stats tracks where players are on the field with a tracking chip in the shoulder pads, there is skeletal data tracking and limb tracking data — which uses 29 points per player — to get closer to the player’s movements. The other data tracking will allow Beyond Sports and Disney to add special characters to the game. For example, there might be a play where Lisa catches the ball and goes 30 yards instead of Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins. “Lisa is much smaller than the rest of the players. So, in real life, the ball would go over her head, but now, with data processing, we can take the ball and make it go exactly into her hands. So for the viewer, it still looks believable, and it all makes sense,” said Beyond Sports co-founder Nicolaas Westerhof. The other major challenge is making “The Simpsons” two-dimensional cartoon characters into 3-D simulations. Szykowny and his team worked to make that a reality over the past couple of months. “That’s a big leap of faith for them to say, hey, we trust you to make our characters 3-D and work with it. Our ESPN creative studio team has done a wonderful job,” Szykowny said. Lisa, Krusty, Nelson, Milhouse and Ralph will be with Bart and the Bengals; while Carl, Barney, Lenny and Moe join up with with Homer and the Cowboys. The broadcast will also feature ESPN personalities Stephen A. Smith, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. ESPN’s Drew Carter, Mina Kimes and Dan Orlovsky will call the game from Bristol, Connecticut, and also be animated. They will wear Meta Quest Pro headsets to experience the game from Springfield using VR technology. For Kimes, being part of the broadcast and being an animated Simpsons character is a dream come true. She is a massive fan of the show and has a framed photo of Lisa Simpson — who she said is a personal hero and icon — as part of her backdrop when she makes appearances on ESPN NFL shows from her home in Los Angeles. “I didn’t have any input, and I didn’t see anything beforehand, so I wasn’t sure if it would look like me, but it kind of does, which is very funny,” said Kimes, who drew Simpsons characters when she was a kid. “To see the actual staff turn me into one was a dream.” Even though the Bengals (4-8) and Cowboys (5-7) have struggled this season, Selman thinks both teams have personalities that appeal to “The Simpsons” universe. “We were just so lucky also that the Cowboys are sort of like a Homer Simpson-type team, American team, and Mike McCarthy might be a Homer-type guy, one might imagine,” he said. ”And then you have Joe Burrow on the other side who is a cool young, spiky-haired, blonde bad boy -- he’s like Bart. And that fits our character archetypes so perfectly. “If Homer is mad at Bart and has a hot dog dream while watching ’Monday Night Football’, and then it’s basically McCarthy versus Burrow, Homer versus Bart, and that’s the simple father versus son strangling — Homer strangling Bart dynamic that has been part of the show for 35 years. I don’t know if that would have worked as well if it was like Titans versus Jacksonville. We would have found something. We would have made it work.” ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflNone

In conclusion, the resurgence of the fake news about zoos hiring wild human actors for $500 per day serves as a stark reminder of the prevalence of misinformation in today's online landscape. It highlights the importance of skepticism, fact-checking, and responsible sharing of information to combat the spread of false narratives. By staying informed and vigilant, we can collectively work towards a more truthful and reliable online environment for all.

The Russian government, on the other hand, has condemned the actions of the Syrian embassy, describing it as a violation of diplomatic protocol and an interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation. Russia has made it clear that it stands by its ally, the Assad regime, and will not tolerate any attempts to undermine its authority.In German folklore, doppelgängers are considered to be a bad omen whose presence brings about misfortune. It feels all the more fitting then, that amid today's geopolitical conflicts, increasing climate catastrophes and economic uncertainties, we're seemingly hooked on celebrity lookalike contests. It began with actor Timothée Chalamet. In October, hundreds of onlookers turned up at Washington Square Park to watch more than a dozen chocolate-haired 20-somethings jostle for the title of Chalamet's unofficial doppelgänger. The event, organized by YouTuber Anthony Po, ended in a handful of arrests, a $500 fine and an appearance from the Oscar-nominated actor himself. "It was insane," Reed Putman, a Chalamet lookalike contestant, told CNN after the competition . "People were flooding (around you), recording you and taking photos or asking quick questions." After that, things moved quickly. In Ireland, mulleted men compared thighs in 5-inch Gaelic Athletic Association shorts , hoping to have their likeness to Paul Mescal verified by a jumbo cheque for €20 ($21) (a second contest took place at a pub in London, apparently making Mescal the first actor to inspire two competitions). Days later, more young men, this time dressed in pussy-bow blouses and three-strand pearls, piled into London's Soho Square looking to be crowned the best Harry Styles lookalike. Then there was the search for actor Dev Patel's doppelgänger in San Francisco and singer Zayn Malik's in New York. And not since the taping of a "Top Chef" episode has so many apron-wearing men gathered in one place for the Jeremy Allen White competition in Chicago earlier this month. There were cigarettes, farmer's market flowers and yards of fake tattoos — all in reference to paparazzi shots of White as well as his character Carmy Berzatto in "The Bear." Just this past week, Zendaya — because who else? — became what appears to be the first female celebrity to have her own viral lookalike contest in Oakland, California, while one for actor Glen Powell was held over the weekend in Austin, Texas. Thanks to social media, a new competition poster seems to go viral each week, with many awarding a small cash prize and an item associated with the celebrity or celebrity's character (White's lookalike took home a pack of Marlboro Reds, while the organizers of Zendaya's contest threw in a bottle of shampoo and conditioner of a brand that the actor reportedly uses). Like a dog whistle for a particular type of online Gen Z or Millennial, these contests spread like wildfire. But the idea of a lookalike contest is, in fact, a time-honored form of entertainment. In his memoir, Charlie Chaplin Jr. wrote that his famous father had not only entered but came third in his own lookalike competition — held at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood sometime between 1915 and 1921. (Dolly Parton said she also participated in one held of her at a gay bar in Santa Monica decades later. She lost). There were Shirley Temple contests in the 1930s — including one in Sydney, Australia in 1934 and one in 1935 at the Cleveland Food Show, where more than 900 children entered. The event was so popular that the Cleveland organizers reportedly staged three more — one for femme fatale Myrna Loy, one for singer Alice Faye, and one for actor Katharine Hepburn. For the last 40 years, a bar in Key West, Florida, has been staging an annual Ernest Hemingway lookalike competition. But British sociologist and celebrity cultural critic Ellis Cashmore believes there's a reason we're seeing a resurgence of these types of contests now. "I don't think this is a vestige of the Golden Age of Hollywood," he told CNN over the phone. "I think (the most recent ones) capture something that we believe in the 21st century... That biology isn't destiny." To Cashmore, our current society is defined by the idea that "you can potentially do anything and be anything you want to be." "What (the audience) is looking at is a transition in process," he said. "They know this isn't really Harry Styles on stage, but if someone who looks so much like him, could even be him, you're giving someone an indication of just how malleable and changeable we are as human beings. Humanity isn't fixed." There's a chance to build a real community, too, he says. "These lookalike contests provide us with an opportunity to relate and form new relationships with people we might hitherto not know and would never cross paths with and wouldn't even say hello to them in a gym, in a club, in a bar, in a supermarket or anywhere," Cashmore added. "But the fact is, they share a common interest, and that is celebrity." Andy Harmer, professional David Beckham tribute act and founder of Lookalikes, one of the UK's top celebrity impersonator agencies, believes it's more to do with the fact that "humans are interested in all kinds of symmetry." Harmer, who is writing a book on the history of his unique industry, recounts examples of lookalikes in nature: "Stick insects use (similarity) to survive. And some flowers look like bees," he told CNN in a phone interview, referring to the bee orchid which mimics the appearance of a female bee to encourage pollination. "It's a natural thing," he said. His career as Beckham's double hasn't always been smooth sailing, however. "When he (Beckham) got sent off against Argentina (during the 1998 World Cup) everybody knew him, but everybody hated him," Harmer said. "Me and Victoria used to get so much abuse, death threats and stuff," he said, referring to a friend of his who looked like Victoria Beckham. "It was crazy." According to the 2020 Channel 4 documentary, "The World's Most Identical Strangers." it's estimated that one face will have at least seven doppelgänger matches. But Dr. Manel Esteller, the chairman of genetics at the University of Barcelona's School of Medicine, points out that doppelgänger is a relative term. "The perfect ones are the real ones, the monozygotic twins (split from the same embryo) with over 90% similarity," he said over email. "From that point on you can look 85%, 80%, 75% similar to someone. The cut-off point determines the number of so-called "virtual twins" in the world." In 2022, a study in the scientific journal Cell Reports found that lookalikes with no family connection shared genetic variants. If you are genetically blessed with a striking celebrity resemblance, Harmer assures it can become a lucrative career. He has supported himself as Beckham's dead-ringer for 20 years, working with the man himself on ads and even appearing in the 2002 film "Bend it like Beckham." The star of his agency is Denise Ohnona, a Lancashire-born Kate Moss lookalike who has walked the runway for Marine Serre and Vetements at Paris Fashion Week. "She's been very popular this year," he said. "A lot of brands are realizing that lookalikes are actually great... It's quite cost-effective. You're not paying for the amount you would pay for the real one." But is there a psychological impact of having your identity so tightly bound to someone else? There doesn't have to be, Harmer says. "Treat it like fancy dress," he advises. "And don't get too wrapped up in it." And for the latest cohort of victorious lookalikes, Harmer does have one more piece of wisdom: "Contact me because I can turn your looks into money."

LAHAINA, Hawaii — So the scriptwriters in Maui have been saving up material, huh? Because that’s the only way to explain this Maui Invitational, which — after Colorado ’s shocking 73-72 upset over No. 2 UConn on Tuesday, the Huskies’ second loss in as many days — has now delivered four absolute gems in five contests. The two-time defending national champs arrived at the tournament looking to stake their claim as one of the sport’s elite squads once again. Instead, they will now play in the last-place game, having lost consecutive contests for the first time since January 2023. Advertisement “Obviously we didn’t expect to find ourselves in this position out here, based on where we’ve been,” said UConn coach Dan Hurley, “but this is where we are.” So, how did Colorado complete an 11-point comeback and pull out the victory despite leading for less than a minute total on Tuesday? Not in any one way, but through so many small, critical details. Start at the end, though, with the game-deciding sequence. UConn led by five with 3:28 to play, after a quick personal 5-0 run by Solo Ball . But coming out of timeout thereafter, Ball missed a free throw that ultimately proved decisive. Colorado then made a concerted effort — as it did all game — to take advantage of UConn’s precarious frontcourt foul trouble. Some critical context: Both of UConn’s primary bigs, Samson Johnson and Tarris Reed Jr. , fouled out on Monday versus Memphis (albeit in overtime); the Huskies as a whole committed 29 personal fouls vs. the Tigers, and entered Tuesday ranked 283rd nationally in defensive foul rate. “Some of it is sloppy, undisciplined technique, and some of it I just think in basketball, sometimes you just are not getting a great whistle,” Hurley said. “I don’t think out here we’ve gotten a great whistle.” Regardless, Colorado willingly went back to that well, feeding its own big man combo of Elijah Malone and Andrej Jakimovski , especially in the second half. Those two drew eight combined fouls and combined for 28 points — including the final six, which gave the Buffs their first signature win this season. “We don’t go into a game necessarily trying to foul somebody out,” said Colorado coach Tad Boyle. “But (our plan was) definitely going inside to Elijah Malone. He is a weapon for us, and he’s a problem for other teams.” After Ball’s missed free throw, Reed fouled out with 2:04 left trying to defend the 6-foot-10, 268-pound Malone; that left 6-foot-8 wing Alex Karaban — who himself played only eight first-half minutes due to foul trouble — as UConn’s de facto center down the stretch. After Malone made his two free throws, cutting the margin to one, UConn answered with a Jaylin Stewart putback to push its lead back to three. Malone made another layup out of timeout to make it a one-point game, again, with 1:10 to play. Advertisement And then, the ultimate irony. On Monday, when UConn wing Liam McNeeley was called for an over-the-back foul with 40 seconds left it sent Hurley into a frenzy, earning the coach a technical foul that ultimately cost the Huskies the game. But on Tuesday? Colorado forward Trevor Baskin was not called for an over-the-back foul when he collected a key offensive rebound with 24 seconds left off Javon Ruffin ’s missed 3 — although review showed after the game that Baskin did make contact on the play and should’ve earned a whistle. “Obviously it’s ironic,” Hurley said. “It just speaks to how these last two days have gone for us: that yesterday, the biggest play of the game was an over-the-back that was called against us, and then today it was more egregious, because the kid Baskin pulled Liam’s arm down. I saw the replay of it.” Instead of it being UConn ball, though, Colorado called timeout, and gathered itself for one final play. Out of timeout, once again, Boyle got his team going downhill, and Jakimovski made a running layup with eight seconds left that sent him careening into the stands. “When it came out of his hand,” said Colorado point guard Julian Hammond III , “it looked good.” UConn called timeout with 5.9 seconds to play but didn’t get off a great look. Hassan Diarra ’s 3-point prayer at the buzzer fell incomplete. Jakimovski’s make was an apt microcosm of the second half, in which Colorado shot 62.5 percent overall. And as for that interior muscle? It led directly to 20 paint points, including the game-winner, but also multiple open kickout 3s; the Buffaloes shooting 5 of 9 from 3 in the second half was just as pivotal to their upset bid. “Our defense has been just so dreadful, just so dreadful out here,” Hurley said. “Obviously it’s been a tough two days.” Malone and point guard Julian Hammond III — who had four made 3s and three assists — led the way for Colorado. For UConn, McNeeley — who missed much of the second half with an apparent hip injury — still paced the team with 20 points, keyed by making his first four 3-pointers. Ball chipped in 16, while Diarra — who made his first start this season at point guard — had 11 points and six assists. Colorado will play the winner of No. 5 Iowa State and Dayton on Wednesday, while UConn will play the loser in the seventh-place game — and try to avoid going 0-3 in Hawaii. Required reading (Photo: Darryl Oumi / Getty Images)

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In the midst of the chaos, Alibaba Cloud quickly sprang into action, deploying emergency response teams to the scene and coordinating with local authorities to ensure the safety of everyone involved. Firefighters fought bravely to contain the blaze, risking their lives to bring the situation under control.

Preview: Angers vs. Lyon - prediction, team news, lineupsIn conclusion, Emperor Cinemas' adoption of Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos represents a bold step forward in redefining the standards of cinematic excellence. By combining cutting-edge technology with unparalleled customer service, Emperor Cinemas is poised to deliver a truly immersive and unforgettable movie-watching experience that will delight and captivate audiences for years to come. Experience the future of cinema at Emperor Cinemas, where every frame tells a story and every sound transports you to another world.

The incident at the ABC Driving School serves as a stark reminder of the importance of accurate and timely information in preventing misunderstandings and rumors from escalating. It also highlights the need for transparency and accountability in addressing incidents, even if they turn out to be the result of unforeseen technical failures rather than deliberate actions.