๐ฌ Arrakis as a prison sentence
Denis Villeneuve has spent the last five years living on Arrakis โ *Dune: Part One* in 2021, *Part Two* in 2024, and the trilogy closer landing December 18, 2026. At some point the desert becomes the walls.
He told Empire he came back for the finale not out of nostalgia but exhaustion โ precisely so he wouldn't go soft on the material. And to actually escape once it's done, he needed something drastic.
In June 2025 it was confirmed that Villeneuve โ a self-described die-hard Bond fan โ will direct the next 007 film. Who plays the agent after Daniel Craig's 15-year run is still officially anyone's guess, though Gary Oldman has let slip the decision's already been made.
Funny logic: the only cure for one impossible saga is another impossible saga.
Variety
Denis Villeneuve has spent the last five years living on Arrakis โ *Dune: Part One* in 2021, *Part Two* in 2024, and the trilogy closer landing December 18, 2026. At some point the desert becomes the walls.
He told Empire he came back for the finale not out of nostalgia but exhaustion โ precisely so he wouldn't go soft on the material. And to actually escape once it's done, he needed something drastic.
"When I was asked to do the next Bond, I said: 'OK, this is what I need.'"
In June 2025 it was confirmed that Villeneuve โ a self-described die-hard Bond fan โ will direct the next 007 film. Who plays the agent after Daniel Craig's 15-year run is still officially anyone's guess, though Gary Oldman has let slip the decision's already been made.
Funny logic: the only cure for one impossible saga is another impossible saga.
Variety
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๐ฌ Johnny Depp's own co-star didn't recognize him on set
Depp has built a career on disappearing into characters โ Jack Sparrow, the Mad Hatter โ and Ebenezer looks like no exception. IGN has an exclusive look at the prosthetic work for his take on Scrooge, and co-star Trammell Tillman puts it plainly:
Prosthetic designer Barrie Gower says Depp pushed for every detail himself โ moles, a longer chin, anything that builds the character. McKellen, Grint and Daisy Ridley round out the cast. In theaters November 13.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7lyvgnDuDE
Depp has built a career on disappearing into characters โ Jack Sparrow, the Mad Hatter โ and Ebenezer looks like no exception. IGN has an exclusive look at the prosthetic work for his take on Scrooge, and co-star Trammell Tillman puts it plainly:
"The first time I saw him in full makeup, I did not recognize him."
Prosthetic designer Barrie Gower says Depp pushed for every detail himself โ moles, a longer chin, anything that builds the character. McKellen, Grint and Daisy Ridley round out the cast. In theaters November 13.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7lyvgnDuDE
YouTube
Ebenezer | Official Trailer (2026 Movie) - Johnny Depp, Ian McKellen, Rupert Grint, Sam Claflin
Bah! Humbug! Watch the new trailer for #EbenezerMovie starring Johnny Depp. Only in theatres November 13.
This November, Johnny Depp is Ebenezer Scrooge. The name you know, the story you donโt. From Ti West, EBENEZER also stars Rupert Grint, Andrea Riseboroughโฆ
This November, Johnny Depp is Ebenezer Scrooge. The name you know, the story you donโt. From Ti West, EBENEZER also stars Rupert Grint, Andrea Riseboroughโฆ
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๐ฎ One last look before Vice City opens
Rockstar just dropped a "launch" trailer for GTA VI โ a full month before the actual launch. Unconventional timing, but 90 seconds of neon-soaked Vice City running on PS5 makes a solid case.
The notable addition: French electronic duo Justice is scoring the game. If the trailer is any indication, they nailed the vibe. Rockstar has always treated its soundtracks as events in their own right, and this one is no different.
The official story summary, for the uninitiated:
GTA VI lands November 19th on PS5 and Xbox โ 13 years after GTA V. One month to go, per The Verge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz1B4B2yBZY
Rockstar just dropped a "launch" trailer for GTA VI โ a full month before the actual launch. Unconventional timing, but 90 seconds of neon-soaked Vice City running on PS5 makes a solid case.
The notable addition: French electronic duo Justice is scoring the game. If the trailer is any indication, they nailed the vibe. Rockstar has always treated its soundtracks as events in their own right, and this one is no different.
The official story summary, for the uninitiated:
Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America.
GTA VI lands November 19th on PS5 and Xbox โ 13 years after GTA V. One month to go, per The Verge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz1B4B2yBZY
YouTube
Grand Theft Auto VI Launch Trailer
Vice City, USA.
Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across theโฆ
Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across theโฆ
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๐ Daily Recap ยท Oct 24
๐ธ Billion phishing messages sent via one scam marketplace
๐ฌ Villeneuve wraps Dune trilogy after five desert years
๐ญ Depp's Scrooge prosthetics fooled his own co-star
๐ฎ GTA VI trailer drops a full month early
Someone in your life just surfaced from a long meeting โ send them this
CHEATKOTT - Your Daily News
๐ธ Billion phishing messages sent via one scam marketplace
๐ฌ Villeneuve wraps Dune trilogy after five desert years
๐ญ Depp's Scrooge prosthetics fooled his own co-star
๐ฎ GTA VI trailer drops a full month early
Someone in your life just surfaced from a long meeting โ send them this
CHEATKOTT - Your Daily News
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๐ต๏ธ Toilet-paper tradecraft at OpenAI
Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi engineer, spent over a year at OpenAI before allegedly planting a USB recording device in its badge-access executive conference room โ the one used for discussions on government deals, technical roadmaps, and commercial partnerships. He wrapped it in toilet paper and tucked it behind the TV. OpenAI found it two days later.
The company didn't fire him immediately. It quietly cut his system access while the FBI built a case. On October 5, a newly installed camera caught Alfozan returning to retrieve the bug. Arrest and dismissal were timed to the same Friday. He faces up to five years and a
Toilet paper. At a company teaching machines to think.
Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi engineer, spent over a year at OpenAI before allegedly planting a USB recording device in its badge-access executive conference room โ the one used for discussions on government deals, technical roadmaps, and commercial partnerships. He wrapped it in toilet paper and tucked it behind the TV. OpenAI found it two days later.
The company didn't fire him immediately. It quietly cut his system access while the FBI built a case. On October 5, a newly installed camera caught Alfozan returning to retrieve the bug. Arrest and dismissal were timed to the same Friday. He faces up to five years and a
$250,000 fine, per Ars Technica.Toilet paper. At a company teaching machines to think.
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๐ Tesla's Roadster finally arrived โ nine years and four delays later
In 2017, Tesla took $50,000 deposits on a Roadster it promised "in a few years." It delayed in 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024. Last night in Waco, Texas, the car finally showed up.
It drove up an inverted ramp, spun around, landed softly, then leapt over a moving lineup of Cybertruck, Semi, and Model 3 โ SpaceX thrusters and fans doing the work. Zero to 60 mph: one second.
Musk on safety: "If safety is your number one goal, do not buy the Roadster."
He called it "the best of the last of the human-driven cars." From the guy staking Tesla's future on full self-driving, that's somewhere between a toast and a eulogy.
TechCrunch
In 2017, Tesla took $50,000 deposits on a Roadster it promised "in a few years." It delayed in 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024. Last night in Waco, Texas, the car finally showed up.
It drove up an inverted ramp, spun around, landed softly, then leapt over a moving lineup of Cybertruck, Semi, and Model 3 โ SpaceX thrusters and fans doing the work. Zero to 60 mph: one second.
Musk on safety: "If safety is your number one goal, do not buy the Roadster."
He called it "the best of the last of the human-driven cars." From the guy staking Tesla's future on full self-driving, that's somewhere between a toast and a eulogy.
TechCrunch
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๐ฌ GTA 6 has a launch trailer โ and it has actual story weight
November 19 is locked, and Rockstar's launch trailer finally gives the game a face: Jason, bearded, buffing a boat, narrating that he left the army badly and nobody gives loans to people like him. Then special-forces flashbacks, Lucia in an ankle monitor under a running shower, Vice City in pieces.
๐ธ Captured on PS5 โ "Plays Best on PS5" opens the trailer
๐ธ Score by Justice, with Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard
๐ธ The sweat system yes, really makes its cinematic debut
No gameplay yet, just cinematics. IGN confirms GTA 6 is already eligible for The Game Awards 2026 โ someone is very confident about that date.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz1B4B2yBZY
November 19 is locked, and Rockstar's launch trailer finally gives the game a face: Jason, bearded, buffing a boat, narrating that he left the army badly and nobody gives loans to people like him. Then special-forces flashbacks, Lucia in an ankle monitor under a running shower, Vice City in pieces.
๐ธ Captured on PS5 โ "Plays Best on PS5" opens the trailer
๐ธ Score by Justice, with Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard
๐ธ The sweat system yes, really makes its cinematic debut
No gameplay yet, just cinematics. IGN confirms GTA 6 is already eligible for The Game Awards 2026 โ someone is very confident about that date.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz1B4B2yBZY
YouTube
Grand Theft Auto VI Launch Trailer
Vice City, USA.
Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across theโฆ
Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across theโฆ
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๐ฝ Surprise in the cornfield
A Minnesota farmer combining his harvest found a circular metal object 11 feet across sitting among the stalks. The county sheriff called in federal agencies. It's debris from a Chinese rocket.
LandSpace's Zhuque-2E launched from the Gobi Desert on September 15, deployed 10 satellites, then reignited its engine and sent the stage arcing over the American Midwest. Witnesses across three states filmed streaks of fire in the night sky. Six weeks later โ hello from the cornfield.
Nobody was hurt. No international rule penalises dropping hardware in a foreign field. Someone will probably send a harvest bill, though.
Ars Technica has the details.
A Minnesota farmer combining his harvest found a circular metal object 11 feet across sitting among the stalks. The county sheriff called in federal agencies. It's debris from a Chinese rocket.
LandSpace's Zhuque-2E launched from the Gobi Desert on September 15, deployed 10 satellites, then reignited its engine and sent the stage arcing over the American Midwest. Witnesses across three states filmed streaks of fire in the night sky. Six weeks later โ hello from the cornfield.
Nobody was hurt. No international rule penalises dropping hardware in a foreign field. Someone will probably send a harvest bill, though.
Ars Technica has the details.
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๐ Daily Recap ยท Oct 25
๐ต๏ธ OpenAI exec room had a secret USB spy
๐ Tesla Roadster showed up nine years late
๐ฌ GTA 6 trailer finally gives Jason a voice
๐ฝ Chinese rocket debris lands in a Minnesota cornfield
Someone you know definitely missed at least three of these today โ pass it along
CHEATKOTT - Your Daily News
๐ต๏ธ OpenAI exec room had a secret USB spy
๐ Tesla Roadster showed up nine years late
๐ฌ GTA 6 trailer finally gives Jason a voice
๐ฝ Chinese rocket debris lands in a Minnesota cornfield
Someone you know definitely missed at least three of these today โ pass it along
CHEATKOTT - Your Daily News
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๐ก Amazon's new Fire TV Stick 4K just hit half price
Announced just weeks ago, it's already down to $29.99 โ a 50% drop at both Amazon and Best Buy, and an all-time low price before most people even knew it existed.
The headline upgrade isn't the discount though: the new Stick finally draws power straight from your TV's USB port, no wall adapter needed. It does 4K/60fps, HDR10 Plus, Wi-Fi 6,
One catch: sideloading apps, a feature some older models had, is gone. Progress giveth, progress taketh away.
Via The Verge.
Announced just weeks ago, it's already down to $29.99 โ a 50% drop at both Amazon and Best Buy, and an all-time low price before most people even knew it existed.
The headline upgrade isn't the discount though: the new Stick finally draws power straight from your TV's USB port, no wall adapter needed. It does 4K/60fps, HDR10 Plus, Wi-Fi 6,
Bluetooth 5.3, and comes with a redesigned remote โ asymmetrical grip, more tactile buttons.One catch: sideloading apps, a feature some older models had, is gone. Progress giveth, progress taketh away.
Via The Verge.
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๐ฌ Tom Skerritt. 93. End of watch.
Commander Viper in *Top Gun*, Captain Dallas in *Alien*, Emmy-winning Sheriff Brock in *Picket Fences* โ the actor you always recognized before you remembered his name. Skerritt died Wednesday of natural causes.
He first turned down *Alien* โ then changed his mind. Good call. Six decades on screen, five kids, US Air Force veteran. He clearly knew how to see a story through.
IGN
Commander Viper in *Top Gun*, Captain Dallas in *Alien*, Emmy-winning Sheriff Brock in *Picket Fences* โ the actor you always recognized before you remembered his name. Skerritt died Wednesday of natural causes.
"The world knew him through his acting. We knew him for his humor, wisdom and love," his family told The Hollywood Reporter.
He first turned down *Alien* โ then changed his mind. Good call. Six decades on screen, five kids, US Air Force veteran. He clearly knew how to see a story through.
IGN
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๐ฌ Frodo, Legolas, and Begbie walk into a Guy Ritchie series
The Gentlemen has quietly become one of the more impressive TV reinventions in recent memory โ Ritchie adapted his own 2019 film into a Netflix series and landed it squarely. Season 2 isn't even out yet, and Season 3 is already rolling, with filming underway in the UK and Morocco.
Netflix confirmed the new cast wave: Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom, and Robert Carlyle join returning leads Theo James and Kaya Scodelario. Also incoming โ Dexter Fletcher, Bruna Marquezine, Ed Speleers, Saffron Burrows, and Bugzy Malone.
Ritchie, characteristically, kept it grand:
A hobbit, an elf, and the man who played Begbie in a British crime romp. Either that's genius casting or someone had a very productive Friday.
Collider
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01IeKpHvgvM
The Gentlemen has quietly become one of the more impressive TV reinventions in recent memory โ Ritchie adapted his own 2019 film into a Netflix series and landed it squarely. Season 2 isn't even out yet, and Season 3 is already rolling, with filming underway in the UK and Morocco.
Netflix confirmed the new cast wave: Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom, and Robert Carlyle join returning leads Theo James and Kaya Scodelario. Also incoming โ Dexter Fletcher, Bruna Marquezine, Ed Speleers, Saffron Burrows, and Bugzy Malone.
Ritchie, characteristically, kept it grand:
"The ambition of The Gentlemen has accelerated, the world has expanded and the consequences carry weight"
A hobbit, an elf, and the man who played Begbie in a British crime romp. Either that's genius casting or someone had a very productive Friday.
Collider
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01IeKpHvgvM
YouTube
The Gentlemen: Season 2 | Official Trailer | Netflix
Ambition canโt be tamed...
With Bobby standing in the way of expanding the criminal empire, Eddie and Susie must decide whether to fall in line or make their own moves. From director Guy Ritchie, The Gentlemen returns for Season 2 on September 3rd, only onโฆ
With Bobby standing in the way of expanding the criminal empire, Eddie and Susie must decide whether to fall in line or make their own moves. From director Guy Ritchie, The Gentlemen returns for Season 2 on September 3rd, only onโฆ
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๐ฌ Zendaya is going for lead โ and going big
In the first two *Dune* films, Zendaya's Chani was a supporting actress campaign. For Villeneuve's finale, per Variety, the bid moves to best actress โ because Chani is now at the center of the story, not its edges.
Set two decades after Paul Atreides seized the Imperium, *Part Three* puts Chani inside a sprawling conspiracy rather than watching from the margins. The role grew; the category followed.
The curious part: she's running three films this season simultaneously โ *The Drama* (lead), Nolan's *The Odyssey* (supporting), and *Dune*. Two Emmys, a Golden Globe โ and zero Oscar nominations yet. Interesting arithmetic.
In theaters and IMAX December 18.
In the first two *Dune* films, Zendaya's Chani was a supporting actress campaign. For Villeneuve's finale, per Variety, the bid moves to best actress โ because Chani is now at the center of the story, not its edges.
Set two decades after Paul Atreides seized the Imperium, *Part Three* puts Chani inside a sprawling conspiracy rather than watching from the margins. The role grew; the category followed.
The curious part: she's running three films this season simultaneously โ *The Drama* (lead), Nolan's *The Odyssey* (supporting), and *Dune*. Two Emmys, a Golden Globe โ and zero Oscar nominations yet. Interesting arithmetic.
In theaters and IMAX December 18.
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๐ Daily Recap ยท Oct 26
๐บ Fire TV Stick 4K hits all-time low at $29.99
๐ฌ Tom Skerritt, 93 โ the face you always knew
๐ฉ The Gentlemen already greenlit for Season 3
๐ Zendaya goes for best actress in Dune finale
Someone you know definitely had a screen-free day โ send this their way
CHEATKOTT - Your Daily News
๐บ Fire TV Stick 4K hits all-time low at $29.99
๐ฌ Tom Skerritt, 93 โ the face you always knew
๐ฉ The Gentlemen already greenlit for Season 3
๐ Zendaya goes for best actress in Dune finale
Someone you know definitely had a screen-free day โ send this their way
CHEATKOTT - Your Daily News
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๐ธ $1.37 billion verdict โ and the defendants are gone
NovaTech posed as a licensed hedge fund and promised 2โ4% a week. It was a pyramid: payouts came from new deposits. It collapsed in 2023, locking out tens of thousands of investors.
New York AG Letitia James is chasing $1.37 billion from founders Cynthia and Eddy Petion โ who fled the U.S. before an August 2025 default judgment and never responded to the suit.
Recruitment ran through Haitian immigrant prayer groups and WhatsApp chats in Creole. Over 11,000 New Yorkers were among the victims worldwide, per Decrypt.
The pitch was faith. The exit was a one-way flight.
NovaTech posed as a licensed hedge fund and promised 2โ4% a week. It was a pyramid: payouts came from new deposits. It collapsed in 2023, locking out tens of thousands of investors.
New York AG Letitia James is chasing $1.37 billion from founders Cynthia and Eddy Petion โ who fled the U.S. before an August 2025 default judgment and never responded to the suit.
Recruitment ran through Haitian immigrant prayer groups and WhatsApp chats in Creole. Over 11,000 New Yorkers were among the victims worldwide, per Decrypt.
The pitch was faith. The exit was a one-way flight.
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๐ One color to rule the robocar
The industry spent years arguing over how a driverless car should signal there's no one at the wheel. NHTSA just picked an answer: cyan.
The agency is proposing cyan marker lamps as the universal "ADS is driving" signal. Red, amber, white, and flashing blue are already claimed by brakes, turn signals, and emergency vehicles โ cyan is the one gap left. The lights would be optional, but any manufacturer adding them must follow identical rules on color, brightness, and placement.
As The Verge notes, this lands while NHTSA is simultaneously auditing the Tesla Cybercab for missing mirrors, pedals, and a steering wheel โ all still required today. The rules are catching up. Just not at the same speed.
The industry spent years arguing over how a driverless car should signal there's no one at the wheel. NHTSA just picked an answer: cyan.
The agency is proposing cyan marker lamps as the universal "ADS is driving" signal. Red, amber, white, and flashing blue are already claimed by brakes, turn signals, and emergency vehicles โ cyan is the one gap left. The lights would be optional, but any manufacturer adding them must follow identical rules on color, brightness, and placement.
As The Verge notes, this lands while NHTSA is simultaneously auditing the Tesla Cybercab for missing mirrors, pedals, and a steering wheel โ all still required today. The rules are catching up. Just not at the same speed.
๐ Mass Effect fans are holding the line โ 200,000 signatures in a weekend
EA shut down BioWare and cancelled Mass Effect 5 โ the studio behind Shepard and a trilogy people are still replaying today. The #SaveMassEffect petition crossed 200,000 verified signatures in its first weekend.
Both Shepard actors showed up. Jennifer Hale sketched a vision of a fan Kickstarter and investor collective bringing the series back. Mark Meer kept it short: "Hold the line. Go sign that petition."
The Destiny community joined in โ fitting, since those players organised earlier this year when Sony froze Destiny 2 content, and Bungie reversed course. Developer Owlcat Games pinned the petition too, noting that *The Expanse* TV show was once saved by fans the same way, per IGN.
Whether lightning strikes twice, nobody knows. But 200,000 people in a weekend is more than nostalgia.
EA shut down BioWare and cancelled Mass Effect 5 โ the studio behind Shepard and a trilogy people are still replaying today. The #SaveMassEffect petition crossed 200,000 verified signatures in its first weekend.
Both Shepard actors showed up. Jennifer Hale sketched a vision of a fan Kickstarter and investor collective bringing the series back. Mark Meer kept it short: "Hold the line. Go sign that petition."
The Destiny community joined in โ fitting, since those players organised earlier this year when Sony froze Destiny 2 content, and Bungie reversed course. Developer Owlcat Games pinned the petition too, noting that *The Expanse* TV show was once saved by fans the same way, per IGN.
Whether lightning strikes twice, nobody knows. But 200,000 people in a weekend is more than nostalgia.
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๐ธ $1.37 billion, raised through prayer groups and WhatsApp
NovaTech sold itself as a crypto and forex trading platform โ and collected $1.16 billion from investors between 2019 and 2023. About $26 million ever reached an actual trading desk. The rest disappeared.
New York AG Letitia James is asking a court to order founders Cynthia and Eddy Petion to repay $1.37 billion in funds and interest. They were found liable by default in August 2025 after simply not showing up. Four recruiters separately settled for nearly $6 million.
The scheme ran through Haitian and other immigrant communities via prayer circles and WhatsApp, promising high returns. Over 11,000 New Yorkers lost tens of millions, per Cointelegraph.
Prayer raised a billion. The courts will try to return it.
NovaTech sold itself as a crypto and forex trading platform โ and collected $1.16 billion from investors between 2019 and 2023. About $26 million ever reached an actual trading desk. The rest disappeared.
New York AG Letitia James is asking a court to order founders Cynthia and Eddy Petion to repay $1.37 billion in funds and interest. They were found liable by default in August 2025 after simply not showing up. Four recruiters separately settled for nearly $6 million.
The scheme ran through Haitian and other immigrant communities via prayer circles and WhatsApp, promising high returns. Over 11,000 New Yorkers lost tens of millions, per Cointelegraph.
Prayer raised a billion. The courts will try to return it.