Into The Woods Sounds Bewitching, But It’s Missing That Dark Magic

Rob Marshall’s Disney adaptation of Steven Sondheim’s Into The Woods succeeds in so many things, but fails in the most important part: the heart. Full disclosure: I’m a massive fan of the original Broadway musical. So I can only speak from that experience alone. So let’s get to it. For those of you unaware, Into…

An Epic One-Kilometer Cliff On The Surface Of Rosetta’s Comet

While sifting through images taken by the Rosetta spacecraft of Comet 67P, an amateur British astronomer has uncovered a previously unknown vertical cliff that looks like something right out of Mordor. The original image was captured by Rosetta’s NavCam at a distance of 20.1 km from the center of the comet on December 10. But…

Spectacular New Space Station Video Is The Ultimate Holiday Lighting

The ESA has just released this stunning ultra high definition timelapse video, combining 12,500 images taken by astronaut Alexander Gerst during his six-month mission aboard the International Space Station. The views of sparkling cities, glowing aurorae and flashes of lightning are breathtaking. Watch it. Now.

Every Movie Theater Showing The Interview on Christmas Day and After

The Interview, a movie in which two secondary characters from short-lived television classic Freaks and Geeks conspire with the U.S. government to assassinate a sitting head of state, has been through some shit. At last, though, it will be shown. And here are the theaters that will show it, broken down by state. The following…

Will Gotham‘s Next Supervillain Arc Feature The Riddler?

Emily Blunt explains why Into the Woods was changed from stage to screen. James Gunn gives the definitive answer about a Guardians of the Galaxy/Avengers crossover. The Walking Dead spinoff gets its female lead. And are we close to seeing an Ant-Man trailer? Spoilers now! Top image: Gotham Into the Woods Emily Blunt talked about…

Once Upon a Time is doing a sequel to its graphic novel Shadow of the Queen. The sequel, due out in April 14, 2015, will be called The Darkest Past and will have “four never-before-told stories of fan favorite characters.” [Bleeding Cool]

Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer Are Sixtiestastic In Man From UNCLE Photo

It’s been a long time since we heard anything about Guy Ritchie’s big screen reboot of the 60s classic Man from U.N.C.L.E., but here we are with the first official still. I actually think Armie Hammer looks pretty great as Illya Kuryakin. There was a long casting process for this project, with the project starting…

This Solar Flare Image Is Beautiful In Its Simplicity

A solar flare peaked at 7:28 p.m. EST on December 19, and the NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory caught this image of it. It was classified as X1.8-class. X-classes are the most intense flares, with an X-2 being twice as strong as an X-1. Image: NASA/SDO

Science Shows Why Reindeer Are Perfect Sleigh Pullers

On the latest episode of It’s Okay To Be Smart, host Joe Hanson delves into the science behind a number of Christmas-related science quandaries. Including: Why do the lights always tangle? What’s makes reindeers noses red? And what could let Santa visit every child in one night? [via Tastefully Offensive]

Acoustic Tweezers Can Rearrange Your Cells into Geometric Patterns

Have you seen Chladni figures? They’re patterns made when sand is exposed to sound waves on metal plates. They can be amazingly intricate. And now scientists could be making them with living cells. Put a grain of sand on a frantically vibrating plate and it will hop off. Put it on a still plate and…

FDA Ends Ban on Blood Donations By Gay Men … But There’s A Catch

Talk about problematic progress. The AP headline crowing “US Moves to End Ban on Blood Donations by Gay Men” comes with a whopper of an asterisk: gay and bisexual men who wish to donate blood may do so only if they’ve refrained from having sex with another man for a full year prior. This is…

Barack Obama’s Presidential Library Could Look Like An Alien Spaceship

A number of architects had designs among the finalists for the Obama presidential library, but our favorite is this one by Oslo/New York firm Snøhetta. It’s variously described as looking like a coral reef or a teardrop, but to us it looks like a pretty cool alien spacecraft. Here’s another image of the Snøhetta design,…

A Rescue Ship Raked the Ruins

It was almost too late. The buildings were falling to dust, eaten by the invisible jaws of the nano-disintegrators, and hostiles had ringed the city in deadly mechas. But then a rescue ship came out of nowhere, and we heard the Commander’s voice calling from an open hatch. This amazing scene was created by Hyunwook…

The Best Local, Obscure Holiday Traditions Around The World

‘Tis the season for all manner of celebrations. But, while some holiday traditions (like reindeer sweaters and the foisting of cookies on any and all unsuspecting visitors) have picked up traction, others (like your friendly neighborhood Mari Lwyd, pictured above) remain sadly obscure. Top image: Mari Lwyd in Chepstow / Andy Dingley Today, we asked…

Was Michael Rockefeller Killed By Cannibals?

Michael Rockefeller was the son of New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and an aspiring ethnographer. In 1961, he disappeared while researching the people of what was then New Guinea in what has become one of history’s most intriguing unsolved crimes. Now, a documentary offers evidence that he was killed by cannibals. https://gizmodo.com/the-8-most-intriguing-unsolved-crimes-1671225025 As Page Six…

The Evil Dead Show Will Have Two New Leads Along With Ash

Last month news dropped that Evil Dead was coming back to Starz along with former lead Bruce Campbell and creator Sam Raimi. We were excited, and now we know a little bit more about the series. Entertainment Weekly published a massive interview with Bruce Campbell that’s really a lovely in-depth look at the making of…

Even if you’re not in the UK, you can listen to the Good Omens radio play online. BBC Radio 4 has the first two episodes of the adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s apocalyptic comedy are available for streaming, and will be for the next four weeks

Survey Reveals the Worst Countries for Tripping on Psychedelics

The annual Global Drug Survey charts drug use patterns across the globe. Of particular interest this year are some stats revealing which countries are the most likely to produce “bad trips” for users of psychedelic drugs. The Guardian reports: The GDS produces a “High-way Code” to safer drug use, based on the experiences of users.…

Russian Underground Stations Look Even More Stunning In Black and White

These photos of Saint Petersburg and Moscow Metro system were taken by Russian photographer Andrey Kruglikov, also known as subwayspecial on Instagram. They highlight the rich architecture that Muscovites see on their daily commutes. Most of these stations were built during the Soviet Union, and the most extravagants with marble walls, grandiose chandeliers and wonderful…

Astronomers have detected five rocky planets around an ancient, metal-poor star. At more than twice the age of our solar system, it is potential confirmation that terrestrial Earth-like planets have formed throughout our galaxy’s history — which, in theory, means some intelligent civilizations may have had as much as a 4.6 billion year head start.