Alien: Covenant reportedly gets surprise cast member

Contains spoilers for Alien: Covenant
The first 10 minutes of Alien: Covenant will feature a surprising appearance, and we aren't talking about Xenomorphs.

According to the reliable fan site AvP Galaxy, James Franco has a role in the Alien prequel, despite being absent from any announcements or marketing so far. He'll reportedly play Branson, captain of the Covenant ship and husband of Katherine Waterston's character. It was initially believed that Waterston would play the captain of the ship, but it's possible that her character only takes the position after her husband leaves it. It's still up in the air whether he goes missing, abandons the crew, or, you know, dies.

But AvP Galaxy says that Franco's role is a small one, and he shows up mostly at the beginning of the film with "later small appearances."

The site also posted a series of photos, revealing that there might be some female Engineers around. And one photo features a small Xenomorph that's reportedly a failed experiment of Michael Fassbender's David, which he displays inside the temple he's taken over on a mysterious planet.

The release date of Alien: Covenant was recently moved up to May 19, 2017, so we should expect a trailer sometime in the near future. Meanwhile, here are a few things that could ruin the movie.

Ryan Reynolds wants a Deadpool and Wolverine movie

Ryan Reynolds rallied the internet to help bring Deadpool a proper solo movie, and now he's hoping to do it again for another worthwhile cause.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Reynolds said he'll need help to bring Deadpool and Wolverine back together on the big screen. Although he probably wouldn't have a hard time convincing the studio execs, bringing Hugh Jackman on board could prove tricker. Logan will be Jackman's last performance as the iconic X-Men character.

"I want Deapdool and Wolverine in a movie together," Reynolds said. "What we're gonna have to do is convince Hugh. If anything, I'm going to need to do what I can to get my internet friends back on board to help rally another cause down the line."

Of course, the comic book anti-heroes met onscreen before, sort of. Reynolds appeared as Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. However, his character was a far cry from the version we met in Deadpool a few years later. In fact, Wilson's mouth was sewn shut.

But Reynolds said he wants to see the reunion happen for another reason, too. "Hugh Jackman is one of the best human beings," he said. "Part of the reason I want to do a Deadpool/Wolverine movie is not just because I think the two would light the screen on fire, but I genuinely love the guy."

While it might just be wishful thinking at this point, Reynolds said production will soon begin on Deadpool 2, and plans for Deadpool 3 are already underway.

This is why hollywood won't cast Alyson Hannigan anymore

Not long ago, it seemed like Alyson Hanigan was everywhere. From American Pie and Buffy the Vampire Slayer to How I Met Your Mother, her stock has soared in the last few years. But after How I Met Your Mother went off the air in 2014, Alyson Hanigan seemed to drop off the radar. Now, fans are more likely to see her in a fashion magazine or doing a random blog interview than they are to see her on the silver screen. What happened? Well, this one time, at Hollywood camp

Quick think of an Alyson Hannigan movie not named after a patriotic dessert. Yeah … we couldn't think of one either. While many people were introduced to Alyson Hannigan as the notorious "this one time, at band camp" girl in American Pie, she's mostly known for being one of the main cast in two highly popular television shows, Buffy The Vampire Slayer and How I Met Your Mother. In Buffy, she played the role of Willow Rosenberg, a shy teenage computer geek who grows to become a confident witch with great powers (and not always great responsibility). In How I Met Your Mother, she plays Lily Aldrin, an artistic teacher whose relationship with Marshall Eriksen provides a foil for the perpetually looking-for-love Ted Mosby. Because of just how long she was in the spotlight as part of two highly prominent television shows, it may be hard to re-sell Hannigan to moviegoers as a movie star rather than as someone who shines best on television.

One of the unfortunate truths about Hollywood is that it primarily casts actors by archetype. Age can determine if an actor plays the hapless young victim, the plucky young hero, the grizzled mentor, and so on. As of 2016, Alyson Hannigan is 42 years old, which puts her at a kind of intermediate age. She's no longer young enough to be the teen sidekick she once was with Buffy or to be the newlywed yuppie she popularized on How I Met Your Mother. But she isn't really old enough to play a mentor to younger cast mates, which ultimately makes her very hard to put into a movie. Similarly, Maggie Gyllenhaal reported that, at 37 years old, she was turned down for a role because she was considered too old to be the love interest for the male protagonist … a man who was 55! So, Hannigan must navigate a weird matrix of sexism, ageism, and fan expectation

To see why Hollywood is hesitant to cast Alyson Hannigan as a mother, one need look no further than Winona Ryder. At the age of 42, Hannigan is actually the perfect age to serve as the mother to a plucky young hero. But Winona Ryder, at the age of 45, has some parallels with Hannigan. Specifically, each of them made an impression on fans as a teenage girl in the midst of extremely bizarre narratives. This was the case with Ryder, who America fell in love with when they saw her in such films as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and Heathers.

What does this have to do with Hannigan playing a mother? Some fans reacted quite strongly to Winona Ryder playing a mother, first to a young Spock in the 2009 Star Trek reboot and again when she played the frantic mother in 2016's Stranger Things. At the age of 45, Ryder was the perfect age for the role, but many fans freaked out at the tangible reminder that they and Ryder were getting older. Seeing the plucky teenage witch instead chasing down rambunctious teenagers might remind her fans of a certain monster that neither witch nor slayer can conquer: the Grim Reaper.

One of the happier reasons that Hollywood is hesitant to cast Hannigan is that she's keeping very busy as a mother. Hannigan married Alexis Denisof, who played fellow Buffy veteran and Angel costar Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, back in 2003. Since then, Alyson has given birth to two daughters. Hannigan is known for being very active and engaged with her family and has understandably felt the pressure of balancing family life and life as an actor. Knowing that she's actively balancing those two lives more so than other actors may make Hollywood reticent to hire her for the requisite late nights and re-shoots that are part of a major motion picture. This seems to suit her just fine; Hannigan is positively beaming in nearly every photo she takes with her family.

Buffy lasted for seven seasons and spanned two networks, while How I Met Your Mother lasted for a staggering nine seasons. Both shows probably would have benefited by wrapping up about two seasons earlier than they did. But because the same two characters got shoved down our throats for a combined 16 years, she may have worn out her welcome. No one wants to be typecast (except maybe Steven Seagal), but she will forever be associated with those roles. Hopefully, Hannigan will receive (and take) an opportunity to reinvent herself on the silver screen sometime very soon.

While the characters she played on Buffy and How I Met Your Mother are quite different, they both serve as the amusing comic relief. As Willow Rosenberg, Hannigan often offered wry commentary on everything from the state of Buffy's latest relationship to the gender norms that she and girlfriend Tara helped redefine. As Lily Aldrin, she eventually came to embody the humorous voice of a veteran spouse who could poke fun at the often too-serious Ted's quest to find the future mother of his children. Her most prominent Hollywood role in American Pie is also comedic. But she hasn't played any popular serious roles. Most people have never seen whether she's capable of any range at all.

Another reason Hannigan is still associated with those old roles is because of the timeless quality of fandom. While Buffy the Vampire Slayer went off the air in 2003, fans have kept the show alive with fan fiction and comic conventions throughout the world. Both Hannigan and her husband are very popular stars on the sci-fi convention circuit, appearing at events such as the Phoenix Comicon to fans eager to get autographs and pictures with their favorite Buffy characters. This further cements Hannigan with her genre roots, making it harder to sell her as a character in other roles, like a traditional drama or other non-genre film.

Alyson Hannigan seems pretty content to take her career away from Hollywood. In 2016, she took over from Jonathan Ross as the host of the magic competition show Penn and Teller: Fool Us, which involves aspiring magicians trying to fool veteran magicians Penn and Teller. By all accounts, it's going pretty well! Penn and Teller have expressed their enthusiasm for Hannigan's humor and talent, and Hannigan has expressed her love for the famous duo and for magic itself. The show has since been renewed, and Hannigan's continued success in this role may signal that her career is shifting into the kinds of non-scripted evening entertainment that eventually culminates with a role such as her own late night show. She even told Entertainment Weekly that she's "always wanted to play Vegas." Maybe she'll stay there and eventually start a show of her own.

Fortunately, there are several possible paths that lead Alyson Hannigan back to the big screen. One method would be for her to star in a critically successful independent film that showcases something that her mostly comedic television shows only occasionally touched on: her dynamic emotional range. If she offers the kind of powerhouse performance we know she's capable of, then positive critical reviews and fan word-of-mouth would soon have Hollywood rumbling about bringing Hannigan back. Alternately, some of her older work can be introduced to a new generation. For instance, Buffy the Vampire Slayer recently received a controversial high-definition upgrade for broadcasting and streaming, and many fans are hoping that Buffy Blu-rays are right around the corner. Considering that Buffy went off the air in 2003, this would legitimately be a chance for an entirely new audience to fall in love with Hannigan, leading to her triumphant Hollywood return.

A final path back to Hollywood would be for Hannigan to direct her own movie. This is how some of the Star Trek alumni, such as Jonathan Frakes, helped escape the shadow of Trek: by becoming proficient and prolific directors. Hannigan could very well direct her own Hollywood return, be it indie drama or raunchy comedy, and instantly revive her Hollywood career, just like … well … magic!

A NEW FASTBIKES 2017 NORTON V4 SS & RR SUPERBIKES!

Here at Fastbikes we have a lot of time for things that are fast, exclusive and absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. So when Norton announced their V4 SS & RR we were bloody excited, and for good reason. We delved into the details to see why you should be excited about this bike.

It is a step in the right direction for Motorcycling:

Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of nakeds and cafe racers, but nothing gets my heart pumping like jumping on a whole heap of carbon fibre caressing an almost uncontrollable amount of power and thrashing it like there’s no tomorrow. There is so much stigma surrounding the looks and gizmos that true function is almost being overlooked; and here the guys at Norton have purely focused on making an incredible machine – that so happens to be a work of art.

It’s made Norton a whole different brand:

In all honesty, I’ve never been a fan of Norton to any degree. It has always seemed like a brand for the more mature crowd among us, and I definitely don’t fall into that. But they haven’t just designed a sportsbike here, they have gone big; they did the Isle of Man TT in order to help craft this thing, where it cracked a 131mph lap. The Norton brand may only be about 120 employees, but the spirit in this bike is bigger than I have seen from a Japanese factory in god knows how long because they can keep things crisp.

The bike is cheap:

Yes, I said it. But how much is a new 1299 Superleggera compared to this? You’re looking at an extra £28k. I know that’s a bold comparison but I urge you to get a look at this bike and tell me I’m wrong. This model has such a level of faultlessness that the carbon fibre fairings were sent back three times just because the weave wasn’t the perfect way!

The level of detail shows that not every bike is built by a machine just to make money:

You can feel the passion when talking to Norton’s CEO Stuart Garner, and this oozed all over the production of the V4. It shows that biking isn’t just as business and riding isn’t dead. For example he swingarm alone takes about 35 hours to make up, and even though it weighs just 3kg it comes from 70kg’s worth of billet being machined down.

It is modern, and isn’t built in a shed:

The V4 comes laden with a quickshifter, auto-blipper, traction control, wheelie control, launch control, cruise control and data-logger. Add in a fly-by-wire throttle, slipper clutch and a whole heap of different settings, and you’re there. This is all fed through a massive 7 inch HD screen (reminescent of an aeroplane TV) which also has full engine mode adjustability as well. Oh, and a rear view mirror. No unmarked police  car detectors just yet though.

It should be reliable:

From what is essentially similar to an Aprillia V4 engine, these guys have squeezed out over 200bhp and 130Nm of torque, while keeping the thing bloody small; like a little bullet. Yet as it’s hand fabricated and built with the best materials money can buy, so it should last. Especially as it has evolved from all those racers below. Oh, and its Euro4 compliant.

Don’t believe me still? Check it out for yourself and come back to me?

Specs:

ENGINE:

Type: Norton 72-degree liquid-cooled V4, 1200cc. Chain-driven cams with idler gear for reduced engine height. Titanium inlet valves. Slipper clutch

Bore x Stroke: 82mm x 56.8mm

Compression Ratio: 13.6:1

Power: 200bhp + @ 12,500rpm

Torque: 130Nm @ 10,000rpm

Fuel injection: Electronic fuel-injection system. Constantly variable inlet tracts. 8-fuel injectors. Full drive-by-wire system independent of front and rear banks of cylinders for ultimate control and feel.

Euro 4: Full compliance including oil thermostat, knock sensors, secondary air injection and EVAP

ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT:

INSTRUMENTS: Full-colour 7-inch display with multiple functions. Engine mode adjustability including: Road, Track and Pro-Race. Road modes include rear-view camera.

QUICKSHIFT: Full quickshift system and auto down blipper

ELECTRONIC AIDS: Multi-setting traction-control, wheelie control, launch control and cruise control. Uses six-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)

BUILT-IN DATALOGGER: Full data-logging capability including: lap times, max lean angle, max speed, max throttle, and max braking force.

ENGINE MODES: Road, Sport, Pro-Race

IGNITION: Keyless ignition system

CHASSIS TYPE: Polished aluminium twin tube Shotgun chassis.

ADJUSTABLE GEOMETRY: Chassis is fully-adjustable including swing arm pivot and adjustable rake angle. 23.9 degree steering head angle as standard set-up.

SINGLE-SIDED BILLET SWINGARM: 570mm long. Braced and underslung design developed in conjunction with SG5 TT race bike. Billet machined from 7020 billet aluminium.

WHEELBASE: 1,430mm

DRY WEIGHT: 179kg

FRONT SUSPENSION: Ohlins NIX30 system front fork. Fully-adjustable.

REAR SUSPENSION: Ohlins TTXGP Norton bespoke fully-adjustable rear shock.

STEERING DAMPER: Ohlins damper

FORK YOKES: Billet machined top and bottom

FRONT WHEEL: Choice of carbon or forged wheels depending on spec

REAR WHEEL: Choice of carbon-fibre or forged wheels depending on spec/colour

FRONT BRAKE: 2 x 330mm full-floating discs. Radially-mounted Brembo Monobloc calipers. Brembo discs, and Brembo master cylinder

REAR BRAKE: Single 220mm disc. Brembo caliper and master-cylinder

BODYWORK & STYLING: Full-carbon-fibre bodywork. Available in either bare carbon-fibre, or chrome with air-brushed Union Jack on the tail unit.

LIGHTING: Full LED lighting system including super bright low beam & high beam, angel eye DRLs, rear lamps and indicators

FUEL TANK: MotoGP-style 18-litre fuel tank is all carbon-fibre, with Kevlar reinforcement and chemically coated internally to meet fuel resistance standards. Underside of tank forms part of upper airbox.

FOOTRESTS: Billet foot rests, billet pedals and billet sprocket cover supplied on SS model. Forged foot controls on the V4 RR.

“HEADSHOT” IS A KNOCKOUT.

FANS OF EXTREME ASIAN GENRE ACTION WON’T CARE THAT THINGS EVENTUALLY GROW SOMEWHAT PREDICTABLE AND REPETITIVE: IN TERMS OF SHEER, PUNCHY PHYSICAL VIGOR, “HEADSHOT” IS A KNOCKOUT.

Fans of the “Raid” movies will be on happily familiar turf with “Headshot,” in which the Indonesian star/action-choreographer of those films, Iko Uwais, teams with directing duo Timo Tjahjanto and Kimo Stamboel (a.k.a. “The Mo Brothers”) to fill another two hours with terrifically visceral fight scenes. There’s a little more plot on hand this time — which is to say, a tad more than practically none — which helps delay the nonetheless inevitable too-much-of-a-good-thing saturation point of this gore fest. Still, fans of extreme Asian genre action won’t care that things eventually grow somewhat predictable and repetitive: In terms of sheer, punchy physical vigor, “Headshot” is a knockout.
Pretty Ailin (Chelsea Islan) is a Jakarta med-school student interning on a small Indonesian island when the body of a battered man is found washed ashore. It turns out he’s not quite dead, and in two months under her care, he wakes from his coma. Initially amnesiac due to a bullet lodged in his brain, with no memory of who he is or how he got there, he’s dubbed “Ishmael” (she’s reading Melville). But news of the mysterious stranger gets back to crime kingpin Mr. Lee (Sunny Pang), who knows exactly who the young man is — in fact, it was Lee himself who shot him, for rebellious behavior, and had him thrown into the sea. Ishmael (Uwais) is really Abdi, one of numerous children kidnapped by Lee’s organization over the years and trained. Those who survived the sadistic training grew up to be remorseless, unthinkingly loyal killers. It’s a cult-like operation, and our hero made the near-fatal mistake of trying to leave the cult.
Regrouping his forces after a bloody escape from prison (a set piece that opens the film), Lee is more determined than ever to snuff out any opposition within his ranks. When the recovered Abdi proves elusive, Ailin is kidnapped to lure him into the gang’s clutches.
At about the midpoint, the already action-packed film becomes a straightforward gauntlet of mostly one-on-one fight scenes, as Abdi must battle his way up the hierarchy of lethal former fellow assassins (played in ascending order by Zack Lee, David Hendrawan, Very Tri Yulisman and Julie Estelle) before his inevitable face-off with the evil Mr. Lee.
There’s little narrative surprise or suspense once that trajectory kicks in, and “Headshot” is the kind of movie where you have to overlook myriad credulity-stretching aspects to buy the premise at all. Not only does Ishmael/Abdi constantly elude hails of close-range automatic gunfire and bounce back from bone-crackingly brutal punishment, but he rises from a coma looking like someone who’s just spent those same 60 days doing abdominal crunches. Of course, realism is hardly on the menu with a pure adrenaline fantasy like this one. What it does serve up in massive quantities is showy action of both the bullet-ballet and martial arts variety, with other implements (including chopsticks) thrown in to further ratchet up the frequent digital spurts of blood.
As with the “Raid” films, the visual content is first-rate, and just about any of the set pieces here might have provided an admirable climax to a lesser genre exercise. Lined up in a row, however, they begin to lose some impact after a while, though the Mo Brothers (moving away from the more horror-focused terrain of prior features “Macabre” and “Killers”) prove as adept at staging them as “Raid” helmer Gareth Evans. Likewise, the star’s action choreography (credited to “Uwais Team,” while both he and Tjahjanto are billed as the action directors) is imaginative as well as ass-whippingly intense.
Performances are fine considering the one-dimensional nature of the characters. Likewise, a tad more thought could have been expended in the service of generating a few more plot fillips, and perhaps using a more diverse array of locations than the nondescript ones deployed here. But “Headshot” is very single-minded about what it is interested in — fights, fights, and more fights — so everything else in the efficiently tooled conception and assembly must take a back seat. And indeed, the film does what it does so well that few will care about its skimping in nearly every other basic department.

NIO EP9 Fastest Electric Car In The World

NIO EP9 Fastest Electric Car In The World.

The secret is in the four electric motors and four separate gearbox, and the adaptation of technology Formula E.

Ever heard the name NextEV? Unless you follow Formula E (Formula 1, car electric), chances are you did not know him. The China-based company has recently made a breakthrough by uncovering the fastest electric car that claimed universal.The claim does not come without proof. EP9 electric car named NIO has a new record by completing the Nürburgring circuit in 7 minutes 5 seconds. Not surprisingly, given NextEV lot of adapting the technology they use in Formula E to this car. 

Apart from all the advantages and sexuality, you will encounter difficulties NIO EP9 on the streets. Because, NextEV only produce six units, and everything was in the hands of the founders of the company even though the price tag per unit is estimated to reach 1.2 million dollars.

Before you step away disappointed, NextEV plans to launch another electric car in 2017. Certainly not a class supercar like this, but at least the price could be more reasonable for consumers at large. this car only produced only 6 units for worldwide. Fancy buying one? You're out of luck. As AutoExpress reports, NextEV is only building six cars and they've all been snapped up by the company's founders. Each one reportedly costs $1.2 million to build, so only the most deep-pocketed individuals could have afforded one anyway. Thankfully, NextEV is promising another launch sometime in 2017 -- a regular production car (maybe a Model 3 competitor) that should be a tad cheaper.

FIRST LOOK: NIO EP9 - NextEV's Electric Supercar

Source: http://www.nio.io/ep9

Water Tower Converted into Single Family Home

Built for a single-family house from this tower has what every homeowner could want along with some unique functions. The house is also equipped with the latest IT technology and sophisticated Domotich system that allows a person to control many aspects in this house. It covers everything from the intensity and color of light, the temperature of each room to the volume of the music on the sound system.

Below you will see an attractive home gallery, photographed by Jasmine Van Hevel, along with additional information about the layout and interior.

From Inside The House:

he main floor kitchen, living room, and dining areas are integrated into the rest of the building via multiple staircases. This spiral staircase in the center of the room leads up to a steel bridge and a ladder to the next floor. The staircase is enclosed in chalkboard material, which adds whimsy to this modern space.
Photography by Jasmine Van Hevel.

On the opposite side of the chalkboard staircase is a massive black wicker sectional topped with pristine white cushions and accented with dark taupe pillows. An ottoman can be pushed up against the chaise or used as extra seating.
Photography by Jasmine Van Hevel.

The next floor up contains the spacious bathroom, with one wall entirely in long black tiles. Bright orb lights dot the wall between the mirrors. The two matching vessel sinks curve sensually on the minimalist black vanity.
Photography by Jasmine Van Hevel.

 A close up of the bathroom’s mirror reveals the sleek way the lights have been integrated into the wall.
Photography by Jasmine Van Hevel.

From outside The House: 

This massive brick and concrete water tower has been fitted with immense windows to provide the space with plenty of natural light. Huge windows at the top of the tower afford the top floor a magnificent view.

Great View

A final view of the home at night shows the way the lights bounce off the concrete stripes, almost making this home seem to glow.
Photography by Jasmine Van Hevel.