Cooperativa Ceramica d’Imola, North America introduces five new programs under the Imola Ceramica brand known for Italian design and artistry, and spanning multiple segments and formats.

Andrew J. West stars in Anna Mastro's "Walter"; Credit: "Walter"

It's always dicey to characterize a major film festival based on the movies you personally see there, because no matter how diligent you try to be, your impression will always be statistically anecdotal.

I'll see perhaps 10 percent of the films at this year's Palm Springs International Film Festival by the time they roll up the red carpets for the final time, added to the 25 or so I'd watched before I got here, owing to the festival's unique programming policies.

Not bad considering there are 190 movies being screened. So I think I've got the feel of things here. I wouldn't want my doctor to diagnose me based on a test with a 35 to 40 percent chance of accuracy, but I'm not a doctor. Instead of "Do no harm," I quote Spencer Tracy to myself. He said the secret to the creative process is to "just look 'em in the eye and tell 'em the truth."

And the truth is, with the exception of a couple of documentaries and a horror movie, virtually every film I've seen at Palm Springs so far shared some obvious characteristics: the Palm Springs International Film Festival loves it some poignancy and affirmation.

I've already commented on "Match," the Patrick Stewart acting showcase, and "Cowboys," a very funny Croatian comedy with cross-currents of seriousness. I may comment later about "Today," Iran's Oscar submission. (It's terrific by the way, a deeply affecting story about a burnt out cab driver who gets yanked into the world of a battered, unwed mother who steps into his cab.)

(Still from "Today” (Emrooz) by Iranian filmmaker Reza Mirkarimi)

I also saw an Anne Hathaway passion project called "Song One" here. I'm not going to write about it because I'm not in the mood to stomp on somebody else's butterfly. Plus the dramedy "1001 Grams" by the splendiferous-ly named Norwegian Bent Hamer, whose deadpan satire is routinely compared to Jacques Tati.

WATCH the official trailer for "1001 Grams," which includes some foreign languages

At their best, these are all movies that want to move the audience to tears before bouncing a ray of hope off the screen at them. At their worst, these movies are about pain in the same way Novocain is. They acknowledge its reality, in order to neutralize it.

Filmmaker Anna Mastro's debut film "Walter" (one of the Palm Springs premieres) fits what seems to be the festival's programming model, too, and is, I think, a really quite appealing little indie film, with the by now familiar mildly magical realist bent.

It's is a story about grief, though one with a screwball premise so that it doesn't quite present that way at first. Walter (portrayed with charisma and nuance by Andrew J. West) is a 20-something slacker, but a very uptight one, with a soldier's commitment to dress and routine.

He still lives with mom (Virginia Madsen, now shifting toward the character actress portion of her career with ease and grace) and has a job one rung above fast food worker on the ladder of success: He's a ticket taker at the local multiplex.

But what the world surely sees as failure, Walter knows to be his cover for a far more important vocation. Walter's father died when he was just 10 years old; ever since the funeral, Walter has realized something we don't: His real job in life is to decide where people go after they die.

His snap judgments secretly send people to heaven or hell ... until a dead guy from Walter's past shows up and demands that Walter determine his fate, and then all hell breaks loose.

It's an odd premise, bordering on the labored, but Mastro and her extremely appealing cast pull it off, in part by wearing their influences on their sleeves. The fingerprints of Wes Anderson are all over this picture, especially in terms of the way shots are framed and music is used, and I was able to identify the pivotal contribution of "Beasts of the Southern Wild" co-composer Dan Romer by ear, long before I noticed his screen credit.

I suppose that's supposed to be a damning criticism of a first-timer, but I don't see it that way. Tarantino aped Scorsese for years and virtually remade a minor Hong Kong gangster picture when he debuted with "Reservoir Dogs."

Spielberg acknowledges his debt to David Lean. Hitchcock's apprenticeship at Germany's UFA film studio resulted in a lifelong visual and thematic debt to the great Expressionist master Fritz Lang.

The question is, what do you do with your influences, how do you make them your own? And Mastro — who has a real gift for casting, pacing a scene and maneuvering her actors easily between farce and seriousness — has her own talents. She understands how Anderson's visual syntax has become a cinematic shorthand for quirk, and she deploys it to that effect, then tells the story at hand.

There are some issues with that story, though. There's a girl in concessions (Leven Rambin) Walter likes, and there's a bully at work. For all its surface oddity, the mechanical underpinnings of "Walter" frequently feel like they belong in an "American Pie" sequel.

And yet this movie won me over. I liked its faith in the movie palace as a place that still vibrates with the marvelous. I found a dream sequence, where Rambin undresses to camera while sprawled on a rich yellow bed of movie house popcorn hilarious and deeply expressive.

But I think my affection for this picture is mostly centered on Mastro and her cast, which includes a standout performance by Justin Kirk as a very grounded ghost and a broad but successful cameo from William H. Macy as Walter's psychiatrist. They're all groping toward something rather grim and real about loss, while doing their best to serve up some laughs and wonder along the way.

It touched me, because it feels kind of wise.

Off-Ramp contributor R.H. Greene, former editor of Boxoffice Magazine, is in Palm Spring this week to cover the 26th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival. Look for his missives here, and listen Saturday at noon to Off-Ramp, when he'll interview Chaz Ebert about her late husband Roger Ebert's contributions to the film festival circuit.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group Jack Ma (L) attends the company's initial price offering (IPO) at the New York Stock Exchange on September 19, 2014 in New York City. ; Credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

Alibaba's stock is surging as the Chinese e-commerce powerhouse begins its first day trading as a public company.

The stock opened at $92.70 and nearly hit $100 on the New York Stock Exchange Friday, a gain of 46 percent from the initial $68 per share price set Thursday evening.

At Friday's opening price, the company is worth $228.5 billion, more than companies such as Amazon, Ebay and even Facebook.

Jubilant CEO Jack Ma stood on the NYSE trading floor Friday as eight Alibaba customers, including an American cherry farmer and a Chinese Olympian, rang the opening bell.

"We want to be bigger than Wal-Mart," Ma told CNBC shortly after the opening Bell. "We hope in 15 years people say this is a company like Microsoft, IBM, Wal-Mart, they changed, shaped the world."

On Thursday, Alibaba and the investment bankers arranging the initial public offering settled on a price of $68 per share. The company and its early investors raised $21.8 billion in the offering, which valued Alibaba at $168 billion in one of the world's biggest ever initial public offerings.

The company, which is trading under the symbol "BABA," has enjoyed a surge in U.S. popularity over the past two weeks as investors met with executives, including its colorful founder Jack Ma. As part of the so-called roadshow, would-be investors heard a sales pitch that centered on Alibaba's strong revenue growth and seemingly endless possibilities for expansion. Demand was so high that the company raised its offering price to $66 to $68 per share from $60 to $66 per share on Monday.

The main reason investors appear breathless about the 15-year old Alibaba: It offers an investment vehicle that taps into China's burgeoning middle-class.

Alibaba's Taobao, TMall and other platforms account for some 80 percent of Chinese online commerce. Most of Alibaba's 279 million active buyers visit the sites at least once a month on smartphones and other mobile devices, making the company attractive to investors as computing shifts away from laptop and desktop machines.

And the growth rate is not expected to mature anytime soon. Online spending by Chinese shoppers is forecast to triple from its 2011 size by 2015. Beyond that, Alibaba has said it plans to expand into emerging markets and eventually, Europe and the U.S.

"There are very few companies that are this big, grow this fast, and are this profitable," said Wedbush analyst Gil Luria.

Alibaba operates an online ecosystem that lets individuals and small businesses buy and sell. It doesn't directly sell anything, compete with its merchants, or hold inventory.

"The business model is really interesting. It's not just an eBay, it's not an Amazon, it's not a Paypal. It's all of that and much more," said Reena Aggarwal, a professor at Georgetown.

Like China's consumer and Internet market, Alibaba is still growing rapidly. The company's revenue in its latest quarter ending in June surged 46 percent from last year to $2.54 billion while its earnings climbed 60 percent to nearly $1.2 billion, after subtracting a one-time gain and certain other items.

In its last fiscal year ending March 31, Alibaba earned $3.7 billion, making it more profitable than eBay Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. combined. Amazon ended Thursday with a market value of about $150 billion while eBay's market value stood at $67 billion.

Alibaba, is based in Hangzhou in Eastern China, Ma's hometown. The company got started in 1999 when Ma and 17 friends developed a fledgling e-commerce company on the cusp of the Internet boom. Today, Alibaba's main platforms are its original business-to-business service Alibaba.com, consumer-to-consumer site Taobao and TMall, a place for brands to sell to consumers.

And while there's plenty of growth left in China, Ma has recently hinted about plans to expand beyond those borders.

"We hope to become a global company, so after we go public in the U.S., we will expand strongly in Europe and America," Ma said to a group of reporters in Kowloon on Monday.

Alibaba offered 320.1 million shares for a total offering size of $21.77 billion. Underwriters have a 30-day option to buy up to about 48 million more shares. That means the offering size could be as much as $25 billion

The IPO's fundraising handily eclipses the $16 billion Facebook raised in 2012, the most for a technology IPO. If all of its underwriters' options are exercised, it would also top the all-time IPO fundraising record of $22.1 billion set by the Agricultural Bank of China Ltd. in 2010.

Yahoo, which has been struggling to grow for years, made a windfall $8.28 billion by selling 121.7 million of is Alibaba shares. And founder Jack Ma sold 12.75 million shares worth $867 million.

The muffins are reportedly infused with flavors of rich cocoa and sweet mini marshmallows.

El ex de Independiente, Manchester United, Villarreal, Atlético de Madrid, Inter de Milán o Peñarol jugó junto al argentino Federico Coria Leer

London-based R&B and soul artist Kyrah Tay has released her debut single, "City Girl". Produced by Monterey J, known for his work with emerging urban and soul talents, the track…

Dirk Verbeuren and Sylvain Demercastel, out here doing good in the world

Bermudian ice hockey player Blake Montgomery made his debut for the London Knights in their 8-7 win away to Guelph in the Ontario Hockey League [OHL] yesterday [November 10]. Montgomery has joined Knights on an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. The forward, who was drafted by National Hockey League [NHL] team the Ottawa Senators in […]

Bermudian actor Daren A. Herbert has been cast in the leading role of Burrs, a vaudeville star who performs in blackface, in the upcoming stage production of The Wild Party – a role that has traditionally been played by a white actor. The production, which has long been difficult to put together in either the […]

The special episode premieres on Monday, November 25 only on Hulu as a part of the year-round "Family Guy" 25th Anniversary Celebration!

Nvidia, Oracle, Google, Dell and 13 other companies reported how long it takes their computers to train the key neural networks in use today. Among those results were the first glimpse of Nvidia’s next generation GPU, the B200, and Google’s upcoming accelerator, called Trillium. The B200 posted a…

Retired footballer Diego Forlan loses 6-1 6-2 in 47 minutes on his professional tennis debut in a doubles event in Uruguay.

Jonathan Lekkerimäki made his NHL debut in the Vancouver Canucks' 3-1 victory over the Calgary Flames.

The Hyundai Ioniq 9 will debut at the LA auto show on Nov. 21 The Ioniq 9 will be an electric three-row crossover SUV built in Georgia The Ioniq 9 will share its underpinnings with the Kia EV9 and arrive in 2025 Hyundai on Wednesday released the another teaser for the Ioniq 9, a three-row electric SUV the automaker will unveil at the 2024 Los...

Hyundai on Wednesday confirmed that the Ioniq 9 electric three-row SUV will debut on November 21 at the 2024 Los Angeles auto show. Hyundai used the same event in 2021 to preview the Ioniq 9 with the Seven concept. Hyundai in July said the Ioniq 9 will reach the U.S. as a 2025 model, though a firm date for the start of sales hasn't been announced...

J Hope is as excited about BTS bandmate Jin’s debut solo album releases as BTS ARMY and K-pop idol himself.In a recent Weverse Live on Tuesday, November 12, J Hope, whose real name is Jung Ho-seok, updated his whereabouts to the curious fans while teasing new projects in the pipeline and...

Gwen Stefani set to release fourth solo album on FridayLegendary musician Gwen Stefani looks back at the making of the breakthrough album of her solo career Love.Angel.Music.Baby., as she marks 20 years of releasing it.Discussing the album, the popstar said, "At that point, things were unhinged,...

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (PS5) has remained in first place on the French charts for week 43, 2024, according to SELL. 

The PlayStation 4 version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 remained in third place, while the Xbox version fell out of the top five.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard (PS5) debuted in fifth place.

Super Mario Party Jamboree (NS) remained in second place and EA Sports FC 25 (PS5) remained in fourth place.

Top sellers per system were as follows:

PS5

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
2. EA Sports FC 25
3. Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Xbox Series X|S

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
2. Dragon Age: The Veilguard
3. EA Sports FC 25

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463062/dragon-age-the-veilguard-debuts-in-5th-on-the-french-charts/

Selling subscriptions to Prime Video with ads is more lucrative for Amazon.

1. Swiggy shares in red a day after making an impressive debut with 7% gains  Moneycontrol
2. Zomato CEO congratulates Swiggy on IPO debut: Couldn't have asked for ...  The Times of India
3. Swiggy share price above 25% from issue price, hits ₹1 lakh crore market cap. Do you own?  Mint
4. Swiggy tops expectations with best major listing in a decade  The Economic Times
5. `You And I In This Beautiful World`: Zomato`s Tweet On Swiggy`s Stock Market Listing Is Winning Hearts Onli...  Zee News

1. Wayanad, where Priyanka Gandhi made election debut, sees lowest-ever voter turnout  Hindustan Times
2. Wayanad Bypoll, Where Priyanka Gandhi Made Poll Debut, Records Its Lowest-Ever Voter Turnout  Times Now
3. Assembly bypolls: Voting held in 31 seats across 10 states in big INDIA vs BJP contest  India Today
4. Rahul Gandhi Takes Kerala's Longest Zipline In Landslide-Hit Wayanad  NDTV
5. 64.98% cast votes in Malappuram in Wayanad bypoll  The Hindu

Yurika Kubo, Daisuke Kasuya star in anime from Liden Films

CityHub, the urban lifestyle hotel brand, is bringing its signature blend of cutting-edge technology and sustainable design to the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik this November. Officially opening in the heart of the Hverfisgata district on 16th November, and with bookings already available through its website, CityHub Reykjavik promises a unique, digitally-driven stay perfect for tech-savvy travellers looking to explore Iceland like a local. Known for reinventing the traditional hotel experience, CityHub offers modern, pod-style ’Hubs’, prefabricated units designed in collaboration with Studio Uberdutch, for ultimate comfort and privacy. With 89 Hubs and 4 accessible rooms equipped with smart technology, guests can fully personalise their stay. Key features of the Reykjavik location include: Rooftop hot tub: Inspired by Iceland’s hot springs, guests can relax in CityHub’s rooftop hot tub after a day of exploring the city with stunning views and, if you’re lucky, a glimpse of the iconi...

1. Wayanad, where Priyanka made poll debut, records lowest-ever voter turnout since constituency’s formation  The Indian Express
2. Wayanad, where Priyanka Gandhi made election debut, sees lowest-ever voter turnout  Hindustan Times
3. Bypolls for one Lok Sabha, 31 Assembly seats keep 10 states busy  The Economic Times
4. Rahul Gandhi Takes Kerala's Longest Zipline In Landslide-Hit Wayanad  NDTV
5. You’re inspiration to keep fighting for ideals nation was built on: Priyanka to Wayanad voters  The Indian Express

The stock listed at ₹420 on India's National Stock Exchange, compared to its issue price of ₹390

India's rising star, Ramandeep Singh, received his cap from senior all-rounder Hardik Pandya just before the toss at SuperSport Park.

1. iPhone SE 4 Camera Production to Begin Soon Ahead of Anticipated Debut in March 2025: Report  Gadgets 360
2. iPhone SE 4 likely to be the cheapest iPhone offering Apple Intelligence  India Today
3. iPhone SE 4 expected to launch in March 2025, supply chain data suggests  Business Standard
4. iPhone SE 4: All the Rumours  Gadgets 360
5. iPhone SE 4 may spell trouble for iPhone 16 and premium Android phones, here’s why  Hindustan Times

Ramandeep Singh makes his India debut, gets cap and speech from Hardik Pandya: Here's his story  Hindustan TimesView Full coverage on Google News

Before the toss ahead of the 3rd India vs South Africa T20I, Hardik Pandya handed the India cap to the debutant Ramandeep Singh

1. Sri Lanka opt to bat; three ODI debutants for New Zealand  ESPNcricinfo
2. Mendis, Fernando tons deflate New Zealand  Cricbuzz
3. Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by 45-runs to go 1-0 up in ODI series  The Times of India
4. Sri Lanka wins toss, elects to bat in 1st ODI against New Zealand  Hindustan Times
5. NZ vs SL ODIs: New faces, spin pitches and Champions Trophy watch  ESPNcricinfo

Red Magic 10 Pro+ and Red Magic 10 Pro were launched in China as the latest gaming-focused smartphones from the ZTE sub-brand Nubia. Both models have similar internals but their battery packs and...

At the NSE, shares of the firm made the market debut at ₹420, a jump of 7.69%

The Italian flag will be raised at the Navy Pier in Chicago 20-21 October for the debut of Vinitaly USA. This is the first Italian wine trade fair format in the United States organized by Veronafiere and Fiere Italiane with the support of ITA, the Italian Trade Agency.

A newly designed Blue Shark Vodka limited-edition artist bottle will swim into North Carolina ABC stores this November. Blue Shark Vodka is proud to introduce The Golden Shark by Scottish Highlands scientific illustrator and conservation artist Rachel Brooks. The 750ml bottle features a golden, hand-blown glass shark swimming inside in front of a pen-and-ink drawing of two Blue Sharks. The bottle (labeled as NC 18085 [PR.com]

A new network of websites which features the largest 494 cities in Alabama will make it's debut statewide in December. Called the ePartners Network, the statewide web will make it easier for consumers to find properties all across the state of Alabama. In particular, the major cities, Montgomery, Huntsville, Birmingham, and Mobile and their surrounding communities are linked and cross linked so consumers can easily search for homes and real estate from one single location.

The state affiliate Broker, Mike Carraway (Broker, Access Realty), has already introduced the network to real estate agents in Birmingham, Huntsville, Jasper, Cullman, Hoover, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Montgomery, and several other Alabama cities. Each city has it's own site and weblog and an agent can elect to be the exclusive real estate agent for their city to help consumers find what they want or to market their property statewide.

This is the first time in the history of real estate that geographic boundaries have been erased. In the past, agents and brokers have worked in certain geographic areas and basically limited themselves to that area, even though they were licensed to do business anywhere in the state. Now, for the first time, those boundaries are gone. An agent licensed to do business in the state can assist customers finding homes or locating a local agent from anywhere.

This new network will be a plus for all real estate ancillary services as well. Mortgage companies, insurance companies, and others can now advertsie their services on the network either statewide or in a local community.

The ePartners Network will change the way that the real estate business is done in other ways as well. It will serve as the first statewide, and even nationwide, platform for paperless real estate transactions.

Developing...

(Telecompaper) Telcofactory has started the first phase of its roll-out plan as a new MVNO in the French B2C market segment...

(Telecompaper) Enterprise equipment vendor Lancom Systems has announced the launch of its first Wi Fi 7-enabled access points...

Ahead of its November 27 reveal, Honda India has teased the upcoming electric scooter for the first time. The teaser briefly gives us a glimpse at the scooter’s headlight, under which there’s a Honda logo. 

1. Headlight on Honda electric scooter is a LED unit
2. Design of headlight seems new, not shared with overseas Honda EVs

Honda electric scooter: Will it be called the Activa electric? 

Very little is known about the Honda electric scooter, which will be shown to us soon. From the teaser, all that can be made out is that this headlight is not shared with any overseas Honda electric scooter, those being the EM1 e: and the CUV e:. While the former has a claimed range of 48km, the latter can cover ‘over 70km’ on a single charge. 

It remains to be seen if Honda will repurpose one of its international electric scooters, and if it does so, which one exactly. Some years ago, the company also filed a few patent applications, which show an entirely new product, one that borrows some components from the popular Activa. 

Also See: Honda showcases electric scooter, e-bike concepts at EICMA 2024

Ahead of its November 27 reveal, Honda India has teased the upcoming electric scooter for the first time. The teaser briefly gives us a glimpse at the scooter’s headlight, under which there’s a Honda logo. 

1. Headlight on Honda electric scooter is a LED unit
2. Design of headlight seems new, not shared with overseas Honda EVs

Honda electric scooter: Will it be called the Activa electric? 

Very little is known about the Honda electric scooter, which will be shown to us soon. From the teaser, all that can be made out is that this headlight is not shared with any overseas Honda electric scooter, those being the EM1 e: and the CUV e:. While the former has a claimed range of 48km, the latter can cover ‘over 70km’ on a single charge. 

It remains to be seen if Honda will repurpose one of its international electric scooters, and if it does so, which one exactly. Some years ago, the company also filed a few patent applications, which show an entirely new product, one that borrows some components from the popular Activa. 

Also See: Honda showcases electric scooter, e-bike concepts at EICMA 2024

Pottery Barn’s first home furnishings collaboration with its brand ambassador Deepika Padukone went live globally this week

Chandon, the award-winning sparkling wine brand, debuts its still red wine, Aurva, a culmination of six decades of pioneering winemaking across the globe

Approximately 32 kilometers from the Goa International Airport in Dabolim, the opulent project will have 62 villas atop Reis Mago, a hill in Goa.  In the second half of the 2024-2025 fiscal year, 62 ultra-luxury villas in Goa, priced between … Continue reading →

Former Man Utd player Diego Forlan will make his professional tennis debut at the age of 45. This is how he has gone from football to the ATP Tour.

Wales wing Blair Murray says he could not have dreamed of scoring a try on debut against Fiji on Sunday.

Residents of Derry village Swatragh turn out to watch Jude McAtamney make his NFL debut for the New York Giants.

Gabriel Bortoleto said he was determined not to sit out a year of racing in 2025 after Sauber confirmed he will make his debut for them in Formula 1 next year.