Screen Junkies took the opening of the movie Wicked this week as an excuse to go back and do an Honest Trailer for a movie made in 1939. They don't have to explain The Wizard of Oz to us because we've all seen us (or should have by now), and there's not much they can criticize about the filmmaking. However, they reframe the absurd story through a modern eye to be about a young girl with a serious concussion who accomplishes her mission through murder, theft, and consorting with strange men.    

By the way, Wicked is another of the many recent movies that explore the tragic early life and motivations of an existing movie villain to make them appear sympathetic and allow us to feel better about liking them. See also: Maleficent, Joker, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Cruella, Minions: The Rise of Gru, and the Star Wars prequels.

The New York Post reports that an Ecuadorian restaurant has opened in the Corona neighborhood of Queens. Le Casa Del Guy -- "the house of the guinea pig" -- has become famous for its focus on a staple of Ecuadorian cuisine: the guinea pig.

Guinea pigs raised for food are usually larger than those raised to be pets, weighing about two and a half pounds and measuring sixteen inches long. They can be quite expensive, sometimes over $100 a plate. That's because the restaurant management has to have the guinea pigs shipped from Ecuador then inspected. It might be cheaper to raise them domestically.

-via Dave Barry | Photo: La Casa del Cuy

Okay, that headline is a lot, but it is about as succinct a summary as I can provide. Sora News 24 has the full story.

A taishoku daikou is a company that a worker in Japan will hire to inform his/her current employer that he is quitting. This is apparently a thriving industry in Japan for cultural reasons that elude my understanding.

Momuri is the name of one such company that has processed over 20,000 resignations. Recently a rival firm contacted Momuri and informed it that a Mormuri employee was quitting. This particular employee had, prior to his employment at Mormuri, been a customer who had hired Momuri to help him quit the job that he had at the time.

You follow that?

Photo: Lukas Bieri

Have you ever heard a radio announcer say, "That was (song) from the movie (title)," and you thought, "Wow, I've always loved that song, but I never knew it was from a movie." It may well have been from a movie you never saw or never even heard of because it wasn't all that great. Plenty of film productions commission songs specifically for the film, and even more find appropriate but unreleased songs to use that are then released in conjunction with the film. That leaves us with a lot of songs that became hits from movies that flopped so badly we don't even remember them -or maybe the film is just too old.  

Back in 2014, you couldn't escape the Pharrell song "Happy." It was the biggest song of the year, won two Grammys, and we posted about it quite bit. Yet few people recall that is was written for the 2013 movie Despicable Me 2. The movie was honestly a hit, but it was aimed at children. Even more obscure is the origin of the song "Unchained Melody," which was a big hit for the Righteous Brothers in 1965 and you might associate it with the 1990 film Ghost. However, it was written for the 1955 prison movie Unchained, and that's how it got its title.

Some of your favorite songs may have been spawned by a movie you've never seen. Read up on 21 of those songs, with videos, at Cracked.

Cryptocurrency markets are trading higher as meme coins Pepe and Dogwifhat were listed for trading on Coinbase COIN. Notable Statistics: - IntoTheBlock data shows large transaction volume increased by 18.7% and daily active addresses growing by 7.8%. Transactions greater than $100,000 are up from…

Artisan Partners, an investor in Japanese retail giant Seven & i Holdings, called on the company's special committee to consider a formal bidding process of competing takeover proposals to secure the highest offer. Seven & i received a buyout proposal from a member of its founding Ito family, it…

Russia is facing the mounting risk of stagflation, a think tank tied to the Kremlin said. The nation's high interest rates will trigger an economic a downturn while inflation remains high, TsMAKP said. Tight monetary policy is costing Russian business profitability and risks spurring…

Bloomberg: The China Show” is your definitive source for news and analysis on the world's second-biggest economy.

MicroStrategy Inc. (NASDAQ:MSTR) director Leslie J. Rechan has executed a significant sale of company shares, amounting to approximately $12 million, as per a recent SEC filing. The transactions were disclosed on Wednesday. Don't Miss: Over the last five years, the price of gold has increased by…

Shares are mixed in Asia after a lackluster finish on Wall Street following a report showing an uptick in inflation in the U.S. last month.

As a growing population financed more costly purchases, total debt rose. But income rose even faster in recent quarters. By Wolf Richter for WOLF STREET. Total household debt outstanding ticked up by $71 billion in Q3, or by 0.57%, from Q2, to $17.9 trillion, according to the Household Debt and…

Clear your schedule in 2025, as it's set to be a bumper year for television. Small-screen favourites such as "The Last of Us" and "The Bear" will be back with new seasons, while fresh shows promise to keep us entertained. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms The latest "Game of Thrones" prequel based on…

In this episode, host Giada Santana and agrifood reporter Sofia Sánchez Manzanaro outline supporters and detractors of EUDR and possible scenarios ahead of the vote.

Sharp rise in cases over 30 years compounded by millions of people lacking access to medication, Lancet study finds

The new administration confronts a WTO already undermined by long-standing US disapproval

Economy ministry instructs import terminal to refuse planned shipment of LNG

Globally, actively managed ETFs have captured a quarter of flows

Move follows September launch by Texas Capital Bank of its own ‘2a-7’ money market fund ETF

Rally in dollar debt is unlikely ‘Trump trade’ and comes just months after huge restructuring

The West’s failure at phasing out Russian oil and gas sales has helped Russia's economy rebound, write Martin Vladimirov, Isaac Levi and Sergiy Makogon.

For Europe to remain both a decarbonisation pioneer and competitive, it must focus on three key priorities: common financing, strategic coordination, and support for demand.

If you live in New York City, your next apartment move might be cheaper than your last: Under a new bill passed yesterday, renters will no longer be on the hook for the multi-thousand-dollar realtor’s commission that in part makes NYC moving so expensive. Shift of burden: The Fairness in Apartment…

In the three years since it launched, Wordle has become a part of the daily lives of millions of puzzle fans around the world. The popular brainteaser was invented by Josh Wardle, a Welsh-born software engineer based in New York City. He perfected Wordle during the COVID-19 lockdowns before…

We may very well be winding down the working week ahead of the weekend, but that does not mean that we take a break from Connections. The daily word puzzle has proved a huge hit since The New York Times released it in June 2023. Newsweek is here not only to help you play the game, but also to give…

During festivals of feasting, the prospect of weight gain can lead some to skip meals or embark on a cleanse to make up for holiday indulgence—but such strategies may do more harm than good. A survey by Orlando Health found than nearly two in five Americans worry about how much they eat over the…

Donald Trump won the election. The House and Senate are in Republican hands. That means the GOP now owns the debt and its consequences. This responsibility, while too much for past politicians, presents the opportunity of a lifetime: namely, to be the ones who put the government back on fiscal…

The Honda Passport was always the most rugged Honda SUV sold in the United States, with more of an off-roading edge than the Pilot and more capability than the CR-V. However, the new 2026 Honda Passport is more capable off the pavement than ever before, making it the most rugged SUV to ever wear…

Elon Musk’s favorite cryptocurrency Dogecoin spiked by as much as 20% Wednesday after the Tesla mogul was tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to lead a newly created “Department of Government Efficiency” — or DOGE. The meme coin, which features an image of a Shiba Inu breed dog and was created…

A remote fishing town on the edge of Peru’s coastal desert is the site for a $1.3 billion megaport majority-owned by the Chinese shipping giant Cosco.

South Korean car maker Kia expects challenging market conditions in the near term due in part to governments' policies but will stick to its target of selling 1.6 million electric vehicles annually by 2030, a senior executive said.

Chinese premium electric vehicle maker Zeekr plans to take control of Lynk & Co, a sister brand owned by Geely and Volvo Cars, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

In This Article: HONG KONG/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese premium electric vehicle maker Zeekr plans to take control of Lynk & Co, a sister brand owned by Geely and Volvo Cars, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said. The move is part of efforts by Geely Holding, which is the parent…

Russian air defense systems shot down two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) overnight on Thursday, TASS reported, citing the country's defense ministry. "One Ukrainian unmanned aeria...

A remote fishing town on the edge of Peru’s coastal desert is the site for a $1.3 billion megaport majority-owned by the Chinese shipping giant Cosco

Australian law firm Gerard Malouf & Partners on Thursday said it had filed class action lawsuits against the country's top two retailers, Woolworths and Coles , for allegedly encouraging misleading discount claims on everyday products.

President Ilham Aliyev, who is hosting the COP29 UN climate talks, drew loud applause from delegates of some Pacific island nations after a combative speech targeting France's handling of its overseas territories.