‘Uncut Gems’ star Julia Fox worked as a dominatrix in high school

Julia Fox, who makes her big-screen debut playing a ferocious jewelry saleswoman in “Uncut Gems,” revealed she was a dominatrix in high school in New York.

The breakout star of the movie, which is getting Oscar buzz for Adam Sandler, told the Hollywood Reporter she worked in the sex industry “doing S&M stuff.”

The now-29-year-old said: “I heard about another girl who was doing it and that there was no sex or nudity. It was role-playing.”

Fox has previously staged an art show with paintings using her own blood, and directed a short film about sex trafficking in Nevada.

“She’s incredible and very instinctive,” said Sandler. “I never knew what the heck would happen.”

The role has landed her representation at WME and a breakthrough actor nomination at the Gotham Independent Film Awards.

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‘Uncut Gems’ star Julia Fox worked as a dominatrix in high school

Julia Fox, who makes her big-screen debut playing a ferocious jewelry saleswoman in “Uncut Gems,” revealed she was a dominatrix in high school in New York.

The breakout star of the movie, which is getting Oscar buzz for Adam Sandler, told the Hollywood Reporter she worked in the sex industry “doing S&M stuff.”

The now-29-year-old said: “I heard about another girl who was doing it and that there was no sex or nudity. It was role-playing.”

Fox has previously staged an art show with paintings using her own blood, and directed a short film about sex trafficking in Nevada.

“She’s incredible and very instinctive,” said Sandler. “I never knew what the heck would happen.”

The role has landed her representation at WME and a breakthrough actor nomination at the Gotham Independent Film Awards.

Read More

We need to stop with the AirPods clones

You’ve heard the argument: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Android phone manufacturers have long been accused of copying Apple products, and for good reason too. From specific elements like the notch to straight-up entire designs, countless phones have been “inspired” by Apple’s direction.

While copycat phone designs might not be the norm anymore, I have a bone to pick with accessories, and in particular, earphones. It’s almost 2020 and we need to stop with the AirPods clones.

True wireless is the future

While Apple wasn’t the first to introduce a true wireless earbuds — the Bragi Dash can lay claim to that — they certainly popularised and perfected the concept. Cut to 2019, and true wireless earbuds are starting to get commonplace.

Last week Realme announced a pair of true wireless earphones. They’re priced well, sound alright, have a whole lot of features and yet, they are the perfect Apple AirPods clones. For a brand that has built a reputation on delivering more interesting designs and new colorways, this was quite the departure.

To the layman, the Realme Buds Air Pro are nearly indistinguishable from Apple’s AirPods. Between the design and the “R1 Bluetooth chip” that sounds suspiciously close to Apple’s W1 chip,  I’m inclined to believe this is less of an accident and more of a deliberate decision. And this is not okay.

Credibility is hard earned and easy to lose.

Credibility is hard earned and easy to lose. For a young brand that has managed to rapidly grow its market share on the back of differentiated designs, copycat hardware is the easiest way to diminish brand credibility. Look at Xiaomi and how it took the company years to shed the image of being an Apple imitator, for the most part. Between its early hardware designs, the highly derivative iconography in MIUI, and then Mimoji, it has taken a while for Xiaomi to break the stereotype of being a copycat brand, and yet it still falters from time to time.

Falling short of excellence

I might be picking on Realme for being the most obvious — and recent — imposter, but it is hardly the only one to be blamed. Be it the Huawei Freebuds 3 or even the Mobvoi TicPods, the design inspiration is easy to see. It’s not that the products are bad. No, for the most part, they do the job just fine. Some even sound great, but the Apple-inspired design always ticks me off as taking away from the excellence of the product.

It isn’t that hard to create an excellent product that is original in its design either. Look at the Sony WF-1000XM3, an excellent sounding product that integrates noise cancellation, and manages to stand out without coming across as an AirPods clone.

It’s almost 2020, and we’re finally at a point where Android smartphones are experimenting with unique designs that not just match up to the aesthetics of their Apple counterparts, but often exceed them as well. I’d like to see this continue with accessories as well. Especially in the increasingly hot earbuds space. With headphone jacks going the way of the dodo, it is the perfect time for OEMs to try out unique designs and innovative features, the likes of which have made the Android phone landscape so enticing.

From the Zippo-esque design of the Klipsch T5 to the 15-hour battery life of Audio-Technica’s latest, there’s a lot of room for experimentation and it is high time that brands put some faith in their own prowess, rather than simply copy Apple’s lead.

What is your favourite feature of a true-wireless earbud? Let us know in the comments section.

Read More

We need to stop with the AirPods clones

You’ve heard the argument: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Android phone manufacturers have long been accused of copying Apple products, and for good reason too. From specific elements like the notch to straight-up entire designs, countless phones have been “inspired” by Apple’s direction.

While copycat phone designs might not be the norm anymore, I have a bone to pick with accessories, and in particular, earphones. It’s almost 2020 and we need to stop with the AirPods clones.

True wireless is the future

While Apple wasn’t the first to introduce a true wireless earbuds — the Bragi Dash can lay claim to that — they certainly popularised and perfected the concept. Cut to 2019, and true wireless earbuds are starting to get commonplace.

Last week Realme announced a pair of true wireless earphones. They’re priced well, sound alright, have a whole lot of features and yet, they are the perfect Apple AirPods clones. For a brand that has built a reputation on delivering more interesting designs and new colorways, this was quite the departure.

To the layman, the Realme Buds Air Pro are nearly indistinguishable from Apple’s AirPods. Between the design and the “R1 Bluetooth chip” that sounds suspiciously close to Apple’s W1 chip,  I’m inclined to believe this is less of an accident and more of a deliberate decision. And this is not okay.

Credibility is hard earned and easy to lose.

Credibility is hard earned and easy to lose. For a young brand that has managed to rapidly grow its market share on the back of differentiated designs, copycat hardware is the easiest way to diminish brand credibility. Look at Xiaomi and how it took the company years to shed the image of being an Apple imitator, for the most part. Between its early hardware designs, the highly derivative iconography in MIUI, and then Mimoji, it has taken a while for Xiaomi to break the stereotype of being a copycat brand, and yet it still falters from time to time.

Falling short of excellence

I might be picking on Realme for being the most obvious — and recent — imposter, but it is hardly the only one to be blamed. Be it the Huawei Freebuds 3 or even the Mobvoi TicPods, the design inspiration is easy to see. It’s not that the products are bad. No, for the most part, they do the job just fine. Some even sound great, but the Apple-inspired design always ticks me off as taking away from the excellence of the product.

It isn’t that hard to create an excellent product that is original in its design either. Look at the Sony WF-1000XM3, an excellent sounding product that integrates noise cancellation, and manages to stand out without coming across as an AirPods clone.

It’s almost 2020, and we’re finally at a point where Android smartphones are experimenting with unique designs that not just match up to the aesthetics of their Apple counterparts, but often exceed them as well. I’d like to see this continue with accessories as well. Especially in the increasingly hot earbuds space. With headphone jacks going the way of the dodo, it is the perfect time for OEMs to try out unique designs and innovative features, the likes of which have made the Android phone landscape so enticing.

From the Zippo-esque design of the Klipsch T5 to the 15-hour battery life of Audio-Technica’s latest, there’s a lot of room for experimentation and it is high time that brands put some faith in their own prowess, rather than simply copy Apple’s lead.

What is your favourite feature of a true-wireless earbud? Let us know in the comments section.

Read More

'Spies in Disguise': Meet the Voices Behind Each Animated Performer

Will Smith, Tom Holland, Rashida Jones, DJ Khaled and Karen Gillan lend their voices to the animated feature, which hits theaters Dec. 25.

Inspired by the animated short film Pigeon: Impossible, by Lucas Martell, Spies in Disguise is about super-suave spy Lance Sterling (Will Smith), who has to team up with almost the opposite of him, super-unsmooth scientist Walter Beckett (Tom Holland), who creates the gadgets Lance uses on his missions. When events take an unexpected turn and Lance becomes a pigeon, the spy must trust and team up with Walter to complete an impossible mission.

The film is directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, who are no amateurs when it comes to animated films. Bruno is known for working Rio, Rio 2, Epic and Horton Hears a Who!, and Troy Quane's credits include Ice Age: Collision Course and Enchanted along with directing The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol. The two also previously teamed up for The Peanuts Movie.

Before Spies in Disguise hits theaters this Christmas, read on to find out more about the actors bringing life to the film's characters.

The English actor voices the role of scientist Walter Beckett in the animated film. Holland started his career on stage as a performer in Billy Elliot The Musical in London's West End in 2008. Before his breakout role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Holland was in The Impossible, The Heart of the Sea and won the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2017.

Holland will voices a role in The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle with fellow Marvel star Robert Downey Jr., Rami Malek, and Emma Thompson. His other projects include Chaos Walking with Daisy Ridley, Nick Jonas and Cynthia Erivo an the animated film Onward with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and another Marvel star, Chris Pratt.

In his first animated film since DreamWorks’ 2004 Shark Tale, Will Smith voices the suave agent Lance Sterling, who turns into a bird and must complete his mission with the help of scientist Walter Beckett. Outside of voicing spy pigeons, Smith has been nominated for five Golden Globes and two Academy Awards and won four Grammy awards over his career. The Men in Black star also recently starred in the live-action blockbuster remake of Aladdin this summer.

Smith also reunited with Martin Lawrence for a third Bad Boys film, set for release in 2020. He recently starred in Gemini Man, fighting a younger version of himself thanks to advancements in VFX techniques.

Known for her role as Nebula in the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers films, Karen Gillan voices Eyes in the spy film. The Scottish actress, who also plays Amy Pond in the BBC One Doctor Who series, made her directorial feature debut with The Party’s Just Beginning, which she starred in as well.

The actress also reunited with Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black for another Jumanji movie an also working on the TV series What If? an alternate-reality animated series from Marvel Studios on Disney+ that's based on the comic with the same name.

Rashida Jones voices Marcy Kappel, the secret agent who works with security forces. The actress is recognizable from her role as Ann Perkinson on the NBC show Parks and Recreation. Apart from acting, Jones has written Celeste & Jesse Forever, a Black Mirror episode and recently worked on the script for Toy Story 4.

She also has produced Claws and Angie Tribeca. Also a director, Jones worked on a documentary about her father, 28-time Grammy winner Quincy Jones, which earned Rashida Jones a Grammy. She also voices a character in Fox's Duncanville, produced by Amy Poehler and Simpsons duo Mike and Julie Scully.

The Australian actor voices Killian in the film. The Rogue One star has also been a part of Captain Marvel and Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One in recent years. His latest film is The King, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival with Timothee Chalamet, Lily-Rose Depp and Robert Pattinson, in September.

The Emmy winner, for his role in Netflix’s Bloodline, is set to star in the adaption of Stephen King’s most recent novel The Outsider for HBO. The series will also be produced by Jason Bateman and Mendelsohn

The Emmy-nominated actor plays Kimura. The Heroes and Hawaii Five-0 star has done animation before, with his role in the animated TV series SuperMansion with Byran Cranston, Chris Pine and Keegan-Michael Key.

His recent work includes Amazon Prime’s Mozart in the Jungle, The Meg and Death Note. Other than acting, Oka has been involved in visual effects, working on the second installment of Star War films in the early 2000s, Hulk and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

The record executive, songwriter and media personality has not had been in many films, starring in Pitch Perfect 2 as himself before now voicing a role in Spies in Disguise. The Grammy nominee and triple platinum artist started as a radio host in the 1990s on a Miami hip-hop station and grew his career producing music from there. Working with music artists like Jay Z, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Chance the Rapper, Rihanna and Justin Bieber, Khaled has had two No. 1 hit songs and 11 top 10 hit songs on Billboard charts.

Khaled has produced songs for films like A Wrinkle in Time and the live-action Aladdin remake. Now moving into film and television, DJ Khaled has two MTV original specials, both reflecting on his career and documenting his journey becoming a music mogul. He will also star in Bad Boys for Life with Spies in Disguise co-star Will Smith, being released in 2020.

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'Spies in Disguise': Meet the Voices Behind Each Animated Performer

Will Smith, Tom Holland, Rashida Jones, DJ Khaled and Karen Gillan lend their voices to the animated feature, which hits theaters Dec. 25.

Inspired by the animated short film Pigeon: Impossible, by Lucas Martell, Spies in Disguise is about super-suave spy Lance Sterling (Will Smith), who has to team up with almost the opposite of him, super-unsmooth scientist Walter Beckett (Tom Holland), who creates the gadgets Lance uses on his missions. When events take an unexpected turn and Lance becomes a pigeon, the spy must trust and team up with Walter to complete an impossible mission.

The film is directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, who are no amateurs when it comes to animated films. Bruno is known for working Rio, Rio 2, Epic and Horton Hears a Who!, and Troy Quane's credits include Ice Age: Collision Course and Enchanted along with directing The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol. The two also previously teamed up for The Peanuts Movie.

Before Spies in Disguise hits theaters this Christmas, read on to find out more about the actors bringing life to the film's characters.

The English actor voices the role of scientist Walter Beckett in the animated film. Holland started his career on stage as a performer in Billy Elliot The Musical in London's West End in 2008. Before his breakout role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Holland was in The Impossible, The Heart of the Sea and won the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2017.

Holland will voices a role in The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle with fellow Marvel star Robert Downey Jr., Rami Malek, and Emma Thompson. His other projects include Chaos Walking with Daisy Ridley, Nick Jonas and Cynthia Erivo an the animated film Onward with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and another Marvel star, Chris Pratt.

In his first animated film since DreamWorks’ 2004 Shark Tale, Will Smith voices the suave agent Lance Sterling, who turns into a bird and must complete his mission with the help of scientist Walter Beckett. Outside of voicing spy pigeons, Smith has been nominated for five Golden Globes and two Academy Awards and won four Grammy awards over his career. The Men in Black star also recently starred in the live-action blockbuster remake of Aladdin this summer.

Smith also reunited with Martin Lawrence for a third Bad Boys film, set for release in 2020. He recently starred in Gemini Man, fighting a younger version of himself thanks to advancements in VFX techniques.

Known for her role as Nebula in the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers films, Karen Gillan voices Eyes in the spy film. The Scottish actress, who also plays Amy Pond in the BBC One Doctor Who series, made her directorial feature debut with The Party’s Just Beginning, which she starred in as well.

The actress also reunited with Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black for another Jumanji movie an also working on the TV series What If? an alternate-reality animated series from Marvel Studios on Disney+ that's based on the comic with the same name.

Rashida Jones voices Marcy Kappel, the secret agent who works with security forces. The actress is recognizable from her role as Ann Perkinson on the NBC show Parks and Recreation. Apart from acting, Jones has written Celeste & Jesse Forever, a Black Mirror episode and recently worked on the script for Toy Story 4.

She also has produced Claws and Angie Tribeca. Also a director, Jones worked on a documentary about her father, 28-time Grammy winner Quincy Jones, which earned Rashida Jones a Grammy. She also voices a character in Fox's Duncanville, produced by Amy Poehler and Simpsons duo Mike and Julie Scully.

The Australian actor voices Killian in the film. The Rogue One star has also been a part of Captain Marvel and Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One in recent years. His latest film is The King, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival with Timothee Chalamet, Lily-Rose Depp and Robert Pattinson, in September.

The Emmy winner, for his role in Netflix’s Bloodline, is set to star in the adaption of Stephen King’s most recent novel The Outsider for HBO. The series will also be produced by Jason Bateman and Mendelsohn

The Emmy-nominated actor plays Kimura. The Heroes and Hawaii Five-0 star has done animation before, with his role in the animated TV series SuperMansion with Byran Cranston, Chris Pine and Keegan-Michael Key.

His recent work includes Amazon Prime’s Mozart in the Jungle, The Meg and Death Note. Other than acting, Oka has been involved in visual effects, working on the second installment of Star War films in the early 2000s, Hulk and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

The record executive, songwriter and media personality has not had been in many films, starring in Pitch Perfect 2 as himself before now voicing a role in Spies in Disguise. The Grammy nominee and triple platinum artist started as a radio host in the 1990s on a Miami hip-hop station and grew his career producing music from there. Working with music artists like Jay Z, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Chance the Rapper, Rihanna and Justin Bieber, Khaled has had two No. 1 hit songs and 11 top 10 hit songs on Billboard charts.

Khaled has produced songs for films like A Wrinkle in Time and the live-action Aladdin remake. Now moving into film and television, DJ Khaled has two MTV original specials, both reflecting on his career and documenting his journey becoming a music mogul. He will also star in Bad Boys for Life with Spies in Disguise co-star Will Smith, being released in 2020.

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Bucks vs. 76ers score, takeaways: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia dominate Giannis and Co. on NBA Christmas Day

In what proved to be an excellent gift for the fans of Philadelphia, the 76ers dominated the Milwaukee Bucks in the battle between the two East heavyweights on Christmas Day and walked away with a 121-109 win. Thanks to some suffocating defense and some hot shooting from long distance, the Sixers controlled the contest virtually from the opening tip and made things difficult for Milwaukee all afternoon.

Giannis Antetokounmpo may be the reigning NBA MVP, but he wasn't the best player on the floor on Wednesday. That honor goes to Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid, who paced Philadelphia with 31 points, and 11 rebounds. Embiid got some serious help, too, as five other Sixers -- Tobias Harris, Ben Simmons, Josh Richardson, Al Horford and Furkan Korkmaz -- all also scored in double figures. Embiid had a great game offensively, but his defense was equally impressive as he and the rest of the Sixers held Antetokounmpo to just 18 points on 8-of-27 shooting from the field. Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 31 points and eight rebounds.

With the win, the Sixers move to 18-14 all-time on Christmas Day, while the Bucks fall to 3-3. Though it was only a game in December, the matchup between the two teams certainly felt like it could be a potential preview of the Eastern Conference finals. With that said, here are some takeaways from the Sixers' impressive win over the Bucks. 

Sixers have a lot of options to throw at Giannis  

Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the most difficult players to guard in the entire NBA, and it's very difficult -- virtually impossible sometimes even -- for one single player to stop him. However, the Sixers have several players capable of potentially slowing him for a period of time, and that could work to their advantage should the two teams ultimately meet in the postseason. Joel Embiid, Al Horford, Ben Simmons and Mike Scott all spent some time guarding Antetokounmpo on Wednesday afternoon, and though he still put up decent counting stats (18 points and 14 rebounds), the Sixers were able to largely limit his production and efficiency; Giannis was just 8 of 27 from the floor, and he finished well below his season average of 31 points per performance. Embiid especially had a major impact on Antetokounmpo, as he can match Giannis physically and made things difficult for him every time he tried to drive to the rim. The Sixers have the length and versatility to frustrate Antetokounmpo, and it worked on Christmas Day.

Giannis' deep ball still needs some work

The one glaring weakness in Antetokounmpo's game has long been his ability to space the floor with his shot. His lack of range has made it easier for defenses to prepare for him by packing the paint and making it difficult for him to drive. Antetokounmpo obviously knows this, and he worked on that area of his game over the offseason. He's attempting more 3s per game this season than he ever has before, and he's tied a career high by shooting 34 percent from deep. All of this is encouraging for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. However, after his performance against the Sixers on Wednesday, it's clear that his deep ball still needs quite a bit of work. Antetokounmpo was 0 for 7 from deep for the game, and it got to the point that the Sixers were just daring him to shoot:

Until Antetokounmpo is able to consistently knock down 3s in big games, defenses will continue to give him space, and it will continue to be an issue for Milwaukee.

Embiid had a Christmas message for the league

Embiid has been on the receiving end of his fair share of criticism this season, but he was the best player on the floor on Wednesday, despite the presence of the reigning NBA MVP. Embiid set the tone for the Sixers from the jump, as his aggression on both ends of the floor allowed Philadelphia to jump out to an early lead and never look back. In a joint effort between the organization and player to keep him fresh for the postseason, Embiid's minutes are down compared to last season, and as a result his per game stats are as well. However, on any given day when he's healthy and focused, Embiid is capable of being the best player in any given game, and one of the most dominant forces in the entire league. 

"A lot of people have forgotten who I am," Embiid said after the win. With his performance on Christmas Day, it's safe to say he reminded everyone. 

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