Taylor Swift’s concert film has already broken theater records more than a month ahead of its October 13 release. AMC Theaters said Friday that the singer’s Eras Tour concert movie “shattered records for single-day advance ticket sales revenue,” with $26 million of tickets sold on Thursday. It beat the previous record holder, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which sold $16.9 million worth of tickets in one day ahead of its release in 2021, AMC said in a statement. Swift’s movie crushed the daily record less than three hours after tickets became available, prompting the theater chain to say that it will add extra showtimes where possible. Movie theaters have been recovering from a pandemic-era audience slump, driven by summer blockbuster hits like “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.” (“Barbie” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, which is owned by CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.) But the ongoing Hollywood actors’ and writers’ strikes and the impasse with studio negotiations mean that the pool of movies making its way to theaters could dry up over the next year. While studios typically distribute movies to theaters, AMC is acting as the Eras Tour film distributor in what it called “the inaugural step of a new line of business for AMC Entertainment.”

St. John Ambulance (SJA) has partnered with Port Moresby Nature Park once again to bring awareness on snake-bite safety to the public. This event aims to debunk any myths disseminated about snakes, address common fears of snakes, inform about snakes importance in the ecosystem and create awareness in the community on how to be safe from snakes. SJA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. Matt Cannon explained the importance behind the awareness. “We believe that empowering individuals with the understanding of snakes and the knowledge and skills to provide immediate care during a snakebite emergency, can make all the difference.” “Through our training programs, we educate our communities on recognising snakebite symptoms, applying appropriate snakebite techniques, and seeking prompt medical assistance.” According to Mr. Cannon, snake-bites are one of the common causes of emergency. “About every second day we respond to an emergency involving a snake-bite. Snakebites are not uncommon in PNG and pose an unrecognised threat to our health, especially for young people.” By collaborating with hospitals, St. John offers a holistic approach to snakebite prevention and management.

When an antiques enthusiast purchased a painting that appeared to bear the signature of N.C. Wyeth at a thrift store in 2017, she joked that the $4 item might actually be a real work by the prolific Maine artist and patriarch of the Wyeth family of painters. Her joke was no laughing matter, and the painting is now estimated to fetch as much as $250,000 at auction in September. According to specialists at Bonhams Skinner auction house, the seller unknowingly purchased the work at a Savers thrift store in Manchester, New Hampshire, while searching for frames to reuse. The Wyeth painting had been stashed against a wall along with mostly damaged posters and prints, according to the auction house. The woman took the piece home but could not find any information about the work with a quick internet search. After hanging the painting in her bedroom for several years, she eventually stored it in a closet in her home. She rediscovered the painting this past May while cleaning, and this time posted images of the work on a Facebook page titled “Things Found in Walls,” which is dedicated to “stories of things you have found in walls, dug up in your backyard, or in that abandoned house across the street from your grandma’s,” according to the group’s description. Comments on the post led her to contact Lauren Lewis, a former curator who worked with paintings by three generations of the Wyeths: N.C. Wyeth, his son Andrew Wyeth and his grandson Jamie Wyeth. After seeing the piece in person, Lewis was “99% certain it was authentic,” she told The Boston Globe. “While it certainly had some small scratches and it could use a surface clean, it was in remarkable condition considering none of us had any idea of its journey over the last 80 years,” Lewis told the Globe. Wyeth often produced cover art for publishers of periodicals and novels. The painting up for sale in September is one of four he completed for a 1939 edition of Helen Hunt Jackson’s book “Ramona,” originally published in 1884. In it, Wyeth painted the young title character facing her elderly foster mother, while a statue of a religious figure looms between the women. Only one other has been recovered, according to Bonhams Skinner. Auction house specialists believe the publishing company Little, Brown and Company may have passed the work along to an editor or to the author’s estate. The auction record for any member of the Wyeth family was set last year during the sale of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s collection at Christie’s New York, where Andrew Wyeth’s 1980 painting “Day Dream” sold for over $23.2 million, more than seven times the high estimate of $3 million. Source: CNN News

In a studio in Culver City, California, T-Pain is ready to put on a show. The American rapper and singer-songwriter, known for popularizing Auto-Tune with his hits such as “Buy U a Drank” and “Bartender,” is used to performing in front of thousands of screaming fans. But today, there’s no crowd; instead, it’s just T-Pain, a camera crew and a green screen. It’s a departure from the past, but a nod to the future. T-Pain is performing songs that will become a virtual reality (VR) concert, delivered directly to fans via VR headsets. “I’m definitely used to bigger stages,” T-Pain (whose real name is Faheem Rashad Najm) tells CNN during an interview on set, adding that he typically uses feedback from the crowd to “really gain my energy … (so) it’s just a lot more awkward.” That doesn’t mean he isn’t excited about the opportunity. “I’m just a nerd,” he says, who dabbles in VR and 3D software as a hobby at home. When AmazeVR, the company behind what was billed as the world’s first VR concert tour with artist Megan Thee Stallion last year, approached him for a collaboration, the Florida-born artist was ready to try a new experience. “The fans are going to be a lot closer,” T-Pain says. “You get to see different angles, you get to see a different kind of performance … AmazeVR is kind of like putting (me) in your living room.” Capturing the “perfect” take AmazeVR was founded in 2015, and has raised more than $50 million in the last four years, including a recent boost in December after Apple announced its Vision Pro mixed reality headset, according to the company. “(Virtual reality) is a very big shift,” says Kyung Kuk Kim, vice president and head of production for AmazeVR. “It’s a new kind of medium. People are not used to it, but it’s very powerful. It really just brings you right (to the) middle of any scene or any situation.” The virtual concert process begins with meetings with the artist to decide on everything from song choice to visuals, scripts, wardrobe, and choreography. The performance is recorded in one 12-hour session using an 8K stereo camera and motion-controlled crane. [caption id="attachment_44592" align="aligncenter" width="1113"] T-Pain performs to the camera during the filming of his upcoming VR concert.[/caption] In-house artificial intelligence (AI) helps enhance the 3D video in post-production, Kim says. A combination of that in-house AI and other platforms such as Unreal Engine are used to create the virtual stage, lighting, and special effects. Post-production typically takes six to eight weeks, though release dates also coincide with what works for the individual artists. (AmazeVR says it plans to launch the T-Pain concert this Fall.) “The biggest technical challenge is that the viewer is the camera,” says Lance Drake, creative director for the company. “Instead of cutting or hiding (parts of the) performance, this has to essentially be a truly live performance. And the viewer is given permission to look wherever they want – they can look and take in the world, they can look at the artist’s shoes, they can look at the artist’s face.” That means it must be the “perfect” single take, Drake adds, “so when the artist is performing to camera, they’re performing to you. When the artist is looking into camera, they’re looking into the viewer’s eyes.” Studying the virtual fan experience Still, the big question remains: how closely can a virtual concert mimic what fans love about live music? It’s one Dr. Mel Slater is trying to answer. A researcher who has studied the world of VR and our brains since the early 1990s, Slater and his team recently conducted a study using a 1983 Dire Straits concert Slater came across on YouTube. “I thought, ‘I wish I could go to that concert … so that gave me the idea of reproducing a Dire Straits performance in virtual reality,’” says Slater, distinguished investigator in the Department of Clinical Psychology at the University of Barcelona and co-director of its Event Lab (Experimental Virtual Environments for Neuroscience and Technology). Digital Twin of a city block close to Chalmers campus in Gothenburg, Sweden, showing simulated noise levels from street traffic. The noise levels are visualised by draping a heat map on the surrounding surfaces (street and building facades). Cities are being cloned in the virtual world. Here's what that means for the future He was interested in testing several elements, including under what conditions people would have the illusion they were at a concert, and how to take an old 2D video and create new 3D elements, he says. “I thought it was a very innocent study, that you put people in a music concert and let’s see what happens … they should just enjoy it and that’s it,” Slater says. “But the results are very interesting. And it’s always good when you get results you don’t expect – because that’s when you learn something.” The team found that many women in the virtual audience actually felt uncomfortable. “(They) would say things like, ‘there were these men around me, and I got worried that they were going to come over and start talking to me. And they kept looking at me,’” Slater explains. “This wasn’t actually true – we hadn’t programmed these characters around to be looking at them, but they had the illusion that they were.” (AmazeVR’s concert experience, by contrast, does not include any other virtual audience members at this time). In a way, that was a good sign for the concept of virtual concerts in general, he says, because that meant “there was a strong sense of what we call presence – the illusion of being there and that these events were really happening.” Another observation was that people said that “in reality, when they go to a concert, they never go alone – they always go with friends and family,” he adds. “So, we built another environment where you can attend the concert, but with other people that you know,” using avatars (virtual characters) that look like them. [caption id="attachment_44593" align="aligncenter" width="1120"] he VR experience is an adjustment for the performers as well as the fans. T-Pain is used to the energy of a live crowd, including here during a concert in New York City, July 2023.[/caption] That model awaits study, Slater says, and the goal is to test if this alleviates some of the experience issues they observed. “My intuition is that this will quite radically change how people respond to the overall audience and to the concert itself,” he says. What also takes a virtual concert to the next level is the live filming – a key difference between the quality of the Dire Straits version (using computer graphics to turn an old concert video into a virtual experience) and AmazeVR’s approach of having the musician perform directly to the camera in 3D. But what remains tricky is convincing the brain it’s really happening right in front of you, according to Slater. “We look at television and we go to the movies and everything we see is very realistic. But we know the people in the movies are not seeing us,” he says. “(Virtual video) is not completely effective because some part of your brain is saying, this is video, they’re not seeing me … So there are advantages and disadvantages.” Interest on the rise While the idea of a virtual concert versus the real deal could seem like a tough sell for hardcore music fans, there are benefits to scaling back in the physical world. According to the UN Environment Programme, “live concerts and tours can contribute to the climate crisis, driving up emissions through fan and artist travel, energy consumption and the mass production of merchandise.” Meanwhile, rising ticket prices to some of today’s most popular concerts, including Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour and Beyoncé’s “Renaissance World Tour,” are pricing people out (though also boosting local economies). “A lot of artists don’t have a chance to have a big concert because it needs a big budget, all the production and everything is so complicated,” says AmazeVR’s Kim. “But even small or big artists, (with VR), it doesn’t matter. You can always make your own VR concert and share it to all the fans all over the world, and I think it’s giving a very good, fair opportunity to every artist and every fan.” AmazeVR’s app debuted on Meta App Lab and SteamVR on July 13, before it releases to all major extended reality (XR) stores, including Apple Vision Pro. According to AmazeVR, pricing is currently per concert; it will cost $6.99 for one year of access to the T-Pain concert, for example, after that content launches. A collaboration is in the works with K-pop group aespa, while AmazeVR is “in discussions with many labels and management companies,” with interest in VR concerts on the rise since Apple’s headset announcement, the company says. It is also producing and releasing mixed reality (MR) concerts – a combination of virtual and augmented reality – by overlaying virtual elements onto live, real-world video. This will allow fans to “interact with the music artists using hand gestures,” the company says, an element that Slater believes can go a long way in how our brains perceive and accept virtual environments. Regardless of the platform or the venue, it’s still all about the music, says T-Pain. “Even when you’re not at a concert … kicking it with two friends and putting on my music is kind of like a party,” the rapper adds. “I think the music kind of does that on its own.” Source: CNN News.com

Summer smash “Barbie” is the highest-grossing global release in the studio’s 100-year history, beating out 2011’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.” Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” edged out the saga’s finale by $767,505, according to Comscore projections. Comscore estimated a global total of $1,341,854,460 through Monday for “Barbie.” On Monday, Warner Bros. said “Barbie” will pass “Harry Potter” to become its highest grossing film globally. That’s still not enough to crack the top 10 highest-grossing movies of all time, however, which is dominated by Disney franchises like Marvel’s Avengers, Star Wars and Avatar. The highest-grossing film of all time is “Avatar,” which took in $2.9 billion globally, according to Box Office Mojo. It was produced by 20th Century Fox and debuted in 2009. The Avatar franchise is now owned by Disney. “Barbie” and the “Harry Potter” films are distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, which is owned by CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. “When ‘Barbie’ was first announced, I don’t think anybody could have predicted that this will become the global phenomenon that it has,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst at Comscore. While “Harry Potter” had a longer path to success over several films, Barbie’s meteoric rise was “the perfect storm,” Dergarabedian said, of a cultural, movie and social media phenomenon coming together. Dergarabedian said the movie could have a ripple effect going forward for the industry. “The implications moving forward are that it can be very successful for Warner Bros. and of course Mattel for sure,” he said. A blockbuster summer Just last week, “Barbie” surpassed “Super Mario Bros.” as the highest-grossing movie at the domestic box office this year. It took Barbieland just 34 days since its release to reach the record-breaking title. “Barbie” started breaking records early. It made $155 million domestically in its opening weekend, marking the largest opening weekend of the year and the biggest-ever debut for a female director. “Barbie” also was crowned Warner Bros. Discovery’s highest-grossing domestic release, beating out “The Dark Knight” in 2008. “Barbie” hit the $1 billion global box office mark barely three weeks into its run — only about 50 films in history, adjusted for inflation, reached the benchmark, Dergarabedian previously said. Gerwig became the first solo female director with a billion-dollar movie. The film no longer rules the domestic box office, though. In late August, “Blue Beetle” — also distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures — unseated “Barbie” from the top of the US box office. Its $25 million domestic opening paled in comparison to “Barbie,” however.

The National Capital District Commission (NCDC) has started hoisting 2000 PNG flags on the street-light poles along the inner city routes since last Saturday. This annual initiative is aimed at putting everyone on the celebration mood for the coming 48th Independence Anniversary whilst rehearsing for the golden jubilee in 2025. City Manager, Ravu Frank is calling on the general public to support and respect the national flags that are on the street-light poles. “Anyone caught vandalizing, damaging or stealing the flags will be arrested and prosecuted,” said the City Manager. “The flag is our pride and identity that unites us as one people in one city and one country with one future.” Everyone is encouraged to both decorate their premises and dress up in national colours of red, yellow, black and white.

He won’t be leading his team out but Adam Reynolds has confidence that the Broncos' style of play can overcome their terrible record against Melbourne to go into the finals with some winning momentum. The Broncos are on the wrong side of a lopsided 39-13 win-loss ratio against the Storm - including losses in their past 13 clashes - but given it looks like they will face off twice in a week, it is a record they’ll be wanting to overturn. “We don't need to change the way we're playing,” Reynolds said. “I think we're playing a great brand of football, and it's an exciting brand. “We like to move the ball around and ask questions of the defence and if they're good enough to stop us, they stop us. “But we just need to make sure we turn up with the right mentality. I've only been involved in one or two games against Melbourne and we've probably tried to change the style that we play and it didn't suit us. “So, if we just stick to what we know best and if we do that and play a good style of footy and complete well, it goes a long way to winning the match. "We have just got to make sure we turn up ready to play and play for the full 80 minutes, because they're a team that's performed in big games and they've been one of the best teams over the last decade and no doubt they're going to be a tough competitor again this year.” The Broncos skipper sat out last week’s win over Canberra with an injured calf, as did forward Pat Carrigan with a foot injury. Both are also out for this week’s game and will be joined on the sideline by Kotoni Staggs (suspension), but Reynolds said he thought everyone would hopefully be right for the opening week of finals. “The calf’s feeling really good, I’ll do some running today,” Reynolds said. “But no, unfortunately, won't be playing Thursday; it's a bit of a quick turnaround. “I could potentially play it and push it, but the risk of doing something again is probably too great for where we're at at the moment and I think that Jock (Madden) did a fantastic job on the weekend and deserves another opportunity there.” If the Broncos can beat Storm, as well as locking in a home final at Suncorp Stadium, they can also claim the minor premiership which would be a notable achievement after missing out on the eight last season. “It hasn't been really talked about, it’s one game at a time for us, we want to make sure we're just performing at the right time of the year and getting our performances right for 80 minutes,” Reynolds said. “We're lucky enough to be in this position where we get the chance to win it. “It's on our terms. If we win, we, we win it. “No doubt, it would be great to have, I've never won one in my career and it's a goal of mine. “Unfortunately, I won't be out there trying to get the job done, but I'll still have an involvement throughout the week in trying to (work out a) game plan and help the boys around where I can, so I am looking forward to a good contest this week.” Source: nrl.com  

In spite of recent concerns about dry weather conditions in the Western Province, Ok Tedi Mining Limited’s (OTML) operations are still ongoing. Responding to multiple media queries, OTML Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Kedi Ilimbit stated that Ok Tedi is closely monitoring the situation. “OTML has a comprehensive Dry Weather Management Plan and EL Nino Management and an El Nino Management Plan which will be evoked accordingly when required.” Mr. Ilimbit assured the OTML workforce, business partners, community members and stakeholders that the company is keeping check on the weather as well as their critical supplies stock. Fluctuating dry and wet weather patterns being monitored are strikingly similar to the weather patterns leading up to El Nino in 1997/1998 and 2015/2016. “We don’t know how long the fluctuations will last this time before there is an official declaration of El Nino by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology as well as PNG’s National Weather Service, which provide weather reports to OTML. But for now, operation continue as normal.”

One of only 15 competition prize editions ever published of a rare “Harry Potter” book, which nearly went up in flames earlier this year, will soon go up for auction. In 2012, a then-15-year-old Carina Haouchine, from Scotland, scored a winning copy of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” published to mark the books’ 15th anniversary, according to United Kingdom-based Hansons Auctioneers. The book, known as “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” in the United States, is the first of author J.K. Rowling’s seven-book saga. Haouchine, now a 26-year-old documentary filmmaker, won the book during publisher Bloomsbury’s competition to find the UK’s biggest “Harry Potter” fan. She along with other contest participants were asked to use their creativity and write a letter about why they loved the books based on the fictional boy wizard’s adventures, according to a news release from Hansons. Haouchine was among 14 runners-up to receive a book copy signed and dedicated by Rowling, and the top winner received a book along with a family vacation to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida, the release stated. The books were never released for sale, according to Hansons. Haouchine said her copy was tucked away in her childhood bedroom and later in the storage cupboard of her apartment in Glasgow, where a tenement fire broke out earlier in the year. “Thankfully nobody was injured, but it is now uninhabitable. I’m very grateful the book survived,” Haouchine said in a statement. “The ground floor of the building and stairwell were badly damaged, but my flat, which was on the second floor, wasn’t affected, including the cupboard where the book was stored,” she said. The special copy will be available on September 5 to be sold to the highest bidder at Hansons Auctioneers’ Library Auction, to be held at Bishton Hall in Staffordshire, England. The auctioning company says it could go for up to around $15,000. Jim Spencer, the head of Hansons’ Library Auction, said in the release the public had no clue what this edition of the book looked like until last year. “There was no visual record of its existence online; none of the competition winners had shared images, there was really only a brief record of the competition itself,” Spencer said. Haouchine, who said she grew up with her mother reading her the “Harry Potter” books, is selling her prize copy to put the money from the sale toward her wedding and future with her girlfriend. Source: CNN News.com

Believe Global hosted a family fun day over the weekend (26th and 27th August) at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby. The events were a culmination of a full week of activities held during the entirety of the week, where the Believe Team ran various programs in schools, hospitals, villages, correctional facilities and markets. Believe Global Director, Neil Smith stated that his organization aims to bring change within the many spheres of influence. “Believe Global’s vision has always been to bring sustainable change and development through impacting spheres of leadership, education, business, health and the church.” “For the Believe Team, this is just part of their ongoing work in Papua New Guinea.” “These events are designed not just to be a positive experience in the moment, but to continue to reinforce the message that the future is bright for Papua New Guinea and that the people of this beautiful nation are her greatest asset.” Over 25,000 people participated in this year’s Believe Campaign through their many programs and events.

Theodist has presented a cheque of K50,000 to Buk Bilong Pikinini to help in sponsoring the organization’s drive to provide educational materials to children in Papua New Guinea and to emphasize the importance of corporate and non-profit partnerships towards nurturing community growth and development. This was done during Buk Bilong Pikinini’s launching of its new book series entitled, ‘When I Grow Up (I want to be a Graphic Designer).’ Ryan Pini a spokesperson for Theodist expressed his enthusiasm towards contributing to the development of youngsters’ minds. “We are deeply honoured and excited about this collaboration.” “It is our way of giving back to a community that has given us so much.” “We hope that through these reading books, young minds will be ignited with curiosity about the vast world of printing and design.” Buk Bilong Pikinini works with Theodist and other sponsors to establish Library Learning Centres in the country which provides free Early Childhood education to 5-year-old children. The program also includes a wide range of subjects taught to youngsters, library services and teacher training.

With their passion for providing books to help children in their early stages of development, Buk Bilong Pikinini this week launched a new book series, at Theodist titled, ‘When I Grow Up’. Each book illustrates the many possible careers children may pursue in the future. Founder and Chairperson of Buk Bilong Pikinini Anne-Sophie Hermann said that they wanted children to be aware of the different careers existing. “As the children learn, these books act as a guide and tell them what jobs will be available in the future.” Hermann also said that there were nineteen books published and there were another six that were currently in production. By next year there will be twenty-five professions available in the series.