Rihanna is drawing criticism online after being hosted for a private lunch by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s family during her visit to India, where she is expanding her Fenty Beauty footprint.

The singer and business mogul was also pictured taking part in a traditional cultural ritual, but it is her meeting with the Ambanis that has fueled accusations from some critics who labeled her a “sellout.”

The backlash comes just weeks after Rihanna made history as the first woman to surpass 200 million RIAA-certified singles, a milestone achieved without releasing a new album in nearly a decade.

Rihanna was recently in India for a special Fenty Beauty–linked visit. The singer is looking to expand the brand’s retail footprint in the country through Reliance Retail’s beauty platform, backed by the Ambani family.

During the trip, she was hosted by the Ambanis and is reported to have joined them for a private lunch, where she also took part in a traditional aarti ceremony.

In photos circulating online, the “Diamonds” hitmaker is seen holding a ceremonial tray with a lit wick, a central element of the ritual. In another moment, she bends down to feed a young cow, while separate images show her posing alongside guests and Anant Ambani.

Aarti is a significant ritual in Hinduism, in which light from a ghee- or camphor-lit wick is offered to a deity. The ceremony symbolizes gratitude, devotion, and the triumph of good over evil.

The Singer Faces ‘Sellout’ Claims Over Ambani Ties

Social media users were quick to weigh in, with much of the criticism centered on Rihanna’s association with the Ambani family.

“She’s a sellout. Any and every billionaire steps on innocent throats to get there, and now she’s making it even more apparent,” one Reddit user wrote.

“Billionaire joining in for local billionaire performative bs, more at 7,” another added, while a third commented, “I love you Rihanna, but there is no reason one person should be this rich.”

Others took issue with the broader spectacle surrounding the Ambani family, with one user noting, “I feel like every year there’s a headline about the Ambanis involving celebrities who have laid low and/or a new level of extravagance lol.”

Rihanna Made History As First Woman To Surpass 200 Million RIAA Singles Certifications

The moment comes just days after Rihanna made history as the first woman to surpass 200 million RIAA-certified singles, even as she remains on a decade-long album hiatus.

According to PEOPLE, the singer currently ranks third overall with 200.5 million units, trailing only Morgan Wallen (215 million) and Drake (277.5 million).

The singer reached the milestone without releasing a new album since her 2016 project “Anti.” In the years since, she has shifted focus toward growing her Fenty Beauty empire while building a family with A$AP Rocky.

The ‘Umbrella’ Star Teases Genre-Defying New Album

Meanwhile, Rihanna continues to hint at her long-awaited return to music, revealing in a 2025 interview with Harper’s Bazaar that she’s feeling “really good about” her next studio album.

“There’s no genre now. That’s why I waited,” she explained. “Every time, I was just like, ‘No, it’s not me. It’s not right. It’s not matching my growth. It’s not matching my evolution. I can’t do this. I can’t stand by this. I can’t perform this for a year on tour.’”

The musician emphasized that the extended gap between releases has raised the stakes for what comes next.

“It has to count. It has to matter,” she continued. “I have to show them the worth in the wait. I cannot put up anything mediocre.”

Rihanna Left Shaken After Gunfire Near Home

Back in March, Rihanna was left shaken after a woman allegedly opened fire outside her Beverly Hills home.

The suspect, identified as Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, was accused of discharging a firearm near the property. Although no one was injured, sources said the incident was deeply unsettling for the singer.

“Even with a great security team in place, it’s scary to realize that something like this can still happen,” an insider said, per PEOPLE. “Rihanna heard the shots but was initially confused about what happened. She doesn’t understand why someone would target her family.”

Taylor Swift is making a strategic move to protect her brand, filing trademarks that cover her voice and likeness. As AI tools continue to blur the line between real and fabricated content, her latest move adds a layer of protection against deepfakes that misrepresent her identity or damage her reputation.

Swift’s move comes after Matthew McConaughey filed trademark applications for his voice, likeness, and famous catchphrase, signaling a growing trend of high-profile figures taking steps to protect themselves against unauthorized AI use.

On April 24, Taylor Swift’s company, TAS Rights Management, LLC, filed three trademark applications to protect her voice and image, as shared by trademark attorney Josh Gerben on his blog post dated April 27.

Gerben, who is not associated with the pop star, noted that this move is specifically intended to protect against artificial intelligence amid growing concerns about unauthorized AI-generated content spreading online. Swift has filed three applications: two for her voice and one for her image.

The first filing has the singer saying, “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift,” while the second says, “Hey, it’s Taylor.” The third trademark filing includes a photo taken at one of Swift’s performances during the “Eras Tour.” In it, the singer stands in front of a microphone, holding a pink guitar, wearing a sparkling bodysuit and knee-high boots.

The Trademarks Add A Layer Of Protection

As Gerben noted, high-profile individuals are already protected by “Right of Publicity” laws, but filing these trademarks offers “an additional layer of protection.” Singers also rely on copyright law to prevent unauthorized use of their music. However, that does not necessarily extend to AI-generated content, and the trademarks may help address that loophole.

Although the trademarks specify a specific phrase and image, Gerben notes that Swift could challenge deepfake content that is “confusingly similar” to her voice and image. “Theoretically, if a lawsuit were to be filed over an AI using Swift’s voice, she could claim that any use of her voice that sounds like the registered trademark violates her trademark rights,” he wrote, adding that the same goes for Swift’s image trademark.

Taylor Swift Follows Matthew McConaughey’s Lead

In 2025, eight of Matthew McConaughey’s trademark applications were approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, including his voice, image, and even his famous catchphrase, “Alright, alright, alright,” as reported by The Wall Street Journal. “My team and I want to know that when my voice or likeness is ever used, it’s because I approved and signed off on it,” McConaughey explained, adding that he wants a clearer boundary for “ownership and consent” when it comes to AI technology.

Filing trademarks to fight against AI, such as what McCounaughey and Swift did, is new and hasn’t been tested in court. As the actor’s attorney said, “I don’t know what a court will say in the end. But we have to at least test this.” A federal court would need an actual case to test the validity of the legal arguments behind the filings.

Taylor Swift Became A Target Of Deepfakes

In January 2024, Swift made headlines as sexually explicit deepfake images of her made rounds and went viral on social media platforms. The platforms and anti-abuse groups fought to have the images removed, but due to Swift’s immense popularity, they spread rapidly and were viewed by millions, per AP News.

The Swifties rallied behind the singer, using the hashtag #ProtectTaylorSwift and posting legitimate, positive photos to drown out the fake ones. Reality Defender, an AI-generated media detection platform, monitored the activity and discovered that about two dozen fake images were spread. “Unfortunately, they spread to millions and millions of users by the time that some of them were taken down,” Reality Defender’s head of growth stated.

The Pop Star Addressed AI Concerns

Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, an AI-generated image of Swift as Uncle Sam circulated on social media, with the text “Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump.” Trump reposted the image on his Truth Social account, captioning it, “I accept!”

Swift was alerted to the AI image and took to Instagram to address the fake post, saying it brought up her fears about artificial intelligence and how it can be used to spread misinformation, per NBC News. “It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is the truth,” she said. Swift then urged her followers to vote and endorsed Kamala Harris.

Katy Perry‘s “Teenage Dream” music video costar Josh Kloss said he endured “silent trauma” after she allegedly exposed his genitals at a 2012 party.

“Some people believe that if you’re pulling people’s pants down at a party, you’re pranking them and it’s normal,” Kloss, 45, told Page Six in an interview posted on Friday, April 24. “She had risen to complete success with the music video, everything was going well. … I freaked out [when she pulled my pants down and I said], ‘What the f*** are you doing?’ I freaked out and she laughed.”

Per Kloss, he hit it off with Perry when he played her love interest in the 2010 “Teenage Dream” music video and was invited to attend a birthday party for one of her associates two years later. Kloss alleged that when he greeted Perry with a friend outside the party, she pulled down his pants and underwear, exposing his genitals to other guests.

“It’s kind of weird, right? When you’re smitten by someone and then they reach out and they grab you or do something to you, that sometimes can be considered — from my generation — as flirtatious, as coming on to you,” he recalled.

Related: Club Manager Details Night Ruby Rose Claims Katy Perry Assaulted Her

A former manager at the Australian nightclub where Ruby Rose claims Katy Perry sexually assaulted her 16 years ago has weighed in on the situation. The former boss of Melbourne’s Spice Market told the Herald Sun on Tuesday, April 14, that he remembered Perry, 41, and Rose, 40, arriving together at the hot spot on […]

Kloss told Page Six that one of Perry’s friends subsequently invited him to an after party because the singer “wanted to talk to [him].” He agreed to attend the bash despite feeling “pissed off” about what allegedly occurred earlier in the night.

Kloss remembered speaking to Perry briefly at the after party but both were pulled away by their friends before they could discuss the alleged assault.

Kloss initially came forward with his accusations via Instagram in August 2019. At the time, he allegedly faced pushback from some fans who said he should feel “fortunate” or “lucky.”

“She, who I should be grateful for, devalued and degraded me to the highest level in front of her closest peers. Why would I be grateful for that?” he pointed out.

Kloss said he expected Perry to reach out and apologize but she allegedly never did. In a 2020 Guardian interview, Perry did not address Kloss’s accusations directly but said “we live in a world where anyone can say anything.”

“I don’t comment on all the things that are said about me because if I chase that dragon, it would be about true and false-ing my whole life. It’s distracting from the real movement,” she added.

While Kloss insisted that he’s gotten over the alleged assault, he still struggles with Perry’s fans doubting his account.

“Publicly, when I came out [with my story], I was releasing some of the resentment I had toward her,” he said. “I put that out into the world and two people in her inner-circle lied on me and pretended I was making it up. They called me ‘obsessed.’”

He also admitted in the Page Six interview, “Publicly, some of the hard part is seeing people not believe [me] … Victims are not believed. I don’t call myself a victim but they aren’t believed.”

Us Weekly has reached out to Perry’s spokesperson for comment.

Related: Russell Brand Felt ‘Inadequate and Insecure’ When He Married Katy Perry

Russell Brand is opening up about his brief marriage to pop star Katy Perry. “I didn’t handle that marriage very well,” the comedian-turned-podcaster, 50, said during a Wednesday, April 22, appearance on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Show. Brand and Perry, 41, tied the knot in October 2010, however, he filed for divorce just over a […]

Perry has been embroiled in controversy since she was accused of historic sexual assault by Orange Is the New Black star Ruby Rose earlier this month, On April 11, Rose reacted to Perry’s social media posts about Coachella 2026 by publicly accusing the musician of sexually assaulting her at a Melbourne, Australia, club in 2010.

“Katy Perry sexual assaulted me at spice market nightclub in Melbourne. Who gives a shit what she thinks,” Rose wrote via Threads at the time. “After it I threw up on her. I told the story publicly but changed it to be a ‘funny little drunk story’ because I didn’t know how else to handle it. Later she agreed to help me get my US visa. So I kept it a secret. But I DID tell yall she wasn’t a good person. Instead I got attacked by.. Everyone.”

A Threads user tried to make light of the situation by referencing Perry’s 2008 breakthrough single “I Kissed a Girl,” only for Rose to clap back.

“She didn’t kiss me,” Ruby clarified. “She saw me ‘resting’ on my best friends lap to avoid her and bent down, pulled her underwear to the side and rubbed her disgusting vagina on my face until my eyes snapped open and I projectile vomitted [SIC] on her.”

Perry’s spokesperson strongly denied Rose’s accusations in a statement to Us on April 13.

“The allegations being circulated on social media by Ruby Rose about Katy Perry are not only categorically false, they are dangerous reckless lies,” Ms. Rose has a well-documented history of making serious public allegations on social media against various individuals, claims that have repeatedly been denied by those named.”

While Rose initially said that she was “not interested in filing a report over” the accusations, she did eventually speak to Melbourne police.

“Last update on this: As of this afternoon, I have finalized all of my reports,” she explained via Threads on April 14. “This means I am no longer able to comment, repost, or talk publicly about any of those cases, or the individuals involved.”

The following day, Victoria Police in Australia confirmed that Rose’s allegations were being formally investigated.

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“Melbourne Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team (SOCIT) detectives are investigating a historical sexual assault that occurred in Melbourne in 2010,” a police representative told Us. “Police have been told the incident occurred at a licensed premises in Melbourne’s CBD.”

Perry has kept a low-profile in the two weeks since the police investigation started but did thank fans for showing her support on April 14.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Nearly every major studio has tried its hand at building a sci-fi franchise, and while there have been plenty of misfires along the way, one of the most undeniable successes is Alien. Ridley Scott first launched the iconic sci-fi series in 1979 with the original Alien, starring Sigourney Weaver, who returned seven years later for the equally celebrated sequel, Aliens. It’s no surprise the follow-up holds up so well, especially since it was directed by James Cameron. It wasn’t until 1992, with the release of Alien 3, that the franchise faced its first real wave of criticism, despite being directed by David Fincher. Fincher would later go on to create some of the most acclaimed films of all time, including Se7en starring Brad Pitt and The Social Network starring Jesse Eisenberg.

The last Alien movie to be released in theaters back in 2024 was Alien: Romulus, which was produced by Ridley Scott but directed by horror savant Fede Álvarez. It’s been confirmed that a sequel to Alien: Romulus is in the works, but it’s still unclear when it’s going to be released or even filmed. However, there is a new Alien project that was teased over the weekend, and that’s a sequel to the acclaimed 2014 sci-fi horror game, Alien: Isolation. The game was developed by Creative Assembly, and on Sunday afternoon, the official Alien: Isolation X account posted a short teaser, which all but confirms an announcement regarding a sequel is coming soon. Alien: Isolation is held in high regard as one of the greatest sci-fi survival horror games of all time, so it’s fair to say that its sequel can be considered one of the most anticipated games in development right now.

What Is ‘Alien: Isolation’ About?

The official synopsis for Alien: Isolation, which is canon to the Alien story, reads as follows: “Discover the true meaning of fear in Alien: Isolation, a survival horror game set in the atmosphere of constant dread and mortal danger. Fifteen years after the events of Alien (1979), Ellen Ripley’s daughter, Amanda, enters a desperate battle for survival while on a mission to unravel the truth behind her mother’s disappearance. As Amanda, you navigate through an increasingly volatile world as you find yourself confronted on all sides by a panicked, desperate population and an unpredictable, ruthless Alien. Underpowered and underprepared, you must scavenge resources, improvise solutions, and use your wits, not just to succeed in your mission, but to simply stay alive.”

Check out Alien: Isolation on platforms like PC and PlayStation 5 and stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of the new survival horror sequel.

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Release Date

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June 22, 1979

Runtime

117 Minutes

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Writers

Dan O’Bannon, Ronald Shusett

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You’ve done it thousands of times. After a game-winning shot, a solid joke, a perfectly executed parallel parking job. You’ve probably never thought twice about who did it first. The high-five is so woven into sports and everyday life that it feels like it must have existed forever — like a handshake or a wave.

It hasn’t. The high-five is a surprisingly modern gesture, and its exact origin is one of the more entertaining unsettled debates in sports. While many credit a famous 1977 moment between Los Angeles Dodgers teammates Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke, multiple competing stories and cultural references have emerged over time — some well documented, others later disputed or even fabricated. Nobody has definitively settled the question.

The 1977 High-Five Moment Most People Know

According to Britannica, the most widely accepted origin story traces the high-five to October 2, 1977. That’s the day Dodgers left fielder Dusty Baker hit his 30th home run of the season. As Baker crossed home plate, teammate Glenn Burke greeted him with an upraised hand. Baker slapped it in celebration.

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The moment is often credited as the first recorded high-five, and Burke is recognized for helping popularize the gesture in professional sports. But there’s a catch: the interaction was not televised. The most famous origin story of one of the world’s most recognizable gestures exists only in the memories of the people who were there.

“His hand was up in the air, and he was arching way back,” Baker told ESPN in 2020. “So I reached up and hit his hand. It seemed like the thing to do.”

Even by Baker’s own telling, it was completely spontaneous — a reaction, not a rehearsed gesture.

Earlier and Alternative Claims of the High-Five

Despite the popularity of the MLB origin story, historians and cultural references suggest the gesture may be considerably older.

Some accounts suggest the high-five may have existed among U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan after World War II. Others note visual similarities in earlier media, including a scene in Jean-Luc Godard’s 1960 film Breathless where characters appear to perform a similar gesture — nearly two decades before Baker and Burke’s moment.

Another theory ties the high-five to African American Vernacular English, specifically the phrase “gimme five.” This line of thinking suggests the physical motion evolved from existing cultural expressions — that the upward palm slap wasn’t invented in a single moment but grew gradually out of a greeting with roots far deeper than any one sports celebration.

Related: Do NCAA Schools Have to Follow Trump’s Executive Order Limiting Athletes?

President Donald Trump signed a second executive order in an attempt to “fix” college sports — this one coming on the heels of the biggest weekend of the year for NCAA basketball. The White House announced on Friday, April 3, that the latest executive order is focused on transfer and eligibility rules for college athletes, […]

Louisville Basketball Stars Made Their Own Claims About the High-Five

In basketball lore, one story credits University of Louisville players Wiley Brown and Derek Smith with creating the gesture. At a University of Louisville basketball practice during the 1978-79 season, forward Brown went to give a plain old low five to his teammate Smith. Out of nowhere, Smith looked Brown in the eye and said, “No. Up high.”

The Cardinals were known as the Doctors of Dunk. They played above the rim. So when Smith raised his hand, it clicked for Brown: He understood how the low five went against the essential, vertical character of their team.

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“I thought, yeah, why are we staying down low? We jump so high,” Brown told ESPN. Brown insists it’s Smith who invented the high-five and Smith who spread it around the country.

Today, while the exact origin remains contested, the high-five endures as a universal symbol of celebration, widely used in sports, pop culture and everyday life. Whether it was born in a Los Angeles dugout, a Louisville basketball gym or on a military base overseas, the gesture now belongs to everyone who has ever raised a hand and found another one waiting.

Where it actually started? Nobody can agree — and at this point, that might be part of what makes the story worth telling.

When it comes to science fiction, there are just some movies that never need to be touched. While remakes can be a great way to take a good concept with uneven execution to new heights by improving on the structure, characters, or visual style, they can also be quite horrific if done poorly. Although sci-fi fans are no stranger to the remake, not every attempt to update the material pans out.

Sci-fi is an interesting genre in that, what may have been science fiction at one point in time, quickly becomes science fact in modern day. More than that, what worked in an original context with its original audience may not translate properly to the 21st century. Of course, the most egregious errors that many sci-fi remakes make involve trying to improve on something that needed no improvement in the first place. That’s where we find ourselves with this list of the worst sci-fi remakes out there — so prepare yourself for disappointment.

10

‘Godzilla’ (1998)

Image via TriStar Pictures

After the success of the Jurassic Park films in the early-to-mid-90s, Stargate and Independence Day pair Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin decided to try their hand at Godzilla — and let’s just say that there’s a reason we’ve tried to ignore it. For one thing, the movie essentially turns the Japanese kaiju into a T-rex-like dinosaur that roams around New York City like something out of The Lost World. As the first exclusively American produced entry in the overall franchise, it was beyond a major fail.

When the animated series that spun off from your failed movie is better than the blockbuster itself, there’s a problem. Of the worst Godzilla movies out there, the 1998 film is undoubtedly the worst — and there are some weird ones in the franchise. Perhaps if it weren’t called Godzilla, we would’ve liked it a bit better, but as it stands being a remake (well, technically a reboot), it suffers on all counts.

9

‘Planet of the Apes’ (2001)

Image via Disney

It’s hard to see how anyone could fully recreate the magic of the original Planet of the Apes, especially given Charlton Heston‘s fabulous performance in the picture. And yet, after James Cameron failed to revive the franchise, it was Tim Burton who nearly put it in the grave. Burton gave it the old college try in this uneven attempt to bait-and-switch audiences, but it failed to capture the brilliance of the original. At least Tim Roth is great in it…

Heston even returned for the 2001 Planet of the Apes remake, but not even his cameo appearance (this time as a “damned dirty ape”) could save the picture. Planet of the Apes was so poorly received that it took another decade for filmmakers to figure out how to save it from fading into obscurity. When they did, the prequel-boot route gave it new life in a way that both separated it from and honored the original.

8

‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ (2008)

Image via 20th Century Fox

Although director Scott Derrickson has proven himself to be something of a master of the horror genre, his venture into pulpy science fiction didn’t sit as well with audiences. His remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still is notorious among sci-fi fans for its bland attempt to resurrect a film that was already pretty perfect on its own. Although it’s become a hit on streaming in recent years, let’s be honest, most of us bought the home video version because it also came with the original 1951 picture…

The Day the Earth Stood Still replaces the Cold War threat of nuclear war with a climate change-based crisis that simply doesn’t land the same way. While Keanu Reeves was perfectly cast and Derrickson does a fine job at attempting to honor the source material, the final result leaves too much to be desired. Perhaps this was a movie that just didn’t need a remake at all.

7

‘The Invasion’ (2007)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

The fourth attempt at bringing The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney to life, The Invasion stars powerhouses like Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, yet even they aren’t enough to make this one work. Given that both the Don Siegel and Philip Kaufman versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers are near-perfect on their own, The Invasion doesn’t offer us anything terribly novel to attach our interest to — even if it does change the ending considerably.

Sure, Kidman and Craig are fine, but The Invasion tries too hard to be its own 21st century thing while still coming across as ultimately too derivative. It has its moments, and compared to a lot of movies today, it looks significantly better visually (the new 4K release no doubt emphasizes that), but fans of the originals will ultimately be too disappointed to care. Here’s hoping the inevitable fifth adaptation will be better.

6

‘Total Recall’ (2012)

If you love Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s Total Recall, then you should probably avoid the Colin Farrell adaptation. Not only did the Governator openly criticize a remake of one of his beloved ’90s action movies, but the final product leaves much to be desired. Yes, it’s the same familiar idea, but the Mars setting of the original is swapped for Earth and Farrell is nowhere near as engaging as Schwarzenegger in the role. It’s no wonder critics weren’t thrilled.

Total Recall should have been a hit with Underworld director Len Wiseman at the helm (especially if you love his unique style of action), but it feels particularly uninspired when compared to Paul Verhoeven‘s original style. The 2012 remake was stripped of the original’s humor, emotionally distant, and a bit too basic for many who adore the 1990 version. Farrell isn’t bad, he just is no Schwarzenegger.

5

‘The Island of Dr. Moreau’ (1996)

Image via New Line Cinema

Notoriously known as one of the worst movies ever made, The Island of Dr. Moreau is a disaster in every sense of the word. You might think that Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer together would be cinematic magic (and it easily could have been), but this remake is anything but. The third attempt to adapt the famed H.G. Wells tale, this 1996 production is what happens when everything that can go wrong does go wrong.

There’s something poetic about Brando playing a mad scientist who divorces himself from reality by playing God on his own private island — although by all the behind-the-scenes accounts, the Old Hollywood star may not have been acting. The fact that The Island of Dr. Moreau was completed at all is something of a miracle, even if the final product is nothing short of Brando (and maybe Kilmer’s) worst. It’s a shame too, because with such great stars and source material to pull from, this should have been an instant hit.

4

‘Lilo & Stitch’ (2025)

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

The live-action animated remake of Lilo & Stitch is both redundant and frustrating. For one thing, it doesn’t have the same lovable atmosphere nor is it as imaginative as the original. Some of that is lost in translation between the purely animated 2002 flick and the blended live-action/animated medium of the 2025 remake, but a lot of it has to do with certain ways that the latest attempt reinterprets the material. For fans who grew up with the original, sit this one out.

Despite being one of the 50 highest grossing movies out there, Lilo & Stitch is just another one of Disney’s uninspired cash grabs that attempts to cling to what made the company great years ago. It just doesn’t work, and even with a sequel in development, it’s hard to imagine how this live-action franchise could compare to what audiences loved about the original work and its television sequels.

3

‘Twilight Zone: The Movie’ (1983)

Image via Warner Bros.

While not a remake of another movie, Twilight Zone: The Movie consists entirely of reworked material from Rod Serling‘s original The Twilight Zone television series. That means bigger budgets, bigger stars, bigger directors (Steven Spielberg and George Miller, included), and a much bigger failure. Like The Island of Dr. Moreau, Twilight Zone went through its own fair share of behind-the-scenes tragedy, and the results, sadly, prove that it was a futile effort.

Chief among the big-screen Twilight Zone disappointments was its remake of the iconic “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” The film is split into four vignettes helmed by different filmmakers, and this inferior take on the original 1963 episode closes out the whole thing. The stakes may appear to be higher, but we care far less about John Lithgow‘s fearsome flyer than we did William Shatner‘s take 20 years earlier. George Miller may be a Mad Max master, but his take on The Twilight Zone

2

‘The Thing’ (2011)

Image via Universal Pictures

Okay, technically, the 2011 version of The Thing is actually a prequel rather than a remake, beginning a long-running (and annoying) trend in the horror world of naming a prequel or sequel the same as the original classic. But even though The Thing is a stealth prequel to John Carpenter‘s film, the whole thing was framed (and billed by many) as a remake — so we’re going to treat it like one. Even if it has its merits as a standalone prequel, it fails to capture most of what made Carpenter’s original so thrilling.

Interestingly, John Carpenter’s The Thing is actually a remake, but it’s a remake that re-imagines the original idea masterfully. The 2011 film, by comparison, doesn’t do anything terribly new. It tries to rehash some of the best elements of the 1982 picture but without the same Kurt Russell-style charisma to make it work. In the end, we know where the story is going anyway…

1

‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ (2014)

Image via Paramount Pictures

While not advertised as a remake, Star Trek Into Darkness is a soft reboot of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Due to the time travel present in the 2009 film that preceded it, Into Darkness exists in an alternate Star Trek timeline where Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise find themselves encountering many of their old threats in brand-new ways. In this case, Khan Noonien Singh (Benedict Cumberbatch) is chief among them.

Although fans of the Star Trek reboot films likely enjoy J.J. Abrams‘ take on Wrath of Khan, fans of the original were quite frustrated with the results. Not only does Into Darkness flip the ending, but many believed that Cumberbatch was a major miscast as the villain, and felt that the soft remake was unable to deliver on the high expectations set by the original. Given that Wrath of Khan is the Empire Strikes Back of Star Trek movies, there was little hope that Star Trek Into Darkness could measure up on principle alone.

Blake Lively may be sitting out one of fashion’s biggest nights.

The actress, long considered a staple at the Met Gala, is reportedly not expected to attend the 2026 event after failing to secure an invite. Her absence comes as she remains locked in a legal dispute with her “It Ends With Us” co-star Justin Baldoni, a situation insiders claim is beginning to affect her standing in Hollywood.

Lively last walked the Met steps in 2022, where she co-chaired the event alongside husband Ryan Reynolds.

Lively made her 2022 Met Gala appearance count, but it remains her last to date.

The actress turned heads in a strapless metallic gown that shifted between turquoise and copper tones, instantly becoming one of the night’s standout looks. After commanding so much attention, fans expected her to remain a fixture at future events. Instead, Lively quietly skipped the following year and has yet to return.

Now, the actress is expected to miss the upcoming May event as well, with reports suggesting her absence may not be by choice but because she did not receive an invitation.

Lively’s Alleged Met Gala Snub Tied To Legal Feud

Questions are already swirling over why Lively may have been left off the Met Gala guest list.

Much of the focus has landed on her ongoing legal battle with Baldoni, with whom she reportedly had a strained relationship even before the film’s 2024 release.

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In December of that year, Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, as reported by ABC News Australia. The actress accused her co-star of sexual harassment, boundary violations, and orchestrating a smear campaign to damage her reputation.

She later escalated the matter into a lawsuit, bringing 13 claims that expanded on the original allegations.

Fans React To Blake Lively’s Possible Met Gala Absence

The decision has not been confirmed by Met Gala organizers, leaving open the possibility that Lively could still make an appearance. Still, that hasn’t stopped fans from reacting to the prospect of her absence, and many aren’t happy.

“This makes me sad. She was a Met Gala icon. Her Empire State gown was just the greatest gown I’ve ever seen,” one fan said on Instagram, recalling Lively’s standout 2022 look.

“I feel like anytime a woman speaks up in HW, they get silenced. And everyone ALWAYS believes the man. Shameful,” another commented, referencing her feud with Baldoni.

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Elsewhere, some users have gone a step further, speculating about how the actress might be taking the news. One commenter claimed she is “probably fuming right now,” suggesting Lively may have been hoping the event would help reset her public image.

Lively Loses Majority Of Claims In Lawsuit Against Baldoni

Earlier this month, Lively faced a major setback in her legal battle when Judge Lewis Liman dismissed ten of the 13 claims she had brought against Baldoni. The dismissed allegations included harassment and defamation, two key pillars of her case against the film director.

In his ruling, Liman stated that the alleged incidents occurred outside California, meaning they did not meet the legal threshold required to be tried under the state’s laws.

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“None of these acts or occurrences provides the ‘substantial connection’ to California needed to sustain Lively’s sexual harassment claims,” the judge wrote in his 152-page decision.

He further noted that Lively could not pursue certain claims related to harassment and retaliation because she was classified as an independent contractor rather than an employee.

Blake Lively’s Trial Against Baldoni Set To Begin In May

After the court’s ruling, only three of Lively’s claims remain headed to trial, including breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting retaliation.

Following the ruling, Baldoni’s legal team said it was “grateful to the Court for its careful review of the facts, law, and voluminous evidence that was provided.”

They added that they are confident heading into the next phase, noting, “We look forward to presenting our defense to the remaining claims in court.”

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The case is currently scheduled to begin on May 18, with jury selection expected to take place in the days leading up to the trial.

Both Lively and Baldoni are expected to testify, along with additional witnesses whose identities have not yet been disclosed.

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Believe it or not, Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep seem to have unofficially settled the cerulean blue debate. Nodding to the iconic scene in The Devil Wears Prada, Hathaway posted a TikTok video wearing a chic blue pullover. Streep followed suit on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, donning the classic cerulean sweater style from the movie. […]

6. Maxi Maven: Pair this floral maxi skirt with a tucked blouse for the office, then add statement earrings for dinner. It’s the trousers alternative your summer wardrobe needs.

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Nothing says Zimmermann style quite like, well, Zimmermann. The billowy fabrics, gorgeous prints, effortlessly flattering silhouettes . . . it’s no wonder A-listers wear the label nonstop. Thankfully, you don’t have to drop four figures to nail the style. These 19 wedding guest dresses look eerily similar to the designer brand, yet start at just […]

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 12 seconds ago

Pop quiz, media nerds: what’s the cheapest kind of television episode to produce? The answer is a bottle episode. These are the ones that use limited sets and characters and are made almost exclusively to save money. Such episodes are very common in Star Trek because they help to free up the budget for more ambitious episodes. That is, when producers save money making an episode on the cheap, they have more funds available for, say, an effects-heavy episode featuring villains like the Borg.

Early on in Star Trek: Voyager, one of the cheapest episodes was “Twisted,” which has something of a notorious reputation. Robert Picardo called it the worst episode of the entire series, and he badmouthed it at a convention so much that fans thought it might never even air. As a bottle episode, it did get one thing mostly right: it was cheaper to produce than many other series. However, in an ironic “twist,” the episode required pioneering some cutting-edge computer effects that ultimately made “Twisted” more expensive than the studio would have liked.

Star Trek: The Next Picasso

“Twisted” is pretty weird, even by Voyager standards. When Voyager passes through a weird energy field, it somehow changes the interior of the ship. Nothing is where it should be anymore, and characters wander the ship trying to find familiar locations. Most of the bridge crew ended up back in the holodeck, where they had been celebrating Kes’s birthday. When all their attempts to fix the problem fail, Tuvok suggests simply doing nothing. Surprisnly enough, his idea works. The ship safely passes through the energy field, which the crew discovers was actually a sentient alien lifeform.

Since “Twisted” was designed as a bottle episode, why did it require major computer effects? It all came down to the producers trying to figure out how to represent the distortion waves of the alien energy field on the inside of Voyager. Basically, both the ship and its interiors needed to be manipulated in three-dimensional models, something that was extremely rare for Star Trek: Voyager. It was also rare for television in general, as most ‘90s TV shows had neither the need nor the budget to pull something like this off. While the work was time-consuming, it paid off, and the cool visual effects are arguably the best things about this entire episode.

First: Do No Arm

One of the neater effects in “Twisted” was handled by Digital Magic, a special effects company created to handle postproduction of Star Trek episodes. The effect in question involved Captain Janeway’s left arm being affected by the alien energy field’s distortion waves. To make the shot work, Digital Magic filmed Kate Mulgrew’s arm against a blue screen. They ultimately ended up creating multiple composite versions of the shot before settling on a final version that provided some cool facial distortion, selling the idea that nobody on the ship was safe from this creepy cosmic phenomenon.

While “Twisted” isn’t the worst bottle episode in Star Trek history (that dubious honor goes to the Next Generation episode “Shades of Gray”), it’s pretty forgettable in almost every respect. It has a fairly nonsensical story, poor pacing, and bad characterization (Neelix’s jealousy is so obnoxious that showrunner Michael Piller made it his mission to save the character!). However, the episode has some of the coolest and most innovative effects in the first few seasons of Voyager, which help carry this stinker of a story across the finish line for anyone with a taste for cool visuals.